#Real life changer tbh

[samahlen]

Hell yeah!!! My third scroll frame is being delivered soon! You know what that means!!!!

Time to have 3 WIPs at the same time and finish none of them!!!!!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[ginalinettiofficial]

okay i just ordered some loop engage earplugs and not to be a capitalist or whatever but i’m VERY excited about the prospect of this new product!!!! they’re supposed to help with noise sensitivity in like group settings/public/etc so that i can still hear and engage in conversations but won’t be so overwhelmed by background noise and i’m just. SO excited!!!!

i’m truly almost in tears at the prospect of being able to go to restaurants and family parties without dealing with sensory overload and inevitably becoming the killjoy who has to leave early or keeps stepping outside for air or disappearing to the bathroom. idk, i know that i won’t know how well they actually work until i try them but they have good reviews and just the idea that this company is making equipment to help with something that’s been such a big problem for me for YEARS is so amazing and i can’t wait to try them!!! they say they can help with kid noise too which is just. i’ll believe it when i see it but if i can end my work day and NOT need to go sit in my silent room for hours because i’m just overloaded on sound????? if i can finish a shift and then be able to sit and talk with my mom without feeling like i’m gonna rip my hair out because of sound???????? that would genuinely be life changing. i want to cry happy tears at the prospect. i’m so tired of not being able to be with the people i love because i don’t have the capacity to handle the sounds around us. i’m so tired of saying no to EVERY invite. i want to be able to hang out with people without having to meet very specific environmental conditions. the idea that i might be able to do that even just a little bit is flooring.

also, just look how pretty they are!!! they’re so cute and i’m ordering additional colors of the insert thingies (called mutes) so that i can wear different colors on different days and i’m just. really fucking hyped to maybe not have to constantly say no to socialization because of my disabilities!!!!

and yes i DID see them on my feed and at first think they were cockrings but you know what!!! that adds to the charm of it all!!!! look at the pretty colors!!!! i’ll put cock rings in my ears i don’t give a fuck!!!! they’re cute!!!!!

loop’s website specifically talks about accessibility and disability and how they made these in response to a lot of ND and disabled customers saying how they liked their products but wished they had something that more specifically fit their needs - they listened to their customers and made accessibility equipment!!! they started as just a festival/party company and then a lot of disabled ppl were like “hey that helps US” and the company was like “oh shit that’s awesome let’s help you MORE”!!!! how cool is that!!!!

also they’re AFFORDABLE!!!! not dirt cheap but when i first saw the ads i was expecting to open and see it was like. $75-$200, the way fancy shmancy pretty stuff like this normally is, but then it was $30!!!! i can swing $30!!!! so i did!!!! and now i have this new thing to look forward to and i just feel great!!!!

anyways this has been me ranting and raving about a product i haven’t even received yet lol i just!!!! am so excited!!!!! i can’t wait to get them and try them out!!!!!

[twilightcitysky]

Everything Is Meant (long S2 analysis, part 1)

I cannot figure out for the life of me how to make gifs so this will have to be a gif-less essay. If anyone more tech savvy than me wants to reblog with relevant media, please do!

I've seen a lot of people saying how Aziraphale's actions in the final ten minutes come out of left field and are OOC, and when I first watched the episode I felt the same, but now I think I couldn't have been more wrong. And I don't think Aziraphale is being controlled... I think the entire season showed us exactly what was going to happen.

On first watch, what struck me was the number of plot points that seemed disconnected. I couldn't figure out how Job related to the present, or the Victorian era, or the Nazi zombies (still at sea on the zombies part tbh). I didn't know where the Maggie/ Nina subplot was going, or why we were bothering with it. Then I put my "psych hat" on and it was like seeing one of those 3D pictures come into focus. It's a psychological networking rather than a plot-driven one, which is what Neil told us to expect.

Detailed analysis under the cut, with spoilers:

I went back through the season in my head and started asking myself: why is this element there? What does it contribute?

1. Start with scene one. Why include it? Does it matter for the climax that Az knew Crowley as an angel? YES. It's actually huge. Angel Crowley was joyful, he was bursting with delight at creation, he was idealistic. He wanted to be a part of everything rather than run away from it, and that's still how Aziraphale feels. He loves being a part of things. He's a joiner. He's a landlord. He dances at clubs and he makes human friends and he learns magic. Crowley the demon doesn't seem to want any of that, and I think that's hard for Az. He wants Crowley to be free of the cynicism he thinks prevents him from enjoying life now. At some level, I think he senses that Crowley is depressed (empathy's not his strong suit but I'm sure he's aware that Crowley's in a "what's the point of it all" kind of mood; see the eccles cakes scene). He wants to fix it. Aziraphale is a fixer. Metatron offers him a chance to do that.

Another thing is that Aziraphale knows Crowley ended up Falling just for asking questions that seemed innocent. That's not okay with him. He thinks that with the two of them in charge they can actually MAKE the changes that Crowley wanted to see way back at the beginning, starting with a suggestion box.

2. Okay, now Jim. Obviously Gabriel/ Jim is the central mystery, but why does he matter? First and foremost: he's there to show Aziraphale that angels can CHANGE. Gabriel terrorized and threatened Aziraphale. Az has been terrified of him. He ordered Aziraphale's execution. And now here he is, drinking hot chocolate, doing noble self-sacrificing things, with morals that suddenly align with Aziraphale's. What an absolute game-changer that must have been! He thought Heaven was unfixable, but here's Gabriel in his shop for weeks, slowly convincing him otherwise.

Then two other things happen. First, they find out that this all happened to Gabriel essentially because he fell in love. He was fired and his memories were stolen and the only reason he recovered was because Beelzebub happened to give him the one thing that could save him. That must have seemed like incredible luck. Now, how does Aziraphale feel about memories? He lives in a bookshop that is stuffed to bursting with the records of all of human history, essentially. His memories of his time with Crowley are incredibly precious. He sees, there at the end, that everything he is can be taken from him as a punishment for falling in love. Aziraphale doesn't have a magic fly container. He'd be forever robbed of Crowley, his life, himself. It's a very real threat in his mind when Metatron intervenes.

Which brings us to the second thing. Metatron saves Gabriel. Not only that, he prevents him from being punished for loving Beelzebub and lets them both go. What better way to win currency with Aziraphale? HE doesn't want to go off to Alpha Centauri, he never has, but suddenly he sees that Metatron might protect his relationship. And he's probably the only entity with the power to do so.

So we come to two conclusions: Aziraphale, when he goes off to talk with Metatron, is feeling like maybe it's not intrinsically bad to be an angel. He believed all the angels sucked, and only God was good... but now he sees that even Gabriel can change. He met Muriel, and he likes them. (He also had a huge crush on angel Crowley, which is neither here nor there but he loves Crowley in all his forms.) So if Crowley became an angel again, would that really be so bad? In his mind, it wouldn't change who Crowley is. It would just make them both safer and allow them to be together. (He's wrong! And Crowley doesn't see it that way! But this is a key miscommunication. Aziraphale doesn't really believe that becoming a demon changed Crowley. Back to the first scene, which Aziraphale references during the Job minisode. In his eyes, Crowley is the same person (just more cynical because of what's happened to him)-- so why would it matter if he's an angel again? I truly don't think he was trying to save Crowley, or saying that Crowley would be Better as an angel. To him, it doesn't matter what Crowley is. Which is reductive and harmful, but not the same as thinking Crowley needs rescuing from himself.)

Second conclusion: he sees that an angel and demon can be in love, but they have to run away to be together. Gabe and Beelz couldn't go home again. Earth is Aziraphale's home, but after the attack on the bookshop he learned that without Heaven's protection he can't really keep them safe there. Metatron says: "Come with me, do this thing, and you can have guaranteed safety AND be with the love of your life". Poor Aziraphale wants this with every fiber of his being. All he's ever wanted was for Crowley to be safe. He's never been able to offer it. Over the past four years, he thought they were safe, but he's just learned that he was wrong.

This is getting long. Continued in Part Two!

[cherrrydomme]

I had the same experience with the vibrator haha. It’s a game changer. I suddenly loved sex.. problem is you’ll never wanna have sex without it now

okay this is real but i haven’t had sex in like 2.5 years so tbh who knows if i will again

just knowing i can is enough to feel sexually satisfied for LIFE lmao

[goatsandgangsters]

🦗 and 🎵 for the emoji ask meme!

🦗Do you write in sequence or jump around?

I used to be Very Strict about only writing in order, but I started letting myself jump around ~two years ago and WHAT A GAME CHANGER, IT HAS SAVED MY WRITING LIFE!!!!!

I get so much more written by jumping around, because when inspiration hits for a scene I can actually take advantage. it makes my writing so much better when I have not just an outline for What's To Come but specific scenes written that I can write towards and mirror very intentionally with word choice, lines of dialogue etc. jumping around when writing multichap fic has made my vision for the whole thing clearer, my choices more deliberate, and—most importantly—it's made it more fun. because I actually get to write the fun parts that inspire me!! instead of torturing myself by dangling the good bits as a carrot of something I might theoretically one day get to write!

(general you, the writer reading this, try it. give yourself permission. if it's not for you, you've still learned something about your process. but if you've never tried and think "oh I could never write that way," I would have said that once too. but tbh if I'd let myself do this earlier, it would have made everything SO much better and I would have gotten so much more done. just experiment so you Know if it's really for you or not)

🎵Do you make playlists for your fics?

yes but they're waaaaay less Curated than if I were making a fanmix. my writing playlists are not "here's a highly selective 12-song playlist with lyrics and music that fit and that come together to tell a story musically" as with fanxmies. they are "I need a 13-hour playlist that's Vibes Only that I can put on shuffle and have the right ambiance for whatever I'm working on."

I've got specific ones for all my different Boardwalk AUs, then one for generic grishaverse writing purposes, and I think "sexy" speaks for itself

50s au: honestly not that long, I don't have that much 50s music

Focus au: ~7 hours. the great gatsby (2013) soundtrack is actually perfect vibes. plus a lotta amy winehouse, lana, etc. anything that feels humid and sultry

Grishaverse: ~24 hours. not fic-specific but works for anything in that fandom. I've got the shadow and bone soundtrack, the lotr soundtrack, a lot of florence, anything that has light/darkness imagery, anything that feels Bigger in a high-fantasy, fate-of-the-world way

High School au: ~24 hours. basically all pop music circa like 2008–2012 and some pop punk. whatever makes me feel Teenagery again. also functions as a fun nostalgia playlist

Hunger Games au: ~9 hours. as many soundtracks from the movies as I could get from my local library, plus anything folk-y and sad (the civil wars, etc)

Sexy: ~2 hours, not necessarily songs about sex, just songs that Are Sensual musically or kinda kinky bc let's be real about what I'm writing

also it's not a saved playlist, but I've been writing a lot of Edwardian-set stuff lately, so for that I'll go on spotify and put on early 20th-century English composers like Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughn Williams and let the algo take it from there

fanfic writer emoji ask meme

[moonshynecybin]

do you have any books recommendations? 🙏

okay usually i like to know a general vibe for recommendations bc this is INTIMATE!!! and im actually in a weird place in my reading journey where im trying to branch out and try a bunch of different books in a bunch of different genres bc i got lowkey sick of what i was reading all the time so this is all over the place. whatever fuck it. here are some recent ones in no particular order that ive enjoyed OR at the very least found interesting. most of these are pretty famous i'll be real im not breaking the wheel here. under the cut bc she is long

our wives under the sea by julia armfield. was this book good hmm i dont know. was it kind of fucked up and interesting. YES. some of the prose is legitimately sooo gorgeous and the portrait it paints of the central relationship is intimate and oftentimes heartrending i still think about it which is kind of what you want from a story tbh... a really slow plot (kind of nonexistent) thats frankly more about grief than anything. theres some spooky body horror here so beware

slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. shes a classic for a REASON. do you ever pick up a book that is very beloved and famous. and then get genuinely and pleasantly surprised that it actually rules. happened to me. legit kind of life changing and also made me laugh out loud. if you havent read it get on it

the kingdoms by natasha pulley. read this over the summer and i vividly remember sitting in the basement at my job hiding so i could read one more page i was RIVETED!!! its historical fantasy its time travel its amnesia it is. on a boat. basically like what if fucked up gay love and also magic made france win the napoleonic wars would that be crazy or what!!! and it was!! also read some of her other stuff which is VERY similar and it was like. fine to good. but i LOVED this one

carrie by stephen king. read it around halloween and i enjoyed it more than i thought i would ! some category 5 stephen king sexism but its an interesting 200 page scifi novel with epistolary elements and some great characters i can see how it launched his career into the stratosphere... really good one to start off with reading stephen king if you wanna dip a toe in but are wary of the 1000 page doorstop novels. i say give it a try !

demon copperhead by barbara kingsolver. recent pulitzer prize winner. its a retelling of david copperfield with a distinctly southern appalachian lens which im always interested in because i am from southern appalachia and frankly the way we get treated in fiction is wild. like hillbilly cannibals who are illiterate coalminers wild. if i ever catch the guy that wrote hillbilly elegy we are throwing hands. but i liked this ! the region does have a long history of poverty and it was interesting to think about that in conversation to the social commentary with a victorian vibe from david copperfield. i mean this is decidedly unvictorian but that was floating in the back of my head at all times reading it so it made me THINK.

giovanni's room by james baldwin. another one where i was like do you see this shit?? this shit is crazy. and the shit in question is one of the most acclaimed and beloved novels of all time. anyways another life changer get on it.

even as we breathe by annette saunooke clapsaddle. another southern appalachia moment ! this one rings VERY true for me actually, despite being a historical novel... written with a lot of love for the area and made me cry a bit cause i was homesick at the time... great mystery and cool local history. also! one of the better representations of the cherokee people ive seen in fiction. which usually im hesitant to like. pin that as a THE major reason you should read it bc the story is ALSO very good but its a central theme of the novel so i thought i should mention it. plus the author is cherokee so she's coming at it with knowledge and care

in memoriam by alice winn. recommendation from a tumblr mutual so i thought id continue the tradition! read it in literally a day so im fuzzy on the details but its about rich eton style english schoolboys getting their spirits basically destroyed in the trenches of ww1... also a gay love story... lots of poetry very tragic but not overly so and certainly very readable... a competent historical gay romance if thats ur thing youll probably enjoy it

the poppy war by r f kuang. interesting bc it initially feels like a historical fantasy novel with a young protagonist going to a magic school and overcoming the odds slash beating the evil enemy story thats been done one billion times. but it is DEEPLY not that. takes the conventions of the genre and kind of refuses to make them reducible or easy to package. deals with war (read the warnings etc). deals with genocide. deals with race. wrestles with the ethics of all of its characters and comes down with some nuance. kind of a slay

and then here's some all time faves that are just GOOD and im reasonably sure anyone would have a good time with:

jane eyre. i have quoted this enough on this blog cmon. also if youre following me youre probably a fan of fucked up relationships so you should go. be with the OG. fly. like its foundational to the GENRE babyyyy

dracula. yayyyyy epistolary novelssss... another "fun" classic along with dorian gray... read em both they slap

the book thief. took me a year to read. made me cry lots.

daisy jones and the six. look at me look AWAYYY from the amazon series look at ME. this is a fun book. and if you are in a reading slump i frankly HIGHLY recommend it bc it is done in the style of like. a documentary autopsy on a fleetwood mac esque band implosion so its told in 100% dialogue as if they are being interviewed. you can read it in a DAY and its FUN and sometimes they CONTRADICT each other which i LOVE

the queens thief by meghan whalen turner. GOD!!!!! all time. all time. straight relationships in fiction that make you crazyyyyyyy and also genuinely delightful twists at the end of each book i LOVED them. i read them all in the pandemic they slayyyy

howl's moving castle. delightful. if you like a silly time in a fantasy world that makes you laugh a lot i would recommend. also the sequel its fun

any terry pratchet novel thank you goodnight

[thepariahcontinuum]

For the Parahumans OC Cape thing:

Brute/Changer(?), except instead of turning into some kind of monster or whatever, when a limb is hit (including the head), it just pops off. It doesn’t take damage, instead only beInt susceptible to damage after it pops off—and even then, it can take a tremendous amount of punishment. The torso is just immune to damage to entirely, so only way to kill them is by destroying the head. They can be popped back on just as easily as they come off, with about the strength of a fairly high power magnet. Detached limbs may continue to move as directed by the head.

My initial thought is that this cape is a C53, like a porcelain human-sized Barbie doll person or even just an animate skeleton, in which case the detachment thing would extend to every single bone in the skeleton. Any ‘healing’ of damaged limbs would have to be done as if it was an object—a bio tinker would have a hard time doing anything in the first case, because the body isn’t organic, while the skeleton version would be more difficult than a normal body but not impossible. Panacea would be similar. Somebody like Armsmaster or Mannequin would have a field day, though.

A non-C53 would be cool in a very different way, if simply at the gory image where you’d be able to see inside of somebody’s body, yet without any actual damage—it doesn’t bleed, and it’s as if any blood or stuff that should rightfully be flowing out seems to just hit an invisible wall at the point where it should exit the body.

Thoughts?

I immediately thought of Lizardy/Setsuna Tokage from MHA tbh.

So yeah, Case 53 skin appears like porcelain but does not shatter, I'm thinking everything underneath is the right shape and colour, it's all in the right places but it's not really meat.... Despite needing to breathe and eat it's almost like most other bodily functions can happen "wirelessly" e.g a detached limb well not asphyxiate despite being removed from the circulatory system.

The Setsuna similarities make me want to commit to this being a Ward aged girl....Also fuck it, sharp teeth to make her look a little less human while we're at it and they've got a weird texture as well.

With the amnesia that comes from being a Case 53 there's no way of knowing who she was she's decided to go balls to the wall and make sure that she can never be forgotten by anybody with how bombastic and over the top she is as she tries to cram every day with more memorable moments. She lives life cranked up to eleven at all times in all regards and has a personality like a Boxer Dog Puppy on a sugar high.

That drive and full throttle commitment applies to training and the only real downside to her effort to come up with new and more effective ways to use her power is that most of what she's come up with is completely batshit crazy:

Popping her arms off before patrol and replacing them with weapon-filled Tinker-tech prosthetics (Approved conditionally)

Throwing detached fingers after getaway vehicles like the T-1000 to track criminals down (Approved)

The "Thing manoeuvre" (Approved)

Carrying swords/similar to more quickly detach her own limbs when needed as well as for combat (Denied, pending reconsideration when she's 18)

Wearing an explosive vest to scatter parts across target-rich areas (Denied and resulted in a trip to a therapist)

The costume has to be jarring, something that makes your eyes itch. I'm thinking orange white and purple, a multicoloured bodysuit that covers everything below the neck with more gear layered over it....Also she dyes her hair a lot and hides it with a wig, which is also dyed.

As for her name, how about: Unhinge

[fructidors]

pt 2!! (pt 1)

tatoue moi: i feel like the lighting matches the tone of the song a bit less here, but there are a lot of effects i love--

this is one of my favorite lighting moments in the show tbh

i love the rainy lighting so so so much-- especially the dotted lights

also i'm a big fan of the red & blue at the end of this scene it's so dramatic. and speaking of dramatic!!!

le procession: the lighting here is so complex but the scene itself is so rich in musical and physical detail that the lights to me felt like they actually stood out less, despite being more eye-catching than they usually are? i love the projections on the floor and the screen, though:

i love love love this moment at the very end though. this sheer curtain is so cool and i love every time it shows up-

je dors sur les roses: ok confession time. i made this post just to talk about the lighting in this song it is my favorite thing in the entire world oh my god.

this moment might have changed my life for real. the fade from red to white !! the fade-in of the circle on the stage !! and then. and then. the roses. i'm so normal about these roses

so so so so so so normal!!! just a few of my favorite moments:

especially these two moments. at the beginning of the dramatic musical interlude-- the roses zero in, and mozart is lit in red:

and just as he starts singing again, they fan out again, and he's lit in white

and at the end of the song. once again, i think you could frame this:

this is probably my favorite lighting in the show. they could have just projected a couple of roses on the stage, lit mozart in white, lit the dancer in red, and just left it there, and it still would have worked well with the song. but the lights shift and change, expand and contract, while still never wavering from that first striking image, and in return, as always, the song has so much more emotional strength. in this song, with its minimal staging, the lighting makes so much of the difference between watching it and just hearing the music, which i think is a lot of what lighting sets out to achieve.

comedie tragedie: i think what this song's lighting really excels at is stark contrast between all the different people on stage-- mozart, the clown, colloredo, constanze and the singer woman (i do not know her name i'm so so sorry), and everyone else on stage are all lit starkly differently, that sheer curtain that i'm obsessed with is back, it's maybe not the most visually beautiful lighting, but it definitely fits with this song's absurdism:

place je passe: the Ultimate Cotton Candy Mozart Moment i love it so much

like. this is what i mean when i say that this musical fluctuates rapidly between very deeply 2009 and very deeply baroque and still manages to get them both right and looks great doing it

this lighting is so so iconic. you can't think of place je passe without it it perfectly captures its energy and also adds its own twist that you don't really get from the music alone. no notes

also the transition out of the song highlights just how much the set is a canvas for the lights. like in the span of barely a second, the whole stage changes colors so completely. who is to say magic isn't real

i am out of images again, see you in pt 3:

[castletown-cafe]

Finally, everything’s coming together. I’ve found unsalted butter. I got more cake decorating equipment. I just need to see how fresh my buttermilk is….but finally, the cake may happen.

I taunt the force that kept trying to stop me! Mwahahaha!!! *cough*

Anyway. Anxiety’s been kicking my butt for….almost a month now. There’s been a lot happening, a lot I want to do, and a new direction I wanna take as a creator online (while still doing Castletown Café of course).

I’ve been frustrated for a long time now with how things had been going on Instagram for me, and the bird app is dead (no longer the bird app anymore rip) and I guess it’s just reached a breaking point for me so I’ve been….moodier than usual.

Getting a puppy is a life changer and may be adding to the stress while helping me at the same time - her cuteness and love has been a real help. I wanna train her to be a service dog so she can go more places with me…having a small service dog to keep me calm is something that I’ve needed for a long time. Well, I probably always have, tbh.

[wulfums]

1, 2, 10, 15 for the end of the year selfship asks!! (@digitalheartbeat)

Ask Game

YIPEEEE LETS GOOOO

have you gained any new F/Os this year?

YES The main ones I've gained are Ratoo(Cult of the Lamb), Ratau(Cult of the Lamb) and Radley Heeler(Bluey) and Cromdo Face(Bugsnax)!!! My Biggest ones are Cromdo of course, and Radley!! Life changers...

2. if you did add any new F/Os to your list this year, was there someone who you absolutely didn't expect would end up becoming an F/O? if so, did it take you a long time to realize you like them, or did they take your heart by storm?

I for REAL didn't expect Radley to become my Bluey F/O. I was always leaning more towards Stripe, but after actually watching the show...IDK I just Really love Radley. I also did not expect to end up liking Ratoo a bit more than his brother(I LOVE YOU TOO RATAU DONT WORRY BABY) considering I had no feelings towards him when I first started playing the game. I just started thinking more and more abt him and drawing him...Then I designed Alpha and well. Now Alpha and Ratoo are married.

10. have you bought any merch of your F/O or other items that remind you of them this year?

AHEEHEE I bought a rare figure of Gregory along with most of the GHS miniatures set (I'm missing a few sadly. They're so hard to get in the US.) My friend Taylor also got me the figure set with Radley in it which I was HYPE abt.

15. is there any piece of selfship-related content you've created this year that you're particularly fond of? (this can be art, writing, a headcanon you came up with, etc. anything counts!)

I'm really happy with this pic tbh! It's a vague redraw of an old old pic from 2009. Bubs is a true Beloved as well. I wanna draw more Homestar Runner stuff this upcoming yr.

[topconfessions]

You are so real for saying the thing about the main reason TOP was chosen for the dearmoon crew. Im not throwing shade. It is was it is. The man doesnt get enough credit for his networking skill. Dare I say he is naturally better at the game than most people would think. Everything about his personality just magically aligns to create this image of warm-on-the-inside cool guy which is already appealing to most people, which I believe he really is but to a much more exaggerated degree in the case of stage image. The thing is, people expect him to be this wild card so even its just him loosen up a bit its already a game changer. He effortlessly charms everyone that way. I think he definitely awares of this power and knows how to use it well. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike SR, TOP is lucky his main interest is arts. Artist circle has always been full of elites and old money. These guys know how to keep their things behind the curtain. And idk if most fans are aware it, unlike what TOPs trying to do give off that aloof vibe, he care a great deal of what others thing of him. With dearmoon, he definitely has good intentions but it seems lacking self-awareness the way he put it as “for greater cause”, especially when we also have a space-dedicated youtuber on the same crew. Tbh the way I see it, dearmoon is a space business trip lol. TOP just happen to tick all the boxes they have in terms of needing someone with big social influence.

Thank you so much! yes, I had to keep it a 100 and call it for what it is. If top never knew that billionaire or made a close friendship he would never ever be a part of something like this cause technically if we're following merits it should be GD instead of him but TOP is more cultured, wordly and sopthsticated than everyone else in BB by default cause he expanded his interests in mature and lucrative things that he knew would keep him paid for life and elevated. His networking through the art and high art industry paid dividends for him and I'm a little upset for GD not reaching that level himself....He really doesn't get enough credit but at the same time, TOP is seen as so cool and smart that nobody feels the need to credit or praise him cause it's innate and he got it like that LOL.

Yes, exactly. You get what I am saying, TOP picked a lucrative and highly esteemed hobby that has done more for him than he has done for it, but top gives the illusion he has done a lot for the industry. Seungri got wrapped up in the maknae curse of not outgrowing his idol and agency duties of picking activites and business ventures where you yourself have to work overtime to exert physical involvement and be the hype for your product. Seungri played checkers and TOP Played chess, you don't see top involving himself in activities and deals that require him being in public pandering, putting in a lot of work and literal socializing to make his projects a hit like the aori ramen (I may have gotten the name wrong) or burning sun. Burning sun was the worse investment SR ever made and he had to over involve himself in it and overexert himself meanwhile TOP, I mean this nicely, picks hobbies he can be physically lazy in that he already has great interest in that is easy to finnesse if you know what you're doing. what top does despite his immense passion for it, is no different than what a typical tumblr user who loves art just as much as him does. He just incorporates it into his personal and professional life with consistency and the aura of being a master at what he knows.

Also, yes, top knows what he's doing. TOP has excessive spending habits and loves a lavish lifestyle now. He knew and knows he needs an interest / side career that can keep that lucrative income in his pocket. Art is old money and new money combined, the most powerful people in the world are invested in art or have some inclination to it. Seungri took a carrie bradshaw ignorant route and involved himself with ventures that don't pay at all and don't keep your money long, sigh. Good for top though. honestly, if I ever dated an older man or someone of means, I would rush straight to the art scene and snag a man LOL. Sothebys auction house baby, here I come. I'm still waiting for him to do more work with Sothebys but it seems on a stand still and a one time thing back then. TOP needs to get his wine into another business that sells all sorts of wine and not just be a self seller of it, he's too big for that. Also, although it's criminal, you can launder and store money through expensive paintings so we never know if top is the tax evading type to do that.

another thing: I think top avoids relationships at least that serious and mature like the plague cause he knows he wouldn't have the freedom and room to be fully focused on the art world and his wine if he was with someone. this sounds mean but dating is like being a parent to an adult you are having sexual / romantic relations with. I know thats a weird analogy but it is. Especially with top dating the younger girls. it's a responsibility and you can't really rise in the art world with a hanger on unless it's a woman who has her own wealth and interests or is from the same industry.

Basically. He fit what they were looking for and he had great influence but wasn't TOO overhyped or like craze worthy i.e a bts guy that would have distracted from the mission itself. The billionaire chose well in picking top. Yeah, this is honestly just a pleasure cruise and space business trip for experimenting. It's not for any charitable cause or specfic Nasa research, you know how top is, he has to verbally elevate things to make it grander than what it is LOL.

goodluck to top and I hope he has fun this will breathe new life into him for sure. He will accomplish something many humans never have. This is what he needed to rehab and repair his image. Once he does this space mission he will no doubt have the weed scandal 100% behind him especially if he can capitalize off of it more. I hope he continues working on that album too.

[the-good-projxct]

June 11th, 2024

10:54 pm listening to say you Love me by Jessie Ware. Yoh! Lemme tell you, my self awareness has gone up and up and up. Because, I can see when people are projecting and tearing themselves down via me and I don’t play into it. Anyway, I won’t go into deets because this is about a parent. But tbh, I just want to say how proud I am of myself for recognizing what they were doing. Then, I didn’t shame them. I didn’t feel grief over their actions. Instead, I held them accountable, established boundaries then I turned around and wrapped my mans arms around me and went to snooze town. So like yeah!! Am I unbothered? Low key yeah. But also, having someone that Loves me truly, madly, deeply is a game changer. I literally rolled over and wrapped him around me and I felt so safe, loved, wanted, seen, believed in, trusted and all the magikal Jazz. So yeah, Life is Good. I had a Lovely weekend. I went to a wedding on Friday with Sweetie Banana. We had a time. We got there a bit late so we sat all the way at the back. We literally just hung out and she gave me scoop and gossip of who is who. I Love my grandma. I Love being her first granddaughter. It’s such a vibe. My outfit for the wedding was FIYAHHH! See I was worried about this fit because I didn’t know how it would pan out. I had the fit in my head but I had never worn it before. Let me tell YOUUUUU, the fit ATE. oof! I was THAT baby gworl. We danced, laughed, ate, communed and took pics. I left the wedding early because I was there with my grandma and she was tired. We went into the city to pick up the waste at the restaurants. I was so tired at this point and being in cbd when I am exhausted sent me into overwhelm. As we left downtown, they dropped me off to see Munene. It was nice to go spend time in his childhood home with him and his sister. I stayed there all weekend with them. It was a lovely time. It’s in the same neighborhood I lived in when I was born. His home is a home I have known my whole life. His sister is someone I have known her whole life. He feels like home because he is home. Sometimes I get teary and like I overflow with gratitude for this Love the Universe has given to me. That he is as me as me. That it could not have been anyone else but him because he is my history, he is my family, he is my country, my tribe, my bestie and now my present and future. Tell me that’s not Golden. As in…God is real. I Love how he looks at me. I Love how his hands find me. I Love how he listens and pays attention to what I say. I Love how he feels. So yeaaahh… my man, my man, my man or whatever Kanye said. LMAO. The cold season is coming in and the nights are getting chilly. I have a hoodie, sweatpants and heavy socks on and I am still cold. Weuh. Move to the tropics they said. Anyway, I am built for cold weather. #wetheNorth or whatever Drake markets. LMAOOO. I am on one today. I saw BIPOCUSHR has a new ED. Congratulations to Aaron. I remember when I met them at Indigo and they told me about BIPOCUSHR. Heheh, they didn’t know I was gang with BIPOCUSHR then. I was amazed and surprised that someone at Indigo was recommending BIPOCUSHR to me. Anyway, it is wonderful that they are ED. So much has changed since the inception of BIPOCUSHR. It feels like the end of an era and the ushering of a new era. Wow. Look at Life. We did that. I Love my people. Community is Gøod. Life is Gøod. I am Gøod. Ase.

[nothingunrealistic]

review roundup: billions 7x07 “dmv”

a week for philip to shine! even though he did so by having a terrible time throughout! what did reviewers think?

New York Times: ‘Billions’ Season 7, Episode 7 Recap: The Way of the Ocean

Well, that was a nasty bit of business. One of the best episodes of “Billions” in recent memory,

agreed, tbh.

Philip gets a turn in the spotlight this week when he reels in Prince Cap’s latest whale: bioengineered, self-repairing concrete, invented by one of his mentors in college, Dr. Mike Rulov (Timothy Busfield).

that is not how you spell marc ruloff’s name. check imdb, my man!

With the legal and financial resources of one of the smaller G7 nations, Prince would make the new concrete a bigger deal than Rulov could, even with his own high-rollers backing him. But there was clearly no chance of such a sale, even before Prince started making veiled threats.

and prince started making those threats pretty early!

If Rulov cares about the concrete so much, Prince reasons, then tying it up in litigation for years will force him to sell because of his simple but irresistible desire to see his creation out in the world. Not that Mike is in any hurry for that to happen, even if he wins the fight: At the suggestion of the increasingly sinister Kate Sacker, he considers keeping the technology under wraps until he can roll it out as part of his 2028 re-election campaign. Such is the transactional nature of Mike’s do-gooding at this point. Desperate, Philip turns to Wendy — not for her advice, although that’s the front he puts up, but rather for her connection to Chuck. He knows that if he tells her the whole story, she will reach out to her ex, who will see an opportunity to stick it to Prince. But Philip’s hope that Chuck can shut down the entire patent-sharking sector is a pipe dream. All Chuck can do is have a friend at the Defense Department classify the patent as a matter of national security, seize Rulov’s efforts, and prevent either man from being the sole controller of such an important invention. Of course, the government will most likely sit on it forever, benefiting no one. But if that’s what it takes to stop Prince from getting his hands on this potential game-changer, so be it.

two objections to this description of events:

sacker’s suggestion to keep the concrete technology classified until it’s time for prince's 2028 campaign comes after it’s been classified by the department of defense, not before, as is suggested by the order in which those scenes are summarized.

presenting philip going to wendy as if he thought of it himself, rather than it being at taylor’s advice (at least to some extent), obfuscates taylor’s role in putting philip in a position where he’d want to act against prince.

Even after this debacle, Philip still wants nothing to do with the plot against Prince, the existence of which Wendy intimates to him after many a knowing glance between herself and Taylor. Philip storms out of her office, all but yelling, “Deniability! Deniability!” with his fingers in his ears.

and his ability to identify wendy and taylor but not wags as part of the plan is why taylor’s role in his plotline matters!

Banding together, they elect Victor and Rian to tell the committee Mike assembles to take his place — Wags, Scooter, Taylor and Philip — that they reject the committee’s authority to conduct the reviews. They pitch postponing them for a year and detaching their annual comp from the review process in the meantime. Mike caves and even throws them a gala casino night as a morale-building exercise. Or so it seems. In reality, he and Scooter have colluded to have the whole evening recorded, employing the real-life poker ace Vanessa Selbst to analyze their behavior and risk patterns — a performance review without the consent of the performers.

another strange description of events — this time implying that prince had any role at all in the casino night / performance review other than “i’m recusing myself. wags and scooter, you do it” and then fucking off to ruin ruloff’s life. he didn’t! there’s no proof he even knows the casino night happened!

Which members of the Prince Cap Movie Night crew understand that “The Wolf of Wall Street” is intended as a cautionary tale rather than a how-to manual? According to Wags, they are Kate, Victor, and Rian — not that it has stopped any of the three from acting rather wolfish.

lol. lmao, even.

Normally I’d come down pretty hard on a needle drop as narratively obvious as playing R.E.M.’s “Drive” after a kid passes his driving test, but I’m choosing to believe the song was chosen not for its title but for its somber tone, reflective of the mood of the rest of the episode. Otherwise, “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar was sitting right there.

you expect brian koppelman, known van hagar hater, to put a sammy hagar song in an episode of billions? in the crucial closing slot, no less? i think not!

Vulture: Billions Recap: Leave It to Senior

another four-star review! significantly more justified this time!

I’ve always believed in the “less is more” adage, and even though it took half a season, Billions finally got that memo this week. After last week’s plotline-packed extravaganza, co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien gave their audience a much-needed breather with the stripped-down “DMV.” By simplifying the narrative, the result was Billions’ strongest season-seven episode yet.

i think 7x05 is up there also, but of course i’m biased.

As Mike Prince continues to propel himself onto the political stage, we’re now looking at a potential alliance between Chuck and Wendy. But more importantly, we’re seeing more cracks in Prince’s inner circle — namely, with the billionaire’s protégé (and Scooter’s nephew), Philip Charyn.

and i love that for us!

“DMV” was also an unexpected treat because Jeffrey DeMunn got to double down on the hilariously vile Charles Rhoades Sr. character, and we, the audience, benefited immensely from his performance.

that, not so much.

Over at Michael Prince Capital, Philip has connected his former Stanford professor, Dr. Mark Ruloff (Timothy Busfield!), with his billionaire boss.

closer, but still not the right spelling of marc ruloff!

Except Ruloff isn’t selling, and he’s not budging on this decision. Neither is Prince. “Fins up,” he tells Philip, who’s now caught in an awkward position between his college mentor and his workplace mentor.

no, “fins up” was prince’s instruction to sacker, to get started on the patent sharking. philip just happened to be in the room and remember its significance later.

Okay, we all know that Chuck and Wendy are hardly parents of the year. But for Senior to present himself as the only one willing to “risk life and liberty on his [grandchildren’s] behalf” is, to use a word from Senior’s generation, a load of malarkey.

honestly! i still remember the scene in which senior gave kevin a slinky for his birthday and told chuck & wendy that if he was still playing with it the next day, they should focus all their attention and energy on eva instead. that’s not a man that cares about the wellbeing of all his grandchildren equally!

Ruloff is in a sour mood because Philip’s “good guy” Prince has begun buying rival patents. This is a problem because — thank you, expository dialogue! — now Ruloff, just by doing his own work, could be seen as infringing upon Prince-owned patents.

the exposition in that moment did feel exceptionally clunky, lol. but i guess it works from the angle of “ruloff is explaining this to philip in an overly didactic manner because he’s mad that philip was so naïve as to not see it coming. and also the whole former professor thing.”

Philip, who has been slowly morphing into season-four Taylor Mason, with his soul up for grabs, then receives a stern, albeit familiar warning from Ruloff: Get away from MPC while you still have a modicum of self-respect.

what did i say about philip’s plotline here running parallel to several of taylor’s past subplots!! 2x11 and 3x10 and 4x07! (that link is to the 4x07 recap, not incidentally.)

Taylor notices Philip’s inner turmoil and promptly sends him to Wendy to unload. While we don’t see the details of their session, it’s not necessary. All we need to know is that Philip’s cry for help is the incentive for Chuck and Wendy’s burgeoning alliance against Mike Prince.

do you have anything else you want to say about that interaction between taylor and philip? maybe something about how it relates to taylor in season 4, as you were just talking about one paragraph ago? possibly based on a comparison that taylor themself draws during that conversation? no? okay then.

And Prince’s shark attacks just get more and more brazen. First, he buys the biotech firm that creates the indispensable enzyme for Ruloff’s process.

well, he tried to buy the biotech firm. he didn’t succeed.

Prince is totally fine with undermining Ruloff with his endless supply of cash: Philip, who knows Ruloff best, assured his boss that it’s the professor’s stubborn nature that will ultimately be his downfall. But if you catch the moment the camera falls on Toney Goins’s face throughout Prince’s slow annihilation of Ruloff’s company, it’s impossible to ignore the guilt seeping out of Philip’s pores. Will this be useful to the Fifth Column down the line?

correction: philip tries to convey to prince that everyone will be better off if ruloff is allowed to remain in control of his company, and prince instead takes away the message about ruloff’s stubbornness being his downfall. (this is why you should never share backstories in this show! they’ll always get used against you!) sure also hoping this does eventually put philip on team kill prince, though!

Philip is on to Wendy, noticing that the moment Chuck got involved, the situation with Ruloff got exponentially worse. He knows Wendy and Taylor are organizing a mutiny, and he wants them to leave him out of it. But the way his voice breaks during this scene and his insistence on “complete deniability” suggests a vulnerability that somewhere, deep down, he knows they may be right.

oh absolutely. if he wanted to rat them out, he could! he only needs complete deniability if he expects there to be something for him to deny knowledge of that he can’t or won’t stop before it happens!

Wasn’t Dave Mahar supposed to be leading the case against Mike Prince? Is that still happening?

my best guess is that it Is still happening and that her leadership of the case has pushed chuck out of the inner circle, hence him having nothing to do with the prince case in this episode or the last. (though maybe if philip had given him something illegal on prince, he would have taken it to dave.) this season really hasn’t been giving dave her due as a series regular.

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Damianista): Billions on Showtime, Season 7 Episode 7: DMV

Even though the boss recuses himself from rewarding and punishing anyone on the team, the employees are feeling uneasy with the composition of the review panel; e.g.  Scooter, who is not in touch with them at all (they do not even invite him to the movie night because they know he would never show up!) is sitting on the  review committee.

i wish we could have heard any objections they might have had to the other members of the review panel too.

And lo and behold, combining Selbst’s raw research with Prospect Theory (that is my turf!) Wendy has performance reviews for everybody. So what is Prospect Theory? Developed by two economists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and awarded a Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002, Prospect Theory, in a nutshell, says the following. Kahneman and Tversky propose that losses have a greater emotional impact than a gain of the same amount. They argue that, when an individual is presented with choices two ways – both offering the same result—they will pick the option offering perceived gains. Just to give an example: Suppose we have the end result of receiving $25. One option is to give an individual $25 outright. The other option is to give an individual $50 and but then they have to give back $25. The net utility is $25 in both options. According to prospect theory, individuals are most likely to choose to receive straight cash because a single gain is perceived as more favorable than having more cash at the outset but then suffering a loss.

i’m no prospect theory expert, but wouldn’t it be a factor that one of those options only involves one step while the other involves two? i’d think the simpler option would then be preferable. but what if you instead compared receiving $50 and giving back $25 to receiving $30 and giving back $5?

So I understand the reasoning behind the performance reviews conducted at the casino, but I am not confident that an individual’s casino behavior directly translates into their workplace behavior.  Especially when you are encouraged to enjoy the casino experience, you do, and after all, you are playing with your money that when you lose, you lose your own money. However, at the workplace, you are investing someone else’s money, and when you lose, you lose other people’s money which has serious implications. Thus, while there is certainly some correlation between how one behaves at the casino versus at the workplace, one does not directly translate into the other. Because if it does, then how come either Ben Kim or Tuk Lal still keep their jobs at MPC? Oh, and how about Peach winning the big prize? I would not be surprised if she made PM soon!

thank you!!! (and peach, who presumably has no experience or skills in trading equities, winning the night is just further proof that success in one realm doesn’t equate success in the other.)

I find Philip’s words to the professor about the Nobel prize going to the inventor and not the hedge-fund dude extremely naive. I do not think Philip seriously believes in what he is saying and I believe that the professor is quite right when he tells his former student that he is selling his soul to MPC.

well, i’ve said before that philip has a naïve streak, and the way he acts in the sessions with wendy sure suggests he really believed in what he was saying and doing re: ruloff.

Taylor is the one who notices that something is off with Philip. Inspired by Will Guidara‘s best-seller book Unreasonable Hospitality they do not give a hard time to the guy who misses two meetings in a row but asks after their well-being. . Taylor is quite familiar with the emotion / business conflict that Philip is in – they had to break up with Oscar in Season 3 Episode 10 Redemption. It was Wendy who helped Taylor back then so Taylor now encourages Philip to Wendy. But I think Taylor does that also because they feel like the time may be right for Wendy to turn Philip against Prince – which I think will ultimately happen.

again, if you’re gonna make a specific comparison between taylor’s past and philip’s present based on this scene, you should be bringing up their relationship with their father, because that’s the comparison they themself make — and rather than wendy helping back then, she took information confided in her to someone who brought about the downfall of the beloved mentor’s business, as she does here.

I still think Kate is there to take down Prince and she chooses to come across as soulless this season because she plays the game very carefully.

and i still think you’re incorrect about that.

Philip remembers Ruloff’s 1966 emerald-green Karmann Ghia 1300 that he really loved. Those cars were not known for their durability so Ruloff bought a brand new one just for the parts to save the green one! And while a number of people on the Board of Trustees at Stanford wanted to buy his car, Ruloff never sold it. I guess Philip tells Prince this story to argue that the professor is very stubborn and he will not back down but it helps Prince to figure that Ruloff should have a backer at Stanford.

people keep saying this! just because prince takes away “ruloff is too stubborn to back down willingly” from philip’s story doesn’t mean it was The Point philip was trying to make.

And it will not be easy for Philip to recover from this. I think he needs time to digest all that happened but I do think he will ultimately join the  ranks of Wendy, Taylor and Wags against Prince.

hoping for exactly that 🙏🙏🙏

I love the chemistry between Chuck and Wendy more than ever. These two belong together.

hoping against exactly that 🚫🚫🚫

Entertainment Weekly: Billions recap: Morals vs. Business

This week's Billions begins with a little bribery, but it's not from the usual suspects of the business world. Instead, Chuck Sr. is attempting to bribe a driving instructor into giving Kevin a passing grade on his driving test, which he's failed miserably. The bribe doesn't go over well, as the instructor calls the cops, and before long Chuck and Wendy are wrapped up in sorting out the situation and getting Chuck Sr. off the hook with the law.

it is kind of funny to contrast senior’s failed attempt at bribery with all the times people on the finance side have bribed people with ease. maybe it’s only a problem when you go after government officials and don’t have blackmail to back it up?

I've been on record this entire season saying that the whole "Michael Prince is a dangerous fascist" storyline isn't working at all, and while I still think that's true I also think this episode does a good job of putting in some character work to show how some of those closest to Prince could start to turn against him.

my “i don’t think michael prince is a dangerous fascist” t-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.

This time around it's Philip. He comes to Prince with a pitch from an old college professor that he considers a mentor. The man's life work has been dedicated to building bio-concrete, which is concrete that can repair itself.  Prince sees how monumental this opportunity is. He wants to buy the whole company, squash any competition, and get it to market. Plus, he can use it as a campaign tool, floating the idea of a slogan like "changing the foundation of America." The professor refuses, but Prince still wants the company. So, he starts "patent sharking," which essentially bogs down the professor's research, making sure that he can't bring his own idea to market. Philip, after talking to Wendy about how he's feeling about Prince's ruthlessness, tries to get Chuck to use his legal magic to stop Prince, but there's not much he can do. In the end, the federal government takes control of the research under the name of national security, the professor's life work is now completely out of his control, and Prince has the potential to use that research to his political advantage once he's in office.

“the professor” is definitely not the correct spelling of marc ruloff!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Gingersnap): The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 7 Episode 7, “DMV”

Gingersnap […] Iconic Innuendo – Chuck and his Jaws reference. What better way to put a stop to Patent Sharking than to reel in a Spielbergian. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!” and that boat’s name is the Department of Defense (DoD). Way to put the kabash on Prince!

so that’s what chuck meant by spielbergian! (that’s not how you spell kibosh, though.)

Food For Thought: Chuck and Wendy. This right here, folks. This. Left me aching for what once was, and yearning for what it could be.

[CROWD BOOING]

Damianista Perfect Chemistry – Chuck and Wendy

[CROWD BOOING]

Most Voldemort-like Move – Mike Prince

i don’t normally say this, but given that this is a repeat offense: READ ANOTHER BOOK.

Lady Trader […] The “Eyes” Have It Award:  Taylor said so much in this episode without saying a word. The looks they give Wendy, Philip, and even Ruloff were speaking volumes. This can only be done because Asia Kate Dillon is amazing.

SO fucking true. if you’re trying to get into my good graces, it’s absolutely working.

The Time Machine Award: The writers are really bringing us back to the first few seasons of Billions in some major and minor ways this season. In this episode, they harken back to S2E3 “Optimal Play” when we  were first introduced to the poker skills of Taylor at the Alpha Cup Charity Poker Tournament.  This time is a full blown Casino Night, and it was just as much fun and telling!

wish this episode had given us more of taylor playing poker, though! (and hey, since we’re talking about it, can you think of any other ties this episode has to earlier seasons? maybe something related to taylor? maybe something they bring up themself? no?)

TheTailThatWagsTheDog Most Reprehensible Person – Chuck Sr – he is on quite the streak here. First he disparages any and all who practice a faith last week, and this week he pulls the “I am better than you peons because I’m rich” schtick.

two equally reprehensible wrongdoings: antitheism and bribery!

Best Poker Game – Craps – thank you Rian and Dollar Bill!  

craps, famously not a poker game or even a card game!

Best Cultural Reference  – Mo Greene – the Godfather. There was a time in the first couple seasons when the writers would regularly quote from one of the greatest movies (and sequels) ever. This was a welcome return.

you know they’ve been referencing the godfather all week every week in the recent seasons too, right? are you enrolled in the lady trader school of watching the show you’re reviewing?

Most Notable Closing Song – Drive by REM. Drive is off their ‘Automatic For the People” album. Brian Koppelman considers this to be their best album. He is a HUGE REM fan so I respect his opinion, but I also respectfully disagree. Life’s Rich Pageant to me is their best work. One of my favorite moments still occurs at the end of Season 2, Episode 3 “Optimal Play”, when Bobby closes with “well it’s a good thing I’m a rich, fucking man” which then leads right into the opening riff of “Begin The Begin”. Just an incredible moment. It also turns out that that was the episode when Taylor showed their prowess in poker. Coincidence???

i do like the R.E.M. connection being made between poker episodes here. though it is kind of funny that they put an R.E.M. song in an episode without axe when he’s the show’s biggest R.E.M. fan.

Last But Not Least – Chuck and Wendy – I am loving how they are drifting toward each other. Please let them reconnect before all is said and done. Of all the tumultuous relationships in this show, this one worked the most and was the most believable for me. Please!!!

[CROWD BOOING]

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Lady Trader): “From the Trader’s Desk”: Breakout the Tux, it’s Casino Night! Billions S7E7 “DMV”

From bringing his grandson to the road test in a Jag, to trying to bribe the instructor, Charles just thinks he can do whatever he wants (that is a running theme with the men in this show, isn’t it?).

i mean, it is the People Who Think Rules Don’t Apply To Them show.

I think this whole scenario was a way to lay the groundwork for Chuck and Wendy to “communicate” better, which could lead to them getting back together. And to that I say no, No, NO! They broke up for a reason, and that reason hasn’t gone away. Chuck is still a self-centered, jealous, insecure man.

[APPLAUSE]

Wendy is so much fiercer since she has been unshackled from that dreadful marriage. Let her stand on her own two feet. She has earned it.

*so-so hand gesture*

Also in this process, he is making Philip rethink the idea that Prince is one of the “good guys”. I think Taylor saw this coming and was happy to let it play out this way so they can add another member to the “We Hate Mike Prince” club (by the way, I’m a unofficial member of that club). Taylor pointing Philip in Wendy’s direction was pure manipulation, and it was brilliant. Taylor knows a thing or two about not combining personal emotions with business. I think we all remember what happened to Taylor and their dad in S4, and how that didn’t work out well. In that case, Wendy used Talyor’s feelings for their father against them, whereas know Wendy wants Philip to open up to her so she can use what he tells her against Prince.

finally someone gets it!! and makes the correct connection to taylor’s relationship with their father crumbling in 4x07! (still could be clearer about taylor drawing that connection themself, though.)

Philip tells Wendy he knows what she’s up to, but won’t join the posse, but I have a feeling this affected Philip more than he is letting on, and I’m sure he will step up when it comes time to take Prince down. Philip seems like a good guy, and I think the seed that was planted in his head by Dr. Ruloff about not being happy at MPC will certainly take hold.

we’re hoping 🙏🙏🙏

Watching MPC Casino Night made me happy. I have been to a few Casino Nights at Gotham Hall and they are always a good time.

add that to the “things in billions i didn’t realize were real” list. i could have guessed that casino nights happen but didn’t know gotham hall already regularly held them.

However, as much as seeing the Roulette wheel spin brought a smile to my face, I disagree with the premise that observing people (without their knowledge) gambling their own or the house’s money will give you insight into how they will trade. From my point of view, it’s totally different. When I am at the Blackjack table or the Roulette wheel, I’m playing with my money so I can be a bit more aggressive with my wagering. If I’m playing with money that someone gave me to have a good time with, as the $5K was giving the Prince Cappers, then I’m really going to push my luck. Gambling at a casino or waging on sports is not my job – it’s entertainment. When I’m trading my money or investing for someone else, I’m much more careful and conservative. Is there some overlap of the skills and instincts that go into gambling and trading? Absolutely. Knowing the odds and having a gut feeling come into doing both. But good traders and portfolio managers know how to separate work from entertainment. Managing money for a pension fund means I’m trying to get a good return for the teacher in Sioux City, Iowa or the firefighter from Queens, NY. And I would never gamble with their money. I would invest it. Big difference.

exactly!!

I also tend to have a few adult beverages when I’m playing cards, and I would never do that at work!

now that the prince cappers would do, lmao. dollar bill especially.

I also think the whole performance review kerfuffle was a bit overdone. Don’t get me wrong, performance reviews are a thing. It’s a chance to talk with your supervisor to see how you have done the past year, and to set any goals for the upcoming one. However, compensation and bonuses are rarely based on the review. Most traders and portfolio managers at hedge funds have contracts that specifically spell out your base salary, and bonuses are based on a formula. The formula could be derived from the returns of an overall fund if you are part of a team or based on your individual stock selection performance. So, you kind of know what you will be getting paid before the review. If you have done exceptionally well and the fund manager feels you are very valuable, they can certainly add more to your bonus to keep you at the firm. Or if you may have had an off year, but have a consistent track record, you may see a bit more than you are owed (or if you had a negative return year a little something to show the manager still has faith in you) in your bonus. 

more connections to taylor in s4: they didn’t do performance reviews because the numbers spoke for themselves, as lady trader is describing here. and surely the prince cap review panel has all the necessary data they could want.

I also do not think the “Mutiny on the Bounty” way that Victor and Rian handled the situation would fly. The traders, portfolio managers and researchers are key to any fund, but the head guy is the head guy, and I seriously can’t see someone like Steve Cohen or Axe putting up with those kind of shenanigans.

okay, but axe isn’t in charge of the fund right now. (nor is steve cohen.) prince is, and he gives so few fucks about the performance reviews relative to his presidential ambitions that he might not even know wags & scooter replaced the reviews with a casino night.

[starlightkun]

I really loved reading your reply to my ask, and everything you said made sense to me and I understood it too, it didn't sound crazy or anything. I love the way you write your stories and I love your stories so I loved to see you talk about everything in detail for sure. The prank scene at the last got me for sure, lol. I was excited to see how the prank would go and how would the other dreamies react to the prank and stuff but I got into a serious feeling? And I got nervous fr when the situation turned serious, I felt like that person, the teenage kid in the family function or something that said something in a joking light way but the thing she said, made the family/relatives fight with each other, it caused a family fight and she is there now in the middle of the fight just there- I felt that way lol. It took me some time to understand what was happening lol. my mind was like ...... then OH. I loved how the characters reminded me of the way neos act like in real life, their real vibe and at the same time they are the people of Strawberry Sunday universe like the citizens of strawberry sunday world, your characters, mixed. And is there a wyverns neo character in the universe, tho? Like all the neos were introduced in some way sungtaro too but none of them are a wyvern, right ? I'm a bit sad about it though, I would have loved to see a character with a background and personality of both a neo member vibe/the creatures vibe and characteristics or maybe a wyvern reader? Idk but it's sad in a way, i feel like they must feel left out🤡. I love knowing about the experience, lifestyle, like the story behind things for each characters, if I could I would set up a interview with them lol. I'm excited to read and know more about this universe in the upcoming books! I'm excited to read tbh, miracle, changer and babyfangs! And excited to read something new other than strawberry sunday universe with the bite and phantasmagorical. For now, really really really looking forward to reading abh with excitement. - 🌺

bro i was panicking and getting nervous and embarrassed just writing that scene too lmao. i felt like i was in trouble w my own characters i was sitting here shaking my head at the reader while typing on my keyboard just thinking to myself like "omg girl get out of there!!!! stop!! omg girl stop this!!!!! dont do it!!!!!!!"

and there is no wyvern character in the strawberry sunday universe. as a very quick rundown of all of the neos (+ sungtaro): witch!taeil, human!johnny, unicorn!taeyong, siren!yuta, vampire!kun, witch!doyoung, siren!ten, vampire!jaehyun, phoenix!sicheng, fairy!jungwoo, basilisk!mark, dragon!dejun, gryphon!hendery, human!renjun, werewolf!jeno, dryad!donghyuck, dryad!jaemin, witch!yangyang, siren!shotaro, werewolf!sungchan, fairy!chenle, and dragon!jisung.

we have also seen a sphinx, the owner of half moon bakery, sphinx!minseok. and the reader in baby fangs will be a sphinx, too. which is very exciting. i've made some good progress on baby fangs lately, i'm very excited abt that one.

i've seen some writing blogs do like "ask a character" type things, where you can "send in" asks "to" a specific character from a fic of theirs, and while i would feel kinda weird roleplaying as the characters, so maybe not quite that, im totally down for you asking me more questions abt them/the world/the lore! i'll answer most anything as long as i feel i won't be spoiling anything super important that i need for a fic lol

i've also done some work on phantasmagorical (less so on the bite, but she's definitely still there, in my mind) in the background of all of this fantasy stuff, it's been a nice kind of chill, real-life break in my writing lmao. im hoping to have phantasmagorical ready for halloween bc there's a halloween party in it, but we'll see!

[crowbie]

holy shit..... 2019 really be out here bein the best year of my life so far

[izzabeean]

Chapter 12 : You’ve Got A Way

pairing : fushiguro toji x fem!reader

warnings/tags : 18+, alternate universe - office, eventual romance, explicit language.

genre : angst + fluff + smut

word count : 1,841

a/n : hi everyone! I am currently suffering, because I realized we are more than halfway through this series and my mind hasn't fully accepted the fact - tbh I thought it'd be writing this series forever. this has become more of a slow burn than I initially drafted it to be, but let's be real y'all, I'm a sucker for the chemistry that ignites between two people before they get together. so get comfy and enjoy this chapter because the next is going to be a game changer (sorry to tease about it, I'm just excited to write it).

hopefully this will help y'all get through the week (it definitely did for me!) xx

18+ minors dni!!!

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The dark room floods Toji in a state of melancholy treachery. Is it safe to assume hiding from the real world is the perfect antidote to the goal that just slipped from his fingers? Or perhaps he should continue to drink his frustration away until his wallet is penny less. He’s always been and always will be a failure.

He shifts in his bed to see a peak of sunlight streaming through the closed curtains. God, his head hurt so much. Even the dimmed rays shoot a sharp pain to his temples – the perfect sign to close his eyes and sleep it off. Or maybe he needs another drink. Who knows. No answer can ever be correct in this state of mind he will forever live in. This is  exactly what he gets for trying to live an honest life. But it wasn't even that honest, since he took the fall for something he never did...

It’s all the same shit day, in and day out, and of course, he was so  stupid  to think that things would be different now. They weren’t. Never would be. He’s only been spared from what could have been worse though.  You  could've made him so much worse. And yet you’re still on his mind even after the last uncomfortable interaction.

He can’t show his face back at the office, could he? Not when the last look you gave him was something between dreadful and disappointing. Though he considers himself to be both of those things, you didn’t even utter a word to him as he left. He’d hope you’d come up with some kind of witty charismatic statement, just anything instead of silence.

But honestly, maybe you were just as weak as he was. Maybe, just maybe your intention to push him to finish that project was just a way to move towards a more notable position in the company. You never actually cared about his success, you were just pushing him to make him more miserable.

And yet, he still wants to see you again.

Things were always cut too short between the two of you and it made Toji just want to be around you more. It was spineless of him, yes. Somehow he didn’t really care. He felt like he was getting to know the woman you truly are and he liked it. A lot in fact.

Is it weird to think you two could have gotten somewhere? Especially since you'd exposed another side of yourself to him. He thought he had you, that you'd be like putty in his hands. And the day he got fired, he really swore that if Kaito didn't interrupt the two of you, something could have happened. Something he's been long awaiting.

The subtle noise of Toji’s phone vibrates in the background. He turns to take a look at who’s name is illuminating the screen. It’s Kong. Frankly, Toji hasn’t even spoken to him since the incident, he’s been ignoring his calls, hoping in time Kong will take the hint. But he’s a lot more stubborn than Toji remembers and he feels himself start to give in.

With a sigh, he leans over to answer the call.

  It didn’t take Toji too much convincing to get out of bed when Kong persuades him with a couple of drinks. So here he is, sitting at the bar, already starting on his first drink. He wasn’t so keen on going to Suki’s in the first place, wanting to stay as far away from his old office as he possibly could. But there’s a part of him that hopes that he will run into you. 

“Fushiguro,” Kong’s voice booms. “Thought you’d never show your face again.”

Toji's eyes snap quickly over to Kong who is standing with his briefcase slung over his shoulder.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” Toji says with a chuckle. He also can't so easily get rid of you constantly racing in his mind as he looks behind Kong wondering if you’d be there. He wished his brain never went there cause that tinge of hope just blossomed into more disappointment.

Toji slams the rest of his drink back, not even taking a beat while Kong takes a seat beside him. He lets out a relieved sigh as the sound of the glass hits the bar, eyes searching for the bartender. 

“You already owe me one,” Toji says before ordering his next drink. 

Kong orders the exact same carefully scanning Toji and Toji can feel his judgment. As he watches the drink being made, his eyes grow hungrier and hungrier by the second, craving the warm embrace of alcohol.

“You ok?” Kong asks taking a newly made drink into his hands, gaze locked onto Toji.

“‘The fuck you talkin’ about?" He dodges the question and picks up the glass swirling it before taking a sip.

"Just pace yourself, ok?" Kong chimes in, the sound of concern wearing in his voice.

"Believe me, I’ve paced myself enough," Toji fires back.

“Just enough until you got yourself fired?” A voice barges into the conversation. 

Toji turns his head to see the person behind the voice who very quietly sits beside him. And to his surprise it’s you. You clear your throat before calling out for the bartender, but you didn’t need to as he was already there. The glimmering look in the bartender's eyes only gazes upon you whilst the rest of the patrons get a neutral stare. You’re a good-looking lady, how could no one look at you in that way? So why is this good-looking lady sitting beside a disappointment?

“You know I’d take you for a liar, but the stunt you pulled is a new look for you,” you continue, eyes forward, not even interested in looking his way.

“Didn’t take you for a stalker type,” Toji interjects, ignoring your comment. “Thought I was the one with that title.”

“Pft, who even comes to a bar so close to the job they got fired from?”

“I actually asked him to meet me here,” Kong interrupts, making his presence known to you. 

Quickly, you snap your head over your eyes darting to Kong first, then to Toji. But your eye contact isn’t long as you seem to be quite embarrassed gazing into the deep emeralds of his soul.

“It’s funny ‘cause I don’t really see you around here,” Toji inquires leaning in closer. “Did ya come lookin’ for someone?”

“Fu– Now aren’t we feeling cocky?” You hiss. “Just for that… I think you owe me a drink.”

“How about you owe me a drink for the hell ya put me through.”

“Excuse me?”

“For making me start a project over when I could’ve just been fired a long time ago.”

“So, you didn’t lie about your indecency?”

Silence stifles between the two, as Kong slowly rises from his chair mumbling that he will be going out for a smoke, noting he didn’t want to be involved in a lovers quarrel. 

Lovers quarrel.

Now isn’t that optimistic thinking, to actually be in a quarrel with the one you love? But this wasn’t  love  . Nah. Toji wasn’t someone to dive into that weak emotion. This was more than just a subsequent plunge to the heart of unrequited intensity. No, this was much more devious than that. A passion that runs through his veins, he can only long for it as the days go by. It’s pleasant and shallow, nothing deep or it will swallow him whole. It had to be  lust . Wanting you so bad that his bones ache, no temporary relief can subside his frustration besides the idea of fucking you silly beneath him. Holding you down with all his strength, just so he can unravel the growing need to expel inside you. 

Like a predator watching his prey, Toji’s eyes dim while a smirk creeps on his lips. “Didn’t realize you’d get so worked up over me.”

“Pft, you’re just drunk,” You snap. 

“Are you  that upset that I got fired?” He leans in closer to you.

“God, you smell like booze.”

“Why don’t you drop the act,” he says. Nonchalant, in fact, as if he’s rehearsed this one hundred times in his head. But he hadn’t. He can feel his heart beating so hard he swears you can hear it. “It’s obvious we are both after the same thing.”

It’s obvious you know what he means. Yet, you still put on a stern look. Where’s the bashfulness he saw written on your face like the other day?  

“And what would that be?” You smirk.

“C’mon, are you going to make me say it?”

You don’t say a word, neither of you is willing to say it, instead, you both continue to gaze into each other's eyes, listening to the ambiance of the bar and the clinking of glasses.

“Fushiguro.” You say, breaking the silence. Anticipation rises in his chest as you lean in closer as if you’re contemplating something. He doesn’t know if he wants to know.

So he answers with a firm kiss on the lips. It’s so deep and longing and fiery that some may have taken notice in the bar of the public display of affection. It was a promiscuous one, a passionate one, and all the stars aligned in that one moment. He didn't think this is all he wanted, of course, he needed more. He needed you. And it had to be now.

But you retract back into your seat, bringing your drink to your lips again and taking a long sip.

Toji says your name. You look at him again, swallowing the drink hard. 

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” you say.

He pauses. The words seemed to jab at him all at once. It still echoes in his mind and he admits it could be that he’s nearly falling apart, yet he really wants you. So yes, drinking and sleeping all day may not be the ultimate treatment to cure his undeniable curse, but maybe you are.

Getting up from your seat, you throw cash on the bar and don’t say anything more. He finds himself frozen as he watches you walk away and out of the bar.

He frowns, staring at your half-empty glass of alcohol, wondering if he’d read into everything wrong this entire time. He’s never been rejected, so the pit in his stomach makes him feel uneasy about the outcome of his actions.

His eyes seem to wander down the bar stopping at a woman sitting alone finishing up her drink. It’s been a while since he’s got laid and somehow the opportunity tasted a bit sweeter down on his luck. Maybe it wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but as he throws back the rest of the smokey liquor, his eyes fade at the ingestion of what he only hopes can shut the guilt of a one-night stand. He wishes he didn’t have to do this. He wishes he could just continue drinking, but his cock seems to steer him wrong.

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tags: @brumous11 @cosmotoic @slurptheskinoffshiggysfatdick @gojosoath​ @miraes-world​ @almondespresso​​​​

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