#WHICH IS APPROPRIATE BUT NOT THE GOAL 💀

[khihi]

i've completely forgotten how to do makeup, i feel like that one ig post jere made with the mulan reference right now

[blasphemecel]

Michael Kaiser, Alexis Ness — Food Analogy

PAIRING: Michael Kaiser/Reader/Alexis Ness WORD COUNT: 3.3k TYPE: Humor, Bad Flirting (it's never been worse), Rivalry WARNING(S): Canon-typical football derangement, tw Kaiser, tw Ness, tw Y/n 💀 NOTE: This is the Dog Walking origin story does anyone remember me hi?

Believe it or not, Isagi never took you for a nutcase. Can your words sometimes be a bit absurd in nature? Over the top, maybe? Yes, but the environment you’re in is easy to blame. Otherwise, you’re a respectable individual, if not aloof, always keeping a certain distance from everyone else.

This is all to say, there is no way Isagi could’ve anticipated the utter nightmare he is in the middle of right now. If there was, he would’ve ran away the moment he heard your footsteps approaching after Kaiser blocked his shot and gave him that shitty speech.

You seem to have witnessed the whole thing, and with Kaiser gone, you wrap an arm around Isagi’s shoulders. “Do you know what he said to you?”

“In German?” asks Isagi, confused. “No.”

“What’s so special about you that one of the New Gen World XI players is picking a fight with you, huh? Because it was the last goal? He didn’t even glance at me and I finished the course before you.” Your eyes narrow at him with easy, second-nature condescension. It’s the first time you’ve hurled such provocations his way. “You’re always hogging the spotlight, you know?”

Isagi huffs, annoyed by your attitude. “Try harder in the next match, then. I don’t know what you want me to do. I’ll devour you either way.”

“Stop telling people you’re gonna devour them, you cannibal. It’s so tasteless.” You click your tongue, bemused by his lack of style — no wonder you get along with Aryu — and then you gesture at Ness and Kaiser in the distance. “Look at him. He even has a servant. It’s not fair. I want someone to do my bidding!”

“Why are you acting so childish right now?”

You push him off of you like you weren’t the one who got so close to him in the first place, then stalk up to Kaiser and Ness with the confidence of someone on a mission. At this point, Isagi knows he should look away, and yet his attention is glued to whatever is about to ensue like he’s a spectator of a car crash.

Ness offers you a fake smile and reaches out to hand you the same translation gadget he’d given Isagi earlier, but, of course, because you’re insane, you decide the most appropriate course of action is to take out one of his and shove it in your ear. He blinks.

“You seem vulnerable and easy to boss around,” you say. Wow, what a first impression. Ness’s smile slips. “I’m looking for a henchman or a goon or something similar. Are you interested?” Then you address Kaiser. “That was a cute little show you put on for Isagi. For how long did you practice it?”

“It was improvised,” he lies.

“Sure it was.”

“Who the hell are you?” Kaiser shoos you away with a wave of his hand. “Third rate actor trying to intrude on my stage. Bo-ring.”

Isagi cannot discern if Kaiser doesn’t recognize you from the U-20 match for real or if he’s just pretending in order to insult you, but his best guess is that you’re going to make him… very aware of your identity after this.

___

This is, perhaps, the most insulting thing to ever happen to Isagi.

The field falls into a conclusive silence, everyone still lingering by whatever spot they’d been in during the game before it finished. Isagi knows he’s staring at you like a serial killer, eyes drilling holes into your side profile with utmost offense. The football-induced neurosis he usually gets lost in while playing is yet to wear off, which is probably why he’s taking this to heart.

Without a doubt, you were ahead of him at least in the final moment, despite failing to stand out for the rest of the match. You’d predicted he wouldn’t cave in and pass to Kaiser and got in range, jumping in between them out of nowhere, stealing what was supposed to be Kunigami’s goal.

Though what made your outplaying him so galling is that it was all a way of picking a fight with fucking Kaiser. Not even with him, but with Kaiser. His act of relenting — of not trying to score on his own because of concepts like rationality and recognizing limits — became an instrument in this stupid fight you’ve been picking.

Then Isagi watches you figuratively spit in Kaiser’s face because, of course, your obnoxious ass can’t just win and leave it at that. No, unnecessary amounts of gloating seem to be what you run on, and now you grab Kaiser by the chin and mock his introduction, “On your knees, Bastard München.”

This is the worst transgression of Kaiser’s life. You’ve addressed him like he is a dull, unnoteworthy part of a collective, not even bothering to say his name while sporting the shittiest sneer he has ever seen. He’s pissed, and all he can do is stare in confusion. Despite his long going career as an instigator, this response (to his general existence and demeanor) is still somehow unique and, worse, effective.

When you let go of him, you withdraw your fingers from his face like he’s dirty. You shrug, then raise your hands in the air in a victorious manner, and you look happier than Isagi has ever seen you before. “Ta da. All eyes on me.”

But the shitshow doesn’t appear to be anywhere near over because while everyone else is frozen, you’re approaching him now, unperturbed by the attention you’re receiving as if it’s your birthright. Like you were made for the spotlight.

“Isagi, didn’t you say you were going to ‘devour’ me?” you ask once you’re right in front of him, your exterior growing more complacent by the minute. “Didn’t you challenge me? Seems to me like I’m too big for you to chew.”

If nothing else, though, unbeknownst to himself, Isagi, too, is insane. He has unreasonable amounts of determination and loves when things get difficult just so he can chase the satisfaction of overcoming them, among his other eccentricities. “This was just one match. We’re one for one now. I’ll defeat all of-”

“What are you two doing?!” Ness asks through a tight, passive aggressive smile. You hadn’t noticed him closing in on you, too high on your own power trip. He grabs you both, one shoulder in each hand, and squeezes with a death grip. “Do you think this is your show? This is Kaiser’s team, not the figure-out-which-good-for-nothing-is-slightly-better team. Either behave and follow the rules, or face the consequences.”

“Good for nothing? Shut up, little midfielder, you’re too scared to stand on your own feet, so you have to degrade yourself as Kaiser’s boytoy instead. I guess his shadow is a comfortable spot to hide in with how enormous his head is,” Isagi says. His tone is so matter of fact, it leaves minimal room for argument.

“He’s good, though. I can see potential in him to be almost as good as Sae. I want you to pass to me, too, Ness. Right? You can emphasize my star qualities with yours, can’t you, Ness? I can shine on you. It’s fine by me.”

It’s like two predatory animals are staring him down, trying to gauge his taste through smell alone — you with your fake innocent, curious expression, and Isagi, who doesn’t seem to realize he spewed vitriolic insults with the nonchalance of a weather cast announcement.

For sure both of you would’ve gotten a broken ankle each the way Ness is gritting his teeth right now, but emerging out of his stupor, Kaiser intervenes. And when Kaiser speaks, he commands Ness’s full attention, rendering him speechless. He pushes Ness out of the way, deeming this a fitting way to insert himself in the conversation. Then he looks you in the eyes with a… smirk? Isagi was hoping his dolour would last a little longer. “I figured out what your role is.”

“I’m not interested in starring in movies made by incompetent directors.”

“You’re going to be my love interest,” declares Kaiser, not at all fazed by your dismissal. “I’m not that bad,” he continues, because naturally, nice people always have to declare themselves as such. “I can recognize when someone has skills. You’re my darling in distress, and I need to save you from the peasantry of Blue Lock, so your talent can flourish. That’s your role.”

You continue observing him with mild amusement like what he told you was normal. Meanwhile, Isagi is wondering if your stunt earlier gave Kaiser whiplash or vertigo or something. Maybe he went and snapped. Clearly, these aren’t words coming from a sound mind.

Even Ness, who at this point should to some degree expect Kaiser to be deranged, gasps. Whether at his audacity or lack of shame, it’s not clear.

“How unoriginal. Think of a better one.” You shoo him to decline the proposal. “Besides, you already know I’m more interested in your lapdog.”

“What?!” Ness calls out, now moving onto being offended. “Are you rejecting Kaiser? And you- me?! What?!”

Isagi’s entire face scrunches. Did this man seriously not even flinch after getting called a lapdog?

Apparently no longer finding this conversation a proper source of entertainment, you wave them off dismissively and walk away without sparing them a second glance. Isagi watches as Kaiser stares creepily at your retreating silhouette with this little infatuated(?) smile on his face.

What is this lunatic so happy about, anyway? Does he even realize he was the perpetrator of his own public humiliation ritual? Leave it to Kaiser not to understand that he embarrassed himself.

Ness runs after you, yelling objections, but at this point Isagi isn’t even listening. He doesn’t want to listen. Neither are you, if the way you’re picking your ear and not responding to him while ducking out of his way is anything to go by.

After everything cools down a little and everyone has scattered about, Bachira inches towards Isagi. Easy-going as ever, hands interlocked behind his head, he says, “You’re all psychos on your team, huh? Must be fun.”

Oh… Yes, Bachira witnessed all that… Everyone did. Isagi almost forgot. The vortex of the utter absurdity of this situation sucked him in for a second there.

___

Isagi doesn’t even bother removing his sweaty uniform before he approaches you, looking all determined. He can’t get it out of his head… Did you read him? Or was it a guess? You got there too fast, as if you foresaw what he was about to do before he even decided it. “How did you know I was going to pass to Kunigami?”

“Isagi, don’t ask me narrow-minded questions. We just had a match and I need to revitalize myself,” you tell him as if what you’re saying makes perfect sense. It’s like you make it a point to phrase everything in the oddest way possible.

“Narrow-minded? Could you stop being a pain in the ass and answer me?”

“Well, you weren’t about to pass to Kaiser, and you used to be buddies with the ginger. So, pray tell, where else could the ball go?”

Surely, it wasn’t as predictable as you’re making it out to be?

“You could’ve collided with them, lost your starter spot and cost us the game without even touching the ball. It wasn’t worth the risk.” Isagi isn’t really sure why he’s even saying this. It paid off for you, but he needs to understand the intricacies of all the ways his rivals are ahead of him just so he can overthrow them. You’re another mark on his football hit list.

“Since when are you so trifling? You’re losing me more and more by the minute here.”

“What are you even on about?”

“I’m a striker. I’m sublime. I score. And you’re asking me why I chose to score?”

Isagi tries to glean some hidden wisdom from this statement — there is none — but before he can at least offer a response, Yukimiya intrudes on your conversation by talking about something wholly irrelevant.

Yukimiya berates him. You fade into the background of this conflict, observing, while everyone else makes an attempt to de-escalate the argument. To make matters worse, Kaiser makes an obnoxious entrance and delivers a useless speech about how you all better follow him and blah, blah, blah.

“What a stupid thing to say,” you point out, taking a step forward as if to challenge him. Isagi doesn’t like that he has to bear witness to you and Kaiser making eye contact again. “We’re in Blue Lock. Would the world’s best settle for just surviving?”

“None of you will be the world’s best and I’m here to show you. By the way, I meant what I told you earlier. Don’t go fading into obscurity following the wrong king. I really can’t stand it when someone doesn’t know how to use their talent, and your talent would make a good accessory to mine.”

“The only king I obey is my desire.”

“You say that now, but I’ll get you in the end.”

“Did you walk in here half naked to try and seduce me? You jezebel…”

Isagi makes the wise decision to tune out the rest of your bickering with Kaiser for the sake of his ears and mental clarity. Still, he can tell there is something here which is evading him. If he can identify everyone’s priorities — Kaiser’s need to live out his emperor fantasy, and your hedonism, and Yukimiya’s dedication to his ideals — can he use this knowledge to his advantage and come out on top?

___

You’re fighting with Kaiser again. It’s not real fighting, though, is it? Isagi has become well-acquainted with all sorts of depravity since the beginning of his stay at Blue Lock — most often had been the victim of it, even — so he can recognize it with ease. Because of this, he pays you minimal attention during the unfortunate moment when he needs to waltz by.

But the next display of obscenity, he truly does not anticipate. He turns around the corner of the hallway on the way back to his room, and what does he realize he’s seeing? Ness peeking his head out from behind the corner to watch you go at it from a distance, that’s what. Why is he even doing this? He’s always doting on Kaiser, so it’s not like it’d be weird if he was there, up close and personal. He’s literally making it stranger than it needs to be.

“What are you doing?” Isagi blurts out, before he can think better of asking.

Ness startles. Apparently he’s been focusing so intensely on… observing you and Kaiser, he didn’t register someone passing by a few inches away from him. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before eventually coming up with, “I, uh… Um, I- I… Uh.”

Isagi almost lets it go, but then Ness says,

“Everyone has their… interests and passions, so… You can’t judge me.”

“Wait, this is an interest and a passion to you?”

“Um, I, uh.” Ness’s face contorts into that reflexive creepy smile Isagi has come to expect of him. “Yes. Now go away, you’re interrupting me.” Oh no, he’s becoming confident in his… Whatever this is.

Isagi exits the vicinity with an unnecessary amount of caution. He can’t tell if the feeling of someone’s gaze burning his back is just paranoia on his part.

___

Today’s bullshit: another one of your arguments is unfolding, and this time, Isagi doesn’t have the choice to feign ignorance. You’re supposed to be splitting up in two for a practice match. Obviously this devolved into an inane dispute about who the biggest hotshot is. Isagi, holding the glorious title of ‘captain of Team B,’ tries to follow the plot of this whole thing. Mainly to figure out a way to make you and Kaiser shut up and get on with the game already because your voices now automatically register as a cacophony in his head.

“I’m not going on your team unless I get to be the captain,” you say. “And Ness passes to me.”

“I won’t play midfielder if you’re center forward!” Ness protests.

“Come on. We’d be a hit together. Stop pretending.”

“You’re putting yourself on quite the high pedestal there,” Kaiser says. “Is the altitude messing with your head? Don’t give yourself vertigo now.”

“If you died on the field, I’d do a penalty kick while standing on your corpse.”

Leave it to you to escalate things for the sake of getting a reaction out of Ness. He shakes you by the shoulders back and forth while yelling something unintelligible as Kaiser snickers, maybe finding this to be an amusing or god forbid romantic mental image.

Why are they acting like children? Isagi holds back an audible groan or perhaps an onslaught of derogatory words. He’s not sure how to solve this, though. You’ve been going in circles for a few minutes now, and Kaiser got mad when you said you’d be on Isagi’s team, and Isagi got mad when you tried to steal his aforementioned prestigious title, too.

The debate of who the superior striker is — objectively it’s Kaiser, but Isagi admires your dedication to your delusions in the face of Ness’s sectarian wrath — continues. Then, it happens. Something awful to honor your skills.

“What did you call it, Yoichi? Devouring?” asks Kaiser, before turning his attention back to you, sly smile on his annoying face and all. Then he puts his stupid hand over your loony head and pushes it aside, giving a good view of your neck. “I think in that case, I might want to take a bite out of you.”

What…

Oh my god, Isagi thinks, stomach churning, and truly, he might vomit. The state of affairs has never been more dire than this. No way that demented freak just did this without any shame?!

You open your dumb mouth, probably to respond with a snarky remark (which will inevitably somehow make this ten times more inappropriate). Isagi won’t stand for this.

Interrupting you before you’ve even begun speaking, he points an accusatory finger at Kaiser first. “You’re a pervert. Not only are you a pervert, but you’re doing it right in front of everyone. All the time! What’s wrong with you?”

He stares at Isagi incredulously. “What?”

Next, you enter the line of fire. “And you try to provoke him into doing things like this on purpose! Just so you can embarrass him! You’re a pervert in a much more pretentious and obnoxious way. You’re enjoying this!”

“What the fuck,” you blurt out. This is the first time he’s heard you sound defensive. “No, I’m not. We aren’t doing anything.”

“Yeah, we aren’t doing anything,” Kaiser agrees. “Fuck off, Yoichi.”

Isagi ignores these protests. They’re futile, anyway. He knows he’s right. Even if he isn’t, all of you deserve this slander in his opinion. For a moment, Ness makes the mistake of assuming he’s been spared, but, “You’re the worst, though. You like it when they fight over you. You have no self-respect.”

“Wh- What?! But I didn’t even do anything!”

“Yeah, that’s the thing, suck-off.” Isagi grabs him by the wrist and tugs him over to his side, apparently having decided this is the answer. “You’re going to be on my team.” Then he glances at the two of you, and that part of his brain which he tries to ignore when he’s not on the field sends a spark of joy and satisfaction coursing through his veins at the unadulterated indignation on your faces. “Deal with each other, yeah? Since you’re so inseparable.”

Noa tells everyone to hurry up, and the rest of the spectators mutter in agreement before Ness can even regain his senses and put up a fight. His eyes are wide and glossy, his jaw is hanging, and he is looking at Kaiser and then at you and then back at Kaiser with the sadness of a character in a Shakespearean play.

Kaiser looks like he is about to pop several blood vessels.

You huff, cross your arms, and pout. Why does Isagi always win?!

___

Thyere so embarrassing omfg im laugihing so hard

[vanishingcherry]

KARMA IS MY BOYFRIEND

summary: in which charles's girlfriend is the biggest swiftie. (it wasnt showing up in the tags so i had to repost. tumblr can be a bitch sometimes)

masterlist

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

liked by charles_leclerc, scuderiaferrari, lilymhe and 1,349,857 others

yourusername 1989 TAYLORS VERSION 1989 TAYLORS VERSION 1989 TAYLORS VERSION 1989 TAYLORS VERSION

view all 28,395 comments

lilymhe the only appropriate response

ferrarifan MOTHERS

charles_leclerc this is nothing. what you didn't see was the hour she spent running around the house calling everyone we knew

↳ yourusername you helped

↳ charles_leclerc we had agreed not to tell people that

↳ formula1fan goals.

scuderiaferrari 🎶 we never go out of style 🎶

liked by yourfriend, carmenmmundt and 1,820,057 others

yourusername guys guys, i might meet taylor swift this weekend im going to cry (i know i look cool, but im freaking out)

view all 14,057 comments

charles_leclerc am i not relevant anymore?

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taylorfan how is she going to meet taylor?

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yourusername via stories

liked by taylorswift, charles_leclerc and 20,230,857 others

yourusername i died dead. rip me.

view all 1,290,357 comments

yourusername YALL SHE SHOWED UP

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charles_leclerc taylor planned something with the girls and yn wont tell me what it is

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liked by taylorswift, selenagomez and 6,934,085 others

yourusername died dead. pt 2

view all 1,82,035 comments

taylorswift you're welcome any time!

↳ taylorfan is the space between "any" and "time" a reference to blank space?

↳ taylorfan2 NAW THATS TOO FAR NOW

↳ taylorfan3 the way it actually might be 💀

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↳ charles_leclerc still crying over the fact that my girlfriend loves taylor more than me 💔

↳ formula1fan at least if his careers in driving and music fail, we know he can fall back to comedy

taylorfan3 I HAVE NO IDEA WHO SHE IS, BUT I WANT TO BE HER

formulataylor cries in broke

liked by lilymhe, pierregasly and 2,084,537 others

charles_leclerc ive officially been knighted as best boyfriend ever

comments on this post have been limited

yourusername i told you that in confidence

↳ charles_leclerc you were stupid to think i wouldnt brag

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liked by alexalbon, charles_leclerc and 2,039,583 others

yourusername karma is my boyfriend

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alexalbon @.lilymhe am i also karma?

↳ lilymhe no, you havn't earned it yet

↳ yourusername you gotta take her to see taylor first

ynfan2 the way he looks at her >>>

charlesfan the question is, does he deserve the title of karma?

↳ charles_leclerc yes i do.

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↳ charles_leclerc @.yourusername

↳ yourusername guys, we have to be nice. he took me to the eras tour AND knew the lyrics to 50% of the songs

[presidenthades]

Once again, I am doing a series of my behind-the-scenes thoughts for The Golds while I do light edits for formatting, typos, and continuity. Here’s Chapter 1!

DO NOT read these commentaries until you have finishes reading the entirety of The Golds! These commentaries have many spoilers for future chapters.

First I’m gonna talk about why I decided to write this fic in the first place, because it wasn’t part of my original roadmap for the series. After I finished writing Daemon’s Handbook, my plan was to write an epic longfic with POVs from all the Targkids that encompassed a multi-year timespan a la the ASOIAF books…and then I realized if I did that, I had high odds of burning out halfway through 💀.

I’ve discovered that I do better at writing fic if I have an ending an mind when I start writing it, and the story needs to be something I can finish writing in several months so I don’t lose steam or get distracted/go on hiatus too long. That meant I needed to focus on a specific story with 1-2 protagonists/narrators that had its own complete story arc within the series’ larger arc.

When I finished writing the Handbook, I read a lot of books during my break. Several of those books were about fashion history, and one was the official GOT costumes book. I got really obsessed with fashion in the HOTD world, and I temporarily thought about writing a Rhaena POV fic because in my verse, she’s really into fashion and I wanted to put my newfound amateur knowledge to use 😅. But as I brainstormed what her story would look like, I realized it was super adjacent to Jace’s story because Rhaena is her lady-in-waiting, and eventually I shifted over to a Jace-centric story.

While I was brainstorming the Rhaena fic, I thought of a pregnancy subplot where Rhaena has to create Jace’s pregnancy wardrobe, and that pregnancy plot ultimately became the central story in The Golds. I was originally going to make Jace the sole narrator as she deals with the pregnancy, but I realized Aegon would have some really entertaining thoughts so I made it dual POV. This is when I started thinking about the Bridgerton approach, where each Targkid gets to be the star/costar of their own story in roughly chronological order.

The title “The Golds” is a reference to the canonical Greens and Blacks. There’s a theme throughout the story of Jace and Aegon accumulating popularity and soft power at court and among the smallfolk. This growing faction will unofficially be called the Golds because Jace and Aegon are strongly affiliated with that color, due to Sunfyre’s scales, Jace’s preference for gold, and all the symbolism that gold entails.

Most chapter titles are lyrics from the in-universe lullaby “The Song of the Seven.” Since the fic is about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood, I thought a reference to this lullaby was appropriate. My original outline had 7 chapters for the fic so I was going to title each chapter after the first line of each stanza in the lullaby. As I wrote the fic and realized it was going to be more chapters, I had to get creative. For Chapter 1, I picked the Maiden lyrics because the Maiden is associated with innocence and young women. Aside from this chapter including the wedding night (and thus Jace’s last night as a maiden), this is also the beginning of Jace’s character and emotional journey, during which she becomes less innocent/naive and, as you know, encounters a lot of darkness in the real world.

Ok now for the actual chapter commentary lol

I started showing during the Handbook that Jace is a responsible, dutiful “eldest sibling syndrome” kind of person, and I wanted to really highlight that in this fic. In the beginning of this story, Jace is the neurotic workaholic while Aegon is hedonistic and urges her to relax. Throughout the story, Jace does learn to relax and delegate better, but Aegon also starts picking up responsibilities along the way. By the end, my goal was for them to meet in the middle, where Jace learns that she has to take care of herself if she wants to take care of others, and Aegon learns that he needs to put in some work in order to secure the things he really wants in life.

There’s also a theme of private vs. public. Jace starts as having a very public life (she’s the heir to the throne, her life is on display at court) while being very private about things like her body and personal wants. In contrast, Aegon is very public about his body (the casual nudity is canon, don’t blame me) and personal wants (“I love my wife and everyone must know it”), but he wishes he could have a private life (be his own person and do what he wants, rather than be the prince and politician his family wants). Again, they kind of grow to meet in the middle by the end. Jace learns to be more selfish about her desires and fight for them (she also becomes more comfortable with her body around Aegon, although the self-consciousness never entirely goes away). Aegon learns to put aside his hangups about “I don’t want to be a player in the game” and steps into the arena so he can ultimately achieve what he wants, which is to protect Jace and their child.

We see the beginnings of Aegon’s powers of observation this chapter. He notices the Bracken/Blackwood exchange (these are the same lovers that Daemon spies in the tunnels in Chapter 9 of the Handbook) and deduces a likely explanation. This trait was inspired by a TGC quote about how Aegon is very observant and knows people’s weaknesses. I loved this idea that Aegon observes a lot of what’s happening around him, but canonically he’s too drunk and apathetic to do much about it. Here, Aegon is not an alcoholic and he’s a lot more grounded, so he actively registers a lot more details.

I mention in Chapter 2 that Daemon is part of the reason Aegon doesn’t drink so much, but that’s definitely not the whole story. Aegon seems very driven by the pursuit of dopamine, things that give him pleasure. In canon, he achieves this through whoring and alcoholism. Here, he has Jace, who has always fulfilled many of his emotional needs and now his physical needs. His life is a lot happier, so there’s no need for him to drink himself into a stupor. He did still have a youthful period of debauchery, but it’s not an outrageous amount of debauchery for a spoiled prince—although still in an upper percentile.

Aegon remains impressively chaste during the Stepstones because he realizes his youthful debauchery was a big reason Rhaenyra disapproved of him. And by the time he leaves for the Stepstones, he’s realized (thanks in part to their forced separation, thanks in part to Jace being the prettiest girl he can ever imagine existing) that no other woman is ever going to compare to Jace, so why bother? (He definitely had a locket or something with Jace’s mini portrait and lock of hair lol)

Aegon’s attitude toward dancing (he’s good at it but he hates the formality) is similar to his overall attitude toward court life and politics. He can do it if he wants, but he just doesn’t want to—unless it makes Jace happy.

Confession: the Tyroshi subplot wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did. I’ll explain more in future chapters, but for now, I’ll just say Floris and Sara weren’t always intended to die. But they did die in the final draft, and in hindsight I’m glad I included the Baratheon scene this chapter. Originally the scene was supposed to showcase Jace’s politicking and diplomacy, as well as lead up to her eventually picking Floris as a lady-in-waiting. Now it has extra meaning because it shows how sweet Floris was, how she fit in with her sisters, and how her mother doted on her 🥺.

I actually kind of like Maris, she’s funny in a mean girl way 😂. But she canonically has a tendency to run her mouth and say nasty things. Here, I think she feels jealous that Cassandra is getting so much attention from potential suitors, and that contributes to her rudeness. Jace could have publicly shamed Maris for being so rude to a Targaryen bride at her own wedding, but she decided to be sneakier about it and not cause a scene. Jace wants to maintain a good relationship with the Baratheons while making it clear what Maris said is unacceptable, so she extends the private tea invite to the other Baratheon women while deliberately omitting Maris from the offer. Now Lady Elenda feels honored by the invite and relieved to not have disfavor, and she’ll probably give Maris a terrible scolding in private.

The bedding tradition seems awful and potentially traumatic, especially for the bride (but that’s ASOIAF for you!). I can’t remember what’s canon or fanon, but I went with the interpretation that the bride and groom are supposed to be stripped naked or close to it. I feel like the royal family ought to be exempt from it (in a privileged “nobody else is allowed to behold our naked bodies” kind of way), but I know Alysanne made a point of having the bedding ceremony so nobody could question her marriage was consummated. The ceremony also seems horribly wasteful because all that expensive material and labor that went into the wedding clothes is just trashed, but I guess it’s a status flex. Only the super-rich can afford to deliberately destroy all those resources after one use.

I wish I wrote more scenes where Jace and Aemond hang out 😭. They have a lot of similarities: dutiful, studious, responsible for their siblings. I imagine their relationship being super chill. Then again, they’re very proper so they probably have hangups about spending alone time with someone of the opposite gender for extended periods of time 🙃. Anyway, their relationship is much less antagonistic than in canon. Fem!Jace thinks bullying is wrong and tones down Aegon’s mean streak, while Aemond has a chivalrous and gentlemanly attitude toward women (contrast with book!Aemond, who seems pretty misogynistic). Since a lot of the friction from canon is removed, they get along much better, and this Aemond is more comfortable with the idea of fem!Jace being queen one day because they start from a better place, and he’s her good-brother.

You can see my newfound fashion history geekery showing itself during the scene where Jace gets ready for bed. (Also, take note of how meticulous Jace is. It highlights her general cautiousness, and it serves as a contrast for Chapter 3). I try not to get too flowery with description, but I decided it was relevant to highlight key fashion choices like her wedding dress because it is an aspect of Jace’s influence at court, and she is concerned about appearances. I incorporated a lot of design aspects from GOT, which are much less medieval than the HOTD gowns. I had this idea that the older generation (Alicent and Rhaenyra) stick more to traditional cuts and designs, while Jace and the other girls are starting a new fashion trend akin to what we see in GOT, where styles are more flattering and multicultural.

Jace’s wedding dress is strongly influenced by Margaery’s Purple Wedding dress. The backless part makes it rather daring, and it’s part of Jace and Rhaena’s goal to depict Jace as a leader among the younger ladies at court since matrons are far less likely to wear something so revealing. Also, in GOT, Daenerys’s dresses tend to be much more revealing than anyone else’s, so I deduced that the fashion culture in Essos is overall more daring than in Westeros. Rhaena grew up in Pentos, so I decided she brings that influence into Jace’s wardrobe, which then spreads through court. Jace’s jewelry (heirlooms owned by Valaena Velaryon, mother of the Conqueror and his sisters) is also a statement to highlight that she was born a Velaryon but now she’s a true Targaryen in name.

Jace’s lingerie is definitely Rhaena’s (and Baela’s) influence. Otherwise she would have zero clue what’s fashionable in Lys. 😳

Jace deciding to work on her wedding night is very in character for her. And Aegon making her stop to enjoy herself is also very in character for him. Definitely a recurring pattern for these two.

Like any scene I write, I try to make sure the smut has a purpose in the story. I don’t usually write PWP but I think smut scenes are an excellent way to demonstrate dynamics and emotional connections between characters, so that’s how I typically use them. Here, we see Aegon is devoted to Jace: makes her feel comfortable, ample foreplay, even cracks a few jokes because their relationship is familiar enough for that sort of thing. He literally “lets her hair down” so she can shed her usual inhibitions.

True to character, Jace overthinks the process. She knows the theory of how it works (Rhaenyra would ensure her daughters are informed of the mechanics, and Jace has been living with Baela for three years). She also knows Aegon enjoyed his time on the Street of Silk and she desperately wants to meet his expectations. She doesn’t realize that she could do literally anything (or nothing) and Aegon would still think she’s perfect.

Since Aegon hasn’t had sex in three years, he’s trying very hard not to finish too early 😅. It’s OK though, Jace has no idea how long a guy is supposed to last and they have the whole night to make up for it 😂.

In the Handbook, I hint at Aegon’s artistic tendencies when he doodles in his letters. Here, I expand upon that so he’s sort of a Renaissance man: he sings, he plays lute, he dances, he draws, etc etc. All the skills he enjoys are skills not conducive for a politician/king. In this verse, Jace encourages him to sing and draw, so he pursues it further than he would’ve in canon.

I like to think of the morning-after smut scene as when Cheeseball is conceived 😂. It’s when Aegon dirty talks about making heirs for the throne, and Jace thinks about how much she would like to have children with Aegon. It just makes sense lol.

GRRM makes his female characters give birth way too young. Some people argue it’s historically accurate, but it’s really not. Other than Margaret Beaufort (who gave birth at 13 and never had any other children, probably due to complications), royal and noble women generally married in their late teens and early twenties. But this is the world and culture GRRM created, so I’m trying to work with it. I still headcanon that in normal peacetime, highborns try to wait until bride and groom are at least 16 to marry because they are aware that giving birth too young is dangerous. It’s during wartime or when politics require an earlier consummation that we see things like Sansa marrying at 13 💀. So I made Jace realize, after she’s had time to stew, that being forced to wait three years was best. (Especially since she IMMEDIATELY gets pregnant.)

I had to research whether people with a broken nose (or recovering from rhinoplasty surgery, which apparently has similar side effects—the more you know!) could have sex. Apparently one of the concerns is causing blood vessels around the nose to expand/contract/whatnot, and arousal impacts blood flow so that’s why Orwyle bans any nookie 😔. No wonder Aegon bribes Alyssa to wake Daemon early lol.

A side effect of broken noses is bruising around the face and black eyes, so Jace looks like she got hit very badly. The ensuing gossip about how she got injured ties into the recurring themes of a) Jace’s concern with appearances and b) that courtiers can and will gossip about anything, and the more salacious the better.

Jace is pretty peeved that Luce was so reckless re: the tunnel incident, and probably upset that it inadvertently led to her broken nose. But as soon as Luce needs help, Jace stops caring about her injuries 😭. Another recurring part of Jace’s personality: she’ll do almost anything to help her loved ones but she’s much harder on herself. (Note Luce’s little question, “What do I do now?” which is a question she always asked Jace when she was in trouble as a kid.)

Aegon is closer to Aemond than in canon, since a) they went to the Stepstones together and b) Aegon had far fewer options for male companionship in this genderbent world so he had to lean on Aemond a lot more. The brothers aren’t the kind to have heart-to-hearts, but Aegon knows Aemond well enough to know that Aemond is really into Luce and is probably going to try to marry her.

With Larys dead, there isn’t a very good option for master of whisperers. The council keeps trying to fill it but the candidates never last for long. I like to joke that they’re holding the seat open for when Joff is old enough, but finding a good spymaster seems pretty difficult. Daemon would probably be good at it but he’s already flamed out of several council positions, and he would hate working with Otto.

A little more fashion history! A surcote is that quintessential medieval gown for women, which I decided is very traditional in Westeros. This is Jace’s first day at her new job, so she wants to dress extra conservatively. Color is a big deal in this world of Black versus Green, so she deliberately picks very neutral and inoffensive colors. She also styles her hair and wears gold jewelry from Aegon to emphasize her new marriage, which shows she’s a mature woman and is forging harmonious bonds with her husband across the Black/Green divide.

In canon, Corlys resigns his position as master of ships around Episode 2. Tyland is canonically master of ships during this time, but I made an error in the Handbook and turned him into the master of coin. So I decided to just force Lyman Beesbury into retirement, and this can serve as an in-universe explanation for the change in roles: Viserys (or somebody else) wanted Corlys to have his position back, so they reshuffled the council a bit.

Aaaaand Jace officially has a “first day at work” horror history. Vomited, fainted, and cried in quick succession. And for someone who values privacy regarding her body, this was an awfully public way for her to find out about her pregnancy (and have it announced) 🥲.

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

Lore questions to make your followers burn you at the stake:

📖 - At what point did "canon lore" on the server actually begin?

🇬🇧 - Which, if any, of L'Manberg's destructions were justified?

👑 - Did c!Eret make the right choice by reaccepting the throne after c!George was dethroned?

🌸 - What, if anything, would it take for c!Karlnapity to heal and reconnect?

🟢 - Is c!Dream's stated goal of "server unity" a morally justified end? Is it an attainable one?

💀 - Was the introduction of the revival book a good direction for the lore?

💣 - Are the Syndicate's actions an accurate demonstration of anarchist principles?

🏜 - Given its founder's motives and recruitment tactics for Las Nevadas, can the country ever be a positive environment for its citizens?

🥚 - To what extent should the Eggpire's former members be held responsible for their actions under the Egg's influence?

🏝 - Should c!Dream's treatment of c!Tommy be considered torture?

💥 - Who does c!Wilbur owe an apology to the most? Who, if anyone, should apologize to him?

🔒 - Is c!Sam on a redemption arc?

🐝 - Is c!Beeduo a healthy relationship?

🦋 - Should c!Hannah get her wings back?

🔳 - Is c!Ranboo working with c!Dream willingly?

🌵 - Who was in the right during the L'Sandberg conflict?

👻 - Is Ghostbur truly dead, suffering, and never coming back?

🔪 - Which character, if any, would you want to die permanently?

💙 - Should c!dnf be endgame?

🎦 - Does the Disc Finale being staged make the Dream SMP's story more or less engaging?

🎥 - Which season is the best/worst, and why?

😈 - Does the Dream SMP have any true villains? If so, what makes them villains?

🌍 - To what extent are real-world political comparisons appropriate to use in our analysis of Dream SMP lore?

🏳️‍🌈 - Give your thoughts on the Dream SMP's portrayal of queer/LGBT+ identity.

⏰️ - The timeline... anything about the Dream SMP'S timeline.

[khaire-traveler]

Hi, hope you're dough well :)

I was wondering if you had any advice on how to negotiate with a deity you're "working" with (I say "working" because that doesn't sound quite right, but it's the best I can think of at the moment)

Thanks!

Hey, Zier (hope that was your name, sorry if not 💀), thanks for the ask!

When it comes to negotiating something with a deity, I would say it's highly dependent on who it is you're negotiating with. You might want to approach Artemis differently than Zeus, for example. Different deities will have different goals, desires, and motivations, so it's best to know the deity you're trying to negotiate with well enough that you can know what to appropriately offer to them.

Along with that, consider which deity would be the best one to answer your request and why. For example, it might be better to approach Athena about reaching a peace with someone than it would be to approach Ares, simply due to their different domains and specialties. Give this a lot of thought because it's a step I see people skipping through very quickly.

How you go about a negotiation also depends on what the negotiation is for. If you're trying to make an oath of some kind, for example, I would suggest you consider the terms very deeply as well as your reasons for taking said oath. In my opinion, things like oaths and contracts are things that should be taken much more seriously than, say, agreeing to one thing in exchange for another (like a Kharis type of deal). If you're doing something more informal, I would still suggest you consider the terms of the negotiation. What is that you actually want? What can you offer to the deity in return? Why do you want to make this negotiation? Is a negotiation necessary, or is this something you can simply make an offering for and move on? Those are questions I would ask yourself before you fully proceed, just to make sure you know for certain what it is that you're signing yourself up for.

Along with what was mentioned above, I would make sure to set time aside to communicate with this deity as directly as you can about what you're considering (tarot, pendulum, meditation - whatever works for you). Discuss the terms of your agreement in more detail with them, and see what they might be interested in. Remember that you can always decline their offer if you don't like it or feel that you can't commit to it. You are never obligated to agree if it bothers you. In the same vein, though, the deity is also allowed to decline your initial offer. If they simply aren't interested, I'd move on and maybe see if another deity could grant your request.

I hope this is what you wanted in an answer; I was a bit confused by the ask and wasn't sure what kind of negotiation you might be referring to. ^^; I hope you found this helpful! If you didn't or this wasn't what you meant, please feel free to send another ask. Have a great day/night! 🧡☺️

[v-a-l-e-n-jill-t-i-n-e]

What do you think about the Rukia an Ichigo violence?

I think that outside the universe the explanation is the rule of funny trope.

Inside the universe, I think :

1.That in training her kohai in soul-ripper-ship, Rukia uses the methods Kaien used to train her. 2. That she saw both Ichigo and Tatsuki doing it to Keigo and Chizuru respectively, and thought that it was something that adolescents normally do here and now. 3. That because she grew-up in the violent Rukongai and then she lived in the stiff and lonely environment in Byakuia's household, she isn't well equipped to express emotions in an appropriate way.

(Sorry for late response! I appreciate the asks so much thanks for wanna hearing my opinions lmaooooo)

I’m genuinely laughing rn - These are all valid reasons for in universe reasons I do agree lol these would also explain a lot more about Rukia’s interactions with others in the series if these were the case

but over-all if people are genuinely using these CLEARLY COMEDIC INSERT MOMENTS as clear signs of violence then they’ve obviously never watched anime and or cartoons in general in their life-💀

Like they both punch two bells of shite into each other because their BEST FRIENDS lmaooo which probably goes against that their tryna prove, like me and my friends punch each other that doesn’t make me a violent individual

But in a world where being best friends isn’t a valid argument these would be all valid arguments as to why Rukia and Ichigo are a tad bit violent lmao

Rukia growing up in an environment filled with violence could be a reason as to why she seems quite heavy handed when communicating with him especially considering she grew up with Children who suffered the same as she did and thus finding fun in the thing that caused them so much pain could be seen as her coping mechanism considering rukongai was just pure abuse for these kids so obviously they bonded over the necessity for an escape from reality. Ichigo is also very verbal towards Rukia, especially in voicing his opinion about things she cares dearly about, rukia being attached to childish things such as toy rabbits and her drawings is supposed to represent her growing up way too quickly and having a lack of childhood due to the fact that where she grew up requires a more matured point of view to be able to survive, her only goal as a child was to survive, which is horrific! She had nothing as a child (and in fade to black was responsible for other kids despite having no idea how a child should be raise - tbf she still did a good job) so she became attached to small things associated with childhood because that’s what she would have liked to have. Her attachment is her clawing onto something that she believes *is* her escape, therefore when Ichigo disrespects her for liking them (in a humorous friendly-bestie way but ya know) she then lashes out appropriately because they mean a lot to her, she doesn’t mean it to be cruel nor does Ichigo mean to be rude, their just opposites that attract.

point being, they’re close friends, therefore their gonna mock and playfully smack each other, their not violent in the slightest lmaooo.

[prettyboykatsuki]

You are nice. Really. But I feel like it has more to do with the obsessive nature of your person. The way you describe him to be oblivious to some things, because his focus on others distract him. You kind of give me perfectionist vibes too hilariously enough in terms of writing. Your brain, the way it functions and you talk, it gives me sort of interesting cross wires and the visual of gears shifting and turning, hyper speed. Which gives me Spencer Reed from criminal minds, which thus gives me Izuku. You aren’t deficient at all, but I know you think you are in many ways. You don’t see yourself how people are you, which is another trait you share. I think both of I think your eyes catch people’s behavior and motivation very quickly. Izuku staying tends to be out of genuine goodness in spite of, but you give me this curiosity for “what’s beyond the goodness” and that you’ll probably still like them, probably like them even more, without the perfect. Not the same but fairly similar. I imagine Izuku sort of depraved and very dirty in his head. You too. He’s just guilty for his. Neither of you can resist your desires. The way you both look and breathe Bakugou. I imagine Izuku pretty Dom-like innately when it comes to Bakugou. He tries to tame the feeling, but something about the boy makes it so untameable. He tries to smile and be nice to hide it. You give me similar vibes, you just have more game and will resist the feeling for far shorter time. (Visual of you and Izuku’s eyes darting often to Katsuki’s tits, he’s so mad, but his anger makes them move and you are both so distracted). The way you nerd out too. The nerd in you and Izuku is intense. I love it thought. It keeps us fed. He gives me fanfiction writer too. I imagine the two of you would write with them same eloquence. (Katsuki critically reading over both of your shoulders.) He doesn’t strike me as someone who gets healthy sleep or eats as much as he should either. Unless he has a specific weight goal or something. I think he definitely would be curious of monster. I think he’d lose it if he had as much as you, but he’s not opposed. He can’t dance for shit, but I don’t think he would not appropriate catch a wine either. Not due to talent. Sheer force of will and the embarrassment and intensity in his gut makes his grip fully unbreakable from shawty’s hips. You hearts beat the same. Both in a joking way, but also in a way I feel you underestimate your own kindness. I know being perceived is strange for you, So apologies for going in.

SDKJFSLKDLDS this is a very indepth analysis of my persons and i understand a lot of the similarities? im very tired so i probably cant respond to this super coherently. it's not that i don't think me and deku are similiar. i think on a surface level it makes sense, at least habitually. again i dont think you're the first person to draw this comparison to deku and im sure other people would probably say the same things. i think at the baseline i can understand it and i don't think you're wrong

but i don't really.. relate to deku in anyway still lmao. i feel most of my emotions v internally. and while im scatter brained irl im very analytical and somewhat pragmatic i guess. the biggest thing im considerably more rigid than deku. i'm not saying i don't see the similarities but like i truly and sincerely do not relate to him as a character 💀. i dont relate to his motivations or will at all. i can understand where you'd draw the conclusion from but honestly it probably has more to do w me being nd and me hc'ing him as nd lol. this is a kind analysis but i really dont relate to that man at all which is why he's so hard to write 😭

[ladyastrelle]

Money skull spell

You will need:

A green candle to represent you (preferably shaped like a skull, because let's face it- it looks so bad ass).

5 silver coins.

5 finger grass (aka cinquefoil herb).

5 five dollar bills (you can get play money or copy the real thing on the copying machine or print it out just don't get arrested for counterfeiting, alright?) Sign your name all over those 'bills' or write personal sigils, runes or petitions on each if you like.

5 tealights.

5 Green, orange or black stones. I like using green Aventurine, Peridot, Obsidian, fire Agate, Carnelian or Citrine.

Brown lunch bag.

💀💰💀💰💀

First, carve your full name into the bottom or side of the candle, place it on a plate or within a fire safe container or appropriately sized candle holder in your work space.

Anoint the candle with money oils or crown of success oil. If you cast using a circle, you will want to create one around this candle.

Place your bills, coins and 5 finger grass under or around the center candle holder. (TIP: If you don't have a holder or plate to fit your candle, I use a sheet of aluminum foil in a pinch.)

Take the 5 tea lights and create a circle or Pentacle formation around the center candle and place one stone next to each tea light.

If you choose, you may call to whatever forces work with you- dieties, spirits, guides, ancestors and the like.

Next, light each of the five tea lights, moving clockwise. As you do this, chant five times, once for each candle: "Five times Five, prosperity thrive."

Next, light the center candle and say, "I am wealthy with abundance. Money flows to me with ease, enriching me with daily prosperity. By bills of 5, by silver and flame, by herb, by stone, abundance I claim." Repeat five times.

Then visualize money flowing to you from many sources and growing within your bank accounts. Visualize any bills or debts being paid off in full, with money to spare. If applicable, visualize career advancements and any business goals or long term financial goals being successfully fufilled. Close your ritual however you like. I typically say, "As I will it, so shall it be."

Allow your candles to burn down, then place the center green candle remnants with the herbs and faux bills in a brown lunch bag. You can decorate it with runes, sigils or symbols, and bury it under or near the roots of a fruit or nut bearing tree. Choose one that looks old and extra fruitful. 😉 I also like to leave an offering with the tree, usually a mixture of milk and honey, but this is entirely up to you.

You may then carry the stones from this work with you to assist you in generating prosperity each day. The coins, you may either choose to bury under your doorstep, or keep someplace close by your home or business to keep money with you always; or alternatively, you may spend (or gift) them after infusing them with intent; as your magickal seeds to be sown, 🌱 a token of gratitude and energetic good faith (which will later return to you as much larger sums of money and generosity).

-Lady Astrelle 💖

Http://www.celestialtarot.etsy.com

[whitesuited]

* 𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚅𝙴𝚁𝙱𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂.  /   @deadby​​ --  sender  and  receiver  make  eye  contact  across  a  busy  room . ( but like what is Sharon doing now 💀 )

it's  not  only  news  that  travels  fast,  but  her  assignments  apparently  do  as  well  ---------  she's  already  spent  the  majority  of  the  evening  trying  to  shake  the  feeling  of  eyes  on  her  in  an  attempt  to  focus  on  the  task  at  hand. it's  by  no  means  an  uncomfortable  feeling  -----  it  feels  familiar  almost. routine. which,  considering  she's  thousands  of  miles  from  home  and  introducing  herself  as  someone  that's  not  her  name  (  nor  has  it  ever  been  ),  is  somehow  the  most  normal  piece  of  this  mission  so  far.

she's  supposed  to  be  scanning  the  crowd  for  her  mark;  blue  eyes  up  and  alert  over  the  edge  of  the  glass  while  she  feigns  taking  another  sip  of  her  drink,  internally  mourning  the  waste  of  a  good  three  fingers  worth  of  bourbon  all  for  the  intention  of  keeping  up  appearances. but  something  keeps  pulling  her  eyes  away,  encouraging  them  to  wander  over  the  rest  of  the  crowd  in  the  room. (  which  bothers  her  to  no  end,  especially  due  to  the  fact  she  doesn't  know  a  single  person  here  with  her  tonight  past  a  mugshot  or  a  grainy  screengrab  from  some  cctv. )

at  least  that's  what  she  thought  -------------  soon  enough  she  spots  him  the  first  time  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye,  ready  and  more  than  willing  to  call  him  out  on  his  less  -  than  -  appropriate  attire  once  she's  close  enough  for  him  to  hear  her  over  the  background  chatter  of  the  room. a  shift  in  her  vision  to  re  -  scan  the  opposite  side  (  where  she's  supposed  to  be  watching;  where  the  one  she's  supposed  to  be  '  chatting  with  '  should  be  )  leaves  her  with  the  feeling  she's  chasing  a  ghost  as  well  when  her  eyes  trail  back  to  the  spot  where  he  stood  and  finds  him  no  longer  there.

there's  still  plenty  of  time  for  her  to  achieve  her  goal  tonight,  so  she  allows  herself  a  little  detour,  curling  her  hand  protectively  around  her  glass  and  tucking  it  to  her  chest  as  she  metaphorically  holds  her  nose  and  dives  into  the  larger  concentration  of  the  crowd,  knowing  derek's  not  the  sort  to  just  let  her  have  a  glance  and  then  outright  disappear. it  takes  her  a  moment  (  the  thought  crosses  her  mind  he's  doing  this  on  purpose  ------  a  game  for  him,  a  distraction  for  her  and  some  still  unknown   prize   outcome  )  but  she  catches  him  again;  closer  this  time,  but  not  close  enough  to  ask  him  what  exactly  he's  here  for. or  who. she  can  wager  a  guess  though  -------------  her  mark's  on  his  way  down  the  stairs.

words  not  being  an  option  at  this  distance,  he  gets  a  wink  from  her  instead  as  she  mimes  another  sip  of  her  drink.

showtime.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

💀

My initial reaction to this was “well, I’m going to wait and see, since I can’t make any more concrete progress towards the goal until it changes.”  And while that might have been appropriate given the general state of uncertainty, it also seemed like a missed opportunity to me, to treat this project as more of an ongoing experiential experience, as a journey rather than a destination

I mean, the non-solids side of this project is definitely cool, and I’m definitely curious about where this road is going.  But what I’m looking at is still “I’m not sure I have much to look forward to, but there is an experience of some sort I could be having right now which would make me feel better, and it would be very unrepresentative if I just turned around and didn’t keep looking,” rather than saying “there is a thing that might give me a better experience right now which might be ‘in my future.’’  But it’s not just my future, it’s also the future of every single other person on the planet.”  And in some cases one might actually be better off not worrying about those things, because one is not (necessarily) “experiencing” them, one is just “going through the motions.”  The whole thing feels to me like a kind of joke, like a parody, or like watching a ha-ha-plot where all the characters are grumpy and you can never tell whether the villain’s plan to fuck y’s forever is a plan that will succeed or a plan that will fail and you’ll have no way to determine the first and only thing that matters when you’re tied to a post!

If this is indeed the joke at all, it’s a clever one.  Some people read this and think it’s just terrible, that’s what a lot of humor is.  I don’t see it as such.  What will happen to people’s later versions of their brains when the whole thing eventually fails, just like a sort of brain glitch?  Just think of all that stuff as being a joke or simile, a symbol or figure of speech, or like an individual concept conveyed by an individual phrase.  No, no, I’m sure of that.  The narrator’s estimate of the relative importance of each event will be correct all the time, but he can’t count on his own personal “mental reps” as we’ll never figure out “my own” ever, ever