#TRIPPY AF!! idk how we even got out...

[soapyakships]

into the mirror room we go....

[cezulian]

YOU WENT TO STEVIE NICKS DID YOU HAVE FUN HOW WAS IT

YES I HAD FUN!!! I went with my mom and we cried a lot bc she was raised on Stevie Nicks and so was I partially, and my grandma (who passed away in 2015 but was always like my actual second parent with my mom and basically the strongest most capable woman I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing) was a HUUUUUUGE hippie and free spirit type—like literally never cut or dyed her hair, had jingly clothes, vegan since the 70s, all of my history-related school projects she helped me with were basically anti-war presentations, one time she was on heavy morphine in the hospital and sent flowers to my cousin who just graduated with a note wherein she wrote “fly on, freebird” instinctively while high af—so. It was bittersweet because we felt like she should have been there but we both wore some of her clothes and stuff so idk. It was just incredible overall. Did have one out of body experience/possible anxiety attack because my grandma loved 3 things more than anything in the world: horses, gardening (but like. Abundant and colorful gardening with a bunch of different flowers), and the beach. And during “Rhiannon”, the graphics playing on the bug screen on stage were wildflowers with horses running on shallow beach shores at sunset and afterward mom and I both agreed we felt insane. But I’m a big fan of crying so it was cool.

ANYWAY!! It was OF COURSE an awesome show like wtf I still can’t believe my stupid ass was there. That woman’s voice is just like. Like idk how she sounds the same as she always has, shit’s fuckin nuts. She introduced every song with a little story that was like obviously she knew what story she was going to tell each time but she told them all like off the cuff? It felt very unique, like nowhere on the tour probably had these stories told the same way. Also after “I Sing For The Things” she was about to walk away from mic but then came back and said something along the lines of “Y’know what I actually never thought about it before the past few night we’ve been doing that song, but in it I say I’m ‘living on dreams and chains’ but I just realized…I’m literally living on ‘Dreams’ and ‘Chains’, yeah? 👀 Think about it 👀”

During “Bella Donna”, she wore the ORIGINAL PERFECT CONDITION BLUE SCARF/SHAWL which made me freak out that was awesome. OH!!! And during “Gold Dust Woman” like at the very end they just played the instrumental extra long and she repeated the chorus and outro several more times and just like fully danced and the guitar fuckin shredded for several more minutes but like. Dude I can’t even explain what happened during that song, it was witchcraft-levels of intense there at the end and I think everyone agreed because it got a standing ovation. Maybe we were all raptured? I dunno, felt like a dream sequence but not a slow trippy one, like the one the character has where their eyes shoot open suddenly and they’re furiously driving a car at night all wild-eyed and hunched over and the pov keeps switching from dashboard to first person with white flashes every cut. That kind.

Anyway I will post videos as soon as I can! :)

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)

Chapter Three

Warning: one trippy moment for reader, anxiety talk

Chapter Two | Chapter Four

Steven Grant is a pretty cool guy! He seems meek, shy, a bit anxious too; yet, this man can be brutal in his quips! Twice he caught you off guard when another employee tried to basically jerk him around. His old job's director used to do that along with never calling him by his name.

A condescending bitch is what he wouldn't say but you said it for him.

Steven also lives in the same apartment complex as your father! Top floor attic style, from what he has told you. Fancy in your mind, he says it's okay. Steven is self taught in almost everything when it comes to history and French. He likes burritos and his friend is a guy who pretends to be a statue.

Overall a guy you have no problem having a minor crush on.

In Steven's point of you: you have a lot of energy! Steven is trapped in the maelstrom called you each afternoon on a Wednesday, you said Wednesdays is your day off. He would be at lunch eating and you slide next to explaining how you are going to fist fight your art history professor. Or, showing him the sketches you got done while on the bus here. You are harmless and he found himself enjoying the company.

It took some getting used to someone talking to him back.

To have a friend who responds back with eagerness and ready to talk about any subject, he isn't used to that.

"Aw, you still have it!" Today he is walking you to a vegan cafe he enjoys from time to time.

"It's a lovely sketch. Are you studying art here?"

"Pft, no, for that I would be in South Korea."

"South Korea?"

"Animation and stuff." Shrugging, "I'm studying history and figured why not try out the international problem plus see my old man." Hands moving as you talk, "You never seen him before?"

"Never met most of the residents. We tend to keep to ourselves." The alternative text was that at the time he was afraid of everyone and scared an old lady when Khonshu was walking towards him through a dark hallway. Steven thought he was crazy, completely batshit nuts.

You nod then glance at your phone checking the time, "Saturday you wanna see an art gallery? A classmate invited me to come see their show." Then you nudge him with your shoulder as he orders some food, "Unless that guy at the cafe finally asked you out, ay ay?"

Steven gets flustered easily, "N-no, anyway he tends to flirt with everyone."

"Booooo." 

Lunch with Steven is always educational, he tells you something new or helps you find a better way to remember key dates for a test (it's a pain in the ass). You in turn let him vent, you love when he vents about work!

"Ya'know," Sitting down enjoying the scenery of the cafe and cute Steven. "It's good to know even at thirty years old life is still confusing as fuck."

"You make me sound old, (Name)."

"Older than me! You're at the age my dad helped make me."

He groans, putting his face in his hands while you laugh.

*

Thursday.

Forum update.

New theory support but a new picture! Which said picture looks almost unbelievable. The costume is completely different from the other two though it fits the moon theme.

CapPuertoRico4Prez says: Could be a fake

IntoSpideysHeart says: Idk man it looks real af

Thunderclapping says: Could there be more than one? So far all of them look completely different from each other. Maybe there's more than one??? Like tht one issue of The Bat and Robins where there were more than 1 lady bat.

The forum blew up from there going over and re-analyzing reports and pictures. You just liked seeing the posts. 

*

Saturday could not come fast enough and your dad of course had to embarrass you. Dressing nice means you like him (true but just cause he is cute!) and since he is a boy (your dad though learned to apply that to anyone now) and is meaning you at your door.

Conclusion: scare the man!

You begged him not to be weird when Steven came down to the apartment to pick you up. Your father had to go do the dad-cop move! 

"Thanks, bye dad see you later!" Grabbing Steven out of the kitchen and out the door.

Neither of you spoke until you both were outside waiting for the ride you booked to show up.

"Nice man."

You groaned as Steven broke the silence as you walked. "Listen, I'm sorry about interrogation—"

"(Name), it's alrigh'. I can say now I was interrogated by a bobby."

"American one. Retired veteran and officer." You sigh, "Dads… So extra."

Steven wouldn't know but he nods. He envies you from what you told him about your family. Close with you mother, kinda close with your dad; overall connected to your parents.

"Thanks for being cool about it, Steven."

The gallery your classmate rented out is in Soho which is far from your place, and there are a few spots around to eat and window shop around.

Ideal date vibes. Downside, uber fare prices.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a bus?" Asking as you showed on your phone map the places they should go to after the gallery's presentation.

"Bruh, I one time walked all of Manhattan because Spiderman was seen swinging around."

"Spiderman?"

"... Seriously? You never heard of the Amazing Spiderman!?" Steven can't help admiring how easily excited you get and energy you have, the saying 'kid at heart' really suits you. "Okay, uh guess makes sense given.. Seriously, you never heard of him?"

"Busy adulting." Sharky, "Finding a job, shopping, basic functions for being alive. The economy." 

You snicker at how he copied your complaints from before though you were more dramatic, "Okay, valid."

The conversation goes off and on, comfortable silence then you pointing out things like a tourist.

You stole glances at him during the car ride.

"When you said gallery," Getting out of the car then assisting you out. "I thought it was going to be small with pictures on the wall." You shrug after giving thanks to the driver and closing the door.

"They're loaded." Most of your classmates are of the privileged percentage. "They're one of nice ones and they offer me some good critiques. They worked really hard for this." Taking his hand tugging him along.

You aren't labeling this a date.

Marc is telling Steven this has all the signs of a date.

The gallery is full of paintings, sculptures, and video presentations of music. Your classmate is a modern day Renaissance person!

Steven is distracted by your hold on his arm, firm and secure, as you show him the different paintings or sculptures you witnessed while in the art workshop.

"They love space." He finds himself enjoying this almost as if you infectiously passed on your excitable nature to him. To say he is enjoying himself is putting it mildly with you by his side.

Then Steven suddenly wasn't by your side as a crowd rolled in.

It happens! One moment you are with someone the next they are missing. The crowd going around checking out every inch of the place, you figure to stay where you are. You stood there standing in front of still life painting, your eye taking in the details and brushstrokes seen in the light. You hope they make it out there in whatever field their art is going to take them.

You turn around figuring to do a lookover the crowd to see if Steven is wandering around, then you freeze up. 

A large creature with a body made of what seems like stars and nebulae, a human-like face, and a scepter.

You rub your eyes, blink twice, and pinch yourself.

Holy shit. Not again.

You don't know who or what you are seeing standing next to a man who is talking to your classmate. All you know it looked at you and you turned around pretending to be reading the gallery brochure. Silently praying it didn't see you, praying you maybe are just tripping out.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck!?

"Hello," The man's voice right behind you. His accent is not British.

Don't freak out, just breathe, "Oh, hello!" Awkwardly turning fearful to see the– Nothing is there. You are so confused right now. "Uh, hi." Maybe it's the paint, yeah totally the paint fumes.

The man holds out his hand, "Thank you for coming, this means a lot to them."

"Oh, it was nothing! I mean this isn't nothing, no problem getting here." You gather your thoughts, "Who are you?"

"A family friend. I have been helping them achieve their goal to break into the art world." So pleasant with a firm business grip, "They told me you are also an artist."

Just when you are about to relax… The creature is back right behind him looking down at you.

Shake your head very quickly and take your hand away, "N-no, just a hobby. Would be in South Korea for animation if I did! Haha." You want to bolt so bad but you know you would look crazy. You feel crazy! "Sorry, um I gotta go to the powder room." Smiling nervously as waved goodbye then speed walking away.

The bathroom is empty and you lean forward against the long sink counter, closing your eyes and counting from ten backwards. Maybe your anxiety triggered you seeing whatever that, God, you wished mom let you figure out why you sometimes see strange things! Google can only do so much! You groan as you reopen your eyes taking a slow breath in then out. At least it was a jackal this time.

When you leave the bathroom, you hear voices coming from the hall just beside where you are.

"Khonshu."

"Ptah."

You stay hidden as you grow curious about the conversation.

"The Gods must be desperate for more avatars. You never cared to just observe humans."

"And you must be desperate to have an avatar. Lots of talk about how broken his mind is. That's pretty low but no surprise coming from you."

You blink a few times, very confused by the way these people are talking. So you take out your phone putting it in camera mode on the selfie view. Peeking it a bit out, you cover your mouth when you see something freaky as all hell.

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 2 Recap: It’s Group B Time, let’s meet them! (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello my fellow Masked Singer fanatics! Welcome (or welcome back) to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana (nice to virtually meet you btw), recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. Here we are again with season 5, but this time another group, Group B, which consist of Black Swan 🖤🦢, Piglet 🐷, Chameleon 🦎, Grandpa Monster 👹 👴, and Phoenix 🦜.

So, let’s begin with the first eliminated contestant of Group B:

The first eliminated contestant was:

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Phoenix 🦜

Commentary: Ok, so this wasn’t surprising whatsoever, she sang Tik Tok by Kesha and you can obviously tell that she isn’t a singer at all. Like idk how else to explain it to you guys, but I guess she was talk singing... kind of like Wendy/the lips last season... so it was kind of easy the moment she opened her mouth to start singing to recognize immediately who it was...

Having said that, she was revealed to be (as I knew, this one wasn’t hard)...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Caitlyn Jenner

Hehe I knew it! Again, like Wendy Williams aka the lips, this was way too obvious. She already walked around Hollywood Blvd with the Don’t Talk to me hoodie on so I knew she was going to be on the show but the min I saw Phoenix, the clues, and the moment she opened her mouth, I was so certain it was Caitlyn. No, I am not a big Kardashian/Jenner fan tbh but I used to watch the show way back when.... like in 2016? I am not sure, but I recognized her voice immediately.

Now onto my guesses for the remaining 4:

1. Black Swan 🦢🖤

Commentary: So she sang Barracuda by Heart and damn, she got a strong voice! It’s a really amazing voice, even though the song choice wasn’t my favorite, because it didn’t suit her voice completely and showcase her range, but she was badass (can I say that? Whatever, this is my show, I’ll say it, it’s not THAT bad of a word) tbh. In certain parts, she was like screaming a lot and I was like um maybe this isn’t her best song choice but her voice is amazing! She gives me Seahorse mixed with Flamingo vibes, I love her!

I think she is singer extraordinaire:

Jojo (not Siwa but we have another Jojo on our hands)

Reasoning/Clues: there are so many clues that match but her voice is the main thing that clicked for me that it was her, but let’s look at those clues so you can get the picture:

Wanted Poster with RV highlighted= she appeared in the movie RV with Robin Williams

She talks about being trapped and someone else’s prey and then getting out of it= she was trapped in her record label & there was controversy surrounding it and she had to sue her label for not releasing her music

A 5 on a watch= she toured with 5th harmony and has released 5 albums

Cluedledoo (Rooster) clue= she covered a monster= she covered one of T-Pain aka the Monster from season 1’s songs

2. Piglet 🐷

Commentary: He was my favorite of the night with his rendition of Speechless by Dan + Shay! You guys know if you have seen my recaps in season 3 (or even last week with Robopine) that I have a soft spot for a guy who has a super silky voice, like either boy band type or R&B smooth af kinda vibe (i.e. Fox in season 2, Turtle in season 3, Robopine in season 5).... or should I say any guy who can falsetto and Piglet is giving me those boy band smooth vibes, I love it so much! His voice is soooo familiar I am so sure about this one by the way.

My guess and I am so sure of this is:

Nick Lachey

Reasoning/Clues: This one I recognized immediately, the voice was really easy to figure out, but these clues also are pretty convincing (oh and he was on Ken’s show, I Can See Your Voice, so it’s not surprising that he would be on this show):

The clue package had a dating show vibe = reminiscent of Love is Blind, the Netflix dating show he hosts with his wife Vanessa

The world saw his heart break= he had a very public relationship with his ex-wife Jessica Simpson and they even had a reality show together called Newlyweds

Cluedle-doo clue: “knows how to stay cool even in the heat”= referring to his past aka his boy band 98 degrees (get it? Because that’s the heat and they are cool because they are a boy band... well played Masked Singer well played... I wanna meet whoever makes these clues because they are great with puns and they seem super clever)

3. Chameleon 🦎

Commentary: Chameleon surprised me I am not gonna lie. I thought he was going to be another athlete like Whatchamacallit last season or White Tiger from season 3 because he was so tall but nope he surprised me with his rendition of Ride with Me by Nelly. He seems like a legit rapper and I liked him a lot than I thought I would honestly so this guess isn’t totally out of left field.

My guess is that this is...

Wiz Khalifa

Reasoning/Clues: so yeah, the voice and the height kinda gave it away to me (Wiz is 6 foot 4 inches and his body type matches the chameleon), but also yeah clues I have to give you guys some logic bombs instead of being like eh that voice and height BOOM WIZ KHALIFA... yeah no it doesn’t work like that, so here are the logic bombs hehe:

Dice with 2 and 3 on it= he did a song with Miley Cyrus called 23

007 clue= he has a song called (yes this is real, look it up) James Bong (omg I am trying not to laugh while typing this but whatttt?! Google really is a gem omg 😳😂) and he played James Bond in the music video

His love of technology & “put tech in technicolor”= apparently, the guy is a huge tech geek and has said it in a lot of interviews (wow humans are so complex and cool, I would have never thought that this man is a tech savvy guy... but the more you know I guess <P.S. I Googled half of these things... like idk this off the top of my head duh, I usually go by voice with my guesses and then I google the clues>)

4. Grandpa Monster

Commentary: He sang Mambo No. 5 and yeah it’s a basic choice for a song, but I liked it. He is not my favorite by any means and now that I listen to it again, I can only hear this person and I am not a fan of him like whatsoever (even tho I gotta acknowledge he has changed and I have *I KNOW... I HATE ME TOO* agreed with stuff he has said in his podcast un ironically.... yeah I am so sorry, I hate myself for saying this too... anyways let’s just get to the person I mean

I have a sneaking suspicion that it is (unfortunately):

Logan Paul

Reasoning/Clues: Yup, um... I really hope I am wrong but honestly ever since someone said it in the YouTube comments section of his performance, I can’t un hear it and I am shook honestly (at least it’s not his brother... I mean we can get worse, and he has respected the pandemic and not been a prick like his *cough* brother *cough*... just saying.. oh and if you don’t know what I am talking about or who this is, he’s a YouTuber who got into some um controversy because he filmed a dead body in 2018 so there’s that... oh and his brother has done a billion worse things than him, but you can Google that one if you are interested in finding out more because it’s too much for me to talk about and we are not even talking about Jake (that’s the brother))... Anyways, sorry, I ramble, but ugh the clues seem convincing and it irks me that it is because I am not a fan of neither of these guys and I don’t want them in the show but whatever I guess he’s the lesser of 2 evils:

He was a troublemaking fool as a youngster= yeah probably regarding that suicide forest video a couple of years ago (that ok, lemme give him credit, he has apologized for it and has kind of proven himself... yuck I hate saying that, I am NOT defending him I swear)

Acting out for all eyes on me= he used to be very well known for pranks on his channel back in the day (before the incident) and he did some stupid stuff for clout lemme tell ya (I never liked these guys, like ever, I thought they were weird.... not my demographic I guess, I wasn’t 12 nor a boy)

6 in Xs and Os like football plays = he did play football 🏈 in high school, he was so good that and actually attributes playing football for long term brain damage he has that makes him as the Wikipedia article says it (I am legit gonna quote what it says because I thought it was fascinating) “affects his ability to have empathy and a human connection with others.” (Mind you, he himself claimed this according to this article)

“Acting out”= he has acted in a few things before and starred in The Thinning

Web with the shooting star= he is a web star, get it? YouTube... web star... hehe again these clue writers are *chef’s kiss*

Cluedle-doo clue: he has trained for battle= now his new thing is boxing and he has trained for actual fights before, his first one being against British YouTuber KSI which he lost... oh and I almost forgot, how can I forget this cute little detail.... he is set to fight Floyd Mayweather this summer apparently... OH AND DID I MENTION HE IS MAKING 5 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THIS DEAL?! He’s winning either way with this fight like damn... but that wasn’t part of it, I just thought it was trippy... again I say, Google is a gem, u find some interesting reads

Ok so that’s it (what a great note to end on lol)! I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry for it being so long and taking so much time to do.. it’s been a crazy last couple of days! I will try to get the next one this upcoming weekend so I’ll see you guys then. (Ohhh btw I now live tweet the show on my Twitter- @photolover82 so if you want to follow me on there and live tweet with me, that can be fun!) Bye guys and don’t forget to like, comment, and do all the social media-y things, you know the drill!

[monotonous-minutia]

Cendrillon (Met 2018)

Started last night, fell asleep halfway through (it was a weird day), the post somehow survived without being saved and here we are.

I wonder if there are any spoilers on the walls.

POWER TO THE TROUSER ROLES mezzos rule (I know that’s not what he meant but given there’s a trouser mezzo in this opera I can’t help but wonder if it’s a pun)

<3

second time I’ve seen her as Cinderella and so far Massenet’s is more depressing than Rossini’s

okay this is a bit trippy

I love her so much

those horses area liiiiittle creepy

Prince is sassy

okay that ballet or whatever was super weird and a little disturbing tbh

and it’s just going to keep getting weirder isn’t it

he’s having it about as much as I am

now things are happening very quickly also I’m getting a lot of Greek Chorus vibes from this piece

what am i supposed to focus on i can’t keep my eyes off either of these two i think my head is going to explode

yeah definitely more depressing also subtitles please quit it with the question marks, this is week 16 you should have it figured out by now

the choreography just keeps getting weirder but Kim was made for this role so I can forgive it I suppose

wait what

but apparently you don’t get a name

hello goodbye i’m dead

so wait that WASN’T the happy ending?

oh dang well that happened also what is it with these French bass-baritone dads that just stand there while their children lie dying on the ground

cause of death two mezzos being insanely adorable and in love

sure mom, sure

I mean you had me going there for a while also Lucette’s smile ahhh

meta af

come on cowards let your mezzos kiss onstage

I still love her despite her unexpected moral ambiguity

This was my first time with this opera and it was very interesting. A lot of unexpected twists and turns and very depressing at points; it’s been a while since I’ve read the original original fairy tale so I’m not sure if it’s going for greater accuracy or if Henri Cain likes torturing audiences or if Massent’s music just lends itself best to depressing (the only other operas of his I’ve seen/heard are Thaïs and Werther so).

The fact that the Prince is a mezzo though sold me 1000% because, well, you know me...

I kinda want to talk to the choreographer to see what exactly was going through their mind with this production because the dance sequences were super weird and (as mentioned above) a little disturbing...like at one point it insinuated that they ate the Prince...which...how does one come up with that, let alone have the place of mind to pull it off...

the set was interesting though, with all the text on the walls from the story. It really lent itself well to the surreal sound of the music (which was fantastic at evoking the fairy tale feel) and the strange, extremely flowery libretto. The costumes for the supers were pretty Extra and I get they were going for a comic feeling but it was kind of distracting and didn’t really suit the more somber feel of this piece.

even if the production had been terrible though it still would have been worth it because this cast was phenomenal. Like a production with just one of them would have sold me but ALL FOUR IN ONE PLACE like seriously it was a diva awesomeness overload and that might have been part of the reason I couldn’t finish it in one sitting.

For one thing, Joyce DiDonato pretty much owns the role of Cinderella now in any incarnation and it may be my personal opinion or it could be fact, who knows. I can’t get over how amazing and versatile she is and that voice and her face and she’s so cute and her acting is on point and her expressions and her chemistry with the other performers and and and ahhhhhhhhhhhh she pulled off the smol sweet fragile tiny adorable sad selfless spritely little Cinderella so well and I died.

Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother was a stroke of genius. She was so PRETTY and her voice matches the character perfectly and all her little quirks and expressions really portrayed the depth of this character who was a very surprising incarnation. She’s not the totally sweet, altruistic fairy that we’re used to. Idk what her whole plan was, or her motives, of if it’s just a French Opera Thing that everything has to be more complicated and it’s not complete if all the heroes aren’t at the brink of death at some point, but whatever the reasoning, Kim OWNED it and despite my initial disbelief at the unexpected twist she convinced me. I don’t think just anyone could pull that off. Kim is something special.

I haven’t seen her in as many things but imo Alice Coote is one of the best trouser mezzos. I don’t really get into gendered appearances or ways of moving around because gender is fluid and not binary etc. etc. but for the sake of storytelling and character portrayals DANG (WO)MAN she nails it to the point that if I see her in an interview or something offstage I invariably think “Oh, what, she’s not actually a boy” ALSO she is just EXTREMELY cute and sassy and I love her expressions and pretty much everything about her so yeah. Also I can’t express my nerdy happiness that the two leads are mezzos. But also frustration because excuse me, it’s not a fairy tale if the prince and princess don’t kiss at the end, that’s like the whole point, and I’m pretty sure if he’d been a tenor they’d let it happen, but god forbid we get the tiniest bit of gay onstage.

And Stephanie Blythe--I keep seeing her in all these incredibly different roles and keep thinking at some point she’s not going to be able to pull it off because they’re all so different and then I keep getting more impressed because she does pull it off and then I feel bad for doubting her. This evil stepmother also had a surprising ending and I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be funny or ironic or maybe both, but, like Kim, Blythe was excellent at capturing the ambiguity.

sooooo anyway that’s me nerding out about my divas and I’d give the production 3/5 probably, points taken for the weird costumes and disturbing ballet sequences and not letting the ladies kiss onstage. But the cast gets 100/5 because, well, if you got this far you know why.

[adversityfought-a]

-`ˏ    @nitheful-gallows​​​   ˎ´-

→   Munday Meme stuff: ♦  ☀   ✖

(  the salty af munday meme  🪴  )

( ★ )    ♦   What was a mildly annoying thing that has happened to you rp wise?

Mmmm….. I’d have to say it’s a tie up between RP partner possessiveness / jealousy  &  guilting to reply faster or call out innactive muses for threads when I’m either hyperfixating on something else or just busy? Have had my fair share of it  &  anytime I notice a partner getting upset with me for interacting with others over them or notice they start to comment on my interactions with others in a “well what about ours?” kinda way of jus… generally leading all chats back to the topic of when I’m going to reply soon ALL IT DOES IS MAKE ME WANNA PULL AWAY  &  HIDE.

It then feels like a chore or like I’m obligated  &  takes the fun out of the hobby entirely when the way someone will try to poke my muses awake is more..l idk guilt trippy or negative? A good way to poke me for replies is to gently share something that reminds me of our threads or our muses  &  usually that sparks them right awake because it’s done so delicately  &  is super thoughtful. It shows there’s investment without crossing the line into anything bad or upsetting so,,,, aaaa idk I just notice that’s been a huge thing I’ve dealt with a lot at times across all blogs ><

( ★ )    ☀  What's your rp pet peeve?

HANDS DOWN. KEEPING TABS ON MY ACTIVITY ACROSS ALL MY BLOGS OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Having had stalkers in the past, it makes me incredibly anxious,  &  weirds me out when my activity is brought up in a certain way in dm convos  -  usually in the above way where it’s meant to poke for a response or guilt me. I know not often is it meant to be that way, but it triggers the run  &  hide response if it’s worded in an aggressive way >< but uh… yeah this is a huge one of mine. I don’t typically mind people following me across all my blogs, just so long as there’s no forced obligation or it’s done with malicious intent.

( ★ )    ✖  How has Tumblr RP changed since you started?

I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’ve only been around like… what… 2 years? Maybe 3? Even that’s pushing it since I only really got into this like 2 years ago ask an art ask blog before ever dipping my toes into this kinda writing blog. What I have noticed change-wise in is duplicate acceptance!

In my old fandom, we were super accepting of doubles / twins  &  never minded fitting them in  &  just having fun with it. But when I switched fandoms, Kh? In my experience, they weren’t as accepting. Very competitive weirdly, most won’t interact with you if they already have another main as their uh main person to write with for the same muse, so it felt very isolating? Safe to say it’s thankfully gotten a little better since then.

A fandom I’ll always gush about is FF VIII though because it’s small! Tiny! But my god the people there are so incredibly sweet  &  welcoming ( as you know lol )  -  all of us usually write the same muses anyways so we just compare notes / HCS  &  scream over love of game without that duplicate anxiety cropping up  &  honestly? I wish to see more of that elsewhere since at the end of the day it all boils down to that in the end. IDK I GUESS I JUST WANT FOR OTHER FANDOMS TO HAVE THAT OPEN WELCOMING VIBE. But I know it’s difficult when they’re larger…

[thatfoxnamedfinley]

I’ve just seen Avengers: Infinity War for the third time. Let’s talk about it.

There are SPOILERS AF under the cut as well as rabid fangirl thoughts. STEER CLEAR OK if that’s not your shit. Thank you.

- IT OPENED WITH A BANG. The Russo Bros obv did not give ONE (1) fuck about the emotions of anybody cause it starts off intense as SHIT. Showing us the stakes of the movie and the power of it’s villain by having Thanos not only destroy Asgard, but also incapacitate The Hulk and then kill ( is he really tho ?) Loki. 

- Speaking of Asgard, I was VERY impressed with Thor’s arc this movie. He was great. His emotions as he was talking to Rocket, he was laughing and smiling while he was trying not to cry and when he listed off how many people in his life that have died, I got emotional. That shit really got me.

- GAMORA. OMG. Her storyline. She shines so much. Her and Drax. He got so many funny lines in, he had me CACKLING at WHY IS GAMORA and I CAN TAKE IT and BUT MY MOVEMENT IS SO SLOW. When both he and Gamora ended up perishing (Gamora’s death hit me harder the second time I watched it, and it hit me HARD the first time), I almost cried.

- ‘WAKANDA FOREVER!!!!!” - T’Challa before running into battle. Chills.

-That was one of the greatest cinematic experiences I’ve had. I was so on the edge of my seat with how much was going on at all times. I was overwhelmed, really.

-MANTIS IS POWERFUL Af?!?!?!?! YAL SHE WAS HOLDING BACK THANOS FOR A LONG ASS TIME!! SHE RENDERED HIM INCAPACITATED. DAMN GIRL WERK THAT SHIT

-I’m glad Nebula was back. I really LOVED her growth in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

- Scarlet Witch and Vision. WHAT DEVELOPMENT MY WORD. They were PRECIOUS. So REAL that when it came time for what Scarlet Witch had to do, I saw the pain in her eyes. As Vision was whispering “It’s alright,” to her and she destroyed him FUCK but then Thanos really fucked it up didn’t he, I FORGOT he had the Time Stone for a second

-ALL. THE. BATTLES. So chaotic but just so WELL DONE and I could see everything that ws going on. Like SHIT MARVEL YAL REALLY JUST WENT FOR IT DIDNT YOU

-Tony. Stark. TONY STARK. That’s my BOI right there. Everything about him this movie was just so FUCKING good. I LOVE him. Not everyone does, but after this movie, he won over so many people who try to hate him for no reason (I have hours of ammunition to #ProtectTonyStark). The Russo Bros really allowed a lot of Tony Stark’s character to shine without losing his sass. He was ALLOWED to tell Squidward to go home but also tell Doctor Strange that he didn’t know what to do because Thanos has been in his head for 6 years. He was ALLOWED to show how powerful he was when he made Thanos bleed but also allowed that moment of grief when he was clutching the hand covered in Peter Parker’s dust crumbled body. 

- STRANGE’S CLOAK SLAPPING TONY’S ASS, IM /DEAD

- Was NOT expecting them to kill as many as they did. I really wasn’t. The ending was so traumatizing.

-Doctor Strange has such cool ass powers. His illusions were so trippy to look at. 

- I LOVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TONY AND STRANGE’S DYNAMIC. IT WAS HONESTLY AWESOME. From ‘douchebag’ to ‘Tony’, their evolution together was nice. Their personalities boucing off each other was great.

-Speaking of Doctor Strange, we all understand why he gave up the Time Stone to Thanos right? He said he saw 14,000,605 alternate paths to Thanos, and in only ONE of those do they win. He told Tony before they landed on Titan that he would NOT save Tony OR Peter if it came to the safety of the Stone. But he GAVE UP THE STONE. To spare Tony’s life. Saying “Tony, it was the only way.” Tony is needed in the destruction of Thanos. In the scenario that they do win, Tony Stark is neccessary. And thank goodness too, because I REALLY THOUGHT Tony was gunna die.

-

((apparent triggering confession next, move on to the next point if you dont like the first sentence))

-

- I left shipping Thanos and Tony. I know. I KNOW. I KNOW, OKAY?!?!? I didn’t want to. I didn’t even ship them the first time I saw the movie. Probably cause I was so freaked out with what was happening. This is perhaps the one ship I’ve shipped that I don’t want to ship. Maybe because he knew who Tony Stark was. Told him he was smart, that he was “cursed with knowledge.” Then he told Tony he respected him. Then he pet Tony’s head (honestly that made me ??????????????? inside and probably what sparked this shit tbh). AND. I was LOOKING for it on the third watch because I THOUGHT I saw it the second time; as Thanos was talking to Tony, Thanos shed a tear. Out of his left eye, after he told STark he respected him with his hand on Tony’s head. HAlf of humanity will still be alive, he said. Watching Tony and he shed a tear. I SWEAR TO YOU do look for it next time if you think you’ll go watch it again. I was like WTFFF IS THAT????????? Idk idk yal I’m so confused, and I’m TELLING YOU that I’ve never felt so bad about shipping before because IDK WHY I SHIP THEM. As I left the second tiem watching it, my brain was writing an alternate scene to that scene. IDK IDK IDK idk idk idk idk idk idk

- 

- I still ship Tony with Steve. I CANT WAIT FOR THEM TO MEET AGAIN. It’s inevitable, right? I know they havent spoken in 2 years, but this will force them to meet. And they fell out hard from Civil War. What will be their first words to each other? Who will speak first. Will Tony make a joke, look around and pretend he still doesn’t feel hurt? Will they hug? Will they still clash? I don’t feel like Cap is the guy that holds a grudge like that, if anything he will react based on how Tony acts. Will he ask forgiveness? Does he even need to? Did they miss each other? AFter all, Cap entered the fold when he was contacted after Tony went missing, saying “You just lost EArth’s best defender.” PHEW fam PHEW

- As Tony Stark has always been and will always be my favorite Avenger, I felt such pride on the third watch to confirm that the largest reaction out of each audience was when Thanos stabbed Tony. Loud, palpable gasping. One low conjoined sound of “OOOOooooohhh!!” echoing in the theater. Twice someone screamed. The attachment we feel to them all is immense, right? We’ve all been together with Tony Stark the longest, and that impact was so satisfying to feel on a grand scale like that for me. Whether you love Tony Stark or not, EVERYONE felt that fear of him dying in that moment. Hell, so many people were dead by that point that it WASNT IMPOSSIBLE. I cried the first time. I had to furiously wipe tears so I could keep watching the screen; I didn’t want to miss anything. I needed to see Tony’s end if that’s what happened; I owe him that. In case it’s unclear, Tony Stark is my favorite fictional character of any medium.

-omg when Gamora said, “you promised” before Quill went to shoot her, I was SHOOK fam omfg. And also when Gamora went to commit suicide before Thanos could throw her into the canyon....I REALLY felt Gamora’s story this movie. I know I said it earlier but it was GREAT.

- *mocking tone* “I am Groooooot.” everyone: WOAH THAT ATTITUDE (LOL I DIED)

-I was PISSED at Quill for fucking up the plan. THEY ALMOST GOT THE GAUNTLET OFF THEY WERE SO CLOSE and he messed it up....I get why tho and by the end I couldnt even fauult him for it, but in the moment I was PIISSSSSSSSSSED.

-The ending was.............honestly satisfying. It ended cliffhanger-y but not an IMMEDIATE, OMFG WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN cliffhanger.

Whata good movie omfg. I still don’t know where it ranks for me, Top 5 for SURE. Seeing is this many times, the story holds up, the humor holds up, the character work holds up, the pacing is seemless. It was SO GREAT. It was darker too, and I loved that.

What are yal’s thoughts?

[gold-from-straw]

Writing Process tag game

Tagged by @gothyringwald! Thank you ^_^

1. What are your favourite genres and/or styles to write in?

I recently discovered I actually LOVE magical realism. I really like world building like that. But most of all I like writing about people and relationships, so within that, anything really

2. What was the last writing project you finished and felt successful with?

I get a total buzz from finishing anything, often because I’m super excited about starting on the next thing! I think Wicked Boys, though - it’s just the first draft that’s finished, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. The Forest Hotel, as well, I finished that quite a while ago but I still feel really positive about it, which is unheard of for me lol! My friend has finished the front cover art, so hopefully I’ll be able to publish it soon! But the most surprising success was Nature of Trust, because it’s STILL gathering hits and kudos like crazy, it didn’t slow down after I finished uploading, and I can’t even quite figure out why?! I feel like I hit on some magic formula there and I’m fascinated lol!

3. If you have a WiP how do you feel it’s going? What stage are you in?

Oh dear, hold on people. So I’ve got 2 original novels that are about 1/3 the way through. One of them I recently got enthusiastic about again, but I nearly cried when I re-read the first few chapters. They were shit. I’ve convinced myself to move past that - that’s a problem for second draft Lyndsay - and just write the damn thing. 

I’ve got a couple of first drafts that need transcribing so I can upload them - Wicked Boys, which is my current baby, Golden Prince, and Living the Dream (shit, I need to be writing that like now, so I can upload tomorrow...)

I’ve got a Drarry novel which might ACTUALLY turn into an epic re-write of the entire HP series, oops. I’m only on book 1 as well, so... it’s getting there?

There’s a short story I promised my daughter, too, I should really prioritise that...

Oh, yeah, I forgot about Zero Degrees! I have a few extra chapters to add, and a bunch of edits, but I’m hoping to publish that next year

I have too many WIPs!

4. What are your favourite places to write?

I write my first drafts in notebooks (literally because I like buying pretty notebooks...) so I actually end up writing in some lovely places, like a hill where I walk my dog! My dedicated writing place is in a golf club cafe I go to after my karate lesson (random, know), they make the best BLT baguettes, and the old dudes there tease me and ask me when I’m going to write a book about them

5. Do you prefer to write with long hand or type? Or some other method?

If it’s something long I usually write in a notebook, because I kinda like having physical evidence of the VOLUME of shit I write! Also I really like pretty notebooks. Also also, it forces me to finish a first draft - I can’t edit as easily as I can on a laptop. And then when I type it up it forces me to second draft it, I spot things that don’t flow better than if I was just reading through

6. Do you remember your first character? If so can we meet them?

Yes! I used to write stories and pass them around my school, and the first one I wrote was about a girl who lived as a stowaway in a container ship like some pre-teen phantom of the opera on the fucking ocean! I actually don’t know if I ever finished the story, but she was trippy. First story I know for sure that I finished was about a bus crash where one girl nearly dies and her body is taken over by an angel so she can heal. It’s mostly from the POV of the boy who had a crush on her and who goes slightly crazy noticing the similarities and differences between this girl’s character before and after. I mean that was trippy AF too, I’m not even sure what was going on there... I was clearly a little edgelord already...

7. Where do you get your inspiration?

I really don’t know, half the time. Daydreaming. Something will set me off and I’ll take tangent after tangent until BAM, I’m re-writing the story of how my great-grandfather walked half way across Kenya with a donkey and a wooden leg, only now he’s gay and he and his Masai friend rescue a kid from an abusive household.

8. Do you outline a story before writing it, or does it all live in your head until the first draft gets put down?

So much outline. The reason being, I have so many random ideas that if I started all of them I’d go crazy. So instead I have a book full of tangled mind-maps (my header photo is an example), and once they’re outlined there, they can hibernate for years before I get started, but they don’t go away. If I just let them live in my head I’d lose them! I also have a book dedicated to doing character notes, like backstories and random bits of info that will probably never make it into the story but which give me a good idea of who the person is before I try to write them - otherwise they tend to be a bit two dimensional. @salamanderink gave me that idea by asking me loads of questions about some of my Zero Degrees characters!

9. Where do you go/ What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?

I just leave it alone, write something else or absolutely nothing. I don’t try to push it any more. I think I used to, because I was scared of losing momentum, but now I’ve got this backlog of ideas, I know that if I ever run out of inspiration at least I’ve got starting points for loads of new ones! I don’t know if that’ll change in the future, but it seems to be OK for right now. I sometimes change and do a bit of drawing for a while instead, that usually loosens me up

10. What got you started writing/doing Art? (Because I always love origin stories)

I’ve kept a diary since I was 6 or so, on and off, but consistently since I was 11. That just sort of turned into me writing stories, somehow. I remember writing in my diary ‘nothing interesting ever happens so I’m going to write down my daydreams until I get a boyfriend or something’. Then IDK, some of the kids a couple of years below me in high school found some of my stories, and asked if they could share them around, and I started sewing them up to hand out - I’ve still got all of them! Some of them were fucking dark... 

We had a talk by an author one day, and he asked if anyone wanted to be a professional writer. I put my hand up (and got teased by the assholes in my class afterwards, because apparently the boys in my class were actual baby boomers and didn’t think writing was a real job - like mate, you’re 15, what do you care?!) but this dude looked at me with a super intense expression and said ‘never stop writing’. So I didn’t. And I self-pub my original stuff, and get my regular dose of validation on AO3, and writing is my most effective coping mechanism. Tadaa!

Tagging @slytherinvalues, @turned-her-brain, @salamanderink, @elizabethhollowswriting and @soz or whoever else wants to do this and needs to procrastinate as much as I do ;)

[alyjojo]

The signs, to me:

Aries: The only, onlyyy sign they can get on my mfn nerves and it’s cool by tomorrow. I mean there was one that is possibly Satan himself, and Venus Aries nope I’m good, but besides that...9/10 it’s good. We can debate and still be friends, maybe even learn a thing, and mutually respect the others differences without it getting in the way of genuine friendship. Respect exists with Aries, big time, and I admire that. They’re also usually smart as hell, not time wasters or beat around the bush types...I admire that too.

Taurus: 9/10 love. It’s not me putting up with them so much as vice versa. Most I adore, those ones usually have a lot of Gemini somewhere bc otherwise they’re like “you crazy” and go...farm or something 😆 Still like em though, what’s not to? If they can get past my own crazy, and with men...their views which are often far too ugh...and the women sometimes stop when they can’t use me for something...rude...but when those things don’t play a role, there’s really no sign I have more in common with. Love em. Sun moon rising Venus mars idc. Mercury is a bit rough but mine is incompatible and I have to bend but it’s doable.

Gemini: I love Gemini, from a distance. Gemini is all about Gemini and their whole lives revolve around this fact. They’re giving...to get. They’re nice...for a reason. They’re smart and silly...with a plan. I’m not really about that. I love talking to them, they’re a breath of intellectual fresh air, they cheer me up and make my day often, just being themselves. Prefer women, because there’s less to suspect from them.

Cancer: 🙄, if that alone covered it...I just don’t care about what they care about. Like at all. Men I can get along with, casually or at work, women forget it. They’re manipulative and guilt trippy and I’m like a shield against that crap, it makes me not like them asap. I’m so blunt and save the game...they feel I’m insensitive because of it, I’m like try that shit elsewhere crazy. Aqua x cancer, just no. Now I’ve had many friends with Cancer moon...always turned out to be scheming little backstabbers. Just me? Maybe. I’m good tho 💯

My brother has cancer rising and he looks like a big cuddle bear & it makes him very sweet, especially with his family, I love the rising 💙

Leo: Love or hate, there is no middle. Depending greatly on their other signs, it’s like looking in a mirror (sister sign). Some are so full of shit I can’t stand it. The bossy thing, no. The demanding thing, no. The omg I need attention thing, hell no, gross 😆 Or I have 50 million friends ok but none of them actually know me and it’s all fake but it counts. No. When I find one I like I love them tho. Always the polar opposite in every way (makes sense), but as long as they see it and don’t mind, I don’t either and we take turns picking stuff lol. Usually women.

Virgo: 🤨...that could cover it. Whine whine whineee, have some cheese with the whine. Probably lactose intolerant. Probably have 50 bazillion “problems” they love to talk about. Probably 8/10 is in their head too. No sign I like working with better...at work. They’re dependable and good people. Prefer men. They make me feel secure, which I like, also probably the most boring sign out there, to me anyway. I’ve never hated one though, they’re not hate-able, I will and do tease the crap out of them. I seem to have a deep soft heart for older Virgo women...they are grandma. Any and all of them, 60ish and up, they have my heart, and usually love me too. They know what’s important, and they’re usually incredibly talented with words...listen up.

Libra: I guess I like them most, but I also see clear through their bullshit. They’re fake 8/10, it drives me insane, but when you get them up close & personal and they open up...I really really like them. Their stories, their more bubbly happy kind of personality, I like that they like people (bc I hate people 😆). When they pull their crap on me though it’s go time. Get real or fuckoff...they usually like that about me 💯

Scorpio: Ah my lifelong struggle right here. I respect them usually, but if anyone beats me in the wow you’re too fn mean department...winner winner. Mercury and it’s war time. Aquarius seems to be one of the only signs that will be like stfu and have a seat to them. Aries is the other. In this whole world, whether Venus or Sun or Moon or Mars even...not really rising that’s for show...there is no other sign that can be as genuine, deep, meaningful, real. Real is key, and they are. So you take the good with the fn mean 🤷‍♀️ I love the moon, it’s my favorite moon (opposite moon) ❤️

Sagittarius: Men, great. I’m never attracted to these (sun) guys 😆 They are the one sign that are completely platonic with me and I love it. They’re annoying as hell and they know and I’m used to the shenanigans. It’s my brother, and really I treat them all like family. Women are a bit catty and blunt but...so am I. My understanding with Sag runs deeper than most signs, I hear what they’re trying to say even when they sound unclear, and they’re the same with me. Most I’ve met are great ❤️ Moon tends to drive me crazy because they’re so convinced their “truth” is the only 🙄 Mars gets annoyed by the same things, bonding! Mercury is hilarious I love it. And Venus I love, but the joking bs is too much. It’s just not funny. Sad things aren’t funny, mean things too...like wtf. The song boys are so UGH, probably Sag Venus 😆

Capricorn: Sign I get along with most. Idk why, we are night and day. Maybe that’s why. I am the sun and they are the moon, or we switch, I don’t give a fk about people or what they think and OH DO they wow too much, but inside we are the same. We walk very similar paths. They (usually, moon dependent) place a lot of importance on work, and I place a lot of importance on home, and there lies our biggest difference. The minute they get condescending, I have to remind them just how much I won’t put up with the bs (not today bitch). Any placement. Every Cap placement is more difficult than the Sun imo. Venus speaks a separate language that is not verbal or emotionally clear 😓 But...9/10, my favorite sign.

Aquarius: Preachy af. With whatever is their thing. They know this, they’re hoping whoever they’re talking to is as passionate about whatever the topic is, as they are. If not they’ll just shut down. They say Aquarius is the most rare sun sign, and they’re a rare breed. If you are into the things they’re into, you’re golden. If they think you’re funny, same. They are distant & somewhat cold, detached and not available. Because when they finally are, it’s deep, and it’s forever. But...they can cut you off easily, it’s something they’ve grown accustomed to having to do. They mourn privately, and there’s a whole separate world going on inside of their heads. If you’re lucky enough to get inside of that, you’ve already got them. They like direct people. 7/10 bc my Taurus moon gets annoyed af with them and my own damn self regularly. Very tolerant & forgiving of differences (usually), that’s what everyone wants. Love Aquarius in every place it goes...Mars idk tho. Mars is weird and contrary, not that easy to get along with (do they even get along with themselves?)

Pisces: Love. Usually. Women more. Either way, if they’re full of Aries forget it. The intense Pisces formula with too much Aries makes an actual aggressive psycho imo, I’ve known a few, and I’m like swiftly PASS...or I’ll knock em dead 😆 Same goes for Aries with moon Pisces imo. That’s real crazy. Pisces full of Aqua are like soulmates, I adore them. Pisces full of Pisces are kinda depressing and often need me to be happy happy joy joy for them to feed off of...which is draining tbh...but they’re worth it. They are silly and childlike, genuine (love this), full of fun facts, great conversationalists and super fun to be around. 7/10 for draining factor (I need breaks). Moon & Venus I love ❤️

[equalstrashflavoredtrash]

movies i like

so @beautifulramblingbrains tagged me in this thing saying ‘what are your 6 favorite films?’ and i love movies so i got carried away and made this list of a lot more than six films...

Cus I cant do shit halfway when it comes to moves, i took some time thinking abt this and ending up choosing my fave 6 genres/tropes and the choosing the best movie that it applies to, with honorable mentions. ***this list is NOT an exclusive list of my favorite films, i eventually cut myself off because i kept adding titles... there are hundreds more i’d mention if i had time, but this is what i wrote down***  (I have lots of very personal opinions about all the films i listed, both favorites and honorable mentions, if you want to know more about any of them please ask)

(all of the film titles link to a trailer of the film, if available. A few of these films can be watched in full for free, those links have been include as an ‘x’ after the title)

THIS IS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, IT’S MORE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

1. BOTTLE STORIES. Fuck, if i dont love sticking a bunch of characters in a room together, or a short window of time, and seeing what happens. Honorable mentions: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Key Largo, Green Room, 12 Angry Men, Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and The Man From Earth. Favorite choice: MURDER PARTY!! What happens when a guy responds to a Halloween invitation to a murder party? Well, mostly it’s a bunch of pretentious artist doing drugs and debating how to kill him. I dont know what I love more about the film, the subtle dialog and perfect build up of plot, or the fact that i actually know people like the stuck up artist in it. I just think this was deffo written by someone who went to art school

2. WHERE DOES REALITY STOP AND THE DREAM BEGINS? Come on, i mean, seriously how can you really know when it’s not a dream? Honorable mentions: Perfect Blue, Jakob’s Ladder1, Brazil1, Dark City, Waking Life, Science of Sleep, Alice, and La Jetee. Favorite choice: PAPRIKA!! Shatoshi Kon made so, SO many amazing films in his life and this is one of the best, imo. If you like Inception, know that it was directly influenced by Paprika. And Inception is like a boiled down version; it makes more sense and is less fantastic. Real facts though, i have watched Paprika over a dozen times, and still when i go back to watch it now i notice details i missed before that are subtle but pertain to the over-all ideas and story. Also the soundtrack is fuckin sick.

3. BLACK AND WHITE THRILLERS! Like yeah, self explanatory, and I could go on about The Third Man or M, but what i really love is stories that make you grip the edge of your seat when you weren’t expecting to. Honorable Mentions: Arsenic and Old Lace, The Virgin Spring x, All About Eve1, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari x, Metropolis x, The Bad Seed and Sunset Boulevard (i want to say Chinatown2 tho i know that was shot in color but to look like noir b&w). Favorite choice: EYES WITHOUT A FACE!! x I have a soft spot for french horror, but what makes this film stand out is the way they danced around taboo subjects like gore, animal abuse, and mad scientists to avoid censors and get a wide release in Europe, while still having those be major subjects in the film.

4. CRAZY SLOW PACED AND BASED IN CONVERSATION! Ok i worried for a moment that this was too similar to the first, but no it’s different. Like man, if the dialogs good, then i'm fucking dooownn, and these are more about the conversation than anything else. Also this is my list so i can do what i want. Honorable Mentions: Royal Tenenbaums, Stagecoach1x, Yojimbo, Fire, Coco and Igor, and Days of Heaven. Favorite choice: STALKER!! x Like hell yeah, i'm so here for a soviet film abt people debating what they’d wish for while hiking to the wishing well. Also i think this film used the b&w to color transition better than Wizard of Oz because you barely even notice the change, like they hypnotize you first then make the switch.

5. ANIMATION! I fuckin love animation. I’ve always prefered cartoons. If you didn't know this, then idk if you know me. Honorable Mentions: Secret of Kells, Triplets of Belleville, Spirited Away, Mind Game, World of Tomorrow, Belladonna of Sadness, Millennium Actress, My Life as a Zuccini, The Hedgehog in the Fog x, The Cat in Paris. Favorite choice: THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER!! (the recobbled cut, specifically) After the production hell this flick went through, it needs all the love it can get. Started in the late 70s, it wasn't released until 1993, and was quickly overshadowed by Aladdin (which is probably directly influenced by the Thief and the Cobbler, but Disney’s not gunna say that). After 30s years of bouncing between animation studios only to get this slap-dash finishing to push it out on VHS, which the final final scenes not only feels disjointed from the story, but the scenes have an fps (frames per second) rate that’s half of the original animation so you can literally see the images slow down in some scenes. The recobbled cut is the best because even though it has a few unfinished scenes (some of which are still just animatics) it is the closest we may ever get to the original, intended version of the film. It’s still trippy as fuck though, and it doesn't have the god awful internal monologue for the thief.

6. MOVIES I FIRST SAW WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE AND ABSOLUTELY ADORE! So these are movies which i saw when i was young BUT would be happy to watch again and have lots of opinions about (so this rules out Requiem for a Dream and Risky Business, both i saw too young and i'm cool with only having ever seen them once) Honorable Mentions: Spirited Away, Muppet Treasure Island, Young Frankenstein, Nightmare Before Christmas, Monsoon Wedding,The Dreamers, Airplane! and Fight Club. Favorite choice: DUCK SOUP!! Omg, i dont know if i can adequately express how much i fucking love the Marx bros. I own most of their films and when I was little, i used to just watch them endlessly (and I will still do so while drunk if no one stops me) I know all the jokes and songs even tho i learned half of them before I was old enough to get the jokes.

7. *Bonus round* TRIPPY AF MOVIES!! Like flicks i walked out of thinking ‘the fuck did i just watch??’ Honorable mentions: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Enter the Void, Videodrome, Holy Mountain, Meshes of the Afternoon x. Favorite choice: DOG STAR MAN!! x Sometimes, you need to just lay back and watch undulating colors in silence for a few hours.

Like, i just want to say, that while editing this list i thought of like ten films I couldn't shoehorn into any of these categories, and was very upset i couldn't find a way to mention them, so if you like this and want me to make another movie list, PLEASE SAY SO!!

1 I have included the link to the trailer, but the trailer is shit. The movie is much better.

2 while this film is only brought up saying that it doesn't fit on the list, i do really love the film, but i feel like i should mention that both the director, Roman Polanski and main actor, Jack Nicholson have been directly accused of sexual assault/statutory rape/domestic assault. I, personally, have a cognitive dissonance with this film because I saw it before I learned about both of them and their actions. But as much as I enjoy the story and movie, i cannot in good faith, bring up the film without mentioning this.

[aquarianlights]

When I don’t take my ambien to sleep, I get so much done in the 6-8 days I’m awake. Somehow, not taking it makes me super productive. Albeit, I’m awake until my body and mind physically shut down and I black out (generally 6-8 days), it still feels better to not take it and get a fuckton of stuff done nonstop and then have a small period of crashing before waking up and starting again. 

(On my off days where I have nothing to do and roommates are all busy.)

Like. . .staying awake until the coffee shop opens at 6am, walking there around 6am, getting some coffee, studying medical school stuff for a few hours there give or take, walking home and making any stops for things we need in the house, making important phone calls while walking while I’m away from all the major car noise, coming home, having a fucking 4-6 hour hyper-cleaning session where I clean nonstop until every single centimeter and corner of one room is spotless and sparkling and organized while talking to roommates or friends who happened to find me at the coffee shop we all go to, doing all the laundry between cleaning, making out lists of things I need to do and setting all these alarms to do them, doing about an hour of schoolwork, break to clean and organize small bits and binge some Star Trek while doing so, going back to schoolwork and alternating between that and cleaning until I get physically and mentally exhausted enough to just lay down and play MMO’s usually around 10:30pm. . .then start all of this over again at like midnight. . .try to lay down and just do something monotonous like update my iPod or something around 3am. . .until about 6am comes and repeat.

The second I take an ambien, I can’t fucking do anything for like. . . a full 24 hours or more. But I can’t sleep without any powerful sleep aid. I never have been able to since I was little. I mean, I took 2 full strength Ambien’s last night (20mg total) and got about a solid 5 hours. That’s a really good night for me.

Idk how tf I became productive af today after taking 2 Ambien, but. . .I did. Holy fuck, my friend found me at the coffee shop, was getting coffee for one of my roommates, we walked to my house together, and then I just started hyper-cleaning after waking another roommate up who has trouble waking up. And talking to her in bed for like 30 minutes about important stuff to make her think to wake her up gradually. Went back to friend and other roommate...passed into kitchen...went into hyper-clean mode, roommate and friend just...kinda joined in. Put on Christmas music (trans-siberian orchestra, ofc) and I LEARNED A THING. I LEARNED YOU CAN POP THE TOP OFF OF AN ELECTRIC STOVE! Woah. That was a trippy experience.

But...man...it’s almost 5pm now. And I’ve now taken all my roommates to work, studied a bunch, got a fuckton of cleaning and general organization done, made lists of goals I need to accomplish and by when, inventoried what we need in the house and what I personally need, am about to get started on some homework coz I still have over 10 pages worth of medical terms to turn into physical note cards. . .will probs go clean more later. . .maybe go back to coffee shop to refuel.

I notice I’m a FUCKTON more productive when I’m not doing any drugs. . .like, holy shit. I normally take about 6 valium at a time. Or 5-6 pain killers at a time. Sometimes both at the same time. And I function very well like that. But. . .it seems like I’m a fuckton more productive OFF all addictive substances, including Ambien, and I get a neurotypical-workload done every day if I don’t take anything or take the bare minimum.

In one year, on this day, I will be so close to neurotypical that no one will be able to tell I’m neurodivergent unless they live with me or am with me frequently. Not a soul will be able to fucking tell. That is my goal. . .to condition my brain to form new pathways by forcing myself to do all the neurotypical every-day chores I do not want to do. . .every. single. day. And if I do that for at least 90% of one year. . .my brain should form new pathways that make me feel as though I have the chemicals of a neurotypical person. Albeit, I will still take my psych meds coz they give me a small dose of those chemicals I don’t have and it would be illogical to stop them. . .I’m still gonna rewire my brain on my own.

If I’m gonna be a surgical resident, I need to step up my game. Coz the only thing stopping me from achieving that goal is myself. . .my motivation and energy problems. That is the only thing standing in my way at this point. So, fuck me, I’m gonna make myself as close to neurotypical as possible within a year.

I will do what I have been doing: Crying and feeling like I need to kill myself or hurt myself, pulling my hair out, clawing at myself, biting myself up, etc etc. . .for 30 minutes. I allow myself to feel like that for 30 minutes. Albeit that feeling never goes away, I get up and force myself to do the things even if every single fiber of my physical and mental being is trying to force me not to. . .and I get up and do what I need to. And by doing that. . .eventually it’s going to rewire my brain. It’ll take a damn long time. . .but it’ll be fucking worth it.

[the-madame21]

So I was reading angsty fanfic last night and that got me wondering, what would've happened if Reiji had let Yui die instead of saving her like he promised Reina he would and Karlheinz's punishment for letting Yui die had been forcing Reina and Shuu to get married? How would that affected all of them as people? I'm really curious what you think they would've done in that situation.

Ok, first of all, *screams* because no one has talked to me about Masks in like years. Second of all, this is a great fucking question for a bunch of reasons. It totally fucks up all the dynamics and I absolutely love it. It also becomes super interesting when you consider Pyres of Arcadia cuz that’d end up all fucked up too, but especially so with Champagne and Chicanery, which naturally ties in even though we haven’t gotten to these particular parts there yet. Anyway. This answer is gonna be long and maybe I put too much thought into this alternate ending so I apologize in advance lol.

So the first reason this is so awesome is because after Reina “dies” then Reiji goes and grabs the sword but instead of slicing his own arm he’d just stab it right through her heart. Which is obviously awesome like fuck yeah, go Reiji take your revenge! Naturally, everything happens rather quickly after that. Shu would have like war flashbacks since now he’s lost two people who are close to him and he couldn’t do anything, Reina will wake up and Ayato will be freaking out and the moment Reiji sees her awake he’s like caught between elation and dread. 

Cuz he fucked up and he knows it. 

But then best of all Daddy shows up, clicking his tongue and being all condescending af. I will say this though despite everything Karlheinz has a bit of a soft spot for Reina. Daughter he never had or whatnot. Plus she’s his best friend’s (arguably only friend’s) kid. And he’s nothing if not a gentleman. So he’d help her up, probably, push Ayato away and help her stand. Reiji standing frozen, still holding onto the sword that’s leaking Yui’s blood and Shu curled up in a corner somewhere having a mini meltdown. 

Still though, this fucks up Karlheinz’s plans. And he ain’t happy about that. Plus Shu is all broken right now so he’s essentially useless. Everything from this point on would basically be driven by Karlheinz, since everyone else is sorta too shell-shocked to do anything else. We all know whatever Karlheinz says goes but that’s especially true for Reina since she feels so indebted to him and all of that. Plus her sense of duty is like wayyyy high. And as much as Karlheinz likes her, she really doesn’t have anything special about her, other than she comes from a strong bloodline. 

At this point I think Yui’s body would be too far gone to be resurrected in any way. But demon hearts are sort of resilient. So. Reina gets herself a new heart. 

“You mother will get her wish after all, my dear.” 

Ok so this is where it gets sort of interesting because after that then like everyone will just be beyond detached. Like Reina will have essentially lost herself because she’s not even really a vampire anymore, since she’ll have this new demon blood flowing through her. Shu will be as distant as ever, if not more, despite the fact that now they’re still supposed to get married according to Karlheinz. Reiji can’t get his head out of his own ass–really just a mess. I don’t think his relationship with Reina would really be a possibility given the time frames of everything. So he’d just be beyond a broken man. Which is super depressing. And they’d just all be…yeah. 

The Tsukinamis would probably never show up and if they did that means they’d kidnap Reina instead. Which is super trippy because she’d actually have demon blood so Carla would have been cured right away. Idk how that’d work out. Karlheinz maybe would step in again. 

Also with this timeline, Karlheinz never dies. Like that’s insane. Not by Shu’s hand, anyway. Ayato might do it. Or maybe he finally convinces Reina to run away with him, I’m not sure. That’d be kind of fun. But I feel like Karlheinz would always find her. And like he’s super into the whole “continuing the race” or whatever right? So I feel like if Shu didn’t give her a child then he’d just do it himself. 

She’d finally be a Queen. Henrietta’s actions (which we haven’t gotten to) would finally have come full circle. But I really don’t think that’s what was in anyone’s best interest. 

I think though (since I love happy endings) given enough development and all, Reiji could be the knight in shining armor again. He’s got a strong sense of duty just like Reina so I feel like he’d definitely want to atone for what he did, after coming to terms with it, and after seeing how absolutely fucking depressed and broken Reina is. So with the strength that comes from rage, devotion and a one-sided love, Reiji would kill Karlheinz, become King, take Reina as his wife and keep the child since if he got rid of it Reina might just kill herself. So he accepts his half-brother/son and he and Reina rule the demon world together. 

Sort of fucked up but hey–that’s DL for you~

[iamjohnlocked4life]

Through A Different Lens

So it’s 1:30 a.m. where I live as I’m typing this, and there are currently less than 12 hours until TLD airs, and yes, I am furiously trying to finish up a meta for TST before exhaustion takes me. Yes, I am insane. And yes, again the things I am going to analyse may not be new to the fandom, but I know I literally will not be able to sleep tonight if I don’t get them out. So here we are.

People have been writing metas about the ocular devices in TST since the trailers. Heck, probably before then but I didn’t follow setl0ck so I can’t be sure. And there is The Theory That Shall Not Be Named *cough*blindlock*cough* that will probably keep me up tonight if writing this meta doesn’t do the trick. But rewatching TST for the ?th time made me notice something I hadn’t before: the order in which these ocular devices are shown on screen. From the beginning then:

This is the first shot after the Tale of Samarra being told over the surreal footage of Sherlock walking through the aquarium. We’ve just seen the s3 recap and the D-Notice scene, setting us up for the altered footage we may be encountering, the “official” story. Already we’ve seen things through an altered lens: the Magnussen shooting, through the fabricated lens of a sniper. So after the credits sequence and the creepy fairytale, ending with the line “Because,” said Death, “I had an appointment with you tonight... in Samarra.” we transition with a shark swimming up the screen to Billy the skull wearing... this. I don’t really know what it’s supposed to be, but it seems to be some sort of antique magnification device, made up like spectacles. Sure, the death tale, the large external screws, and the fact that it’s on Billy the skull all feel a bit ominous, but it’s probably nothing, right guys? Moving right along.

Next we have this lovely domestic shot of our crime fighting trio back at it again! sorry I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit On the desk there are two ocular devices: a large magnifying glass on a curved handle in the foreground, and a pair of spectacles of some sort on the far edge. Let’s take a closer look:

Yep, right next to John’s laptop where he’s updating his jpg blog, we’ve got some pretty snazzy shades. They kinda look like bug-eye lenses or kaleidoscope glasses. IDK, trippy af. Any chance we can see them in action?

Thanks, Sherlock! Okay, maybe they’re more like mini magnifying glass binoculars. Theoretically they’re helping Sherlock analyse that thumb? Or maybe he’s just spacing out. 

When we cut to the wide shot as he lowers his specs, we see a new magnifying glass has appeared at his side. It’s even bigger than the curved dildo handheld one on his table! Hm, his magnifying devices seem to multiplying, and increasing in size and scope. Surely nothing to worry about though. He just likes having an extra-close look-see. True, we haven’t seen him use his microscope or his classic tiny slide-open magnifying glass, but that’s probably because he’s become a collector of odd, eccentric ocular devices in the hours? days? since he was released from his top secret suicide mission and he wants to try out all his new olde tyme toys. I mean it only makes sense!

Well, that’s better. Sure, it’s a new pair of dual lens magnifying binocular thingies, but at least they’re not a giant oversized classic Holmes magnifying glass. That’d just be goofy. Odd that they’re so similar to the black ones we saw in the last scene but clearly different; wouldn’t it be easier to have fewer pairs of these things lying about? Easier to keep track of? Oh right, collector! Carry on.

Pan to: The Duplicate Man. How could Dennis Parkinson be in two places at the same time? And murdered in one of them? Don’t be an idiot John, it’s never twins! Certainly not with visual cues like dual lens glasses lying on top of the photos of this “duplicate” man. That’d just be overkill.

Phew! No new ocular devices! Maybe the flea market was all out? Though the giant magnifying glass has moved to the desk, showing us it’s in use, and making it bigger and more prominent. We’ll see it become even bigger in the scene where Lestrade tells Sherlock about the Welsborough case:

Yeah, I watched this scene about a dozen times and this is meant to be the magnifying glass, reflecting John and Greg while he sits there with his eyes closed. The lens transitions to and from the scenes that Greg describes, but when we look at the wide shot, we can see how forced and superimposed the giant close up of the lens is. 

Oh good, there’s another magnifying lens in the foreground, next to Sherlock’s microscope. Nice to see him really immerse himself in his newfound hobby! One thing we can say about this guy: he loves his magnification devices. But I wonder... with his ever increasing collection of every increasing magnification, might he become...myopic? A little too detail-oriented? 

Well, I don’t want to go too deep into the minutiae of what this all means, because I do need to sleep, dear lord, and there’s no way thinking about Sherlock’s beautiful eyes desperately trying to see what’s in front of his face and failing this lovely antique roadshow collection is going to help with that. But Sherlock’s got one more gem he’d like to share with you from his expansive collection, and he’s saved the best for last: 

In fact, for one of the very last scenes of the episode. Ah, home sweet home. Back at the flat again with good old trusty giant magnifying glass at his side table, glasses of some sort on his desk, and oh? What’s this? Actual binoculars at the window. Not magnifying devices for examining things up close, but for looking out at things that are far away. Getting some perspective. Taking in the big picture. What scene is this again? Oh yeah, the one where Sherlock turns to Mrs Hudson and tells her “If you ever think I’m becoming a bit... full of myself, cocky or over-confident... would you just say the word ‘Norbury’ to me?” 

But you know, I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. 

Phew! It is SO past my bedtime. Tagging people who may be interested in my meta: @heimishtheidealhusband @may-shepard @roseinmyhand @monikakrasnorada @hopelesslybenaddicted @queenmab3 @hotdiggitydollie @inevitably-johnlocked @just-sort-of-happened @jenna221b @mollydobby @justacookieofacumberbatch @sherlock-overflow-error @alexxphoenix42 @delurkingdetective @the-7-percent-solution @deducingbbcsherlock @datmycroft @tendergingergirl @isitandwonder @keagan-ashleigh @totallymydivision @simpleanddestructivechemistry @waitingforgarridebs @marcespot @tjlcer @ordinaryangel @bcdthomp @thetripbacktoearth

Thank you to Ariane DeVere for always providing such detailed transcripts to the fandom! 

T-9 HOURS YOU GUYS I CAN’T