#literally all you EVER have to do is ask and I will dump paragraphs in your inbox hahahaa

[obscureenthusiast]

Okay tough one but for the ask game please share a sneak peek "Reaching in the Dark"

But also, Sha're and Teal'c party time??

Ahhhhh thank you!!

So "Reaching in the Dark" is my Agron POV companion to my ridiculously long Nasir Missing Scenes fic ("Family Pulled From the Flood" and both titles come from Florence and the Machine's song "End of Love" because I'm dramatic lmao). This one is fixing to be EVEN MORE ridiculous in length and scope because instead of 2 seasons worth of missing scenes it's 3 and I'm digging into the Agron and Duro relationship for a huge chunk of it :P

I'm gonna leave the Sha're and Teal'c party time question for now (because it's gonna be answered in another ask that another friend sent me), and wander straight into some sneak peeks at those Greasy Gladiator Boys:

That night, as he and Duro sat in the quiet, with so many gladiators absent the cells to attend the party upstairs, Agron pulled his sleeping mat closer to Duro’s and spoke quietly. “Do you recall that pond near home? With the ducks?” Duro coughed out a pained laugh, turning his head to look at Agron in slight confusion. “I recall it, though I know not why you bring it to mind.” “Do you remember when you tried to race me to the shore and merely managed to stumble and smash your fucking face on a tree?” Agron continued, smiling. Duro returned the smile. “When you begged me not to tell our mother, but I was already bleeding all over everything?” Agron sighed, nodding and keeping silent for a moment as he recollected the day. He looked at the ceiling of their cell, imagining anew the mix of panic and admonishment on the face of their mother, remembering his own anguish at having caused Duro to fall. Remembering that he had felt that same hollow anxiousness when forced to watch his brother bleed. After a beat, though, he spoke in a low, teasing tone, “Since that day, your nose has been slightly crooked. Perhaps there is a chance that Crixus has now seen it fixed?” Duro scoffed and rolled over to punch Agron on the arm, though the action came without any true fire. Agron laughed, pushing his brother’s hand away as easily as swatting a fly, and he felt a deluge of unspoken words trapped in his throat. He wished he could explain to Duro that there was nothing in this world he wanted less than to see him hurt, but that circumstances had stolen from him all choice in the matter. He wished he could swear to Duro a lifetime of protection and safety. But he could only make his brother laugh at the memories that made Agron himself feel nauseous, and he could only offer the meager comfort of his presence.

The above snippet I had to include because it references YOUR DURO AND AGRON CHILDHOOD FIC annnnnnd this second one is JUST because I know you love Chadara dearly:

Nasir cast a warning look at Chadara. “Don’t speak so loudly, lest your bitter words be overheard.” Chadara laughed, though her voice did lower somewhat even as she teased, “And what would come of such a thing happening? You made attempt on Spartacus’s life and have been rewarded with training,” she turned and looked at Agron, raising her eyebrows, “and the confidence of fellow warriors held in esteem.” Agron had begun to wonder why Chadara had placed herself with Agron between her and Nasir if she was only going to talk to Nasir, but now her purpose became clearer. Her pointed glance in Agron’s direction and the smile that chased the corner of her lips was no doubt meant to flatter, but Agron felt only the awkward tension of his shoulders increasing beneath the weight of her attention. He looked toward Nasir, instead, forcing a smile despite the discomfort. “Such confidence is hardly rewarded absent reason,” he said. He nudged Nasir with his elbow, smile growing. “Nasir proves trustworthy, despite presenting himself at first as a wild little dog.” Nasir met Agron’s eyes for a moment before looking away, though a grin wrested onto his face all the same.  Chadara laughed again and the teasing in her tone returned, “Given the long hours of your time spent in discreet conversation, I could not imagine you had not laid strong foundations of trust. I did not intend to say you placed blind confidence.” Agron frowned, turning to look at Chadara somewhat sharply as he tried to sort out her meaning, but his study of her was cut short as an older woman appeared from the house and called out brusquely: “Chadara! Stop standing around, girl, I haven’t time for you to chatter away!” Chadara huffed, rolling her eyes. “Fuck the gods,” she muttered, as she began to walk away.

<3 <3 Thank you so much for the ask!!

#ask games #my fics #my writing #not that you couldn't have snippets anytime anywhere my friend :P #literally all you EVER have to do is ask and I will dump paragraphs in your inbox hahahaa

[moonlightdancer26]

I think your rude anon is asking about the if James cheated on Lily, would Lily be mad question. I will answer it for you:

James would be hurt but he loves Lily so he would forgive her.

If James cheated on Lily she would dump his ass, as he deserves, and if he cheated on her with Sirius, she would set them both on fire and not have any regrets.

Sirius wouldn't let James cheat on Lily anyway, because Lily is obviously the catch. Sirius also isn't going to be the other man. He's not like that.

I used to not mind Prongsfoot as a pairing until Prongsfoot shippers started doing what Jegulus shippers do - bash Lily, make her out to be the villain, let her be walked all over, make her just there to give Prongsfoot a kid - and now I am beginning to hate Prongsfoot because they are doing Lily dirty.

Lily>>>>James. Time for everyone to get their heads around that, thanks.

I agree with you on some parts ig. I think James would forgive her because he knows that the fact that she settled for him was already a huge jackpot, but I think he would still resent her because of how badly it hurt him and at times he might use it as a gotcha card during arguments. In a “oh really? you’re telling me I’ve gone too far? what about the time you cheated on me and I still chose to forgive you?” kind of way.

If James cheated on Lily, I think there’s a high chance she’d leave him. Saying “high chance” and not “definitely” because homegirl seems to be a really forgiving person when it comes to James, so I can’t be sure 💀 If he cheated on her with Sirius, then yes I do think she would light both to them on fire.

I also think Sirius wouldn’t let James cheat on Lily, I reckon he’d be like “Prongs, you’ve already bagged her, why would you try to ruin that for some random hookup?” I think if James ended up cheating anyway, Sirius would obviously be extremely angry with him but would still agree to keep it quiet from Lily and would make James promise to not do it again.

I used to not mind Prongsfoot as a pairing until Prongsfoot shippers started doing what Jegulus shippers do - bash Lily, make her out to be the villain, let her be walked all over, make her just there to give Prongsfoot a kid - and now I am beginning to hate Prongsfoot because they are doing Lily dirty.

This is the part where I completely disagree with you dude. Not only do I not understand the sudden rant about Prongsfoot as a ship (the other anon was just talking about James cheating on Lily with Sirius + they’re clearly a troll anon) but I also can’t believe how incorrect that whole paragraph was?????? When have Prongsfoot shippers ever done that to Lily? Literally almost all of us love Lils and ship her with someone else, never in my life have I seen a Prongsfoot shipper use Lily as a surrogate or villain for their own ship. Prongsfoot is already a criminally unpopular ship, overshadowed by ships like Wolfstar and Jegulus, and we are a much healthier community than the two ships I’ve just mentioned. I genuinely have no clue where you’re getting this info from, anon. And this blog doesn’t stand for Prongsfoot slander, thanks.

#prongsfoot #harry potter #hp #ask #asks

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

I don’t know who else to talk to about this, so sorry for the random dump! I wanna try writing for CoD but honestly, I’m so scared to. Like, I know everyone has to start somewhere but I’m scared of portraying the characters wrong because of rude comments or backlash. And I know I shouldn’t worry about that and just post what I want, but I’m low key so anxious 🫠

I can understand that. When I uploaded my first fic all I could think about was how no one was going to like it or how off the characters felt. I think it's important to know that although you're uploading to an online site, the writing is ultimately for you.

You write what you like and you write it how you want to, and I think that's the thing to remember. Who cares what others think about it! If it makes you happy you should take pride in what you do, even if it didn't come out perfect - you still did it!

And what you said is completely true, you do have to start somewhere. I mean, when I started I literally thought of deleting all of my work after like two weeks and calling it quits lmao.

But I want to say that, without a doubt, there will be people out there that fall in love with your writing as long as you keep at it and push through. You can only improve the longer you write and that involves characterization as well as structure.

You don't have to start big - you can just write a few paragraphs and see how you feel about it. The key is consistency! And don't ever feel sorry for the ask, my inbox is always open for a reason so feel free to drop in whenever you feel like it.

#halcyone answers

[quick-catton]

Hi quick-catton!! First of all I love your page and I love your personality💕💕💕 I also LOVE Saturn and Felix and Oliver just-😫😫😫 I love it every time you post, it makes my day!! Right now I just really need your help. Today I had to go on another account just to send something to my ask box because since I started my account last year, I’ve gotten nothing and it really hurts.

I love how open and freaky you are in your posts and I’m honestly the same way with Saltburn and an anime fandom that I’ve shaped my blog around. I used to be a little calm and collected but you’re inspiring to just let go and let my freak flag fly but the problem is, with my fandom, I don’t think people are going to be very inviting. Like literally the only thing I wanna do right now is babygirl code my favorite anime character sooo badly but I’m afraid I’ll lose all my followers and when I try to I get no engagement.

Like I wrote three freaking paragraphs about how good he’d look with a navel piercing! That was this morning and I got nothing all day but four likes. No reblogs, no comments, I literally had to make another account and send myself some praise for that post just so I could post it to show people that at least someone else agrees with me.

And I know I should give it time but that’s the problem. Some of my other posts like that don’t grow. They just get five likes and that’s it and it sucks because all I wanna do is engage with people that want to see this boy in lingerie or a skirt or goddamn pregnant (told you I was a freak)

I just don’t know what to do. How do you deal that? I’m honestly this close to deleting my account coz it seems like I’m posting to a blank wall and it’s so embarrassing coz everyone can see it. Sorry this is so long! Thank you for quickcatton 💕💕

WAH ANON ur so sweet omg, thank you?? <33 honestly i feel like i don't have good advice because i only made a tumblr for the first time EVER at the beginning of january!!! i am 23 and had never set foot on this app, but i saw that most of the saltburn fandom was here, so i gave it a shot and i've just been learning as i go.

i think that's half of my 'luck' with having a good experience on this app, is that because this fandom is so fresh, it's super active, but it's also a very small fandom (relative to some others) so we're all kinda like a hivemind here LOL, and because of the source material of the movie itself being weird/freaky/psychosexual, we all know that anything goes and the more freaky the brainrot, the better! i'm in other fandoms where if i said half of the shit i say here, i'd be ostracized, so it's really a case by case basis unfortunately </3

ik i yap a lot here but i also hold back sooo much because even tho ik we're all weirdos here, i still get nervous about putting out my writing or not having people vibe with an idea– you're not alone in that, i promise. it helps forming friendships in your fandoms so you know that there'll always be people who you can get hype over ideas with, but i know that's easier said than done sometimes <3

i don't have advice on engagement because i honestly don't look at that stuff (which i know is so annoying to say lol but it's true); i made this account purely to have a place to dump brainrot/art etc and view other people's saltburn content and i didn't care about engagement, i just got lucky to meet some cool people and make close friends through it.

i think if people can tell you're having fun through your posts, they'll vibe with you! it does take time with the good ol' algorithm, i'm sure, but as long as your page brings YOU joy, that's what matters most. people don't have to agree with your takes, life is too short to be vanilla and water urself down for others :^) making fandom friends and gaining interactions will come along with being yourself, but if posting here and running the account feels more stressful to you than it is fun, it's okay to step away too!

if you're on ao3 and sites like that, leaving comments on your fave works can be a great way to get conversations going as well. i met my closest friend on here bc she stumbled across my fic on ao3 and then sent me a message; it was purely up to chance, but branching out and being brave starting conversations with your fave accounts can be a great way to feel more included in the fandoms you're in and maybe you'll meet cool people along the way!! <33

#if anyone else has other advice feel free to reply with it <33 #because i'm not good at this stuff LOL #i literally just open this app say shit and then go back to yapping in a google doc #also this made me realize idk if i've ever put my name anywhere on this account #so i just added it to my display/pinned hi i'm sam #quick-catton asks

[thetragicallynerdy]

Oh! Oh! 💥 & 💫?

Ohhh hello hello, thanks friend!!!

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

Okay, this was actually really neat because it wasn't the fic I was expecting it to be - I haven't really checked that aspect of my Ao3 stats in a while!

My least kudos'd fic is i've got sunshine on a cloudy day - it's an Ed-centric OFMD fic that's set in the poly au 'verse. It's a fic where Ed finds a kitten, and eventually gets to keep it. I wrote it for the tiniest holiday fic exchange between me and two of my best buds, and ahhh I really love it still. It's just a really soft fic!! And has a lot of soft domestic polyamory vibes, in a way that was just so fun to write. And as someone who is super duper allergic to cats, writing a story where someone finds a kitten is fun in a good wish fulfillment type of way XD

It didn't get a lot of attention because it's got a strong Ed/Jim focus (along with Ed/Stede and Jim/Olu) but I adore it. It's a poly ship I really love, and I think it has a nice vibe to it.

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

Ohhh boy!!! I have so many!!! Some of my faves are:

quoting lines from the story - hello you found lines you loved so much, and sometimes they are my own favourite lines, what an amazing experience

keyboard smash or emoji dump - i love it, no words only feelings

single emoji or single line comments - i especially love this because it's what i do when i really enjoyed a fic but am struggling with spoons to write something - so it feels like someone took the time to leave a comment even if it was tough in the moment

paragraphs - y'all there is no greater gift as a fic writer than feeling like someone wants to write an essay about your fic

comments telling me that i've inspired their own writing is also just. delightful

anything telling me that i've done my research or put a lot of work in and it shows is the MOST validating thing!!

anytime anyone comes to tumblr to find me and tell me they like my work is the best too, i love u with my whole heart

Anyway I am literally in love with everyone who ever comments on my stuff I am giving u all a kiss on the forehead

Thanks so much for the asks friend!!! I hope you are having a good day :)

Fic writer ask game can be found here for the curious!

#ask game #redxluna #fic writer ask game

[aethergate]

2am over here to! give us the info dump ears open!!

gang!!! 2am gang!!! okay okay okay i'm sorry but YOU ASKED FOR THIS you shouldn't have gotten me started what if i'm crying over here. I'm currently at the part in the book where Palpatine is about to reveal himself as a sith lord and the novelization is just. so. sososososo good about it.. Palpatine has known Anakin since he was NINE, he's been "friends" with Anakin ever since he first arrived to be a Jedi, and Anakin literally considers him FAMILY. He says so himself.

And like. For some context to this situation, Anakin has been a slave his entire life until he got picked up by Qui-Gon to be trained as a Jedi. And even then, Jedi are more considered.. just that, Jedi, before they are people. They aren't allowed to own anything. So he's literally never owned anything in his whole entire life. And I don't know how much you know about Star Wars anon, but Palpatine makes me so fucking angry because like. He's been working to make an unstoppable killing machine for decades. And he sensed the force was so strong in Anakin and also sensed that he had a lot of mixed emotions. And literally the moment me met this nine year old child, he made it his personal goal to become his best friend who he could trust more then anything, so Anakin would tell him anything, so he could use it all against him to manipulate him into making him his own personal berserker who would kill anyone he asked. Since Anakin was nine. And as additional heart wrenching context, please keep in mind that like. Anakin had, not even a minute before this conversation, a full blown literal panic attack directly in front of Palpatine. And he hasn't eaten or slept for days, maybe even a full week, because his soul crushing anxiety and prophetic dreams about his wife dying have been keeping him from doing so. Which is literally manipulation 101, that someone is way easier to manipulate when they're sleep deprived.

And now I'm just gonna send a few silly little paragraphs I'm reading to just know how wild I'm going over here at 2:30 in the damn morning.

and the whole novelization is just as good as this i could go on for way more paragraphs i just!!!! EAUGH anakins entire everything just makes me want to cry everyone is doomed by the narrative in revenge of the sith and nothing makes me frown to myself more .

#mun in the moon [ ooc ] #incoming transmissions [ asks ] #long post tw #long post #AND I MEAN LONG #can you tell star wars is the current interest im fixated on #can you tell anakin is my blorbo ever. my babygirl whos killed so many people but makes me cry #i need him to get nice things but no!! #hes gonna burn all his bridges and himself and be stuck with palpatines manipulative ass for 20 more years!!!

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

hey! I just wanted to say I love your fic A Fresh Start SO MUCH !! the writing is just *chefs kiss* and the slow burn is just long enough to be agonizing but in literally the best way possible, it’s written SO WELL AND I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH DUDE !!!!!

I love your fic so much, and for the past couple of days I’ve been kicking around the idea to ask you: is it ok if I draw your character Nima from A Fresh Start? I just love her so much and she’s one of my favorite side characters, and I was hoping I could ask if it was ok if I could draw her? She’s just such a fun character and I really like the idea of drawing her pink(?) skin and other details, and if I could draw her, do you mind providing any details about her? Like maybe some references, any outfit she wears, or just any sort of spare details you have about her?

anywyas, tysm, I love your fic a LOT and have a good day !! <3

ps. if you have an anon list going, I wouldn’t mind going by ⭐️ (star) Anon :)

THE SOUND THAT LEFT MY MOUTH WHEN I READ YOUR MESSAGE WAS INHUMAN. ABSOLUTELY YES YOU CAN DRAW NIMA HOLY SHIT IM SCREEEEAMING.

Okay. Deep breath. Holy moly. Alright. Guess what, my friend? You just opened Pandora's box. You asked for spare details but I'm about to ramble for DAYS. Nima's got a full history and backstory (b/c I'm obsessive about this kind of stuff) that I haven't been able to explore in the story to the degree I want SO NOW YOU GOTTA SUFFER THROUGH PARAGRAPHS OF INFORMATION.

Just swear to me that you'll send me the finished result because I neeeeeeed it. You think I'm insane and feral now? Just you wait. Okay. Now, info dump waiting below.

So mentally the closest face claim I have for Nima would be the actress Seo Ye Ji (as in if Nima got to ever see the silver screen that's exactly who I would want hired to play her lol).

Nima is pretty average in height, and she's built firm. Not a body builder by any means, but you can see the strength in her arms and shoulders from the multiple years of working in a garage doing heavy lifting and being hands on. Her skin tone is a more pastel shade of pink, like a soft bubble gum pink, but her lekku both have a sprinkling of freckles all over them in a darker shade of pink. Her eyes are a dark brown, and she has freckles across the bridge of her nose and on her cheekbones that match the ones on her lekku.

Nima has no tattoos or piercings, she's terrified of needles. Markings of note though, she has a collection of scars along her arms (burns and cuts) from her work. Nima has a bad habit of getting excited when working on a project she's excited about and in her excitement she'll forget to wear gloves or cover her arms in the proper gear.

When she's working, Nima wears a pair of navy mechanic coveralls to protect her skin when doing more dangerous work, but as said previously, Nima has a bad habit of shrugging out of the upper half to tie the arms around her waist leaving her in either a plain tank top or sports bra. She does it to cool off, but often forgets to zip the upper body part back up before getting back to work. While on the job, there are three things she always has on her: a pair of work goggles either resting on her forehead or hanging around her neck, an old pair of work gloves she's kept forever despite their disrepair, and a matching set of dark brown work boots. All three were gifts from her father when she got her first job as a mechanic.

When Nima's not working, her style is all over the place. She prefers pants and shorts to dresses and skirts and tends to lean toward large, loose fitting t-shirts that she'll tuck into high waist shorts or pants. But, she's also a big fan of oversized hoodies, cardigans, and flannels for when the weather gets cooler.

I attached some random pictures I found on pinterest of things I could picture Nima wearing.

AGAIN DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME THE ART PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU🥺⭐️

#a fresh start #nima #fan art #listen to me #i am losing it #omg #any sort of art of my work will make me foam at the mouth #i'll be rabid #i need the serotonin #pls #asks #feel free to ask me about anything!!

[inked-out-trees]

69, 44, and 25 for the writers ask

I need to get back to writing too, but in good news I'm getting a feel of character for one of them. Now if I only had a plot

we're doing it! getting back into writing together! thank you for the reverse directional asks i will do them exactly how you have asked

69. how do you write emotional scenes? do you ever feel what the characters feel?

if i'm coming into it Knowing that i want to write an emotional scene, usually there's music involved! i have a collection of sad and otherwise melancholy playlists (plus one that's just songs i think would fit well in those angsty last 3 minutes of a tv show episode before the cliffhanger) and they tend to serve me well; if all else fails i'll find the most recent mood-fitting song i've been repeating lately and loop it forever. (most recently has been doctor eleven by dan romer. was the only thing i listened to for my crw class submission and personally i think it turned out swell.)

as for feeling the characters, i don't think so? a lot of the time what i feel when i'm writing is just joy from writing, vague evil sentiment, or if it's Really A Lot To Handle, there'll be like, an ache. occasionally i do make myself cry but that's mostly for personal or original things, and less for fanfic. unless it's the annie chapter of bean's beans. but typically i am somewhat detached, which is actually kind of impressive considering my propensity for imprinting on literally everything. huh! i learn something new about myself every day.

44. any writing advice you want to share?

man i never know if there's any sort of sagely things i do that could be passed off as wisdom but. the best piece of advice i've read (on tumblr too i think) was that if you're stuck, it's possible that the problem is actually a couple lines back. usually i look between three paragraphs and half a page up to see what different choices i could make, and that tends to solve my problem more often than not. kind of magic, that.

in other sort of throwaway bits, i always start a fic creation process by opening a doc and just rambling onto it. no proper prose, just as though i'm having a conversation with the empty page. it's helpful both to get my ideas in order and to have a place to come back to if need be - it's easier to toss the ball around if the net's already there, yknow? also, if for some reason microsoft word isn't doing it for me, i find fighter's block to be good for dumping out words, and zenpen has carried me through several terms of creative writing assignments and also poetry so take that as you will.

25. what's your revision or rewriting process like?

would you laugh at me if i said i don't edit my fics. this is not necessarily true in that i don't consider what i post to be rough in any way, but when it comes to fic especially i'm a big first-one-done kind of guy. that being said: i reread my work a lot. a lot a lot. and often times i will pick up little things that need fixing, line edits or weird repetitive things, so i do find it helpful. also the read-aloud function on word has been great to me. and i make frequent use of the comment function in word, which has been exceedingly useful when it comes to the fact that i haven't yet figured out the whole timeline of fixed point so some of the dates are just "FIGURE THIS OUT LATER" and "IS THIS TRUE?".

and of course sharing with other people :) coming from creative writing seminars i've realised (? finally understood? i don't actually know how much of an enlightenment it was but it was something) how useful it is to get someone and just say, hey, tell me how you interpret this, are there any questions you still have, god forbid did i leave any gaping plot holes. this comes in especially handy because in MY brain i know all the answers, and sometimes they forget to worm out onto the page. this again has just happened in my current seminar, so rest in peace to the quest plot i tentatively thought i could maybe go without describing (for wordcount's sake) but apparently not. it is cool and fine.

anyway happy tuesday and also thank you!

#as of the moment of posting it is still monday but it's tuesday in my heart #fic ask game #love ya! thanks for being a cool writing buddy #i wrote one of my favourite emotional scenes for the ttau a while ago #and i'm finally getting close to the part where it's actually meant to slot in #obsessed with grief tinged violence. raw edges and hope. #belooooved

[rpclefairy]

i’ve been asked to write more psas a few times and i’ve been struggling writing them because you have to  be extremely careful with the wording and even with all the preemptive disclaimers there are people who will purposefully twist your words and i really don’t want the inevitable discourse that will follow to any kind of nuanced opinion on the rpc as a whole.

ever since making this blog i’ve had to be... mindful i guess? of what’s being posted and reblogged from other rp help blogs just to avoid redundancy in resources and content. and with that comes a lot of looking back at trends, thinking about what would be actually helpful etc etc.

all this to say, the core message of a lot of psas i could write about different topics could down to a lot of the conversations about these subjects are very surface level and focused on giving validation. which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not proactive either. i would rather make people feel empowered and ready to get more writing down and improve the writing community around them than just validating their feelings and calling it a day.

and because of this a lot of my opinions and “takes” could be considered unpopular, i think. and frankly i don’t want to be harassed over that and unfortunately that’s a thing that happens. 

but just for the sake of this post i’ll give examples. we’ve all seen the “canon characters are technically someone’s oc” psas and posts floating around a million times over the years, and yeah technically that is true. but that kind of post never reflects on the actual intricacies and unique challenges that come from writing an oc / original lore in a collaborative ambient where not everyone is going to be familiar with your content from the get go, where you’re not going to have people approach you with ideas from the beginning because there’s no pre existent familiarity with your character or lore.

again, you can scream that “canons are someone’s oc” until you’re red in the face, and i get that you’re trying to validate ocs as being equal to canon muses, but it does nothing of tangible help for oc writers. it doesn’t give any ideas or even start conversations about how to approach writing something original, how to organise information to newcomers, how to present information in a way that isn’t overwhelming. i don’t know, anything. 

all i know is the rpc keeps getting smaller and more inactive, cookie cutter ‘everyone is valid’ type of advice is clearly not helping. like yeah, everyone is valid but what can we actually do about these issues and situations that keep popping up all over the rpc?

that was just one example, apply the same to literally any rp related hot topic. shipping, memes anxiety, replying fast, writing female muses, any of it - almost never you see posts with genuine commentary in good faith about how to be proactive about them. 

here i’ll point you right back to the first paragraph, it would be much easier for me to just repeat the same surface level commentary ( you know the ones, for instance: “___ muses / blogs are valid!”, “it’s okay to (insert common sense thing like taking a break)”, “everyone’s portrayal is unique and special💗”, yadda yadda). it would probably do better than any content i actually put time and effort into engagement wise, it would get notes, i would get followers, you would get validation.

but does it help with anything? does it make the rpc a better place?

i don’t know the answers to any of this, honestly. this isn’t a psa, it’s just a dump of unfiltered thoughts i’ve had on my mind for a while. 

#so much more i could write about all of this but i dont want to get into super specific subjects and just stay on the general idea #bc my wrists hurt and typing isn't helping rip #everyone have a nice week! #mod #long post

[h20]

BLA DIARY MOMMY ISSUES WORD DUMP

we haven’t heard from mom for a while which has become normal so we’ve been sending her periodic paragraph texts filling her in on what’s going on w/ us in hopes that she will learn how to send fill in texts as well, so far our only communication is her sending a response like “call me now” in which we’re filled with instant anxiety call her & get dumped with information that spans months long that we can barely process, only to not hear from her again for months. We’re glad to have the space to breathe but it’s also not really breathing because I’m *constantly* worried and wondering what’s going on at home, is she okay, are my cats okay, what’s happening? What’s changed now? What drastic difference in life is happening that I’m not privy for?

As a teen when my mom lived a few blocks away from me and I’d be living with my grandparents/her parents, she would call me over and over and over and over again in the middle of the night (4-6 AM) when I was sleeping until it would make me answer like hysterical crying and confused and she would unload all these plans & information on me, it was a lot different then. our relationship is better but it’s really strange to get used to these gaps in communications in life now

this all accumulated because she texted us the night before last for the first time in AGES, multiple full paragraphs asking us to last minute buy a train ticket home so we could watch the house & animals for a week NEXT WEEK while she goes on an all expenses paid trip to Orlando w/ our step dad. Leading up to this we’ve told her several times over unanswered texts that the specific weekend this trip lands on that I actually have had other plans made for a couple months now, this was especially relevant because months ago she made plans to visit the state I’m in right now at the end of the month this month as well (literally a week after this sudden Orlando trip) so there’s already a lot going on and I can’t make more travel plans not to mention I can’t even afford it, i can barely afford to get by right now. I don’t want to get sick traveling etc, but we reminded her of our plans and she INSTANTLY replied to those texts saying we don’t care about her and never cared about her, that “this is the least I could do to reflect the lifetime of sacrifices she’s made for me”…

it’s so fucking hard to say no. It’s so fucking hard to stick to my own plans and to not go belly up and do everything and anything she wants me to. I feel like a mom talking to her teenage child. I hate saying no to anyone but ESPECIALLY her and if I didn’t have the other plans I would have said yes in a heartbeat. I said that in my text reply to her, but it didn’t matter and she laid the guilt on thick “this is a once in a lifetime chance, I’m not mad at you I’m just sad you couldn’t sacrifice this one thing…” meanwhile I’m hysterically crying over the touchkeypad of my phone, i hate making her sad and I hate doing anything for myself. I feel like I’ve sacrificed my entire childhood and teenagehood and early adulthood to her and then working for her at the daycare I’ve been completely unemployed ever since I detached and I don’t know how to be a normal person. This is just another chip of guilt she’ll hold over my head forever *crying into coffee sounds*

#also fuck THANK YOU FOR THE $15😭😭😭😭😭😭 YOUR DONATION MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!!!! #sorry this is so long I want to try and be more present on here like we used to be #sys.txt

[lunaticmeap]

On deadline extensions and good teachers

I haven’t been feeling the best lately, but I had a thought today about how kind teachers truly are invaluable in helping you academically and in life. TLDR: Ask for that deadline extension even if you feel crap about it. Your teacher understands.

For context, when I was in primary and middle school, I was a high scoring student, and then when high school came, it hit me HARD. I remember high school as probably the worst I have ever been regarding mental health and I was crying throughout the year because of pressure. But I also recall having the best teachers for all of the subjects I took at the time - simply because I have never felt so much support in my life from them. 

When I went into university, it’s hard to find the same kind of dedicated teachers, because the study format is different and the teachers have literally hundreds of students and multiple classes sometimes. I get why they can’t be as intensely involved in your studies, but I think it’s partially the reason why for almost 3 years of university now, I’m not particularly attached to any teacher or ever thought I could have an honest conversation about study issues.

Until this semester.

I haven’t felt the pressure like I have in high school since perhaps first semester university, actually. And over the semesters, I have learnt to be better at ignoring my grades. But this semester hit me with multiple deadlines in 3 days, and I panicked so hard that for the first time 2 years, I had to ask for a deadline extension on the last subject I had an assignment for, citing poor mental health. 

Honestly, I thought I was going to have it rejected because I had no proper evidence as expected by school policy. I only a 2 paragraph long email of me telling my lecturer about how I barely slept in recent days because of multiple deadlines, carrying my team in another subject, and generally feeling so anxious that it was triggering a lot of intrusive thoughts I used to have back in high school. It felt terrible to even type all of it out in an email, because it was basically me dumping my issues onto a stranger, but my lecturer (a really good one at that) gave me a 2 day extension on it without further questions.

I was honestly so happy, even though the entire experience of asking for a deadline extension was mortifying. There’s something so fucking embarrassing about having to admit to your teachers that you’re not doing so hot at the moment. University is a professional environment in a way - you see people around you being so put together, but when you realise that you can’t be like them, it really does make you feel small and inadequate. 

I know for certain that if I had not been granted the extension, then I would probably cry my way through the next few days whilst stressing out. This is honestly the first of many times I’ve only ever felt like my teachers in university actually cared that we are people and not cash cows for the university. 

(I also did get told to go to student counselling for help because it might help with my progress later in university and in life, but I have heard too many stories about that office being entirely useless, so I am skeptical about that and I only have 1 semester left to go through, so I will kindly ignore that suggestion.) 

Moral of the story: if you’re felling not so hot because of mental health, shoot your shot for that deadline extension request even if you feel like you have no business to be complaining about your issues to your teacher. Bite the bullet and be embarrassed later. Good teachers will really consider your situation, do their best to give you the support you require, and they won’t judge you for it. Your mental health is a concern. Don’t undermine it. 

#university #mental health #studyblr #personal #academic struggles #college #college tips #study tips

[rick-rayson]

Batfamily vs Tiktok

The Batfamily and what kind of accounts they'd have!

══════════✧══════════

Stephanie:

Follower count: 900k

Doing Stephanie first because she probably uses Tiktok the most.

Trauma dumps. Like all the time. But for comedy purposes (and lack of a therapist)

This is very specific but I feel like she makes tiktoks of her saying really seggsual pick up lines and then in the next moment she brings up how incredibly unloved she is or sumn.

She's the best and worst at covering her identity.

"Call me Batgirl because I wanna swoop into your Batcave" *lip bites*

"Nobody loves me and I am always forgotten."

Half of her fans believe she's actually Batgirl.

But then she posts a video of her at midnight trying to smoke from a cinnamon stick, crying because her plushie was placed uncomfortably on her bed and she feels immense guilt over that.

Yeah nvm.

Her fans love her to bits but the amount of videos she's posted of herself crying is concerning.

She's the type to like and reply to any comments that make her laugh.

Duke:

Follower count: 700k (but he honestly deserves more)

Duke uses Tiktok a LOT.

Posts mostly outdoor videos tho.

Parkour, sports, food videos.

But he's actually most known for his dance videos.

He's made so many dance trends and if it wasn't for the fact NOBODY EVER CREDITS HIM, he'd have a much larger audience.

He likes comments but never actually replies unless it's a question.

In his drafts he has like 5 videos of him dancing that've been interrupted by some criminal trying to mug him or some shit.

He actually posted one of those drafts on accident and although he quickly deleted it, it spread like wildfire.

He gets bombarded with comments asking him to give combat tips.

Who is he to say no?

Tim:

Follower count: 600k

Tim is a younger Hank Green.

He's the smart science boy that everyone asks strange questions to.

He's so, so tired of his fans sometimes so he isn't very active on Tiktok.

His followers are actually feral and chaotic so when he posts he mentally prepares himself for the onslaught.

It'd come to a point where he addresses that shit.

"Guys, for the last time... DO NOT EAT MOLTEN LAVA AND DO NOT DRESS UP AS JOKER AND CHASE PEOPLE."

He loves his fans but sometimes they make him wanna rip his hair out.

If you genuinely ask him a science question without the motive of chugging lava or inhaling fear toxin, Tim will love you and cherish you.

Although he doesn't really respond to people in his comments, he does duet people.

One of the reasons he doesn't have more followers is because he actively deletes some... Don't ask.

Dick:

Follower count: 2M

Dick is the obnoxiously enthusiastic dude that likes to *think* that people mainly follow him for his health tips or diet plan videos.

But literally anyone that is anyone knows that's not the case at all.

He's a thirst trap, and a very popular one.

He innocently posts videos of him doing flips and tricks not realizing that people eat that shit up.

He has so many simps it's crazy.

His comment section though is actually very respectful. Because he does flips with such a big smile on his face that fans just sit back and behave.

He gets "🍰🎂" comments all the time tho and he doesn't get it at first.

Until Jason commented: "They're talking about your ass bro."

He replies to nearly every comment and LOVES duetting people.

Posts like once a week but his videos always get so much likes.

Jason:

Follower count: 500k

Thinking about it- Jason doesn't really use social media much.

Steph was the one to convince him to get Tiktok and she boosted his followers by giving him a shoutout.

He posts some of the most random shit ever.

Like you'll get a video of him eating cake with Artemis and Roy in complete silence and then you'll get a video of like.. what Batfamily member you are based on your Zodiac.

But his most popular videos are when he answers questions.

"uhhh Thickthighsthot69 says, 'I'm sick and broke my ankle, how r u?' .. better than your ass that's for sure."

He never replies to comments. He doesn't even like them.

Damian:

Follower count: 700k

He finds Tiktok utterly repulsive and only made one because Jon made him do it.

Much to his dismay he got verified and that boosted his account extremely fast.

"Jon, how do I save this? This layout is irritating my eyes, surely there's more options—"

He only duets animal videos or some of Dick's Tiktoks, other than that he doesn't do much.

Ma boy will block you if you irritate him in his comments, he does not care.

Unless you insult his pets.

Expect 8 paragraphs of why you are dumb and his cat Alfred is superior to you in every way.

══════════✧══════════

#batfam imagine #batfamily #dc comics #batfam #batfam incorrect quotes #robin #batman #incorrect dc #dcu #batman incorrect quotes #stephanie brown x you #stephanie brown x y/n #stephanie brown x reader #stephanie brown #duke thomas #duke thomas x you #duke thomas x reader #tim drake #red robin #dick grayson #dc jason #jason todd #dc dick grayson #damian wayne #dc damian #dc damian wayne #red hood and the outlaws #red hood

[ptergwen]

call me cupid

w/c: 3.5k

warnings: very mild angst and a few swears

summary: despite your hatred for valentine’s day, peter attempts to make you a card

a/n: happy valentine’s day my loves!! i hope y’all get to spend some time with your people today and eat lots of chocolate <3 love you & enjoy mwah

-

it’s no secret that peter is terrible with words. he gets so flustered he can’t talk or forgets what he wants to say altogether. school presentations are torture. ordering food out is impossible. he’s accepted it at this point, that speaking just isn’t for him.

the one place it doesn’t come across is on paper. peter is ridiculously smart, and he knows all the right words to string together, which is why writing you a valentine should be no trouble at all. should be no trouble at all.

to tell the truth, he’s been sitting at his kitchen table with a blank sheet of paper in front of him for what feels like hours. nothing is coming to him. he’s not sure why this is so hard. you’re his girlfriend, he loves you, he’s said it so many times in every way he could think to. what’s different about it now?

everyone puts way too much pressure on giving the perfect gift when they should really just be enjoying each other’s company on a holiday about love. or, in your words, a meaningless holiday that was created by capitalists as another excuse to take people’s money. 

alright, you aren’t too fond of valentine’s day.

it makes anyone who’s single feel like shit and anyone who’s in a relationship lose their shit.

only mj agreed when you shared your criticisms. ned and betty gave you looks like you were insane, and flash muttered something about you being undateable. peter had laughed and swung an arm around your shoulders, but he didn’t fully agree.

although valentine’s day has its flaws, peter likes to see it as twenty four hours of extra appreciation for the people in his life. you can buy chocolate for your friends and family. it doesn’t have to be a significant other, really. him and ned would do it before he had you and ned had betty.

peter wants to remind you how loved you are even if you’re not into the festivities like he is, that bringing him to writing your card. it’s a simple and clinically underrated way of expressing his gratitude. he’d write you love letters every day if he didn’t suck at them.

may comes out of her room to see peter in the same place he’s been since he got home from school. she looks at him through her glasses, smiling as she comes into the room. he’s tapping his pencil on the table, eraser down, searching his mind for anything to write.

“still nothing?” may asks him, making her way over to the cabinets. peter puts down the pencil and sighs. his shoulders slump. “nope. i haven’t gotten past the intro.” “intro, huh?” she teases her newphew and grabs a jar of sauce. “y/n isn’t your teacher, kiddo. you’re not writing her an essay.” she looks at peter over her shoulder. a sheepish smile creeps onto his face.

“you know what i mean.” he reads over the only words on his paper at the moment. dear y/n. he’s starting to feel like spongebob the one time he wrote a paper. “what are you making?” peter asks may so he can temporarily take the focus off his unwritten valentine. “pasta,” may shakes the box in her hand. “and meatballs.”

“should i dial 911 now or wait until we’re in flames?” peter jokes about her awful cooking skills. may shoos him off and puts the box of pasta on the counter. “worry about your own kitchen nightmare.” she nods at the sheet of paper tormenting him. frowning, he glances back at her. “i’m the worst, may. i really don’t know what to write.”

may struggles to open the jar of sauce as she replies. “i thought you said- jesus.” it pops off. “y/n doesn’t like valentine’s day.” she slides over a pot from the stove and dumps the sauce in. peter stares up at the ceiling. “she doesn’t.” that’s probably why he’s having such a hard time. “why are you writing her a card, then?” may questions, turning on a burner.

“because, i dunno, it’s nice? it’ll make her happy? she might not care, but i do.” he mumbles the last part. he’s a bit of a hopeless romantic, so he hasn’t quite adjusted to the idea you had of not getting each other presents. you’re treating it like a regular day. some takeout and cuddles is all you’re doing.

peter would rather buy you things until his pockets are empty. not that there’s much in them, anyway. the point is that you deserve proper spoiling instead of corny words in his shitty handwriting.

“peter, honey. it might be better to stick with what y/n wants,” may suggests while stirring the sauce in the pot. she’s well aware that a few paragraphs from peter won’t change your mind. your opinions belong to you, and there’s nothing he can do about it, though he does have good intentions.

ignoring what may just said, peter makes a request. “what if you help me write it?” she faces the stove again. he can picture her playful smile when she quirks back, “she’s not my girlfriend.” “no, but you’re a girl... a woman,” he corrects himself, earning a scoff from may. “you’d probably know what sounds good.”

“you know y/n better than me, peter. do it on your own,” she exhales and turns back around with the wooden spoon in her hand. “it’ll be more... heartfelt.” peter hates that may is right because he’s completely stuck. his heart is being stupid today. “okay. i’ll try.” he gives her a slow nod. “why don’t you take a break? come stir the sauce. i’ll start the pasta.”

peter gets up from the table and grabs the spoon from may. she pinches his cheek on her way to the sink, getting a tight lipped smile from him.

this is not good.

-

the next day at school, peter asks around the lunch table for advice while you’re on line getting food. he feels guilty about it because may told him not to. he’s never going to get your valentine done if he doesn’t, though. it isn’t the worst thing in the world to bring on some co-writers.

“ok, what do you have so far?” betty asks, fully invested in the situation. she’s hoping this will switch up your views on valentine’s day. peter pulls out the same piece of paper from last night and says verbatim what’s on it. “dear y/n.” he looks up at ned and betty, the corners of his mouth twitching down. ned motions with his hand for peter to go on.

“that’s it,” peter confesses and folds the paper back up in shame. “dude, you told us it was a work in progress,” ned winces, betty taking his hand that’s resting on her shoulder. “where’s the progress?” betty patronizes him. they’re making him feel worse than he already did. what great co-writers he’s collaborating with.

peter throws a hand up, an eye roll included. “yeah, it’s terrible. can you help me or not?” mj narrows her own eyes at peter from the other end of his bench. she’s not interested in participating when the conversation is about forcing you to celebrate a holiday you don’t like.

“ooh!” betty squeals and squeezes ned’s hand. “you should make a list.” ned grins, leaning his head on hers. “genius, babe.” “a list of what?” peter furrows his eyebrows as he looks between the two of them. “what you love about y/n,” she explains, ned adding on, “stuff you do together, or you appreciate.”

“put whatever you come up with into sentences and voilà,” betty says in her best french accent. “oui oui,” ned agrees, both of them giggling. that doesn’t sound half bad. peter could manage a list about you. “thank you so much, guys. you literally just saved valentine’s day,” he confidently tucks his paper into his pocket. “it’s what we do,” ned tells him coolly.

“you never asked what i think,” mj cuts in, staring down her friends, who reluctantly meet her gaze. she pushes her bag of goldfish aside and raises an eyebrow. “mj, we know how you feel about valentine’s day.” peter presses his lips together. “y/n feels the same way,” mj reminds him dryly.

it’s true, but he doesn’t want to hear that right now. he’s having a breakthrough.

like clockwork, you appear at the table. you slip into the spot next to peter and put down your lunch tray. “what’d i miss?” you comment on the obvious tension, eyeing betty for an explanation. mj gives it to you. “valentine’s day discourse,” she tells you knowingly. peter shifts in his seat, uncomfortable, like he’s been caught doing something he isn’t supposed to.

he technically has.

“yuck,” you murmur, winding your arms around peter’s neck. “yuck, yuck, yuck.” he finds your words ironic because you then kiss his cheek, and peck his lips when he turns his head. peter puts a hand on your side and lets his eyes go up and down your face. a smile spreads across it, which he returns without thinking about. mj huffs in disapproval. she’s seen enough pda.

-

peter makes his list later that night. he decided he isn’t being inauthentic because he’s coming up with everything himself. he breezes right through it, jotting down what he loves most about you across the paper. it’s a mess. scribbled out misspellings and shreds of eraser, single words and whole phrases covering both sides. he’s proud of his actual progress.

he’ll write the official letter tomorrow since you’re coming over tonight. he at least has his material. the next, thankfully final, step is to reword it.

you’re ranting to peter about some drama with one of your teachers. he listens intently as always, chuckling when you crack jokes and grinning the entire time, feeling so lucky to have the most passionate, say whatever is on her mind girlfriend ever. seriously, it’s inspiring to watch.

“no, like, i never know what’s going on in that class,” you snort, peter snaking his arms around your middle from behind. “because you don’t pay attention,” he hums with his face nuzzled into the back of your neck. “because it doesn’t make any sense!” you defend yourself. his lips brush against your bare skin, drawing a giggle out of you.

“back to what i was saying,” your voice drips with sarcasm. the two of you naturally gravitate to his room, you walking in first. “she called on me, and i- what’s this?” you escape peter’s arms and head over to his desk. crap, he was working on your valentine and forgot to put it away. it caught your attention because it’s surrounded by crumpled papers and glitter.

peter was... experimenting... with designs for the front of the card. he’s learned that he isn’t too artistic either.

“wait, don’t read that,“ peter tries, but you’ve already got the list in your hands. he anxiously sucks his lower lip into his mouth and comes to stand next to you.

you first see the ‘dear y/n,’ then focus in on a few other words. my person forever, which makes you coo at the paper. insane (in the best way), which makes you gasp dramatically. i know you don’t like valentine’s day, but...

you drop the card back on the desk and let out a breath, shutting your eyes as irritation creeps in. it wouldn’t be fair for you to be mad at peter because it’s a sweet gesture, it really is. just, not for you personally. you’re on opposite sides of the valentine’s spectrum. you despise it, he sort of loves it. you’d hoped to meet somewhere in the middle.

“i thought we said no gifts,” you keep your voice level and spin around to look at peter. his face is painted with guilt. “it’s a card,” he murmurs, then meets your eyes with his brows knitted together. “i can’t even give you a card?” “i mean...” you shrug and shake your head. “look, peter. we had an agreement. i’m not doing valentine’s day.”

his disappointment comes out in the form of hanging his head. “yeah, you’re right. sorry.”

may tried to tell him this would happen, mj tried to tell him, and now you’re telling him. he should’ve expected it. he isn’t sure why he’s being so mopey about it because he was fully aware of your hatred for anything with the word valentine in it. it still hurts. peter just wishes you’d let him have the one day to love you and only you, give you some special attention.

“it’s nothing against you, babe,” you reassure him, noticing the shift in his mood. you put a hand on his shoulder. “i really just don’t like valentine’s day. it feels so... fake to me.” peter musters up a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. it drops when you loop your arms around his torso.

“if i celebrated, you’d be the first person i’d wanna spend it with.” you punctuate your words with a kiss to his cheek. he rests his chin on your head, you nuzzling your own cheek into his sweater. he’s feeling a bit better now. it’s not about him, that’s what he needs to remind himself. “thanks, baby,” peter speaks lowly into the air. you hum as if to say no problem.

scratch literally everything he’s done.

-

peter rolls over in his bed, rubbing at his eyes as his alarm goes off. it’s today. happy valentine’s day to... himself. he doesn’t think you’d want to hear it.

he’s not as broken up about everything as the other day. you have your reasons for not celebrating, and peter accepts them. hey, he still gets to spend the whole day with you. you’re technically having an unspoken valentine’s date.

he gets up from his bed with a yawn and starts to dig through his drawers for an outfit. you should be over soon.

before you head over to peter’s, you decide to make a quick stop at cvs for a few things. you ended up feeling pretty terrible about snapping on him essentially for loving you. it was over a harmless valentine, something to make you feel good and be an outlet for the hundreds of romantic bones in his body. basically, you were bitter about having a thoughtful boyfriend.

you want to make it up to him by giving him gifts instead. you’ll never be down with the whole exploitive and capitalistic side of valentine’s day, but there’s a deeper meaning to it than what you give it credit for. you see that now. peter was able to show his love for you through a homemade mess of a card, and you felt it. the price tags don’t matter. the meaning does.

dressed in his nicest sweater with his hair all styled, peter answers your knocking at his door. a grin instantly paints his face as he takes you in. you’re bundled up in a coat and holding a bag by your side. “hey,” he greets you and lets you past him. you shut the door behind him, returning the smile and winding an arm around his neck for a hug. his drapes around your back.

“hey. happy valentine’s day.” “happy valentine’s-“ peter realizes what he’s about to say and what you just said, then stops himself. “what?” he breaks the hug, squinting at your odd behavior. you’re the last person he’d expected to hear that from. “it’s valentine’s day. so, happy valentine’s day,” you tell him like it’s nothing.

he stays quiet while you shrug off your coat and throw it over one of the kitchen chairs. you bring your bag along with you, peter following you in. he’s suspicious. intrigued, and suspicious. it’s been less than a day since he last say you. you had a change of heart that fast? you aren’t the biggest valentine’s day anti he knows anymore?

“where’s may?” you wonder aloud, taking both of peter’s hands in your now free ones. he eyes the shopping bag you put down while you lace your fingers together. “with happy. they’re getting brunch.” he’s never particularly psyched to talk about their relationship. it’s always been in a joking way, though. now, he sounds genuinely upset to go over may’s whereabouts.

“they’re so cute,” you comment, tugging on peter’s hands so he looks at you. “you good?” “great,” peter half lies and nods, then presses a reassuring kiss to your cheek. he’s not bad. puzzled is the word. what you say next only adds to it.

“good. i have a few things for you,” you beam at him and grab your shopping bag off the chair. that’s what that’s for? peter isn’t fully sure what you’re up to. it doesn’t stop a smile from stretching across his lips, though.

“what happened to no presents?” he tests you as you reach into the bag. “well, i feel bad about how i acted the other day.” you pull out a heart shaped box of chocolates. “the card was really sweet, and i was too caught off guard to appreciate it. i’m sorry, pete.” peter’s eyes twinkle at you, gazing as you give him a smile with a hint of shyness behind it. you’re leaving your comfort zone and entering his.

“i was wrong and cynical and just, yeah. happy valentine’s day,” you add on and shove the box into his hand. he finally grins, so wide and then lets out a breathy laugh. “thanks, y/n. i know it was probably hard to shop being surrounded by this stuff.” he holds up the box. he’s right. you’ll unfortunately be seeing pink and red for weeks. “it was, but i did it for you.” you happily open up your arms for him.

peter puts down the chocolates and pulls you into his arms, his cheek squished against the side of your head as he hugs you to his chest. “oh my god, i love you so much,” he mumbles out, you squeezing him in response. “i love you, pete.” you press a quick kiss to his neck and hold him at arm’s length so you can see him. “i have something else for you.”

“baby,” peter coos, a pout on his lips. “you don’t have to do all of this. i would’ve been fine without the chocolates, even.” “stop, you deserve it,” you shut down the part of him that’s way too nice and selfless. “you’re my real present,” he says lower and with a toothy smile. shaking your head, you reach behind you and into the bag.

he can’t believe you’ve switched stances on valentine’s day. you’re the present pusher, and he’s refusing them. peter thinks it’s some sort of miracle that you’re not only acknowledging the holiday, you’re also partaking in it. his hopeless romantic side tells him it’s actually love, and it is. that’s the cheesy, hallmark movie truth. you suffered through shopping at a heart themed cvs because you love him. simple.

you return with a pink envelope that you place into peter’s hand. his face softens as he closes his fingers around it. “y/n, you made me a card?” “kind of,” you laugh at his overstatement. it’s obviously pre-made. you’d used a pen to fill it out in the store, scribbled a few words and tucked it into the envelope.

“it really doesn’t compare to yours, though,” you simultaneously warn and compliment him. peter dismisses you with a lighthearted click of his tongue. “oh, shush. that was only a rough draft.” “which proves my point even more. open it.” you grip onto the bottom of his sweater and grin.

he keeps his eyes on you while ripping open the envelope, then looks down and chuckles at the gag of the card. it has r2d2 and r4d4 from star wars on the front. inside is already written, “r4 is red and r2 is blue. if i was the force then i’d be with you.” you giggle to yourself, watching him read what you wrote next. i love you more every day, especially on valentine’s. xo, y/n.

peter holds the card to his side and slings an arm around your waist. “they make star wars valentines?” he murmurs, another smile breaking out on his face, one that you of course return. you use his sweater to pull him closer. “apparently. perfect for you.” peter tosses the card down next to the chocolates, both arms now holding you.

“thank you so much, baby. you’re an angel,” he sighs and pecks your lips after. “call me cupid,” you answer.

you give him a longer kiss back, tilting your head up to deepen it. your hands find their place on his biceps, earning a hum from peter as he moves his lips against yours. you can feel his love in every little movement, how he hugs your waist like you’re made of glass, rests his forehead against yours. when your lips mutually detach, peter speaks first, voice slightly husky.

“happy valentine’s day, cupid.”

you breathe out, peter closing his eyes in content.

“happy valentine’s day, r2.”

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland smut #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker smut

[thickenmyblood]

hey maca :)) I have sth that I’d love to hear your input on! (wall of text incoming so beware- I’m absolutely not mad if you don’t want to answer lmao). Basically it’s about how you portray women in your works and to what extent you see that portrayal mirrored in the canon books. I have noticed that a lot of writers tend to go a traditional route with for example daughters not being heirs like you also mentioned in an answer for a wtsioa ask on here. Considering the cultures Vere and Akielos are based on that’s obviously very logical and a lot of authors (including you) make it work fantastically! Yet personally I never got the vibe of Vere and Akielos being as patriarchal in canon, mostly because the Information we get is kind of confusing. On one hand damen is a walking manosphere (and. all of Akielos in general as well) without any prominent female figures in his life but on the other hand damen only ever speaks appreciatively of for example the female vaskian warriors. Both countries seem to ban women from the army yet Damen also refers to a warrior queen. The regent is a total misogynist but with the wording Laurent uses it almost seems like that is more the exception and not the general rule of veretian court life. Both countries also have ties to Vask, an exclusive matriarchy and Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to vaskian occupations in the past. I could go on for a lot longer but I guess that damens overall positive attitude towards women and especially stereotypically spoken masculine women is what sticks out the most to me. It just seems kind of misplaced in a world that supposedly is as sexist as the original cultures from our world. Which is why I’d say both countries do have gender roles but are overall a lot more egalitarian than their respective real world og cultures. But that’s only my take and I’d love to hear more on what others think about the portrayal of women in canon and how they chose to portray it in fanfiction. Love you and your new work, hope you’re doing well❤️

HELLO!!! Thank you for asking me interesting stuff :, ) you always have the best questions and my sad little inbox is open to you any time, friend. I divided this into parts, so:

My portrayal of women: I need to work on this a lot lmao. I’m not proud of any female character I have ever written for this fandom, and I’m also not proud to say I struggle horribly when it comes to writing female OCs, especially if the story is not about a female character that is a literal projection of me. Or Bella Swan (yes, Twilight literally shaped my sad little brain and the way I write and consume fiction).

Authors writing female characters in a “traditional” way (for fantasy settings): I can’t speak for other authors but I definitely think, in my case, that using the “it’s a patriarchal society, women have no rights, women can’t be heirs, etc.” blueprint is a matter of being lazy. It’s quick, and easy, and it’s been done before so we all know how it works and a) it’s unlikely that you’ll mess it up (in the plot hole kind of way) and b) it’s obvious that most readers know how the usual system works and so you don’t have to spend paragraphs or even chapters explaining it to them. I am very lazy when it comes to world-building for fics. Why? Because when I’m writing fanfiction I don’t give two shits about the world, I just care about the characters doing Things and having Feelings. The moment you start to question these issues (a society where women can join the army, where they can be heirs, where maybe they can have multiple husbands, etc.) a billion issues arise because it’s not the “usual way” and so you’ll have to deal with “unusual problems”. See: plot holes, info-dumping, etc.

Vere and Akielos in canon: I think the books get very, very confusing at times when it comes to gender roles in that specific world. They also get very confusing about how royalty works, in my opinion. So:

Damen never mentions female influences in his life, not even nannies or wetnurses or anything. He mentions past queens and his mother, but even then… It’s always struck me as “what the actual fuck” that we get no information on Egeria. In TSP, he doesn’t even read as curious to me, especially when I think of that line that goes something like “oh, well, he’d never asked how tall she was”.

Then you have Jokaste, who is highborn and also… perhaps trained in politics? It’s unclear to me if she’s ever been directly involved in meetings or been an active member of the Council or even been allowed to study these issues. Clearly, she’s smart and capable and cunning, but like… how? Did she have private tutors? Is she a self-made woman? Like, what’s up with that? Are women allowed to engage in public politics? Are they allowed to be kyroi?

IMO, Damen complimenting the female warriors in Vask has to do with how appreciative he is of war-related stuff. Like, he thinks people with his own qualities are neat. We see this time and time again in the books—having honor, being brave, respecting one’s family, protecting those who need protecting… He compliments these things when he sees them in others, especially in Laurent. Obviously one of the big changes in Damen as a character is that he goes from being daddy’s boy to being like “well, actually… maybe war isn’t always the answer, and maybe war isn’t always honorable”. The Vaskian warriors prove themselves worthy of praise in a “manly” way, if that makes sense. (In the same way, Laurent proves himself in the Okton, not so much to Damen but to other Akielons). So, in essence, War > Any issues he may have about women doing Stuff.

Don’t judge me for this but I can’t remember the Regent talking about women. Do you have any quotes about that? I feel like Book 1 is super rich when it comes to world-building stuff and yet it’s the book I remember the least. I know he obviously has a preference for boys and not girls, but I don’t recall him having interactions with Vannes or ladies at court? I’M SORRY I’M SO STUPID but I don’t own the book so I can’t exactly word search my way out of this one, and so instead of saying stupid stuff, I’m asking anyone reading this (lol, you and my mom probably) to please tell me what canon says on this issue.

Ties to Vask: Er, yeah, I mean… They’re clearly not at war with Vask and have some sort of economic deal (there are Vaskian pets in Arles? Which makes me wonder if they, like, buy them from Vask? Or if the pets are Vaskian and turn into pets in Vere? Slaves are not like pets so I don’t know?), BUT just because they have deals with this kingdom/are on good terms with the ruler does not mean they necessarily approve? Like, maybe they’re like “yeah, it’s weird they give women so much power, but also I need that silk/leather/WHATEVER, so I’ll shut up about that”.

“Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to Vaskian occupations in the past.” Is this in the books or is this something she said in an interview/post-releasing the trilogy? I know in the books there’s a quote that Akielos and Patras are similar because they both have slaves, but other than that I can’t quite remember anything about Patras? Like, I don’t recall Pacat giving us extensive and thorough world-building on either nation, at all. Once again, I am asking you for more explanations on this because I literally don’t remember.

4. My opinion and a Stupidity Disclaimer: As I’ve said above, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t remember and so I’m not trying to preach to anyone reading this or even saying that I hold the truth about… anything. I’m answering questions as I see fit and asking more questions when I run out of answers.

I believe world-building is not one of Captive Prince’s strong points. I will not elaborate on this because this is already long enough but there is simply, in my opinion, not enough material to reach any solid conclusions when it comes to world-building questions such as the role of women in Vere and Akielos, how compulsory homosexuality affects the development of highborn men and women in Vere, exactly what makes Akielos’ view on women different from Vere’s (if there’s any difference at all), the history of gender roles in this world and how it’s evolved up until canon, how Lamen can solve the heir issue without recurring to, once again, “the usual stuff” (concubines, bastards, marriage to women, etc.). It’s clear from what I’ve read that Pacat has come a long way as a writer and that her new trilogy has a lot more in-depth explanations to world-building questions, but this is not the case with CP, and so I’m afraid my answer to most of this is “I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can know for sure”.

Lastly, I think I struggle a lot with understanding the role of women in this universe because I simply did not see enough women doing stuff, so I don’t know what’s permitted, what’s unacceptable, what’s illegal, what is straight-up execution worthy, etc. This is not me complaining about the lack of female characters in CP, at all, which I know is contradictory to stuff I’ve said in the past (I answered a couple asks a year ago about how I’d wished we’d gotten Vannes’ POV or Jokaste’s POV in the short stories). I’ve changed my mind, and so I think Pacat is entitled to write whatever she wants, just like I’m entitled to talk shit about KR with any living soul who will listen lmao.

To end this on a spicy note, I think sometimes we consume the wrong media and then complain because it doesn’t have what we wanted. If you’re looking for a trilogy with strong, fleshed-out female characters, Captive Prince is not for you. If you’re looking for a trilogy on female struggles and, I don’t know, defying… the male gaze… Captive Prince is not for you. There are plenty of books out there that focus exclusively on female characters, featuring sapphic relationships, and dealing with gender issues. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY WE SHOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS. This is not about this particular question, but more about a lot of posts I’ve seen floating around… complaining about Pacat’s writing and the themes she didn’t explore.

If anyone has made it this far, thank you for reading, and know this is NOT me telling you what to think. This post is an open question that anyone can engage with, although I hope people will engage with this directly and on this platform, instead of… taking it somewhere else where I sadly can’t engage back! Unlike what happened with our awesome fat Laurent discussion, I will be replying to any questions I get on this (Note: I did not reply to most of those questions because a long time had passed and they were sort of repetitive).

#caramellaurent #captive prince #i'm using the main tag because i think... maybe someone has answers? #also lol melli i see what u did here... u're distracting me from writing for the bang #i see how it is #discourse #is this discourse tho? #it's just me asking stuff #discourse (questioned)

[yellowmagicalgirl]

find other ways to make it

Having a vengeful god constantly ranting within your head is painful, so Krel is interested in any possible solution. Now if only Douxie would believe him on this.

My brain came up with this while putting away dishes and thinking about Krel being semi-possessed by Gaylen, and then I decided that I need practice writing fluffy content. The title comes from Paramore’s “The Only Exception”.

Krel’s demiaroace in this, btw.

CW: references to drug abuse/overdosing in the first two paragraphs, references to canonical deaths, and Gaylen being an intrusive thot

AO3

FFN

Krel gripped the edges of his faceplate and squeezed his eyes shut. None of the pain medications he had taken were working even though he had taken the maximum dosage, and even though he was now immortal he didn’t want to see if taking too many pills would cause lasting side effects.

(Though, that certainly would’ve been a less grief-inducing way of killing Morando, by just dumping a metric ton of pain meds down his throat and waiting for him to die. It probably wouldn’t have worked, though, because Morando was doing what Gaylen wanted. Morando was causing destruction without any care for who he hurt.)

Between Krel’s breathing and Gaylen’s ranting, everything was so loud. He heard Douxie shout Krel's name and the sound of pounding feet. Krel felt a pair of familiar, comforting hands grab Krel's shoulders. If Krel had to pinpoint the first time he ever felt sensual attraction, it was when Douxie freed Krel from the ice and placed his hands on Krel’s shoulders. And then, in the slightly-longer-than-a-year since, other forms of attraction for Douxie eventually followed.

Gaylen began to rant about how, as his heir, Krel was better than all of these stupid mortals. Yes, even the immortal ones, because they were not gods. Krel tried to point out the flaw of calling Douxie an immortal mortal. Gaylen retaliated by sending a spike of pain and the memory of Douxie’s dead body to Krel.

“He won't shut up,” Krel says. “I can't think; he’s just so loud.”

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay.” One of Douxie’s hands ran down Krel’s arm until Douxie took Krel’s hand away from his faceplate. And, it felt nice to have the release of pressure from his head. That, and the gentle way that Douxie rubbed his thumb over the back of Krel’s hand.

“I just want my head to be clear,” Krel admitted, if only because he didn’t want to admit to other things.

“I mean,” Douxie said, in a strangely beguiling tone, “I know of something that might... nope.” At the last word, his tone broke into something far more embarrassed. At the same time, Douxie dropped Krel’s hand.

Krel opened his eyes and brought the rest of his hands down to his sides. Douxie was looking away from him, cheeks slightly reddened.

“Something that might...” Krel prodded.

“It was stupid, I mean, I really doubt you’d be interested.”

“Douxie, I’m interested in literally anything that will shut him up.” Gaylen retaliated by ranting louder.

Douxie didn’t look convinced. “I mean, I think you should hear what I came up with first, and just know that it doesn’t have to mean anything beyond me trying to cure your headache if you don’t want it to mean anything.”

“Don’t want what to mean anything?”

Douxie swallowed before gazing directly into Krel’s eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

The very idea that someone might dare to ask Krel to kiss them made Gaylen very angry, and if it were anyone else Krel would have agreed with Gaylen. But it was Douxie, and so that made Gaylen even angrier. Krel winced at the outburst.

Douxie flinched. “I get it, there’s a reason why I said it was stupid, forget-”

“No. Could you, please?” Krel licked his lips, annoyed when his tongue managed to catch on one of his own fangs. Gaylen’s ranting took on a gloating tone. “Please kiss me?”

Douxie’s lips were on Krel’s as soon as the words left them. Krel’s eyes widened before they slipped closed. Gaylen’s angry ranting got even louder before Douxie turned his face by just a fraction and -

Oh.

Oh sweet Seklos, there was silence. And Douxie was kissing Krel, and it was so nice. It was better than anything Krel could have ever imagined. Which, granted, he hadn’t imagined that kisses could be anything but awkward like a too-tight hug with someone who had cold hands, and he had been wrong about kisses. He wouldn’t have minded if this moment never ended.

But it did, with Douxie pulling away, red-faced and chest heaving like the simple act of moving their lips together was heavy exercise. Which, to be fair, Krel couldn’t recall feeling Douxie’s breath against his face during their kiss, so perhaps Douxie had been holding his breath?

“Did that help?” Douxie asked in a breathy voice.

Krel nodded. “At best you managed to banish him for good, at worst he’s sulking, which hopefully will last a few horvaths. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Douxie winced and looked away. “I mean, if you don’t want to do it again you definitely don’t have to, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything.”

Krel raised an eyebrow. It almost sounded like, no, that was unlikely. Then again, Douxie had been the one to initiate the kiss, so maybe?

“Douxie,” Krel said, watching Douxie look at him out of the corners of his captivating eyes. “When you mentioned that the kiss didn’t have to mean anything if I didn’t want it to mean anything, did you want it to mean anything?”

Douxie buried his face in his hands. The tips of his ears were now red. “Yes, but I didn’t ask you for it to mean anything other than making Gaylen shut up.”

Krel put a hopefully-comforting hand on Douxie’s shoulder. “I would’ve been happy with it meaning something, even in retrospect. Um, are you interested in going on a date with me this weekend, assuming that the world doesn’t try to end again?”

Douxie looked up at him, grinning. “I think I’ll always be interested in spending time with you.”

#krexie #krel tarron #gaylen!krel #gaylen's core #hisirdoux casperan #my writing #gaylen #demiaroace!krel #demiromantic!krel #demisexual!krel #tales of arcadia #3below #toawizards #paramore

[chibimyumi]

Kuromyu 2021 - First Review

So, yesterday 05-03-2021 was the First Day Performance of Kuromyu 2021, “The Secret of the Boarding School”. It is no secret that I am no fan of the Boarding School Arc, but even so I was very, very curious to see this arc being translated to a stage media.

This review shall not be without spoilers. Not just the story itself, because I think by now most people know how the story unfolds. I mean the execution of the stage play itself.

I shall not lie and admit that my review WILL contain my opinions, meaning it is by no means objective and might influence your opinions. For people who wish to experience the production entirely objectively for themselves, I recommend NOT clicking “keep reading” to reveal the spoiler section.

For now, I shall give my spoiler-free rating per category.

Faithful to canon: ⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Script:       ⭐⭐ ★★★

Acting:      ⭐ ★★★★

Singing:    ⭐ ⭐★★★

Music:       ⭐⭐⭐★★

Dancing:   ⭐⭐ ★★★

Stage & Costume:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hereunder I shall give the spoiler-section first preceded by “First Impression”, and then followed by the categories listed here above.

First Impression

The stream started, and seeing the Kuromyu logo in present day again after three years really was very exciting. Since 2010 on as always, Kuromyu opened with the contract scene, and I was positively surprised to see the stage set being quite elaborate! This set was the largest and most elaborate one so far without TOHO’s help.

After the contract scene the prologue gave a very quick recap of the Jack the Ripper, Circus, and the Campania Arc. I am not sure whether it was necessary to show the Jack the Ripper and Circus Arc as they provide no information needed to understand Weston Arc. But I think it was mainly inserted to speak to the nostalgia in Kuromyu fans, and as a Kuromyu fan myself, I have to say it did work. It did not take much time, I think maybe 1 minute per arc, so it was fine.

The recap of the Campania Arc was important as it served to equip the audience with the information that there’s a reaper who creates zombies. Undertaker was shown as the main antagonist of the Campania Arc and responsible for the bizarre dolls.

There was a short brawl between Undertaker and Sebastian, which is in fact a very good choice in my opinion to showcase the dynamic between these two supernatural powers...............except that only 10 minutes in, and the musical already MASSIVELY screwed up by portraying the fight as though Sebastian beat Undertaker. The ONLY reason Sebas is still alive is because Undertaker decided so. Normally I wouldn’t care that much about errors in a recap, but this time it serves as the exposition of Undertaker and Sebastian’s dynamic: It should have shown that Undertaker is an incredibly dangerous foe and that Sebas is scared shitless because of that. Especially because this ties in with how this arc was concluded.

“But okay, fine. Maybe the script has other plans, so I shall let it be,” I thought. Moving on. But it did “plant a seed” in me that this musical is either going to contradict itself, or that it is going to defy canon. That was the first impression.

The prologue transitions into the setup of the case quite smoothly, and I have to say it was skillful. You very quickly see Ciel change into the Weston uniform and the admission ceremony was swiftly started. Immediately you get introduced to Agares, the prefects and their fags, and the musical does a good job defining the atmosphere as: “something is off here”.

Faithful to canon: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★

The overall musical was really quite faithful to canon. Most plot points were as they were in the manga, and enough so that I would recommend anybody who doesn’t understand Japanese to first re-read the arc as homework. If you have the arc fresh in your memory, it is very easy to trace every action back to the canon.

There are some details that were omitted or changed, probably done so in consideration for the stage medium or run-time, and done reasonably so. Unlike the previous Kuromyus, 2021 adds very little new elements that were not there in the manga. No added extra depth, but also no unnecessary additions.

There were a few things that were very off-canon, namely the characters. But I think that falls under the “acting” header, rather than this header.

Script:       ⭐⭐ ★ ★ ★

The script was a real disappointment. You might wonder how faithfulness to canon can be 4/5, and yet the script only a 2/5 in my opinion. WELL, most dialogue was based on the text in the manga, but told as dry as possible. It was also as though the script writers didn’t trust its audience intelligent enough to understand things on their own, or even remember something that was said literally 5 minutes ago.

Exposition Ad Nauseam

There was a tremendous amount of exposition, exposition, exposition, ad nauseam. There was exposition about who Ciel is and what the Queen’s Watchdog is and what his job entails, and that is entirely fine. That’s necessary background information for spectators unfamiliar with Black Butler. However, there was also a lot of exposition that could easily have been left out, or concluded through context. For example, there were quite many expositions about the history and status of the Weston College. In my opinion, a competent script writer could have let the audience known that the Weston College is really important just by giving the information that the blood relative of the QUEEN attends the school, and by showing the Red House, since their entrance is based on social status.

In this post I wrote about my following concern:

Unlike tennis, cricket is a very foreign sport to most people. Cricket cannot be shown without explaining the rules. So if Kuromyu were to happen, these expositions that were dry in the manga to begin with, are going to be even dryer on stage. Does an actor narrate the rules? Do we want Sebastian to sing us the rules??? Or do we want the kids to sing us the rules themselves while they are batting the balls? 

And alas, true to my fear, Sebas indeed narrates the rules to us...  But even worse, he also explains cricket by using baseball analogy... This is an incredibly ineffective and time-wasting method, because:

it takes the audience out of the moment,

it assumes the audience knows enough about baseball to let it help understand cricket,

and it assumes the audience actually cares about the name of every single strike....

Repetition Ad Nauseam

Then there is the problem where many info-dumps sounded like: “LIKE I JUST SAIDDDDD, DON’T FORGET!!!”. The script for Sebas is the biggest offender. There were many moments Sebas was just saying the same thing twice. At times he repeated the same information, and there were some moments where he regurgitated already given information. (Sorry I’m just being nasty here, but that’s what it felt like (;;≽▽≼;;) )

Sebastian has this obsession with constantly proclaiming himself an omnipotent, one hell of a butler, which makes him capable of doing anything... and after a while it just gets a bit tedious. I have the feeling the scriptwriter really has the hots for him, and therefore can’t shut up about how powerful he is.

While Sebas is the biggest offender, he is by far not the only one. This musical is guilty of doing a lot of very unnatural lines that no person would ever say. Soma for example, seems incapable of saying anything without shouting that he is the Prince of India and Ciel’s BFF. First time, FINE. But the entire time? My god....

Characterisation

Then there is the characterisation of characters in the script. Of course in great part the characterisation is dependent on the actors too, but no matter how amazing an actor is, you do as the script demands.

As discussed above, Sebas is done dirtiest by the script. This script also makes him incredibly arrogant and a bit too happy to be in his master’s service. Similarly, Ciel is also written entirely dependent on Sebastian, and equally happy that Sebas is happy to serve. In the first song between Ciel and Sebastian, without any prompt Sebastian asks his master for his orders, as though that’s what Sebas is looking forward to all day. And the first thing Ciel says in response is: “can you take on this reaper [Undertaker] and the large number of moving corpses?” to which Sebas responds: “Leave everything to me, because I am the Phantomhive butler.” ........and then he proceeds to defeat Undertaker effortlessly.........!?!?!?!?!?! When fighting Undertaker, Sebas also says: “what a bother” as though it’s just a bit of an unpleasant chore rather than a life-threatening fight.  And just before Undertaker disappeared all the way at the finale of the arc, Sebas seriously says: “I really don’t get along with you”. SERIOUSLY, WHO WROTE THIS?!

Myu!Ciel is CLEARLY the master of this Sebastian as he seems to be on a permanent power trip. He “it’s an order”s Sebastian for the most trivial of things. At the beginning when Sebas was fighting intruders already, Ciel “it’s an order”s Sebas to take down the intruders.... HE’S ALREADY AT IT!!!

In chapter 70 where Sebas and Ciel simultaneously think of Soma, Ciel doesn’t give Sebas an official order. This shows the audience that there is a certain level of trust between master and servant that they’re on the same page AND that Sebas has come to a stage where he will actually do what’s necessary.

In the musical however, Ciel gives a full “Sebastian, it’s an order, get the procedures done to get him here, to the Weston College.”

This is also an example of how unnatural and repetitive the script is. Who would EVER say “get the procedures done to get him here, to the Weston College”???? Of course procedures need to happen first! And “here” alone would have sufficed, scriptwriters. We KNOW where “here” is! We didn’t forget since 5 seconds ago!

Lyrics

The lyrics are technically not the script, but they are ridden with the same problem as the script itself, so I shall take the liberty of discussing these under the same paragraph.

There is a LOT of repetition in the lyrics as well. The P4 especially sing “Weston” and “tradition” like the ENTIRE time. One song literally goes: “this is Weston, Weston, Weston, Weston, at Weston we uphold our traditions, traditions, traditions, traditions.” The other song is: “It’s cricket, it’s cricket, it’s cricket,” and another “I am Ciel’s BFF, BFF, BFF, Ciel, lord Ciel, lord Ciel, lord Ciel’s BFF.”...... *shudders* ((ﾟﾟ((Д))ﾟﾟ)) AAAAHHHH!!!!

Acting:      ⭐ ★ ★ ★ ★

The acting was by far the most abominable in the musical safe for two gems: Chesslock and Derek. There are too many characters to discuss, so I shall keep it to the main/noteworthy ones.

The gems

Chesslock has this tremendous energy and something very wild about him, and his jumps are so incredibly precise it’s amazing! Derek has but a very small role, but the moment he showed up as the zombie you already immediately saw there was something “off” about him. It was very subtle, but still clearly unhinged. When he was acting living-Derek, you also clearly saw what type of prick he was. Amazing! These two were the brightest stars of the show.

The....... not gems

The most unwatchable ones were Soma and Harcourt. Soma doesn’t have a big role, but he bothered me so much he is ironically the most memorable one. It’s like Okada saw “loud and obnoxious (in a good way)” in the manga, turned it up to 12, and gave the worst portrayal possible. As said above, the script making him repeat “Indian prince” and “BFF” the entire time doesn’t help, but blaming just the script would be letting Okada off too easily.

Harcourt...... gave me so much secondhand embarrassment I literally got a cramp looking at him. When the diarrhea happened he was screaming like a pig about to be raped and slaughtered... and I am NOT making a rape-joke here. I would never. He really did sound like he was unwillingly aroused and terrified at the same time.

Sebastian

Let’s start with the good things: Tateishi’s Sebas did have his presence and his movements were fairly neat. He was never just standing there. He is quite elegant, and not swaggering or pulling spasms on stage unlike a CERTAIN someoneeeeee. He could work a BIT on the coordination of his extremities, but that’s only when I’m nitpicking.

But otherwise.... he was a bit underwhelming to be honest. The main problem is not necessarily Tateishi’s acting-skill maybe, but his interpretation I think... but I can’t say his acting was amazing even at knife-point. The way he acts Sebas makes him look like a complete fanboy of Ciel... which is just not Sebas. He is incredibly eager and at times I could almost see a puppy tail wagging. Whenever he is getting an order from his master he is just beaming. And with Undertaker there was not a single hint that Sebas is scared of the only foe who managed to mortally wound him.

His interaction with Ciel was also very SebaCiel heavy. In the manga where Ciel challenges Sebas why he didn’t go after Undertaker, Sebas is clearly emphasising the importance of the contract, and half-threatening his master not to dare “it’s an order” him to go after Undertaker.

In the musical however, Sebas is all UWU, as though saying: “I couldn’t let the big baddy hurt you... uwu”. Without exaggerating, Sebas caresses Ciel’s face THREE times and then embraces him.

Ciel

Ciel was very unbearable to watch in my opinion. Not as bad as Soma and Harcourt, but otherwise an “honourable” third place after them. In the manga it was a bit cringey to begin with because he is supposed to fake being (*ÓωÒ*), but seeing a 20 year old man do that... and play it up to 11 was just jarring. Ciel is like “tehe” very often, but never actively skipping like a forest fairy.

This Ciel also has tremendous mood-swings! He is either UWU or actively a ice-cold diva... and at times he is also being UWU when he’s not around others???? There was also not a single moment where I could see him cooking up a plan. No hint of intelligence or cunningness to be found.

Unlike with Tateishi I can’t really come up with anything good to say about him.

Undertaker

Undertaker was the best among the main three (not that the bar is very high). He is making efforts to tease-threaten Sebas, which I think is a very nice added detail (it’s just that Sebas reacts to none of them... sad.) and even though his role is pathetically small (he doesn’t show up as the principal), he still managed to present himself in the spotlights.

P4

Greenhill had his energy, he was funny, and something really funnily militaristic about him. Though, I was missing nuance in his acting because at not a single point could you see Greenhill might have a trauma for killing people.

Redmond was Viscount of Druitt light and he had a very strong emphasis on the BL aspect with Maurice......which was just personally not my cup of tea. But I have to admit that aspect was played up too in the manga. So I guess he was faithful to canon.

Violet was quite charming and eccentric. He did play up the gothicness of the Violet house, which was actually kinda nice! He also had a deep friendship with Chesslock, which I really liked. When Violet didn’t do shit during the tournament Chesslock was really miffed about that, and challenged him. And then Violet showed Chesslock a portrait he drew of him, saying: “you just looked so cool I had to capture that.” That was amazing! He is a bit bitchier and sassier than in the manga, but I really don’t mind. 

Bluer.... William light. He was the least memorable of all of them.

Singing:    ⭐ ⭐ ★ ★ ★

Nobody really hurt my ears, but also nobody quite hit the notes... and the notes weren’t that hard.

Music:       ⭐⭐⭐ ★ ★

Eehhhhhhhhhhhh I’d say the songwriter played most songs a BIT too much on the safe side. Not a single song was memorable, but they didn’t offend me either. The main theme was fairly nice actually, but only when just the instrumentals played. I think it might have been the singing just being too chaotic for me to actually hear the music.

Dancing:   ⭐⭐ ★ ★ ★

Chesslock is an tremendously good dancer, his movements were precise and energetic. But otherwise.... nobody really popped out, but there was nobody who looked like a noodle on stage either.

The main problem is choreography; with some exceptions they were very underwhelming and messy. There were a lot of group dances, but often enough people were just a bit out of sync and messy.

Stage & Costume:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stage Set

The stage set was VERY good. It was well made and mobile; they could be moved around and functioned as different props. Examples include the cellar in which Derek and his gang were committing crimes, and the boat of the parade even. The set also had this really magical aesthetic about it which communicated the glamour of the Weston College well.

Costumes

The costumes were well made. The logo on the uniforms for example were actually embroidered rather than those iron-on plastic things. The wigs were .... very messy after jumping around a bit and they looked very greasy. But that’s fine. They did their job and I realise I’m just spoiled. TOHO makes their wigs using real human hair, and that’d be an astronomical sum for any normal 2.5D company.

My ONLY problem is Ciel’s “lord costume”. This photoshoot photo underneath is doable, but trust me, on stage it is a nightmare. There are no clear photos of this costume on stage, and I think I understand why.

It was glittery velvet which just SCREAMS cheap Halloween costume, it was ill-fitted, almost like it was 2 sizes too large. The costume makers didn’t take stage-lighting into account, so the fabric and details glistened all over the place. Under the limelight the “golden” aiguillettes were PISS yellow. And the suddenly black sock suspenders protruding from his white boots were just...... distracting.

BUT, this was just one costume and he only wears it in the prologue and the finale of the show. Even though it’s God-awful, the rest were well made enough to compensate for this abomination.

Conclusion

So now finally the conclusion! The musical was..... fairly faithful to canon, but the execution leaves quite a lot to be desired. The interpretation/acting of the characters were the most disappointing one, while the stage/costumes were the most charming.

Do I recommend buying the stream/DVD/BD?

Stream: Yes.

I personally do recommend buying the stream as it’s only 3800 yen, especially if you like the Weston Arc itself, and/or are curious to see how they did it. Even though I myself really hate the Weston Arc in and of itself, I was very curious to see how it’d be translated to a stage medium. Despite my mostly negative opinion of the musical, I don’t regret buying the stream at all!

The best reason in my opinion to buy the stream though; it’s a very good and legal way to get a “preview” to see if you want to spend approximately 10000 yen on the proshot.

DVD/BD: Depends on you.

I myself have decided not to buy the DVD because I don’t think I’ll be rewatching it after the stream-archive period is over. The DVD/BD are the most expensive so far, and to me the final product is just not worth that amount of money.

But if you like the Weston Arc, or the performers, or you think you will be rewatching it and you are a collector, I think it is a very nice addition to your shelve.

#Kuromyu 2021 #Kuromyu #Secret of the Boarding School #Review #Weston Arc #Musical