#y'all are seriously here for the party and here to appropriate all the things

[wormlette]

Your fic "a good dog" lives rent free in my brain and I'm so glad bc the characterization and the introspection and LAIOS SERVICING CHILCHUCK just make me go feral, can't wait to read what comes next ❤️

(and the noises I made while reading "fervent, writhing" could only be heard by shrimps).

PS: Y'all at the chilaios council are tempting me so hard to create a Chilaios sideblog bc all your brains are so HUGE

OK FIRST OF ALL sorry for hanging onto this ask for so long, I have been cradling it in my hands like a good luck charm while I write ❤️ I appreciate you so much. ALSO "noises that could only be heard by shrimps" is part of my lexicon now lmao.

I've been trying to get a good dog arranged into some sort of satisfying narrative -- I don't know how obvious it is, but even when I was writing more regularly, I still mostly only ever wrote drabble type things that are unconnected. Writing an actual story is my bane in life, but I've been very inspired to try because of all of you.

Here is a good dog snippet I'm particularly proud of!! It's a flashback!!!

“If I can ask…” Laios held up a finger, like a kid raising their hand. Chil raised a brow, and he and Falin watched curiously to see what would come next.

“…why did I upset you?”

Chilchuck sighed and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up further. He resisted the urge to grab it and tug. This guy really needed that said?

“Okay, but I want you to think for a minute, first. Have you ever seen a party lead by a half-foot, Laios? Have you ever even heard of one?”

Laios looked at the ceiling, hmm-ing. “…I guess not?”

“Right. That’s because the things a party leader needs, half-foots don’t have. That’s what people think. Long-legs think anyone who can’t fight can’t be in charge.” He shrugged. “They don’t say it, but it’s like that.”

Laios frowned and started to open his mouth. Chil waved his hand to cut him off. “The way people perceive you is everything in an adventurer’s party. ‘S just how it is.”

The siblings stayed silent. Were they twins? He realized he didn’t know. He’d been a bit incurious about them as well, truthfully. Assuming he’d work for them a little while before they parted ways, probably from pissing each other off. That hadn’t happened yet, so…

“Well. And that's exactly why YOU-“ he swung his empty mug at Laios - “have got to start taking this more seriously! This exact kind of thing is what I’m talking about!” They let him rant on. Having both of their attention on him was not a new feeling, but he ignored it. “The reactions people will have to you are exactly what a leader needs to be aware of! You can’t just say whatever you want!” He was ranting. “You’ll damage their trust in you if you’re careless. Think about how they’ll think, Laios.” It was so obvious, but Laios’ eyes were alight. Had nobody ever had talks like this with him? “And if you can’t figure *that* out, then at least listen to the people around you.” They were listening like he was bestowing crucial information on them. Chilchuck suddenly felt like laughing. There was something funny about these two overgrown dummies, so eerily at home in the dungeon but so in need of caretaking outside of that. They’d followed him around like puppies on errands across town to the bank and the slums, and now they were hanging on his every word. Eventually, he paused, raising his mug and drinking deeply until only foam was left. A warm feeling was in his gut.

“So it’s ok if I ask you, next time?” Laios looked at him with glimmering eyes. “If it’s an imposition, we could renegotiate…”

The idea of Laios renegotiating was laughable enough to make Chilchuck reach for the pitcher, but Laios beat him to it and leaned over to give him a refill. Ha! Maybe he wasn’t completely helpless. He was thinking now, wanting not to offend, wanting to be helpful. This was the kind of thing a party leader needed to practice, so it suddenly seemed very appropriate to reinforce him. “Yes! Like that! Good boy!”

If not for his keen senses, he would’ve never noticed. As it was, most of the time Chilchuck convinced himself he’d imagined it. The look in Laios’ eyes, in that instant, was feral.

#also FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART CREATE A SIDEBLOG TO BECOME EVEN MORE UNHINGED ON IT'S SO FUN.

[chiisanakurisu]

Amagüestu

Hi y'all, it's been a while since I last shared anything of my writings, so there is a fragment of the current story I'm working on, which was submitted to @gigagendergt's Gt Autumn writing contest 😊

CW: slight mention of death, mentions of natural disasters, indirect mention of transphobia

“You know, I’ve thought about organizing a little Amagüestu party, just for the four of us.”

It was an unusually warm October evening. I was in the porch, chatting with Carmina while Tommy played with Sophie by the vegetables garden.

“Amagüestu?”

“You know, roasted chestnuts, sweet cider…”

“I know what Amagüestu is!” I replied, slightly annoyed, “It’s just…I don’t think it’s the best idea right now, Carmina”.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well…I don’t think it’s the moment to celebrate anything, the way things are. After what happened and how we have been struggling…I don’t see a reason why it would be appropriate”.

The old woman chuckled. “Fía, the only reason we need to celebrate is us. We are here, and we are together. And precisely because of the way things are we need it. Don’t you think we all have earned a bit of joy?” Carmina signalled subtly at the two kids playing a few meters away.

I glanced at them, and my heart instantly felt warmer. A chubby teenager boy, holding a child no bigger than his palm and wrestling her with his other hand ever so gently. If it weren’t for the abyssal size difference, anyone would have thought they were siblings. And truth was, Tommy had turned out to be like an older brother for littlest Sophie.

Even if I wasn’t in the mood for a party, I had to admit Carmina was right; this place and getting to be part of this makeshift family had been a true blessing. After losing my home and having to be relocated, Carmina had been the first in the village to offer me her house to stay and practically took me under her wing. A few days later I would meet Sophie, a child whose very existence was already a miracle. Despite not being more than nine centimeters tall, she managed to fill the room with her inner light. The beginnings had been a bit rough, but we quickly became fond of each other and now life without her was unthinkable. And as for Tommy… the beginnings had been rough too, and unorthodox to say the least. But he had proven to be a reliable kid who too had wanted to protect Sophie since their first meeting, and they adored each other.

A mentally ill woman from the city, a small-town old lady, a tiny little girl and a runaway trans teenager. What a group. Not bad for being in the middle of nowhere after the collapse of civilization.

 “Alright, I’m in” I replied with a smile. “I really hope there are enough chestnuts and apples to do this…I heard harvest wasn’t good this year” I added, a bit concerned.

Carmina smiled too. “Then we’ll all have canned peaches, and it will still be good.”

—

A few days later, I was picking chestnuts from a large bag with the help of Sophie, who Carmina had instructed to only get “the finest ones”. The young girl was doing her job diligently, almost yelling at me every time she would find the tiniest defect I hadn’t been able to notice. I was an endearing sight, although of course I took her orders as seriously as she deserved.

Once we were done, I set aside the basket with the selected chestnuts and allowed myself to stretch my arms.

“Will you make frixuelos for the party, Curuxa?” asked Sophie, sitting with her back against the wicker basket.

I chuckled. “Don’t you think it’ll be too much food?”

“I bet there won’t be a single one to spare, no matter how many you make!” replied the girl enthusiastically.

“Okay, okay”, I conceded, “if I have flour left after I’m done with the apple pie I’ll make some, promise.”

Sophie beamed up in response. I wasn’t exactly an expert in getting the dessert right, but I guess she just loved too much the anise flavored crepes sprinkled with sugar.

I set my hand palm up next to the girl, offering her a ride to the kitchen. “Come on. You can help me knead the dough, but only after you’ve washed your hands.”

Sophie didn’t think twice before hopping onto my hand.

—

I made my way to the porch, holding a freshly made apple pie with both hands and the basket with the chestnuts hanging from my bent arm. Sophie, as usual, was in my shirt chest pocket, peering out in excitement.

We saw Carmina and Tommy already there, a few bottles with sweet cider on the table. Carmina was setting the table while Tommy carried the grill. I smiled fondly, remembering the older woman assigning tasks and deciding Tommy would help her carrying the heavier stuff since she would need “the strength of a young man”. The boy had blushed slightly at the validating comment, and then accepted the assigned task with a smile.

Once it was all set and with the scent of roasting chestnuts filling the air, we were ready to start.

It was a delightful evening. Four people who couldn’t be more different sitting at the same table, laughing and enjoying a simple, yet delicious meal. The three humans couldn’t help glancing adoringly at the tiny girl sitting on the table by my side, totally unbothered by the giants surrounding her and happily digging into a chestnut that was bigger than her head. I was so happy that she was feeling so safe and confident around us.

“You were so right about the frixuelos, Sophie” I commented amusedly, “they didn’t last more than what, half an hour?”

“Told you so!” replied the child, and we all chuckled.

The sun had just set, and so our little party was over. There barely were leftovers, aside from some spare chestnuts. Carmina took them and solemnly threw them to the ground. “This is for the deceased to eat” she declared ceremoniously. Nor Tommy or I knew of the ritual, but we both nodded in respect. Sophie did seem to know though, as she stared longingly at the nuts on the grass covered ground. I cupped my hand around the child in a supportive gesture, and she leaned into it. No more words were needed; wherever her mom was, she would be safe and loved.

It was a good thing we had managed to find each other in these troubled times.

#giant/tiny #borrowers #g/t writing #folklore #asturies

[tsukidrama]

rules

Annie requests are open indefinitely.

• I do not authorize anybody other than myself to post my written work unless permission and proper credit are given. Translations are generally 100% fine as long as 1) you ask me, and 2) you include a link to the original fic and tag me. Anything written by me that isn't posted by the username tsukidrama is most likely a repost (the one exception to this is on wattpad but its all tsuki-approved).

• If you steal my writing all bets are off and I will kill you. Seriously, don't fucking do it. I've had this happen before and its really aggravating. My work is mine.

• Be specific when making requests! If you give me something to work with, i'll make you proud. if i get an ask that says "Mikasa nsfw," i would love to provide! but i'm not coming up with an entire fic idea on my own for a request.

• If you are going to directly reference things I've written, tag me and include a link to the fic. Same as with translations. A link makes a much bigger difference than you might think!

• This blog contains NSFW content, and much of the fanfiction I write is very explicit. However, I do not police any type of minors DNI policy - I don't have time for that shit, and honestly, I do not care. I'm not anyone's mom and I'm also not responsible for anyone who makes the choice to read content that's appropriately labeled. Exceptions may apply on an individual basis but in general I truly couldn't give less of a fuck.

• Minors do not talk to me about porn. I know y'all are here. Like I said, I don't really care, but I am also not comfortable discussing smut with minors, so please do not approach me about it. Anon exists for a reason.

• Actually, please don't send porn to my ask box ever. I'm not going to publish anything explicit that can't be hidden under a readmore. Mutuals disregard this and know that there's nothing that I want more than for you to DM me about anything and everything. Also I love you please be my BFF.

Things I AM willing to write about:

smut

mental illness

alcohol or drug use

period sex & superficial bloodplay

biting/marking

moderate gore

Things I am NOT willing to write (or read) about:

non-con, coercion, or anything implying such. consent needs to be explicitly understood between both parties.

head pushing in smut. i hate this shit and i don’t want to see it.

most bdsm dynamics. no petplay, degradation, punishment, impact play, or dd/lg. light bondage is fine.

gunplay, knifeplay etc. any kind of power play involving or implying weapons/violence.

eating disorders

vomit, feces, or piss

I DO NOT TAKE REQUESTS FOR DARK CONTENT!

while it's not totally unheard of for me to write darker things, i've gotten requests that make me profoundly uncomfortable in the past and i find that its better to just avoid it altogether.

anything dark i write is clearly labeled above the fic with specific warnings.

i'm really picky about reader insert dark content. my feelings get hurt (and stay hurt) easily so please keep this in mind if you wanna send fic recs!

character x character fic, on the other hand? i love pain i love suffering i love heartbreak i love betrayal. over the years ive noticed that my subconscious prefers angst/hurt actually, mwahahhahhaha

the fictional character already has established pain but when its a reader insert, then the reader automatically has all my pain too + whatever else and it's usually too much.

yeah i really just feel like i've been through enough irl trauma so i remove myself from that situation

#blog psa

[gallavictorious]

I’m wondering if Ian was thinking that Mickey had forgotten or was not that into celebrating the anniversary, because he thought that Mickey was still mad about the West Side move? Do you have any thoughts on what Ian might have been thinking when he was dropping his hints throughout the day and Mickey was brushing them off? (Especially the scene right before they went into the party)

Oooh, fun! Thanks a lot for this–I've been thinking about that scene on the sidewalk quite a bit so I'm very grateful for the chance to prattle on about it!

@dreamylyfe-x has written about how Ian was probably trying to suss out how Mickey wanted to play this–are they a couple who do anniversaries or are they not–and I think that's quite likely what's going on, and why Ian hasn't planned his own thing or prepared a gift or whatever. I can see him, in the weeks leading up to the big day, fishing a little, trying to see if Mickey will bite, looking for a hint about what would be appropriate for them to do to celebrate their first year as husbands. Only, no hints arrive; Mickey never bites; Mickey pretends to not notice Ian's increasingly transparent attempts at fishing.

One might reasonably wonder why Ian doesn't just ask what they're doing for their anniversary if that's something he's been thinking about. So, you wanna do something for our anniverssary? Would have been dead easy, right?

Thing is, I don't think Ian's actually bothered about what they'd end up doing; that isn't the point. I think that Ian wants their anniversary to mean something to Mickey. It's fine if Mickey doesn't want to do anything special, but Ian wants Mickey to remember and acknowledge that this is a special day for them, and he wants Mickey to do so of his own volition. He doesn't want to have to push it, he doesn't want Mickey to go along with whatever just because he wants to make Ian happy, he wants Mickey to care because it-–their commitment, their marriage, their wedding day–means something to him too. Ian's been pretty good at reassuring Mickey this season (and the last) but sometimes I think Ian might need a little reassurance, too? Just... for Mickey to volunteer that he knows their big day is coming up.

(By the by, your ask really made me realize that Mickey's out there secretly arranging this party while being actively upset over having to move and feeling all sorts of lost and unhappy and maybe throwing a few chairs. Once he got back from stealing the neighbors laundry, did he send Lip a text to check on the snack situation? Did he stop to remind Debbie to bring the decorations before leaving the Gallagher house in the morning after the incident with the annoyingly bright moon? Did he take a call from the accordion player to confirm that yes, At Last, that's what I fucking said, who cares if it's hard, what the fuck am I even paying you for before pulling up some cinnamon challenge videos on his phone? Like, that must have been so weird for Mickey, putting this whole thing together even as he questions whether Ian thinks he needs to change to fit in with Ian's visions of the good life.)

But yeah, Ian doesn't ask and maybe he actually loses track of the whole thing a little bit, what with the sudden move to the West Side and the falling out over that. Maybe he's quite genuine when wondering if it's the 20th or 21st, or maybe it's just the first of several attempts that day to jog Mickey's memory; either way Mickey shows no signs of knowing it's anything other than a regular maybe Thursday (it's a Wednesday) and... that probably hurts Ian's feeling a bit. It's fine if Mickey doesn't want to celebrate, but how can he–who broke up with Ian over him hesitating about getting married and who then spent so much time planning the goddamned wedding–not know that it's their fucking wedding day? It doesn't make any sense, does it? So... that must means he doesn't care, right? Or is he still pissed... ? To actually answer your question about what Ian's thinking, I'd argue that Ian quite simply isn't sure and he doesn't want to ask and that's why he keeps on dropping these hints, getting more and more annoyed with Mickey's seeming failure to connect the dots or make any sort of comment on it. (@damngcoffee has pondered if this might have influenced his initial insistence they take the crib in spite of Mickey saying no, and with that in mind I do wonder if it might not have pushed him to go off on the Trump supporter?)

In the end, Ian gives up on Mickey volunteering anything. He needs to know. “Do you seriously knot know what today is?” he asks, and I think it's interesting to note that once they've established that no, Mickey (a liar) doesn't know, Ian softens. “One year ago today,” he says, with that smile, a little shy but a little hopeful too. Soft, in love, happy to mark this occasion with Mickey. It's not great that Mickey didn't remember, but at least that means he didn't ignore it because he doesn't care, so... sure, they'll take it from here.

Except Mickey gives every impression of still not giving a damn and the ways I feel bad for Ian here are... I mean, I know it'll be all right in just a moment, but argh. My heart. (Surprise parties can be a bit of double-edged sword, really, if the surprise hinges on convincing the subject of celebration that they've been forgotten. Consider them carefully.) Also worthy of note is how Ian, even though he's justifiably hurt and disappointed and upset, doesn't start an argument or take off. He follows Mickey into the bar instead–and is of course immediately shocked and awed to the point of barely being able to speak.

As I've noted in the tags of a GIF-set of this scene, I believe that mixed with Ian's overwhelming astonishment and love for Mickey there's a slight and initial feeling along the lines of you asshole you set me up you just stood outside and pretended like you didn't care you're a bastard. Just, the way he looks at Mickey, shakes his head slightly, right before the I love this man? It's not unresonable for him to feel, fleetingly, that he's been made a fool of, if just a little and with the best of intentions? Ian's proud, y'all! (And probably also not at all comfortable being expected to make a speech–and one that somehow lives up to Mickey's gesture–while still reeling from the sudden turn the evening took.) But that feeling is really very fleeting, because not only did Mickey not forget, he went out of his way to make this day really special for them both. Planned the whole thing and even brought in family and friends, all for Ian. Once he recovers from the shock, Ian feels nothing but such intense joy and love and gratitude, and whatever disappointment he experienced earlier fades entirely in the face of that. ❤️

#thank you for the fun ask! #ian gallagher #gallavich #11x12 #meta #asks #ianandmickeygallavich1

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 9

As promised, two chapters in one day! HBD to this trash rabbit. I just get thirstier with age.

Rating: Explicit.

‼️TW: Reader is EIGHTEEN! Recreational drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption, deeply internalised self-loathing, very questionable moral standards. Daddy kink taken half-seriously. BDSM themes in later chapters - explicit content will come with it's own TWs. FIRST PERSON POV. DRUG USE IN THIS CHAPTER. Just generally an uncomfortable vibe, thread carefully.

Summary: You're Peter's classmate, a child of rich and famous but uncaring parents. Getting paired up for a lengthy project with the boy was an interesting turn of events and you don't know whether to feel blessed or cursed when you develop, seemingly, a perfectly normal, harmless crush on Tony Stark. Fueled by feelings of inadequacy and boredom, your life spirals out of control - and you're lucky your newfound friends are there to pick up the pieces even if you cannot find it in yourself to believe these amazing human (and not so human) beings voluntarily give you more than a fleeting glance and an offhanded thought. And they brought cake!

A/N: Ooh, boy. This is a whole mess. Angst. [insert drugs owl meme]. Steve doesn't pass the vibe check yet again, stupid old man. Bruce + Tony be like: I CAN'T GET NO SLEEP CUZ OF Y'ALL.

My beta, whomst I love more than cake - @miscmarvelwritings . She's so beautiful though. And so smart. Wow.

The strobe lights pulsated to the rhythm of the music, bodies swaying, gyrating to the tune. The club was banging this time of night, people were living it up like there was no tomorrow. For me, in the VIP zone it was quieter, calmer, but no less exciting. The atmosphere here was distinctly different from the one on the main floor.

It was hard to wallow in misery even if it only took me an hour to stop resisting the gratuitous amounts of white powder on the silver platters. "It's better when you're there to watch them, they'll do it anyway but at least you can know that they're getting the good stuff!" My idiot father proudly announced, looking at me snorting a line through a rolled up hundred dollar bill.

Whiskey and vodka wasn't doing it for me. It made me feel low and Dad, being Dad, of course noticed it and immediately called a guy who knew a guy and suddenly all of his friends and their baby-faced companions had white under their noses. Cash flew like autumn leaves.

As I went out to the main dance floor to get a closer look at Billie Eilish in all of her edgy, beautiful self, the drug hit me like an avalanche. No trace of the grogginess or the mortification that had hitched a ride on me from Stark tower. I danced and sang and saw dad smiling at me in approval, his equally high and important friends all wearing identically predatory smirks. They were good at spotting the obvious - beauty, talent, money. I had no qualms about the fact that dad was off bragging about my close relationship with Tony. If my father was feeling particularly bold, he'd be telling them he knew and encouraged it all along, his buddies pretending to believe the white lie in turn.

I had exchanged my pants and sneakers in favour of a skirt and fishnets with high heels combo, a decidedly inappropriate attire for a daughter having a family night with her father but he insisted I dress trendy. I loved my dad, I really did, and I knew he meant well - I'd definitely be out of place amongst these TVscreen worthy people in my jeans and sneakers but...Tony was one of those people, and he had never ever said anything bad about the way I dress. Even when I obviously and purposely put on obscene clothing just to get a rise out of someone.Tony just smiled and played along.

Tony Stark was the heartless asshole here? Really, press? Really, haters?

"Standing there, killing time, can't commit to anything but a crime..." I sang along quietly as I hurried back to the VIP area. My dad was standing up and so were a couple of his buddies. "Where's ya goin'?" I asked, taking a seat.

"Be right back baby girl, if you find better company then go on without us," Dad winked, throwing a totally nasty glance at one of the girls. She was not much older than me but her body was stick thin and bolt-ons and Botox were her two best friends. She gave me a dirty look and I returned it, extending a waiting hand towards my dad. He chuckled, depositing a neatly rolled stack of hundreds into my palm.

"Dad, I want a new purse," I whined, just a tad. Just to see the girl's eyes go wide with acrid envy. Dutifully, another couple of stacks landed in my palm without any objections and the company retreated towards the back door.

I sighed.

Fiddled with the straw of my drink a bit, contemplating my options. I could always ditch this party and go somewhere more active, somewhere with better music and kinder people.

"Ay, baby girl, you wanna party with us?" A tall, handsome man from dad's previous company approached me. "We'll have some fun." He maintained a respectful distance but the intentions were clear.

"Nope," I popped the sound, not even sparing him a glance. A few lines of cocaine stared at me from the table beckoning with a better high, a stronger sense of euphoria, confidence and energy to dance, to sing, to be happy. I picked up one of the discarded banknotes, quickly rolling it by a sheer force of habit and cleaning up the tray. One line.

"Holy shit, is that..."

Two lines.

"The fuck?!" I recognised that voice. I have been hearing it every day in the labs, I've been hearing it in my dreams.

Tony was gaping at me, in front of me.

"Hey, Tony. Fancy seeing you here." Any other time, I'd be cringing at my lame greeting but I was feeling way too good to care about trivial things like being clever or being appropriate.

"I was looking...for you," He slowly said, putting a single finger on the tray with the last line of coke and pulling it out of my reach.

"That's funny," I snorted, hastily wiping at my nose to cover the tracks of my very bad, very immoral, very illegal activities.

"It's not, Princess, it's not funny at all," He frowned. "C'mon, we're leaving." And extended his hand. I decided to follow along - there was nothing for me to do at this club anyway, the music was lame and the people were stuck-up.

"I look like a prostitute, Tony, I'll take the back door," I attempted to pull him towards the aforementioned but he didn't budge, just stared straight ahead and towed me along like he was wearing one of his iron suits under the stylish jeans and tee get-up.

He stopped in front of the exit, giving me a critical once over. Wiped my face, again, brushed my hair back. Gave me his shades - I dutifully put them on, figuring the manic look in my eyes was anything but attractive right now. "Jesus Christ, Princess," He sounded desperate. "You're beautiful, don't you fucking worry."

And we made our exit, arm in arm, me trying not to stumble in my high heels, Tony being my rock, my solid foundation. In other words, I was hanging onto him for dear life trying not to fall over and give a reason for a sneaking paparazzi to make a scandalous headline.

"You're doing great, Princess," Tony helped me into his Tesla, slamming the door behind me and hurrying towards the driver's door. I managed to unclasp and kick off my shoes, curling up comfortably into the passenger's seat.

I watched the man as he started the engine and watched him wrestle with whatever personal demons that tormented him as he peeled off and raced into the Friday night city.

"What in the everlasting fuck..." He started, stopping abruptly mid-sentence. "How did you even get in there?"

"I came with dad. He literally ditched me to fuck some whore, like, twenty minutes before you showed up." I shrugged, eyeing the modified panel of the car. It was very obviously Tony's own design. I wondered if he could introduce me to Elon Musk someday.

"What the fuck? And correct me if I didn't hear you clearly," Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your father took it upon himself to drag you to a club, get you drunk, gave you cocaine and fucked off with some groupies?"

"Yah, that's about it. My dad is all about cocaine and whores, the more the better," I replied, leaning in to take a closer look at the car's panel. "Hey, could, like, introduce me to Elon Musk someday? That would be fuckin' awesome."

Tony went eerily quiet, I saw his knuckles on the steering wheel go white. Vague expletives were muttered under his breath. "I'm guessing you're good on sleep?" He finally asked through gritted teeth.

"Sleep? Don't know her," I laughed. "I wanna dance, Tony."

"Of course you do, Princess." His smile was tired and forced and full of pity. "You know, I don't think I'll be able to sleep now, either," He admitted, taking a sharp left. "How about we get some McDonald's and camp out in my lab?"

"Sure, whatever," Not like I had much choice in the matter. What I really craved was a good, long, hard fuck (by Tony himself preferably) but if science calls... I have no choice but to comply. "Get me two Big Macs," I demanded least he try to joke and get me a Happy Meal or some shit.

He did get me the food without any usual grumbling. I didn't like this Tony. Tired Tony, sad Tony, angry Tony. Wrong Tony.

"Huh?" He said and I realized I'd said the last part out loud.

"I don't like a sad Tony,” I said. "It's the wrong kind. Sassy, snarky and perpetually caffeinated Tony is the best Tony. The only proper kind, in fact." I stated with seriousness, shoes dangling from one hand and my McDonald's in the other. Man, I have been seeing more and more of this god-damned elevator recently.

"You're high as a kite, darling," He chuckled then, a real laugh.

"Who's high?" Bruce's voice came from the kitchen.

In a state of blind panic, I jumped behind Tony. "Not me."

Tony palmed his face.

Steve came over from the fridge, leaving the rummaging to Bucky. He took one look at me and suddenly I felt small, insignificant like an ant. I didn't like it much. "Holy hell, the fuck happened? Tony, explain." The Captain demanded, giving me the world's biggest stink eye.

"It's her piece of shit of a father, dragged her off to some night club and left her hanging with his buddies, fucking off god knows where. It's not her fault so lay the fuck off, Rogers, with your self-righteousness," Tony exploded all over Steve, the pent up frustration rearing it's ugly head.

I mustered enough courage to tiptoe around the dick measuring contest to sit at the counter. My appetite was gone and my burgers were turning colder and soggier with every passing second. Just like my life.

"Hey, Princess," Bruce's gentle voice halted my train of thought. He approached me carefully, ignoring the men behind me in favour of simply wrapping me up in a quiet, comfortable hug. "You feel alright? Want some water?"

"Nu-uh," I mumbled, unwilling to part ways with the warmth of this embrace.

"... Steve, I found her snorting miles of coke all by herself while an some jackass was waiting for her to be even more out of it. It's rare that I say this but I had literally zero words." Tony punctuated his words by tapping his fist against the wall multiple times.

Bruce tightened his hold on me, a sudden influx of strength accompanied by a quiet, low growl in his throat.

I felt the sudden need to clarify the situation. "Tony, chill. It takes me a lot more to be out of it, I'm fucking coherent and I'm talking sensibly. It's not my first rodeo."

Apparently I'd gone and said the wrong thing because all the men in the room were suddenly growling. I even totally forgot about Bucky who had the uncanny ability to exist in a room without making absolutely any sort of noise.

"The fuck do you even mean by that, Princess?" Tony screeched, probably already knowing that answer.

"From one rich kid to another, you should damn well fuckin' know," I spat, unwilling to admit my misery.

He sighed, audibly deflating behind me. I refused to listen to him, refused to be humiliated and exposed like that for my perfectly human desire to be happy. To not be a disappointment, to not be disappointed in everything and everyone. Bruce was nice and kind and warm and selfless but even he couldn't love me the way I wanted to be loved. Cherished, taken care of. All that mushy stuff. I was selfish, so I snuggled in closer to him, muting the world around me, replacing it with the smell and feel of him.

Cocaine made it a whole lot easier to imagine. Maybe that's why it was so addictive.

"Guys, calm down, you're stressing everyone out," Bruce rumbled quietly. I loved the way his deep voice seemed to reverb throughout his chest.

"Get me a cup of coffee, would you, Buckaroo?" Tony sighed again. I heard the sound of him slurping at his coffee. I heard Bucky's metal arm clunk against something equally metallic before the supersoldiers bid everyone good night and walked off.

Only then I removed my face from Bruce enough to take a good look at Tony. He was eyeing me, too.

"We have a caffeinated Tony," I said, softly. "Now we just need some science to have a happy Tony."

He smiled but it came out watery. He wanted to say something but choked on his words. "C'mere," He finally said, turning in his chair and opening his arms.

I unashamedly made grabby hands, the universal gesture for ‘I want, gimme’, and Bruce delightfully deposited me into Tony's waiting arms. It was like my birthday and Christmas came out all at once. Tony's embrace was warm, like Bruce's, but tinted with an unexpected familiarity. He smelled like motor oil and fancy cologne. It was heavenly.

"You keeping tabs on me, huh? Coffee, science and sass? That's your recipe for happiness?" The engineer asked me, a seriousness that didn't match the joking tone of the conversation at all.

"I think I got you figured out. Peter, too, is important for happiness. But in controlled amounts," I said, giving it a careful thought.

Tony chuckled, sounding a little bit shocked. "What about you?" He said after a brief moment of silence passed, interrupted only by Bruce's tea kettle coming to a slow boil.

"I don't think you need me for happiness," I said, meaning it. "But let's be honest, I'm a nice addition."

He stilled under me, briefly. Bruce cleared his throat.

"Brucie needs me, I think. He's lonely," I told Tony with a sudden influx of desire to be completely honest and 100% transparent. "And it makes me happy, because I need Bruce too. He's the best," I finished.

"Is that so?" Tony sounded vaguely tearful so I attempted to pull back to take a good look at his face. He didn't let me though, gently but firmly pressing my face back into his chest. "And me?"

"I do need you, Tones," I admitted without spilling any unnecessary details.

There was a child within me, small and scared and lonely, like Bruce. I hated her, hated being so soft and needy when everybody else obviously (and understandably) was busy with figuring out their own lives. I wished, desperately so, to just boom-boom-whoosh her away like Doctor Strange magicked away unwanted visitors.

Tony said nothing but his hands betrayed him. They shook and they held onto the skimpy see-through fabric of my top like he was a drowning man and I was his only floatie. For the moment, I closed my eyes and let myself believe he needed me, too.

"I'll catch a wink or two, wake me up if you need something," Bruce broke the silence, having finished off his tea. I didn't notice the time pass so quickly, too lost somewhere between here and there and Tony. In short, I was being lovesick all over the billionaire.

"Bwucie," I leaned backwards, pushing until Tony caved and let me rest my back against the counter, elbows on top of it, legs dangling freely on the sides of his legs. It put a lot of me on display. Tony had called me beautiful earlier so none of my usual habits of being appropriate around the man concerned me. He thought I was pretty!

"Princess," Banner came over to wrap me in a hug that was quite awkward, considering the fact I was sitting on Tony. It took some maneuvering to get it right.

"Night night," I said the usual and got a brief kiss on the cheek before Bruce shuffled off, yawning.

Tony was watching us with an unreadable expression. As soon as I turned my head to look at his face instead, something in him changed. His eyes grew big and round, the crease between his eyebrows disappeared. The corners of his mouth tilted up.

On a sudden impulse, I reached over to run my palm gently over the neatly trimmed line of his beard, following from his chin to his jawline, to his soft tousled hair. His eyelashes shook, fluttered, as the engineer leaned into my touch with the grace of a cat. "Kiss him, kiss him" my brain chanted. I knew I was a coward, I wouldn't do that. "Pretty," I said instead, the word coming out in a whisper.

He gulped, audibly. "Princess, you have no idea..." Shaking his head, as if he was surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes, Tony briefly looked away. "You have no idea what you're doing."

"Nope," I agreed solemnly. "But at least it feels good. It feels right."

"God," He frowned, one of his hands coming to nervously card through his hair. "Nothing about this is right."

My face fell. Just like I thought, Tony wanted exactly nothing to do with a clueless little teenager. It stung and tears pooled in the corners of my eyes where I stubbornly refused to let them escape and make me into a crybaby. "Whatever you say, Tony." I was ready to agree with anything he said, really, if he would just keet holding me like that.

"Don't," He raised a palm. "Don't close yourself off like that."

Now I was genuinely confused. What exactly did he expect from me? I shrugged.

"You're clever, brilliant and beautiful, you can and should do so much better than all of this," He vaguely gestured towards me, towards himself, towards us and the whole damn city.

I contemplated my answer, briefly. "A lot of people tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. Don't I get a say?" The bitterness had fought its way out and won. "I just want to be happy for a bit. All the usual bullshit."

He looked taken aback, really. Like he hadn't even considered the option. Typical.

Meanwhile, I continued my word vomit. "I want someone to give a damn about what I want and what makes me happier. Until then, I have no other choice but to take care of myself the best way I know how. Like everybody else does," The weight of his arm landed on my waist, pulling me close to his chest yet again. I didn't resist. No fight left in me. The tiredness seeped deep in my bones, chilly.

The sudden change of altitude startled me. The engineer had picked me up and started walking off towards the elevator, directing it to the lab. His personal lab. The tiles felt cold under my feet where he put me down to make his own beeline for the bar. I would've joined if not the drug in my system - the last thing I wanted was to land in a hospital yet again.

I took the moment to browse my social media, untag myself from all the unflattering pictures, post my usual shitpost. A tiny skirt, equally tiny top and fishnets - I felt out of place in his lab although I've worn more outrageous things previously. I was raw, torn open, bleeding my misery all over the room. That was not in my plan, but then again, when did ever life go as you planned it?

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit @littlegasps @pilloclock @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @as-i-layhereinyourbed @sleep-i-ness @gigglyfox01

please check your blog settings before tag request or, alternatively, follow the "party favours" tag itself if Tumblr doesn't let me tag you - it does that for some reason. love you all 3000.

#party favours #bun writes #stephen strange x you #stephen strange x reader #Stephen Strange x y/n #bruce banner x you #bruce banner x y/n #bruce banner x reader #tony stark x y/n #tony stark x reader #tony stark x you

[thejustmaiden]

Just bcos u PERCEIVE SessRin as something that promotes pedophilia and grooming doesn't mean that's how the author portrayed it. It's disappointing to see that antis force such idea, as if they know what's inside Rumiko's mind. It is fine if u find sessrin cringey. Just don't force your idea of pedophilia and grooming as THE CORRECT PORTRAYAL OF SESSRIN.

Hello there, nonnie! You had quite the party in my ask box, I see. Breaking it up in parts may actually help me get to the point and address your concerns swiftly and accordingly. Here goes nothing. 😉

This answer is for your first two asks by the way. Firstly, you're putting words in my mouth because I do not view Rumiko as an author who promotes pedophilia and child grooming and never have. She never once placed an ounce of romance into their scenes. Rin was essentially introduced to serve as a catalyst for Sesshomaru's character growth. That's major in and of itself, which is why I'm not sure why she needs to be the mom on top of all that she's already done for him. It was you, Sessrin shippers, who had to go and make it romantic, not us. It was you who took every innocent scene and turned it into a romantic one. You'll even use some of their scenes as proof they will end up together, then back-pedal later and say those very same scenes weren't romantic in order to protect the sanctity of your ship. I mean, which is it? It can't be both, it's either one or the other.

I repeat, NO we don’t actually think Rumiko wanted to portray this relationship with pedophillic or grooming tendencies. It's you shippers who insist there is no other way for their relationship to evolve, as if you speak on behalf of Rumiko. Your interpretation of Rumiko's work is what implies child grooming; she may not be condoning it but your perspective sure is. You talk down to antis who disagree, because in your opinion, your interpretation is not only superior but already canon in your eyes. You're doing a disservice to this fandom by spreading false information like that when you try to pass it off as official. So if it's anyone that assumes they know what goes on inside Rumiko's head, it's YOU. Somewhere down the road in the (un)foreseeable future, it's you who changes course since remember we were all in agreement at the beginning that their relationship wasn't romantic. So what did I miss? Please break it down for me and explain what exactly influenced you to change your mind, then describe in detail how again this transition in their relationship magically came to be. It's you who came to that decision on your own- nobody helped you get there, and certainly not Rumiko (as you said yourself). The user boycottyashahime put it better than I did, so here is the link to their post. I highly recommend you read it if you haven't already. I urge you to keep an open mind about it while reading, too. You may not like what they have to say, but there's no denying they make excellent points all the same.

I'm pretty sure I catch your drift, but can you clarify if you're referring to historical context or cultural context? I suppose both can be applied here. haha Anyway, from what I gather, you believe that fans should be on board with the idea of Sessrin and at the very least tolerate the pairing. Whether they ship it or not, you believe this simply for the fact that the story takes place in the feudal era and couples with a similar relationship back then were more than acceptable. The thing is, we may be transported to Feudal Japan in this story but we're still taking our modern day morals with us for the trip. I have a whole ass blog dedicated to the significance of fiction in real life (convienently pinned on my page) if you wanna check it out. I also discuss what age-appropriate content is and isn't for Inuyasha viewers in this recent ask here that I find is also pretty relevant to the convo.

Alrighty, moving onto your next point. I can't stress enough to you guys that this isn't a mere Caucasian vs. Non-Caucasian dilemma. I'm a POC, so I ask that you please not presume to know things about me you couldn't possibly know unless we met or I shared it with you. In fact, many of the other antis I frequently chat with are POCs like myself. So for all that's good and holy, please stop ignoring us when we say: THERE ARE FANS IN JAPAN WHO HATE THIS SHIP TOO. THIS ISN'T A DIFFERENCE OF CULTURE, THIS IS A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION (& FACT). It may have not been called child grooming during that time, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't; it just went under a different name, that's literally it.

Let me give you another example. So if I'm watching a movie about WWII in Nazi Germany, am I supposed to sympathize with an SS officer if the story is being narrated from his point of view? Because in his mind and during that time period, his ideology is right. Like a lot of Germany during that war, I rally to support his leader for what is in my opinion a just cause. Tell me, how does context matter in this instance? Does it matter so much so that you would adopt the same ideals just because it was "historically accurate" and you don't see anything wrong with it when you put yourself in their shoes? Does the "it's just fiction" defense come into play here, too?

The illustration I believe you are referring to is the calendar with that one official illustrator for Inuyasha, right? The thing is, an official illustrator doesn’t equal the creator of Inuyasha. They may support the Sessrin ship, but their work has no connection to the Inuyasha series in any way besides the name affiliation. I've heard that the illustrator also included Kagome x Koga art, so should we take that seriously then too? Rumiko never once alluded to a future romance between Sesshomaru and Rin, to which you even (kinda) agreed. She described their relationship as neither parental or romantic, and she added that she even contemplated making Rin a boy at first. Fun facts, y'all!

I've heard about those magazines but they sound fishy to me. Would you mind sending me a link to a reliable source that comes with an English translation? I'd like to emphasize again that illustrators or VAs can do and say as they please, but their opinions are still only opinions at the end of the day. Nothing is set in stone until Rumiko says it is.

For one, I never said my interpretation was the only correct portrayal. That's you putting words in my mouth again. What I did say, however, was that my interpretation was more logical and reasonable than yours based on popular and widely-accepted story patterns found in real life and in fiction. Look this isn't about who's more "correct" or not. You can perceive Sesshomaru and Rin's relationship any damn way you want, BUT what you cannot do is dictate how we react to your depiction of this ship. You can't demand us to view your ship a certain way to fit your preferences. I'm sure all the hate on your ship can be unbearable at times, but that's just the cross you'll have to bear for supporting such a problematic couple. If a large part of any fandom is strongly against a pairing and what it represents, then there's usually a very legitimate reason for that. You may not want to hear this, but certainly you must realize there's some truth to it all. A couple of your fellow shippers have even admitted to me that Sessrin would be wrong IRL. You see what I mean? Even if we find the ship gross, antis don't care if you choose to ship Sessrin. All we care about is you acknowledging that, like IRL, Sessrin potentially poses a lot of problems for young viewers and how they come to make sense of and view similar situations that are borderline grooming or the very thing itself. Teens watching this show are more vulnerable and impressionable, which is why it's crucial to not show relationships like Sessrin in a favorable light. If they're ever put in a situation IRL that resembles Sessrin, they need to be aware and understand that it's not at all normal or healthy for that adult to make a move on them. Let's say Sessrin does go canon, then that would mean Rin had to get pregnant around 14 or 15. Sending that kind of message to an audience made up of mostly teenagers isn't exactly wise if you ask me. Please really think about that and sit with it if you need to.

I'm positive I'm following the same story, thank you very much. Also, how can you be so confident making a statement like that when I have actual Sessrin shippers praising me for making valid points? Sorry to break it to you, but I don't think I'm as lost as you claim me to be or wish that I was.

That's a wrap, peeps!

Read over what I had to say again later and then get back to me if want, but only write me back if you plan to be respectful. Otherwise I will decline to answer. Just keep that in mind. And may I suggest only sending 1 or 2 asks at a time? Please and thank you!

I think I may know exactly who are, nonnie, but I can't say for sure. Besides, it doesn't really matter, as you have a right to stay anonymous if you so wish to. Listen, don't forget you are also more than welcome to interact (but appropriately) on my blogs/asks/etc. If you are who I think you are, then you recently did make a comment on one of them but didn't stick around when I replied back (and for good reason). Finally, if you hope to ever have a real discussion about this topic someday, first put your ego aside and refrain from throwing insults and then I'll hear you out. I have never once put you down in all of our interactions, so there's no need to show up here all riled up and aggravated in the first place. There's also no need to laugh at or mock other's opinions. Don't take jabs and assume I must not know something about Inuyasha just because I don't support your point of view. I may not agree with your opinion, but you don't see me having a condescending air about it.

Apologies if you're not the member I believe you to be, but no offense, you probably still needed to hear all of that too. It's not included here since I answered it immediately, but that final ask you sent me where you got angry and assumed I wasn't going to answer you was totally uncalled for. If you ever hope someday to participate in real discourse with me or any other antis, you should take my advice and seriously chill and learn how to be patient.

Hope this finds you well, nonnie!

#inuyasha #iy #hanyo no yashahime #hny #sessrin #anti sessrin #anonymous asks #answered ask

[destinyesque]

Might Not Make it Home

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32632597/chapters/80949649

North Imaria has been under the merciless rule of the crown for over two decades and it seems the people have finally had enough. Unrest stirs among even the tiniest towns in the frozen mountains. Main streets grow silent as the noble guard rallies. There's enough fuel for the revolutionary fire; someone just needs to light the fuse.

Vizara is a bard, and a damn good one at that. She's played at taverns all across the north, seen the fight grow in her people. Her whole life has been for this. All the sleeping around, the ale and food and coin-all of it is secondary (not that she doesn't enjoy it). She's going to rouse her people into glorious rebellion against the unjust monarchy, and she's going to win. She just doesn't know how difficult it is going to be.

___________________

A young woman in vibrant violet clothes strummed on her lute, tapping her toe in time to the beat of the lively tavern tune. She directed a wink at a bargoer close to her before leaping up onto his table. Carefully avoiding the empty plates, her purple slippers stomped down on the wood with a soft, but audible thump. She sucked in a deep breath and began to sing. The song, “The Pickpocket's Lover”, was well known here, and soon the tavern patrons were singing and clapping along with the music. The woman weaved gracefully between the tables, spinning and dancing as the tune picked up speed. The whip-quick braid in her hair followed her eagerly, drawing curves in the air behind her head when she whirled around to play for the crowd behind her. Cheeks flushed dark with exertion and sweat dripping down her brow, she drew the song to its end. At the far side of the room, she struck the final chord, took a beer from one of the waitresses, and downed half of it in one gulp. The crowd at the tavern, now some forty or fifty people, cheered. The woman raised her mug in the air triumphantly.

 "Here's to th' North!" she cried, to even more applause, and then made as if to throw the mug to the ground. The waitress she'd taken the beer from quickly stilled her hand, as if she was expecting it. If she said anything to the bard, nobody could hear it for all the noise. The bard shrugged and took another swig. "'right y'all, I just gotta wet my throat a moment, then I'll be right back with ya." She fired another wink into the crowd as she made towards the kitchen, and if she kicked her lute case (already harboring quite a bit of coin) a little further towards the crowd, none of them seemed to care.

 The woman slipped through the door to the kitchen, soon followed by the waitress. At the last glimpse of her violet tunic and teal beads, the crowd turned back to their food and drink. The kitchen door swung shut, and that was the last any of them saw of the bard that night.

 ~~~~~

 Past that kitchen door, the bard nabbed a piece of fresh bread from the cook's hands, to an indignant "hey!" with no real malice behind it. She turned to the waitress with the smile of one who knows she has done something quite wrong, but who does not care. Appropriately, the waitress had a rather unimpressed expression across her face.

"Good show, eh?" The bard said through a mouthful of warm bread. The waitress huffed.

"Quite." The bard went on eating, as if oblivious to the other woman's annoyance.

"I'm thinking about addin’ a few more new songs to my repertoire." she said, "I've been writin’ some pretty songs as of late. 'Specially the ones about the coming revolution." She eyed the waitress at the last sentence with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Give me that!" The waitress ripped the hunk of bread from the bard's hands to another surprised "hey!" from the offended party. "You need to keep quiet about that revolution of yours. The only reason anyone here tolerates your ridiculous ideas is that you bring in good business. Step too far out of line, and we'll all get in more trouble than any of us can deal with."

"The crowd seemed to like me," the bard supplied. "It's strange, how the northerners seem to like the North. Can I please have my bread back?"

"Take this seriously! I know you couldn't care less about the rest of us, but if you get arrested, you won't get any work either!"

"I ain't planning on gettin' arrested, my friend. I'm only planning on gettin' the damn army outta here. And you can plan on gettin' business so long as there's any folk left here. Nobody's gonna care that I think the guard should get fucked. Hell, that's what they all think too."

"I hate you," the waitress growled, wild-eyed.

"Should'a said that 'fore you slept with me," the bard retorted, plucking her bread back from the waitress and promptly turning to walk further into the kitchen.

"Also, stop trying to smash my damned mugs!" the waitress yelled before slamming open the kitchen door open and walking back out into the tavern.

"I think you sang real well t'night, Vizara." the cook put in after a moment.

"Thank you!" Vizara, the bard, answered. "I can always count on you t' give a girl the credit she deserves."

The cook sighed deeply. "I do think you should cut back on the whole--well--the things that Melya was talkin’ about." She leaned over to inspect a simmering pot of stew in lieu of meeting the gaze of the bard.

It was a while before Vizara answered her. "I know. I don't want t' hurt y'all's business, really. I'm just damn tired of the damn monarchy and their damned games. So is everybody else. All they need is a push, and then we can get rid of the guard. Don't you wanna be free of kings? I sure as hell do.

Plus, I'm only here a handful'a times a year. I surely can't bring any real suspicion down here. Hell, Melya was just about the only waitress I recognized when I got here. Not that y'all have many other waitresses."

"Sometimes I think you talk just to hear your own voice," the cook commented. She ladled some of the stew into a bowl and handed it to Vizara. "Take one of the cloaks on the wall by the door and head outside for a bit, ‘kay? I'll talk to Melya,"

"Don't want me 'round anymore, huh?" she joked, pulling a cloak over her thin tunic and bare shoulders. "Really, you're the best, Eviah. The only one around here with any manners,"

Eviah made no reply, simply shooing the bard out the door with a roll of her eyes.

 The wind outside was biting cold. It was easy to forget near the fires and warm food of the tavern, but it worked its way through the fabric of the cloak in a matter of moments. Vizara huddled on one of the stairs leading down from the back door, watching for a few moments as her breath turned to mist.

"'bit like a dragon, ain't it?" she murmured to herself. "If only I had a horde of gold to go along with it."

She drew the cloak in closer. "Warm fire'd be good too." She absently cast her gaze around the small, dark alley. There was a bit of snow on the ground, but not enough to cause any trouble to pedestrians and carts, not that the carts could fit into the alley in any case. The overhanging roofs of the tavern and another nearby shop blocked most of the light from the moon, which was probably good, since nobody would've wanted to see the sundry food waste tossed back there. Vizara could hear the quiet rustling of what she presumed was a few rats digging about in the garbage, but far be it from her to take a look. She wrapped her hands around the hot bowl to bring some feeling back into her fingers, a bit numb from both the lute and the cold.

So she sat, eating her stew as the night went on and the comforting bustle of the tavern carried on behind her. After a short while, she set the empty bowl down beside her and took the lute off her back. Soft music began to drift up amongst the scuttling of the rats as she strummed the first few notes to a love song.

“Maybe I’ll play this one next,” she whispered. She leaned back against the door and hummed along to the quiet tune.

Her fingers stilled only a moment later as she heard some odd noise out in the street, past the entrance to the alleyway. The shriek of an animal (or perhaps a child? she couldn't say) echoed off the close walls.

“The hell was that?” She got to her feet, turning her head toward the noise. Again, the same shriek. Certainly the sound of a person now.  

Vizara fumbled in the waistband of her pants for a small knife, not much more than a toothpick. She dropped the cloak from her shoulders and slung her lute across her back once more.

With a deep breath, she crept out onto the street, tiny blade in hand. It was dark; few lanterns were ever out at night. The town was small, its people poor. Still, with a cursory glance, she saw the silhouettes of three or four people cast in the light of the brothel across the street. The screams hadn't stopped—they'd just gotten quieter. They'd become yelps, and then wordless protests, and now, just pained whimpering.

 She could see now—as she snuck ever closer—the small body of a child held down by the much bigger guards. The blade in her hand felt insufficient, useless. She faltered, slowed almost to a stop. The guards hadn't noticed her. She was quiet and they were occupied with the protesting figure in the dirt beneath them. She could back away into the alley just as easily as she had left it, and nobody would be the wiser. The crowd awaited her back in the tavern. She was much better suited to that kind of work—the rustling up, the inspiring, not the fighting itself. But, hell, who was she if she didn’t practice what she preached? And who was getting hurt in her place if she did nothing?

​

The glint of silver mail in the low light caught her eye once more. The crest of the royal family glowed gold on the guards' tunics, splashed with mud and blood and violence. Another strangled cry slipped from the child's lips as he was jabbed with the butt end of a spear. She was only a few lengths away from the closest guard. A full body shiver struck Vizara's body, shaking the little knife in her hand.

​

She started into a run, the movement catching the attention of one of the guards. They shouted to their companions, but the warning came too late. Vizara, much shorter than the guard nearest her, jabbed her knife into his armpit, where she knew was an opening in his armor. He stumbled back with a heavy huff, and the knife was yanked from Vizara's hands. She reached for it again, her left hand up to defend herself from the other two guards. Her fingers brushed the handle, but she couldn't get a good grip on it—she'd sunk the whole blade into his arm. Plus, he and his two companions were getting his wits about him once more. He was going for his spear amongst a slew of curses. It didn't come to that. Vizara heard a monstrous Crack! and then a moment later, her left arm flared up in pain. She fully lost hold of the knife. It didn't matter anymore. Her arm—what happened to her arm? She looked up to the flash of silver as she was struck in the chest with the blunt end of a spear.

​

She went down with a heavy huff. Her arm throbbed and maybe she couldn’t use her fingers? And her face was in the dirt and her chest ached and she couldn’t see anything for the dark and the terror.

​

She looked out over her injured arm, bleary and gasping. The child—a young elf, no older than fifteen—still lay prone on the ground, one of the three guards standing above him. Vizara's vision swam as dread descended.

​

One of the guards kicked her over onto her back and she rolled painfully over her lute. She winced, tried to sit up, but was immediately pushed right back down, slamming her head into the dirt.

​

"Fuck." she sucked in a breath. "Can—can I at least move the lute? Don't want to break the lute."

​

The guard who'd kicked her—a woman who Vizara would find attractive in any other situation—grabbed her collar and none-too-gently yanked her into a sitting position. Another guard maneuvered the lute from her back, jostling her hurt arm and eliciting a rather embarrassing whimper from her. She gathered up her wits and forced the stars out of her eyes.

​

"Ah, thank you." Vizara babbled, forcing a smile. "As a good bard once said 'you can break my bones but not my banjo'."

​

"You fucking stabbed me!" bellowed the guard she'd stabbed, and swung the body of the lute into her head.  

  ~~~~~~

 Vizara awoke with what she at first thought was a bad hangover. She felt groggy, confused, and her head pounded—a situation she'd found herself in many a time before. She moaned in pain and closed her eyes once more, but she found no comfort in sleep, for she had neither pillow nor bed to sleep on. Instead, the surface beneath her was hard, rough, and cold.

​

Her eyelids were heavy, and as her conscious awareness grew, she forced them open. Bewilderment abounded for a few moments. Where the hell was she?

​

The room was dark and small. A barred window above her head cast a square of light on the stone floor and glinted off the edge of a tarnished metal bucket. She recognized the trappings of the room—a prison cell for sure, she’d been in more than enough to know—but it took her a few moments to recall the circumstances that had landed her here. She had been all set to perform at the bar the night before; she'd make a bit of coin, flirt with some strangers, and sleep with even more of them. Clearly, something had gone wrong. Such a waste of a good night!

​

She racked her brain, piecing together all that had happened after her performance: the conversation with Melya and Eviah, the cold alley, and then the sight of the guards kicking a child that had spurred her to action. A grim satisfaction came over her as she remembered stabbing one of the guards in the armpit. At least she'd done some good damage before she'd gone down. Nothing after that came back to her. She must have gotten her ass kicked pretty quick after the stabbing; the pain in her head and her arm could attest to that.

​

She touched her injured arm, and it didn’t hurt terribly. The ambient light described an ugly bruise. Nothing that wouldn’t heal. And her head ached, but she could deal with that. After all, it wasn’t much worse than her usual hangover. Vizara felt across her chest for any more injuries. There was a pain in her left side when she pressed down on it, but it didn't seem to be too serious. She huffed a sigh of relief and immediately winced when her chest took issue with it. All things considered, she’d gotten off pretty easy.

​

With a grunt, she stood up. She could make out the shape of a wooden door in the dim. There was a slit under it through which a bit of light trickled. Probably how food was delivered to the prisoners. The thought of other prisoners stuck in Vizara's mind for a second—what had happened to the child? She prayed to any god that would pay her mind that he had gotten away. Although… if there were other prisoners, maybe she could orchestrate an escape. She'd been learning to rouse the masses for years now; surely, she could incite some kind of prison riot or revolution if she had to. But where was her lute? She didn't need that to inspire crowds, but it sure helped.

​

"If you bastards stole my lute," she murmured to no one. "I'm gonna fuckin' lose it."

​

She looked around the room, but there were only stone walls and one window and a dingy chamber pot. Nothing practical to help her, and no lute in sight.

​

Without anything to do and no chance of getting back to sleep, Vizara spent what seemed to be an interminable amount of time pacing about the cell. She found herself shivering in the cold air, but the movement helped. If she didn't find a way to get out of here soon, she could very well be stuck in this hellhole forever. The law of the kingdom wasn't known for its charity.

 The light from the small window had significantly brightened and then dimmed again by the time Vizara saw any company. She reckoned it was around sunset when there came the clamor of heavy footsteps outside her cell door. She moved to the back corner of the cell to give herself a bit of space once the guards came in; for they were coming in—the rustle of keys and the sound of voices reached her, dampened by the thick door but still clear enough. There was a soft click, and the door swung open, light from the hallway beyond cascading in. Vizara squinted at the loss of comfortable darkness.

​

There were three guards, dark in the doorway, just like the night before. She couldn't tell if they were all the same ones, but she vaguely recognized one of the female guards. They were dressed in the customary mail, with the sign of the monarchy across their chests. The longswords at their hip drew Vizara's eyes—she couldn't brute force her way past them, even if she had a weapon of her own.

​

She allowed two of the guards to approach her and none-too-gently shackle her right arm, hooking the other end of a long chain to a bar in the window. They backed away, now out of her reach, as if she posed any kind of danger to them.

​

"Vizara Whitecrest," the female guard started.

​

"Hello, yes, that's me," Vizara said, a fake smile on her lips. "It seems my reputation precedes me."

​

"I don't care much for pleasantries." she glowered. "I am only here to assess your account and determine an appropriate punishment."

​

"That's just great." Vizara sat down and put her hands in her lap. "I'm sure you know, I was rather very drunk last night, and quite out of my right mind. Now, I had no intention of attackin' anyone yesterday, but you must understand, certain things are bound to happen when one is that inebriated."

​

"I didn’t come here for idle chat and excuses." she said. "No proper bard drinks during her performance.”

 “Now there’s your problem, sweetheart. I ain’t any kind’a proper bard.”

  “You sure as hell didn’t seem drunk when you stabbed Oliver.” The woman harrumphed. “I’ve never seen a drunkard harm a trained guard, let alone one your size.”

 Vizara shrugged. “’Spose I got lucky.”

 “See, I don’t think you did. You knew just where to aim, and I’m damned if your aim wasn’t perfect.” She considered. “You’ve done this before.”

 “I ain’t done nothin’ of the sort.” Vizara insisted, and she could only blame her pounding head when she added “Only time I’ve laid a hand on a guardsman is in bed, and he damn near begged me to hit him.”

 The guard’s face screwed up in something halfway between annoyance and fury. Vizara winced, her smile falling. “I don’t mean any offense or nothin’, course! I’m just—"

 Patience run out, the guard strode into her space and slammed her into the wall, cutting her off with a sharp gasp. Her left arm pinned Vizara's shoulders to the wall, her right pressing into Vizara’s wounded chest. The bard wheezed in pain, and her mask of nonchalance faded into visible distress.

 ​“We both know you weren’t drunk, you stupid fucking half-elf.” She ground Vizara’s shoulders into the wall. “I’m not here to play games, and I don’t tolerate lies. If you’d like to keep your head, you’ll tell me everything. I want to know if you’ve attacked guardsmen before, and what I can do to make you never attack us again. I want to know about every Northerner who so much as fucking thought about going after the guard. Lie to me once more, and I will make sure you never sing again.”

 "I—" Vizara pushed against the guard's adamant armor before she could think better of it. "Fucking—get off me!"

​

The woman moved in an instant, grasping Vizara's left hand in her armored gauntlet and pinning it against the wall. Vizara couldn’t even tell what was happening until the guard’s dagger was flashing against her throat and she was screaming into it. Her head slammed against the stone wall and she almost didn't feel it when the guard let her drop to the floor.

​

She took in gasping breaths as her vision returned. She clapped her hand to her neck, now pulsing with blood. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling. Her throat worked painfully, as if trying to swallow back down the lost blood.

​

“It’s not hard,” the woman said, "all you need to do is sit there and tell the truth.” Then, to someone else, she ordered, “go make sure the windows are boarded for the storm. I can handle her.”

​

She knelt in front of Vizara and grasped her chin in one metal hand. The bard moaned and tried to turn away, but to no avail. She was weak and reeling from the pain.

​

The guard turned Vizara's face toward her own. Vizara saw the other two guards had left them, and the door to the cell was closed. She and the guard were alone now and there was no one there to save her from her suffering.

 “I’m not afraid to carve out your vocal cords and let you choke on blood until I’m kind enough to let our healer seal you shut. And right now, I’m really considering it for the insolence alone.” Her voice was quiet now. Soft. Almost saccharine sweet with the way she breathed into Vizara’s ear. “You’re lucky I’m nice. This doesn’t have to get any more difficult than you've already made it."

​

Even bleeding her brain dizzy, Vizara wasn't fooled. She would suffer more tortures before any of these people had finished with her. Not much of anything could save her now from that. But she was hurt. And she was alone. And she was afraid. And she wanted it to be over.

 "I'm don't know anyone else," Vizara rasped, tasting copper on her tongue. "I'm on my own. The tavern—they don't pay me or anythin' like that. I'm just there to make some coin and they want more business. 's that simple. 'm not from here, either. Don't know anyone here, 'cept a few folks I'm a bit familiar to. Nobody from my hometown's seen me in months. They're innocent in all this."

​

All of the sudden, it was very hard to breathe. There was a roaring in her ears.

​

"Please, I'm beggin' you. Don't hurt them," Vizara felt pinprick tears in the corners of her eyes. "Don't hurt me, neither, please. 'm just a fool of a bard. Wanted t' fight against the kingdom, someway, somehow. And I was stupid. I can’t do anythin’ all on my own. I can hardly defend myself. I ain’t a threat to anyone, ‘specially not the guard. I promise, I didn't want nobody to get hurt, 'least, nobody I cared much about. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’a done that. I’m so sorry."

​

The cell and the woman before her became watery, submerged in her own tears. The guard straightened up and Vizara waited for a blow to fall upon her. She waited for a reply. Waited for something. Waiting for anything better than waiting.

​

Damn near an eternity passed between them in silence, and Vizara finally peeked out of the shelter of her arms. The guard was looking at her, but not. She had cocked her head to one side to listen to something outside of the room. Vizara listened as best she could between the heaving of her chest and the tiny gasps hiccupping from her throat. There was a roar, she thought, like a great waterfall or a stampede of animals. She heard it faint, but even as she listened it came closer as if to suffocate her in the noise. She futilely clapped her free hand to a sensitive half-elf ear. A sense of dread came over her, but also a desperate hope. If this loud, horrible noise was as powerful as it seemed, maybe it could tear her away from here. Maybe it could drag the guard away. Hell, she’d be glad if this thing killed her if it meant escaping the grasp of this merciless woman. A woman who was now standing in the middle of the cell, paying no more attention to Vizara.

​

Vizara removed her hand from her ear, wincing at the booming, cacophonous sound. She pushed herself to her feet, but as the ground trembled, she fell back upon the floor. She pressed her left ear to the ground and her hand to her right, and she tried to keep the blood from slipping through her fingers. She pulled her legs to her chest and huddled close into herself. The noise was now right on top of her. This is the end of the world, rang clear in Vizara's tangled thoughts.

​

There was a tremendous crash, and everything shook, and small stones fell on Vizara's prone form.

​

And after a time, the noise receded into the distance.

​

And it was deafeningly quiet.

​

Vizara's ears rang and everything that she was hurt. She curled ever closer as wracking cries filled her chest.

​

But at the very least, she was alive.

#my writing #ayy first time posting my writing here i think #maybe give it a try owo #its original fiction but i promise the main character doesn't suck #like i will maintain that this isnt my best work by a long shot but i still think its pretty good

[bitchinparty]

BP 2020 Main Con Info Post

Here is the ginormous, one-stop-shopping con information post, including registration, hotel, con schedule, travel, tourist, and concomm contact information, to be updated as we go. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter or Dreamwidth for quick links to updates! You can also reach the concomm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail at any time. General Information: When is Pacificon 2020? April 4 and 5, 2020, with an optional movie night and other activities on the evening of April 3. Where will it take place? At the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn near Seattle, Washington. How do I sign up? The registration post—including detailed registration and payment information—is here. Full membership is $85, and is limited to 100 attendees. You must be at least 18 years old to attend. The current list of attendees will be posted soon. If you need some help with the registration fee, check out the financial assistance post. "Bitchin' Party"? Seriously? "Bitchin' Party" became the unofficial name of the con after some of the concomm had the misfortune of watching a gloriously bad TV show called Dante's Cove. Don't worry, we're not using it unironically.* *except that some of us totally are Hotel Information: The hotel is the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn, located at 1800 Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA (here on Google Maps). The front desk number is 1-425-837-3600, and the fax number is 1-425-837-3635. How much does it cost? The con rate $124/king and $144/two queens, plus tax. A small number of cots will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis upon check-in. How do I reserve a room? You must reserve your room by March 3, 2020 in order to receive the con rate and be in the room block with all the other cool kids con attendees. If you're looking for a roommate, we'll link that thread once we get closer to the con. To reserve a room online: 1. Go here. 2. Select your arrival/departure dates, your number of rooms/guests, your preferred bed configuration, and then provide your information. Our group code is PWC402. (Note that you can only add ONE additional person's name to your reservation, so give some thought to who is likely to arrive first. It can also be changed later if necessary.) A credit card is required to hold the reservation, but no deposit is required. (They do have a disclaimer that they can place a hold on your card for the full amount of your stay, but FWIW, we've never seen that happen.) NOTE: If you have ANY question or problem with the reservation process (for example, if you did not get the correct rate quoted to you, or it says it doesn't have your preferred bed configuration available), PLEASE call the toll-free number at 1-877-STAY-HGI and talk to a real person (tell them you're reserving for the Pacific Writers' Conference). If for some reason that still doesn't resolve things, contact us at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail [dot] com and we will contact the hotel. To reserve over the phone: Call the main reservation line at 1-877-STAY-HGI and tell them you're reserving for the Pacific Writers' Conference (that is our sekkrit spy codename to civilians!). Make sure you specify whether you'd like a king room or two queens. Again, if you have any trouble—if they tell you our block is full or that the con rate isn't available—contact pacificwriterscon [at] gmail and we will contact the hotel. Hotel Amenities Room amenities include: - mini fridge - microwave - 42-inch HDTV - FREE wireless high-speed internet throughout the hotel Hotel amenities include: - on-site restaurant (including a bar) - room service - pool and hot tub - fitness center - free parking - complimentary shuttle available for transport within a five-mile radius of the hotel Check-in starts at 3 p.m., check-out is at noon. The con will be providing hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar on Saturday night, a full breakfast on Saturday and Sunday morning, and some snacks and beverages throughout both days. We'll post a complete menu a couple of weeks prior to the con. NOTE: We are NOT allowed to bring our own outside snacks into the meeting room. You are, however, welcome to eat or drink whatever you like in your own room. Area Amenities Within walking distance of the hotel, you'll find several fast food options, a couple of restaurants, a grocery store, a Starbucks (of course), and a liquor store. Within easy driving distance and within the range of the complimentary hotel shuttle, you'll find practically anything else you might need, including lots of food options, Costco, drugstores, Target, various banks, an organic grocery store, etc. Maps will be included with your welcome packet when you arrive. If you want to check out the lay of the land before then, Google Maps is your friend (see the hotel link above). Con events The con will officially run from 9 a.m. on April 4th until 5 p.m. on April 5th, with an optional movie night and other activities to get the ball rolling on the evening of April 3rd, and post-con movie-watching on the evening of the 5th. Panels Panels are being organized by the ConComm, with help from you. Final list of panels will be linked here once they are available. Always check out the panels tag for the latest info! Vidshow There will be a vidshow on Saturday night, details TBD. Check out the vidshow tag for the latest info! Room parties Room parties are totally encouraged (as long as noise is kept to a respectful level that won't get us in trouble with other guests/the hotel)! Please note, however: NO alcohol is allowed in the main con ballroom (except via the cash bar on Saturday night). Feel free to drink/eat whatever you want in your sleeping rooms. A list of things we will not have, because we are all casual and stuff: No celebrity guests (y'all are rockstars enough for us) No art show No dealers No free meals besides hors d'oeuvres on Saturday and breakfast on Saturday & Sunday What we do have is LOVE, people. SO MUCH LOVE. And bacon! Getting to the con: By air Airport You'll probably want to fly into Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport. Getting from the airport to the hotel The hotel is about 20 miles from Sea-Tac. The most affordable option is to take the light rail and connect to a bus; the light rail will get you from the airport to downtown Seattle for $2.50, and from downtown, there are several buses to Issaquah (average $2.50 fare) that will drop you off at the Issaquah Transit Center on 17th Ave NW, less than half a mile from the hotel (see the Metro Online Site for more info). Otherwise: - Taxi (in the vicinity of $55-$65 plus tip), Uber, or Lyft - Shuttle service - When the con gets closer, we'll open up a thread for anyone who wants to try to coordinate cab/shuttle-sharing with other attendees. - Rent a car (see below for driving directions) Getting to the con: Not by air The thread for roadtrip coordination will be posted closer to the con and linked here. By train or bus Amtrak and Greyhound both have stations in downtown Seattle. From there, you're about a 20-minute drive away from Issaquah. See below for driving directions. Local bus service is, as I said, not all that comprehensive, but it is pretty easy from downtown--the Metro Online site is here if you'd like to check out your options. By car: driving directions - As long as you are not east of Issaquah (including from Sea-Tac airport), take (as applicable) I-5 N, I-5 S, I-405 N, or I-405 S to I-90 E (toward Spokane). If you're east of Issaquah, take I-90 W. - From I-90, take exit 15 (WA-900 / 17th Ave NW). - Turn right at the light onto 17th Ave NW. - About a block down, turn right onto Gilman Blvd (by the Burger King). - The hotel will be about a block ahead of you on your right, behind the John L. Scott building. The hotel is here on Google Maps. Getting to the con: Other Travel by War Rig, Bifrost, tour bus, dog sled, Goat Van, stargate, wormhole, battlestar, firefly, TARDIS, Leviathan, Chevy Impala, Mystery Machine, or similar to be arranged by individual attendees. Roommates, rideshares, and airport transportation coordination Roommate, rideshare, and cab/Lyft/shuttle-share threads will be posted closer to the con! Weather It does not, in fact, rain ALL the time in Seattle. However, in the springtime, it tends to rain quite a bit. Bring a waterproof jacket if you have one, and maybe an umbrella if you plan to be out and about (though the hotel also has a few umbrellas you can borrow). Temperatures will probably be in the 50s/low 60s, but given climate change shenanigans, we cannot safely predict the weather. Basically, layers are highly recommended—not only is Seattle weather changeable (it snowed at our first BP; WHAAAT), but so are hotel temperatures (especially in meeting spaces, where they tend to crank the air conditioning), so being able to take off/add clothes as necessary is your best bet. Tourist information Downtown Seattle is about a 20-minute drive from Issaquah (up to about 45 minutes with traffic). For information about tourist activities available in the area, you can visit this site. Who's flying this thing? The mod team is intransitive, jedusaur, & pi. General questions/concerns/etc. should go to the ConComm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail   Questions about registration should go to the ConComm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail as well. As we get closer, we'll update this post with panel, vidshow, and other contact info, but the entire ConComm has access to the above email, and the appropriate person will answer any questions that come up, so that email address is your best bet! We're trying to tag posts as much as possible for ease of navigation. To view all the tags for the community, go here. See you in April!

#bp2020 #bitchin' party

[polar-stars]

A surprising ally

ShokugekiOCWeek2019 - Day 1

(Introduction / Entering Totsuki)

Authors Note: So I pulled the ultimate stunt and wrote this all in one-go...And I hope I will not regret it, because honestly. This was not at all easy to write and at some points really unpleasant. 

So the following story covers how Ayano Mimasaka and Kei Eizan met. And well right away, it involves bullying and I felt really uncomfortable writing all this mean-spirited talk. And I really hope I didn’t mess up too badly with this ;w;

-

Ran and Kazuo had always told her so many fun and wonderful stories about Totsuki. Ayano remembered just how wide the smile of Ran had been when she had told tales from the last so-called "Moon Banquet Festival" or how Kazuo sometimes could not even stop laughing when he described the wild escapades of his classmates. Ayano could not wait to get to Totsuki and experience all the promised craziness with her siblings. She hoped for good grades, fun and above all, finally a real best friend with whom she could play teatime and share stories. So she had a clear plan: to do her best, to keep an eye on everything so she could not miss anything amusing and to find a nice girl who accepted her as she was and maybe also had some Victorian dolls to bring to teatime. The first two points on her plan brought only a few problems and soon she was considered one of the best students of the 118th generation. As for the fun, well on Totsuki there was always something going on and Ayano had a lot of laughs when watching the upper classmates and their amazing talent to create drama out of everything. The last item on the list, however ..... She seemed to massively do something wrong. And so she quickly learned that Totsuki was not as great as she always thought.

"Look at that, disgusting, repulsive, shame for the whole school." "Oh how right you are, I'm still shocked that this was accepted in the entrance exam." "Those stupid bows! Does she think she's in any way cute?!" "And those blood-red eyes that suck your soul out, Brrr!" "Haha, really a freak through and through!" Ayano's lips trembled as she cleaned her cooking station and tried her best to ignore the girls' mumbling a few tables away. Everything they said was nothing new for Ayano but no matter how many times you listened to it, it was never nice to hear. She chose her usual strategy: Ignore, leave, and smile, making everyone think she was okay. She did not even glance at the group of girls, so she did not see some boys joining them and whispering something. Ayano had just arrived at the door when suddenly a male voice thwarted her. "Hey, Mimasaka!" Ayano paused. She swallowed and then turned half way. What she saw was a veritable gathering of boys and girls of her age, all the same condescending, malicious smiles on their faces and eyes that glowed with dark anticipation. Everything that had not joined the meeting in the room looked disinterested somewhere else, just not to her. Ayano's pulse quickened and she mumbled. "I have to-" But the boy who called her was faster. "Do you know Mimasaka, you're pretty annoying, you know that?" Approving nods in the circle around him. Now a girl started to giggle. "No one wants to see you here and yet you dare to show up here every day and harass us with your presence!" Ayano took a step backwards. The boy began to talk again, with almost sadistic joy. "Unfortunately, unfortunately, it does not look like you're going to be thrown out too soon, so we'll have to take matters into our own hands to stop having to endure your disgusting face every day." Ayano's pressed her eyes shut, she felt hot tears gather in them. She heard loud laughter start around her. Cold, vicious laugh. "You all disgust me so incredibly." As soon as it started, the laughter died again as a new male voice intervened in the conversation. Ayano's eyes widened in surprise, and just like everyone else in the room, she looked in the direction from which the voice had come. There stood a boy with ash blond hair and yellow, grim eyes. Just mentioned eyes were covered by an angular glasses. There was not much to see of the uniform that was intended for Totsuki. In fact, he just seemed to wear the pants, the shoes and the white shirt. He had buried his hands in those said pants and his face had a thoroughly pejorative expression, though to the surprise of Ayano it did not seem to be directed to her but to the clique. He growled. "Compensating your own insecurities about your sheer lack of talent by bullying on a single, good student. How cowardly and pathetic can human beings be?" Silence. Absolute silence. Everyone could only stare in absolute bewilderment. But the boy was not finished yet. Now he turned his head directly to the boy who had just tormented Ayano. "How can you even look in the mirror in the morning?" His whole face darkened and Ayano would not have been surprised if the other party had simply drop dead on the floor because of that look alone. "Asshole." A girl gasped, but Ayano could not blame her. She too could hardly believe her ears and eyes. The other boy started talking again. "Do... Do I understand that correctly?" He laughed again, but it was an incredulous, forced laugh. "You defend this freak?!" The blonde answered immediately. "Of course I do." He glanced at the people who had not joined the circle, but ignored Ayano's situation. "Someone has to do it." He looked again at the bully, who had begun to shake with anger. "You just have to be told what an incredible filth you are." Despite the apparent rage that was building up in him, the boy forced himself to a self-assured smile and looked into his troop. "How sweet, she has found a knight." But to his surprise no one laughed. "Tch." He looked back at the blonde and took a challenging step forward. "What do you want to do? Window face?!" The blonde also took a step forward and pulled a fist out of his pocket. "I serve this right here into your fucking, ugly face, bastard!" Ayano flinched and others in the room felt clearly uncomfortable at this situation. But before anyone could beat anyone, another boy stepped out of the group. He had turned pale and looked anxiously at his friend. "Arata, do not do that!" Arata turned to the circle in confusion and looked into a sea of ​​approving nods. "Why should I?" He hissed at his friend. "Arata." Began his friend seriously. "I can't believe you don't know who that is, I know you have a problem with names but his name is like gasoline dumped in your house and you're about to throw in a burning match." "What is this stupid metaph- "A girl intervened. "Arata, this is Eizan Kei!" Arata's friend nodded nervously and explained. "Arata, I'm serious, you know I'm always on your side, but you really have to leave it here!" Arata gritted his teeth angrily and looked around the group, looking desperately for a face that still cheered him. But pointless. "He has two older brothers." Another boy said. "Both of them are unutterably unpleasant fellows who are also both in the Elite 10. Landing on their radar equates to a death sentence, Arata, and it does not even stop there - you really should not get on his parent's bad side either. Arata, believe me, if you only make Eizan Kei loose one hair, that could be the end of your entire career as a chef, you really play with fire here." Arata was stunned. "Y'all can't be serious, you're afraid that he's going to run and cry to his brothers or his daddy?" The group looked at each other. Then they nodded. "Pfah!" Came from Kei. Arata looked at him hatefully. "Listen, your oh-so-scary family doesn't scares me to be honest, it has not over yet, Eizan." Kei merely raised an eyebrow. "I can not wait, bastard." Arata growled again but then he really took his leave. And with him the rest of the group. Ayano immediately jumped away from the door as the troop approached and so she jumped near Kei Eizan. He immediately took a look at her. He still had furrowed eyebrows and did not smile, but still came closer to her. Ayano took a small step back. Like Arata's group, she already had heard a lot about Kei's older brothers. The two had often appeared in the stories of Ran but also the ones of her best friend Suzume. And they had not been in a positive light in any of the stories. She decided to block out her memories of those stories. Kei had helped her. She really did not know why, but it was only appropriate to thank. But before she could do that, he already spoke. "Is everything alright?" Ayano nodded quickly. "Yes." She then looked him straight in the eyes and said. "Thank you very much." Kei raised a hand, exposing a view on how almost every finger had a gold ring on it. "No problem, I just couldn't just watch, nobody deserves what you had to listen to." He lowered his hand again and instead used it to push his glasses up his nose. "If you do not mind, I'd suggest for you to remain near me in the future." He sighed, avoided her puzzled look and suddenly looked a little bit sad. "After all, nobody wants to have anything to do with me and everything trembles when I only cough, so you should be left in peace in my presence. But well, that's just an offer. " Ayano looked at him for a long, long time. She thought back to what Ran and Suzume had told her and understood. He was the little brother of two scary and unpopular people nobody wanted to get in touch with. When they looked at him, they all saw the things his brothers had committed, rather than somehow dealing with his personality. Judged only by his surname he was shunned and feared without anyone getting to know him. He was an outsider like her. And maybe they were more similar than the two thought. A big smile appeared on her face. Maybe she had finally found her best friend, although it was not a girl, although he did not wear a pink bow in his hair, though he did not speak neatly and although she also doubted that he had Victorian dolls at his home, he seemed to be able to fulfill the most important criterion: accepting her as she was. So she giggled. Although he flinched when he looked at her again there was not a trace of fear, disgust or contempt. Just a surprise. "I would very much like to spend more time with you, not just to be left alone, but to get to know you better!" Now he really seemed thoroughly astonished. She just giggled again. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, Eizan-kun." He still looked at her perplexed and she guessed that his brain was processing the information that someone wanted to get to know him better. Finally he nodded slowly. "Alright, Mimasaka." And then a small smile appeared lips. "And call me 'Kei', please."

#ShokugekiOCWeek2019 #ShokugekiOCWeek #Shokugeki no Kimiko Stuffz #Ayano Mimasaka #Kei Eizan #Lea is writing #Shokugeki no Soma

[royaltyjunk]

Brighter - Ch. 1 [T, Perceval/Cecilia]

Summary:

[Mod!AU] It's not the way he laughs, or the way she smiles, but it's the way they enjoy each other's company that makes the world seem a whole lot brighter.

Author's Ideas: HOLLAH HOLLAH GUESS WHAT MY FIRST LEGIT (NOT A TWO-SHOT) MULTI-CHAPTER FIC IS

IF YOU GUESSED PERCEVAL/CECILIA YOU'RE RIGHT

Jokes aside this has been sitting in my WIPs since like… March? To be fair, there's another WIP that's been there since June last year, but we're going to ignore that ha ha ha ha ha

*hint hint that might be my next one-shot hint hint*

Also, I tried out a new style of writing with this chapter, and I like it a lot. It's a little more casual and a lot more playful, but since all my fics are so somber [as y'all know], I'll hardly get to use it. Ah well :p

As always, readable on FanFiction and AO3.

Disclaimer: What's owning Fire Emblem? Obviously something I'm not a part of.

I: Sunrise

She shoots up like a sprout over the fifth Christmas break of work, and Perceval's genuinely shocked that she can't serve as his armrest anymore (yes, she used to be that short, and yes, she is a really late bloomer).

He didn't know what to say when she appeared on that first day back at work and marched over to him, her nose touching his cheek as she grinned up at him, standing tall on her flat feet.

Cecilia changes in more ways than her height, though.

Perceval always knew her as Miss Alessandra's daughter, who was his father's friend. She was the girl who worked hard for everything she got, and loved nature more than anything. She was the girl who helped him on his literature homework when he'd almost flunked the class on accident, the girl who sat under or, Miss Alessandra forbid, in the tree, flipping the pages of books containing medieval stories. She was the girl who had that sort of natural hand in economics and business, she was the girl who had always had her sights set on the Elibean Leagues. Yet, when did she start to grow into a woman?

Her voice gets deeper. What used to be a high and soft pitch turns into a sweet, slightly deeper tone. Her eyes grow wiser, more attentive. The curves in her body grow more obvious, and she looks much more feminine, like a real woman, and not like a short girl who tries her best to look like one.

She can do makeup like a pro now, and often does it in his car on the way to work, although she's always done that. What's changed is how well she wears that coral-colored lipstick, how nice her eyes look under that thin eyeliner and mascara she's known for. Her taste in fashion doesn't change, but she wears her clothes more naturally.

It takes more than a while for Perceval to register it: she's a woman.

There's still downsides to her growing up, though. There always are. First and foremost, he doesn't get to tease her anymore. He used to grin and muss her hair, laugh whenever they went shopping together and she had to get the smallest things in the petite section, or buy larger clothes hopefully. He doesn't get to do that anymore, and scrunches up his face whenever she stands on the tips of her toes and ruffles his hair, or how comfy she looks in his sweaters whenever she comes over, instead of looking like a mess of cloth and limbs.

Everyone takes her so seriously now. They look nervous when they approach her, and they stammer when they talk to her. She's expected to act mature, she's expected to present herself appropriately when Perceval knows that she's the same as before.

He becomes worried for her, though. When they walk down the sidewalk, he can see men, staring at her ravenously from the corner of his eye. Their hands twitch, and he doesn't want to think about what would happen if he wasn't there.

"It's ridiculous," Pent interrupts Perceval's aggressive train, or multiple trains, of thoughts.

He nudges Cecilia, who's sitting beside him. "What were we talking about?" he whispers.

"Promotions and business trips," she answers, glancing at him beneath long lashes lined with thin mascara. "Were you not paying attention?"

"No," he mutters back, and she gives him a playful punch on his leg under the table.

"Well, pay attention."

"Actually…" his mother's voice interrupts their banter, and Perceval looks up. "There is one more thing I would like to bring up in the Security Department."

"Go on," Douglas nods from his seat beside her. Amber Eques stands, a determined look in her eyes.

"At the urging of my husband," she lifts her head courageously, "I wish to step down from my position as the Head of Security-"

Perceval is on his feet at once, slamming his hands on the table in front of him. "Mother-"

"-And pass my post on to Perceval." Amber interrupts him.

He shakes his head as everyone's eyes swivel to him, pursing his lips together.

"Amber is right in appointing Perceval." Cecilia speaks up then. "He's experienced in the field, and will serve well."

Perceval looks at the green-haired woman, who stares at Douglas. Pent nods from his place next to the brunette.

"I trust Perceval. I've known him long enough to know he'll do better than any other candidate."

Louise smiles. "Pent is right, Perceval. I'm sure you're reluctant, but we all believe in you."

Cecilia places a hand on his then, ignoring the blatant stares. He stares down at her pale hand, and glances over at her. Her face is glistening with a smile, and he bites his lip before nodding hesitantly.

"Very well. If my mother believes me to be the one most capable for the job, I will accept it."

He gets a round of standing ovation, and Perceval shoots Cecilia his best "please help me what have I gotten myself into" look.

Amber Eques is waiting for her son outside of the meeting room, and she grins, snagging Perceval's elbow and reaching up, ruffling her son's hair.

"Don't let me down, kiddo."

"Thanks, Mom," Perceval rolls his eyes. "Way to put on the pressure."

Cecilia jabs her elbow into his bicep, and he glares at her playfully, a smirk on his lips. Amber lets out a boisterous laugh, rubbing her son's back.

"You can do it, Perceval. Your dad and I believe in you."

Perceval groans. "Right. Dad persuaded you to do this."

Cecilia grins. "Just shut up and be happy."

He doesn't see her for the rest of the weekend, too busy to meet up with her because of his new responsibilities that warrant attention from the public media. She sends him paragraphs and broken messages between interviews, wishing him luck and reassuring him it'll be okay.

The first day in Elibean Leagues on Monday is a circus. The minute Perceval pulls up in the parking lot, he's showered with "congratulations" and presents. He's pulled into a party, then piled up with work, and all this time, he's never seen Cecilia, only catching a glimpse of green behind Douglas's grinning face.. Eventually, he shows up in her office through the connecting door of their offices, and the reaction he gets from her is interesting, to say the least.

"Cecilia? Douglas said something about needing documents in a red folder, I think. I'm here to get them."

"Hold on, let me…" she spins around in her chair, then trails off. "...get through these…" She looks him over once, a grin on her face before turning her back to him, sorting through her cabinet of files and folders.

"I didn't know the first day of being Head of Security required cufflinks and a suit," Cecilia teases. Perceval rolls his eyes.

"I didn't either, so you're two for two for not knowing about how formal we have to be on the first day of work."

"Hey, my first day was your fault and you know it."

Perceval gives her a doubtful look that she knows he's giving her, and she sprays her bottle of perfume in his general direction.

"Cecilia!" he scolds, scowling. She turns to look at him, a red folder in her grasp.

"Great! Now I get to tell everyone how I made the Head of Security smell like peaches on his first day!" Cecilia beams, then pushes the spinning chair in front of Perceval, dropping the folder into his hands. "Now go on! You have work to do now, don't you?"

"Shut it," Perceval brushes off his suit, but grins. She smiles back and stands, giving him a tight hug.

"Congratulations," she murmurs. He rests his cheek on the top of her head and pulls her closer.

"Thanks."

When he goes to Douglas's office, the older man takes the folder from him and asks him, in an insinuating tone of voice, why he smells like the peach perfume that Cecilia uses so often. His only response is to flush as red as a ripe strawberry and swear incoherently under his breath. Douglas snorts and tells Perceval to scram and pick up the pieces of his scattered love life. Perceval glares at the older man before exiting his office, leaving Douglas hollering over how "young'uns these days don't seem to know what love is" and how "Perceval is the most oblivious bloke I've ever met".

That little episode elicits a response in Pent and Louise, who pull the new Head of Security out of a meeting one day to give him The Talk. Cecilia's mother, Miss Alessandra, takes an hour off of work just to join them, and by the time the trio are finished with Perceval, he is an unimaginable shade of crimson, from his face to his neck, even to his hands and feet, and there's a mental image in his mind that doesn't go away for the rest of the two hour meeting he clambers back into clumsily, muttering "I'm fine" to anyone who asks questions as to why the Head of the Financial Resources department, his wife, and Miss Cecilia's mother were lecturing him in said Head of Financial Resources's office.

"What were they talking to you about?" Cecilia raises an eyebrow over her lunch, and Perceval coughs, swallowing.

"I'd rather not think about it right now."

"What did they do now?" Cecilia rolls her eyes, standing. "I should go talk to them…"

"No, wait, Cecilia, you don't have to-"

She ignores his half-protests and stalks over to her boss, a fiery look in her eyes.

There's a collective moment of silence, then Pent bursts into laughter.

"Perceval, I thought you were tough!" he yells, and the Head of Security rolls his eyes, adjusting his tie.

"Technically, this is all your fault!" Perceval calls back, cupping a hand around his mouth. Pent waves him off, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Shut up and come get your girl!"

That hits both of them, and Cecilia kicks Pent in the shin, making a face while Perceval covers his face with his hands. Louise laughs.

The whole time, they're being recorded by Mildain, who's working the register at the Western Isles Café.

The next day, when everyone gets the video in a company inclusive e-mail, Perceval feels like curling up under his desk and never coming back out. He knows he's never going to hear the end of it, but his co-workers drop the subject as soon as the Elibean Leagues announce their next project at the annual company wide meeting.

"We're going to be starting a branch of Elibean Leagues in Lycia. They've agreed to send in candidates for employees and leadership positions, but for now, we're going to need some people to go over there and make sure the company can run itself while some people need to teach them," Pent clarifies.

"Which brings us to our current situation," Mordred rasps. "I have a list of people who will be going to the new branch in Ostia. They have already been informed of their qualification, and have agreed to go along. They will be leaving one week from today, on May 4th."

Some intern sitting behind him shouts out, "May the fourth be with you!"

Perceval pins him with his best glare, and he quickly shuts up. Perceval sighs, turning around, and Cecilia stifles a giggle beside him.

"Eliwood Pherae, Hector Ostia, Lyn Sacae. You have served us well, and I'm pleased to tell everyone that you three will be heading the development of the new branch of Elibean Leagues, and are thusly allowed to move from Etruria."

There's a large round of applause for the three veterans of the company, who scuffle on stage looking a little more than intimidated by the task laid out in front of them.

"At least you get to yell at your kids again," Pent murmurs offhandedly into the microphone, and everyone laughs.

"You will not be alone in your efforts, I promise," Mordred chuckles reassuringly. "Guinivere Desmond, Melady Sarkan, Zealot Sniegs, and Cecilia Icae."

Perceval's head shoots up at the mention of Cecilia's name, and he stares at her.

"You're going?" he whispers. She nods, standing to take to the stage.

The rest of the meeting is a blur for him. There's something pounding in his heart, growling at him whenever he sees Cecilia up on that stage.

Pent and Louise jump at the chance of sending their pretty much second daughter off to a new branch of Elibean Leagues, and the last time Perceval sees her is when they're at her house, head-deep in her closet and her wardrobe.

Cecilia disappears from his life for an hour, and then a day, and then a week, and that's exactly when Perceval realizes he has no clue how long she'll be gone.

It's also while she's gone in Ostia that he realizes how boring his life is without her, and he tells Douglas, who just pats him on the back and says, "Congratulations, Perceval, my boy, you've discovered love."

His workspace seems so lonely. The wooden door inside Perceval's office that connects to her office in Financial Resources gets rusty, and he can't help but want to clean away all the dust that's settling on her shelves, chairs, and books whenever he looks inside. He takes home the bomber jacket that she'd accidentally left on the coat hanger, and isn't surprised to discover that it smells like lavender and peach with a dash of vanilla, her favorite smells.

His weekends are suddenly free. Every Saturday afternoon, he usually goes up into the mountains for a hike with her, they go out to dinner afterwards, and then head to the Reglay house for Movie Night. Instead, his mornings (which were already dull because he spends them in the café at the office) become even duller when he realizes that he has nothing to do during the afternoon. He finds himself staying at the Western Isles Café longer than he usually does, and Mildain grins at him.

"You've been here for a while. Don't you usually do something with Cecilia in the afternoon?"

"She's in Ostia. Business trip. She's teaching a class or something," he shrugs angrily. "I couldn't be bothered to listen in on what she was doing. Something about Roy and Lilina was all I caught."

"Oh? Is Perceval being a lovesick boy?" Mildain asks, and Perceval reaches over the counter to swat him with his folder of paperwork.

"Just get me my damn coffee," he grumbles, scrunching his face up as he looks down at the paper in front of him.

"Echidna!" Mildain calls, and a few seconds later, a tall aqua-haired woman pokes her head out the backroom. "Get the grumpy Head of Security his coffee, please."

"Aren't you nice?"

"When did you rediscover your sassiness?" Echidna asks as she reaches for his mug.

"I don't think it's him rediscovering his sass, but it's more so the fact that Cecilia isn't here to tell him to be nicer and not sass everyone."

Perceval just sighs, and everyone's laughing when Geese walks in and promptly asks, "Did I miss something?"

Cecilia stays in Ostia for three months, and Perceval thinks the three months she's gone are the worst thing he's ever been through, and it's like his cat Calico agrees because every morning when Perceval wakes up, Calico's always in the guest room because Cecilia always stays over during her late-night business trips to Chanchester even though her house is only an hour away in Valkin.

Thankfully, she's called back to Aquelia before he loses his sanity, and he tells her over the phone that she's going to be taking Pent's place as the Head of the Financial Resources Department and that "Narcian looked like he had swallowed a live fish" when Galle was also to be promoted alongside her as the Vice Head of the Department. She tries not to laugh because she's stepped out of class to take his call, but he keeps jabbing at it and she ends up having to hang up on him mid-description because she can't teach class with the image of "just swallowed a live fish Narcian" in her head.

He's assigned to go pick her up from the airport when she arrives, and for the rest of the day, every time he walks by his subordinates, they all whoop and cheer like he's trying out for the god damn Olympics, when all he's really going to do is pick up the girl he's loved for twenty two years from the airport. Sain tries to get him to write some fancy poem, and he vehemently denies it in favor of his wife's advice, who just looks at him and says, "Tell her, you prick."

Turns out her advice was actually a message from Mildain.

Douglas sees him off like he's going to college or something, and even insists that he come along (to which Perceval denies). Perceval honestly doesn't know how to feel about it the entire ride towards the airport until he pulls up and sees her, waiting under the shade of the airport, and then he's suddenly grateful that Douglas didn't come with him.

She's beautiful, he thinks, and it's the only thought buzzing through his mind aside from the whole "I love you" thing.

She's wearing the white trench coat they bought in Europe together, and underneath is the open-sleeved, shoulder-cut black silk shirt that he gave her for her birthday. She has on the white jeans they found while cleaning out her wardrobe, and the slip-on black heels he bought for her while they were finding outfits for the class reunion just months ago. Her green hair still looks the same, but it's grown longer, frames her face perfectly, and he loves it.

She spots him and smiles, and he's suddenly seeing stars. She makes her way through the mass of cars towards his and slips her suitcase into the trunk of his car before getting into the car. He has to chide himself mentally that "you're not a kid, goddamnit, just tell her".

He blurts out "I love you" when she shuts the passenger door, and she stops and looks at him, and he's so scared that he can't breathe until he sees that familiar look in her eyes, that look of "I know, damn it, why didn't you tell me earlier", and then she smiles and whispers "I love you too", so he kisses her and kisses her until the cars behind them honk, and he never lets go of her hand during the drive back to Valkin.

#fire emblem #fire emblem 6 #fire emblem: binding blade #fe6 #Perceval #Cecilia #Pent #Douglas #Louise #Elibe #avietta writes fire emblem #avietta writes

[sorcyress]

State of the Social Media, 2017 Hi friends!! It's been a loooong time since I last checked in about this, and Russia has made an update Weirdly Relevant, so let's talk social media! I'm gonna post this everywhere I mention, except on Twitter where I'll just link it, because I do not hate my twitter friends that much. SO! I use social media! Let's talk about which and how. This is going to be a real-person post, which means long and rambling. I may make a tl;dr for Facebook. Livejournal:(KDSorceress) WELL OKAY FINE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. I WON'T USE THIS ANYMORE. Okay, no, realistically I have given up on online privacy *and* my Russian-speaking-friend who uses LJ doesn't seem to be bailing, but given that EVERYONE ELSE has pretty much finally bailed...it's time to drop it entirely, and that's a bummer. So I'm gonna turn off cross-posting (MASSIVE WINCE) and abandon the place I've updated at least once a month for the last 161 months1. That's over thirteen years, my livejournal is old enough to start its own livejournal. But it's okay because I'll be finally fully transitioning to... Dreamwidth:(Sorcyress Wooooo! Open-source! Community-controlled! Transparency and not randomly deleting journals and not run by a government that thinks Teh Gay is a major league problem and why was I on elljay in the first place? Anywho, DW is where I put long-style thoughts, and Real Serious Life Stuff! It's my (new) home. I have never given up on longform personal blogging, and I still love it more'n anything, and I want the rest of you to return to it. Meanwhile, you can also find Real Serious Life Stuff on... Twitter:(@Sorcyress) This is where I have been dumping my serious stuff in sortof the immediate, because...I...also don't have attention for longform blogging right now? Please see my eighty part tweet-saga on "does Kat have health insurance and/or medication for their ADHD this week?", which I have been performing 140 characters at a time for the last six months. Also, there's a *lot* of selfies. If you wanna see my face, you gotsta follow my tweets. Tumblr:(Sorcyress My Tumblr is an uncoordinated cesspit, and I mostly just reblog stuff that I theoretically want to follow up on later somehow, but then don't. I really should stop using Tumblr. You are welcome to follow me there, I provide no original content and very little original commentary, but you might still find my curation cool or useful or something. Meanwhile, on the offline side of the internet you have... Facebook:(Firstname Lastname, go ahead and ping me privately if you want it) Facebook is what I use to speak to lots of people at once --lots of "hey I need a thing from y'all" but also it's the place where my party ideas show up and invites and stuff. I also post a weirdly high amount of genderstuff, because I remain eternally thrilled that Facebook lets me set my gender accurately and my pronoun correctly. Anyways, because Facebook has my wallet name attached instead of my handle, I also behave all delicately and professionally and whatnot. This means I don't swear on my own page2, and don't link to my handle! Places I am no longer include: deviantART, Sluggy.net, any other forums...Iunno. The rest of the world I used to be on? Oh yeah, OKCupid, which isn't really social media and I never really used it, but I've pretty much wholly abandoned it. And that one bounty-hunter3 website that a certain subset of my friends list is thinking of, yes I still have an account, every few months I'll post a thing, but I hardly ever read or do anything else. Places I am not currently that you probably are: Instagram (I haven't gotten around to it), Pintrest (I fundamentally object to their screwing up of Google Image searches), Snapchat (Technically I have one, every few months I remember to look at my sister's timeline, but I do not "get" it like at all) Separate from social media, if you wanna get in touch with me, you can... Text me! After two decades of fundamentally hating telephones, I finally got a tiny-pocket-computer-that-incidentally-makes-phone-calls and I like it very much. I like getting random texts, and will do my best to respond, if whatever my job is allows it. IM me! I still looooove instant messanger, even though I'm not always the best at using it. When I am on the computer, I have access to GTalk and AIM (username on both: kdsorceress), when I'm on the phone, just GTalk. Call me? Please...um...I mean, I like having phone calls very rarely with a smallish subset of the People I Like, so please don't randomly call me for conversation without pinging me otherwise first? But if that's a thing you like, I mean, try pinging me and we'll see! Skype me! (Or Google Hangouts or whatever --the kleenex problem is coming for you, Skype.) I especially like utilizing this for the "I'ma work on cleaning my room and you work on cleaning your room" type stuff. Last big Skype chat I had, Tailsteak was inking or something, and I made a LEGO set! (my skype is Sorcyress, my google is kdsorceress) Email me! Oooo, I love getting emails! I am _absolutely terrible_ at replying to emails. You will not bother me if you send me reminder emails to reply to your email. Seriously. It is good for me! (kdsorceress at gmail dot com) Is there anything I'm missing? If you wish to get in touch with me on a social media I didn't specify, go ahead and email me at [insert appropriate email here]. Or leave a comment or whatever! Yay social media! ~Sor MOOP! 1: Except two, back in 2005 because I was being a petulant and sulky baby. 2: My grandfather objects, and again, I try to pretend that Facebook is professional even though I have it locked up pretty tight privacy wise. Of course, it's sFB, so those privacy settings could randomly change any day now. 3: I am very clever! Do you like how clever I am?

[joons-expensive-gurl]

Underrated BTS Songs (but ironically are the best)

So I've decided to put together a "small" list of BTS songs that I think are so underrated. I'm not really sure how many are gonna be on here, but I'm gonna try and put them all with little annotations as well. While I was writing, I realised that all of these songs don't have music videos and shit, which might be why they're so underrated. I also noticed they mostly come mid album and after, but still get a LOT of love. Anywho, enjoy~ 1 - Dead Leaves So, Dead Leaves is my ultimate favourite BTS song. However, I think the reason for it being so underrated (which it is in newer armies) is the fact that it's the very last song before the outro in TMBMiL: pt 2. I really feel that this song had the potential to be a title song, but being at the end meant it was overshadowed by other songs such as Silver Spoon. Even so, many older armies will tell you it's one of their favourite songs. It just does something to us. (I think another reason has something to do with the fan war over plagiarism of this and They Never Know. Despite Dead Leaves having another level of brilliance, I think fans just stayed away to keep away from the drama) 2 - I Like it Another one of my absolute favourites. I Like it is on their first album, and is one of our first looks at slow, more-pop-than-hip-hop BTS. It's a gorgeous song, which I really think the vocal line just slaaayyy at doing. But it's definitely underrated, seeing as many fans wanted a hip hop BTS, not more of a singing pop BTS. 3 - Circle Room Cypher This outro is BEYOND underrated. Not only is it the first BTS cypher, it also features every member having a little go over at rapping over another member's beat boxing. It's great. And if you watch a lyric video, the lyrics are actually pretty funny. It's a great outro, and I'm really upset that I only discovered it a few months ago. It's by far an amazing song which deserves more than it gets. 4 - If I Ruled the World Any song that starts with V's deep vocals is a good song. And If I Ruled the World is a very good song. It's old school BTS, on the O! R U L8 2 album. It's fun, quirky and has this weird (but cool) machine-y noise in the background, kinda like in EXO's Playboy. It's such a great song but I don't hear it often and I don't hear people talking about it often either. 5 - Tomorrow Tomorrow holds a very special place in my heart, and many other army's hearts. But that doesn't stop it from being so underrated. Part of the Skool Luv Affair album, it takes a different route from Attack of Bangtan and Jump. It's slow, with a loud beat, layered vocals and amazing rapping from our beloved rap line. It's lyrics are just amazing, ensuring you it's okay to give up but only until tomorrow when you can try again. Since it's in an older album, though, many newer armies don't get to listen to it's beauty for quite some time. 6 - Triptych (Cypher Pt 2) I LOVE TRIPTYCH. It's an amazing cypher by the boys, kicking off with J-Hope rapping (which is unusual., but we love it). Mony has a massive rapping section entirely in English which I may or may not be able to do... and Suga as usual kills it. But this doesn't stop it from being one of the most underrated BTS tracks ever. When Killer and Pt 4 came out, it was overshadowed and of course, forgotten, but if you haven't heard it, go and check it out. It will not disappoint. 7 - Hip Hop Phile I love Dark&Wild. It's my favourite BTS album, with probably the most underrated songs ever. And we'll start with Hip Hop Phile. This song is amazing. It's a song dedicated to the love of Hip Hop that each member holds. Our rap line have great flows as usual and the over song had a very dark feeling to it. It fits right in with the overall theme of the album, but I feel it definitely doesn't get enough love. 8 - Rain Rain, originally to be called Seoul Rain, is a beautiful song. It definitely does justice in being a more slow song on such a hyped album, and is easily a favourite if you finding yourself struggling to sleep in the night, it's a go to song simply for it being so calming. Definitely go and listen if you haven't all ready. 9 - Could You Turn Off Your Cell Phone? This song tackles a pandemic sweeping across the world without us knowing. The anti-social pandemic caused by cellphones (or as us Brits call 'em, mobile phones). The song is about putting our phones away for just 5 minutes to have an actual conversation with people, and that our boys are SICK of seeing people mindlessly using them to get likes on social media. But it doesn't get talked about a lot. Not sure why, but I'm guessing because of the album it's on (sadly). It hits hard to anyone who listens but it's such a fun, kinda bouncy song that will have you pressing repeat a gajillion times. 10 - Look Here THIS. SONG. IS. FUCKING. AMAZING. Easily one of my favourites for having this very summery, light hearted theme. When I listen, I imagine a beach party somewhere hot with people dancing along to BTS singing on stage. It definitely has this kind of tropical island party theme with guitars which I just adore. The bridge is literally Jimin making sex puns and the whole song is about them being into you and wanting to make you theirs so "이기 봐". However, every song on D&W is overshadowed by Killer... so yeah... 11 - Does That Make Sense? my favourite outro of all time is easily D&W's Does That Make Sense. It will make you body roll. It has such a beautiful beat and the music atop of that is slow, sensual and it all comes together with the vocal lines amazing voices. Jimin especially. There's also a part with Mony's voice all deep and kinda distorted and it honestly makes the song so much better. Howveer, Again, because it's on the wrong album (D&W being sooo underrated) it just didn't get much attention. I really can't explain the song so I'll just have to let you go listen if you haven't. (It's great it reminds me of my holiday to Whitby where I first heard it and it shocked me sm. it was and still is a gorgeous song. I really wish they'd made a full version with the rap line. That would've been e v e r y t h i n g). (Also Jimin's high notes at the end slayed me) 12 - Move This. Fucking. Song. If you haven't heard Move, go listen to it right now. Also knowing as Moving On, it's slow and sweet (which I think is why it's underrated - because it's so slow compared to other songs in the album). The lyrics are about simply moving houses and letting go of the memories there, though with Spotify translating it as Moving On, I got confused and thought it was about moving on from a relationship. Lol nope. In the right moment, it can actually make you cry, so just be weary. Overall, it is a brilliant song and takes a two back from Run and Dope with a slow, steady beat. 13 - Whalien 52 This song is MY song (lmao). It's simply about being on your own and they use the metaphor of a whale which is a solo creature to describe how they're feeling. If you don't take the lyrics literally and have a little knowledge on whales, the lyrics are easy to understand. I'm not really sure why it's underrated. It just is which is honestly so upsetting. The music itself is so gorgeous. It fits right in with the message that the song is trying to portray and I really do think that everything in this song just works. It's definitely worth listening to. 14 - Silver Spoon Silver Spoon is one of those BTS songs that once you listen to, you love (like all of them). It's old school BTS, though you can still hear their newer style. The rap line kill it as usual and with the vocal line coming in strong with the chorus, its overall a great song. The only thing that makes it even better is the dance practice. You know, where your precious lil Yoongi twerks. Seriously, the song is amazing especially if you're into rap. The beat on this song is amazing - it's really strong and at the same time blends in really well. However, no matter how much praise it gets, I strongly believe it's underrated. It doesn't get as much love as what it should do. Still, only Min Yoongi can write a masterpiece like Silver Spoon. 15 - House of Cards Or more appropriately named 50 Shades of BTS. This song takes sexy to a whole new level. I don't care who you are, if you don't body roll to this song, there's something desperately wrong. House of Cards is phenomenal. Featuring only the vocal line, it finished TMBMiL: pt 2 off right. With a piano, violin and great beat, you can't help but drown in the beautiful, sexy vibes of this song. Again, this song just doesn't get love. I think because of how slow it is, but ask any older army and they'll tell you House of Cards is one of their faves. 16 - Hold Me Tight Hold Me Tight is yet another masterpiece. Pianos and vocals. The song features this beautiful piano at the beginning which is gorgeous and transforms into this beautiful beat, with Mony's beautiful rough, whispering raps taking off. You know exactly which vocals I'm on about. The rapping overall is softer than usual, with Hobi starting off with this kinda singing kinda talking with will actually take your breath away. Suga actually sings a little and my heart dies a tiny bit every time. It's so out of the normal for BTS, seeing as the rappers are more singing than rapping, but it only adds to the song and makes it even more perfect. Fans definitely need to listen to it, since it doesn't get a lot of love. 17 - I Need U (Remix) Okay, don't kill me but I actually prefer this remix to the original. It just has this more electric, EDM-y feeling to it which is simply stunning. However, I think fans are just skeptical of remixes. Y'all shouldn't be scared this remix kills it. They've even performed it live, for fucks sake. That's when you know it's good. If you haven't yet listened, off you go. You won't regret it. 18 - First Love Whatever Min Suga produces, it should be loved and for some stupid fucking reason, First Love isn't loved! First Love is Yoongi talking about a piano. His first piano. It's a beautiful song once you get round the lyrics. And yes, it's slow, it's different to Begin and Lie. But it's fucking beautiful and if you skip it on Spotify, you're missing out. Just because it isn't normal Min Suga like ducking Tony Montana and him boasting about making you cum with his tongue technology, it doesn't mean it's a bad song. In fact, I think it's even better because it shows Yoongi can have variety. APPRECIATE IT! 19 - Reflection Okay, Mony as well?! Reflection is one of my favourite solos simply because of its slow, beautiful beat. The lyrics at the end "I wish I could love myself" hit hard to home and you know you can count on Namjoon to make you feel the feels. His rapping is flawless and he even sings a bit which only enhances the song. It's perfect and fans overlook it so much. Even though they shouldn't. 20 - Am I Wrong I have no idea how to explain this song apart from "Cowboy EDM". This song takes some cowboy-esque music and some lyrics from another singer and makes it into the song we know (and should love). Trust Yoongi to come out with something so western and yet so modern. I love it. The guitars, the beat, the drop, the vocals, the rap. It's all great. But it again, gets overlooked because it's different. Believe it or not, this song is great. It deserves all the love.

#my opinion #underrated BTS songs #this is so sad #all these songs r faves #love them and appreciate them

[blackvalyrians]

Racism & Anti-SJWS

I may not be an sjw, but I will never call myself an anti-sjw. Your community is just as hypocritical as the other side and just as racist. Y'all hate the ignorance and racism directed at white people but many times you idiots have no problem doing the same thing to black people.

Let’s see: mass generalizations of black people (black people were useless, lived in mud huts and never had any civilization, and without Europeans would be in mud, swinging from trees, etc. And of course, people acting as if black people didn’t contribute to America. I saw one supposed logical decent anti-sjw say something like this and then delete it like the coward he was. You guys always beat your chests and say We Wuz Kangs n Shiet for anything. Even when someone is trying to correct and give actual information on African History. FYI there were actual black African civilizations. 

“Wow black people are really regressive aren’t they? Backwards ass, bigoted, stuck in the 60′s assed morons.” A popular anti-sjw 

Question: Why are the black racists on this site called black tumblr and white racists get other titles such as white racists, neo-nazi’s etc? Really? You think saying black tumblr is appropriate when referring to racists that are black people? Can white tumblr be used to mean all white racists on this site? (which no, I don’t think it would right either).

Anyways, moving on, disturbingly enough some of you people hang around white supremacists and even defend them, or use them as sources. You, the same people who bash liberal websites such as Huffington post (which is trash that’s true), have blogged and used white supremacist websites as a source. And then say, it’s not the source but whether they are correct. -_- 

It’s very interesting to see you guys interact and defend for instance, elegantbeardedchaoscollection, who spewed anti-semitic holocaust denial and said racist things about black people, and interracial relationships but he was still in this community for some reason.

How lovely, how lovely for you to be against racism, yet time and time again, I have seen this gif pop up. Disgusting. 

"It amazes me that people think being cautious of blacks is racist. The FBI statistics show it's just good judgement." another popular anti-sjw

Oh and I do enjoy you using intra-community issues to boost your own egos and then engage in hypocritical behavior. Let me expand on that, people like me get called uncle tom or coon or house nigger, and you valiantly ride in to say that behavior is wrong. That’s true of course, but then several of you have no problems using the n word (even sometimes the hard er) and will call other black people that word because you don’t like them or to provoke them. That’s hypocrisy! How can you call out black people for using racist slurs against black people they don’t like, and then you turn around and use slurs against black people you don’t like?

So, then going on, we hear that racism is just a minor issue in this country (except when it happens to white people), and that black people aren’t oppressed and need to stop bringing up slavery, and then several of you will turn around and say:

Well the Democratic party has black people enslaved. Their being pimped out, or they are in chains. What in the hell? I am conservative myself and I don’t like democrats, but can you be consistent?? If half of the country (Democratic party) is conspiring to keep black people in chains and its a modern day slave plantation, then there is a serious problem regarding racism against black people in this country.

Oh and another thing, posting false history. Like that Anthony Johnson case.  So what’s going on here is that you prop him up to try and say that black people started slavery and got what they deserved huh? First of all, even if this was true, you would have to be a fool of the highest order if you think that slavery in America did not affect black people on a racial context. And what about afterwards? Black Codes, Jim Crow, etc? Oh so I am meant to believe slavery was equal opportunity and there was racism and then segregation, etc just happened to pop up and just happened to be targeted at black people?

By the way, it is disgusting to try and say that black slaves were living the good life and had free food and healthcare. That’s just absolutely disgusting.

Also there is the hypocrisy involving indentured servitude. Either it is slavery or its not (which it isn’t, even though it wasn’t a good thing). However you hypocrites will pick and choose when it is slavery or when it is indentured servitude. When you want black people to shut up, you say oh that was slavery, when you are arguing the Anthony Johnson case, you will revert to it being indentured servitude again, because indentured servitude had existed before him and if it was slavery, then well Anthony Johnson, a black man can’t be blamed for starting slavery in America, now can he?

Back to Anthony Johnson, Anthony Johnson set the precedent that a slave owner could black. He did not start slavery himself. In 1654, when an issue of whether John Casor was his slave or not arose, and John Casor became his slave, he set the precedent that a black man could own a slave as well.

John Punch was a slave who started out in indentured servitude and escaped his plantation, as a result, he was sentenced to a lifetime of slavery. This was in 1640.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/responses/spotlight.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Punch_(slave)

Also, another thing that is concerning to me. The Barbary Slave Trade. I have talked about this before, but I will mention it again. There is some hypocrisy going on here as well. In general, y'all will say that there were no black people in North Africa, but when you want to bring up the Barbary Slave Trade, all of a sudden there was black people up there, and not only that, they left the continent and went raiding along Europe for white people. Which is it? The Barbary Slave Trade was wrong and atrocious, there is no doubt about that, but again, which version of it is the truth? You can’t pick and choose whether or not black people were in North Africa depending on your narrative.

And also disturbingly enough, several of you seem to actually believe that interracial rape is only black on white. You actually believe that white men don’t rape black women and the rate is 0. I am profoundly disturbed by this type of stupidity and racism. And even if it was true, even if it was. Like no, no, you are not getting credit for white men not raping black women. They still rape white women and women of other races, so no. I mean what the hell? What kind of moron would even try and brag about this?

And some of you seriously need to learn how to read statistics.

“Lmfao at “black Tumblr” talking shit about the way people look. Oh honey at least our dads didn’t abandon us.” - another popular anti-sjw

I may have just mentioned black people, but that’s not the only group from which anti-sjws direct racism against. There was one idiot that was talking about how Mexican illegals should be shot crossing the border (including women and children). 

"I wish black people took jokes as well as they take government assistance.” another popular anti-sjw

I am not happy about this nonsense at all. Targeting black people as a whole, just because you hate the black racists is not fair and it is still racism just as it is not fair to target white people as a whole because of white racists.

And when I say anti-sjws, I mean anti-sjws. Not white people, but ant-sjws. I am aware that not all anti-sjws are white.

#racism #antiblackness #anti sjws #dumblr

[elliefcutie]

The show!

So tl;dr but I wanna ramble endlessly about the concert so stick around if you're in for that. I know it was over a week ago but I went to the Rhett and Link show in Minneapolis and I’m gonna tell you about it, and by you I mean the maybe two people who follow me for some unknown reason that might actually read this.  I arrived about 45 minutes before the show which was only five-minute walk from my hotel. The theatre was gorg though really pretty architecture and blingy chandeliers. To my disappointment I was told upon entry there would be no photos or videos allowed during the show. I stood in the merch line first ( got a tour tee,pomade and some of link's lip balm) Then after a bathroom and water break I found my seat easy peasy lemon squeezy. Then just before showtime two important things happened we were told photos and videos would be allowed and due to empty seats, I got to move up four rows. Woot! Britton came on first and I thoroughly enjoyed his songs. I don't know if you know this but the dude can sing. He did this prince mashup that was seriously awesome. He was also sporting a pride patch on his guitar strap which I thought was pretty cool. Even though I knew it was coming I still laughed at the merch song (this next part has spoilers so if you don’t want to read those you should stop now). Then came the moment we'd all been waiting for Rhett and Link walked on stage and I know y'all have said it before but lordy those boys are big. I was actually close enough to see them. I may have squealed just a little. They started off with some jokes about how they could do this without a desk and moved their legs around and how they did this every gmm we just couldn't see it. Link wanted to do synchronized leg kicks but Rhett was being a party pooper and wouldn’t do it. Link then committed to doing them for the rest of the show only to quit after like four more. Then they had a conversation about whether to start with the first or second song. They decided on the first song which was appropriately the first comment song. Nilla wafer top hat time was second with the whole bit about being stuck in it at the end. Then someone shouted Tokyo not sure whether that was planned or not but Rhett did it anyway. Then I need to address the Kyle song my brother's name is Kyle that could have been him on stage getting manhandled by Link which would practically have been like me getting manhandled by Link. Sort of. And the two kiss teases on same shirt song and nerd vs geek it was ship baiting and I don't care. And Link’s wiggly little hips made me legit blushy and weak in the knees, especially during middle school girlfriend. I was not a fan of Go Max Go mostly just because overtly sexual things make me uncomfortable. Also, I know how dog sex works and let me just say it’s not over that quickly nor is it usually so loud. Friends till the end was so fucking beautiful their harmonies are pure gold. There was also at some point a recounting of the last time they were in Minneapolis and running around through the covered bridges as they called them. Since the tunnels are called the skywalk Rhett dubbed the people of Minneapolis Skywalker's which I thought was cute. Also Lily and Lincoln were there Link made a joke about them paying for their seats by cleaning their rooms insert eye roll here lol hardy har har. So that’s basically it. I didn’t do vip it was pretty pricey and honestly, I’m not sure I even want to meet them maybe one day I’ll feel up to it. It was a blast though and I would most definitely go see them again 10/10 recommend. 

#spoilers #concert #personal

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week thirty-four

in this post WITH A TWIST YOU’LL NEVER SEE COMING, we review the songs which debuted on the billboard chart the weeks of 8.30.1997, 9.1.2007, and 9.2.2017

8.30.1997

40) "All Cired Out," by Allure ft./112

Imagine how dope this would have been a capella. Like, you have a girl group and a boy group. That's at least six singers good enough to sustain their own groups. Why you gotta give this song all the production? Why not let the cavalcade of singers carry this one home? Curse that we're a good 15 years away from Pentatonix making a capella commercially viable! This song could have been something.

46) "Backyard Boogie," by Mack 10

/clears throat /tugs at collar Eh, now this mack should not have returned. /bows to thunderous applause /leaves the stage /audience still applauding /walks back onto stage /tugs at throat /clears collar Eh, now... /audience falls into rapturous, expectant silence This mack? /everyone in the audience is waiting for the words i speak to deliver their salvation /i hold them for a thousand years Should not have returned. /i am anointed Wonderful Comedy Boy /god himself weeps

62) "What About Us," by Total ft./Missy Elliott

Never gonna complain about Missy in YAS, except for the time she cropped up in 2017 and I wasn't into it. I complained about it then, if memory serves. But I only complained about it because it was a Missy song that didn't sound like this, because this song is smooth and fresh and several other outdated descriptors! Also, I haven't made enough a big deal about The Double Decade Dance Club, but, as far as I'm willing to go back through the archives, the folks who've had songs chart in '97, '07, and '17 are Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. Special consideration is given to Mariah Carey, who doesn't qualify for Decade Dance with no songs charting in '07 but DID have songs debut later in '97 and earlier in '17! Congratulations to those five people on this fake accolade in a blog read by an indeterminate but likely single-digit number!

68) "Around the World," by Daft Punk

Have I had my complaints about electronic music in the 1997 list? Yes. Have I wished for dance music that sounds like something I could dance to? Several times! Does this mean I like Daft Punk? I... I mean, y'all knew I wasn't cool. Like, this sounds fine, I don't disagree with every single thing happening in this song, which is a step up from all the other electronic music, but I connect to this about as much as I do a well-composed track in a video game. I admire how it does its thing, but I'm not attached to this song in any meaningful way, I'm not having any sort of emotional reaction to it. It just sort of exists while I'm hitting buttons. Wait and this is HOW MANY minutes long? Y'all, I'm behind on every single obligation, no thank you.

69) "My Love Is the Shhh!" by Somethin' for the People ft./Trina & Tamara

This is like a staler version of the Missy track we had earlier, and I already opted not to pay attention to the Missy track so I could blather about YAS mythology, I don't know how I'm supposed to come to this song and find something else to say about it. What kind of name is Somethin' for the People, anyway? How do you settle on that as a name? Did literally every other combination of words in the English language fail to please you? I have to access the Iowa Land Records website sometimes, and the captchas they use on that website are delightful words that are almost English but not quite. Today I had to enter Simbang Carrer. I don't understand how you could be given a set of letters and rules which can create Simbang Carrer and think, "No. Somethin' for the People. That is how we identify." I hope they had a rivalry with Nice Songs For Enjoyment.

72) "Don't Say," by Jon B

milquetoast (adj) - a word used by people looking for a synonym for 'bored' that happened to open the thesaurus while they were hungry

73) "As We Lay," by Daha

"I'll be fine," Bob said as he decided to put off writing the entirety of YAS to Wednesday evening. "I know 1997 has 11 songs, but there's no way all of them are going to be '90s R&B! I won't get burnt out by the fifth R&B jam because there will only be five, with enough variety between R&B jams to keep these songs fresh1" Friends, I can admit when I have erred. In my defense: have you listened to Bad Cop/Bad Cop's Warriors? I feel I should be forgiven for making Bad Cop/Bad Cop's Warriors the only thing I've listened to the last five days. This song is pretty okay. I think the beat isn't quite sure what song it belongs to, but it gives this song a unique sound, which, hey, you probably didn't listen to all these songs. You probably don't get how much I treasure something that sounds unique, even if it's a not especially great kind of unique.

78) "Happy with You," by Samantha Cole

HELL YEAH I LOVE THAT SEINFELD-ASS BASS. You know what, song of the year, right here. I feel like this song is the reward for sloughing through Slow R&B Mire, and now I have this upbeat song about the joy of finding another soul in this world and being in that moment with them, and I just, thank you, thank you everyone for creating this moment, for giving me just like a nice song about how good an emotion love is. Yeah, girl, you try to hit that high note! A for effort! A for good song! A+ to your bassist, what a pleasant song!

80) "No Tengo Dinero," by Los Umbrellos

"Los Umbrellos was a Latin pop dance group formed in Denmark" Um "It was led by the rapper Al Agami, the exiled crown prince of the small African enclave of Africa" UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DID SOMEONE SEE THAT NO ONE HAD WRITTEN AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR GROUP AND JUST SAID "I'LL TAKE TO WIKIPEDIA!" AND JUST MADE SHIT UP? DANISH LATIN POP GROUP "The song hit #1 in Austria" OK, that I'll believe, knowing what I know about Austrian music that absolutely tracks, this is the trash they love in Austria. But no seriously DANISH. LATIN. POP. GROUP.

86) "Piece of My Heart," by Shaggy ft./Marsha

Oh hell yeah. This is everything the "I Shot the Sherrif" cover wasn't. Like, that was a song that wasn't quite sure what it wanted to do with the song, but you know what this does? You know what made me laugh in my apartment? It took the Janis Joplin cover, it gave it the reggae backing, it did the "COME ON! COME ON! COME ON! COME ON!" thing, and that led RIGHT INTO A GODDAMNED SHAGGY VERSE. LIKE HELL YEAH. That's the music version of the hidden blocks in Kaizo Mario. Just get dunked on. "COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON," and then it turns out we were building up to Shaggy. That was beautiful. Like, this kinda garbages up a standard, but I don't care, it's hella fun.

88) "I Care 'Bout You," by Milestone

Yep. Yeah, there's about only one way 1997 could end. "Sometimes I feel so alone/I call your heart but there's no one at home." Oh absoLUTEly fuck off.

9.1.2007

38) "You Are the Music in Me," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 60) "Gotta Go My Own Way," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 66) "Bet on It," Zac Efron 74) "I Don't Dance," Corbin Bleu & Lucas Grabeel 90) "Everyday," Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens 92) "All for One," High School Musical 2

Even in 2007, I was already too old, as well as a tad bit too straight, to have any opinion on the High School Musical series. But! While I have gotten approximately 10 years older in the intervening ten years, I like to think I've become substantially gayer, so HERE WE GO. Honestly, HSM as a franchise is inoffensive fun. I enjoyed the first movie when I was of an appropriate age to have watched it, I enjoyed the clips from the second film as a 28-year-old alone in an apartment, and "Bet on It" is a classic piece of American filmmaking that should be taught in schools. I’m not afraid to say it: High School Musical is great, and we are going to be so grateful if the world lasts long enough for the ‘00s nostalgia wave to hit and create the 20-year High School Musical reunion and/or reboot movies.

46) "Clothes Off!" Gym Class Heroes ft./Patrick Stump

So this song is breezy fun, almost certainly the song of the week were it not for the fact "Bet on It" belongs in every museum, but it does sort of foretell the disappointing direction in which Travis McCoy would venture, dunnit? "Cupid's Chokehold" is this equally fun song about a neurotic, emokiddy person finding love in this crazy world, and it's not the most sophisticated thing in the world, but it's a nice song with a distinct feel, and then there's this party jam about gettin' naked, and it's like, alright, I dig this party jam, but you're gonna go back to, y'know, the emo stuff, right? But they never did. They made one really dope song and then just made this forever.

98) "So Small," Carrie Underwood

Finally: an inspirational ballad from a female country singer. Don't think I've heard one of those yet from 2007. Great times.

9.2.2017

42) "Silence," by Marshmello ft./Khalid

This is a sensitive EDM jam like all the other sensitive EDM jams. I'm still lukewarm on Khalid as a whole, like I think he does a fine job on this song but I don't understand why he's this whole thing, don't really get what he brought to this song that no one else could, but honestly that doesn't matter when I probably couldn't discern this from a Chainsmokers joint. Y'all have fun with this one, teens. Y'all do you.

88) "More Girls Like You," by Kip Moore

Hold up. Hold up. Can we talk about the amazing mixed similie in the first verse? "I've been livin' like a wild old Mustang out in Montana fields" A mustang is a horse. He is comparing himself to a wild horse. Understandable, and hey -- interesting spin on the usual back road cliche! Montana is the state equivalent of a back road. Quality shitty songwriting! "Mighta earned me a bad reputation, but never stopped these wheels" A mustang is a car. So he's a Ford Mustang in Montana? I mean I guess? Always good to compare yourself to an American-made automobile in country music. "I'm like a Camry runnin' with a full tank!" said no country star ever. "From rollin' and goin' too far/From runnin' and gunnin' too hard" OK, so he's a car, I recognize these as car terms, you gun engines, I get that, I remember the word rollin' playing a starring role in the Chamillionaire standard "Ridin'," I guess I got that part wrong at the start. Definitely a car. "So unreigned, so untamed" WHAT A HECKIN' TWIST HE WAS HORSE THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!? Man, this song is trash.

92) "Something New," by Wiz Khalifa ft./Ty Dolla $ign

"Girl, you look just like something out a magazine/You smell great, know your body clean" ...Di, um, excuse me, but did Wiz Khalifa just compare his girl to the perfume samples that sometimes come in magazines? Anyway, this song sure existed for three minutes.

95) "Untouchable," by YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Various other videos call this man NBA YoungBoy, and with respect to the choices he has made, I am going to refer to him as that from here on out, assuming we hear from him again, which, hey, he's not the worst of the mumble-rap cohort! I kinda feel bad calling him mumble-rap, because this song actually goes more than one place, and that's at least him mumbling! No auto-tune over a trap beat, an actual human being mumbling over a fairly compelling track. Beat's really good, this might be the first song that actually held my attention for all three minutes. Don't know who produced this, but I hope that person goes just a bit farther than NBA YoungBoy.

97) "I Could Use a Love Song," by Maren Morris

I really wish the first six seconds of "Sugar" could be a single. The rest of the song is good, too, but those first six seconds are goddamned flames. I think it's important for you to know that Maren Morris is way more compelling than this song. It's fine, but like we had "Every Little Thing" two weeks ago, y'know? Like, the music video talks through the song, and I don't... blame it? It's OK! Just slight.

98) "Fix a Drink," by Chris Janson

OH FUCK THIS DUDE AND HIS "ROCKABYE"-ASS SPOKEN WORD NONSENSE. This is stupid. This is stupid, and I'm stupid for ever complaining about the preponderance of '90s R&B I've foisted upon myself. It has a sense of humor decidedly sub-Toby Keith. Congratulations on being able to make beer.

100) "Woke Up Like This," by Playboy Carti ft./Lil Uzi Vert

Billboard didn't classify any songs as either debuts or re-entries, songs that weren't on the chart last week simply didn't have an arrow next to the name and I had to guess if they were actually new or retreads of previously released songs. Like, I could have sworn I had to deal with Kip Moore, but that's prolly just 'cuz it sounds like the rest of bro country's nonsense. So I can't tell if this is a new song because they restyled the title or if this is an actual new version of "Woke Up Like This," but I'ma just go ahead and assume my initial assessment of this dude being boring still holds. I can’t believe an entity called NBA YoungBoy won the 2017 Song of the Week title. I can’t... I... Oh. Hold up.

Who won the week?

Did High School Musical 2 just win this one for 2007. Did 2007 really produce the best songs because this was the week High School Musical 2 dropped. It’s not 2017 because the highest grade I’m willing to give “Untouchable” is C+. It’s not 1997 because there was “Happy with You” and a lot of interchangeable nothings. Holy cats. 2007 won High School Musical 2 Week. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m going to say, of the three years, 2007, BASED SOLELY ON THE STRENGTH OF HIGH SCHOOL GODS DAMNED MUSICAL 2, WON THIS FAKE ACCOLADE ON THIS LITTLE-READ BLOG. I forgot “Clothes Off!” dropped this week. This is all HSM2. Wow. What a week this turned out to be. When I was makin’ these lists, when I saw all the High School Musical 2 droppin’, I said, “2007 is dead in the water.” BUTCHA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?!

2017: 12 1997: 11 2007: 11

2007 has won three of the last four weeks. Don’t call it a comeback, because 2007 never left. History is permanent, it would be weird if the entirety of 2007 disappeared even for a second. And next week, the last selection remaining from HSM2, “Fabulous,” will team up with 50 Cent to take on “Barbie Girl” and what appears to be /sigh/ an Avicii tune. Will the dream die? FIND OUT!