#during my hiatus he called me and lamented about how he missed me and my art

[josiebelladonna]

my dad is such a putz 

[prettywordsyouleft]

For CC,

Late night conversations with a tired kihyun…because you thought it, and now I want it, and you need it (you know you do).

Thank you and I love you ❤️

This was based on a conversation when Kihyun did a voice vlive and we talked about how amazing it'd be to have sleepy phone calls with him. Thanks for waiting for me to come back from hiatus to write this for you... and for killing me with the Kihyun feels I am now suffering from after writing this.

Pairing: Yoo Kihyun x female reader

Word count: 453

______________________

Gasping as your phone rang and you saw who was calling, you answered, feeling breathless. "What are you doing ringing me right now?!"

"Well, hello to you too, beautiful," came the reply, coupled with a husky chuckle.

Despite noting the sheer exhaustion in Kihyun's voice, you grinned, sinking your teeth into your bottom lip momentarily. You loved hearing from your boyfriend no matter what time of the day or night.

You were concerned he was awake now. Most people were getting ready for the workday - much as you were - but Kihyun had been working all night long after releasing a new single with Monsta X.

"You should be asleep already. Did you wake up early?"

He sighed, and you imagined that he was rubbing his face tiredly with a hand. "No. I haven't slept yet. We only just finished the last interview."

"Now?"

"Time zones are a bitch, baby."

"So is your work schedule," you lamented. "Off to bed, Kihyun. You'll no doubt have more scheduled in a few hours to get done."

"Eager to get rid of me when I'm eager for you. I missed you today."

"It's a new day, Kihyun," you teased, going back over to your kitchen where you had been preparing your breakfast. "But I've missed you too."

"Favourite word?" Kihyun asked, and you laughed, not answering. "What? Tell me."

"What's yours?"

"Nuh-uh, I asked you first, Miss Editor."

You would tell Kihyun about words you came across as you edited pieces for the publication house you worked at. You had a fascination with words, and you often wondered if that was one of the reasons that had drawn you to Kihyun in the beginning.

He sang words for a living, after all.

"Inexhaustible," you teased.

Kihyun grunted. "That's not me. I'm beyond exhausted."

"I had to look for synonyms for the word bountiful yesterday. The author had put it in the chapter eight times. Eight!"

"During one of the interviews Changkyun and I did last night, they said the word like in between every three words. It was, like, really annoying."

Laughing together, you then balanced your phone between your ear and shoulder as you finished making your meal. "What about you. Your favourite word?"

"Y/N."

"My name is not applicable," you remarked, though your heart somersaulted in your chest. "That's a name, not a word."

"It's still my favourite word because it is you."

"Charmer."

Kihyun chuckled once more, followed by a yawn. "Prince Charming is falling asleep."

"Maybe you should become Sleeping Beauty instead."

"Will you wake me up with a kiss?" he wondered, and you grinned.

"No. I'm sure Minhyuk will if he has to, though."

"Rude. I want your lips only."

______________________

My ask box is open for this week’s Chelle Chats!

[rxcusant]

HOW I RUN MY BLOG

SPEED

i do my best! generally i just try to keep the pace going but im also a turtle with very bad attention span. like everyone sometimes i have more muse for certain threads and i try to tackle those first. otherwise i?? just try to keep the ball rolling.

REPLIES/DRAFTS

imma be real here chief. I don’t use my drafts. If i put my replies in drafts i will NEVER get them done. so i either Like them or i rely on my memory fkjhgkd  i usually reply in later evening/night hours tho! I’m ATROCIOUS at replying during the day time and its just a lot easier on me in silence with no one around. I try to reply the day after my partner does but sometimes stuff happens and i get to it the next night lmao

STARTERS

I don’t mind doing them and I usually volunteer to! But Im also happy whenever someone else does cAUSE ITS ONE LESS THING FOR ME TO DO L M A o..,,, If theres one thing I noticed Im bad at tho its responding to one-liner starter calls cause i just... spit 2 paragraphs back kjfdghj and they usually end up going no where and it makes me kinda sad. But Im gonna keep liking them cause i wanna interact with people!!!! and those calls always pop up on my dash!!!!!

INBOX

listen here young man my blog is almost 5 years old. This inbox is CLUTTERED....... i try to answer everything as best i can tho!! But, as i will keep saying, I HAVE BAD ATTENTION SPAN and if i forget its not on you!! admittedly sometimes i dont know how to respond so i’ll leave it to stew over but... i end up forgetting anyway. By then i just delete it if its been awhile.

SELECTIVITY

I’m only semi selective tbh I don’t have High Standards or anything djfhkgjf I like an active dash and I like meeting people!! Im coming off a year long hiatus and I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with following people in this community.  If you really wanna know tho I don’t like following if your blog is nothing but ask memes or if youre about is just Off The Wall Crazy that i feel winded after reading it and im not sure i can see us interacting. I’m chill i swear As a side note, I do not follow personals back. 

WISHLIST

[takes out a very long scroll that unwinds and scrolls out the door and keeps going for miles] Well, now that you’ve asked -i want sorikai content..... i want sokai content....... i want soriku content....... i want trinity trio content........ i want the misery that comes with being snorts friend. i live for that. I live for riku and kairi lamenting over trying to save their best friend whos actively avoiding seeing them as much as it pains him cause he doesnt wanna get them hurt hhhhhhh I WANT THEM SNEAKING BEHIND THE SCENES SEEING EACH OTHER CAUSE THE FRIENDSHIP IS TOO STRONG AND THEY LOVE EACH OTHER TOOMUCH TO BE APART AND EVEN XEHANORT CANT DO THAT TO THEM  -I WANT..... ORGANIZATION RPS......... i want!! soranort to interact with all the other vessels!!! there is SO MUCH TO DO HERE!!! Get under his skin, remind him hes gonna beat the light out of precious friends, just!! fuck with him man. Sora will snap back and stick to his guns and make for one big sass fight. Cmon sora was LITERALLY THEIR ENEMY FOR ALL THE GAMES AND NOW HES FORCED TO SIDE WITH THEM theres a lot to do here!!!!!!!!!! And if sora does what he does best and worms into their heart and they become friends?? ALL THE BETTER!!! one of my FAVORITE old relationships on this blog was with saix! it was great!!!!!! im starving out here pls give me organization rps -v...vanitas........ listen i know i rp vanitas too but SOME OF MY FAVORITE RPS ARE WITH OTHER VANITAS BLOGS...... we can work it out man, we can plot it out, i just rEALLY LOVE OTHER VANITAS BLOGS A LOT OK its really fun seeing another vanitas tear down sora that isnt myself. Im just eternally nervous about approaching other vanitas’s in case theyre like NO I DONT WANNA  DO THIS so i sit in silence watching from afar  -DISNEY!!!!! DISNEY!!!!!!! RPS!!!!!!!! DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LIVE FOR SORA SEEING HIS OLD DISNEY FRIENDS AGAIN AND THEYRE LIKE “hey what happened” aND HE LAUGHS LIKE “HAHAHAH NOTHING I SWEAR IM FINE HOW ARE YOU THO” OR ALTERNATIVELY DISNEY THAT ISNT IN KH, LET SORA MEET THEM NOW WHEN HES ON ORG MISSIONS ‘go do recon sora and stay in the shadows pls’ ‘okay! [immediately goes and makes 10 friends] -crossover friends!!!! i also live for Sora meeting people who dont know ANYTHING about his bullshit or KH’s bullshit and they steadily overtime see how hes not doing so well until he has to explain OR keep dancing around it because its always better that theyre not involved in all this [this one is hit or miss cause i only follow series im familiar with BUT i can make exceptions jkfhg] -vanitas meeting people similar to him. Before i reset my blogs relationships vanitas aCTUALLY HAD A FRIEND but it was only because they were both tools living with someone elses face and they punched each other to say hello kdjfhgkdj but i like exploring what happens to vanitas when you give him the warmth he spent 4 years feeling from ventus & longing after in the badlands according to the bbs novels. Vanitas is a terrible abomination but goddamn do i love watching him short circuit when someones not treating him like shit. then he gets extremely confused and angry and [chefs kiss] fun. -this is already really long and while i always have more in mind ill stop here

HONEST NOTE you want some honesty????? you want some BRUTAL HONESTY??? I am in a constant state of anxiety people will be disappointed i dont follow the herd with Popular Soranort Headcanons. like they come here expecting one thing only to see thats not what rolls here. Granted I don’t look at or know the Popular Soranort Headcanons because they made my anxiety spike more, im just ??? Its a weird feeling. Im not here to please people because how I choose to write soranort is all up to me and I love him. Its just... a super funky feeling. Theres a reason i took my hiatus but thats all im gonna say.  Im also always worried about my vanitas portrayal since hes just a Lost Soul at the moment with no goal or path or outlet and therefore doesnt really follow his canon self’s personality or behavior.

tagged by: nobody i live in a kingdom of thieves tagging: you! and you! and especially YOU

[a-year-of-musicals]

Day 203/365 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

By William Fin and Rachel Sheinkin

The musical begins with Rona Lisa Peretti entering the gymnasium to set up. As she passes by the microphone, she has a flashback to the moment when she won the third annual spelling bee by correctly spelling syzygy. The spellers are introduced as they enter, and sing about their anticipation of the bee (The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). Rona then welcomes the audience to the bee, and calls the selected 4 audience spellers to the stage. She also speaks privately to Olive Ostrovsky, who has not yet paid the entrance fee of twenty-five dollars. When asked if she has a parent in the audience who can pay, Olive reveals that she has arrived by herself on the bus. Rona decides to let the fee slide for the moment. She then introduces the official word pronouncer, Douglas Panch, who is returning from a five-year hiatus. Panch alludes to an incident five years ago, but declares that he is in a better place now. Panch introduces the intimidating-looking comfort counselor, Mitch Mahoney, who is helping at the Bee as part of his court-mandated community service. Mahoney leads the spellers (now including the audience volunteers) in the Pledge of Allegiance. Panch then explains the rules of the spelling bee (The Spelling Rules / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 1).

The spelling bee begins, and as each non-audience speller is called forward, the audience learns about his or her background through flashbacks (with other characters in the flashbacks being played by the other spellers on stage, including simple nonspeaking roles played by the audience spellers, as guided by the actors). Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre is called up first. When Leaf Coneybear is called to spell the first time, it is revealed in a flashback that he came in third at his regional bee, but advanced to the county finals when the winner and runner-up had to attend the winner's Bat Mitzvah. His word is capybara, which he has no idea how to spell, but he ends up spelling it correctly while in a trance with an unknown cause. Olive is shown to be shy and reserved, a result of her largely absent parents — her mother is in India on a spiritual journey, and her father is missing the bee to work late, as usual. She has come to love spelling by reading the dictionary in her home (My Friend, the Dictionary). An audience volunteer is called up, and is given an easy word. If they get it correct, the 2nd volunteer then gets a hard word intended to eliminate them. If the first volunteer gets their word wrong, then the 2nd is given an easy word or not called at all. When William Barfée is called to spell for the first time, Rona describes his unusual technique — he spells the word out on the ground with his foot to get a visual before speaking it. He demonstrates his confidence by returning to his seat immediately after spelling his word, and responding "I know" when Panch affirms that the spelling is correct. The 3rd volunteer is given an easy word (often "Mexican"), which the spellers complain about. After several rounds, another particularly easy word is given to the final audience speller (often "cow"), and the spellers erupt and rant about how the element of luck makes the bee unfair (Pandemonium). Logainne then gets "Cystitis," and is shown studying with her two often-quarrelsome fathers in a flashback. When Leaf is called the second time, he is given acouchi, which he again does not know how to spell. He reminisces about how his family repeatedly calls him "dumb", a sentiment that has sunken in and that he has come to believe. Again, in a trance, he spells the word correctly (I'm Not That Smart).

Barfée is called, and this time sings about his technique (Magic Foot). When Marcy is called again, she correctly spells an extraordinarily difficult word (qaimaqam), proving herself to be the best speller. However, she is genuinely surprised and somewhat hurt when Rona claims that she is "all business". Chip Tolentino is called next, but he is not paying attention. Rather, he is fantasizing about Leaf's attractive sister, Marigold, in the audience. When snapped out of his daze, he is reluctant to take his turn because he has an erection that is showing. Under threat of disqualification, he takes his turn, but his thoughts (aided by the vaguely erotic word that he is given, tittup) distract him and he begins to misspell the word. He catches himself quickly, and backs up to try to save himself, but the rules of the bee state that "the sequences of letters already spoken may not be changed". He begs for another chance, but Mitch eventually hauls him off (Pandemonium Reprise / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 2).

At this point, the last audience speller is eliminated (he or she simply is called repeatedly in succession and given increasingly difficult words). Mitch sings a special serenade to this audience member for making it this far (Prayer of the Comfort Counselor).

The remaining spellers (all of the normal cast spellers except for Chip) and the adults go on break, and Chip passes through the audience selling snacks, the punishment for being the first eliminated. He explains to the audience why he lost (My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)). Barfée taunts Chip, who throws a bag of peanuts M&M's at him. Barfée is allergic to peanuts, so Olive picks them up for him. Chip and Barfée continue to fight before Rona escorts the former offstage. Olive and Barfée converse awkwardly before the second half of the bee begins, and Barfée begins to develop a crush on Olive.

With the break over, Rona introduces the finalists as they reenter. Last to be introduced is Logainne, who describes her two overbearing fathers and the stress that they put on her (Woe is Me). In a rapid montage sequence, the bee is shown progressing through many rounds, ending with Leaf’s elimination on the word chinchilla. He walks away head held high, having proven to himself, despite his elimination, that he is smart (I'm Not that Smart (Reprise)).

Marcy is called to spell, and Rona, who has been announcing factoids about the spellers all along, announces that Marcy speaks five languages. Marcy reveals more about her stressful life, where she is pushed to succeed in everything, which she does not enjoy (I Speak Six Languages). She is given the word camouflage, to which she sighs, "Dear Jesus, can't you come up with a harder word than that?" Jesus Christ then appears to her and teaches her that she is in control of her own life. Resolved to do what she wants rather than what is expected of her, she intentionally misspells the word and exits excitedly (Jesus / Pandemonium (Reprise #2)).

Olive's cellphone rings — it is her father, who she has been anxiously hoping would arrive. Panch attempts to disallow her from answering the phone, but she persuades Rona to take the call for her. Logainne then begins an ad-libbed rant about the bee, her fathers, and current political events. Panch, provoked by the rant and upset that he has lost control over the bee, loses his temper and lashes out at Logainne, who is next up to spell. Panch is then escorted offstage by Rona and Mitch (different productions handle this differently). One of Logainne's fathers jumps onstage to calm Logainne down, and, despite his daughter's protests, pours some of his soda on the floor to make Barfée's foot stick and thus disrupt his technique.

With Panch calmed down, Olive is called to spell. She asks what her father had said, and is saddened to learn that he said he is running even later than planned. Her word is chimerical, and mirroring the word's definition, she imagines her parents being there and giving her the love that she always has wanted and yearned for, while showing the problems with her own family (The I Love You Song).

Barfée is called to spell next, and when he uses his signature technique, the soda causes his foot to stick. Much to his surprise, he is able to spell his word correctly anyway. Logainne is next, and she overcomplicates her word vug and misspells it (Woe is Me (Reprise)). Rona is excited that it has come down to the final two (My Favorite Moment of the Bee 3).

The finals are shown quickly through another montage (Second), and Olive and Barfée continue to grow closer. Eventually, Olive misspells a word (elanguescence), giving Barfée a chance to win by spelling his next word correctly. He is torn between winning and letting Olive win, but with Olive's encouragement, he spells his word correctly (Weltanschauung). Panch awards William Morris Barfée the trophy and two hundred dollar prize, and in a surprise act of charity, gives Olive a fictitious runner-up prize of twenty-five dollars from his own pocket — exactly the amount needed to cover her entrance fee. Olive congratulates and hugs Barfée, and each character reads their epilogue, a sentence or two about what they do in the years and decades after the main action of the play ends (Finale).

Favourite Songs: My Friend The Dictionary, I’m Not That Smart, Prayer Of The Comfort Counselor, Woe Is Me, I Speak Six Languages and The I Love You Song

Favourite Character: Marcy

She gets pushed to her limits with everything and she gets to choose whether she wins or not during the bed.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #137: “We Do Seek Out New Avengers!”

July, 1975

And you’ll never guess who forms this new roster- Oh. The cover spoils it. Twice.

Well, at least this is one cover that is a more or less accurate representation of the contents of this issue.

Since last time was a rerun of a non-Avengers book, lets catch up on what has gone before.

Previously, we finished the Celestial Madonna Saga. The Vision, Scarlet Witch, Mantis, and Swordsman have left the Avengers for reasons of marriage, marriage, marriage, and death. This leaves the Avengers with just Thor, Iron Man, and Hawkeye.

Which isn’t a very good roster. Iron Man and Thor have stuff to do in their own books and Hawkeye is one imagined slight from rage quitting the team. They need to boost their numbers.

Hence, they do seek out new Avengers (but not New Avengers. Not yet).

But I get slightly ahead of myself.

We actually begin with the Avengers plus Moondragon plus Agatha Harkness returning from Vietnam.

And Agatha Harkness continues to be a shipper on deck, stating to Hawkeye’s claim that Vision was sly to marry Wanda, “Enlightened’s more like it, I’d say -- to seek a life with my Scarlet Witch.”

Shipper or at least immensely proud of this woman she’s known for a couple days.

Anyway, Iron Man and Thor notice that the Celestial Madonna star is still above Avengers Mansion (but looking much cartoonier) even though Mantis has gone off and married a tree. They suppose they’ll never learn how it got there.

But we will because according to a caption, the “Trial of the Watcher” arc in Captain Marvel explains it.

Are you ready for this bombshell revelation?

Uatu the Watcher made the Celestial Madonna star there because he wanted to feel like a part of the moment.

Source

That’s it.

Oh, also Rick Jones drops some acid. That’s not related necessarily. But I thought I’d mention it.

Yup.

Anyway, the Avengers return to the mansion and Agatha Harkness gets snarky at Jarvis and then heads to her guest room. So I guess she’s staying despite Wanda being gone. At least for a bit.

She also comments that “Your Wanda will never be a great witch, much less a sorceress -- but she will be very good!”

Which is kind of a mixed compliment but whatever.

The following morning, Thor broaches the topic of having only three Avengers being kind of not ideal. As mentioned, Thor and Iron Man have their own books going on so they’re forced to be part-time Avengers.

Hawkeye is weirdly hostile to this entire topic for some reason. Maybe he figures that he has better chance of becoming chairman if there are fewer candidates but when Iron Man and Thor insist on a membership drive, Hawkeye insists on getting veteran Avengers back instead of new members. And you’d think he’d want new members because they’re less likely competition for him. So I don’t really understand his motives.

I do have a theory. Hear me out: he’s being ornery for orneriness’ sake. Because Hawkeye.

Anyway, Iron Man goes ahead and proposes Moondragon to be an Avenger. Because she’s available. She’s just right there. (He will live to regret this decision)

Moondragon speculates that the nomination is because he sees much of Mantis in her but says she’s her own woman. But she’ll accept the offer. She’s had her interest reawakened in Earth anyway.

Anyway, to Hawkeye’s inexplicable dismay, she accepts.

But Thor proposes that they call up former Avengers and see if they want to rejoin.

Black Panther has a long-winded answer that Thor mentally translates to “Nay.” Apparently a swipe at the verbose nature of the Jungle Action book under Don McGregor.

Which is a throwing rocks in glass houses situation, Englehart. You just got off the Celestial Madonna Saga. You’re in no position to judge.

Quicksilver tells the Avengers to fuck off for asking him to rejoin when they let his sister marry a robit.

Captain America has Red Skull related things to deal with and rather than have the full resources of the Avengers on it, he’s going to deal with it himself. But hey, he’s back in the Captain America jammies. Progress?

Black Widow declines since she and Daredevil’s relationship has gotten more confused than ever but she’s not ready to break it off. Lamentably.

Hercules is enjoying being at loose ends currently. “And there shall I remain, Thunder God. I have enjoyed myself hugely since I have once more trod this world -- and I nurture no desire to limit my freedom of action now.”

Sounds like he’s taking some personal days.

Finally, they contact Wasp and she agrees to rejoin the team. In fact, she was about to call them. SHE’S SO BORED LATELY. And Hank has been having adventures on the side with the Defenders which is rude. So she went ahead and decided for him that Yellowjacket is rejoining too.

Which. Actually. Forgot to mention this earlier. Fuck you, caption box on the cover. THE WASP IS REJOINING TOOOOOOOOOO. STOP FORGETTING TO COUNT HER OH MY GOD.

Anyway. How about some fanservice?

Check it. We peek in on Wanda and Vision on their honeymoon and look who is showing some skin.

He’s rocking it.

Anyway, the two are vacationing on Rurutu, French Polynesia. Apparently in the short time she had to sight see before a Quinjet was blown up with her inside it and then was nearly sacrificed to a volcano, Wanda evidently decided that this island where she nearly died twice was where she wanted to go on her honeymoon.

And the locals do feel just awful about that volcano thing so they agreed to give the couple some space.

Meanwhile, across the world. The Avengers are sulking. They got two yeses out of the seven people they called.

Hawkeye speculates that its because of all the different groups that have sprung up since. There’s X-Men, Defenders, Inhumans. Not to mention that being a solo super-star is a dream that some people have. The Avengers are the old-guard. Easy to take for granted after all these years.

There’s a bit of a flaw in his premise. None of the people they contacted were busy with the X-Men, Defenders, or Inhumans. Its more that they were busy with personal business of some kind or another. Also, unless the person in question is a mutant or an inhuman, the X-Men or Inhumans wouldn’t accept them anyway.

Your argument is stupid, Hawkeye.

And also, provokes Iron Man who thinks Hawkeye is saying that the Avengers are out of style.

The Wasp arrives, having flown past security by slipping through a keyhole. Which again proves that the Avengers’ security is kind of shit.

But because of stuff happening in other books, Hank isn’t size changing anymore. He’s got a microbe in his blood which one trapped him at ant-size. So she left the door unlocked behind her so he could just walk in.

Sup, Yellowjacket.

And he immediately picks a fight with Hawkeye. Because... Hawkeye? I honestly have no idea. Maybe he wants to show off.

Iron Man asked if the Defenders had let Yellowjacket go, but in a friendly way. Yellowjacket immediately gets defensive, turns on Hawkeye and says that people are free to come and go from the Defenders as they please. LIKE HOW HAWKEYE WAS WITH THEM DURING THE AVENGERS/DEFENDERS WAR but now spends a lot of time putting them down.

And after he provokes Hawkeye into shooting a FOOM! arrow at him, he counters with his cellular disruptor gun and stuns Hawkeye.

And then, after provoking a fight, says he doesn’t feel like fighting. And would rather spend his time with his research. BUT HE AND JAN ARE A TEAM!

Plus, Jan claims that without her, he wouldn’t even change his own socks. Which, come on, get your shit together, Hank.

Anyway. Yellowjacket comes up with the idea that if they’re still short some members, why not just put out the word that they’re looking for new blood. Like what the Avengers did to set up the kooky quartet roster.

Hawkeye disapproves. Perhaps based on principle. And storms off to steal Dr. Doom’s time machine to go back in time to the 12th century and ask Black Knight if he wants to rejoin. Because dammit. Someone around here has to be thorough in asking every former member.

Its around this point where Thor does his ‘we want you’ television ad and then we cut to Yankee Stadium.

Its deserted because of reconstruction and securely locked up. So obstacle one for any prospective members: have the skill and determination to break into a locked stadium to audition with the Avengers.

And only one person does. Edward G. Robinson.

Kidding!

It’s Hank McCoy, aka the Beast, in a rubber mask.

A lot more laid back then he was in the reran issue from last time.

He recaps his recent past: how he quit the X-Men to get a real job, how he mutated himself with a concoction and made himself furry and couldn’t change back, and how he eventually gave up trying to maintain his old life through rubber masked trickery.

How he dropped out of sight and let time pass however it wanted. Really binged on old movies. Sounds like he was depressed, honestly. He also listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder. And Jay and Miles speculate that he may have indulged in some reefer.

And after his little hermetical hiatus he realized a couple things. One, any mask he wears - even his old face - is just pretend so why limit himself? His mask making skills are so good he can pretend to be practically anyone with some prep work. (PARANOIA!) So, yes. Officially, Beast is bringing ‘mask making’ and ‘acting’ skills to the team. But revelation the second, he realized he missed superheroing in a group.

And then someone loudly announces that Beast will die with this group. Someone shrouded in shadow, hiding in the upper tier of the stadium seating.

And he wants to play a game.

Oh god. A mashup of Saw and Marvel heroes. I feared this day would come.

Mostly kidding!

No, but the mysterious stranger does want to play a game with the Avengers. And he’s filled the arena with hover-mines while they were chatting. Only one in five of the mines are armed. But the ones that are armed contain “unearthly power!”

So the Avengers have six minutes to navigate the mines and reach a disarmament lever before the Stranger (for that cosmic jerk it is) detonates everything.

Showing the level-headed strategic thinking that characterizes the Avengers and makes them a team people are clamoring to join, Thor decides to bull straight through the mine field trusting in his durability as an immortal to-

PTAM! WOM!

Thor is down.

So Iron Man, showing the level-headed strategic thinking etc decides to fly through the mine field, relying on his maneuverability and almost equal durability to- wait, shit. The mines are now drifting about because of how Thor disturbed the field.

KLOM!

Iron Man is down.

Wasp decides that obviously she’s the obvious choice for this hazard undoubtedly. And maybe if she had been sent first, like she should have been, it would have been no big deal for her to clear this trap. She’s small, she’s maneuverable.

Thor really wasn’t acting like much of a chairman. He didn’t assess the team he had available to him and decide who would be the best fit. He just decided to barrel on through. For shame.

And Wasp is out of practice after not flying much over the past two years. And with the mine field disturbed by Thor and Iron Man, the mines are moving around too much.

BWAM!

Wasp is down.

Yellowjacket, as should be expected at this point, completely loses his chill when Wasp is endangered. He starts to run into the mine field to grab her so Moondragon uses a “total mind-thrust” to stop him.

Yellowjacket is down.

Which just leaves Moondragon and Beast. Moondragon does what Thor should have done and suggests thinking through the situation dispassionately before attempting any hasty action.

And then Beast nominates himself. See, while everyone else was getting themselves exploded like an idiot, he has been thinking through the problem. And with his visual acuity, agility, and reflexes, he has decided he’s the best for the job.

So he acrobats through the dynamic mine field of death, leaping and diving and twisting and turning and basically doing anything but charging right ahead like a dumbass.

And he clears the hazard so acrobatically that Moondragon, best female athlete of Titan, is like hot damn.

Anyway, he switches the switch and checks on the Avengers.

Iron Man and Thor are both alive and mostly well.

But the Wasp won’t wake up and barely has a pulse.

A despairing Yellowjacket shouts for the Stranger to come down and fight like a man.

So the Stranger does. Mostly because he’s a bit disappointed nobody died yet.

Also, is it just me or is the Stranger’s chest insignia a mustache?

That’s weird, right?

Anyway. The Stranger proclaims that Moondragon isn’t the only one with MIND POWERS and engages her in a MIND-O-WAR. Or something.

Iron Man and Thor know that Moondragon is skilled but she’s outclassed by the Stranger. So while she’s distracting him, they plan to charge the Stranger.

Except, instead of outclassing Moondragon, the Stranger gets... bored? And teleports away? Yelling that the Avengers haven’t seen the last of him?

So the Avengers have survived their first challenge as a team. But with the Wasp in such a fragile state, they can’t take much triumph from it.

“It is a sobering beginning.”

And kind of a bullshit one.

I like the Beast’s introduction here. His weird mask thing makes for a memorable first impression and he shows his stuff both analytically and acrobatically with how he handled the mine field.

And Moondragon was quick on her feet too, stopping Yellowjacket from getting his fool head blown off and being smart enough to know that they shouldn’t go at this half-cocked. Although not quick on her feet enough to say anything before half the team blew themselves up? They are veterans though. They shouldn’t need her to babysit them.

But its annoying that a challenge is set up that seems like it perfectly suits Wasp’s skillset instead horribly injures her so we can have another tense ‘the Wasp has been injured’ cliffhanger.

And makes her look like an idiot to add insult to injury. SHE JUST GOT BACK. CAN’T SHE HAVE NICE THINGS?

And I disagree that the Avengers survived this challenge as a team. Because they evidenced no teamwork. They acted like a bunch of dumbass gung-ho individual heroes instead of a team. Thor absolutely failed at behaving as any kind of leader and made the situation worse for those that followed him.

And what beef does the Stranger have with the Avengers? Well, he first appeared in an X-Men book. So I guess he’s Beast baggage. Or rather, I already know what his deal is and it is revealed next issue.

[thesinglesjukebox]

SAM HUNT - DOWNTOWN'S DEAD

[5.91]

...but "Sacrifice My Heart" still has a couple years in it.

Matias Taylor: After "Body Like a Back Road" became the biggest country crossover hit of the past year by adopting sonic trademarks of other genres, Sam Hunt returns to his roots with "Downtown's Dead," a hooky post-breakup anthem that sounds precision-engineered for country radio. What's clever about "Downtown's Dead" is that it positions him as indifferent to the things he's previously sung about: dancing in the strobes ("House Party"), Friday nights ("Leave the Night On"), girls walking by and saying hi ("Take Your Time"); this time heartbreak takes precedence. Sam's earnest croon and some smart production touches (the echo effect in the chorus sounds like it could be beaming out of a half-opened door from a nightclub) are just enough to make it a convincing thematic reset. [6]

Ryo Miyauchi: It would be Sam Hunt who paints his country-music scene of urban loneliness with strobe lights and "the throes of loud house music" -- which shouldn't be novel imagery at this point if you've been around a college town since Hunt's Montevallo, where out-of-town students party to EDM tracks while mending homesickness with country tunes. There's a subtle yet vivid modernity to "Downtown's Dead," if not in those lyrical details then the post-1989 hand-claps in the chorus. The haunts may look different, but the ghosts sure feel the same. [6]

Elisabeth Sanders: Sam Hunt, who until recently was on a years-long hiatus from music, concentrating instead on winning back the girl his first album was about after he cheated on her during the tour for that very album (STRONG brand there), who since then has released only 1. an emo SoundCloud song about missing her and 2. a song about how hot she is (even stronger brand there) is finally back for REAL this time with another banger about being super sad while drinking beer because of your deep feelings yet general lack of timely emotional insight! Some might call Sam Hunt's oeuvre shallow, but I mean this with absolute sincerity: it's not nothing to admit that you're a dumbass and then explore the intricacies of your own dumbass feelings. We are all dumbasses, and all feelings are stupid, and also very important. Sam Hunt begins "Downtown's Dead" with his own voice in the background of the track, saying "thanks, Hannah Lee... for comin' back." I would like to thank her as well, and you know what? I hope they are very happy. [8]

Alfred Soto: A title like this deserves a production that reflects the din and tumult in Sam Hunt's pretty head, not drums that boom like a fender bender and Hunt singing as affect-free as an Au Bon Pain cashier. [4]

Anthony Easton: Sam Hunt ceding his perfect voice to a canyon of drums is an act of ego by erasure. Erasure, like the exurban blank landscape--but unlike his previous blank and elliptical metaphors that make even more slippery the erotic ennui of these spaces, this one carves an elaborate monument. Downtown is empty, the city is empty, and nothing can fill it. It is a work against his previous ideals of pleasure. It's also an ironic reversal of all the times he talks about the non-urban spaces that he described as sort of empty and sort of full. [10]

Claire Biddles: Between the bars/cars/bright lights/I'm-so-lonely-in-this-big-ol'-town imagery and the girl-as-a-night-on-the-weekend metaphor, I've heard this all before -- which would be fine if the music was less of a slog. [4]

Stephen Eisermann: The worst kind of boring song is one that tries to make up for its boringness by being loud. There's no discernible melody that I can hear, Sam sounds disconnected from the music, and the hook, if you can call it that, is Sam shouting "downtown's dead" at you as if you're some tourist asking about the local scene. The lyrics are surprisingly introspective, but the rest of the song weighs too heavily on the track. [3]

Alex Clifton: I completely thought "Downtown's Dead" was going to be a tale of small-town economies going bust thanks to the government, and was pleased that it didn't end up being the sort of song I feared. Instead, "Downtown's Dead" is a heartbroken ballad with a dramatic title. It doesn't always live up to the feeling; I don't feel weepy, and the chorus's handclaps make this more of a stadium sing-a-long than an emotional piece. But considering how "Body Like a Back Road" triggers a berserker button for me to the point where I'd counted out ever enjoying a Sam Hunt song, I'll count this as a win. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: Certain unlinkable country retrogrades have heard "Downtown's Dead" and are torn, like Javert-in-"Stars" agonized, that it's undeniably a well-written song, but still not country and thus killing it! The argument is weird -- small towns have downtowns too, and cars and bars do not a metropolis make -- but also moot, because "Downtown's Dead" is absolutely country, in that it invokes a specific country music tradition. Like "You Lie" or "Give Me Back My Hometown," it takes a dog-whistle (here: Downtown's dead! Empty Main Street storefronts! All the jobs are gone! And you know why?) and turns it into a songwriting conceit about lost love. Which might seem like a stretch, but A) dog-whistling exists for the callout-immunity of seeming like a stretch if pointed out, and B) country songwriters love extended conceits, and popular music in general magpies up the culture of its time to make them -- see Ester Dean literally copying phrases from magazines and TV, or Sia collaborator Jonathan Daniel's "high concept" conceits about fireworks and piggy banks. That magpie-ing includes politics; in country, this spans through the late-'50s odes to and laments about military sexual tourism (h/t Joseph M. Thompson, via one of the many good talks at April's MoPOP Conference) to the 2010s' "Made in America"/"Only Prettier"/"Automatic" counterprogramming to pop's Michelle Obama shoutouts. Sam Hunt is a smarter songwriter than many Nashville cogs, and he, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally don't just use the concept but invert it: downtown isn't dead but bustling, and he's not bustling but lonely. But this urban-alienation theme is done constantly -- see Jukebox favorite "Vermillion" -- and Hunt's take feels dead too, composed as a huge Southern rock slab but performed without the energy. Which, to be fair, is another country tradition: in its ongoing rehash of '90s-'00s soft rock, country music has now reached "Unwell." [4]

Maxwell Cavaseno: Decades ago on Long Island, a truck full of tropical birds intended for a Petland Discount in the area crashed on the highway, and more than a few dozen of the birds escaped into the nearby parks and woods. The Northeast isn't exactly meant to be a haven for cockatoos and parakeets, yet more than a few of them managed to procreate and linger for years and years, making what was considered antithetical to their existence a home. In a world where your Chris Stapletons are all about Taking It Back To What It's 'Sposed To Be, Sam Hunt brings the ideas and essences of country into a modernity that at times feels counterproductive and inhospitable. The strength of "Downtown's Dead" is that even as an overproduced, phantasmal bombastic anthem, it sustains itself in ways you don't expect to make sense without the indulgences of Thomas Rhett or, further back, the cynicism of Garth Brooks. There's no reason it should feel at home, and yet it does. [6]

Crystal Leww: Hunt's debut album Montevallo was such a beautiful and specific album about heartbreak that it's hard to imagine what a Sam Hunt album would sound like if he were actually in a happy, committed relationship. "Body Like a Back Road" hinted at it, with its pop success and sexy and fun disposition, but it also didn't quite feel like a Sam Hunt song. "Downtown's Dead" returns to the period of Hunt's heartbreak over his ex-girlfriend, but the point of view is someone who's moved to the city, who's become successful, who's built a life and who hates how lonely he feels after all. This is formulaic Sam Hunt -- sharp details about strobes and house music, a pathetic internal back-and-forth after downing one too many free drinks, the thunder of those drums and guitar, and its adherence to the traditions of country music and its ability to document tiny, human moments. I think my favorite tiny detail here is buried in the mix during that intro: a quietly murmured, "Thanks Hannah. Thanks for coming back." He's married and happy now, but I have high hopes that there's still plenty of heartbreak to go through for the sequel to Montevallo. [9]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox]

[dracox-serdriel-log]

Personal Update (on Writing)

While I intended this side blog to literally be a blog about my writing, there are times when my personal life impacts my ability to write. And there aren’t many ways to acknowledge that in a blog that’s exclusively about keeping track of my progress (or lack thereof) while writing.

Below the cut for length and personal commentary.

The Best Laid Plans...

I had everything in order for the fics I was writing/proofing/getting out there. I stumbled a bit back during the holiday season (from Thanksgiving until around the New Year) because of all the family stuff going on, but since I had time off then, it was able to keep up. Mostly.

Unfortunately, in January, I had to start a job search, and even though I have great skills and an excellent background, the job search is like having a full-time job, except you don’t get paid and you don’t feel like you’ve put in a day’s work. So before I got laid off, I was basically working two jobs - my job and my job search. Since then it’s been an endless, revolving door of research, apply, and then phone interviews that lead to in-person interviews.

I should say this: I hate the phone. I don’t pick up the phone and call unless there’s no other option. I write emails, send text messages, order take-out online, etc. because I dislike the phone so much. Unfortunately, every headhunter/staffing firm agent out there wants to “talk” about things, even if it’s just a five minute update on what’s been going on. Even if it can be handled in an email with two sentences. Everyone wants to “talk.”

I live with a disability that impacts my energy. Luckily (and I am lucky, compared to others with my disorder), my symptoms are intermittent. Unfortunately, I am an introvert... which means spending time around people tends to drain my batteries, so to speak. Spending so much time on the phone can make me feel like I am tapped out, and sometimes I can’t make myself sound enthralled over a prospect, no matter how much I might want to do so. When my energy is used up, all I can do is refill the tank by resting. My disorder makes all other forms of “recharging” impossible. But both HR people and head-hunters are trained to read tone, so I am definitely missing out on opportunities because I don’t sound excited enough or because I sound mean, when really, it’s just low energy/low affect.

And there’s literally nothing I can do about it, because while they might understand the introvert thing, most people will suggest I grab a coffee or an energy drink, because anyone with “normal” physiology has those options, among many others. Telling them about my disability is a terrible idea because my disorder is not only a hidden disability, but in my case, it’s also idiopathic. Having a rare, misunderstood (thank you Hollywood) disorder is one thing, having an even rarer form of a rare, misunderstood disorder is quite another.

So far, I have had one job offer, and while it’s highly ranked in the ‘places I’d like to work,’ I am waiting on four other offers (post-final interviews). The good news is, there’s at least one job for me, meaning I won’t need to raid my savings to survive. The bad news is, I might have to give an answer before I’ve heard other offers.

The Proofing, the Writing, and the Muse

Anyway, I have had precious little time to proof Lament of the Asphodels, and I am worried that the last few chapters I’ve published have been subpar in terms of proofing/editing because even when I do have the time, my energy is so low that I barely scrape through it all. This work was supposed to be completely posted by January 31st. I am over a month behind and still scrambling to finish the last few chapters.

I also have several chapters planned out for a number of my other works, all of which have been put on indefinite hold as I fail to even write a single paragraph for them. These include the following:

Addendum GW (Grimmfiles - Grimm/X-Files Crossover) - Last updated: February 2016 At least the next ten chapters are outlined with the overarching story is already fleshed out, including arcs that span multiple chapters and/or “cases” in this universe.

Gargoyles and the Amber (Vampinals - Originals/Vampire Diaries Crossover) - Last updated: August 2015 At least five chapters partially written, but the next two chapters are not among them. This story is written from a first person limited perspective, and the narrators change each chapter. The next two chapters are “A Moment in Time” (Josette Laughlin) and “Emissaries and Invitations” (Bonnie Bennett), and I’ve had a hard time with those two characters as narrators. But I can’t rearrange the chapters because the order of events is absolutely key, and the narrators were chosen because of their centrality to those events, which means I basically have to tough it out and write the damn chapters.

Lament of the Asphodels (Once Upon a Time) - Last updated: February 2017 While the story is written, it needs heavy proofing, partially because it’s written in “high language” and is supposed to be third person omniscient... and I tend to write towards the third person limited side of things. No doubt, once I’ve finished proofing and publishing each chapter, I will need to return and reproof the entire thing.

Orion (The Flash) - Last updated: September 2016 I took a hiatus on this one in order to flesh out the entire work, all so I could pave the way of the story and make chapter writing easier. I wish now that I had continued ahead and written more. I had planned to publish a new chapter every two to three weeks - a feat that is absolutely within my grasps under normal circumstances - yet I have failed to write another chapter since producing the sixth.

The Pirate, the Swan, and the Broken Sword (Once Upon a Time) - Last updated: December 2015 Out of all of my works, this one hurts the most not to finish. It is comprised of many “sub-stories” that make up each chapter. For example, in the chapter “Sorcerer’s Bane,” Killian relives several memories from Camelot that he’s lost, and each one of them has its own name... such as “Swan Lake” for rescuing Emma from a lake, and so on. Another example, in the chapter “Hope and Love in a Time of Dragons,” there is a scene called “The Two-Fold Price,” where Maleficent and Lily discuss the price of magic for those who can transform like they can. Even the stories from the (new) storybook have their own titles. Each chapter has these “scene titles” fleshing them out, and it is so easy to write the chapters because of that. I can’t even describe it. Yet getting back on track has been impossible. I haven’t updated in over a year, despite having most of the chapters outlined.

The Second Death (Superdead - Supernatural/Walking Dead Crossover) - Last updated: August 2016 Originally meant to be part of the Dean/Cas Big Bang 2016, I wrote most of The Second Death to be a shorter (10k) crossover story, but as I continued writing, it became very clear that the story was going to be much longer. I didn’t have time to finish it by the deadline. I honestly didn’t think the story would be nearly as popular as it is. It’s my most-Followed fic on FanFic and has the highest subscription count on AO3. Naturally, my muse decided to switch up the story, so the first eight chapters got cut in half, and now I’m staring down chapter five, which is a whole new direction for the fic to go in, and everything is moving so damn slowly...

It doesn’t help that my muse has decided to entertain me with all other kinds of fics, tempting me to start yet another long fic (or, worse, a series of fics) that I know I won’t get around to updating very frequently.