#and also Write Music which I haven’t done in years really so

[musicaldeductions]

*claws my way out of a months long, very severe depressive episode with nothing but boops and as many free silly plugins I can load into logic as possible*

[charles-leclerizz]

🏎️ ๋࣭ ⭑The sweatshirt

🏁 Pairings : Charles Leclerc X fem! Reader

🏁 Warnings : none! just fluffy times

🏁 Word Count : 1.7k words (1792 words)

🏁 Author's note : First post! Hopefully you all like it. I am definetly thinking of new things to write so I pray that ya'll look forward to them! Make sure to lilke and reblog (anything is appreciated, but comments and reblogs fuel this sad little writer). Also, peep the word dividers (lana del ray coded) by @plum98! Note that all translations are avaible at the end, via radio comm! Thank you <3

🏁 Music player : The bones by Maren Morris & Hozier

“Mon amour, have you seen my sweatshirt?” Your fiancé’s voice rung throughout your shared apartment as you stacked the damp plates into the washing machine. The odd clunking of you organising dishes continued as he rushed out of the bedroom passing by the kitchen, where you worked, and towards his office.

“Which one?” You called back, drying your hands on the pale green washcloth that hung from the fitted hook above the sink, the new one! “No, I haven’t seen it, baby, you come back with new sweatshirts every week, just wear another one?” You offered helpfully, bending down towards the indented shelfs within the breakfast bar to grab new hand towels, wanting to replace the one’s that hung, used and abused in the bathrooms.

“But that one is important.” A worrying thud emitted from the home office, which was soon followed by a deep groan from Charles.

You hummed in support, stacking the fluffy white towels in your hands, “Why is it so important?” because! “Because what?” Leaning down to the scented fabric in your grasp, you take a large breath in, enjoying the strawberry scent that emitted from them.

“It just is,” He whined in reply, emerging from the room he had left in disarray whilst rubbing the back of his head, hissing as he pulled his fingers back to check for blood, “Why is my desk so low?”

“I don’t know my love, I warned you when you had bought it in the first place,” You scurry away from the kitchen, wanting to avoid his assessing gaze, lest he find out where his new sweatshirt really was, “Aren’t you just going to Max’s place? Why do you need it?”

“Because he wanted to see- hey...” He cuts himself off with a suspicious lilt in his voice, you try to speed up your efforts seeing the glinting metallic handle of the bathroom waiting for you to escape into, “Amour...” His voice is accusatory but amused, as if he appreciates your efforts to evade him.

“What? Charles I really need to get the chores done; I only have this weekend.” You turn around slowly and watch him approach you, his eyes crinkled with affection. Busted.

“Baby, why do you have my new sweatshirt?” He reaches out to tuck a stray hair behind your ear before resting his hand on your cheek, caressing it with the pad of his thumb.

“’Cause,” You mumble, fiddling with the tag of one of the towels cradled on your chest, “It’s nice,” You shrug, feeling your cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Even after six years, you found in hard to admit such things to Charles, despite his kind eyes and cute dimples. Emotional affection was hard to extract from your dark, stony heart, so such pitiful attempts at it, such as stealing his sweatshirt and admitting why you did it, was completely out of the question.

“it’s nice?” He cocks his head, like a small puppy waiting for a treat, “I still need it baby, you can have any other one of mine,” He smiles kindly at you, eyebrow arching sympathetically when he feels you bite on the inside of your cheek.

“Of course, amour,” You clear your throat, pushing the stack of toiletries into his chest, before writhing out of the sweater and pulling it over your head, not caring if more odd chunks of your hair had fallen out of the claw clip you had carelessly attached to the strands, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Mon ange,” He chuckles when you huff and swap out the items in his hands for the sweater, “I’ll be back in an hour or so, d'accord?” He slips on the article, pulling at the sleeves and adjusting the hood, then taking your face in his palms once again to pull you closer and press his lips against your forehead.

You hum, leaning into his touch, “À toute à l'heure,” You mutter, twisting your head so that you can peck the inside of his hand.

Truthfully, you wanted to jump on his back and order that he take you with him, not wanting to feel the absence of his sunny presence. But you were aware how much he valued his time with his friends, despite his many objections to your conclusion, so reluctantly you waited until you heard the muted click of the electronic lock of the front door before you continued to re-set your beloved home.

“Je suis à la maison mon amour!” Charles calls out, toeing off his shoes by the door before walking further into the apartment.

“I’m over here!” You call out from your own office, the door slightly ajar, you hear him hum before the tell-tale squeak of the hinges to the foyer bathroom screeches through the hallway, followed by the kitchen tap running. Soon enough, he stepped into the carpeted area of your office, setting down the tall glass of water and a singular pill.

“For your headache mon ange,” He came behind your chair, resting his chin on your shoulder whilst running his hand through your damp hair.

Though to most, it would seem that Charles was being your lovable drug dealer, always managing to drop the singular brightly coloured pill to the side of you whilst petting your head wistfully. When in fact, he knew that after an hour or two of working, your temples would begin to throb mercilessly and you required your prescription, that many were not aware of.

You relaxed in his embrace, your once pin straight spine became slack and your clenched jaw felt numb with his attention, “Thank you, baby.” You twisted your neck, pressing your lips against the scruff on his cheek.

“Are you wearing another one of my sweaters?” He asked, pulling away to rotate your spinning chair so that he could step back and asses your outfit, long black flare leggings with another one of his sweaters. This one, he had ordered from a fan’s etsy account, a large grey body with a small, illustrated version of this season’s current car along with his autograph and name, printed below it.

“You said that I could,” You mumbled inwardly, pulling at the long drawstring that lay on your chest, “I’m not taking it off,” You pouted, tucking your knees beneath fabric so that only your head and red painted toes were visible from beneath the hem.

“And you don’t have to,” He pinched your cheek adoringly, coming to his knees in front of you, so that you were looking down at him from your “dough-ball” position, “But I had bought you a matching one to this, wouldn’t it be easier to just, wear that one? Juste?”

You pushed your mouth into the collar of your sweatshirt, your answer muffled by the thick fabric.

“What was the ange?” Charlese brings his ear closer to your mouth, or what would be your mouth if you would bring it out of your clothes.

“Smells like you…” You admit, eyes wide and unblinking as you wait for Charles to pull away, most likely thinking that you’re weird.

“It does?” He moves his head lower, sniffing the hoodie, “I don’t think so?”

“Yeah, well obviously you don’t think so!” You exclaim, allowing your legs to fall out of the hoodie and popping your mouth out once again. He widens his eyes at your outburst, taking in your teary lashes and wobbling lip, “Baby...”

“I only wear your stuff because I know that you’re busy…” You admit, looking away from his annoyingly understanding expression, “I’m not your only priority and this way-“ you move your arms up, showing off the baggy attire, “I can be close to you even when you don’t necessarily want to be close to me.” You conclude, wrapping your oversized arms around your torso, “And for the record, you smell like caramel and copper.” You add haughtily, up turning your nose.

“Really?” He asks innocently. You nod, one choppy movement before you harrumph and look away from his entertained face.

“Baby. you’re right, you aren’t my only priority. But you’re my first priority. And who said I don’t want to be with you?” He pats your knee, signalling for you to stand so that he can wrap his hands around your waist, pulling you into his chest, “I love you, my baby, and I’m sorry that you had to resort to wearing my clothes instead of just asking me to stay with you.” He kisses the crown of your head, inhaling the pungent smell of your cranberry conditioner.

“I don’t want you to feel bad!” You pull away from him, scrunching your nose at his guilty expression, “I like your clothes, they’re comfortable and I can’t possibly ask you to stay with me 24/7?”

“You can!” He insists, squeezing you ardently, “You’re my fiancé, and about to be my wife, you’re meant to be able to ask me. Because I will always say yes. No matter what.”

“Charles...”

“Amour” He mimics your scolding tone.

“You’re so busy my love, I can’t do that.” You nuzzle your head into his chest, making him laugh at your antics.

“You can-“ He takes your cheeks in his hands, squeezing them together so that your lips pucker comically, he leans down to leave a wet kiss on your lips, “-and if I don’t get such demands from you, I will be very sad.” He pouts down at you.

You sigh, “hmkay.” You manage to speak through your forced pucker, furrowing your brows with concentration. You knew he was merely humouring you, cajoling you like a child so that you would do as he asked, but hey, it was a good enough reason to do exactly what you wanted.

“Mia dolce bambina, così adorabile, non vedo l'ora che tu diventi mia moglie, forse allora non ti sentirai in colpa per avermi dedicato il mio tempo.” He continues to press his lips against yours, making you giggle.

“charmles, too much ithalian,” You lisp through your cheeks whilst squeezing your eyes together, accepting his affection happily.

“Too much Italian? In quale altro modo potrei dirti quanto voglio che tu occupi tutto il mio tempo senza che tu ti allontani da me? Mia timida bambolina, continuerò a ricoprirti del mio amore finché non potrai accettarlo in abbondanza."He grins at you cheekily, watching as you translate it slowly in your mind.

“Babe...” You whine, managing to wriggle free from his grip on your cheeks to hide your face in the crook of his neck whilst wrapping your forearms around him.

“You can have all of my sweatshirts baby, and all of me” He whispers, raking his hands through your hair.

“I love you,” You breathe out in reply, kissing the skin on his neck.

“I love you too.”

📻 Kcccchh.... come in.... come in...translatiion available...over

📻 Kchh...french....to english....over

Mon amour - My love

Amour - love

Mon Ange - my angel

d’accord - All right

À toute à l'heure - See you later

je suis à la maison, mon amour - I’m home, my love

Juste - Right

📻 Kchh...italian....to english....over

Mia dolce bambina, così adorabile, non vedo l'ora che tu diventi mia moglie, forse allora non ti sentirai in colpa per avermi dedicato il mio tempo. - My sweet little girl, so adorable, I can't wait for you to become my wife, maybe then you won't feel guilty for taking up my time.

In quale altro modo potrei dirti quanto voglio che tu occupi tutto il mio tempo senza che tu ti allontani da me? Mia timida bambolina, continuerò a ricoprirti del mio amore finché non potrai accettarlo in abbondanza.  - How else could I tell you how much I want you to take up all my time without you shying away from me? My shy little doll, I will continue to shower you with my love until you can accept it in abundance.

📻 Kchhhhh.loosing sign....al.....kcchh....over and out...

[theglassesgirl]

Calypso vs Antinous: A Tale of Two Villains

I know this is such a weird topic for me to come back for after not blogging for months, especially I’ve never spoken on this fandom here, as opposed to TikTok. But precisely BECAUSE tiktok is so limiting, even if you make various videos on a topic, someone won’t have all the context and the comment system of that app is pure ass so here I am

Calypso and Antinous are two (out of three!) of the MAJOR villains in the Wisdom Saga, however, both these villains have produced polarizing discourse that has fascinated yet confounded me. On Calypo’s end, she is a villain who many are made upset by when she is interpreted as the villain she is (in varying degrees). On Antinous’s end, he is a villain who many are made upset by when he is interpreted as anything BUT the villain he is (in various extremes). What on earth happened here?

I’ll try to dissect what has transpired as i have come to understand both situations.

PLEASE try to read through the end, but if you like, you are also more than welcome to just focus on one section if you don’t care for both discourses or how i think one affects the other. I totally get it. KEEP IN MIND, that i might speak about something you haven’t PERSONALLY seen, but as i often say in fandom, just because YOU didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t HAPPEN. It adds context to why/how certain fans are reacting as they are. You could be in one camp, and never have seen what the other camp has, so at any point where youre reading and saying to yourself “is this a thing that happened?” Consider that it did indeed, happen, and you are welcome to expand your knowledge on the subject.

ANY comments that go “you have no idea what your talking about/this isn’t true/i’ve never seen this/when did this happen(sarcastically)” will not be answered and you will be blocked, because it is clear you are not actually open to discussion. You’ve made up your mind about these characters and topics, and my time, at least, is valuable.

GENUINE questions like “I didn’t know this/when did this happen (genuine)/can you explain this point more” are more than welcome. I will absolutely entertain character interpretation as well, so long as we’re not trying to “convince” one another, as that isn’t the point of this post. These are two villains who i find fascinating and am wondering why are being treated so differently in discourse spaces.

For Calypso:

I truly and HONESTLY believe that because Calypso is a unique (and lovable! Mind you!) villain, it had led to many of her newer fans to feel uncomfortable with her role in the story. I have seen numerous sides of her discourse and have come with a few iron-clad rules: it is ONLY acceptable to call someone out if they are harassing Wangui, calypo’s VA (which has NOT happened as i am writing this out) OR if an anti-calypso comes into SOMEONE ELSE’s post saying anything like “if you like calypso then you condone her actions” because as what we sane people know, that is just a silly fallacy, OR if they start shit in a cosplayers/fanfic writer/fanartists comment section. ASIDE from these instances, i will be speaking on what none sense has transpired about how Calypso is portrayed in the Musical within her first song, and her future song, because BOTH have been used for utter bias.

A few things to debunk:

FIRST Calypso is NOT cursed to fall in love with anyone who comes across her island. That is a Percy Jackson ONLY addition that has no bearings on her actions in the musical or the original poem.

ALSO though Calypso CANONICALLY RAPES Odysseus for seven years in the original poem, the CHILDREN from that abuse only really exist in secondary sources/works. They NOT in the original poem.

Having said that:

The Ambiguity of Calypso’s actions in both of her songs means that everyone is right when they speculate on what she has done. Odysseus was trapped on her island against HIS will for seven years. He is canonically seen refusing her advances, trying to kill himself, and begging her to let him go and leave him alone. These are UNDISPUTED facts. As such, regardless of how YOU personally choose to interpret Calypso actions, she will always have a CANONICAL victim in the musical. I feel people are forgetting Odysseus when they speak on Calypso and that’s the whole point of her existence in the poem and the musical.

This leads directly into WHY there has been arguments about Calypso’s character. In the POEM, she very much sexually assaults Odysseus for seven long years. He is seen crying nightly and begging to be free. In the MUSICAL, Jorge has decided to leave the situation ambiguous - which, i have seen, does not sit well with current fandom culture. NEW fans of Calypso seem to be very adamant about NOT interpreting Calypso as a rapist, in levels that range for they’re just not comfy with it so decided not to head canon her as such, to other very concerningly speaking about rape survivors in such a way to justify liking a villain when you dont HAVE to justify liking a villain at any point at all ever.

Let’s break it down.

Those who just don’t like the idea of Calypso being a rapist in the MUSICAL are valid. It’s very easy to block and avoid those who have chosen to explore this aspect of her in the musical because they can and are allowed to. I am very pro-finding a space in fandom where you can talk about Calypso without HAVING to mention she might have raped someone. She’s still a villain for having kept Odysseus captive for seven years, but it’s not important. You are more than allowed to love villains, and without the rape aspect, Calypso’s villainy boils down to her physiological and emotionally torturing Odysseus while physically kidnapping him. That’s still ALOT of bad stuff to unpack, if you so want to. You could also not want to! It doesn’t hurt anyone, and anyone who says it does is not being intellectually honest.

The PROBLEM that I’m seeing, is that many of her newer fans…DONT want Calypso to be seen as a villain. At all. Which…is not how fandom works, I’m sorry to say.

While some EPIC fans have interpreted Calypso of being manipulative / selfish even in their most sympathetic analysis of the story (and the current song), others are treating these interpretation as wholly incorrect and somehow a form of harassment. The main caveat to this reaction appears to be, as TikTok puts it, “That Calypso DOESN’T SA Odysseus on the musical”

As we have pointed out, Calypso canonically rapes Odysseus in the poem, while it’s ambiguous in the musical. As we have ALSO pointed out, the ambiguity of the musical allow ALL INTERPRETATIONS to be correct. Something about the RAPE aspect of Calypso’s characterization in this musical, however, is the primary reason this discourse has happened.

Now, as i have said earlier. You are in your RIGHT to not head canon Calypso has a rapist in the musical. In the same vein others also have a RIGHT to head canon Calypso AS a rapist in the musical. But from what I’ve seen, it’s when others interpret Calypso as a rapist that newer Calypso fans leave comments about they’re not “interpreting the story correctly” and not “Judging calypso based on Jorge’s vision” and at first i found it funny…now it’s a bit concerning.

There are two instances that come to mind. One tiktoker made a video where she was in tears saying that it made HER SAD that people were “judging Calypso wholly based on outside sources material” which is disingenuous. As i have said before, even without the RAPE aspect of Calypso, which i will go further into what her newer fans consider “rape”, she is still an antagonist within the musical - she is a villain who keeps Odysseus against his will. To claim that they are calling her a villain for that reason alone is a blatant and useless addition to the discourse. I did not care for it at all. It would have been MUCH MORE constructive for this tiktoker to say that even though Calypso is a villain, the sexual assault is up to individual interpretation, and as all interpretations are valid, it’s better to find people who agree with your head canons rather than start fights with people who don’t share yours. This tiktoker very poorly worded the discourse as a one-sided thing where one side is wrong, and that is simply not true.

ANOTHER tiktoker, who wisely turned off comments because such discussions are impossible on the app, worryingly claimed that a line in Not Sorry for Loving You was absolute PROOF that Calypso did not “rape” Odysseus so it was wrong to interpret her as such, because, and this is a loose quotation “i don’t think Jorge would make Odysseus say something like that HAD Calypso done that to him” which unfortunately leaves fandom discourse into REAL WORLD victim discourse. Holy shit. The line she is referring to is when Odysseus calms Calypso down when she is in the middle of explaining her actions by saying “Calypso i love you, but not the way you want me to” to this tiktoker, it seems illogical for a rape victim to every say these kinds of things to their rapist…which is….NOT it. At all. Fiction, as beautiful as it is, is meant for you to QUESTION “huh…how would this impossible fictional scenario work? What makes this compelling?” It is NOT meant for you to attribute your REAL WORLD assumptions onto a FICTIONAL SCENARIO in order to justify you liking a villain character when you dont HAVE to justify it. You can like Calypso! It’s only weird when you make real-world comparisons like this because a rape victim can and HAS said as much and even more to their rapists in known history. *bonks you* dont do what this person did! Fiction allows you to explore situation that would be traumatizing outside of it in as safe and consensual way! You CANNOT and should NOT ascribe your personal biases on sensitive topics for FICTIONAL characters. That’s not how this works. “real victim wouldn’t x, so fictional wouldn’t y” is a ludicrous statement! You can’t back it up with facts! “Fictional victim does x, so i wonder if there ever would be a situation where a real victim would do y, and would like educate myself on the topic” IS what fiction was made for! OPENing your mind, not closing it for stupid reasons.

But it got me thinking. BECAUSE these fans anchor their arguments on the rape of Odysseus, even when they themselves DONT consider it, what exactly do they consider rape, and why is that ONE act Calypso may or may not do the ONLY reason to call her a villain when she is one, regardless.

Well, I’ve seen a lot of back and forth. Some anti-calypso’s are okay with the idea that Calypso is more of a “kissy-face” monster, a silly villain who, having no concept of what actual love is and what your supposed to do with someone you love, thinks hugging and kissing is the only thing on the table. It still makes this version of Calypso something of a sex pest and is still in line with sexual assault as we see Odysseus is miserable. The gravity of the situation is based entirely on funny fanfics to Odysseus canonically trying to kill himself because of Calypso’s affection. This interpretation (shockingly enough) is also hated by some new Calypso fans.

Because from what i have gathered. “SA” as used in TikTok, had been boiled down to a literal forced insertion of Odysseus’s dick in Calypso’s vagina. Not the literal words “sexual assault” which is an umbrella term for multiple things. But in this discourse “SA” has JUST been used for the ACT of rape itself. That is what new Calypso fans think is criminal. That is what they entirely base her villainy on. Because we will NEVER get confirmation on whether this happened, it’s impossible to engage with some of the newer fans, who dislike attributing Calypso with the villain title because of this one thing and this one thing alone. Any other line, from Calypso saying “and I’m sorry if i pushed you, or if i came on too strong” in her next song, or even her saying “in bed we will climb” is, for some reason, not grounds for others to be allowed to interpret her as, at the very least, assaulting Odysseus physically and sexually in a way without having to have actually raped him. It boggles my mind. Truly. But every argument i have seen has boiled down to the newer fans saying “welllllll, we dont know the context, and Odysseus said —“ when i have already explained that none of that matters. All interpretations are valid. You CANNOT say with certainty that she did or didn’t rape Odysseus. That’s the POINT. You can’t PROVE either, stop TRYING to, it’s YOUR choice and your interpretation can be backed by lyrics/official animatics, but it is hardly an absolute.

It has become a GROWING problem that in videos where Calypso is portrayed negatively, there are at least a dozen newer calypso fans who have to bring up how she is sympathetic, and therefore, not a villain. Which is not true. She is the MOST compelling villain in the epic musical, thus far.

These “fans” say that she absolutely didn’t rape Odysseus which is theory, not fact. And not a theory that can become fact. In the same way that saying she absolutely did rape is can not become fact. They appear to believe everything outside of this hypothetical act, nothing else she does is deserving of her title as a villain, and start arguments in non discourse posts about all the ways she’s sympathetic when it goes hand in hand with what makes her a compelling villain antagonist.

There’s also a newer cope saying that it’s all Zeus’s fault anyway, which has NO bearings on the conversation as, again, despite Zeus being a dick and allowing Odysseus live while not necessarily enabling him returning to Ithaca, it’s still up to Calypso on how she acts towards HER captive. And she straight up chooses violence lmao. Athena asks for “Devine intervention” to an impossible situation, regardless of if it was Zeus’s actions that led to it, it’s also up to him to “untie apprehensions” because Calypso, being a goddess, has complete control over whether Odysseus can leave and SHE won’t. She has to be ORDERD to. By a HIGHER power. Zeus.

Such argumentations as “well if YOU were in Calypso’s situation, wouldn’t you also do the same” are useless fallacies to get into, because you are NOT a goddess who owns an island and is in possession of a man who does not love you. Even if you were, guess what, it still makes you the antagonist. A villain. A knowing one or not.

In fact, since I LIKE interpretations that Calypso isn’t psychologically torturing Odysseus ON PURPOSE, i go as far as to say that her being a genuine goddess who wants love is in fact…..so much more painful, narratively. Because that means she is INCAPABLE of ever being a good person. Her loneliness and fear of being unloved makes her utterly blind to Odysseus’s misery. She HEARS him saying constantly that he misses his family, that all he hears are screams, and that SHE doesn’t know him, but she in turn CANNOT get passed this because she is, at her core, unable to, and thus accidentally triggers him constantly, is delusional about her island being paradise, AND convinces herself that her love is real (when it is not) and that Oddy will love her back if she keeps trying.

THAT is what you call a compelling villain!

As in all Calypso stories. There is NEVER a moment of clarity where Calypso realizes “if i actually love this person, i should let him go” in the musical HERMES is tasked in telling her to let him go. And she, as in all her other stories, goes on a tirade to explain/justify her actions, however you wish to see her being manipulative or honest. Regardless of how you choose to SEE calypso, at the end of the day, she has NO RIGHT to be upset at Odysseus because he was her captive. And REGARDLESS of whether Odysseus’s words are interpreted as him forgiving her, or just placating her, at the end of the day, he is her victim and she ends her next song upset that he is willingly leaving her once he got the chance. With absolutely no hope of him returning her feelings. It’s not his job to make her feel better, she IS an antagonist, and you are allowed to love her no matter how that might upset others. It is ONLY a problem when you take it to such extremes that you are in other peoples comments acting as if Calypso is a real person who needs defending. You are more than in your right to block people who come into YOUR videos accusing you of somehow being a bad person because you like a bad person. That’s not how fiction works.

Once again. My analysis of the Calypso debacle is that for some, calling Calypso a villain upsets them. Because they like her, and they are uncomfortable with the idea of liking a villain. This is a personal grievance that shouldn’t boil into fandom. Know your truth, have fun. You CAN make silly calypso videos. Many have. Her song is a bop, the meaning of the song is hilariously dark compared to the composition. Jorge did his job VERY well. Too well, that the idea of liking Calypso feels either / or when it’s not. TRUST that i would not be on the side of anyone who says “if you like calypso, youre evil”, but I HAVE seen a pattern that because Calypso is likable, than several people have made it their confused mission to tell everyone who is “mean to her” that “if you DISLIKE calypso, YOU are evil”. That’s bizarre to me. Calypso does enough evil actions in the musical to warrant that title regardless of the reasons for her actions, whether she is being purposely malicious or unconsciously so due to her lack of socialization. Being weird about real life SA survivors for a fictional character is never acceptable. For or against Calypso, whether she is a rapist or not, it is up to YOU to find like minded people who share your interpretation, not to argue with people who disagree with you in their own space. She isn’t real. Get over it.

ANYONE WHO HARASSES WAGNUI, COSPLAYERS, OR GOES INTO POSITIVE CALYPSO INTERPRETATION SPACES TO BE PURPOSELY MEAN* ARE WRONG. Otherwise. Leave them alone, they are as valid as you are. “Defending” a character is a waste of time when you could be creating for them. Calypso is a compelling villian antagonist regardless of how uwu or vile you choose to make her. Thus is the beauty of fiction.

(*purposely mean, would, logically, be someone calling you an idiot or a rape apologist for headcanoning her in a positive way. The ideal interaction with a negative calypso interpreter would be “i dont see her this way, but i understand/like your headcanon”)

WHICH BRINGS US TO Antinous:

Hilariously enough. Antinous has the complete INVERSE problem as Calypso, which was also detailed in her section for fairness sake at multiple points, and this problem is much easier to understand. Antinous is a villian antagonist in the musical Epic, and in his debut in the wisdom saga, he is shown (like calypso) to be in direct opposition to Telemachus and Penelope’s goal.

He alludes to sexual assault much more clearly than calypso. He calls Penelope a tramp to her son’s face AND suggests he let them into her room “so [they] can have fun with her” which is in the same vein as calypso saying “soon in bed we will climb” to Odysseus later on that “you (Odysseus) are mine all mine” in her own song. Like calypso, it is told to us that Antinous has been having this kind of vibe for FIVE YEARS* (a fan pointed this out to me! read here🙏🏼) as opposed to calypso’s seven years. Everyone is, usually, in agreement that Antinous is a villain in the wisdom saga and in the overall Epic musical.

Antinous’s VA is ON TikTok, and has spoken about how happy he is that fans consider him a talented person who did a spectacular rendition of such a villainous character. AND YET.

Inversely from what we saw in the Calypso section, where some of her fans are against the notion of her being portrayed as the antagonist she is, for Antinous we have MANY fans claiming that others are not ALLOWED to portray him as anything BUT an antagonist. Unlike with Calypso, where people circularly argue that her allusions to sexual assault are “too ambigous” and lead to much senseless debate on whether you’re “allowed” to like her or call her a villian, with ANTINOUS, there is this claim that he ABSOLUTELY is alluded to sexual assault and therefore, cannot be liked or treated as anything other than a villain.

As i have discussed AT LENGTH in Calypso’s section, this argumentation is pure fallacy.

There have been NUMEROUS thirst videos that have rightfully said that DESPITE the actions of the character, they still think Antinous is hot and likable (the Gaston affect, if you will). Even WITHOUT the disclaimer, it is OF COURSE understood that Antinous fans are NOT rape apologists. That is a ridiculous assumption that serves only to kill any interpretation that someone else can rightfully have.

It’s utterly devoid of nuance or actual knowledge of how to play within fandom and interact w characters.

There have been SEVERAL posts calling Antinous fans delusional for liking him and “reminding” the fandom that he is a bad guy. This serves no purpose and is utterly useless to the discourse. Antinous being a bad guy is not debated. This is factual. It doesn’t (or shouldn’t, because we cannot speak in absolutes) hurt anyone’s feelings to see an Antinous videos depicting him as the villain he is. Like with Calypso it is ONLY acceptable to call someone out if they are harassing Ayron Alexander, Antinous’s VA (which has NOT happened as i am writing this out) OR if an anti-Antinous comes into SOMEONE ELSE’s post saying anything like “if you like Antinous then you condone his actions” because as what we sane people know, that is just a silly fallacy, OR if they start shit in a cosplayers/fanfic writer/fanartists comment section.

Otherwise. Who cares that someone is saying Antinous is a villain? Block the no fun police and enjoy analysis from others who choose to see him purely as what he is, if you want. If you dont, block them to, it’s your space. You have a RIGHT to headcanon Antinous however you want, even make up AUs for him where he’s nice or lives and gets a happy ending, SO LONG AS you’re not in other people’s posts going actually Antie is my uwu child and he did nothing wrong. Cuz then youre just being dumb. And annoying. Fandom is already impatient with genuine disagreement, being a smart ass gets your head dunked in a toilet. I used to think this was common sense.

(And in case you didn’t read the Calypso section, or didn’t see enough of it there, this IS the appropriate response to people who address newer fans of her as rape apologists too, its in her section, i just also thought it was important to touch on the stranger phenomena of her other fans refusing to call her a villain because it makes them personally uncomfortable - it’s very interesting as Calypso is a female antagonist while Antinous being a male antagonist is being treated very differently for the same subject. In any case, it’s a disservice to either character and Jorge’s narrative to get upset about the very real fact that BOTH of these characters are villain antagonists.)

The very CURRENT discourse surrounding Antinous is that he was recently shipped with Telemachus.

The animator for Apollo’s section of God Games was harassed to such a point that she had to make a public apology regarding her ALTERNATE UNIVERSE scenario. And i, personally, think that’s bullshit.

There have been accusations that she was being insensitive to sexual assault survivors, and that she made a dark joke, all of which she addressed in her apology IN ADDITION to her explaining that she is ALSO a survivor of child sexual assault. She took down her work. DESPITE all of this, there are still others who continue to harass her, and claim that they dont want “a rape creator” in THEIR fandom. To those people: you don’t speak for any of us. In the same way you can claim not to believe that the animator is a survivor, i have no reason to consider your concerns in any way shape or form as being in service of victims. It is absolutely not your call, when blocking and scrolling on will ALWAYS be an option for YOU.

Even in the event someone writes Antonio’s fan fiction keeping his canon personality and characterization in a non-canon divergent way it is not grounds to harass people.

In addition to this animator, there have been SEVERAL Antinous shippers who have expressed disappointment that she was essentially harassed into a corner, as they also liked the ship and the AU she created. These people are NOT “weird” they are allowed to express themselves creatively, and if you disagree, dont even bother with leaving any sort of response — i wont read it, my time is important. Stay in your echo chamber. Even if it wasn’t an AU, and someone wants to write for Antinous as he is in the narrative, they are more than allowed to do so. Dark fiction isn’t going to traumatize you or give you cooties. Grow up.

I am MUCH more willing to ride with Antinous shippers than i ever will be with fans who attempt to control how a character is interpreted by others. Because to ship Antinous with anyone, AU or otherwise, you have to have an UNDERSTANDING of why this would be a compelling thing to write/make fanart for. He is an evil character, and it would be FASCINATING to see him in fictional scenarios that (like in the calypso section) lead us to as WHY this would be an appealing and interesting take on someone. It’s OKAY to do it in fiction. He isn’t REAL. It’s not hurting EVERYONE. And more so than with calypso, it IS understood that Antinous HAS victims in Penelope and Telemachus There’s no senseless debate on what he is, a villain, no one is arguing he is a uwu babygirl so please sympathize w him, it’s inherently understood even among his FANS.

This is why find Antonio’s and Calypso’s discourses so polarizing. Because no one is getting offended or arguing that Antinous only acts villainously because of some tragic backstory or sympathetic reason. It would be absurd to.

That’s the appeal of a lovable villain. Because like Calypso, Antinous IS lovable, but in such a different way that you have fans treating both characters as if they’re polar opposite when at the very LEAST, there’s on the same bracket, just different ends of them. Telemachus/Penelope and Odysseus’s plights are being MIRRORED in parallel.

THAT is what floors me about these two discourses. That they are functionally THE SAME yet are being treating as if they aren’t. I’m positive that there is an Antinous fan who detests Calypso in the same way there is a Calypso fan who detests Antinous. These are called biases. Once you KNOW your own bias, it is up to YOU to act right according to them.

You are responsible for your OWN fyp.

The Epic fandom had yet to experience such backwards discourse as this, and I wouldn’t expect Jorge or any of the VAs to dignify such trivial discourse with a response. If you’re the type to bring it up to them, you’re being awful. The popular fandom Epic tiktokers are already way too involved as it is. And even they are getting things wrong.

It almost feels remiss to say that in the NARRATIVE of the musical, both Calypso and Antinous are villian antagonists, while outside of the narrative they become dolls you can play with however you like, so long as we are not in each others comments being obtuse. I don’t expect any of my essay to even make it to a larger part of the fandom. But i HAD to get my ideas written down, because if you don’t see someone else connecting the dots you have, you have to present them yourself. Very “can’t we all just get along?” But hopefully, not as insufferable nor one-sides as others might have been. I tried to bring up ideas/points that i have not seen discussed about these two villains and why they seem to connect and go hand in hand.

Why is Calypso, as a female antagonist, given more grace than Antinous, a male antagonist, who is very firmly given none at all. It very well could be just how they were presented, and if so, ask yourself WHY these villains were presented so differently. What purpose do they serve? What are they trying to accomplish? These are questions more suited for actual fandom collaboration that is being drowned out by circular arguements. It feels like homework, instead of knee-jerk reacting to interpretations unlike your own.

To ME, these two characters are two sides of the same coin. (though I DO think it’s funny that the NEUTRAL phrase to refer to either character is “I hate them BUT” because in reasonable fandoms, this is understood inherently….but in this fandom such decorum seems to be lost? For some reason?? Wisdom saga has brought out a lack of wisdom, I fear.) This is the kind of purity culture that suggest you can’t LIKE a character of their a villain, so you go out of your way to argue they aren’t, or that no one else should like them: that’s bonkers. You might disagree and it might even upset you, but that’s a you problem to have.

Having said that, and if you are POSITIVE that you want to engage in conversation with me, you are welcome to do so.

[famemonsterrr]

Astrological observations part 20.

! This is 20th blog with observations and I’m so shocked I haven’t give up yet. Pliz for the love of mercury be gentle with me cause English isn’t my second language and I’m trying my best with vocabulary and grammar. Lastly these are my opinion and what I have experienced in my life don’t take it personally!

༘⋆ having earth sign placements means stress and anxiety for everything (send you love)

༘⋆ Leo moons must be the least confident placements because Leo is in the planet of emotions and so any criticism will crush them. Pliz be gentle with Leo moons:(

༘⋆ y’all think that Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces aren’t easy to keep and they will change many lovers but I will tell you that you aren’t special enough to keep them. If they actually fall in love with you then they won’t leave even if Satan tries to bribe them.

༘⋆ Having libra/gemini moon is a blessing and a curse at the same time. I will talk about the curse of feeling a lot but you can’t decide what to feel…yeah you can talk ur emotions but truly u can’t even pick anything to feel. Also having your moon in your 3rd house is actually the same thing as having libra or Gemini.

༘⋆ Capricorn men are the men who look really good with glasses and elegant library college style. Prove me wrong hihihi

༘⋆ and speaking of male Capricorns. I want someone to explain to me why they look like they have lived 20 lives in the span of 5 years? Like Capricorn men change so much…and it’s really scary. If not the most chameleon type of sign.

༘⋆ everyone can say that they had a messy life or they messed up a lot…but not like Gemini,Aries,Pisces and Sagittarius did. These people they have done the most stupid shit ever and then BOOM one day they decide that have grow up and need to fix their lives. (It’s never too late babes)

༘⋆ in the subject of men (which I don’t like as much) I have to tell you that the men who looked the most beautiful are libra and Taurus men. Like they are so eye candies.

༘⋆ and the last capricorn observation but I true love u guys and also I want to know why you are talented and know so many things? Like I have noticed that so many male Capricorns are so talented and can talk about everything. Like they can paint, draw, play music, sing, act and they are so funny and charismatic…women? Literally goddesses.

༘⋆ I was watching the office and the line that Ryan says "I’m keeping a list of everyone who wrongs me" is the most Scorpio and Leo thing I have ever seen.

༘⋆ I have been around with a lot of Pisces and honestly they all so social butterfly (expect me who dislikes people for some reason) I don’t know why people think we are shy and introverts?

༘⋆ okay but I have noticed that people who are okay with nudity and consider it as freedom are the people who have heavy Aries, Scorpio, libra and Sagittarius placements.

༘⋆ mercury usually doesn’t really show about love but since it’s the planet about thoughts, it actually shows how you think about love or when do you like someone. For example Aquarius mercuries they know damn well when they like someone and they act accordingly (of course that can be influenced from other love related planets)

༘⋆ I love seeing the “Kris Kross” between 2 peoples charts. Like if you have a lot of the same zodiac signs but in opposite placements (like having Pisces sun with Aquarius Venus and they have Aquarius sun with Pisces Venus) then consider this a win and really positive for a relationship of course aespects are important as well. Now I can’t say the same thing in friendship synastry…the most crazy combinations can happen there

That’s all babes <3

My masterlist if you care to read more my other blogs.

Thank you soooo much for liking my posts and give me support to keep writing. Really greatful for it 🫶🏻

Stay healthy,happy and peaceful in these dark times we living.

Send u a lot of love 🫶🏻

[nodalstudies]

I’m 20 years old, I only feel stuck in life. I graduated from my technical college late December and I have yet to take my certification test. I fear failure, I don’t want to fail, I haven’t put in any time to study because I honestly don’t know how 😭 I never studied in high school. Please I just need tips on how to stay motivated and studying without getting burned out.

first, it’s so cool you finished technical college!!

i didn’t really learn how to properly study until after high school too. my tips may not work for everyone but these helped me LOADS:

create a very specific study environment. for me, i make my lamp really bright and adjust my chair to the highest setting. i’ll also put my airpods in and play background music/videos to focus. having these specific sensory cues conditions my brain to associate these things with studying, so i focus a LOT better! i also refuse to do anything but study when i’ve created this environment.

5 minute technique. basically promise yourself to just do 5 minutes of studying. it makes it seem less overwhelming and you’ll find that you either do more or have 5 more minutes of studying under your belt, which is better than nothing.

time blocking. set aside periods of time throughout the day when your energy levels are best (can be short or long). during these times, list what you want to get done (ex. read a section, write a paragraph). that way your mind can compartmentalize exactly what to do.

i use quizlet for active recall to help me retain information better. idk if the free version has the “learn” option but i have it on quizlet plus—it’s so great for testing my knowledge. i’m sure your certification test might have tons of resources on quizlet! i like to either make my own flashcards or study premade sets with good reviews.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hiya! Not sure if you’ve answered something like this before, but if you feel comfortable answering, I’m wondering what tips you might have for writers with ADHD/ADD.

I haven’t been able to write well for years and thought it was laziness/lack of self-discipline, but it very well could be that my brain just wants to work a certain way and I didn’t know about it.

Of course, there’s no “one-fits-all” answer, but some ideas about where to start the journey of understanding what works for oneself would be nice.

Thanks!

Writing with ADHD

There are three sub-types of ADHD (inattentive/formerly ADD, hyperactive, and combined), so tips depend somewhat on which type you have. As luck would have it, I'm combined type, so I have tips for both. (And these tips can be helpful even for writers who don't have ADHD but still struggle with keeping their butts in the seat...)

Writing with Inattentive ADHD

My biggest struggle with writing is difficulty staying focused and getting sidetracked easily. Here are the things I do to work around that:

Dedicated Writing Time/Place - I'm fortunate to have a writing room with a desk, but even if you don't, just having a dedicated space for when you write can be really helpful. It also helps to make sure your chosen writing spot is tidy and free from built-in distractions, like people traffic or a distracting view. And, if you can aim for the same general writing time each day, that can help train your mind to go into writing mode when you sit down to write.

Minimize Distractions - this is a "must do" for me when I sit down to write. Phone goes on silent, no TV, no music with lyrics, no social media, and if it's a busy day outside I close the shades and put on headphones. Also, nicely ask anyone else in the house not to distract you during your writing session.

Regulating with a Timer - When I'm really struggling, I've found that timers are very helpful in keeping me on track. If I need to stop to research something along the way, I set the timer for 10-minutes. If I can't find out what I need to know in that time, I note it for later research and keep going with a placeholder. I'll also set the timer for breaks, writing sprints, or anything that might pull me off course.

Scene Lists & Timelines - Having a scene list to follow was a real game changer for me early on in novel writing endeavors. When I start to feel my mind wander, just putting my eyes on the scene list to see where I'm supposed to be and where I'm supposed to be heading can be enough to get me back on track. Checking off each scene and plot point along the way makes it more task-driven which also seems to help keep me on track. You could do this with a timeline, too. And even if you're not a planner but like to write organically, you can still keep kind of a general scene list or timeline to keep you on course.

Writing with Hyperactive ADHD

My biggest struggle with the hyperactive side of my ADHD is fighting the constant need to get up and be anywhere but in my chair typing. I've actually been working on this post for an hour because I haven't done any of my safeguards, so I've been out of this chair probably 20 times since I hit the answer button. Here's what I could have done to prevent this...

Start Writing on a Full Stomach - Nothing gets me out of my chair more often when I'm writing than feeling like I'm hungry. So, I get up, eat a small snack. Sit down and type for a few minutes. Then decide I need another small snack. Whether you write after you've eaten a meal, sit down to write with something to drink and munch on, or just make sure you've got your big water bottle there, eliminating hunger pains as a reason to get up makes all the difference.

Do Writing Sprints - Set a timer for anywhere from five minutes to an hour, and write as much as you can during that time without stopping to edit or evaluate your work. Writing sprints are a great way to focus your energy to make sure writing is getting done. Five-minute intervals work great for me, but sometimes I can do ten-minute intervals. When the timer goes off, I set it again and get up to do a few things like stretch or get something to drink. Preferably anything that won't take longer than the timer or snowball into something else. This way, if I'm only writing for an hour I still get a solid 30-minutes of writing in even if I'm up and out of my chair every five minutes.

Keep a Basket of Fidget Toys - This doesn't always work for me, but sometimes it helps to have something to fidget with during the moments when I pause to think. Thinking putty, fidget spinners, stress balls... Anything you can do for a second while you're thinking and immediately put back down. That way you don't get up out of your seat looking for something to direct that energy toward.

Speech to Text App - If you really need to be up and moving, try getting a speech to text app for your phone and writing your story verbally while you do other things.

I hope that these tips will help you be able to sit down and start writing again. If you need ideas for exactly how to outline your story or general ideas for how to get started, see my guide to How to Outline a Plot as well as my Plot & Story Structure master list of posts.

Best wishes on your ADHD writing journey! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[swiftie-sherlockian]

So…

Idk who knows this already but I watched The Sign of Three for the first time this past Valentine’s Day and almost immediately when it was over I wrote a Johnlock duet with a free online instrumental on YouTube and afterwards I was EXTREMELY proud of it. It’s sort of an AU where John notices Sherlock leaving at the end and follows him back to 221B to find him an absolute wreck in his bedroom, high and erratic and it’s a little hurt/comfort-y. Think Forever Winter by Taylor Swift but make it Johnlock

Anyway…. I Google Translated the lyrics too many times and now I have this silly song that still has feels (some of the lines are still very similar and once you read this you will know what lines those are once you read this) and other lines are “huh?” also try to figure out which lyrics I wrote from Sherlock’s POV and which ones are John’s. They may be obvious at first but the end sort of switches often

anyway… lyrics below the cut

He took it too

There was no doubt in those beautiful eyes

Return to the starting position 

Don’t tell me it’s easy

Nothing has changed

I’ll always be with you

Not everything will change

I won’t be together

I have no voice

Now they’ll talk and I’ll be silent

Lost in silence

Whatever really exists will be “good”

Oh, like now

I think I’ll clap once or twice 

Walk through the church doors

The party is over

Even if you ask him, he looks like a deer at night

Don’t give up

The bedroom door was closed

I have a pack of cigarettes 

A night’s sleep is very important for relaxation 

Long and full

Be stupid if you want

I play music and die

A new song is playing in my head

~~~

I said it doesn’t matter

I lied

My mind can’t read

Are you asking me if I’m not perfect?

I’m an idiot, so beautiful 

Everyone who knows me knows that

The documentation is good

What a wedding night

I am and will remain your godfather 

If they call me, I’ll run

I’m leaving

I’m going to sleep

Don’t ask why

I’ll ask you to stop

But take a pencil with you if necessary 

We’re writing a tragedy

~~~

I’ve lost my mind again

Call this guy tonight

Something has to happen again

It’s uncomfortable 

Soon everything will change

Even though I’m used to being apart, I still feel strange

Everything will change

I think I’ll catch you

I can’t stop

Leave it at the altar

But then the rot will quickly dry up

But now that I’ve found you, I was wrong

Oh, how are you now?

Third sign of bleeding, I feel full

I saw you coming out the door

The party ended abruptly 

I won’t be quiet when I go back to your apartment 

Stay inside

I have an unlock key

Those cigarettes have been missing from your home for two years

Long and full 

Some are right

I wrote that waltz when I was married

I’m sorry I didn’t say anything 

~~~

You could say that you’re OK

I know when you’re lying

I can’t read your mind

Nobody is good enough

“Maybe he’s an idiot” he half-smiled

I know, I mean, I know

The documentation is very good 

I saw you walking at night

You don’t want to be my best man, you want to be my husband

I want to study in my old cabin

I followed you to the door

I’m not crying anymore

I know why

Don’t tell me to stop 

Can you give me my pencil?

This way I can fix this mistake

~~~

All the steps we’ve taken so far

I don’t want to break us up

I did what I had to do

I don’t want to leave you

I offended someone in this mess

Who would regret it?

That’s why you’re guilty

Three words and we’re done 

But I know it won’t be easy for this kid

I want to go back 

Close again

I laughed and held my nose

Why should I live?

Who’s stopping me from taking a closer look?

I’ll fix it one way or another

Even if I didn’t have a thousand secrets, I wouldn’t tell them

But I haven’t been there for a long time

All the pain, all the love

Take a pencil and draw

There’s no room for doubt 

Invisible folder

Candle

All my memories

Don’t let these two years get too cold

I have a network in my head

Every good though brings suffering

Most importantly, hold your breath

Until the music stops

Damn it’s over

This is not yet complete

@a-victorian-girl @nowiamcoveredinyou @gingaaaaa @whatnext2020 @jamielovesjam

[pouroverpaloma]

Writing Interview Tag Game! Thanks @cinnamontails-ff !

When did you start writing?

I don’t actually remember! I was a desperately weird and introverted kid (surprise) and I read voraciously, all the time, so I also started writing really early. Stories, plays, poems, comics, whatever. I also kept a meticulous diary when I was in high school, and I’m so glad I did because it’s so fucking funny to read now. Teenage Paloma had a lot going on, to put it kindly

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Have I watched Supernatural? No. Have I been an insatiable consumer of Destiel fanfiction for years? Absolutely. I gave a PowerPoint presentation to my book club once titled “All the best romance novels are Supernatural fanfiction,” and I stand by that thesis. I don’t care. Those babes were cooking.

Like, I’m sorry, the soulmate AU trope is never going to get better than Don’t Look Back by @goldenraeofsun. It’s just not. No one is ever going to write an academic romance as compelling as And This, Your Living Kiss by @asecretvice. If you haven’t poked around that part of Ao3 because you don’t watch the show, I beg you to get in there because treasures await ye

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

This isn’t going to make a ton of sense outside of my own brain, probably, but my goal is always to write prose that feels the way Ada Limón’s poems make me feel. She’s really frank without being unserious, and I love the way she creates imagery without telling you she’s doing it.

Also, this weekend, I read a Tessa Dare historical romance while I was on the beach, and I loved it! It was so fun, but not at the expense of the plot, and the supporting characters were so funny without getting in the way. A masterclass in froth.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

At home, I write in bed with my laptop on my lap and a can of seltzer within reach at all times. Sometimes I go to a cafe near my house, but I’m always worried someone will look over my shoulder and see what I’m writing and post me for cringe on TikTok or something. Which, now that I’m typing it out, is maybe a stupid thing to worry about

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I have a couple recs!

1. Go for a biiiiiig walk. Listen to classical music, nothing with words. Don’t try to think too hard. It’ll come.

2. Read something you find genuinely terrible. You’ll get so mad that you’ll start thinking of ways you could have done it better. For me, this is usually the book Haunting Adeline, which for whatever reason activates every “um actually” in my body at once

3. Type up something deeply unserious that you have no intention of publishing. Chances are you’ll end up loving it in the rewrite and post it. This is how that Rolan fic of mine got made

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Oh god, yeah, and oh god, yeah. I’ve learned a lot. Some of it’s actually been helpful in therapy, like how I keep writing about overcoming domestic violence trauma. Some of it has been discovering, in a very public way that I can’t undo, that I’m into choking. We do not have the dignity of choosing how enlightenment comes to us

What is your reason for writing?

It’s for fun. It’s all for fun. I am having such a fucking good time.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I love when people talk back and forth with me! And I love love looooooove when people tell me how something made them feel. Or when someone points out a literary device I was proud of. If there’s a quote, too? I’m dead. I’ve died.

Writing is fun, but it’s solitary. It’s so motivating to have people who are willing to step into my little universe with me and talk about it. I’m extraordinarily lucky.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I want people to see me as someone who shares their enthusiasm, ultimately. We’re all here for the same reason, and it’s That Fucking Wizard.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

My voice is really distinctive! My friends have always been able to pick out my writing, even in anonymized settings, and I think that’s neat

How do you feel about your own writing?

It’s been a long way getting here, but I view my writing as a thing I made, that I liked making, that I now have no ownership over. Once it’s out, it’s not mine anymore, it’s the reader’s. And that’s a good thing! Everyone brings their own rich experiences to everything they read. Interpretation is amazing, even for something as prima facie trivial as video game erotica. When people tell me how they related to or analyzed something I wrote, it’s like I get to read my own story again.

:) I’ll tag @lemonstealinglibrarian @lastlight-inn and @toads-treasures , if you want! No presh

[celtics534]

Little Moments That Pass Us By Chapter 3

It’s been a hot minute, but I’m finally posting chapter 3! I’m sorry for the wait, but I’m gonna be trying to update more and enjoy writing again. I hope you all love this chapter. As I’m sure you’ll guess from the title, it’s set during the iconic common kiss.

Also Read on: FF.net or AO3

First Kiss - May 1997

 Ginny stood beside Demelza, her butterbeer warming on the table beside her. The common room was loud and hectic. Between the excited cheers and heart-pounding music, Ginny could hardly hear her friend. If she was being honest, Ginny wasn’t sure she would have been able to focus on a word being said to her. Not when her attention kept drifting towards the portrait hole. 

 To where Harry could walk through any moment. 

 She knew it was pathetic to literally be watching the door for him, but Ginny wanted to see his face when he realized they’d won. When he realized she won for him. Well… not just for him, because being the reason Cho Chang threw her broom to the ground was gratifying. But really she wanted to give Harry a reason to smile again. He’d been so down since that incident with Malfoy that it made Ginny’s heart ache for him. 

 Ginny didn’t know all the details, but she knew Harry had regretted whatever he’d done and yet, he kept punishing himself. She’d noticed how before the bathroom incident, Harry had been hanging around her. It was hard to miss the lingering looks and awkward flirty comments he’d made to her. And it would be a lie if she said she didn’t like it. 

 Hell, she loved it. 

 After all these years, and Harry finally seemed to notice she was a girl. So she’d leaned into it, not that it was a hardship. She’d always fancied him, but this year there had just been such a shift between them that it was practically overwhelming. One look from those intense green eyes and her heart was stuttering. When his hand had so naturally fallen on her knee while they sat in the common room had turned her into putty.  

There had been a moment before the Malfoy incident where Ginny had thought something might happen. They had been walking back up to the castle after a long practice. Ron had forgotten his knapsack in the changing room, leaving Harry and Ginny to walk alone. They’d spent the time joking, and what Ginny would consider flirting. Harry had been grinning at her as she re-enacted one of her more spectacular goals. She’d turned around so she was walking backward, not paying any mind to the ground. Which was why she’d tripped on an uneven step and nearly fallen flat on her back. Harry’s fast reflexes had saved her. He’d grabbed her wrist and pulled her back up, but his strength was greater than expected, as he’d pulled her straight into his chest. Her cheek had fallen over his heart, which thundered against his ribs. She’d been able to feel her own racing heart as she started to pull away with an apology on the tip of her tongue… which had died when she looked up into his face. The way he’d been looking at her… it was like she was the most beautiful thing in the world. He’d started to lean down, and Ginny had started to rise onto her toes when Ron’s voice had broken the spell between them. They’d both shot back as her brother had sprinted towards them yelling something about wanting dinner. 

 Ginny had been certain that after years of never dreaming it, Harry finally fancied her. But then Harry had pulled back after the whole Malfoy thing. And for some twisted reason, Ginny had gotten it in her head that if they won the cup that… that well she didn’t really know what her imagination had started coming up with some rather interesting ideas as she lay in bed at night. 

 “Ginny?” Demelza slapped her shoulder hard enough Ginny felt the sting. 

 She glared at her friend. “What was that for?” 

 Demelza rolled her eyes. “I’ve literally been talking to you for five minutes and you haven’t heard a word I’ve said. Listen, I can guarantee when Harry shows up you’ll know, so stop watching the door like a lovesick puppy.”

 Ginny bristled. “I’m not a lovesick puppy… I just want to make sure Harry knows we won.”

 “Oh, and the fact the entire house is celebrating won’t give that away?” 

 “I — I guess I want to be the one to tell him.”

 Demelza’s expression softened. “You’ve got it bad, girl. And to be fair so does he so you two are perfect for each other.” Demelza rested a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “Listen, when Harry arrives the entire common room will greet him, but you… you should run straight up to him and be the first to hug him.”

 Ginny nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’ll hug him and congratulate him.”

 “Then drag him out of here and snog him senseless.”

 “Demelza!” Ginny laughed. 

 “What?!” Demelza lifted her hands in a gesture of innocence. “The tension between you two could be cut with a knife. Really, you’d be doing all of us a favor… well, except maybe your brother.”

 Their laugher was loud, even for the rambunctious common room. Ginny was about to make a cheeky comment when a loud cry came from the entranceway. Harry was slowly walking in, his expression wary. Ginny’s focus tunneled on him. She could see the way his nerves quickly evaporated as he took in the excited crowd. Ron was standing there with the cup still gripped tightly in his hands. 

 Without realizing it, Ginny started following Demelza’s instructions. Her feet started carrying her to him. She pushed past people to reach him. When she was only a few yards away their eyes locked and Ginny was nearly stopped in her tracks. He was looking at her with that intensity that shot right to her gut. 

 When she reached him, Ginny wrapped her arms high around his neck, fully intending to pull him as close as possible. Before she knew what had happened, Harry had closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. 

 His lips were slightly chapped as they uncertainly moved across hers. Ginny didn’t hold back. Her nails dug into his hair as she pressed herself closer to get a better angle. She lost track of everything by Harry, everything but the way his hands held the small of her back. 

 Eventually, they pulled away. Her entire body buzzed with energy as she tried to get her brain to come back to life. When Harry’s hand fell into hers, she looked into his hopeful expression. He jerked his head towards the exit and Ginny happily followed his lead. 

 Once the portrait hole shut behind them, Harry pulled them to the side, his bottom lip pulled into his teeth. “Gin, I’m sorry.”

 Her heart sank into her stomach. Did he regret what just happened? Hadn’t he meant to kiss her? 

 As her mind started spiraling, Harry’s words broke through the blood rushing in her ears. “I didn’t mean to do that there. I had intended to ask you for a walk or something. I don’t know, I just… I didn’t intend to kiss you in front of everyone.”

 Ginny blinked, the anxiety in her gut evaporating. She could feel a smile start to curl her lips. “So you meant to kiss me?”

 Harry’s jaw dropped as he blinked in rapid-fire succession. “I — of course I did. I’d only been dreaming about it all bloody year.” His cheeks brightened as he snapped his mouth closed. 

 And just like that, Ginny felt like she was on top of the world. She brought her hand to his forearm, letting her finger slowly forge a trail across his skin. “All year, hm?”  

 When he let out a small choking noise Ginny looked up into his red face to see that his eyes were locked onto her exploring finger. “I mean — it wasn’t like —” He swallowed, his chin jerking up so fast she was worried he’d hurt his neck. His eyes were on hers as he started stumbling over his own tongue. “What I mean — I know you were with Dean, but — I just —”

 Ginny had heard enough. Her hand that had been on his arm moved with lightning speed to the front of his robes, fisting them. “Harry.”

 His bright eyes were wide as he stared at her. “Yeah?”

 “Shut up.” She pulled him closer, rising onto her toes and kissing him hard.  

[avidbeader]

Fic Writer Q&A

Tagged by @eghfeithrean!

How many wips do you have currently?

At least 20, between works begun and posted on AO3 and works with their own file/outline. There's also the doc of "idea nuggets" that is 11 pages long.

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

There are two. The first is "The Perils of Innocence", my giant HP story. It's a problem because I lost a lot of genuine motivation when I dropped the series after the trash fire of the sixth book (spite can be powerful, but it only gets you so far). That was the point where I dropped the idea of making it a four-part series covering all seven years and decided I'd wrap up the story in first year. And then JKR started showing what a shit person she is, and that's ground what motivation I did have into specks. I do intend to finish it, but it's been VERY slow going, especially when newer and shinier fandoms took over. The second is "Skydancer", the sequel to my first Voltron longfic "Scattered". Part of the problem with it was me realizing I was repeating the same basic plot I had for "The Quintissential Bond" (another stalled WIP) and taking a lot of time to make sure that they were different enough that someone reading both would enjoy them. But the main sticking point here is that when I wrote most of "Scattered" and planned for "Skydancer", I was still lightly multishipping a few ships and sprinkling them into what was a gen story. Then I became a devoted Sheith shipper. So now, it's hard to go back into that universe, where I created a past with Shiro's family fostering Keith to explain their closeness in S1-2, and try to write them being very close and protective of each other without tripping over the line into the romance I see in them.

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

A phrase that is either a title or a suggestion for a scene. A what-if that diverges from canon. Something I see in another fic that doesn't get explored and I want to explore it. A meet-cute I witness in real life. A discussion with other fans. It can be anything. And I concentrate on it, mentally outlining or adding detail until I'm where I can jot down notes. The best ones are the ones that have my guts twisting and quivering with excitement as I think and write.

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

Music isn't really part of my process at all. I can write in silence, ask Pandora to play one of my stations, or whatever. I do have a little playlist of Sheith that I put together several years ago when I realized I had several songs that meant Sheith to me. https://8tracks.com/avidbeader/my-sheith-songs

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

I am haphazardly organized. When I have the ideas developed, I outline and sometimes have scenes summarized as paragraphs, ready to be extended into the final product. But I can also find rabbits to chase down holes and write in spurts of inspiration, suddenly finding a chapter or story where I hadn't planned on one.

Tagging (if you haven’t done it yet): @lionescence @naarna @starboykeith @tragedy-machine and whoever else would like to join!

[imsoveryveryconfusedatlife]

Tag Game: Writeblr Interview

Thanks @tildeathiwillwrite for the tag here!

I hesitate to tag as many people as this is one of those things where there’s no point in doing it twice but tagging:

@xenon-writes-sometimes, @rumeysawrites, @rivenantiqnerd, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and an open tag!

This is going to be a long post so I’m adding a break here

Short stories, novels, or poems?

I cannot stand most poetry. Maybe it’s because I’m still in school and have to analyse it but I can’t deal with how abstract it can be. I want to write more short stories but my one and only WIP is probably gonna be closer to a novel, if and when I finish it.

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy, especially high fantasy. Murder mysteries and detective stories in general are a close second. Most other genres are reserved for spin offs or fan fiction.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I make a plan that I then actively ignore my OCs force me to not use

What music do you listen to while writing?

Most of the time I listen to the one Reddit podcast I’ve listened to every episode of because I can zone out and I don’t miss anything important. This one is a bit of a bad habit because it distracts me, but EPIC the musical is my current hyperfixation and I listen to that constantly as well.

Favorite books/movies?

Because I have the reading comprehension of an 11 year old we have Murder Most Unladylike (I would die for this series), its spin off the Ministry of Unladylike Activity, The Hunger Games but only really the first book, How to train your dragon but only really the Netflix show and the first movie (the books are great but I haven’t read them in 7 or 8 years and because they’re so different from the movies I’m not sure if I’d like them anymore)

Any current WIPs?

Gold, Greed and Gods which is a vaguely Victorian fantasy about the main cast trying to find a cult before it engulfs the world in literal chaos. And also magical shenanigans and timeline fuckery

Create a character description of yourself:

Honestly I’d rather not. Sorry!

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

No it kinda weirds me out. The closest I’ll get is asking my one irl mutual about their experiences with stuff that I (as a someone who is cishet and perisex) do not understand

Are you kill happy with your characters?

I’m not the biggest fan of angst so no. If anyone was gonna die you aren’t allowed to get attached to them so I don’t get attached them hence why the only dead characters in my WIP die before or very soon after it begins. That isn’t to say my characters aren’t affected, but I can only imagine any potential readers will be neither here or there about those characters.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

I don’t really like hot drinks but I hate the smell of coffee so tea?

Slow or fast writer?

A secret third thing which is I wrote 5000 words in 3 hours yesterday so for atleast the next week I won’t be able to string a sentence together

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

A healer would be fun? I wanna be a doctor so I guess that’s close enough. I cannot imagine I’d survive very long without my glasses/ contacts in any case.

Most fav book cliche:

Not really a book cliche but horny bard memes will never not be funny. I also love juxtaposition between characters, if done tastefully, eg. Ray of sunshine is best friends/ dating the grumpiest character alive. I also just love ray of sunshine characters in general. Also, calm/ happy go lucky/ mentor figure characters who have really high body counts and it’s just kind of an open secret are really fun.

Least favorite cliche:

A lot of romance tropes are tied for last place: miscommunication, any reference or idea that firsts=better (virginity, first loves, one true love etc.), not like other girls

Also love triangles. The only good love triangles are the ones that end in polycules. No exceptions (/hj)

I probably just have a problem with like most romance stories

Favorite scene to write?

I love when characters reference unique worldbuilding things that I actually had to think about. Similarly, if I feel I’m doing them well, exposition dumps can be fun.

Reason for writing?

Because blirbos in my head yearn for freedom

On a more serious note, I’ve gotta do something healthy with all this escapism and maladaptive daydreaming.

—

Questions:

Short stories, novels, or poems?

What genre do you prefer reading?

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

What music do you listen to while writing?

Favorite books/movies?

Any current WIPs?

Create a character description of yourself:

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Slow or fast writer?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche:

Least favorite cliche:

Favorite scene to write?

Reason for writing?

—

Thanks again for the tag!

[theprogrockbstheorist]

BS Theory no. 2: The Gizzverse is a Prank

“Nonagon infinity opens the door/ Wait for the answer to open the door”

Or… does it? If you must know anything about the modern Australian psychedelic, prog, electronic, whatever else “rock” band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, you should know that they have a rabid base of devoted fans that have been mapping out the “Gizzverse” for years. This Gizzverse has developed due to the fact that this band has 25 studio albums in a little over a decade of existence and that much of their music is self-referential. It’s also not only the music: many of their music videos harken back to earlier ones, and much of their album artwork, done by close friend of the band Jason Galea, references back to earlier albums. This has convinced their fan base that there must be some connection, some overarching story connecting their albums. They band themselves have hinted towards this as well, stating that their albums take place in different “alternate timelines”. 

But what if they’re just fucking with us?

It’s undeniable that many of their albums have a cohesive theme and perhaps even plot— but most of these are self-contained. Their 2019 thrash metal album, Infest the Rats’ Nest, has a self-contained plot of global warming and superviruses ravaging the Earth, with Mars becoming outpaced for the average Earthling, so a crew sets out for Venus and burns up in the atmosphere. Their 2017 album (or rather, one of five of them), Murder of the Universe has something resembling an overarching plot and definitely an apocalyptic theme, and some say it ties into another one of their 2017 albums, Polygondwanaland, which is also divided into 3 separate suites. But, admittedly, a lot of these are reaches. 

This isn’t to say that there haven’t been SOME albums with confirmed connections: 2022’s albums Made in Timeland and Laminated Denim are anagrams of each other, and explore similar concepts. 2023’s two albums, Petrodragonic Apocalypse (no, I’m not writing out the full fucking name) and The Silver Cord are confirmed to be “yin-yang” albums. A lot of their albums DO deal with similar themes as well: usually with apocalyptic scenarios brought on by environmental factors, most of the time, climate change. So, clearly, there is an underlying theme to many of their albums. 

However, there is one reason why I doubt there’s much more to the “Gizzverse” than speculation: there’s not cohesive thought on what, exactly, constitutes the Gizzverse. None. There’s no established timeline by fans, there’s no sequence of events, there’s not even agreed consensus of albums that are a part of the Gizzverse. The band doesn’t say much about it, either, just that there’s “alternate timelines”. The wording is so vague that that could mean anything, from “we wrote a couple different concept albums exploring issues that are important to us, but are otherwise unrelated” to “we have a full-fledged multiverse with thought-out timelines and recurring characters.” This isn’t to say that there isn’t SOME evidence towards the latter: some of their album covers have recurring motifs, and sometimes similar-looking characters are referenced in their music videos, however that could be just coincidental. Even if it isn’t, I don’t think the Gizzverse is an established canon: I feel like the band is familiar enough with their devoted fanbase to realize that some people love theorizing (definitely not me), and intentionally lead them on a wild goose chase, throwing references to otherwise unrelated works. 

So, in other words, they’re probably fucking with us. There’s really not much evidence to prove that a Gizzverse exists: there’s next to no named characters, and those that are named have plots that resolve within in their own album, such as the Han-Tyumi and Balrog suites from Murder of the Universe. Furthermore, if a prog band, such as Cohered and Cambria or Ayreon, set out to make multiple albums within the same story line, they usually do it with the express purpose of doing so. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard did not do that. So, even if they do have some sort of multiverse going on, it’s certainly not very fleshed out, making it very open to interpretation. 

One thing to keep in mind from all this is that artists are human to, and sometimes they like to screw with people. We can’t take everything someone says at face value, because sometimes people make jokes, and sometimes people just..lie. Do I really think King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are pranking their fans with the concept of the gizzverse? I don’t believe they were being serious about having a fully fleshed-out plot or developed “alternate timelines”, but it is true that a lot of their work is conceptual in nature and deals with similar themes, so I can see how it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for some people.

[asshlyyyy]

Lockdown (Austin Butler x Reader)

I had so much fun writing this! I didn’t think I would be able to write something up for this! But it definitely just hit me and just went quickly. I want to be able to write more Austin fics, so hopefully that will happen soon! Let’s hope I upload this to the correct masterlist...

I have no clue when they stopped filming and what not... so we’re just gonna ignore if it’s wrong. I don’t care... Because this is a fic and I will write what I want to dammit!

Requested by: @houndogsblog​ \\ Check out the original post here!

Masterlist

Pairing: Austin Butler x Priscilla!Actress!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Pandemic, Covid-19, Cute moments, Fluff, Most likely some spelling and grammatical errors.

Word Count: 4k

You sat in the recording studio with Austin and the rest of the band. Ever since you got the role of playing Priscilla Presley, you were asked to contribute to making the music. You were a huge guitar player, not like they needed more of those. Especially when Austin was such a god at playing one himself, they still argued that they needed you. Well, that and they mentioned it would grow the bond between you and Austin as you two prepared to become the Presleys.

"Hey, can I ask you something, Y/n/n?" Austin came up behind you. You let out a hum and turned to look at him. With a smile on your face, you nodded.

"Of course, shoot away." You turned your body so that you were fully facing him.

"I was just wondering if you could show me how to play this one tune? I've been struggling; trying to figure it out." He asked. You were quite shocked that he asked you for help. You were pretty sure that Austin was playing guitar longer than you have, but you weren't about to deny being close to him.

"Yeah of course! What is it?" You asked as you reached over for your guitar. This guitar held a special place in your heart. While it worked like every other single acoustic guitar, it held a special paint design on it. Your sister was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years back, and she found peace within painting. 

The design was quite simple, just some of your favorite flowers on the base of the guitar... but it was so beautiful. Your sister was extremely talented. You just wished more people could've seen her work. Sadly, she passed away before that could happen. You try not to dwell on the sad moments, and having a guitar she customized for you, keeps her close.

"It's a part of a scene where Elvis is fooling around, playing the guitar and singing. Yet, there's just this part. Baz tried to explain it to me, but I just can't get it down." He explained. You nodded and listened to him. 

You guys haven't started filming yet. In fact, you guys were only recording the songs as of right now. Austin talked about dying his hair for the role, but as of right now, he was still blond. You knew that, when he did dye it, it would pull everything together. Anyways, Baz wanted us to get all the music done first before any type of filming started. They were also still looking for people to play some side rolls. 

"What did he describe it as?" You asked.

"He said it was a tune that worked in many of his songs... kind of slow, energetic... Not much to work off of," he chuckled lightly. You smiled softly and shook your head.

"That's okay, I can probably figure it out. Just have to pinpoint some of his songs that could work with the same tune..." you mumbled to yourself and hummed softly. You played along with the strings trying to figure it out. Something that could work in all his songs... hm...

"Hey, guys! Listen up!" Baz called out, which pulled you away from your thoughts. You looked up and over towards him. He held this emotion on his face that just told you something was wrong. 

"What's up Baz?" One of the orchestra members asked. Baz let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead.

"I don't know how many of you have been watching the news... There is this new sickness going around... and... it's really getting around. They are suggesting we take a few weeks off of filming... recording... just bout everything to see if it calms down." Baz explained. You knew what he was talking about... Your eldest brother lived over in Europe and he has been texting you about this.

They called it Covid-19. It first originated in China and has been taking the world into its hand. He explained how many people were dying because of this sickness. You knew it had to be serious, especially when Baz wanted to take a break from filming. 

"How long will we be away?" Austin asked out of curiosity.

"Hopefully no more than a few weeks. I will keep you all posted! Until then... pack up your things... and go home. And I mean home home. Not to your hotel." Everyone muttered in response and you just let out a breath. Austin turned to look at you.

"Uh, this may be a weird question but... where do you live?" He asked you with a raised eyebrow. You let out a light laugh and stood up to collect your belongings. "I live in California, as of now."

"Great!" Austin cleared his voice, "u-uh I mean great. I- If you don't mind... maybe you could come over to my place? You can help me figure out that tune some more?"

"Yeah! I would love to, sounds like fun." You smiled. Austin started and started to walk away but quickly turned back around to face you.

"Can I get your number?" He asked as he pulled out his phone, handing it over to you. You nodded and took it out of his hands. You quickly typed in your number and made sure to text yourself, just so you knew you wouldn't be getting a text from some random person.

"Perfect! I'll text you with details later?"

"Sounds great!" You smiled. Austin nodded and started to back away. His baby blue eyes were still attached to your own e/c ones. It wasn't until he walked into something that he turned around. You let out a light giggle and continued to gather your things up. 

As you walked out of the building and found your way to the car you were renting, you got in and left out a huff. You grabbed your phone and decided to text your brother. You shot him a quick update about how the disease arrived at America. You placed down your phone and let out a sigh. 

You started up your car and drove to your hotel. You would have to find a plane to take you back home. It shouldn’t be too bad, and who knows… Maybe somehow you and Austin will end up on the same flight. You doubted it, but sometimes these things have a way of happening.

After you got home, you ordered some food and called your parents. It was something you did every time you got back from… filming, recording, just about everything. You wanted to update them, and well… to let them know that nothing has happened to you.

“Hello?” You heard your mother's voice on the other end of the phone. 

“Hi mama, is dad there?” You asked as you found yourself a comfortable place on the couch. 

“Yes, he is. You’re calling a bit earlier today, not that I am complaining… Did something happen?” Your mama asked. You let out a breath and looked out the big windows that overlooked the town.

“We’re taking a break. Baz says that it should be fine in a couple of weeks… but mama… I don’t think it will. You’ve heard what Oliver has said about it.” You explained to her. You heard your father on the other end, meaning your mother had put you on speaker.

“Get home when you can.” Your mama spoke.

“Go out and buy a mask. You don’t know how many people can already have it.” Your father finally spoke up. You took your father's words in and nodded. That was true, there could be a bunch of people who have it and don’t know yet. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Where would I even get one?” You asked. Quite literally, you don’t think you’ve ever seen a mask in stores.

“They have them at the drugstore. Should be down the aisle with all the medical stuff.” Your father explained. You nodded and grabbed a pen and wrote it down. Knowing you, you would end up forgetting tomorrow morning.

“Okay, thanks, dad. I should be home tomorrow. I have a flight after eleven. I’ll buy one on the way.” You reassured them.

“Just remember to wear it everywhere. Oh! And sanitize everything. Your hands, your seat on the plane, your try on the plane. You may look like a germaphobe, but trust me… you don’t want it.” Your dad spoke as if he has gotten it before.

“I know, dad. I’ll be safe I promise.” 

“Okay good.” You could just imagine that your dad was nodding his head. His glasses were most likely hanging too far down his nose, and his arms would be crossed. 

“Now stop pressuring her, Jesus.” Your mother laughed gently. “Sweetie, I know this is hard, but it’ll all be okay. Americans may be stupid, but they aren’t this stupid.”

“Mama… they are this stupid. This is going to get worse… I just feel it.” You spoke out your concern.

“See, not only does Oliver agree with me, so does Y/n.”

“Okay, Ben, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Your mother spoke to your father. You smiled gently and thrilled a piece of h/c hair around your finger. You hoped that one day you would have a love like your parents shared. 

“I should let you guys go. I have to get packed up.” You spoke up as you heard a knock at the door. “And like clockwork, my food just got here.”

“Okay honey, we love you!” Your mother called out.

“I love you two, as well! Bye!” You smiled and waited for a response back. After you got them, you hung up and tossed your phone onto the couch. You stood up and went to open the door with a smile on your face. 

“Austin?” You looked at the tall boy in front of you. It’s no surprise that he was in the same hotel as you, but what shocked you was… why he was at your door.

“Hey uh… I was down in the lobby, and I uh saw your name on the bag,” he lifted up a bag. You assumed your food was in that bag, but it was nice of him to bring it up.

“So, you brought it up to me?” You smiled as you leaned against the door, ever so slightly.

“Y-yes I did, thought I would save you the trip.” He chuckled nervously. You nodded and reached out to grab your food.

“Thank you, Austin. That was very sweet of you.” You said as you held your food close to your body. He nodded in return and smiled. The two of you stood there in silence. At first, it was comfortable, but then it got awkward.

“Uh… I- I should go…” You commented as you pointed your thumb behind you.

“Right right,” he shook his head, “I got to go also. I got to pack. Got a plane to catch tomorrow.” He explained. 

“Same… well, you have a good night and a safe trip.”

“You too, Y/n, and who knows. Maybe we’ll see each other together. It’ll be fate.” Fate… fate… You wouldn’t go as far as to say it was fate that you two would end up on the same flight. Coincidence.. but not fate… but that would be nice.

“Fate… yeah,” you smiled softly and backed into your room. Austin nodded and held a soft smile on his face as well. You closed the door and felt your face heat up. You didn’t want to like Austin. Let’s get one thing right… you didn’t want to like him more than a friend. You knew he was just being nice, but goddamn it… His niceness is so easy to fall for.

Before you knew it, you were back home and asleep in your own bed. Somehow you and Austin did end up on the same flight. Then, you two somehow ended up getting the same two sits next to each other. How? You had no fucking idea, and you were starting to think that maybe it was fate.

You weren’t that big as an actress, but you had your fair share of big roles. You were supposed to just play the role of Priscilla, but now you were playing guitar in the recordings. Then, they wanted you to also be in the background. It was like… this was planned? In some type of way? Maybe it was fate…

Well, you weren’t one to argue with fate… right? Especially when it came to Austin. The man was literally the definition of the perfect man. Inside and outside, how many people can you say is good inside and out? Not many, because most men were shitty. They held their noses too far up their ass and didn’t care about the female gender at all. It was rare if you found someone who wasn’t an asshole. Austin… was far from that.

“Good afternoon, California. We have some breaking news for you here. As you should know, Covid-19 is taking the world by storm." You turned over towards the tv. You cocked your head to the side and walked closer towards it. Austin looked back at you and waved you over to join him on the couch, which you did.

"The world is literally shutting down as we speak. Airports are shutting down. Nonnatives are forced out of their countries and forced back to their home countries. Our lovely governor here as well as declared a lockdown. What does that mean? Well, I'll tell you. No one is allowed out and about. Places will be closing up. You can no longer go to the restaurant and eat as you please. They don't want hundreds of people walking around on the street. In fact, you will be getting a fine if you're found outside that's not in your background. The only time you will be able to leave is when you go to get groceries. Even so, there will be a limit on how many people can enter."

"A lockdown...?" You spoke gently. Was the world really shutting down? Before you could reply, a phone started to ring. You blinked your eyes and watched as Austin handed you your phone. You smiled at him as a thank you and checked the caller ID seeing it was your mother.

"Hi mama," you said as you answered the phone call.

"Y/n! Turn on the news! You won't believe this- it is just-" Your mother just spoke and spoke, and honestly if you didn't stop her she would run her tongue out.

"I have it on mama." You replied as you glued your eyes back to the television screen. 

"You have to come home, stay with your father and me." She argued in a kind way. You knew she meant well by it, but they lived on the other side of the states.

'Mama, I can't just leave. You heard the news. Airports are basically closing. They are only allowing arriving flights." You explained to her... like she wasn’t watching the news. It’s like, she saw the word lockdown and called you. Wouldn’t surprise you, she takes every little bad thing and turns it towards you, like you how somehow going to die.

"Then drive," your mother pointed out. You let out a breath and shook your head.

"Mama, I can't just-"

"Is that, Y/n? Let me talk to her," you heard your father in the back. You let out a sigh and rubbed your face. Here comes your father now into the picture.

"Y/n? Do you hear me?" He asked. Of course, you heard him. You heard them both.

"Yes, I hear you." You responded. 

"Great perfect. Get in your car, and drive here. If you need gas, make sure you wipe the handle off-"

"I'm not coming home. They are threatening to fine people. Plus, there is no way I am spending the next few days of my life driving home. I will lose my mind. Plus, I doubt it’ll last that long.” You said to them.

"Right right..."

"I'll be okay... I promise. You know I won't leave my place unless I absolutely have to. We can facetime more often, it'll be okay. You know I'll come by around the anniversary. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” You softened your voice at the mention of your sister's anniversary. 

“We just want you to be safe is all.” Your mother spoke up. 

“I’ll be safe, don’t worry. Plus I’m not exactly alone.” You decided to mention. Just by the sound of it.... it kind of sounded like you had found yourself, someone. While, you wish that was the case... and maybe down the line that would happen, but for right now... You were still single.

“Huh?” You heard both your parents say. They were one hundred percent looking at each other confused now. 

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk later.” You shrugged it off like it was nothing.

“Okay okay… just call us okay?” Your mother sounded concerned. You knew it was just her worrying, but it still worried you. 

“Always.” You smiled softly and hung up before tossing your phone to the side and sighing.

“Parents?” Austin asked, an amused look on his face. You let out a light chuckle and nodded.

“Always. Gotta make sure I’m safe.” You pointed out and stretched your arms out. Austin picked up the remote and changed the channel to something different. 

“That’s how they are. Surprised my family didn’t call me. Especially my sister. She’s always texting me to make sure I’m fine and all that.” Austin explained. You smiled and nodded. Your sister was the same way. She would always check on you, even though she was the one suffering from a sickness.

You laid your head down on the pillow and let your eyes close. Over the past few weeks, you’ve been at Austin’s. There was hardly a day when you weren’t at his place. It didn’t bother you much. You were usually home alone, so it was nice to have someone around… Especially Austin. 

Were you starting to grow feelings for him? Absolutely. There was no reason to not grow feelings for him. Were you over your head? Most likely. Just like always, you believed that there was no possible way that someone like Austin could like you. Plus, if he tried to do anything romantic-wise… would it be just in getting in character? God, your brain really didn’t want you to be happy. 

“Can I ask you something?” Austin’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. You turned and looked at him.

“Always,” You responded. 

“Did you… Did you want to stay here? During lockdown? I got a spare room that you can stay in.” Austin asked. He was asking you to stay? Essentially move in with him? That is- I mean… it’s like a dream come true. Especially since his house was such an upgrade from your own lousy apartment. 

“Really? You want me to stay? Live here?”

“Uh… yes… is that… is that okay?” He asked back. You could tell he was nervous. He was scratching the back of his neck to try and hide his shaky hands from the nerves. You chuckled lightly and nodded.

“I’d love to stay here, but I kind of need some of my stuff… so we would have to stop by my house.” You explained to him. He nodded.

“Yeah yeah, of course, we can go now if you want?” He suggested. You shook your head at that. It wasn't like you didn't want to go. Just the amount of chaos that is most likely happening outside right now... Didn't exactly scream like fun.

“Are you sure now? I mean some people might be going crazy right now. Maybe we should wait till later.” You then suggested. Austin took your suggestion into thought and eventually nodded in agreement.

“That works.”

You took in a deep breath and smiled. You closed your eyes and got yourself comfortable on the couch. Maybe this was the moment where you two would grow closer. You would continue to help him learn his role of Elvis, and he would help in return. Which in turn... meant you got to spend more time with him. It really was a win-win situation. 

“Hey, Austin!?” You called out for him as you started to stand up. You placed your guitar down on its stand and looked around the room.

“Yeah?” Austin asked as he appeared at the door. You turned to look at him, a confused look on your face.

“Do we have any uh… any…” You couldn't think of the word off the top of your head, and you were sure you were going to feel stupid after Austin tells you. “Notebooks?” He finished your question. You nodded quickly.

“Yes yes! A notebook. Sorry, I don’t know why I couldn’t think of it.” You chuckled lightly. He smiled softly at your reaction and walked over to you.

“You got a brain fart, nothing wrong with that.” He said as he wrapped his arms around you. You let out a hum and smiled. Ever since lockdown happened, and you moved in with Austin… you two got close… really close. It only took a few more weeks until the two of you started to date. 

It has been a few months now. It has actually been almost a year since the lockdown happened. You two spent all your time together. You also helped each other to further understand your roles as the Presleys. You watched all of Elvis’ movies and now own them… You read Priscilla’s book, and Austin has read all the books about Elvis, as did yourself. It got to a point where you started to write music.

You never viewed yourself as a musician, or as a singer, but the more you hung around Austin, the more you wanted to do it. You started singing with him, you started to play with him. Austin even taught you how to play piano! And you honestly loved you. The two of you would sit side by side. Sometimes you would sit on his lap and he would guide your fingers. 

Then it came to your parents meeting him, and they almost lost their minds. Mostly because every boyfriend you have brought home for them to meet has always been a dick, but they just knew Austin was different. You were happy that they approved of him because you saw yourself wanting to spend the rest of your life with him. While they haven't met him in person just yet... They loved him over facetime. 

"I just had an idea is all," you said as you looked up at his face. He smiled and looked back at you.

"For a song?" He then asked. You nodded and smiled. 

"Yeah, I was just sitting down playing the guitar. I was just thinking and humming and this tune came into my head, and then the lyrics started to come in. It was just hitting me an- Oh gosh! I need to write it down before I forget!" You pulled away from Austin and started to look around. Austin raised his eyebrow and looked at you. 

"Baby, where are they?" You turned and looked at him, after a moment of searching. Austin let out a chuckle and went towards the bookcase and pulled one out with ease. He walked over to you and handed it to you as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. You blushed at the sudden touch of affection and practically melted against him. It wouldn't matter what this guy would do, you would melt against his touch.

"Thank you," you said softly and took the notebook out of your hand.

"You're welcome, darlin'," Austin said using his Elvis's voice. You sucked in a breath and closed your eyes. 

"You're going to be the death of me, Austin..." you said softly.

"Good," he chuckled and lifted my chin with his thumb. "We can die together then because you're gonna be the death of me." He leaned down and connected our lips together.

Goddamnit... I love this man.

Want to join my taglist? // Let me know If I spelt any wrong! I have updated my form for my taglist. You will be tagged under everything now in that selected fandom/person. Just makes my life easier.

Taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s, @mommy-maia, @slutforblueeyes, @alligator-person, @diorxmimi, @anangelwhodidntfall, @pumkiinpasties, @djconde58, @starryhazee, @21bruhs, @girlblogger2002, @dollfaceyourfear, @smbonilla2002, @homebodybirkin2003, @pandora-journey, @hsstylesrings, @jeonggukschris, @4everrmore, @bewitched-tales, @thelaziest10, @butlersluvbot, @curatedbyemily, @lovingly-unlovingme, @starlight-jpg, @omegellenlouise, @gyomei-tiddies, @Chlobug07, @wandawiccan60, @re3kin, @passengerjett, @neepo, @emilykolchivans, @gothantoinette, @ilovemuppets, @hangmanswhore, @theinvibislecapricorn, @hariestyles1, @annamarie16, @holliemahady, @misacc08, @Brighteyesscum, @marchingicenotes7, @callthedarknessdown, @domaniquessidehoe, @gay-af-satan, @skinnypantsmcgee, @sassyblazecloud, @lovelyney, @Sharkslayersblog, @billysway, @nuo0n, @coldonexx, @adoreyouusugar, @aliciaelle47, @raefoxiegirl, @cobra-kaii, @rylee-durhxm, @bob-the-tomato, @crabat-the-queen, @naveyelise, @austinbutlersgirlfriend, @iluvnerds69, @hopefulinlove, @Tylerdurdenisme, @laperceval, @xcallmetaniax, @londonalozzy, @mslizziesblog, @rosemochaaesthetic-blog, @bxbylexi23, @gloomynigvts, @persephones-blood-iris, @milaa24, @randompointlessbeauty, @BubblyYork, @jazmin2211, @kittenlittle24, @moonbird1507, @bobthefishiesworld, @cevans-winchester, @noorreads, @idc123sworld, @hauntedarchivesx, @Luna4mnoon, @imagineslut01, @Kayleealicej, @amiets2, @loveisalover, @poppet05, @xcallmetaniax, @fullmetal-falcon, @rainydayz101, @loveisalover

[mk-writes-stuff]

WIP Questionnaire

Rules: answer as many (or as few) questions as you’d like!

Thanks @kaylinalexanderbooks and @illarian-rambling for the tags! This one seems like a lot of fun :)

What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

For the Seven Stations, I created Belladonna, Cassie (although her name was actually Cass for a bit) and the general concept of “stations floating in the void” all at once chilling at a bus stop going “I want to write space fantasy.” Belladonna and Cassie were created as “stuck-up noblewoman (actually being abused) and her rude (but actually not a bad sort) bodyguard who hate each other and are in lesbians about it.” The stations came about because I went “wow I don’t want to write about planets I just want to be on a ship” so I structured the world so I could just do that.

The Pirates’ Roost is a fanfiction so I started with that. I think the first independent thing I came up with was Amelia’s wife and Malcolm’s husbands. Then Malcolm’s tragic backstory (which slowly got worse, sorry Malcolm). Then Julian and Finley as the first major OCs.

If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?

The Seven Stations would probably call for a custom space-opera-esque orchestral piece. Somewhere between “ball music” and “Star Trek theme song.”

The Pirates’ Roost - well the theme song I currently have for it is Sea Shanty Medley by Home Free, but the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song would also suit well.

Who are your favourite characters you’ve made? Why?

Seven Stations it has to be Stellaris. He’s the world’s sweetest most awkward autistic nobleman who’s trying really really hard and still keeps screwing it up (relatable). I love writing him - he’s so blunt - and he’s always so earnest. For later books, Septimus and Shen are two of my other favourites, but I haven’t talked about them that much.

For the Pirates’ Roost, it’s Tatum. I love them. Tatum is probably the most dysfunctional individual on Ixalan who’s been through so much shit and keeps going through so much shit and everyone hates them. They’re trying really hard but every circumstance is stacked against them and also they’re dying, so it’s not going too great.

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fanbase for your story?

Hmmm this is a hard one. I feel like “fantasy space lesbians” might grab some of the Locked Tomb fans for Seven Stations but I know they’re pretty different outside of that. I’m not entirely sure yet?

The Pirates’ Roost is fanfiction so I’d hope some of the Magic: the Gathering fanbase would be interested :). Also the Our Flag Means Death fandom might get some interest because gay pirates

What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Honestly, with the Seven Stations, mostly actually writing the thing. That and trying to keep the story aligned to an actual plot and not just meandering to do all the cool things and forgetting why I’m here. I think I’ve done a pretty good job :)

With the Pirates’ Roost, pinning down some of the characterization has been surprisingly hard. Malcolm was difficult to get consistent. Also figuring out how to post it in something readable - I still don’t know if I’ve achieved that.

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

The Seven Stations have bees. That’s literally the only animal on the stations. They’re exclusively used for farming. They’re absolutely vital to the stations’ ecosystem but they are not plot relevant lol.

The Pirates’ Roost has a lot of animals - there’s a side arc about a kid who, among other things, really wants a pet dinosaur - but I have to focus on Francisco. Francisco is a very intelligent Ixalani Black parrot who was rescued from the hold of a smuggling ship by Malcolm. He’s basically Malcolm’s therapy animal - Malcolm lavishes affection and attention on Francisco as a way of coping with his own neglect and abuse over the years. He also inadvertently trains Francisco to spy for him by teaching him the question, “Who said that?” There is an incident where a deckhand cuts Francisco’s primaries and Malcolm sneaks into their room and shaves them bald, including their eyebrows.

How do your characters get around?

On the Seven Stations, within stations, they get around through walking and elevators. They travel between stations and ship cargo via shuttles. There is also a generation ship they encounter briefly but it quickly gets stranded.

In the Pirates’ Roost, other than walking (or flying if you’re Malcolm), it’s pretty much all ships. Sailing ships are the only practical long-distance travel. The Sun Empire rides dinosaurs sometimes though!

What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

Draft 1/1.5 of book 1 of the Seven Station Chronicles! I always do one quick editing pass immediately after I finish a scene so drafts 1 and 1.5 kind of happen at the same time.

The Pirates’ Roost is on the backburner but I’m currently posting what I have! Hoping to post Tatum’s first focus short very soon for anyone who’s interested :)

What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

For the Seven Stations, I’m hoping the novelty of it being all on space stations will get some attention. Also I have a lot of representation in the series, so I’m hoping that’ll catch a few eyes. Besides that, we have enemies/annoyances to lovers, lots of space politics, and cool regency space aesthetics.

For the Pirates’ Roost, well - pirates! Also dinosaurs. Again, lots of representation. Found family, chaos adventures, the world’s most cinnamon roll protagonist, his grumpy but loving boyfriend, and his deeply deeply traumatized friend (whoops they’re all deeply traumatized actually).

What are your hopes for your WIP?

I want people to read and enjoy it! For both of them - I would absolutely love to get even a handful of excited fans, that would be the dream for me. Even for Seven Station, I think I’ll be going down the online self-publishing route but I’d hope to get a few really excited readers! I just want to share my creations with the world and have people like them :)

This was a fun game! @elsie-writes @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @finickyfelix y’all want to try this one out? Questions are below:

What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?

Who are your favourite characters you’ve made? Why?

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fanbase for your story?

What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

How do your characters get around?

What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

[ericleo108]

FarmingHumans.com 2023 American Inequality

05/19/2023 Click here for Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube. “American Inequality” is my 44th official release. This song is edutainment, or educational entertainment which is music that teaches you. The song is intellectual rap about American economic inequality. The song was self-recorded, and mixed and mastered by Keyano. The beat is from Tantu, and the cover art is made by ArtworkGang from Fiverr.

Links:

FarmingHumans.com YouTube Shorts Playlist

2022 American Inequality YouTube video blog post monologue

2022 American Inequality Blog Post 

“American Inequality” rap song

“Had Enough” rap song

“The Villian” rap song

Intro

I made a post about American inequality last year and the blog post for it on EricLeo108.com was the demo of this song and then a treatise about the problem. I planned on updating it every year I’m in graduate school or write a book with the original post’s themes. You can find the latest edition of my take on American Inequality at FarmingHumans.com or click here for the 2022 edition.

This (release) is the 2023 edition. Since I’m not in graduate school yet I haven’t added much to the plot/details but the concept is still there. This will be an abridged version with new revelations. I will discuss the main points of the American Inequality 2022 post and give an explanation that will clarify the lyrics. The video shown immediately below is the FarmingHumsns.com 2023 American Inequality 2023 monologue

YouTube Shorts

You can get the information presented here through shortform video from various creators by watching my “FarmingHumans.com” YouTube shorts playlist which will better detail and explain the information presented here. Most of the points I make here and reference can be found and enunciated in the YouTube playlist. 

Qualifications 

Why should you listen to me? I graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology from Eastern Michigan University. I took a class and received an A in college on a course about writing history. I keep up with current events and I have a reputation to build and uphold. Even if I don’t make it to graduate school this year, I’ll keep trying and I need to stay correct, intuitive, and current to make an impression in academia. I really can’t wait to apply sociological theory to the issues I discuss here. I have been accepted to a masters program in sociology at Western, but it’s still unknown whether I’ll be able to afford to attend seeing as I don’t have housing and I need to be awarded my fasfa which hasn’t come in yet. I also self-published my book “108 The Story of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness” which is non-fiction and autobiographical.

Who Rules America?

First of all, have you ever wondered “Who rules America?” Well, that very question is answered by William G. Domhoff a leading social structure sociological researcher at the University of California Santa Cruz. His experience and conclusions are more valuable than mine and worth looking into. But to summarize, corporations rule. To be more specific, corporate CEOs wield immense power. I say it best in my song “Had Enough,” it’s a “CEO fraternity, the CFR (council on foreign relations) logistically.” Although America is a democratic republic it functions as an oligarchy where a group of wealthy individuals rule.

Basically how our government functions is a coporporation wants something done so they fund a politician and write bills. Those politicians are then sympathetic to corporate wishes because that’s where there donations and livelihood comes from. The corporation then writes a bill that is presented by their politician, they fund a public relations campaign to get support, and if it doesn’t work the first ten times, they’ll keep trying until they succeed.

Sure special interest groups and communities do get laws passed, but this is the exception and not the rule. If you look at 2022’s post you’ll find a graph showing the average individual, economic elites, and interests groups effectiveness on government policy. The average individual have a flat effect where the wealthy and special interest groups have kind of a linear effect where the more support you have the more likely it is to get passed. Like George Carlin said, it’s a group of powerful individuals working in their self interest which creates a conspiracy of interests. Adam Conover discusses this in his content talking about corporate consolidation and the power it gives to inidividual CEOs. 

It seems that the effects of corporate consolidation are being recognized, thwarted, and attacked. This can be seen with the protests in France right now which are happening because their government wanted to raise the retirement age. The French people have taken to ransaking Blackrock’s headquarters in France because the people are saying they are responsible for the policy change. Blackrock and Vanguard are the largest corporations in the world. 

Buckley v. Valeo

Ever since the court decision Buckley v. Valeo wages haven’t kept up with productivity and the minimum wage has remained stagnant while costs have skyrocketed. To recap, America is so entrenched in corporate rule healthcare is privatized and we spend ⅕ of all spending on defense because it makes corporations a whole lot of money. Corporations and the wealthy can buy elections because money is speech. There’s a direct relationship between how much marketing a candidate does and their likelihood for winning. Those that can pay to familirarize themselves with the public win, and corporations have the money to make that connection between the politician and the voter happen. Read Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” for more. 

Socialism 

Capitalist have to blame socialism for economic problems because recognizing how capitalism really functions would show it’s flawed, based on luck and inherited wealth, and not based on merit. Socialism is simple, it’s “workers right over production,” which capitalist snear at because it mimimizes their control and importance. Capitlaist claim it’s the poor who don’t work hard but it’s the exact opposite that is true. The wealthy don’t have to work period, let alone hard. All you have to do is make wise decisions with your money; and by that I’m mean decisions that will make you more money. Like I say in my song “The Villian” they “claim it’s hard work when it’s leverage and a mindset.”

This can be seen with Marx’s “surplus value.” For a business to work you need labor and capital. The capitalist purchases the labor and capital goods (i.e. employees to run the machines). The money the business makes minus labor and the cost of goods goes to the owner, that’s called surplus value, and the owner does not have to work for it, all he needs is money to buy the labor and capital goods.

If you watch a season of shark tank you’ll see how the capitalist really think and act. They say all the time “I make my money work for me,” because the truth is you don’t get wealthy from working. You can get rich from you’re labor, but Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos didn’t get where they are through “earned income.” They made their money through captial gains which the American government literally calls unearned income. You work to make a living, and America doesn’t have a labor shortage, it has a living wage shortage.

Real Capitalism 

Capitalist have to say that it’s socialism because otherwise it’s the reality that it’s the current capitalist system that doesn’t allow the individual to live (let alone thrive) and creates rampant inequality. The truth is from Adam West to Mark Cuban (as you will find in the Youtube shorts playlist) the reality is capitalism requires government intervention from wealth becoming too consolidated. 

It’s literally the job of the government to break up monopolies, and raise the minimum wage. But things like that don’t happen, and capitalism goes unchecked and out of control because corporations can basically control the government through lobbying and because money is speech. This is why we desperately need to get money out of politics. There’s hope, for example, AOC has recently introduced a bill to prevent congress from trading stocks.

The truth is what the right and Fox News calls socialism is really the opposite of what it means. First of all, they think socialism is giving poor people money, which it isn’t, it’s workers rights over production. As MLK said "This country has socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor.” And by the right’s explanation of socialism, giving money to the entitled, corporations and the wealthy are socialists. You the taxpayer, give way more to corporations in taxes than any wealthfare program. If this country want’s to be in a rage about people getting money that they don’t deserve and feel entitled, you should be mad about corporate welfare (which is considered socialism by the right’s wrong definition).

Corporate Rule: Examples and Results

Some examples of the result of corporate rule are human rights around abortion (otherwise known as women’s healthcare) and gun laws. It’s clear we have such a problem with mass shootings because America is a militaristic nation and the gun manufatures (again) want to make more money so they have lobbied the government through the NRA to make guns so available they are the leading cause of death in children. 

Another example is the East Palestine Ohio train derailment. The truth is this is endemic to the way the industry works. The union tried to warn Norfok Southern and other train companies that rails were unsafe and suggested new rail and braking system. Norfolk never upgrade their breaks or rails resulting in the derailment due to negligence because they were trying to cut costs. Again, this is what every corporation does, it’s to make the surplus value for the shareholders. And again with the conspiracy, working in their own self interests to make more money a train corporation has caused a enviromental disaster, just like working in their self interests corporations have created economic despotism in America.

White Nationalism

Leaning into the conspiracy aspect and how self-interested groups merge to serve their self interests, there is a very real christian white nationalist agenda in the Republican party because corporate rule has becomed so powerful and unhinged. If you’re looking for me to point fingers at who are the conspirators, look no future than the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the Council for National Policy (CNP). These organization have ideals that many corporations support because it gives them more power. The ADF and CNP are responsible for propagating hate through society and the government with banning books, attack on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, and the current genicide against the transgendered. Look to the Youtube Shorts Playlist for more information.

Personal

In this “American Inequality” song I say “The government exploits my labor power for healthcare” because I’m only allowed around $800 in earned income per month before I go into a trial work period which could cause me to loose my healthcare. That’s not labor exploitation but rather labor-power exploitation. The government is literally limiting me being able to leverage my labor power to create economic prosperity for healthcare. 

To explain further, the government sees income in two categories: “earned income” from employment or contract or “unearned income” from capital gains, profits, or royalties. I can make unlimited unearned income but only $800 per month from earned. Although I live on disability I got a job for a year for the seed money to start my music business.

I’m glad the system is the way it is with unlimited unearned income, but it should be better, it should be unlnimited earned income as well. It’s almost designed so you have to have money to make it out of poverty. You won’t get on the disability system in the first place unless your economically depraved. And you can only use your labor to make so much money. This is why I call disability a poverty trap. And again, it wouldn’t be this way if not for corporate rule. The pharmaceutical lobby is the biggest lobby in the US.  If we had universal healthcare I wouldn’t have a cap on my labor power to keep healthcare. 

The Real Question

Corporations are farming you for labor (employment) and money (consumerism). The real question is “How do we want to be farmed?” Because the truth is corporations are answering that question and ruling the farm and they are not considering the wellbeing of the animals, they are only doing what will extract profit. The reality is the American dream no longer exists. The dream of a house with a white picket fence, car, two kids, and a college degree off one income is a fallacy. That used to make us great. But because of rulings like Buckley v. Valeo we no longer have that standard of living. It’s George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” where the pigs are changing the rules and can control the farm, but are you just going to give power to them (which [eg oil] corporations would be the pigs in this senario), or do you wanna be self governed?

If you want to take back control there are some ways you can help make a more Democratic government and economy. You should support a graduated tax code. It used to be the poorest Americans paid 10% or less while the wealthiest paid 90% before Regan, now with the Bush and Trump tax cuts the average American pays a higher tax rate than billionaires. If you want things to get better you should be supporting only candidates that support universal healthcare. You can join, start, support, or help build a union. And Support bills that get money out of politics and continually make the internet more free and open.

In conclusion

Labor and subsequently the people have lost power because money is speech. Not only does the American dream not exist, the average American can’t afford to live because Capitalism isn’t being regulated like it should. There's a merger between the political and economic elites while the republicans are slowly fighting and winning for their Christio-fascist agenda.

Lyrics:

American Inequality Taught by Eric Leo 108

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

That’s a Martin Luther King quote  You really need to read more Use your mind, dissent, scold  Learn to debunk the lies told It was once the American dream To be able to afford the house and a property deed Healthcare and a scientific degree While today is hard to afford an apartment for three On minimum wage, you can’t make ends meet That used to make us great, but now the population’s asleep It’s policy that stratified the nation's books Gave tax breaks to the wealthiest when 90% is what they took Now we have a nation of debtors that can’t make it, but work  You can thank the decisions of Trump, Reagan, and Bush As the pigs slowly change the rules the horse screams work harder Just another fascist tactic of the people in charge here Only those who think can understand what they are You should be alarmed because It’s “Animal Farm” and

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

The Supreme Court let corporations overreach Into the coffers of democracy When Citizens United gave unlimited head  To how they equated money to speech I get paid $12 an hour and have a college degree It’s really interesting Americas like you ignorantly Not question the society that seemingly free And Is silent to the oppression economically  The government exploits my labor power for healthcare The systems of poverty trap for the disabled on welfare I worked for a year to make ten grand So I could start my music business and make two albums You can make enough money to not be considered disabled  And still not have enough money to afford your medication I expect at the very least you support this with a click And make sure everyone knows Eric Leo taught you this

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

America’s an oligarchy One labor exploitation party While they rest and pop Bacardi  We work full-time and still are starving The American dream Is just a marketing scheme For the oligarchy So we don’t question their greed And that money is speech You can buy elections for a fee Just lobby the seat And advertise to the sheep  We have socialism for the rich Capitalism for the poor If you don’t acknowledge this Then you’re ignorant for sure

[kanmom51]

I’ve been wondering if Jungkook is working on his solo album at all. We don’t hear much about that, other than his Dreamers schedule. Is there any news on when he might be releasing something or at least some timeframe for any teasers? Jimin has been steadily working really hard and we get small glimpses through the reveals of his collabs, but crickets about JK. I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing with all his time. Maybe someone’s heard something I haven’t come across.

We haven't heard about Suga either. Or Tae. But they are all working on their music, their albums or collabs.

Idk if you remember the Festa dinner months back, but there we were told Hobi will be first to release, and although they didn't share the actual order of releases JK did blurt out something about Suga being next and him to follow Suga.

That was all thrown out of the window with RM pushed forward and Jin's Astronaut. I also think the Busan concert threw them off a little too.

We don't know what brought about the change in order though.

Is it the order of their upcoming military service or perhaps issues with the actual material for the solo albums, not being ready yet.

BTS have been working damn hard over the past few months. Don't let the lack of content and unknown schedules deceive you.

I'd go so far as to say that the past few months leading up to Jin's enlistment have been one of the busiest and hardest times they had gone through. Working on creating content to fill close to 2 years of absence, working on their solo music, preparing for the Busan concert, working with other artists on collabs etc.

Add to that the uncertainty, the stress, the anger, not easy times.

I think the reason we aren't hearing about JK's activities is because he's not the next nor the next next, lol, to be releasing his solo.

Logically Suga should be next, as he would have to enlist by the end of March, which is probably why we got Suga and his talk over drinks 'show'.

As Hobi is already done, JM will follow. And we've seen him hard at work. He also told us he's hard at work. And this is by his choice (all the photos posted by the people he's worked with wouldn't have seen the light of day if he hadn't agreed to them being posted).

It's funny how people are saying JK is doing nothing. Less talk about Tae probably because he's being more visible (even if not by working on music).

Kind of plays to the same rhythm as something wrong with Jikook because we don't see them together. They aren't sharing their work process with us, doesn't mean they aren't working. We knew about Left and right for the first time around JK's trip to NY before their visit to the White house. He recorded it way before that. I also want to remind you of RM talking about Indigo, telling us how long he's been working on that album. JK or Tae not being up next does not mean they aren't working on their music, for their own solo albums or for collabs with others. Doesn't mean they aren't writing, producing, recording.

Either of them not sharing their work with us doesn't mean they aren't actually working.

Add to that how JK has gone all stealth on us in the months following the wipeout of his IG account. At first he was sharing with us. Moments, clips, stories with actual fan interaction, showing his utter love for army. But something happened. Was this a belated reaction to the whole JM stolen mail and breach of privacy issue? Was his reception at NY the final straw? Who knows. What we do know is that it's all gone, and replaced by a super professional very cold concept with zero to little moments shared, that is, that aren't promotional in one way or another. Very pretty. Very detached and distant. JK said "I've had enough" and disconnected.

Anyways, bottom line, work, in some shape or form, is being done even if we aren't privy to it.