#and it's hard to appreciate music that isn't done yet

[rawliverandgoronspice]

kinda wish you could post wips of music like you post wips of fic or art...

#thoughts #I am starting to get a couple of fun tracks #but they are #not done #and it's hard to appreciate music that isn't done yet #or that feels like a sketch

[se1f]

Hello angel!

I think I've read enough on here, and realised enough. Not that 'I' needed to. But I'm done with this body, this character's thoughts/worries. Life became so much better after I gave up trying to control it, and just focused on being.

Just kidding, I didn't focus or anything. Didn't persist or kept reminding myself of my true nature. I just left everything, left trying, and gave up on the idea of doing anything to achieve something.

And my oh my..now my life is sweet as cinnamon..like a fuckin dream I'm livin in.. ha ha..seriously though. That's exactly how I'm feeling. It's not immeasurable joy or incomprehensible happiness. Its just a feeling of "oh right, this is exactly how it's supposed to be. Peace and a soft smile on my face."

Things are happening on their own and it's so funny and yet unsurprising to me. I remember @illuminatedmystic posting @realitywarpingg Instagram post in which he wrote 'You cannot fail' and my mind went like "I need to dm her and ask to share other posts from him" and such. I shushed my mind, quite literally lol. I didn't even pay attention to that thought and let it go. Now she's posting a series of his posts on here. Like...what?

Another incident was when I was listening to music in my wireless headphones, I didn't even realise when I got out of the 'said' range of the bluetooth, my phone was in one corner of the house while I was in another but still the music didn't stop playing, and when I realised this I was like "Oh well..anyways..." Lol. It's all so much fun. A lot more happened.

Everything this 'person' wanted is coming right to her and she's trying soo hard to just rationalize it, like 'oh, must be a Coincidence, it must be' and i just sigh and sit there without doing anything about the thoughts whatsoever.

This world is serving me right now and of course, that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

Also, can I just thank you for the way you talk and reply to people? It's so sweet and kind! I appreciate tough love from creators like @infiniteko, that's exactly what I needed. But the way you handle anons so gently, I love you!❤❤ Thankyou for being so kind.

Also, can I be 🩷 anon?

ohmygosh!!! this ask has left me beyond floored 😭 i am over the moon happy with all these "success" stories coming in!! love, love, loved the little reference to LDR tehe. all of the incidents you mentioned sound so fascinating!! well done, anon :) isn't it just so remarkable to see THAT in (seeming) action? i cannot wait to hear more from you!! you literally got it, anon. there is no need for any more posts or guidance :'). i would love it if you would be 🩷 anon!! and, thank you for what you said in that last paragraph <33 it definitely did not go unnoticed. i love you too, 🩷 anon!! hope you have a lovely weekend! :)

#asks #experience

[aechii]

₍⁠₍ GOOD LUCK CHARM ₎⁠₎

{read part 2}

PAiRiNG ?! childhoodfriend!kylian x black!femreader

GENRE ?! romance , angst if you have 30/30 vision

SYNOPSiS ?! based on the prompt "you still wear that little bracelet i made you?" "it's like my good luck charm.." by @novelbear because i need fuel rn haha 😞

A/N ?! i was listening to infrunami by steve lacy while writing this, if it's too fluffy im sorry blame him. i think i need to stop writing in 2nd person pov cos it's NOT IT. so yh, this isn't good BUT i feed my consumers so yuuuuurp, HERE YOU GO 💀

~°~

if someone had told 8 year old you that your friendship with kylian, in all its deep-rootedness and proclamations of 'forever's, would meet its demise just short of your 17th birthday, you would've cackled like the wicked witch of the west herself, bearing your gapped teeth in complete humour.

your bond was imperishable, derived from unyielding interlocked hands and taut, warm hugs that you longed to ever drown into. everybody knew, if kylian was there, you would be stood right beside him as if you were his right hand man- no, but you were.

his second mother, you were called; as sweet as he was, he was hardheaded and stubborn, and there was never a week that didn't go by where you weren't, even as young as you were, chastising him for having an unrelenting mouth or fisted hands. it was his nature, no matter how much you told him to stop and he vowed that he would, but it made him, kylian, so really and truly, there was nothing that could be done.

as you both matured, entered highschool with newfound tribulations that you swore you would conquer together, you began to realise that maybe, he had priorities that, inevitably, meant that your time together was diminishing. it was glaringly palpable, to him, to you, and everyone that was on the outside looking in.

but you could see just how much he tried balancing the two. football and you, occupied so much space in his life that dropping one would leave a gaping intrusion, begging to be whole again. so, after evening training, you two found yourselves basking in the soft buzz of the 20th hour within the confinement of your room, music droning in the back with a gentle hum. it was times like this that made you appreciate kylian; just a growing boy from bondy, fighting to make a name for himself in something he loved so much, yet still had time for you. his other half, as he called you. it made your heart swell everytime.

"kylian, i swear, if you've taken the last é-"

he was quick to defend himself, "look! i took e not é." he showed you the small bead and you hummed in approval. he rolled his eyes, "always quick to accuse me of shit."

you gasped, taking a pillow and throwing it his head. he screeched, quick to rip it off him.

"no swearing, you know that! my mum's gonna hear you."

he looked down, noticing that his efforts had been chewed and spat right back out, "[y/n], you ruined my bracelet!"

you shrugged, continuing yours, "sorry, not sorry."

his glare was evident in your peripheral and you tried to hold back your laugh.

"if this is so funny to you," he threw the empty threaded strand unto the carpet, "i'm not doing it anymore."

he knew he had gotten to you as he noticed your eyes widen, stopping the task at hand.

"bro! i'm not gonna have one then, that's not fair!"

he snickered, "should've thought about that first." his arms were crossed, smirking.

you debated whether or not to stop and leave you both bracelet-less, or sacrifice your dignity and apologise. in the end, the latter ruled the verdict; this was something cute that you both hadn't done in a while, and this ocassional get together was supposed to be fruitful.

"fine, i'm sorry."

he grinned, picking up the string once again to begin his, "there you go, wasn't that hard, was it?"

you gave him a look, muttering his words as you mimicked him before saying, "just continue the damn thing."

2 hours later and you were sure enough to say that your fingers were absolutely aching, kylian vocalising his pain. god, were his whines so irritating.

"kylian, please just give me your wrist," you sighed. he shuffled closer to you, arm stretched out. you tied yours securely, making sure to keep the word you had put facing down. you both agreed to make it a suprise.

with his tightly tied to your skin, in which he later had to loosen due to your discomfort, you counted down before sliding them against your wrists to see.

"chef? that's cute," you beamed. it didn't matter that you were younger than him, you were always telling him what to do, and he had always jokingly called you 'boss'.

he smiled back at you, but then it fell as he looked at his, "[y/n]?"

you struggled to hold back your giggles, "what? you don't like it?"

he looked at you from the corner of his eyes, "petit frèrot? really? out of everything you could've used, you used that?"

laughing, you gripped his wrist, turning it to look at it yourself, "it suits you, kylian!"

"i'm not shorter than you anymore," he whined. it was a memory he hated being brought to light; you always had an inch or two on him up until you both hit 14, and somehow, you remained stunted yet he had grown to be a whole head taller than you.

"it's for... memory's sake, ky."

"i don't want to wear it."

you frowned, "don't be stupid, kylian. you're never taking it off."

his tone is indignant, "don't be too sure about that."

+_-

it may be fraying and fuzzed at the edges. it may be fading, colours that were once bright and vivid now ghosted and phantom, but you swore that if it was ever cut off, it would be the end of you too.

yes, you both no longer talked. it was an occurence so vigorously impactful that even your parents had ceased contact because if their kids didn't talk, why should they?

you knew that with the life that kylian had planned for himself, as much you both ignored it, there was no space in it for you. he had to travel to play in clubs that didn't reside within the borders of paris, or even france. your academics strangled you with deadlines and projects that had you begin to fade into the distance of kylian's mind, so he couldn't take the full blame for it. you were the reason why too, and you wished you had fought harder to sustain such a friendship.

no hard feelings were established, you presumed. the drift was gradual and something that couldn't be helped. you knew kylian wouldn't hate you, and he knew you wouldn't either.

you kept your tabs on him, however. he didn't know where you were anymore, hell if you were even alive, but with a name as big as messi's and ronaldo's, you would've been living under rocks if you didn't know how he was fending.

once every few months, you search him up. you would see he was doing well, and you would smile, pained with nostalgia, fiddle with the aging bracelet that seemed to burn its imprint into your skin, and close the google tab. it wouldn't leave your mind for the next few weeks, but you didn't mind. as long as you knew he was okay, then you were too.

+_-

football, as much as it was your ex best friend's, wasn't your forte. you didn't know a single team to name, or a player that wasn't the two infamous rivals, so finding yourself, clad in the white jersey of real madrid was completely unusual nature.

"it'll be fun, [y/n]," your friend had urged. it wasn't the first time kalani had begged you to watch a game of her favourite team, but this time, you decided to give in to her pleas and see for yourself.

"sure," you stated dismissively. you needed these 3 hours to pass as quick as they could, essays weren't going to write themselves.

the stadium atmosphere was suffocating, to be entirely honest. it was filled to the absolute brim with the blue and white opposing colours, to which you had no idea which team the blue was supposed to represent. you were only here for support, not the experience.

you could see the players training and preparing themselves on the pitch, seriousness punctured with banter and playful chasing. it reminded you of kylian again. you smiled at that thought.

then, as if time itself were a blur, kick off had started and instantaneously both team were hungry for the ball. you were, of course, rooting for madrid, and everytime the ball was in their possession, couldn't fight down the urge to scream with passion. it was like football had ignited something deep and buried within you, and it took you back to the days were you were screaming for kylian to score until your voice grew hoarse and dessicated.

+_-

you didn't even support the damned team yet you were completely drunk off victory. won with 2 goals to your name and the smile that had found its way unto your and kalani's faces hadn't left.

in a haze of excitement and thrill, she had left you to go to the toilet. you had no idea where you were, and you thought the safest place to go was back to the entrance.

"fucking hell."

the stadium was bigger than you thought, and with your short memory span, you had found yourself lost. how you couldn't even get the exit was beyond you.

in the distance you heard a cluster of voices, and your brain immediately thought to go in that direction, where there was people, there was help. your steps were hurried, you're sure you looked absolutely frightened out of your mind, and you quickly take the sharp left, colliding into a body.

"oh shit- i'm so sorry," you hurried out apologies. the person in front of you was quick to stop you, "no, no, you're good."

you stilled. age did absolutely nothing to the distinct accent of his. and it's then you drank in the sight of him fully.

"kylian?"

his face morphed into one of familiarity and utter shock, then his eyes widened.

"no way- [y/n]?"

you airily chuckled, still stupified, "in the flesh, ky."

his arms were quick to take you in them, embrace muscled and strong. your arms wrapped around his neck as you swayed from side to side.

a cough from beside you dragged you both back down from your reverie.

"kylian? who's this?" their voice was playful and the man rolled his eyes, grinning widely.

"achraf, this is [y/n], my best friend from early-"

"until you ditched me."

"i did not," he defended.

achraf chuckled, "won't be surprised if he did."

you laughed wholeheartedly, kylian groaning at his two best friends tag teaming against him.

"you two literally just met," his gaze was on you, fully coming to terms with the fact that you were standing right in front of him. no longer 16, but now 8 years later, unrecognisable but in the best way possible.

"how did you get here?" achraf asked, and you grinned sheepishly.

"got lost. i came here with my friend to watch real madrid and she ditched me to go to take a shit or something, i have no idea."

kylian huffed at you revelation, "siding with the enemy, i see. i thought you were my supporter."

you tried not to react to his words, but the growing seansation of butterflies made you feel nauseous.

"suck it up, ky. don't be a sore loser," you jeered, punching him softly in his arm.

he raised and eyebrow, "i guess i'll leave you here."

achraf was quick to deflect it, however, "no you're not. you're going to help this young lady and see her out, kylian," he tutted, "be a gentleman."

you smirked at your best friend, "listen to him, ky. he has wisdom to share."

he kissed his teeth, turning around to walk away. you grabbed his wrist to stop him, "okay, okay, i'm sorry!"

you laugh, squeezing his flesh as you felt something thin line his skin. you looked down and the sight of your sentiment, its state just like yours, left you breathless.

"you still wear that little bracelet i made you?" you couldn't stop smiling.

he looked at you, straight in your eyes as if his following words weren't enough. he needed you to feel the genuineness of it all.

"i could never take it off. it's like my good luck charm."

chef- boss

petit frèrot- little bro

#work de aechii 🫧 #kylian mbappe x you #kylian mbappe x reader #kylian mbappe imagines #kylian x reader #kylian imagines #kylian mbappe #x black reader #x black fem reader #footballer x reader #footballer x you #football imagines

[maramirror11]

Neon Wings

These are just my thoughts on this AMAZING series and I don't have someone to dump this so here we go.

Spoiler warning for both The Neon Barbarian and Neon Wings.

I've never done this and English grammar isn't my strong point.

I wasn't expecting a sequel for TNB. But the world was too interesting to not make more. So, I was surprised that NW went in a different direction. It's Raven's story and it SHOWS.

I love how the audience is able to witness Raven's past and compare it with the present.

I enjoy making the backstories of Listeners based on the little information we have. However, it feels different to just hear about their past from BE THERE to understand what they went through.

Because for me the two series are one big story. Of course, you can see one and not the other. Still, it hits different when you see both.

I like the idea of Crow not going back. It'll defeat the purpose of the story. (Don't get me wrong I LOVE CROW, I MISS HIM). Yet, if he comes back, it'll be awkward since Raven is different. Time has moved on and he will be stuck in the past again.

For me, Raven changes from being someone open to knowing new people to becoming this person with emotional walls. In both she's still kind and a badass, but it's different.

It took her TWO days to give Ivan the pie unlike with Crow that it took a few hours to invite him to her house.

One of my favorite parts of this series were the moments Raven had a panic attack. Sure, almost every video has loud banging or shooting noises.

But with these ones, you can FEEL how UNCOMFORTABLE she is. How there is nowhere to run, no way to get the sound quiet down. How the sirens and shooting noises never left her head as she just stayed there, incapable to do something.

The way music is used is another favorite part. Out of Touch means so much for her, both good and bad. I forgot the music was playing WHILE Crow was being shot.

That's why in her nightmare, after Ivan gets shot, it sounds a distorted version. It's the story repenting itself all over again.

Just for her to claim the song while they fight against Luke. Love the detail. The final song Chicago was *chef kiss*. It's a new song for a new life and it fits PERFECTLY.

ALSO, THE FIGHTING AND SOLO SCENES OMGGG. You KNOW what Raven does and what they do to her, from hand to hand combat to guns.

Also, there are many scenes where she doesn't interact with anyone and still understand what happened. Like when she goes back home from the incident and just drops to her couch/bed.

Lemme talk about Ivan. I was surprised with Ivan's attitude. He is always calm and never actually cursed. I thought that his reaction to Raven's old job was something he was OK with but couldn't participate.

He's so kind with everyone and his struggle NOT TO drop facts about the things he likes is relatable. HE'S SO AFFECTIONATE WITH RAVEN AND PALOMA, I LOVE HIM.

At the end, he curses and gives effective strategies to kill the other mercenaries. On top of that, he ended up shooting someone, so I think I didn’t give Ivan enough credit.

The fact that he has a kind heart, doesn't mean he's not brave enough to protect the ones he cares about. They became The Power Couple. Relationship Goals indeed.

It was a hard task to give Raven another love interest since Crow is so loved by the fans. And I admit it was handled very well. For both Crow and Michelle.

I appreciate how Michelle is not a competition. For me, she had the right to be upset at the beginning. It was a dangerous and new situation. She just wanted to protect her family.

Probably Ivan talked to her and explained the situation better, since Michelle doesn't blame Raven again at the end.

My question right now is, WHY Raven took Ivan with her??? He can't run and doesn't have that much experience in combat.

Maybe they felt safe with each other. I mean, Raven IS a mercenary and fought 3 armed guys alone. Also, why was she so open to listen to Luke? He knows most about Para M and would benefit from her death. I still need to give it more thought.

There are still some things that kept me thinking about the other stuff that weren't shown. One is that Danny is never brought up again. I understand that she was not as important as Crow in the story but STILL.

She died saving her identity from Louis and now Raven takes care of her cat. I just wonder if Danny was for Raven, another victim of the circumstances or they were friends.

Also, the disaster that created the super genits (i'm sorry if I wrote it wrong) is never brought up again. But I think it's because it takes place far away from the original incident. Something that is never stated as well, are Danny and Crow buried somewhere?.

Lastly, I always keep this writing advice in mind. Characters of a story can't be the same at the beginning and at the end. The scene that brought me that thought was when Raven got shot. I'm pretty sure she couldn't hear Crow's words before this moment.

Seeing him one last time and being in the situation she wanted for so long, it shows how much she grew. Raven from the beginning would've accepted to die.

But she couldn't, there was something worth living for. Raven had her closure with her past and now it's ready for the future. IT MADE ME EMOTIONAL 😭.

Now Raven can live her life again the way she wants. She leaves her old name and life behind. Not seeing the next sunrise but to enjoy it as well.

It's like those stories even if you get spoilers, it's not the same as experience it.

That's all.

#escapedaudios #escaped audios #hits a sensitive spot to me #neon wings #the neon barbarian #I forgot to add this #Does Raven still have Crow's tapes? #Raven became the fandom wife #There was a lot of effort and care in this story #From the VAs performance to the editing #Any story that touches on the idea of finding joy for the future hits a sensitive spot to me #el Escapado se pasó #él se levantó un día y eligió la violencia #como hace prácticamente todos los días

[warmmilk-n-honey]

@isleofgumby made a tier list for kuro characters so I decided to rank the blorbos

I only included the anime versions of the characters that were in the original anime, so even if it's their book of iteration in the picture, it's meant to be rating their original anime iterations. For example, anime Queen Victoria is meant to be lolli Victoria from season 1 despite the image being her book of counterpart. So, if the character only shows up in book of, I didn't bother to include them because their manga and anime counterparts are basically the same.

I only included the kuromyu actors of the musicals I've seen obviously. I think every one of them did a great job, I mainly ranked them based on how iconic I found their performance, how much I felt they embodied their characters, how much I like their characters in general, and how much screen time they got, so some of these actors are at a disadvantage based on how much they were on stage.

my explanation👇

S-Tier- The absolute elite of the elite of kuro characters and actors. I don't just love these characters, these characters make the manga for me, they are the absolute most special guys in the whole world. The actors not only embodied the characters well, but I think brought something new to the table that made their performance exceptional. For example, Madam Red's actor slayed so hard with her singing, but also brought depth to the character that made me like her more than I did originally, she was also really hot.

A-Tier- I love all the characters in A, they are icons they make me smile, they make me love the manga. They might not be quite on the level of S tier, but they are very close. Tanaka's anime counterpart is there because while I think the way he deflates is cursed, he is pretty similar to the Tanaka we know and love and I appreciate his Japanese va a lot. Some of the characters in A tier simply have not had enough screen time to be in S. I was also so conflicted about putting Bard and Tanaka in A instead of S but I decided to because Bard's backstory did leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth, and Tanaka has yet to prove his loyalty to O!Ciel, I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I'm strict.

B-Tier- I feel positive things for these characters, I generally like them, but I don’t love them, I generally like them, but I don't care about them that much. Season 1 Victoria is here because I think she’s hilarious and I do actually like her design. Kelvin’s stage actor is here because I felt he did a rlly good job with the character he was given.

C-Tier- I don't care about these characters whatsoever/they have done something that I don't like. For instance, Pitt would be a lot higher, but he betrayed O!Ciel and his character isn't interesting enough to make up for it so, sorry. The anime iterations of many beloved characters are here because I don't think they were portrayed well and it annoys me, especially the servants.

D-Tier- The absolute bottom of the barrel, characters I actively hate or strongly dislike. Sebastian is mainly here as a joke and would realistically be higher up, but I enjoy hating on him so much and that man deserves to be taken down a peg. Anime Lizzie is here because she was done so dirty it should be considered a crime. Anyway these characters are trash.

This list is subject to change, but yeah. Agni could definitely be on S tier, Jane could be a lot higher than she is since she's very hot, stuff like that.

#kuro #kuroshitsuji #black butler #tier list #black butler character ranking #black butler tier list #my ranking #black butler characters

[citriarchive]

my favorite source of character inspiration is mario or mario spin-off music tbh. not for any reason in particular but i do have a list:

Mario (+ spin-off) music fucks for absolutely no reason

It's something I'm really passionate about and interested in, love the Mario franchise

It's always fun!! Mario music is a blast and also can be so beautiful (hello super mario galaxy how r u), I get my most fun characters from it

I get to show my friends music from a franchise that I really really really enjoy!!! Which makes me go eeeeee

So far I have:

My villain based on the World Bowser theme and A Boss Approaches from SM3D2, both of which use Bowser's 3D World leitmotif. Sparkly jacket, top hat, blue hair, pink eyes, bad attitude, could crush you beneath her 6-inch heels.

My toy soldier based on Heavy Metal Mecha Bowser from Super Mario Galaxy 1! Silly little guy who takes their job very seriously but is also literally like halfling or gnome sized, i forget which. whichever is shorter. Wind-up toy. In D&D terms they're a warforged battle master fighter.

A tiefling based off of Bowser's Castle from MK8/DX!! Big tiddy goth gf with an affinity for hand-to-hand combat. I haven't done much with her yet because I wanna change some things but she is chaos incarnate!!

A character who ISN'T based on Shifty Boo Mansion from SM3DW but might as well be, my beloved phantom rogue, Virmaris Londrathra!! Idk it gave me the vibe of dancing in an empty room, doing barre and floor exercises, and when you glance in the mirror you can sometimes see their late husband.

I wanna make a character with Grumble Volcano (MKWii + MK8/DX) vibes but honestly I kinda need to get over how hard it fucks like

This shit goes HARD but in a v unique way

Anyway that's it just wanted to talk about Mario music and characters and why the combination makes me happy

Edit: This is now also a Wonder final battle appreciation post how could I forget it omg

This is another one I really want to make a character for because Nintendo fucking went OFF (I personally prefer phase one WITH chants but y'know what here you go anyway)

#; the citrus speaks #; the ttrpg tag(tm) #; character inspiration #friends if ur reading this i hope ur ready for an eventual grumble volcano oc infodump hehe

[rainsandrains]

in all honesty, i'm having a hard time with my atheopaganism. it's nearly hallows, and my focus is still set up for spring - i was here (in cambridge) until july, then i went home (to my parents' house) until the start of october, and although i've been back for about two weeks i still haven't touched my focus except to put my two spiritual notebooks back on it. i have hardly engaged with any of the things i consider spiritual practices.

the last time i was in cambridge, i was extremely unhappy. i was still in limbo regarding issues with my phd, i was having issues with my relationship to certain close friends, and i was, to put it bluntly, bordering on suicidal. i then went through hell for two weeks in july, and spent all of august recovering from that. i finally got good news about my phd and in september i started studying again, and i managed to make a tiny bit of progress with another personal goal i won't talk about here in case it's triggering to people. i engaged in my first proper full moon ritual, and managed to keep the promise i made to myself that night - a certain set of tasks for an entire lunar cycle. things were looking up. and then i came back to cambridge, to the place where so much went wrong and where i had felt so so bad, and it all fell apart again. i relapsed into a very bad coping mechanism and haven't yet had the energy to feel bad about it. i'm struggling to enjoy my main hobby because the choir is full of new people and because i'm tired and drained.

so no wonder the whole "connecting to the natural world" thing has fallen away. i'm just trying to get through the days, get my work done, and not snap at the poor freshers who haven't done anything wrong. i don't feel guilty about abandoning my practice. but i do feel like i'm lacking something. i do feel sad, and regretful, that i'm not feeling connected to the world.

and, for some reason, when i feel this way (and when i feel low and lonely in general), i've recently (as in over the last year or so) found myself drawn to polytheism. i know that gods aren't real. but i wish they were. i find myself... playing pretend, for lack of a better word. talking to apollo and lighting a candle i imagine he'd like, and then catching myself and feeling stupid. when i have to sing christian music with my choir, i think "khaire apollon, if you want to take any of this music as an offering, even though it's about the wrong god on paper, feel free. your presence would be appreciated" - because i feel so isolated even in that space, and because i need something overtly pagan to counteract the icky feeling christianity gives me. i know plenty of naturalistic pagans engage with deity as myth, as story, as metaphor... but i want it to be more than metaphor. but it isn't, and it never will be. i need to find a new way to engage with these ideas, something that fills the emotional void but that aligns with my naturalist worldview. i never think about apollo this way when i'm at my parents' house, probably because i'm less lonely than here where i live alone. maybe i need to spend more time with my friends, but it's cambridge, they're so busy all the time...

i don't know. i may well delete this post - i've never rambled so personally on this blog before, and it's not really in line with my original intention that this would be for reference and inspiration. but i'm stuck, and frustrated, and struggling, and i don't have anyone irl i can talk to about it because i don't know any other naturalistic pagans irl. only a couple of people even know i'm pagan, and while both are open-minded and kind about it neither of them are remotely similar (one is my college chaplain, and the other is a friend who is jewish - both lovely, neither likely to be on the same page as me about naturalism).

#atheopaganism #suicide tw #e.txt

[askanaroace]

Am I aplatonic? I don't have any feelings on having friends. Yet I know I need them. There have only been 3 times at the most when I felt that someone was important to me. Maybe Demi-platonic? I don't know if it's autism, having a very isolated childhood or something else. Every time I've tried to go out and meet new people it's never worked. I'm worried that I won't get anywhere in life because if I can't make friends I won't be able to succeed at anything.

Aplatonic, like any other label, is something intensely personal. Something only you can decide to use or not use for yourself. Aplatonic isn't some diagnosis someone can prescribe you. It's just a word to help you communicate your feelings to yourself or others. You don't have to perfectly fit it. You don't have to have always perfectly fit it. (I knew about the label aplatonic for years before I ever considered ID'ing as it.) The label is open to anyone who wants to use it or otherwise feels it would be useful.

As for why - that's always a very difficult question and one you're unlikely to narrow down a simple, singular answer for. It could be autism, having an isolated childhood, and something else that all contributes to your feelings. :) Humans are a mess of nature and nurture, and it's more rare than not that you can pinpoint a feeling to one, specific action/event/reason.

You don't need friends to succeed at life, and there's tons of skills out there that have nothing to do with the skill of making friends. And heck, tons of people that enjoy and want friends really struggle to make friends. It's a hard skill, and if you don't really want friends or don't value friendships that much, it's really hard to hone that skill!

It sounds like a good idea to discard this focus on something you don't want/possibly aren't good at and instead focus on things you do want and things you are good at. Do you enjoy writing? Creating? Sculpting? Math? Running? Climbing? Music? Building? Organizing? Public speaking? Learning? Playing? Fishing? Birding? Sparring? Joking? Fashion? Interior design? Baking? Cooking? Skateboarding? Gardening? Volunteering? Bugs? Crocheting? Weight lifting? Movies? What are you good at? Making people laugh? Innovation? Creativity? Strength? Emotions? Puzzle solving? Helping others? Listening? Caretaking? Did you get good at these things with no work or did they take some time, patience, and effort to foster?

All kinds of skills are needed for all kinds of things. And not knowing a skill right now doesn't mean you're incapable of improving it. What are some goals you have for your life? What do you need to help yourself achieve these goals? How can you access what it is that you need?

Something else you can do is look back and appreciate past successes. What are things you've done that you're proud of? What are things you've done that others are proud of you for? What are things you've done that you weren't sure you'd be able to do? This could be things like: passing a test, graduating, learning how to take care of a pet, baking a delicious cake, perfecting your mascara game, learning a new language, landing a new job, finishing a long book, etc. From the day we're born, life is all about learning new things: learning to talk, learning to listen, learning to crawl, learning to walk, learning fine motor skills, learning to feed ourselves, learning to put on our own clothes, learning to use the toilet ourselves, etc. It's all about learning things at a pace that works for us. Learning a skill and then building on it (like learning to sit up, then crawl, then toddle, then walk, then run). And these aren't skills accessible to everyone, but there's also adaptations (for example, learning to wheel yourself in a wheelchair rather than walk) and just plain other things to learn. You have already succeeded at so much. There's so much success to come.

Just don't give up on yourself.

#aplatonic #apl #aplspec #friendships #life #self acceptance #self positivity #diamondshapedcat #ask #self sabotage #self hatred #self esteem

[clairelsonao3]

Happy STS, Claire! I’m thinking about our guy today, and how he is a man of many, many talents. Are there any other skills/talents that have remained hidden from the plot so far, or that you just haven’t had a chance to work into the story? Or is there (gasp) a limit to how damn awesome he can be?

Same q for Louisa! Anything she’s great at we just haven’t seen her do yet? (Other than improv, of course 😉)

Happy STS and thanks so much for the ask, Kate!

Yes, he certainly is, isn't he? I'd like to think we've seen most of his talents, but he still surprises even me sometimes. 😂

Also, I will take this opportunity to note that, gifted as he is, many of the skills he's cultivated -- science, engineering/mechanics, music, chess, computer hacking, even psychological manipulation -- come just as much from hard work as natural talent. Hard work he put in, initially, simply to fight for whatever basic crumbs of respect it could get him. I think back to this line from Ch. 24:

[Free people] didn’t have to spend every spare moment racking their brains to exhaustion, figuring out ways to be smarter and better than everybody around them, for the mere privilege of not being kicked in the teeth.

So what else? (I’ll try to speak as hypothetically as possible and NOT turn any of these into spoilers!) It's been stated that he never bothered to put much effort into learning about finance or economics. But besides unabashedly loving money as only someone could who's never had any, he actually has some business acumen and could be capable of being a good entrepreneur, business leader, and investor, were he ever to get the opportunity. Particularly because he has a unique understanding of the dangers of unchecked capitalism and thus understands how it can and must be used as a force for good instead of evil.

He has good hand-eye coordination, and with his appreciation for the fine arts, he's decent at drawing and even painting, although I suspect his skills would fall more along the lines of art forgery than creating anything of his own. 😂 And although he doesn't have much experience, I feel like he would be good at handling weapons and have good aim with a gun (though I haven't decided whether we'll get a chance to find out before all is said and done...) And there are a couple of other less-deadly pastimes involving similar skills which he may eventually prove surprisingly decent at. I can't say much more than that, so feel free to speculate!

That said, he will NEVER be good at cooking, ever. And though Louisa may well improve her skills in that area someday with practice (she might even yet learn how to work an espresso machine 😂), I’m afraid there's no hope for him.

She, meanwhile, was okay at sports and physical stuff growing up; she just didn't really enjoy competition that much. She's totally untrained in self-defense, but we've seen that she is surprisingly bold when it comes to defending herself. She might eventually take up some type of martial art, simply to improve her confidence levels and to make sure she won't ever feel helpless again. (Neither one of them like that feeling very much). Also, she can write! She's definitely written poetry in the past (which of course she would die before showing to anyone), and although it was typical angsty teen girl material, I can say it was at least slightly above average.🤣 But I think her main writing talents lie in nonfiction, and I could see her turn to conducting research and writing and publishing persuasive essays or op-eds to advocate for the causes and principles she believes in.

#sts #my writing #gsnbtr #writeblr #asked and answered

[kpop-stories-21]

Song Fic Ask Challenge

Hi guys! You might remember a little while back I put out a post called the "Song Fic Ask Challenge Part 1". Well, it didn't get near the traction I expected, so I'm reposting it now with the full(shortened) list of prompts in the hopes that more variety will attract more people. And if this isn't your thing, don't worry. A reblog to share it around for others to see is equally appreciated!

If you didn't see my first post, here's how it's gonna go: I have made a list of songs to base one shots off of. With each song title I will give a basic plot and two endings. What I want from you is to send me an ask with a song title from the list, give me a pairing from the groups I write for, (it can be member x member, member x reader, or member x one of my rp characters) and either chose one of the endings I listed or make up your own. Then I will write the one shot, post it and tag you in it. And yes, I know these are all 1D songs. I don't actively follow the members much these days, but I still really enjoy their music. If you don't know the songs, don't worry! Each title will have a link to a lyric video.

And to the few who did send in requests, don't worry. Your requests will still be written, that hasn't changed. But do feel free to send in a second request if you see another prompt that you like.

➶➶➶➶➶ - ➷➷➷➷➷

1. Half A Heart - A and B have a fight or some encounter equally threatening to their relationship. They separate for a while and the two of them really miss each other, but aren't sure if they should try to fix things or not. Ending #1: they realise they just can't live without each other and decide to try and work things out. Ending #2: they decide that, even though they love each other, it would be better if they break up and go their separate ways. | Requested by: @umbralhelwolf | Read it here

2. Live While We're Young - A and B meet at a summer camp and fall in love. They spend every possible moment together, even sneaking away for some spicy fun time 😉 The catch is that they live really far away from each other, so when the camp ends they have to decide how they want to handle things between them. Ending #1: they decide not to break up and try a long distance relationship. Ending #2: they decide to just call it a summer love and go their separate ways, never to meet again. | Requested by: @trashlord-007 | Read it here

3. Over Again - A and B have begun to feel they've fallen out of love with each other. Not quite ready to tell anyone yet, they have to pretend things are fine when around friends and family. As the pretending begins to wear them both down, they fight more often. Ending #1: They remember how good things used to be and try to reignite their love for each other. Ending #2: They finally come clean to everyone and break up officially. | Requested by: @trashlord-007 | Read it here

4. Truly, Madly, Deeply - a high school romance, where A sees B from afar and falls hard but is too shy to say anything at first. A few days later A works up the courage to confess and B says they feel the same. A feels ecstatic, but in the back of their mind fears this might not be for real and that B might leave them. Ending #1: B genuinely has feelings for A and they have a happy relationship. Ending #2: A finds out B is just using them to look good and ends up getting their heart broken. | Requested by: @umbralhelwolf | Read it here

5. Gotta Be You - a college AU where A and B are an established couple, but one day B says something incredibly rude and/or derogatory about A and it spreads through the college like wildfire. A is hurt, breaks up with B and starts to distance themself. B is extremely ashamed of what they've done and after letting A have some space, tries to talk to them about getting back together. Ending #1: A agrees to give B another chance and things return to normal. Ending #2: A rejects B and B just completely falls apart. | Requested by: @anyamaris | Read it here

6. I Wish - A and B have been friends since childhood, and B has been in love with A for a good bit of that time. But then A meets C at their job and begins to fall for C. B is heartbroken and watches all their interactions while wishing it was them with A instead of C. Ending #1: A realises B's feelings and chooses to be with B. Ending #2: A remains oblivious, becoming more and more involved with C. B moves out of town to put space between them and A, and their friendship slowly dies. | Requested by: @sanjoongie | Read it here || Requested by: @wooyoungmybelovedhusband | Read it here

7. Tell Me A Lie - A and B are in a relationship, but recently A has started seeing C and is thinking of dating them instead of B. B, who's really in love with A, is aware of this and becomes increasingly unhappy the more time A spends with C. One night, A comes to tell B they're breaking up and going to date C, B asks them to give any other reason for their breakup than because of C. When A asks why, B explains that they still love A and couldn't live with themselves if they were constantly reminded of C being the reason for their split. Ending #1: When A hears this, they are reminded of all the reasons why they fell for B in the first place and decide not to break up after all. Ending #2: A does as asked and gives B a fake reason for breaking up, then leaves and begins dating C. | Requested by: @anyamaris | Read it here

8. Same Mistakes - A and B are in a dying relationship, neither really willing to change the things necessary to keep their love alive. Instead they keep repeating past experiences, going through the motions of being in love without any good feelings. Ending #1: Something traumatic happens that pulls Both A and B out of their funk and makes them want to try and re-kindle their love. Ending #2: A and B eventually get tired of going through the motions and break things off. | Requested by: @anyamaris | Read it here

9. More Than This - A is in love with their roommate B, who is dating C. Deciding to confess their feelings without directly revealing their identity, A anonymously posts little thoughts and phrases on the school's forum page about how jealous they feel when seeing B and C together, and how they could love B more than C does. One day while having lunch with B, A accidentally outs themself as the anonymous poster. Ending #1: B admits they've begun to have feelings for A as well and breaks up with C so they can be with B. Ending #2: B rejects A, becoming angry and accusing A of trying to break up their relationship with C. A moves in with C shortly thereafter and the two never speak to each other again. | Requested by: @yoonguurt | Read it here

10. Fool's Gold - A is well known among their friend group for sleeping around a lot and generally being quite the player. Enter B, the younger sibling of one of A's friends, who quickly develops a crush on A but is warned by their sibling to stay away or risk getting their heart broken. B continues to pursue A in spite of the warnings, having full knowledge of A's habits and not caring about the consequences. Ending #1: B confesses their feelings to A and the two sleep together, only for A to bring C around a few days later and announce they've decided to date each other. B is heartbroken and distances themself, promising never to have anything to do with A ever again. Ending #2: B confesses their feelings for A and they sleep together. Afterwards A confesses that they have feelings for B and the two decide to begin a relationship. | Requested by: @flowerboykun | Read it here

11. Change My Mind - A and B have been best friends since childhood. They've done pretty much everything together, and are rarely without each other. But after being assigned as roommates at their chosen college, A begins to develop deeper feelings for B. When attending a "welcome to college" party ends with A and B sleeping together, both begin to struggle with how they feel and how this could affect their friendship. Ending #1: A and B admit they have feelings for each other, and decide to pursue a relationship. Ending #2: B keeps their feelings to themself and the two brush it off as a drunken mistake. A and B's friendship becomes awkward, and they start to drift apart. | Requested by: @jeonrose | Read it here

12. Love You Goodbye - In the aftermath of an explosive fight, A comes to B's apartment in a very nice outfit. B has a sinking feeling that A hasn't come to apologize and instead wants to break up. So B asks if A can spend the night even if this is the end of their relationship, a way of saying goodbye if you will. Much spiciness ensues😏. Ending #1: The next morning A realises that maybe the two of them can work things out after all, and doesn't actually break up with B. Ending #2: The next morning A dresses, gathers their things, and leaves before B awakens. An awkwardness hangs between them now, keeping them from remaining friends, and eventually they lose contact with one another. | Requested by: @anyamaris | Read it here

➶➶➶➶➶ - ➷➷➷➷➷

And there you go! I look forward to seeing your choices and I'm super excited to write all these. If you liked this little event and want me to do more things like this in the future, please let me know! Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

That being said, have a great day/night and I'll see ya'll next time!!!

#kpop #fic challenge #song fic #ask challenge #writing

[limpfisted]

i appreciate everything you've done for me. / and yet as they both sit in avernus, her show of appreciation does not reach her eyes the way it used to. her smile does not beam as brightly and is, instead, as dull as a dying candle flame.

Two years. Two long years. Watching Karlach dance with no music but the crickets and the beat of the sun, scream with joy at every possible occasion even in the depths of the Shadowland's grey curse (and to it, she brought so much color, red, red, red, every shade of red). He watched her sing sweet warbling coos at every bunny and bear and flower, blow raspberries behind Mizora's back so loud and hard spittle sprayed against Wyll's nose and they laughed all the harder, until Mizora was all but forgotten by the warmth in Wyll's heart. He watched her love with all that she was.

He watched her burn with it. He refused to watch her burn out.

Can you blame him? For wanting her light to keep guiding him?

Some people are just too good to die. He wants to protect her. He wants to save her. He wants her to keep fighting. She deserves to live...

Living in Avernus was harder than he could have dreamed.

It was rewarding, more than he could have hoped---but for every Karlach they guided to safety---there were a dozen Mizoras eager to clench their teeth and claws around both their souls again. (Every day the deals get a little more enticing. He didn't regret his choice. Not for a moment. But it would be nice, he thinks. To lay Karlach down in a Grand Duke's bed, to play with her hands and twiddle his fingers in her hair as he braided it. Often now... she doesn't want to be touched, and while he does not begrudge her that---how could he---there is a loneliness in it, that he can only imagine is so much worse in every way for her.)

He needs her. Just as much as she needs him. If she died---if she let herself die---where would he go? What would he do?

He lives for her, now. Their mission. Their shared redemption (nevermind, he knows, that they had no choice, she especially. He still needs to fight for the prisoners he once guarded. He needs salvation, atonement for this guilt, and of course---with great power, great responsibility. They were meant to be heroes, the strong and the sweet).

He could go back to the Sword Coast. Face questions without good answers. He was exiled when he left Baldur's Gate. But now some part of him feels like now he's a child running away from home, grabbing his favorite teddy bear to go on wild adventures.

This isn't fun, for Karlach. When he writes down the stories of The Blade and Fury of Avernus in his brand new journal for it---he does not describe her dying smile. His prose is just as empty.

They can't go back. He can't go back, not with her and not without her.

His smile will always be pure fire for her, dancing through stained glass light, a boyish grin, that crackles with age and use, his red eye stained like an oak barrel filled with the finest wine.

As if nothing is wrong. As if they're more alive, more happy than they've ever been. Maybe... maybe Wyll hasn't been.

"And I, you, my friend. Who would I be without you? A worse man, I fear. Not any hero I could be proud of."

"I will always be here for you."

It's the opposite of a knife to a throat, and yet, a promise that sounds like a threat.

I will always be here for you.

Forever.

Forever is a very long time time to spend in Hell.

#avernusdamned #sometimes u can be such a good person that u become a lil fucked up

[septembersghost]

James Brown was undeniably influential and a good friend of Elvis. He was also abusive towards many women in his life. I listen to his music sometimes. I wonder if it’s bad that I’m able to separate what he did in his personal life from his music because I know if I knew an abusive man like that in real life, I would detest him. But at the same time, I feel like the music should be able to stand on its own and not be brought down by his baggage. Idk. It’s definitely complicated.

i saw someone mention this in regards to miles davis and john lennon the other day too, and hitchcock (whom i've mentioned before myself), and i enjoy certain work from all of them, despite knowing negative personal things. or, like, roald dahl was an antisemite, but i won't get upset when people like matilda. we know elvis wasn't perfect, but he tried to be a source of good, which matters too. we've chosen to care about things that move us, and that's okay. it's okay to not want that light we find to be eclipsed.

it's also hard to spend energy on such constant negativity surrounding art/fiction when we're already inundated by so much in reality (but that's also why getting mad about it can feel like an easier win, because it's a constant battle to implement any manner of appreciable systemic change). countless authors of the past were racist/sexist because they were white men, but we're not going to never read seminal works again. an incredible and influential musician who was "problematic," yet isn't still causing any harm, and who influenced genre/musicality or that you enjoy, is any damage being done in listening? isn't there more to lose in boycotting/censoring it forever? don't we learn and grow and transform from art? i think it's different with someone who's hurting people (directly through abuse or indirectly through bigotry) in the present for sure, but others might feel differently. and it's just really tough because how and where do we draw the line? it's frankly a lot easier when someone has passed, because you're not giving them a platform or immediate monetary benefit. i don't think it's bad that you can separate it - and quite often, that separation is self-protective too. nobody wants to constantly nitpick and interrogate and morally weigh everything they enjoy, it's impossible. what you stand for and support as a human is not dependent on art you like, and can coexist when you know your morals are independent and valuable beyond that. it really is so complex and difficult to judge.

#anonymous #letterbox #fandom discourse #i appreciate your candor and thoughts anon! #“seminal” to describe works of import in and of itself a term with some latent issues btw

[romirola]

Hi romi! I don't know if you've done him already, but may I request pretty boy Lasko? <3

Asks still open!

Hi! I have not yet done Lasko, so thanks for requesting him! This is a lot of fun. I'm getting the chance to consider characters I usually don't.

Sexuality headcanon: Lasko is fond of being watched, both in a solo act or with a partner.

OTP: Hmm, this is hard because Lasko doesn't have a canonical designated listener... @artbykays graciously let me write a oneshot about her very cool earth-elemental/healer OC, Petra, for Lasko. So I'll say Lasko/Petra!

BrOTP: Lasko and Damien

NOTP: Lasko/Darling

First headcanon that pops into my head: Lasko has a beautiful singing voice.

Favorite line: "...and he will suffer consequences for that. [...] The last thing that I'm gonna do is let you feel powerless. Because you're not." (From "Meeting Up with a Nervous Air Elemental")

One Way I Relate to This Character: His deep appreciation for air. (Look, Lasko and I are very different people, but I do so love air. And not just for breathing! The way air is resilient, flexible. It's integral to speech and creating music. Big air fan right here!)

Thing That Gives Me Second-Hand Embarrassment: The fact that we haven't gotten the chance to see Lasko flex the immense power I KNOW he has! C'mon, Lasky! Let's see the swoosh swoosh magic!

Cinnamon Roll or Problematic Fave? Neither, I suppose? Lasko isn't my favorite character by any means, but he's also not in 'cinnamon roll' territory for me. Let's go with... cheese danish.

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redactedverse #redacted headcanons #redaced lasko #lasko moore #thank you!

[doyeonhd]

hello it's red again!! here with my second muse, trainee #080 nam doyeon from ace label! i'm excited to thread her out with everyone, do read under the cuts for more information!!

dossier / wanted (tba) / pinterest / playlist / rookie points

nam doyeon, twenty-three! she is born in seoul, south korea (specifically in hannam-dong) and was a drummer in a band called 'dead edges' where it was formed during her all-girls middle school!

it's a free-label band and it's more hobby than something to be done professionally (though doyeon had hoped it would make it big, it's just something that she and her band mates enjoy doing during their free time), she had also aspire to be a doctor and wanted to get into snu as her higher education before becoming a trainee

personality wise, she's someone who is hot headed, arrogant, narcissistic and almost any association of negative trait that could related to her, but don't let her tough girl facade fool you. as she's also someone who has inferiority complex and has brother issues yet a softie on the inside!

that being said, her older brother is an idol right now and gets compared to a lot to him even though they both have different preference with their music. him being more kpop idol while doyeon was more into band music. they're also raised in a family of musicians (their dad an orchestra maestro who occasionally leads the seoul philharmonic orchestra especially during winter performances and a primary school music teacher, while their mom is now a retired opera singer but now a devoted housewife and mother!! (i wonder how they all get their differences in music)) people might not know who her parents are unless they're into the classical/opera music scene but to a certain extend both her parents are successful people whom now live a humble life.

the comparison dont come from their parents because they understand that the whole family is just made up of different genre of music appreciators but rather the people around doyeon??? she gets a lot of "oh your parents are in classical/opera so why arent you playing piano instead of drums" "oh your brother is good in dancing so you must be as good too right?" etc etc

but that being said she's also cousins with niel here!

how did she become an idol despite her aspirations in music being on another genre? she was scouted by a hydra representative during one of dead edges' live gig and auditioned for fun but didn't know she would get into ace. she's here for a good time, not a long time (i supposed)

despite all that, and even if she had been a drummer in her band, she's a decent singer and her audition song for hydra was leebada's night dream. trivia: she worked on the dance for a week despite having no prior experience in dancing

while she may have auditioned for fun, she is giving her 100% in becoming a trainee while discovering why her brother liked this life so much

to others she may seem unapproachable, and she occasionally slips in a few cuss word here and there if she isnt being brute at first sight, but when you get to know her, she warms up to that person that no one else could mess with them

connections that i would like to write for doyeon

perhaps someone who recognized her and have seen her performing in band (either a regular audience, or has a friend who's into the band, a groupie???) or even had chance upon her in the audience of her parents performance?? in my mind there is a headcanon where played the triangle for one of her father's orchestra eventho she isnt part of the seoul philharmonic musicians (nepo baby or rather they are just fond of baby doyeon)

rival that's built from doyeon's insecurities and inferiority complex

someone she could call friend! be it a guy or girl as long as they don't soften up at the sight of this tough girl

people she occasionally flirts with but does not commit to. she's into silly guys and pretty girls, sure enough that category isn't hard to fill up ?

people she can go sneak out with after training hours, to participate in band activities eventho it was explicit told to her that she needed to maintain a low profile. alternatively, just hanging out outside practice hours or playing hanky panky

people who only remembers or recognizes her as her brother's sister and not as her own person ((she gets really snappy about it and possible ends up being rude so do thread with caution!!))

alternatively, that one person who sees her more than being an idol brother's sister, and essentially recognizes doyeon to be her own person

guy childhood friends??? she went through an all girls school for middle school and after but i would think they stay connected despite all that

anyone she can go shopping for clothes with or go cafe hopping

her love language is gifting gifts and she's picking up crocheting and knitting, so she would make handmake gifts (be it from trial and error, or perfected goods)

alternatively, fellow plant parent!!! both doyeon and your muse went out together and bought a cactus whom becomes their child and they take turns weekly to house said cactus

roommates housemates all that jazz, anyone who tolerates her lack of personal space esp if they warm up to her!! she isnt a great cook and high chances she does not seperate the whites and coloured clothing but you will never have one boring day with her

#intro #looking forward for everyone to interact with doyeon <33 #shes the aesthetic muse that hwan isnt bc hes a goofy ball

[kellm4n]

WEIRD HEADCANONS   .

WHAT   THEY   SMELL   LIKE . noisette eau de parfum : french lavender and orris, ambrette seed, musk and amber.

HOW   THEY   SLEEP . gerri sleeps on her back or her side, she always sleeps on the right side of the bed, and has since baird.

WHAT   MUSIC   THEY   ENJOY . symphonic, if she's forced to choose. gerri herself has no hard taste in music, she doesn't mind jazz, though more often than not she will listen to the musical taste of whoever is in her company. in her own time she prefers silence or background noise such as the television.

HOW   MUCH   TIME   THEY   SPEND   EVERY   MORNING   GETTING   READY . gerri is the sort of person who appreciates a routine, but cannot always afford it. on a good day she is allowed an hour to get ready, ( counting breakfast. ) on a usual day she is allowed thirty minutes, and on the worst she can be ready and out the door in ten.

FAVORITE   THING   TO   COLLECT . a very boring answer : pens. gerri has a wide variety of them. though it's more of a habit to keep them around. when she was younger she collected pearls, which was the start of her collection of pearl necklaces. ( this is a meta that can wait for later. )

LEFT   OR   RIGHT   HAND . dominant right hand, she can write with her left, though it was something she taught herself to do.

FAVORITE   SPORT . ( association ) football or swimming. she doesn't watch sports all that often, preferring the news.

FAVORITE   TOURISTY   THING   TO   DO   WHILE   TRAVELING  .  gerri doesn't get a lot of time to actually sight see or be a tourist when traveling. more often than not she is glued to her phone, which is a rather touristy thing to be doing. however, when given the chance she frequents museums or cafes. she loves visiting bookshops or bakeries.

FAVORITE   KIND   OF   WEATHER . any sort of rain. she likes to watch the rain against the window in her office, it's relaxing and makes for good background noise when trying to relax.

WEIRD   /   OBSCURE   FEAR   THEY   HAVE  .    there is a specific discomfort she gets from the idea of being seen. not in a literal sense but more emotionally, the person behind the mask she's worked so hard to carve for herself, though really that isn't all that weird or obscure, it is just as freeing as it is terrifying.

THE   ONE   CARNIVAL   /   ARCADE   GAME   THEY   ALWAYS   WIN   WITHOUT   FAIL . cornhole. i will not elaborate.

tagged . @abusedog <3 tagging . @timesense @nightmdic @offenseonly, anyone who hasn't done it yet !

#˚ ˑ ₊ ❛ chara study ₍ ₀₀₃ ₎ #is . . . is smell a weird headcanon #i've written metas about how my muses smell before

[takerfoxx]

The Sandman, Season 1, Episode 3, "Dream a Little Dream of Me," First Impressions!

"Fuck it, let's go to Hell!"

Yeah, I know that line had nothing to do with the plot of this episode, but c'mon, what a stinger.

And hey, can we just take a moment to give it up for Patton Oswalt for getting to live the fanboy dream, no pun intended? A few years ago my sister and I attended a Neil Gaiman talk and autograph signing, and Oswalt was the host, and he started the night by basically confessing that he grew up as the biggest Gaiman fan ever, so much so that they basically hired Gaiman's stalker to host the show. And now he gets to play (well, voice) one of the most important characters in the long-awaited Sandman adaptation.

So anyway, this episode was surprisingly nostaglic, but for a different reason than what I was expecting. When I first graduated high school, I made a point to marathon all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, mainly because I fell in love with Firefly and wanted to see Whedon's other works (no, I am not going to talk about recent controversies). And I loved them deeply. There was just something about the whole gothic urban fantasy mysteries with pithy dialogue and corny jokes I found appealing. Never did move onto Supernatural for whatever reason, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Buffyverse.

This reminded me a lot of that, even if the source material, both Sandman and Hellblazer, predates Buffy by a good amount. Johanna's flashbacks to the Job Gone Wrong and the bit with the princess's possessed fiance were much in that same vein, and were a ton of fun. I can't help but wonder if that little girl in Johanna's nightmare is going to show up in Hell the next episode.

Even though I knew it was coming, I still popped hard when Mad Hettie basically stepped off the page. As much as I've enjoyed what's been changed, expanded upon, and updated, I still appreciate the parts where they went, "Nah, this is fine the way it is. Just adapt it word-for-word."

I would have liked to have the Mr. Sandman musical drops. It would've been funny. Wait, did they have it and I just missed it?

Speaking of which, while it would be neat to have the John Constantine, rights are what they are, and Johanna made for a very impressive replacement. She was exactly the kind of messy individual who's trying her best but has made a ton of mistakes, has hurt a lot of people, and is also just so done with everyone coming to her with their problems, and yet so can't look away. I wonder if they renamed her ancestor in the coming Men of Good Fortune episode. I guess we'll see.

Also, to everyone complaining about how changing the Constantine character female made the show even more gay, go and look into John Constantine's romantic history. There's a reason why making King Shark his ex in Harley Quinn actually isn't that farfetched.

I was bummed that the only rogue dream we got in Rachel's apartment was that reunion with the fake Rachel. It was very good, yes, but I was looking forward to the trippy house haunted by her dreams, with the rogue Nightmares pissing their pants when they realize that Dream is present and the inside-out guy on the walls. I did smirk when Johanna mentioned telling Rachel's father about her passing, because this version of the guy actually got lucky compared to his comic counterpart. Ouch.

And in regards to what I said earlier about Gaiman taking this show as a do-over, building up the tension between Dream and Matthew is actually kind of a nice touch, as the conflict with their relationship was mainly around Dream just being a little cold and standoffish with him because he's like that with everyone, but this has something for them to actually work out, along with a very good reason for Dream not wanting another raven along, given what happened to the last one.

The John Dee and Ethel Cripps stuff now fell more-or-less to how it went in the comics, albeit a bit more dramatic. And gory. I really like this depiction of him. He's both something sympathetic while also being rather horrifying. It just brings a human layer to the character that will serve to make the diner episode even more horrific. I also smirked at the sidelong references to Doctor Destiny that don't violate trademark but do wink at it.

Corinthian wasn't as active here as I was expecting, but he is still lurking in the background, nudging things around to fuck things up for Dream. I wonder if his end will be the same as the comics. I hear they spiced up the confrontation between him and Dream to make it more appropriate as a season finale, but it still would be really funny if after all of his attempts to basically assassinate Dream throughout the season, he still meets his end via Dream just crashing his Cereal Convention speech. Like, you try so hard to kill a motherfucker, doesn't work, and then you go to hang out with your friends to burn off steam, only for him to ruin your big moment with a, "I lived, bitch!"

Okay, time for the momentum to really pick up. Let's go to Hell!

#the sandman #neil gaiman #dream of the endless #johanna constantine #john constantine #john dee #ethel cripps #matthew the raven #patton oswalt #the corinthian #dream a little dream of me #netflix #review