#(I forgot what made me think of it but I had this fantastic idea post war where Créa has tried to keep herself together)

[dunadaan]

I’ve been feeling Créa creep up on me as of late and today I went back and reread my little document where I type up random ideas for scenes/fics and I was like. Wow who wrote this. This is really good. Why isn’t there more of this damn. But also wow I really put miss créa through the blender and she is a fine red mist a lot. But that is the life of a ranger…and even when she’s not a ranger anymore I press blend on high and she is sadly used to that

[incorrect-rqg]

Okay my intent here is not to start drama in the rqg fandom in 2024 because I love this community and frankly it's not that deep, but there's something I just wanna talk about for a sec.

I've seen the sentiment around lately that the party is unnecessarily cruel to Wilde - from the Prague arc all the way up to Damascus or even Japan - and that this specifically contributes to Wilde's guardedness and unwillingness to be emotionally open with the party throughout the show. That he goes "oh, you want me to be the snarky punching bag with no feelings? Then that's what I'll be."

While this is a sentiment I generally agree with, I take some issue with the idea that the party - Grizzop specifically - is mean to Wilde for "no reason".

Grizzop has a very good reason to dislike being around Wilde, which he expresses on numerous occasions - Wilde's lack of respect for Grizzop's personhood and his use of condescending and demeaning language.

While Wilde never actually calls Grizzop "It" like he'd later claim (just a result of long gaps between sessions and Ben being a human being with imperfect memory), he does call him "this one" and generally treat him in a dismissive and condescending way, even after being told to stop numerous times.

Now, I've seen the argument that this is kind of just how Wilde talks to everyone. That's just who he is, especially in earlier arcs. This isn't entirely untrue, but that doesn't change the fact that like... Grizzop is a goblin (in the RQGverse a minority race with a history of oppression), who has been the target of this kind of language and attitude from humans his entire life. He's entirely warranted in being upset at being treated this way. Wilde doesn't ever really give Grizzop any reason to like him, and frankly Grizzop doesn't owe Wilde jack shit.

Another scenario is the iconic moment where Grizzop punches Wilde in the dick. I made a post about this a couple days ago while Very High and then forgot to delete it in the morning so it's just up now. But I've seen a couple comments (on the post and elsewhere) being like "poor Wilde :(" or "he didn't deserve that" and like... He kinda did? He was being antagonistic and negging Sasha, deliberately trying to make her feel worse about her upcoming Risky Medical Procedure. Even if it was just him being silly that's still a pretty shitty thing to do. You can argue that Grizzop went overboard with the physical violence, but arguing that it wasn't at all warranted doesn't make sense to me.

I love Wilde as much as the next rqg fan. He's probably my favourite character, maybe behind Sasha. But in order to appreciate the extent of his character growth it's important to recognize situations where yeah, he was being shitty and antagonistic.

And, even in a scenario as silly and fantastical as this, I still think it's important to not brush off the experiences of a marginalized person who says they're a target of discriminatory language, even if the perpetrator is someone you like. Wilde is white, and charming, and wealthy, and in a position of power over Grizzop as his handler and as a government representative. He is not the victim in this situation.

Again, very much not looking to start shit here, especially because "aw, poor Wilde :(" is definitely a thought I've had while listening to early RQG. This is just something I've been thinking about a lot during my current relisten and wanted to share with you guys.

[avelera]

Oh GOD you, too, are an online lectures geek pls consider this your invitation to talk about favs--ones that stuck with you, current obsessions--the more the better! In trade, I'll tell you the two things I'm currently adoring: Yale's Open Course podcast on The Civil War to Reconstruction done by David Blight (man forgot more than ten other civil war historians know even if he mumbles *constantly*) and A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch (so! worth the Prime BBC free trial <3)

Hiya! Don't mind if I do!

So 99% of the lectures I've watched lately are on the Great Courses Plus which was recently and stupidly renamed "Wondrium", which I find profoundly stupid because instead of just saying, "Hey, check out the Great Courses, yeah you can kinda guess what the streaming service offers," I have to instead explain what this nonsense term "Wondrium" means, ANYWAY, they've got lectures about basically everything.

Essentially, it's Netflix but for college lectures. YouTube has become so unreliable as far as what's actual information and what's completely made up or even racist conspiracy theory BS that I find it completely untrustworthy. Also, most documentaries are trying to prove something new, or offer a new angle on something, OR they're SO rudimentary and 101 that even for topics I know less about in history I tend to already know everything they're going to say.

So I pivoted to college lectures because 1) it's a whole series so like, dozens of hours I can just throw on in the background while doing something mindless and 2) I know it's going to be trustworthy, reliable, and provide me a baseline on a topic instead of some "new controversial spin" on it. Like, goddammit, sometimes I just want to better understand the history of Ancient Egypt, not your stupid theory about how they were secretly all space aliens or that we've got the carbon dating all wrong or whatever made up nonsense.

So, here's a list of some of my favorites!

Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome - I consider myself about as near an expert as a non-academic can get on Rome and this lecture actually taught me some things, which is rare, so I recommend it as a fantastic deep dive!

How the Crusades Changed History is a pretty good short version that I recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Old Guard's Nicky and Joe BUT, for the best Crusades lecture, I'd recommend this History of the Crusades podcast. Sharyn Eastaugh is not just insanely informative, but her dry wit made me laugh out loud at least once an episode at the sheer hapless ineptitude of the Crusaders.

In the Wake of the Plague is a fantastic new lecture by Wondrium, the lecturer is amazing and it provides a lot of objective insights into how humans react to plagues that is VERY relevant to current events, BUT their lecture on **The Black Death in general is the one that got me obsessed with their lecture series. I watched it in the first week of Covid lockdown and let me tell you, having this super in-depth, objective look into how people behaved during the Black Death was incredibly valuable (and chilling) going into those years because it all played out with astonishing similarity. Also, anything by that lecturer, Dorsey Armstrong, is awesome. She's a Medievalist of the highest order. I also recommend her lecture on King Arthur.

**The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries - this one wins the award for "Lecture I thought most likely to bore me to tears that ended up being the single most fascinating I've heard in YEARS." Seriously, the way it explores the evolution of how we think in the modern era, through the philosophers who first conceived of these ideas, was jaw-droppingly fascinating. I also recommend it to writers of historical fiction and fantasy for a crash course, by proxy, of how to write people who think differently than you.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World - I once had beef with a post here on Tumblr that claimed that academic Classicists don't care about slaves or normal people during the Roman Empire, which is just profoundly absurd. I pointed out this lecture to them if they actually wanted to learn more about the subject instead of complaining that an art history professor may not have been prepped for a lecture about the lives of enslaved people in Ancient Rome. If that is a subject of interest, this lecture is great.

The Real History of Pirates - a must-listen for OFMD fans who want to get an introduction to historical pirates and the history of pirates in literature, which "Our Flag Means Death" owes as much if not more to than the historical figures.

**Turning Points in Middle Eastern History - One of the first lectures I listened to and still one of my enduring favorites. It's the first one I picked up for writing my Old Guard fic, Lights Out, when I wanted to write Joe from a more informed angle and I learned so much.

Understanding Japan: A Cultural History - One of my favorite lectures based on format, the lecturer picks a literary work or cultural concept as the entry point to explore the timeline of Japanese history. It's a fantastic way to give a wider and more holistic look at each era, pairing it with a cultural touchstone.

Shout-out to "The Mysterious Etruscans" because I just think they're neat. The lecturer is also very good and I highly recommend his lecture on ancient cities as well which taught me a lot that I didn't know.

Also a shout out to, "Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400" for its subject and the lecturer who is great and she also has a really fascinating talk about the history of Spain.

Ok, I THINK that's some of the top ones! ;D

[piko-power]

So, the Knuckles Show...

It was a hassle to attempt and find the show somewhere else (pirate if you wanna watch), and also I had a lot going on that day, BUT!

I have finally finished all six episodes of Knuckles, and my final thoughts...!

...It was pretty good.

Honestly, nothing to ground-breaking and outstanding but it was fantastic and such a lovely treat to hardcore Knuckles fans. Like me lol. (It may not look like it, but TRUST ME THIS SHOW TURNED ME INTO A HARDCORE KNUCKLES FAN.)

All of my thoughts are under the cut, but to make a long story short, I really enjoyed it! (Forgive this post and me I'm not the best at sharing reviews DX)

Now, some things I wanna point out... (MASSIVE SPOILERS AND PERSONAL HEADCANONS AHEAD)

THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS

I really liked Wade Whipple. He's goofy, and dorky, and he was fantastic for saving his family and Knuckles. His character arc was really interesting to watch, and he's got a lot of funny moments. Him and Knuckles also make a great team. I believe he would make a great Uncle for Knuckles. XD

Knuckles' arc was fantastic too. I was hoping that he realizes that Earth is his home, and he did. The Movie Series version of Knuckles is definitely my favorite version of Knuckles. EVER. Love this character to death. Number one favorite character right now.

The story was pretty good, too. Interesting that Knuckles isn't the only main focus, but I was onboard with the idea that Wade is also in the spotlight. I liked Wade but I love him A LOT.

The whole drama with Wade's family was something that honestly caught me off guard, but in a good way. It's just great to see more of his extended family. (And Wade's mother and is just so sweet and cool.)

Mason and Willoughby were fun to watch. Almost better than Orbot and Cubot, honestly. XD

The Buyer... I kind of forgot about him until the last few episodes. XD Cool villain, though!

Pachacamac... Never thought I would actually enjoy this character. Really wish he got enough screen time, dude is so hilarious. So much better than the Pachacamac we all knew from Adventure 1 pffffft. And hearing Doc Brown's voice coming out of Mac's mouth was the best part. He fits the role perfectly.

WACHOWSKI FAMILY CRUMBS! WE GOT TO SEE MORE OF THE WACHOWSKIS! It was only for one episode, but it's just so refreshing to see Knuckles with his newfound family, especially Tails. (Even though he didn't get enough screentime.)

No Donut Lord... 😔

MY HEADCANONS OF THE EVENTS DURING THE SHOW (and afterwards)

The house is still in construction after the second film. I have a feeling that the Knuckles show took place probably a month or two after the second film. (Or at least after the baseball field scene from the movie.)

And if that's the case, then it's probably why Sonic and Tails haven't called Maddie "mom" yet. Sonic JUST made Donut Dad official, but not hearing Sonic calling Maddie "mom" didn't surprise me, actually. Since he had a mother figure once before, and now she's gone. Sonic is probably still struggling to make Mama Maddie official after that whole mess. 🥺

And also I think Tails does look at Tom and Maddie as his parents, but calls them by their first names because that's what he's most comfortable with for now.

Sonic mentions that Tails and Knuckles are his roommates. ...Something tells me that he hasn't realized the bigger picture yet. 😈 Once the realization hits, it's over for the middle child.

I seriously don't believe Knuckles is sticking with the Whipples. He's got a bed at home, and "pretzel woman" is a motherly title of sorts for Maddie. I just think Knuckles and Wade have formed a really strong bond. Wade is more of a uncle figure for him, but the Whipples are part of the Wachowskis regardless. 💕

I bet Knuckles' grape stash that the moment Knuckles walks back home with Wade, Sonic, Tails and Maddie (and Tom if he came home) freaks the hell out because he just straight up left home without an explanation. Especially since he's grounded and shouldn't have step foot out of the house. But all that matters is that Knuckles is at home with his family. Did this calm everybody down? No, and yes. It's hard to explain. (At least Sonic knows now that Knuckles can finally relax.)

Ever since the events of the Knuckles Show, seeing visions of Pachacamac is pretty normal for Knuckles, whether he needs to be guided for something even if it's small, or he just casually shows up in his dreams just to say "hi." I feel like since he visited Wade while he was unconscious, I think Pachacamac would also visit other people's dreams or visions. It be so goddamn funny if this dude just randomly show up in Sonic's dream, scaring the living daylights out of him, and when he explains it to Knuckles, he's like: "Oh, that's just Mac, he's cool." and Sonic is like: "???????"

THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODES - Fair warning, I've only seen these episodes ONCE (Including some clips I rewatched on Tumblr.) so some things here might be fuzzy or wrong, so bare with me here...

Episode 1 was a great start. I love the dynamic Sonic and Knuckles has. Bummer that we didn't get to see more of them together, but with the power of writing, that problem can be solved! (HUZZAH!) I love the small bit with Knuckles and his mother Maddie after he got grounded and how he just, took it okay with the fact that he's grounded. And I love Sonic trying to help his new buddy out, he's an absolute sweetheart for that. Pachacamac's appearance in the episode took me by surprise and he was such a joy to watch. Love the elderly goofball. Seeing Knuckles and Wade interact was nice, too, even when he gets to talk about his dad. It was a nice moment. And Knuckolas Cage. Best nickname ever, how dare Knuckles decline such a title for a perfect warrior XD

Episode 2 was great. Absolutely love the daydream scene with Wade's plan on saving Knuckles from the G.U.N. agents, and Holding Out For a Hero playing in the background. GOLDEN. Don't remember much else other than that and Knuckles and Wade rocking out to so music. (And Knuckles breaking the radio again.)

Episode 3 is when we get to see Wade's family members, and it was nice. Wanda is one of those siblings that we had and Wendy (is that her name?) is just so lovely. We got to know more of Knuckles' dad, and once more, it was a tender moment between an Echidna and a dork-ass Uncle. 😊 And we got a EPIC fight scene with Knuckles, Wendy and the goons. It was AWESOME. Also, love Wade's room. He's got good taste.

Episode 4... Oh, my God. It was a fever dream. Literally. It was so RIDICULOUS but it was the greatest thing I've ever seen in a long time. XD I love musical numbers that just come out of NOWHERE, and this was one of them! Adam Pally (Wade) in a Knuckles costume is just the most elegant thing. AND ECHIDNA MUPPETS ARE REAL! I WAS HOPING THAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BRING IN THE ECHIDNA MUPPET!! Jokes aside, it was a strangely epic episode of Wade going through Knuckles' past in a unique way. And the songs were pretty great. ...You think that's where all the budgeting went? On this gorgeous musical number? /j Also we got more of my boy Pachacamac, being one of my favorite characters besides Knuckles lmao GOD I wish we got more of Pachacamac. I love him so much XD

Episode 5 Is when they arrive at Reno. It was alright. We got to see Wade meeting his dad finally (also Knuckles is using a phone no problem I guess??) I think that's all I remember. WE GOT KNUCKLES WITH THE HAT THOUGH SO YEAH!

Episode 6 is the last one of the mini series and it was pretty kick-ass. More cool fight scenes, with Knuckles and the Agents, him against the Buyer, which was short and sweet, but still pretty intense. Wade and Pete was competing in bowling. Kept forgetting about that, but it was cool regardless. And Wade being the best uncle ever and protecting Knuckles while he was out. Also kind of forgot a lot from this episode, but nonetheless, badass way to end the mini series. Complete with the classic freeze frame of Knuckles and Wade getting a high five! Knuckles realizing that his home is on Earth was such a powerful scene. It was the first Sonic movie all over again.

And yes, there was a pretty quick post credits scene where Knuckles found a song and claimed it was his jam. It was really cute. XD

Really wish there was a scene where Knuckles came back home to the Wachowskis with the family flipping the lid over the fact that he left the house, but in my heart I know damn well it happened. I know this series too well lmao

That's pretty much all I wanna say about how this show made me feel. It was a fun time. Not was insane as Movie 1 and 2, but still as enjoyable.

Honestly, after watching this, I hope we get a Wachowski family TV show, where it's just the family on misadventures, and moments together that are comedic, fluffy, angst, any emotion you wanna feel watching it, and it's just a good time. I just wanna see more of this goofy little growing family. (Also it'd be cool if season 1 was after the first movie because I wanna see Sonic adjusting to his new life with Tom and Maddie and spending traditions and holidays with them before the sequel.) I love this series too much. 😅

This show got me really ambitious to work on my stories and I really wanna show the community how amazing these characters are. (I just need to get an AO3 in the future...)

It feels good to be back on the Wachowski bandwagon.

The Knuckles Show is flawed, but it was a fun time. I love the characters, I love the story, I love the choice of songs they used, and of course, I love Knuckles. This is the best we've ever seen of Knuckles, and I'm proud of how far this little, tough guy has came.

The Echidna Warrior made his debut 30 years ago, and he's never been stronger. Keep on punching, Knuckles! 😎💕

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Pierre Novellie's 2022 stand-up show, Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things, has just appeared on YouTube for free, which is awesome. This show was what inspired his book of the same name, also recently released. Basically the events described at the end of this show inspired him to write a book, and now he's released the book and a video of the show at the same time.

I heard this show about a year and a half ago and enjoyed it, and then heard his 2023 show, Why Are You Laughing?, and thought that was amazing, a step above the decently high bar set by his previous stuff that I knew of (Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things and Quiet Ones, also on YouTube), which means I pretty much forgot about this previous one. But I watched this video this afternoon and was reminded that this show was also very entertaining. I think he was first introduced to me as an observational comedian for people who aren't into observational comedy, which is pretty accurate. A lot of his topics are well-trodden ground for stand-up (though not all his topics are), but he does them really well. I highly recommend this video if you want to hear a man observe how irritating it is when people do life wrong.

I had no idea he was releasing a film of this show, so it was a nice surprise when that appeared on YouTube this week. We've had a few announcements of upcoming ones recently, though. There's a release date for John Kearns' The Varnishing Days, his 2023 show and somehow his first filmed stand-up special (though he did release that one show on vinyl that was lovely). I think it's a parenthood show and those don't tend to be my thing, but I make exceptions for very very good ones, and this one is supposed to be very very good, so I'm looking forward to its release. August 31, apparently.

They've also just announced that on September 10, Ahir Shah's Ends is coming to Netflix. Fair warning to everyone who follows me on Tumblr, that is going to be a big one where I will not rest until I've made everyone I've ever met watch it. That show was absolutely brilliant.

I'm currently doing my Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 comedy admin, and having a fantastic time, as I put together a spreadsheet with all the shows I've seen so far. Will of course add more as I get them in from NextUp and anywhere else. I'm formatting my spreadsheet the same way I formatted the spreadsheet I did for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival, with the date and comedian and venue and show title and rating out of 10, but actually out of 40 because I include half points and quarter points, so I can sort them by that and see my favourites. I ended up with 40 shows on my Edinburgh 2023 spreadsheet, and of all those, Pierre Novellie's Why Are You Laughing? came in second as the only 9.5, and Ahir Shah's was the only 9.75. I made those rankings shortly before the award winners were announced, and was reading people on message boards talking about what will likely win the best show award and they were debating about all these shows that I either hadn't heard or hadn't found all that impressive, and I kept wondering if I had somehow misunderstood all of comedy for the fact that my pick for the best show I'd heard wasn't even getting mentioned by the people speculating (same with my pick for second-best, I do think it was an oversight that Pierre Novellie didn't get nominated for those awards last year), but then they announced the awards and Ahir Shah won and I cheered like my favourite sports team had just won the championship. I knew it! I knew that I'd ranked them correctly! I was right and the awards confirmed it! Obviously if a show that I'd seen and thought was shit had won, I'd have said that awards are the bullshit idea that a few people's opinions of a subjective medium count for anything, and they shouldn't exist.

Anyway, I needed to do a brief detour in this post to say "just so everyone knows, I called something correctly once", because I really like being right and think people show know when it happens, but the main point there isn't that I was right, it's that Ahir Shah's Ends won Champion of Edinburgh last year and entirely deserved it, it was brilliant. It's rare that a show can make me laugh that hard, that consistently, and also make me cry by the end. Usually you get emotional shows that are pretty funny or very funny shows that focus entirely on that. Ahir Shah had it nailed across the board. I am so pleased that I will soon be able to force everyone I know to watch it. And good for him, getting as big a platform as Netflix. Those awards are supposed to translate into further career success, aren't they? Sam Campbell won it, and the next year, he got a Taskmaster spot. Ahir Shah won it and the next year he got a Netflix special (and a Bugle debut, very important), which is awesome, but it would be great if we could tack a Taskmaster spot onto that soon, as well.

And in even more stand-up special release date news, this week we finally got an email from John Robins' mailing list that lets us know Howl will be out on audio on September 6. He said in January that it would be out around March or April, but realistically, September was always more likely. I can't blame him. I respect that he's going to the DIY route on stand-up releasing, editing the thing himself and sticking it on Bandcamp. Doing that with this show, given its topic, has to be emotionally difficult to listen to it over and over, as well as taking time and normal editing efforts, so I'm just glad he's releasing it at all, as part of me had a feeling he'd back out of that. I'm looking forward to hearing this one a lot, obviously.

We also got an email this week from Grace Petrie's mailing list, and I was disappointed that it didn't contain updates about the second filming of Butch Ado About Nothing, which I'd thought was happening this summer and supposed to appear on NextUp (on the subject of stand-up shows that have made me cry - I swear it doesn't happen all that often, I think Grace Petrie and Ahir Shah are the only two who did it in 2023). Hopefully that's still happening. It did mention coming to Canada, though. Only Western Canada, but it mentioned the possibility of further dates, so I'll keep an eye on that, in case she moves more central. (Though any Tumblr people in Western Canada, and I know there's at least one of you - I cannot recommend enough going to see Grace Petrie live, I got to last year and it was amazing.)

All this has also reminded me that I read months ago that Marjolein Robertson was filming her 2023 show Marj. I got to see her follow-up, O, in Edinburgh last week, absolutely loved it, which inspired me to look up whether the video of Marj ever appeared anywhere, and it seems like it hasn't yet. There's another thing to watch.

Okay, I think those are the major updates in terms of new recorded stand-up hours that I'm looking out for right now. Everyone watch that Pierre Novellie video, it'll be a good time.

[gay-jesus-probably]

Hey.

You have successfully made me have a full-blown existential breakdown with your statement that Tears of the Kingdom's story is imperialist propaganda, so thanks for that. But I have a question if you have the time.

From your posts, I can tell that you've finished the game. But I don't see anywhere that you've spoken on the post credit scene. So I have to ask, what did you think of it?

Before you answer, I'm going to try and predict what you will say: you were disgusted and horrified that the present-day sages (two of whom are children or at the very least minors) echoed the exact same "allegiance" speech, and Zelda accepted it with a smile.

Am I correct?

...Oh my god I totally forgot to talk about That Scene.

YEAH YOU FUCKING NAILED IT MY DUDE LMAOOO, I WAS SCREAMING IN DISGUST THE WHOLE TIME. The whole story had already been SO bad I really didn't think they could possibly make it worse at that point, I was just like what are we doing here, yeeting Mineru into the void? Fucking fantastic, still have no idea what she was even here to begin with, please go away now Mineral you have contributed nothing to this team or to this story - hey, what the fuck are you doing WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP TALKING NO FUCK NO NO NO-

Like, I got to the whole ancient sages swearing loyalty to Rauru scene BEFORE I'd realized how fucked the game really was. I was still accepting the surface reading in good faith at that point! But that whole thing was enough to make me extremely grossed out, even accepting it at face value. So to have them repeat that clusterfuck at the end? Jesus christ, it was just the final kick in the dick to solidify my hatred of Zelda and her entire family. This is why I tried to drop her to her death at the end lmaooooo.

My Link is just, furiously building a guillotine in the background the whole time. I'm so done with this bitch.

Also like even putting aside the ethics of Tulin being a literal child (and possibly also Riju, unclear as to what age she is now), but jesus CHRIST, Riju and Sidon are literally the leaders of their people! They are the heads of state! WHY ARE THEY SWEARING ETERNAL SERVITUDE TO THE RULER OF A DIFFERENT COUNTRY. WHY IS ZELDA JUST ACCEPTING THIS AS SOMETHING SHE IS OWED. FUCKING DISGUSTING.

I expected the ending to be miserable, but this was so much worse than I was prepared for. What a final 'fuck you' to everyone that isn't a goddamn bootlicker.

[youngbloodtg109]

Losing A Bet (Patreon Post)

My roommate and I were both pretty lonely. Our girlfriends broke up with us and I haven’t tried dating since. He tried but nothing seemed to stick. When X-Change came out, he seemed to love the idea.

He bought a pack of basics and showed it to me. “It’s a simple coin toss. Loser has to take one of these and be my date for the evening,” he said, a grin on his face. I reluctantly agreed and picked tails. He flipped the coin and chuckled as he showed me the result.

Heads. Of course it had to be heads. “Well, a deal‘s a deal. I guess I’ll be your date for the evening,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Good. I picked out some clothes for you. You may want to take that basic now. The sun‘s going down and I have a reservation for the both of us,” he said with a wink before walking out. “What an ass,” I thought to myself.

I sighed before getting out of bed and grabbing a pill and moving to the living room. I took a deep breath before swallowing and getting dressed. My new body was beautiful. I honestly didn’t expect it to work. My new body seemed so alien but natural at the same time. After staring at my new body for a few minutes, I remembered the bet and knocked on my roommate’s door. The look on his face was priceless. His jaw was on the floor as he saw how beautiful I was.

“I...I can’t believe you actually did it. You look absolutely stunning,” he stammered. I blushed and giggled at how nervous he was around me. Maybe being a chick for the night wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Are you ready for our date?” I asked. “Oh! Uhh...yes. We have a reservation at Asiago’s,” he said. Asiago’s was the fanciest restaurant in our town. I didn’t expect to him to take this date so seriously!

The date was absolutely fantastic. My roommate was such a gentleman and I think I started to develop feelings for him. He was so handsome and funny. He didn’t even seem to mind when I accidentally called him “babe”. I think he actually liked it.

After finishing our meal and leaving, I was a bit tipsy. Apparently, my female form wasn’t adjusted to wine yet and I was stumbling slightly as we made our way back to his car. My vision was slightly blurred but I could still see his eyes. “Hey handsome,” I said to him, slightly slurring my words. He smiled and pulled me in for a kiss. It was magical. Tingles shot throughout my body as our lips met and we held each other tightly.

One thing led to another and we were racing home, our hands intertwined. That one kiss sent me into a frenzy. I needed him now. My new pussy was on fire and I could tell that he was hard as a rock under his pants.

As soon as we got home, he carried me back to his bedroom and made love to me all night long. It was absolutely perfect. His cock was made for my pussy, it absolutely fit like a glove. We made love until the early morning and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I completely forgot that I was on a basic until we woke up and I was in my male body again. I immediately took another basic and went back to his bed.

I ended up taking a basic every day. My roommate is my boyfriend now and I couldn’t be happier. He’s loving, he’s smart, he’s funny, and he’s an excellent lay. We decided to skip the Xtra-Strength and jumped onto the Plus. Living as a woman isn’t easy, but with the help of my boyfriend I have nothing to fear.

The bet was absolutely stupid but I’m glad I lost. I found the love of my life and I just know he’s going to propose soon, especially since my recent pregnancy test came back positive.

Hello all! Youngblood here. This was my first ever Patreon post! For 2023, I want to add my old stories onto here, Blogspot, and Tumblr so that pictures and gifs can finally be added. I hope you enjoy and I love you all!

[catboyfever]

Tigger's Birthday - Rabbit/Tigger fluff

Heyy! It's been a minute! I've been a bit busy between work picking up, my own birthday which just passed (I wanted to post this rather before or just after my birthday which... didn't happen lol). But, I had this idea and I've been sitting on it for long enough. As you can probably tell at this point I'm a sucker for big gestures for someone you love, so that's what's going on here for the most part. There's some really sweet fluff at the end too though <3. Hope you enjoy!

Deep oranges and reds shine over the hundred acre wood. Rabbit walked alongside Tigger, chatting about the day's mishaps and adventures. 

“And when you got flung off that tree! I didn’t know you had the pipes on ya, Ra-Ra!” Tigger chuckled. 

Rabbit was predictably less enthusiastic about the situation, glaring at Tigger with his nose scrunched up. “Yes, in times of great peril you can do some fantastic things.” 

Tigger just continued to smile. “Well, who knows? Tomorrow might be nice and calm.” Rabbit nodded with a weary sigh. “Yes… yes tomorrow might be-” Something clicked in Rabbit’s mind that moment. He’d forgotten something incredibly important. 

“Tigger! Do you know what day tomorrow is!?” Rabbit shouted. 

Tigger scratched his head. “Uhhh… Tuesday?” 

Rabbit shook his head. “No!! Well, yes. But more importantly, it’s your birthday!” 

Tigger seemed just as surprised as Rabbit at the revelation. He hopped onto his tail and bounced around Rabbit in a circle, cheering excitedly. 

“Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I can’t believe I forgot!” Tigger said as he landed on his feet. 

“Well, what would you like to do tomorrow then?” Rabbit asked. 

Tigger rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Minutes passed, but still nothing came to him. Rabbit looked at him expectantly, a bit surprised he didn’t immediately rattle off a list of gifts he wanted. “Well… I actually don’t know! How about you surprise me, Ra-Ra?” Tigger suggested finally. 

“Surprise you…” Rabbit repeated. Tigger watched as Rabbit became lost in thought for a moment, thumping one of his feet. Tigger could practically see the steam coming out from his ears before they shot up as something finally came to him. 

“I have just the thing! You remember where we put on the play for Christopher Robin last Valentine’s Day, right?” Rabbit asked. 

Tigger nodded. “Course I do!” “Meet me there tomorrow evening at five o’clock sharp. Do not be late!” Rabbit then dashed off towards his house. 

Tigger watched his puffball tail go over the hill as he ran. “Alright, Bunny Boy! See ya then!” Tigger turned and began to bounce towards his house. His mind began to fill with thoughts of what Rabbit’s surprise could possibly be. A party of some sort, obviously. But he asked him to meet him at the stage… He wasn’t really the play type unless he was acting in one. 

Tigger tried to think of what Rabbit’s surprise could be all evening long until he went to sleep. The next day passed at a snail’s pace for Tigger. He hopped out of his house early, but as he tried each of his friend’s houses to pass the time they weren’t home. Now Tigger was truly puzzled. It would be pretty obvious of Rabbit to try and pull a surprise party considering they both just remembered his birthday was today. The afternoon crawled on. Tigger tried to entertain himself anyway possible. He played checkers against himself (and lost), played with every last doodad that he found in his closet and he swore he bounced the entirety of the hundred acre woods twice. Finally, the sun began to set and Tigger made his way towards the stage that Rabbit wanted to meet him at. 

As Tigger approached the stage he saw Rabbit standing in front of it dressed in a blue suit jacket with a white dress shirt beneath and a red bow tie. Curtains were set all around the perimeter of the stage, Tigger couldn’t see inside. 

“Good evening, Detective Tigger!” Rabbit called out to him. 

Tigger furrowed his brow in confusion before Rabbit tossed his hat and cloak to him. Tigger’s eyes lit up, immediately placing the cap on his head and fastening the cloak around his shoulders. 

“What’s all this, Ra-Ra?” Tigger asked. 

Rabbit shook his head. “Nope! No questions. It’ll spoil the surprise.” 

Rabbit clapped his hands and the curtains were drawn. Inside tables full of food were arranged around the stage. Sitting at each of them were Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, and Piglet, all dressed to the nines. Piglet was especially dressed up, wearing a tiny crown and robes. Pooh stood near the entrance with a coat hanging from his arm. Rabbit climbed the steps onto the stage. 

“Good evening, Mr. Rabbit! May I take your coat?” Pooh asked. 

Rabbit pondered for a moment and shook his head. “No, thank you, Pooh. The coat completes the outfit.” He said walking over towards the only empty table. 

“Well, well! Good evening, Mr. Detective! May I take your coat?” Pooh asked. 

Tigger shook his head. “Of course not! Do you have any idea how much detectivery stuff I have in here? It’s not for a civilian!” 

Pooh just chuckled. “Well, alright then. I guess my job’s done!” He said, pulling on the coat that he was holding. 

Tigger took his seat next to Rabbit. The food looked great from a distance but once he sat down Tigger realized it was… toy food? “Say, Ra-Ra, what’s goin’ on?” Tigger asked, holding up a plastic chicken leg. 

Piglet stood with a glass in hand and clinked it with his spoon, silencing the room. 

“Th-Thank you all for coming to the party! I, Piglet… uhm…” Piglet looked down towards the floorboards of the stage. “Line?” The floor opened up to reveal a disgruntled Gopher who hissed the line at Piglet before closing the hatch. “Oh, right, right.” Piglet cleared his throat before he continued. “I, Piglet, Rich Baron of the forest, am so happy to have you here for dinner. Before we all dig in, I want t-to propose a toast!” Suddenly, the curtains closed and the stage went pitch black. Just as quickly as they shut, the opened again and Piglet was nowhere to be seen. 

Everyone gasped, staring at the seat that Piglet had been standing on. 

“He’s just… gone?! Who did this?” Rabbit cried. “Oh just who could help us solve this whodunnit!?” He finished, flashing a grin at Tigger. 

Tigger leapt up onto the table. “Attention guests! This is now a crime scene. Nobody move!” “Oh my. Who could’ve done anything to poor little Piglet?” Kanga asked. 

“I bet it was Eeyore!” Roo shouted with a giggle. 

“I wouldn’t trust me either, can’t blame ya.” Eeyore said dejectedly. 

“Perhaps, Piglet just went to get dessert ready?” Pooh suggested. 

The curtains closed again. A spotlight illuminated the darkness, settling onto Piglet who was being hoisted up by his shirt with a hook. He was covered in flour which fell from him every time he moved. 

“My d-d-dear friends. Someone here is responsible for my disappearance, if you find out who did it, I will bestow upon you my… my…” Piglet looked towards the floorboards again. 

Gopher popped out again and shouted the line himself. “You’ll receive my untold riches and my undying gratitude!” 

Gopher closed the trapdoor with a slam. 

The spotlight dimmed and when the curtains were drawn, Piglet was gone once again. 

“First things first,  we gotta try and find a motive!” Tigger proclaimed. 

He studied the faces of his friends before approaching Kanga. 

“So, you were sitting right next to ‘im. What could you have gained from making our piggly little prince… disappear?” Tigger asked. 

Kanga shook her head. “Why, I couldn’t have done anything to Piglet! Besides, my seat is so close to yours. Wouldn’t it be hard for me to hide it?” 

“Well… What about that blackout? You coulda done it then!” 

On queue, the curtains fell again. When they opened, Kanga was gone next. 

“Ohh nooo! Mama!” Roo shouted, trying his best to act surprised. 

“What!? But I was sure it was her!” Tigger shouted. 

Tigger turned his eyes to Roo who was trying his hardest not to start giggling. 

“Ohh, now I see.” Tigger said as he pulled a magnifying glass from his cloak. “It was your idea all along! You got your Mama to do it, but she was sloppy. So to save yourself, you had to make her disappear! Well you shoulda thought twice before doing that under the watchful eye of Detective Tigger, Private-!” The curtains fell, rose, and Roo’s seat was empty before Tigger could finish his sentence. “… Ear.” Tigger finished. 

Tigger seemed a bit deflated, prompting Rabbit to inch away and knock on the floorboards. 

“Gopher, you’re going way too fast! Tigger is supposed to figure the mystery out, remember? How can he do that if he can’t question anyone?” Rabbit hissed. 

The trapdoor opened and Gopher smirked up at Rabbit. “Sorry, it’s just too fun pulling the trapdoors out from under everyone.” Tigger questioned Eeyore, Pooh, and even Rabbit, but one by one the curtains fell and they were gone. In the end, Tigger was left alone until the curtains fell for the final time. The spotlight fell on Tigger and Piglet descended from the rafters of the stage until he was above the downfallen detective. 

“Detective Tigger, do you know who was making your friends disappear?” Piglet asked. 

Tigger heaved a sigh. “I have no clue. I couldn’t get info outta anyone!” Piglet pointed at Tigger. “It was youuu! You are the one responsible!” He shouted ominously. 

Tigger gasped. “No… of course! It’s the perfect crime! How could I have figured it out if I was the one doing it?!” Tigger pondered further and suddenly realized. “Wait, even if I’m the one who did it, I figured it out. That means I get that reward, right?” Piglet giggled as he was finally lowered to the ground and wiped the flower off of himself. “Yup! Okay Gopher, now!” The center of the stage split in two and in its place, a platform rose up in its place. Standing on the platform were all of the guests who disappeared along with a towering birthday cake. The icing was decorated exactly like Tigger’s fur pattern.  Orange with black stripes all the way up to the smallest cake which resembled Tigger’s own bouncy tail. A single candle sat atop the great cake, burning brightly in the slowly darkening evening sky. Tigger’s eyes lit up as he gawked at the cake. 

“Happy Birthday, Tigger!” Everyone shouted. 

Tears welled up in Tigger’s eyes as he spoke. “Y-You guys, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble…” He sniffled. “But since ya did, let’s dig in!” 

“Not yet!” Rabbit shouted. “You have to blow out the candle and make a wish first!” Tigger hopped onto his tail, bounced high up to the tippy top of the cake, and blew out the candle. He landed square on his feet to the applause of his friends, and the cake was finally cut. Gopher and Owl talked about the reactions that they got from suddenly dropping the trapdoors out from everyone’s seats, Tigger explained his roundabout reasoning for each of the motives that he thought anyone would have and even Rabbit was please since they’d mostly stayed on script. 

Once the cake was gone and the sun was dipping further and further down the horizon, everyone began to return home one by one until Tigger and Rabbit left the stage together. Lightning bugs glittered around them as they walked down the moonlit paths of the woods. They returned to Rabbit’s house where Rabbit prepared some evening tea and settled down with Tigger in his recliner. It was a bit of a tight fit… Rabbit thought to himself about possibly looking into getting a loveseat since Tigger spent so much time at his house. 

“So, what did you wish for?” Rabbit asked Tigger, taking a sip of tea. 

“Oh, on my birthday cake? I didn’t wish for nothin’!” Tigger said. 

Rabbit set his cup down, staring at the tiger incredulously. “What? But it’s your birthday! You should wish for whatever you want! What about that big list from last year?” Tigger pulled Rabbit into a tight embrace, looking him right in the eyes with a warm smile. “What else could I wish for? I got everything I ever wanted right here.” Tigger could practically see the steam coming from Rabbit’s ears as his face immediately burned red. He pulled away from him with a huff. “Y-You… since when did you have such a way with words anyway?!” “Owl let me borrow some of his lovey dovey books, he said you like that sort of thing!” Tigger replied with a giggle. 

Tigger managed to coax the huffy rabbit back into another embrace. He ran the blunt edges of his claws down Rabbit’s back, making Rabbit shudder against him. “T-Tigger! What’re you-” He began, before Tigger silenced him with a kiss. 

Tigger let his claws make pathways down the small of Rabbit’s back as they kissed, keeping a gentle hold on the rabbit as the fire crackled in the fireplace. Tigger had meant what he said. Rabbit was always eager to do anything for him, he understood him on a level no one else did. Only someone like him would know exactly what to do for his birthday. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. When Tigger finally pulled away, he dipped his head to give a teasing parting nip to Rabbit’s neck before letting the flustered bunny settle against his chest. 

“I-I don’t know what’s gotten into you today…” Rabbit finally said. 

Tigger chuckled. “Nothin’ at all, Bunny Boy.” Tigger didn’t give Rabbit much of a reprieve even as they began to drift off to sleep together on the cushy chair. His claws kept combing through Rabbit’s fur as he stroked his back, nipped his ears ever so gently until eventually, Rabbit’s breathing became slow and rhythmic. A rhythm that Tigger had grown intimately familiar with and had grown to be so comforting, he knew he wouldn’t be far behind him. But still, he willed his eyes to stay open for a bit longer. He wanted his birthday to last just a little longer. He gazed down at Rabbit’s face as he began to drift off. He had a smile on his face. A tired, but content smile with still just a tiny hint of red remaining in his cheeks. Tigger leaned down and kissed his forehead, yawning as he finally let himself fall asleep. 

“I love you, Ra-Ra.” Tigger said. 

His eyes closed and he fell asleep with the goofiest smile on his face. In his sleep, his grip on Rabbit tightened, keeping him as close to him as he possibly could. 

[octagledestroyer]

Good Omens Episode 2

Ok so first of all

...that first post blew up. Or at any rate it’s become more popular than any post I’ve ever made before so THANK YOU to my new followers and everyone who liked or reblogged it! 

I start the episode and the first people I see are Gabriel and Sandalphon- what an encouraging opening.

Also, forgot to mention yesterday but Aziraphale’s bookstore is a LOT bigger than I had imagined and I want to live there. 

Gabriel’s so friggin oblivious he has absolutely no idea what pornography is and I am cacklingggg

that side-eye from the other guy in the shop

“You can’t have a war without War” ah yes very clever. 

oooh I love Crowley’s flat. Wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s cool. 

the red-haired chick is War, isn’t she. Oh, yeah, here come the guns. 

I still don’t get the theme song, but I like the music

Agnes’ letter to the milk-man is so matter of fact

oh no, she cured people of diseases and thinks running is good for you, she must be a horrible satanic person

gonna be honest, this isn’t how I expected Agnes to look. I didn’t have a specific idea, mind you, this just isn’t it

well I wasn’t expecting THAT. I don’t think Mr. Adultery did either

pppft she wrote a prophecy about a phone company. Stocks 101 with Agnes Nutter. 

aaaand of course I haven’t been pronouncing Anathema right either. See kids, this is why you watch the show first. 

oohhhh cool, Agnes’ descendant and Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery’s descendant end up together. Hm. Well, at least I got Newton right. 

Oh Newton, you poor boy. Also Anathema’s hilarious and hot. 

whoa Anathema’s cottage is cute

“I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.” How did they get the plants to tremble like that?

Poor Newton’s so confused and flusteredddd. I don’t like anyone that way but I just want to protect him. 

Now I’m starting to think Mr Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer might not have had that strange of a name for a witchhunter 

“You’ve lost the boy-” “WE’VE lost the boy.” “A-a child has been lost” nice use of the passive there

Did Brian just BITE his ice cream? Who BITES their ice cream?

I love the introductions, although Brian’s shirt and face are sending chills down my spine

Does this happen a lot? Aziraphale makes some grand speech on philosophy and theology and then Crowley just slices through it with logic?

pppft Anathema’s so concerned about their game she’s like “Inquisition? TORTURE?” and its a tire swing

She’s looking so hard for the AntiChrist and he’s right there 

That is a TERRIBLE parking job and as a permit-holder it is making me            c r i n g e 

He’s so obvious trying to get Crowley to get the stain off his coat 

Lol Norman with his tie around his- oh. Wait, no, I read about this, those guns don’t actually kill, right? ...right?

Right. Oh, he’s gonna call him nice, isn’t he? And then we’ll have the classic pinned-to-the-wall scene. 

“This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.” If that isn’t the truth... 

oh my god it would have broken her armmmmm also they act exACTly like an old married couple 

“Open thine eyes and read, foolish principalite, for thy cocoa doth grow cold” how very useful. No sarcasm here, for once. 

Literally I want Aziraphale to look that shocked all of the time it’s fanTAStic

Alright, that’s the end of Episode 2 and my ramblings which people seem (for some reason) to be interested in. The next post should probably be coming out sometime tomorrow. 

[wispstalk]

Tagged by @dirty-bosmer and @nuwanders for this tag game to share lines from my fics, which are under the cut.

Rules are to post examples of your writing for the orange lines. (you don't have to make them orange I just did for ease of reading)

Tagging back: @ehlnofay @da3drat @druidx @jiubilant @thealterscrolls @profanetools @larkscribbles @everybodyknows-everybodydies @ervona no obligation, some may have already seen/done this, and anyone I forgot to tag who wants to join in please @ me

A line from your fic that makes you laugh

“I doubt Baurus will be laughing,” [Jauffre] says wryly. “But I will,” [Coradri] trills, and sets the helmet aside.

From this one shot. It's mildly funny in context but when I read this out loud to my bf, I did a sing-song voice for Coradris line and cracked myself up so bad I could barely get through the sentence 🫣

A line from your fic that makes you sad

The water is leaking from his face again. He never knows when this is going to start up, and he doesn't know how to make it stop. 

From The Nature of Fire

A line from your fic you’re proud of

 An echo of warmth still lives in his hand where they had touched, where they exchanged glimpses of some fundamental inner part of the other. What had the priest sensed? He can hardly guess, but he knows what he saw. That soft-spoken, soft-hearted, soft-handed priest has a will like the ocean in a storm.

From Idle in their Thrones

A line from your fic you think could have been better

A small task. Sewing is easy for him. The rest — trying to dredge up some understanding of the mess he's gotten himself into — will take a little more effort.

From IITT, during the confrontation at the mythic dawn cave. Got the idea across but there's pieces missing... that whole chapter came out a little hamfisted.

A line from your fic that makes you want to punch a character

“The Chalice of Reversal,” [Thadon] wails, and clutches at Tanis’s sleeve. “You must retrieve it, champion, or else..."

From TNOF. Fuck Syl for stealing it but man like YOU gave out these drugs it's on you to keep ye olde magickal naloxone on hand

A line from your fic that makes you go ‘aww’

[Rona] lays a gentling hand on [Little Makob's] arm. “Mind your volume, tadpole. Come, why don’t you fetch me my crutch and we can go sit by the fire and talk?”

A line from your fic that’s full of symbolism

From this one-shot. Something something people who are patient and gentle with upset children

When the Black Hound is off the leash, his people used to say, pick a god and start praying.

In TNOF but first referenced in IITT. The reader only sees Tanis past his "prime" mercenary days, so it's meant to take on a little different timbre when it comes up in the stories. And blah blah blah the themes the themes

A line from your fic that contains an Easter egg

But Irathi put them up at a nice inn, and they spent their evenings drinking with a crazy old alchemist who lived in the basement.

From IITT. Sinderion :)

A line from your fic that’s shocking

The hot smell of offal presses the back of his throat like a blunt, insistent finger.

From TNOF. Discovered recently I like writing stuff that is gross and I grossed myself out with this one.

A line from your fic you want to talk about more

“My little beasts of inspiration,” Tall-Trees-Falling explains drily, as she affixes a spiral shell to one of them, forming a claw. “Perhaps one will strike you.”

Tall-Trees-Falling is a one-note character in the Shivering Isles DLC who mostly stands around lamenting that she sucks at writing. Relatable, but I thought of all the time I spent unable to write or draw....i wasn't just, like, doing nothing. So I made her a sculptor.

But it's a funny thing where if you're not doing The Creative Act that you have tied to your identity, it can sometimes feel like it doesn't count. She's like "oh I build life-size fantastical creatures out of trash and shit I find on the beach but it's whatever." I'm a little like this with my hobbies. I spent years learning different fiber arts and gardening techniques and fucking CARPENTRY but it only recently occurred to me that I was referring to that period as some kind of creative dead zone because I wasn't drawing. Anyway her gag is that she is making immobile sculptures so they can't strike, but she keeps at it anyway.

[zorkaya-moved]

Morning, besties. Ya girl is back from her hiatus 1 day early, but only to update y'all beautiful souls about what's going on.

Did u miss seeing me and Zarina on ur dash (say yes 🔪)? ;)

I had the time to just chill out, concentrate on my real life, and understand that I'll be doing some things differently. I over-hoarded drafts and asks. Every year this happens, and I just never fucking learn, but I'll try to take my time to sort out everything. This means that I'll be looking through my endless list of drafts and finally replying to them (thank u brain for finally working).

I have a queue prepared to start tomorrow until 17-18th for now. It's 3 posts per day, but I'll keep it to 2 posts per day after 18th of March. I'll be absent today as well, even though I came back but it's like... Update-update. Still not going to reach out regarding plots because I'm still not back with those thoughts and ideas.

If YOU have ideas for plotting, through them at me!

It was SOOOOO NICE to take a break from Tumblr and just? Play games? Read books? Just vibe. Also re-connect with some of Zarina's personality traits that I've let to float around. Now, thanks to PTN, I finally understand how to write some of Zarina's apathetic sides and it made me super happy. I'll also post some of the metas I finally sat down to write. I just might continue this type of existence for the whole month of March due to how much I need to do.

I probably will be giving myself like week-long rests without Tumblr on my phone. I'll probably still take a bit of a long time to rest and not really communicate with anyone yet because I still feel like I need a bit more time there. I'm still playing games but I'm also especially busy this month (graduate school registrations, essays, recommendation letters, applying, all of that jazz). 'Cuz of that I'll probably full-on rely on queue. And yes, I wrote things over my hiatus because I just cannot leave my girl alone lmao. Thank u Google Docs for existing.

Hope y'all are safe. I've got things already queued. Today's gonna be a busy work day, and I've got a call with one of the universities before my application to ask some questions, yahoo! Have a fantastic day. Just know that the activity will only be continued through queue for now. I'll also try to limit my ooc posting because I think the amount that I posted made ME overwhelmed as well since I want to have more IC content to interact with people and not make others feel like I forgot or worse. I really was burnt out and I'm sorry if I hurt anyone, made them feel forgotten, or I made them annoyed with my activity/words/ooc posts.

I still struggle with replying to people socially/ooc-ly even in real life, but I'll try to do better. Over the course of my previous job, I was over-stressed but I also... lost touch with many people. And I didn't chase them because, yes, I didn't keep in touch and it was my fault. However, I will do my best to not let this happen again. I cannot promise anything as I still do not have stability in my life (and didn't have for the last, what, 5 years?) and I cannot make any definity promises. I promise to do better, but that's all I can do. And I will do my fucking best.

Oof, thanks you for reading this! Take care of yourselves. I'm gonna try to concentrate on drafts instead of asks these days because that's how active interactions go and I want to interact. Let's fucking go!!

[hotliljewishgirl]

Post-Jangle Ball Ramblings: Act Two (VHSCC)

I already posted a part one, so here’s my thoughts on VHSCC. Full disclosure – I’m mostly creating these posts for myself, because I am fucking terrified of forgetting even a minute of this show. I have waited too long for this to simply trust my very unreliable hippocampus. But if you enjoy this too, here it is (this post contains spoilers):

I had no idea what to expect for VHSCC. I wasn’t sure if the second act was going to be in costume, if they were going to do it sung through or do little out of character speeches before each song, if they were going to be acting like their characters or just performing their songs, etc. They did do it sung through but they were not in costume and they were mostly in character. I loved how they did it and I have no notes. I got digital tickets in both 2020 and 2021, and this was my favorite rendition of it. They seemed like they were having fun even in the serious moments and enjoying interacting with the audience on top of singing and dancing their faces off. I have nothing to say other than that it was fantastic and I wish I could see it like that again.

Brian as Tiny Tim made me laugh my ass off. Out of costume, a grown man acting like a sickly child is peak comedy. He came in riding piggyback on Joey, and Lauren reprised the thing where Emily is disgusted by Tim and pushes him away when he tries to touch her. Priceless in general was equal parts heartwarming and hilarious, which is exactly how it should be.

I know I already said this but it bears repeating: Dylan stole the damn show. Get that man on Broadway. I believed he was a crotchety old man, even out of costume, and he made me feel for Scrooge. There was not a single moment where his vocals faltered, and out of everyone he was the one who was most engaged with the audience. Seeing him perform live is truly an out of body experience.

Oddly specific, but I want to mention; Jaime’s Christmas Past came off as a little more gentle/kind than it has been in years past. Both versions of Christmas Past really worked, but the less harsh version was nice to see live. It sounded like she genuinely felt sorry for Scrooge on “she can’t hear it”, and she was trying to comfort him during That Scrooge. The nice thing about doing this show every year is that the actors can make tweaks as they see fit and we get to see it evolve. I hope little character choices like that continue to be made and changed.

Speaking of That Scrooge…Janaya. Girl. Stop being so damn talented. Brian, Dylan, and Jaime also killed it and That Scrooge is quickly becoming one of my favorite VHSCC songs (after Priceless and Three Spirits. I’m a sucker for a power ballad, okay?). Seriously, I’m really glad we have Janaya. I used to be scared when new Starkids were introduced, but that stopped after we got Angela because I realized the new faces are equally as incredible as the people I grew up with, and they don’t make it feel any less like a Starkid show (on the contrary, the new Starkids have become some of my favorites). Janaya is no exception.

Christmas Electricity was SO much fun to see live. I still feel like dancing just thinking about it. The energy in that room was indescribable. James has such great stage presence and command of his work, and his take on Christmas Present highlighted how great he is at working a crowd. This is another number that necessitates a mention of the dancing. I think most of the choreo was recycled from last year, which is fine because that choreo is iconic. I was seriously shocked by how incredible the dancing was. I don’t want to repeat myself but. Holy shit. Starkid dancing, guys.

Priceless was even more special live and out of costume. I forgot I was watching a show – it seemed like it was just a loving family vibing for three minutes straight, and I loved it, because the Starkid community does feel like family. The energy was just as high as during Christmas Electricity, but instead of making me want to dance it made me want to hug the person next to me. Also, Everyone’s vocals sounded incredible. I’m not sure if he’s doing it on purpose or if it’s just the way the harmonies worked out, but in every version of VHSCC, Joey has kind of stepped back and let Lauren shine (or maybe I’m just obsessed with Lauren Lopez lol). She killed it (again with the versatility!) and hearing “I’ll toast my hope that he DIEEEESSSSSS” live legitimately changed my brain chemistry. A note on the choreo - Joey and Lauren slow-dancing gave me visions of their wedding and I am the opposite of ok.

Unrelated to the performance, but I just want to give a shout-out to the audience. As someone seeing them live for the first time (and going to the show alone), I wasn’t sure what to expect. But within minutes of getting in line, I caught myself thinking “I’ve found my people”. Everyone was as excited and into it as I was and it made all the difference. Thank you, Starkid fans, for creating such a wonderful, positive, welcoming community.

[jumpscaregoose]

What are your thoughts on the character writing in Shaman King? I think it's pretty interesting since it doesn't always spell out everything for the reader.

sorry for leaving this for like 87 years I was deliberating my opinions and then I forgot

pinkie promise to not ignore more asks for this long please give me more things to drabble on about

this triggered an unskippable cutscene so I'm adding a read more but if you don't wanna be here for years me complaining is still above the cut (though I recommend being a nerd with me I have a graph)

anyways I have a running bit with myself whenever I'm googling something mankin related (like when capitalism was invented or the average altitude in hokkaido or something about lsd for the fiftieth time) that I do more research than takei did originally writing the damn thing. the exact words I say are usually "I should stop expecting takei to be good at his job when I do this" because takei does suck at his job sometimes. directing you towards him using the entirety of pre-colonial mesoamerica as a grab bag of random traits that results in hell for me googling stuff because ohmygod

I think the character writing is where this happens the least (though there was one point during my flowers reread where I had to step away from my computer because I forgot he did a thing and it was the SINGLE WORST THING HE COULD HAVE WRITTEN for those characters with that plot element but I digress that is a whole other thing that I am not qualified for)

the writing of our main characters (specifically pacing) is funny though one second I have a graph

these lines display (roughly) the points in the story where we're introduced to our five main characters and also the points where we get full backstory reveals

as you can see

takei what the actual fuck why is it so imbalanced

I think it's a cool funny haha but sir did you forget that one of your most important characters didn't have a full backstory for like four years

not much else to say about pacing except the manga is already really zoomy and when you don't give them enough episodes to adapt it you get an any% speedrun wr 19 hours 50 minutes whateverI'mnotdoingmoremath seconds also look at this typo I made writing this it's very important

ok right where we we

actually answering the ask sounds like a good idea now

overall I really like the characters in the shaman king manga, reboot anime, and what I've seen of the 2001 anime. I've already written an entire post about how much I love yoh and hao's writing. hana and alumi are neat and red crimson is an excellent manga but we're no here for sequels

also it's important to note that I have been staring at shaman king for like two years straight, I have no sense of what's obvious knowledge and what's obscure nolifer wisdom ( no idea where I fall on that spectrum basically)

recently I've been in a real x laws appreciation phase, I think lyserg's arc specifically is a neat and complex take on justice and healing. it feels like something that could realistically happen to a person, minus all the supernatural stuff of course

ever since I first watched the 2021 anime the summer it started airing I've also really liked ren. he's got the zuko type redemption arc thing going on, and while that's an age old trope something about the way he was written always gets me. watching 2021 episode 27 for the first time the day it came out (as the first episode I watched weekly btw, rip osorezan arc you're beautiful but the first time I watched you I was so preoccupied) was one of the most memorable media experiences I've ever had. 😲 face the entire time

horo's another fave writing wise, again mostly because I think the ridiculous pacing of his arc is Hilarious, but if you interpret it as takei being good at his job (possible but unlikely) his introduction scene is fantastic at establishing a character without letting you know you're missing something. I for one didn't notice until the narrative pointed it out at which point I freaked out a bit because oh no I ignored my son by accident. the wisdom kings fight still makes me lose it every time I watch it scene of all time as well (voice performance has to be my favourite part of that I don't think it would go half as hard animated without that)

those three are my favourite characters writing wise. I also think jeanne is cool but her entire arc is very similar to both lyserg's and ren's so I shan't elaborate. I will however tell you about the time I was sitting in math class when my teacher mentioned joan d'arc, I had what can only be described as a eureka moment, and spent five minutes frantically googling things until I zoned back in to him talking about the time he almost drowned in quicksand on mont saint michel

there's also some neat stuff with plant and flower symbolism that I haven't looked into in months but is pretty neat (I like the part where weed shows up because I am so very mature)

don't even get me started on the musical leitmotifs and themes (no seriously don't I have no real musical knowledge and no one to fact check my bs) but I did write another post about some of it if you haven't read it

uh in conclusion I don't think takei knows what he's doing sometimes, character writing in shaman king pretty good sometimes me likey, I will make graphs on a whim for basically no reason

here have another one I did in two minutes to explain ren and jeanne's parallel character arcs once

giveb me more mankin asks if you have any I have so many OPINIONS and TANGENTS I wish to be PROMPTED

[r6shippingdelivery]

I posted 7,676 times in 2022

495 posts created (6%)

7,181 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@leevila-today

@n3ongold3n

@gigacat

@thefishychicken

@kendrene

I tagged 1,673 of my posts in 2022

#r6s - 1,298 posts

#rainbow six siege - 412 posts

#rainbow 6 siege - 411 posts

#sgtnicoloff - 160 posts

#anonymous - 144 posts

#shameless self-reblog - 66 posts

#r6e - 65 posts

#kapkan - 44 posts

#rainbow 6 - 35 posts

#mah bois - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#so wait if he's descended from aliens and is associated with neptune in some way... does that mean wamai is that universe's aquaman? xd

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Made this for Twitter, realised I forgot to post it here. Nothing special going on, just a Spetsnaz bbq! If you’re wondering why Fuze is missing, maybe they’re waiting for him... or it’s because it was for a question of what 2 ops you’d invite for dinner, and I snuck an additional one making Tachanka the chef 😄

84 notes - Posted January 19, 2022

#4

See the full post

102 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

#3

I have no excuse for this, your honor, I just... I love him

107 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

#2

A high-res image of Harry’s new board just dropped, and I’m gonna analyse and transcribe as many of the notes as I can. There are parts I couldn’t decypher, so if you want to zoom in the image yourself and help me fill out the blank, I’d me more than grateful!

Under a cut cause it’s going to be a really long post.

The yellow post it above everything else says: The most practical application of my skills is to determine who works best with who. I eliminated interpersonal friction as best as I could so we can move forward efficiently.

We see that some of the names in the teams are circled in red, probably the ones who cause interpersonal friction... with the team leader, I assume? Below, I’m gonna detail the operators in each team, followed by the text on the first note (written by Harry, presumably), and at the end the text of the note under the picture of each team leader (this one signed by Zero).

Thermite’s team

Kaid Gridlock Tachanka Fuze Kapkan Buck Sledge Ash Oryx Thorn Goyo Amaru

Harry’s note: Some profiles are best suited for high-risk missions, and I’m not one to keep people from their calling. [REDACTED] is the cavalry - caution thrown to the wind get the job done at any cost

Zero’s note: Trace is motivated, and he’s seen more explosions than most, the years have been good to him despite going through hell and back. This squad needs to be led by a bad motherfucker

Hibana’s team

Thatcher Alibi Blackbeard (in red) Mute Dokkaebi Jäger Echo Jackal Blitz Maestro Kana/Flubber (hint of a new operator?) Mira Rook

Harry’s note: Members of [REDACTED] are the careers. A wide range of skill sets can be adapted to any scenario. They can lead their own missions or they can assist one of the other squads as required

Zero’s note: Imagawa is a (??) soldier and a fantastic leader. She’s been a reliable player in the past. I think it’s time we put her connections to good use and I’m sure she’d agree

Doc’s team

Lion (in red) Clash Montagne Twitch Nomad Bandit Frost Ying Castle (in red) Thunderbird Melusi

Harry’s note: A humanitarian unit was an idea I had a long time ago and I’m glad to have found a (??) that fits the bill. [REDACTED]  will be perfect for sensitive operations where collateral is not an option.

Zero’s note: Illegible

Caveira’s team

Maverick Vigil Zofia (in red) Lesion Valkyrie Glaz Nokk Warden Iana Mozzie Zero Flores

Harry’s note: Every good organization needs a covert espionage unit and for us it’s [REDACTED]. Caveira’s team is the best in the world at infiltration, surveillance, intelligence and elimination.

Zero’s note: Illegible

See the full post

170 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

There’s been a lot of talk about AO3 and censorship lately, due to one of the candidates to the OTW board. And I realised I have very strong Opinions:tm: about censorship and the freedom AO3 stands for.

Censorship is not a solution. It doesn’t work and it’s not even easily agreed upon where the line should be drawn. What some people might deem as immoral or reprehensible is not the same others will consider so. For example, you and me can agree that sexual stories about minors turn our stomach, yet other people would also include LGBT+ content there, even the sfw ones, and others might decide that any sexual content at all is immoral. So, how do we agree about what to ban, when nothing of it is even illegal?

because let’s be honest, it���s all fiction. As in, not real. Things like incest, rape and pedophilia are illegal irl, but not in fiction. Cause they’re not harming anyone. Really. You can find it disgusting, I certainly do, but I also recognize no person, no actual human, is harmed in the making of those stories. Because they’re made up and about made up characters. I won’t seek it out, and if I see someone making that kind of content I will most probably avoid them/block them (without harassing them), but they have the right to create any kind of fiction they want.

It always baffles me how readily understood that is when it comes to murder and violence in fiction. Nobody thinks that someone who writers murder mysteries or procedural shows really wants to go out and kill people. However, as soon as it’s about sex, people are up in arms ready to believe that those make believe scenarios are an indicative of someone’s real desires. Why is that? And since we’re on the topic of double standards: why are people clutching their pearls about fanfic, but literature gets a free pass, more or less? You go into a library and you’ll find lots of books with shocking and distasteful topics, including those that contain pedophilic content (like Lolita, to put a famous example), incest (Game of Thrones, among many others), rape, murder, etc. But they want me to believe that fanfic, the medium with severely impaired social acceptance and magnitudes smaller reach, is the actual problem that will “normalize” those ideas? Nah fam, I smell a moral panic, and people finding fanfic writers easier to bully into submission. Because this is all about controlling what forms of creative expression are deemed acceptable. Fanfic IS a form of art, popular art if you will, but still art. And by virtue of how AO3 is designed, it’s ridiculously easy to never see the kind of stories that you find objectionable.

Tags are a wonderful thing. I can specify what I want and what I don’t want in my story results when searching! Tags are the author being responsible and giving due warning. Especially the “dead dove: do not eat” tag, it lets you know that the content of the story will have questionable content, proceed at your own risk or keep scrolling. Same as the “chose to not use archive warnings” that one is a warning in itself that the story might contain triggering/upsetting content, and it’s the prerogative of each reader to decide whether they’re comfortable continuing reading or not. Ultimately, it’s all about taking responsibility for one’s decisions. People who are in favor of censorship in AO3 either don’t know how to control and curate what materials they access, or feel entitled to everyone else taking their morals into account instead of taking responsibility for their own experience in the archive.

None of the stories on AO3 is illegal. Fictional stories are not illegal, not even those dealing with unsavory topics. The archive makes people agree to continue reading whenever you click on a story with a certain rating (or without any rating at all, just in case!), so the reader is giving their consent to continue reading, they’re making an informed choice. Same as with the tags. They’re there, they’re a warning. If someone reads the tags, finds them displeasing and still continues reading, that’s on them. If I find a story with tags about rape/non-con, for example, I keep scrolling. Cause I know I will find the story displeasing and upsetting. The people clutching their pearls and going “but think of the children!” are, mostly, people who refuse that responsibility and ask the world to accommodate them and their morality. And then throw around words like pedohilia and accusations of “kiddie porn” careleslly, watering down the seriousness of such accusations. No, an explicit fanfic of twin, underage siblings going at it is not CSA. Cause there’s no real children involved in it. It might be disgusting for a lot of people (me included), understandably, but you can 100% avoid reading it and interacting with the people who write those. 

Finally, let’s not forget the recent history of fandom spaces, shall we? LiveJournal and Fanfiction.net both had purges of content, after some campaigns for censorship gained traction and popularity. So now everything relating to certain topics is eliminated! Well, except that also includes communities of support for survivors of sexual abuse (it happened in LJ). Well, except that the people pressuring for censorship weren’t happy with the gay smut either, so a lot of LGBT related stuff is now also gone! (happened both in LJ and ff.net). Except, in some countries anything sexual at all, is frowned upon, so why not ban that too? Censorship supporters will always move the goalposts, forever shifting their aim whenever they accomplish something. Because it’s easier and more comfortable to make others conform to their standards than accepting some artistic expressions will be uncomfortable to some people. And trust me, none of them will care if the dark fic in question was written by a survivor of similar experiences trying to cope with their trauma or raise awareness, or if it was done simply for titillation or to safely explore different scenarios in fiction. And the topics that were banned in those websites didn’t disappear at all, they just weren’t properly warned for/detailed in the summaries, so anyone could stumblre upon them by accident. The complete opposite of what happens in AO3.

AO3 was created by people who lived through those censorship events in different fandom spaces, as a response to it. To seeing whole communities and swathes of fan content being unceremoniously deleted overnight. AO3 is an archive and an online library, not a social media platform. It’s a safe haven for anyone to host their fan creations, but that doesn’t mean it’s a safe space as people understand the term in other platforms. In AO3 you make your safe space by using the tags. Because that is the only real way we can have a safe haven for EVERYONE. 

The thing about freedom of speech is that sometimes, you have to defend things you dislike (that, I repeat, are legal in this case), because experience has shown time and time again that as soon as you give an inch to the censors, they take more and more. And today they’re up in arms about “pedophilic fanfics”, but once that is done? It might be all nsfw content, it might be trans related content, it might be something else. But it will happen. 

4,391 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[decaffeinatedparadisemaker]

2022 Year in Review

 Tagged by @kitausuret hiiiii kita <3

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 8, 2 of which are in-progress

2. Word count this year: 81,374

3. Fandoms I wrote for: MCU, Spider-Man (comics, Webb, Raimi), Spider-Gwen

4. Pairings: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker/Michelle Jones, Michelle Jones/Gwen Stacy, Jian Mei/Peter Parker

5. Stories with the most...  Kudos: Long Road Home - 24 Bookmarks: Long Road Home - 3 Comment Threads: Long Road Home - 15 Complicate Me, Elevate Me (Symbiot3) - 8 Word Count: Long Road Home - 38,375

6. Work I'm most proud of... Amazing Jian Mei, hands down, no contest. I have never seen any take on a Chinese MJ Watson, or an Asian MJ Watson outside of Meera Jain, who hasn’t had a lot of page time and has had zero screen time (a travesty). So, I rolled up my sleeves and tackled it myself, and I’m doing my absolute best to represent Chinese and Asian culture and traditions and everything and still make her MJ Watson, and y’know what? I kinda like what I’ve done. And her story is just beginning! Please please please I am begging you please read it and comment and recomm to others; I really really really want more people to understand appreciate Chinese culture outside of the usual food

7. Work I'm least proud of: Probably Unfamiliar & Unknown, but only because I’m stuck tbh hahaha

8. A favorite review I received: Honestly, anytime I see a comment on Amazing Jian Mei I die of love, but if I had to pick a few (no way can I just pick one):

@weoffendedshadows ‘s comment on Chapter 1:

As promised - there is something amazing about seeing a character whom I have built up an image in my mind, of how they look, act, and just generally exist, and then is challenged so thoroughly and deeply that i can't help but look and see the same character in a new light. This is MJ, the same one I've been reading for years now, and I am loving how that same personality shows up here.

I also love the importance of culture within this story, how MJ struggles with the new world she finds herself in, while holding onto what is herself. I'm looking forward to seeing Peter here.

- Honestly after I had posted the first chapter I was so petrified that people would hate the idea of a Chinese MJ Watson, and to see this comment gave me so much encouragement and justified my decision to put this out. Because writing AJM isn’t pulled out from nowhere; I’m ethnically Chinese myself, and almost everything culture-specific is something I either experienced myself or something that I personally know has.

Em jeet ‘s comment on Chapter 6:

Oooh MJ got a lil spicy in this chapter! I adore the way you write her btw. She’s so perfectly wonderfully in character while also being Chinese. Idk, it’s just nice to see you let her be both, because some people can only manage one or the other.

Good lord, but the tension building (in her head) between her and Peter is fantastic. I hope to get a confession— Spider-Man or otherwise— at some point

- Em has been one of my more consistent commentators, but if I had to pick one this is it. The balance between being Chinese and being recognizably MJ Watson is, well, something I had dearly hoped I hit, and to see someone recognize my efforts? No words

@kitausuret ‘s comment on Chapter 7:

WHEW finally I made it to the last of the updates!

Oh! I forgot to mention earlier I think it's interesting that Liz is a journalist in your universe! I wonder if she's ever worked with Betty, or Robbie, or anyone kind of adjacent to the Bugle fam like Ben Urich. Fascinating stuff!

I like the conversation between May and Mei, it's so good. May knowing Peter's secret identity is also kind of a neat development here, but at least it sounds like here she didn't discover her nephew was Spider-Man because he was collapsed half-dead in her home. Little things~!

Aaaaaand of course, gotta love that little bit of tension between Peter and Mei. It's fate. ;)

Oh, one more thing: what inspired you to have Mei pursue medicine, out of curiosity? I really liked in 616 how MJ started pursuing a psychology degree so that's what I immediately thought of, but I love learning where people pull inspiration from. 💖

- @kitausuret is completely unhinged because of Mei, but this comment dug deeply to me, because she picked up something so important - the medicine thing, which is an important cultural discussion. I am so, so, so glad she picked up on how important this was to me <3

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: It generally is hard because I think the fandom is dry right now, but two periods in particular tested me: the first is right now with regard specifically to Unfamiliar and Unknown, simply because I find writing a Far From Home adaptation Very Hard. The second was when I was writing that certain scene in Chapter 3 of Amazing Jian Mei - you’ll understand what scene I refer to if/when you read it (although I will not judge you if you wish to skip it), but I literally cried while writing it and was crying myself to sleep that night.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Hmm not sure. I’ll have to think about this one.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: I’m not sure I can call it my absolute favorite, but this scene from Chapter 1 of Amazing Jian Mei is definitely up there:

Mei blinked and focused on the screen, where, truth be told, she had the fewest requests from Rainbow’s list of models. Part of it was undoubtedly because she was new, but… “I do not understand what that has to do with my name.”

Andy grimaced, looking visibly uncomfortable. “Mei, in my years working, I’ve noticed that models with more, uh, Western names, tend to get more bookings. It’s why I changed my stage name myself; my real surname is Karim. I’m an American citizen, was born and raised here, and Andrew Joseph are my real given names, but for a while it was difficult for me to find bookings with an Arabic surname, so I picked O’Conner from a phone book. In the same way, Jian Mei is an obviously Chinese name, so…” he spread his hands helplessly. “I don’t like it either, Mei, but it’s an option I recommend.”

Mei nodded. “Dawn told me something similar, but she only said it was because she was tired of people mispronouncing her name.”

Andy nodded. “She chose Dawn from her surname.”

Mei raised both eyebrows. The surname 萧 had absolutely nothing to do with the word “dawn”, but thinking about it, she realized that the almost identically-pronounced 晓 (minus the vastly different intonation, which any Chinese speaker would immediately pinpoint, but which most non-speakers would probably hardly notice) translated to Dawn. So… “What if I make a stage name similar to mine?”

Andy nodded. “Most non-speakers would butcher your name into Jane May, which is a start.”

Mei thought about it. “Is that a good name?”

Andy rubbed his chin in thought. “It’s just, they’re both first names, and they’re not so catchy.”

“How about May first? It is the correct pronunciation of my real name anyway.”

“Hmm,” Andy was visibly perking up, and looking intensely at Mei (which gaze, however, she didn’t mind; unlike the other gazes she was used to, Andy’s was pure thought and focus and creativity). “May Jane, May Jane. It’s still a little softer than I’m used to, but-ah!” A snap of the fingers. “How do you feel about Mary?”

Mei thought about it. “Mary Jane is not so far from May Jane.”

“Mary Jane, Mary Jane, yes, I can see it.” Then she saw Andy realize something, as his shoulders slumped and his eyes defocused. “But that can’t be just it, because Mary Jane can also be slang for marijuana, and we don’t want your stage name to be immediately associated with, well, that.”

Mei sat back and pursed her lips. “How about if we add something to Mary Jane?”

Andy’s eyes refocused on her face. “Like a third name? Something Western? Yes, yes, that could work. Do you like anything?”

Mei slumped. This was hard; she didn’t know that many Western surnames that she liked. Chewing her lip, she looked around Andy’s office for inspiration, and finding none, thought about the contents of her bag-ah.

Mei smiled, and Andy immediately noticed.

“What is it?”

She reached into her bag, pulled out the book she had bought the previous week, and showed it to Andy, who tilted his head to one side in puzzlement. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? Mary Jane Holmes?”

Still smiling, Mei shook her head. “I was actually thinking of Dr. Watson.”

Andy’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Yes, yes, yes, it’s excellent. Excellent! A good addition to our team.” Rapidly, Andy snatched back his laptop and started typing furiously, then hit the enter key and leaned back. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the newest model of Rainbow International, miss Mary Jane Watson.”

Letting a grin spread across her face to match the one on Andy’s, and feeling a surge of confidence and adventurousness, Mei stood up and reached a hand across the table. “You can also call me MJ.”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I started writing. I have never written anything before, except for the usual creative writing classes way back in high school and college, which were all more than a decade in the past.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: If I can continue bringing Mei to the page that’ll be the greatest thing ever.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year: Too many to mention. Uhh. @seek--rest of course, @promiseofthepremise, @jenniboo311, @pepperminttegan @kitausuret @dyde21 @evil-pony @mysterycyclone @anarchyduck @inkpenparker @weezly14 @demigod-of-the-agni GOD I AM FORGETTING SOMEONE I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY PLEASE LMK I WILL ADD YOU HERE I’M SORRY

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: Like I said. Everything culture-specific in Amazing Jian Mei either came from my personal experience, or from something experienced by someone I personally know

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Just write. I know how scary it is. But I promise you, there will be that one person who reads it and loves it and tells you that they love it, and you’ll fall in love.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I’m looking forward to continuing Amazing Jian Mei (not sure so much about finishing, but definitely continuing). Plus another couple ideas marinating.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read: I think everyone I tagged has already answered this but again if I forgot to tag you as a positive influence please don’t pitchfork me I am sorry again

And before I forget:

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BELOVED @seek--rest !!!!!

[megaawkwardhuman]

8 shows to get to know me

thanks for tagging me @someguywife

an excuse to talk about the shows I like? sign me the fuck up!

WARNING: A LOT OF INFO DUMBING I TRIED TO JUST SUM UP WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THESE SHOWS BUT I COULDN'T RESIST GOING ON LONG TANGENTS ABOUT THEM SO I GAVE UP ON THAT REAL QUICK

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

1) what we do in the shadows- I mean considering how much I post about it and the fact it got me to write my first ever fanfic no shit I love this show! I mean it's got gay people, causal murder, people who have no idea wtf they're doing, vampires, weird ass CGI baby for a season, emotional devastation, did I say gay people? I will admit when I first watched the show I honestly thought it was just ok (may have to do with the fact that halfway through watching it I got sick which is funny cause when I watched the OG film I was also sick and I'm sick now while working on my fic- AM I CURSED!?) but after showing my friends the 2014 film decided to rewatch the show before showing it to them and got fucking OBSESSED. Never been a huge fan of vampire shit but now whatever vampire media I consume next HAS to have gay people in it thanks to this show. It still feels weird to have a character I like and relate to that I can kinda actually see myself in like Guillermo and while we're not 100 the same I still kinda feel seen which is fucking weird ngl. HIS COMING OUT SCENE MADE ME CRY THE SECOND TIME I WATCHED IT. (probably cause that's roughly how coming out to my parents as trans and pan went just without the whole working for vampires thing) Low key scared for what the fuck season 5 has in store :D

2) our flag means death- I fucking LOVE this show! shout out to my friend for showing it to me cause I never would have thought that a show about gay pirates would be for me. Our flag means death has just this vibe to it that has me addicted to it and the love story that I'm STILL surprised a year later they actually went through with just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! The fact that a show that does what our flag means death does AND GET RENEWED FOR A SECOND SEASON brings a big fat smile to my face! Stede going in head first with an obsession while having no idea what he's doing is a fucking mood. can't wait for season 2 hopefully it won't leave me screaming at my screen like last season! OH YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT I'm SO glad they portrayed Mary the way they did! like they could have easily made her into an unforgivable bitch or homophobic as fuck but no I mean sure she's upset for what Stede did (if you were in her shoes you would be too) but after attempted murder and a bunch of shenanigans beforehand they talk it out and find a compromise that they both like and the fact that she's happy for him for finding love even if it's a guy and she isn't secretly jealous or disgusted by it is just *chef's kiss* so good.

3) moral orel- well let's go from modern live-action shows with gay people to a stop-motion adult cartoon from the mid 2000s! I can still remember watching this show for the first time since I binged it all in one night (by the time I finished it it was like 5am WOOPS) and I don't fucking regret it this show is just fucking fantastic. I HATE THAT IT WAS PULLED FOR BEING "TOO DARK" THE MORE I READ ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD PLANNED THAT THEY HAD TO CANCEL DUE TO THE SHOW'S CANCELLATION THE MORE PISSED OFF I GET! Like it's the darker episodes that make the show SO DAMN GOOD and memorable. HELL the episode that got the show canceled (I think it's called alone) IS ONE OF THE BEST EPISODES. The way it portrayed people handling trauma is fucking fascinating and it's a shame the episode is what got the show pulled. The season two finale two-parter I also up there as one of the greatest episodes in the show. The way the tone shifts as Clay gets more and more drunk and what went from a thing mainly played for laughs turns into a painful moment for Orel as he realizes just how awful his dad is especially when he's drunk. This isn't to say the less serious episodes aren't good. The show can be really funny when it wants to but it's just the more serious episode that leaves an impact on you. When hopping into the show for the first time I heard it was a satire show that was a parody of christian shows I was expecting every other joke to be bible bad (not a christian so I wouldn't have gotten offended but still it would have gotten tiring) but god I was relieved when I found out it was more making fun of those who use faith for all the wrong reasons then pointing the blame to an old ass book. overall 10/10 show that might not be everyone's cup of tea but I personally LOVE it. It's been a while since I last watched it but talking about it makes me wanna watch the entire show again. TL;DR: I fucking love this show and the reason it got canceled is the reason why I love it.

4) invader zim- OK time to move on to something less serious. It's also been a bit since I've last seen this show but it still has a close place in my heart. Invader zim aka the reason I have a tumblr account in the first place (though it wasn't until later when I started to actually use it. when I first made this account it was to lurk) is a nice little show I can watch and not over analyze the shit out of. (I do that a lot with shows I like) I watched this show at a very interesting time in my life. I had recently realized I was trans and had no idea how I was going to tell anyone and funnily enough a couple of days after I realized I was trans quarantine hit so needless to say it was an interesting time for me. This show and the fan stuff on tumblr for the show kept me sane. Dib was one of the first characters I ever related to and as you can tell by me still using him as my profile pic I still do. another show that the more I learn about what they had to cancel due to the show being canceled the more pissed off I get. I forget this is a kid's show half the time.

5) hannibal- I feel bad for my friends cause when I finished this show I WOULDN'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT. This show is the reason I actually use my tumblr account. (cause I paused it and it looked like Will and Hannibal were about to kiss and I needed to share it with someone and none of my friends have seen the show so I threw it onto here and the rest was history) I don't remember why I watched this show but I'm glad I did cause it's fucking great the mystery the first time you watch it and the set up of the answer the second time you watch it is just *chef's kiss* 10/10. The way they portrayed Will and Hannibal's relationship is so fascinating like it's so complex AND GAY. I WANT ANOTHER SEASON DAMN IT THAT CLIFF HANGER (hehe cliff) HAD BEEN KILLING ME EVER SINCE THE FIRST WATCH!!!!!!

6) the last of us- Ok so confession: I haven't finished the show (I have one episode left but I'm watching it with friends so it's probably going to be a bit before I watch it) BUT FUCK DO I LIKE THIS SHOW. I haven't played the games but from what I heard this is a rare video game adaptation that ISN'T dogshit so I might watch a let's play of the game after we finish it since I like the show so much. This has to be one of the most realistic representations of a zombie apocalypse I've ever seen. (granted I haven't consumed much zombie media and it could be the fact that before this the same friend is showing us the walking dead which granted CAN be good at times the way characters act most of the time at least at the point we were at before taking a break where annoying and frustrating) EPISODE 3 WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SOBBED AT A SHOW. Fun(?) fact: that date on the letter at the end of that episode august 29 IS MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY 😭. I'm afraid of what episode 9 has in store.

7) south park- despite having a dad who quotes this show and would watch episodes in the living room growing up it wasn't until after watching the last of us one time with friends did I ever end up watching a full episode of the show. (I forgot what episode we watched before watching south park but we all decided we needed a pick me up after it) While I'm not obsessed with this show and I haven't seen all of it (if it was possible to watch that much south park without going insane) I still like this show. Another one of those shows I can watch casually without overanalyzing it. Whenever I need a break from writing my fic or whenever I just feel like it I just pick an episode I heard was good and just watch it. The history behind this show and behind certain episodes I've always found interesting. Though I'm going to be honest for now I'm going to avoid most modern episodes cause I've heard mixed things about newer seasons. Butter's own episode, Cartman sucks, and Butters's bottom bitch has to be some of my favorite episodes. if you can't tell by my fav episodes Butters is my favorite character.

8) the owl house - FUCK YOU DISNEY THIS SHOW DESERVED BETTER!!!! Another kid's show I forget is a kid's show. the way the boiling isles are drawn hell the overall art of the show is just so fucking fantastic. THERE'S GAY IN IT!!!! LIKE ACTUAL CANONICAL GAY IN A DISNEY SHOW!!!!! I never thought I would see the day BUT HERE I AM AND AAAAAAA LUZ AND AMITY ARE SOOOO CUTE TOGETHER! KING OMFG KINGGGGGGGGGGG HE'S MY LITTLE BABY AND THE SEASON TWO FINALE MADE ME STRESS EAT FOR THE FIRST TIME. So sad that season three was cut down to three episodes. The idea that something you put a bunch of hard work into can be cut short cause someone didn't like the vibe is fucking BULLSHIT!

I would tag other people here but in the wise words of Laszlo