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phantomato · 1 year

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Hi:) I love your writing so so much. Gorgeous characterisation, intelligent prose, etc! Just wondering if would you like to share your thoughts on Nottmort and Tomarry for that ask game👀 (and more specifically on Harry as a character, if you’d like, because I adored him in Made of Clay but I am also aware he probably isn’t a favourite character of yours, so I’m a little curious why, is all.) Thank you and have a nice day💗

Thank you for such kind words! ❤️ They’re lovely to hear. I’ll refer you in part to my past posts that touch on Harry, and also encourage you to send me a DM (here, Discord, wherever) if you want to chat in more depth! I love chatting. For the ask game, I’ll stay on the ships and limit it to a reasonable length.

Why don’t you ship Tomarry?

Because I dislike it and every trope that underlies it, and then at a certain point it became a matter of stubbornness and frustration as a Tom Riddle fan who did not ship it.

What would have made you like it?

I cannot give a fair and equitable answer to this! My dislike is as calcified as the tropes within Tomarry, lol. I will note that I rarely ship enemies-to-lovers, and so any possible way that I might ship this loses one of the essential pillars of their canon dynamic. I think that’s generally unsatisfying, as both an author and a reader, and so it’s best that I don’t try and find a vision of Tomarry which would work for me.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

It’s the big ship for Tom, and I appreciate it so much when a Tomarry reader stumbles into my rare pairing corner and decides to give my writing a shot. Fewer people would be reading niche Tom fic if not for Tomarry’s popularity.

What made you ship Nottmort?

I accidentally walked into it through a fic that was meant to be another pairing tbh. But really, it’s the flexibility that appeals to me—Thoros isn’t even his real name, for goodness’ sake, it’s totally a fan construct. Nott Sr. exists as whatever I want him to be because there isn’t any canon to contradict that. We’re not going to have slap fights about correct characterization for Nott Sr. And what that amounts to is that I’ve gotten to create my own character, with exactly the traits I most enjoy, to pair up with Voldemort. It could have been some other surname-only Death Eater of that generation, so it having been Nott comes down to circumstance. Now that it is Nott, I’m never giving him back. Nott Sr. belongs to the canon of Harry Potter; my Thoros belongs to me.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I love that Thoros is just as selfish as Voldemort—his key difference is that he expands the self out to encompass Voldemort as well, and Theodore in universes where Theo is born. It’s an interesting model for Voldemort to encounter, to have to reckon with; this is a man who suggests that it’s possible to have and maintain friendships, to function within normal society, all without adopting the moral values that someone like Albus argues are necessary. And Thoros isn’t hypocritical about it in the way that e.g. Mrs. Cole might have been, demanding virtues of Tom that she did not possess.

I love that a life with Thoros requires Voldemort to ask what his values actually are, and how he wants to prioritize him. My Thoros is stubborn enough to say ‘no’ when asked for something he’s unwilling to give, and so Voldemort is forced to confront that he cannot live eternally with Thor by his side. If it’s love, and Voldemort always does know that it’s love, then he must make a choice about what love is worth to him.

And the devil is in the details—these characters are peers, of the same age group; they spend formative years together; they have many of the same acquaintances and cultural references; they respect one another; they are both academically-inclined and value knowledge in the same way. There are a lot of similarities, which make the philosophical questions stand out more and feel possible to reconcile, or even make them feel worth reconciling.

Ultimately, I crafted Thoros to be exactly the partner I want for Voldemort. That’s cheating, I know. I fell in love with Thoros in his own right, though, and I take that as a success.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Unpopular versus… myself? Lol. I suppose it’s generally unpopular to write something other than enemies-to-lovers romance for Voldemort, but I’ll always make the case that there’s a huge world of relationships beyond enmity, and opening up to those gives a much wider range of potential tension points or disagreements on which to base a story.

#nottmort #tomarry #ask game

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cookinguptales · 1 year

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So I went to Philly's Flower Show yesterday! It was exciting to see it finally come back to the convention center this year; obviously I'm glad they had it outside for a few years, but that did make it so I couldn't attend in the heat.

This year it was back indoors and I celebrated by going to the Flowers After Hours party too. :o

Anyway, I took like a hundred photos but tumblr will only let me upload 30. Either way, they're under a cut!

The first thing I did when I got there was hit the flower crown station. These are always fun to make here, and this year they had real flowers and wire, not just fake ones and a glue gun. I... may have spent too much time on my crown. lmao

So before I played arts and crafts for an hour... and after:

Bats are my favorite pollinator, though bees are very close. :')

Then it was time to enter the flower festival proper! The entrance was so pretty. I wish I could have quite gotten how trippy the lights were in there. They were constantly changing because this year's theme was The Garden Electric! Lots of interesting lights, which was especially fun at the party that evening.

(I forgot to take in the dress at the waist before I left but that's okay, it's still cute. lmao)

Had a lot of fun wandering around looking at all the prize-winning plants. There were hundreds and hundreds so I had to pare these down a lot lmao.

And then all of the art and arrangements! Again, there are just. So many of these. Jewelry, pressed flowers, arrangements, miniatures, huge dioramas, etc. But 30 images. So.

Look at the dresses this year! Some of them were so pretty.

I die!!

And the pressed flowers! Look at what the children made! ;o;

And the adult pieces were lovely as well

The little miniature rooms are always my favorite, though. The winner this year was a little herbalist cottage from Edinburgh in 1661 and when I tell you this bitch was vibrating thinking about Sleep No More. lmao. But there was also a Mexican market, an Italian street, a Japanese tea house, a Monet-inspired garden scene... Just gorgeous all around.

Some of the flower arrangements were really fun this year because they got into the electric theme.

And I always love the plant arranging categories that are like "...oh, I guess that's a thing" like "best doorway" lmao.

Most of the big exhibits had suuuuper long lines, so I waited until the party to see them when there'd be fewer people.

So then once the lights went out... I changed into my Party Noir look to match the party's dress code!

(I....... forgot my black mask at home, leave me alone.)

And oh mannnn the big displays were so nice this year.

Only the tip of the iceberg tbh but image limit!!

Had a lot of fun walking around in the indoor gardens, too!

The party itself was fun, if maybe not something I'd do again. Lots of alcohol to sample and some very loud music, but the big group of people wasn't super easy to get around in using my chair and I kind of got a headache from it all.

BUT there was also some fun entertainment (like fire juggling AWAY FROM THE PLANTS, burlesque-esque dancing, contortionists, etc.) and it was nice to get a chance to get closer to some of the big displays while other people were getting selfies with some of the selfie-bait sections of the show. lmao

(I got some, too!! I was not immune to the trippy flower backgrounds. But 30 images!)

ALSO THE BEE PEOPLE CAME OUT AND THEY BROUGHT BEES

Like an hour and a half into the party I came back to the bee people and was like "MAY I SEE THE BEE AGAIN" and when they pulled him out of his little habitat and let him crawl on their hands (it's a mason bee, they don't sting) I was like "I'M SORRY I'M TOO TIPSY TO HAVE ANY CHILL ABOUT THIS" but they laughed so it was okay.

ALL IN ALL, I had a really good time! I bought too much honey and balsamic vinegar! I ache today, but I guess I earned it!

yay, love the flower show. 💜🌱🐝🦇

#philadelphia flower show #just me

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hirazuki · 1 year

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Tagged by @skaelds -- thanks for the tag!

1.Three ships?

Hmm, I’m going to interpret this as romantic ships, because I have much fewer of those than platonic ones; otherwise we’ll be here all day XD I don’t really have any ships in Tolkien (like, I’m cool with all the ones established in canon and a handful of fanon ones, I’m just not particularly invested in any), so:

Ulquiorra/Orihime (Bleach) Erza/Jellal (Fairy Tail) Sesshomaru/Kagura (Inuyasha)

2. First ever ship?

Probably Lymond/Phillippa (The Lymond Chronicles)

3. Last song?

The Sea and a Pearl by Junna yes, I’m stll upset about how the series went but the opening song is so catchy damn it

4. Last movie?

I rewatched both Phantom Rouge and The Last Mission, for Hunter x Hunter research purposes 👀

5. Currently reading?

I’m about to start (re)reading the Silmarillion, the entire HoMe, Fall of Numenor, Nature of Middle Earth, and select parts of LotR and the Hobbit -- ideally in that order -- in preparation for some much overdue fic writing and possibly text-supported blorbo analysis because if I see one more take of a certain flavor, I am going to start a cult to Melkor

6. Currently watching?

I’ve been rewatching Space Battleship Yamato in the background while drawing (tbh mostly for the music; I can’t find the soundtrack anywhere and it is gorgeous); and in terms of currently-airing, I’m following Vinland Saga S2 (it’s beautifully rendered but I miss Askeladd SO MUCH), Boruto (I can always rely on Narutoverse to be there for me ♡), and Revenger (still forming my opinion on this one).

7. Currently consuming?

Coffee and water. I should probably actually eat something solid but basic self-care this past week has been at an all-time low.

8. Currently craving?

The attention span to sit down and just. finish editing even just one of the seven different fics I’m working on so that I can actually post something T___T

____________________________________________________

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Saint Alexios; very traditional and typical of my family to name me after a saint. Me? Not so much a fan. I have a very love-hate relationship with my name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I rarely cry, like once every few years, but I fulfilled my quota this past Wednesday ✌️

3. Do you have kids?

Absolutely not.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Lmao every sentence. Even when I honestly don’t mean to use it, I end up sounding like I’m being sarcastic XD

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

The way they move, primarily their gait. I’ve realized that I recognize people by the way they walk and hold themselves rather than their faces or other more conventional aspects *is actually a dog in human form*

6. What’s your eye colour?

Debatable. I, personally, think it’s green, but I’ve heard others say blue and/or grey.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I don’t really care for scary movies, so I guess happy endings by default; but honestly, any media that is narratively coherent and consistent and delivers satisfactorily.

8. Any special talents?

Scary levels of organization. Can recognize people from the sound of their footsteps. Dog magnet. When I walk/move, I apparently make no sound and terrify people, even if I’m not trying to be quiet at all.

9. Where were you born?

Greece

10. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, writing, cosplay, swordsmanship.

11. Have you any pets?

I used to have a zoo, but time happens and..... as of this past week, there are none left. It’s been rough. (I live with my sis and she still has hers, so there are still fur babies in the house, but. it’s not the same.)

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I used to be big on soccer and basketball way back in middle school and high school, but none since then. I do practice martial arts, but none that fall into the sports category.

13. How tall are you?

About 170cm/5′6′’ ish.

14. Favorite subject in school?

English. Who knew that all those years of successfully bullshitting literary analysis would lead to online blorbo appreciation?? XD

15. Dream job?

Once upon a time, I dreamed of having a job that let me travel the world, allowed me to work with archaeological artifacts, and provided me with a skillset that I could also apply to my creative endeavors and other hobbies (i.e., objects conservator with a focus in metallurgy/metalsmithing).

Now, I just want something that requires minimum contact with other people/the public, is interesting enough to not bore or irritate me, and that leaves me with enough time and energy at the end of the day to pursue my own interests. Oh, and that pays a livable wage! Unrealistic, I know XD

Uh, I don’t think I have 15 mutuals ^^; so I tag: @baked-hylian, @cruelfeline, @nomadicism, @chellekumari, @strangefellows, and anyone else who wants to do it! Do it only if you want, of course! :)

#that was fun; i haven't done one of these in a while!#it was a nice break from all the adulting #now. must go back to adulting T___T #i hate going out in public where i can be perceived on my days off #i think i'll reward myself with a new plant. to motivate myself.

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theeeveetamer · 2 years

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So I’m currently working on getting to the third dungeon of RF:ToD which, from what I gather, means I’m a little over half way through the main plot?

First of all, the game is gorgeous, I absolutely love the “Wind Waker, but with farming” aspect of it, Aden and Sonja are pretty fun protagonists (Aden is so randomly savage I love it), and TBH I actually like the focus on taming monsters over the actual farming. I also think it was a neat idea to have little events you have to watch before you can get villagers up to the next friendship level! It gives them a lot of personality

I just wish you could tame more monsters total. I believe there’s something like 90 different monsters but you can only keep about 30, and that’s kind of depressing because I love taming all the monsters in RF games. I think the game would also be much improved by having a way to bulk craft a bunch of items at once and an easier way to quickly transfer full stacks of items, because the best way to do it is esoteric enough I didn’t figure it out for about 25 hours of gameplay. I’m guessing because the game was originally made for the Wii, which has a lot fewer buttons than the PS3. But that’s nitpicky stuff

I’d say my biggest complaint is that you can’t play Sonja from the beginning of the game (and instead have Aden be the one trapped in her body. I get that there’s probably some plot thingy with that but just like. Change the plot so you can have a female protag from the beginning?), and you can’t get married before the end of the main story. Since, from what I gather, there’s really not much to do in the post game aside from marriage since you’ll probably have maxed out your monster capacity and there’s only one little post-game combat challenge to speak of. IDK how much I can motivate myself to keep playing when there’s literally nothing to do aside from talk to NPCs and pass time, since I’m not the biggest on completionist aspects like finding all the fish or maxing out all the skill levels or whatever.

I can definitely see why people consider this one a “black sheep”, even if I 100% don’t agree. It’s the farming. The farming in this game is extremely pared down, which frankly doesn’t bother me too much. I mean, in 99% of RF games you’re just taming monsters to take care of your crops anyways. All this does is take some player control away from what you grow and when, since you no longer buy seeds, but your crops grow so fast in this game that it’s not really that big of a deal? You’ll get plenty of everything once your monsters are friendly enough. Too much involvement in farming honestly would have taken a lot away from the ocean exploration aspect anyway, since it takes up so much of your time.

So yeah, it’s not bad. It’s different (which IME tends to be a hallmark of black sheep entries, not bad but not what people were expecting or necessarily wanted).

#rune factory #rf:tod #rune factory tides of destiny

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inthehausofholbein · 2 years

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☕️ favourite violetta season (i have no idea how to ask this lol)

tbh i don't even know my favourite season

Like, I like all the seasons, but it's weird for me to call one of them my favourite. Though, we can safely eliminate season 1 as (even though I still like it and rewatch it sometimes) I feel like it's the weakest season and the lies are pretty amplified even compared to Roxy.

Now we’re left with seasons 2 & 3. I’d say they’re both my favourite for different reasons.

For season 2, it’s just objectively the best?? I love the songs of the other seasons, but season 2 has the best overall. A lot of the characters are at their personal best (maybe I’m just thinking of Vilu as I love her in s2 much more than 3, but Angie also had some development from the last season of year-long lies). The plotlines are some of the best in the whole show, from the Madrid plot that everyone loves to the small ones like the teachers’ therapy. And although this season has issues like the other seasons (especially episode 59), it had way fewer compared to s1 & 3.

For season 3... It’s most people’s least favourite season, but if there was a love-hate slider thing for it, mine would have a bigger love section... if that makes sense. To be fair, I did reach a point where I would skip a lot of scenes yet would still get the plot (they were mostly Gery & Clement and Jade & Matias scenes + some scenes where I couldn’t handle Priscila anymore). As literally everyone who follows me knows, Ludmila is my favorite character and she was what kept me motivated to watch the next episodes. Her arc is so well done?? It’s very surprising how much they got right with her compared to almost everything else in the season, including her relationships with Naty, Vilu, and (surprisingly again) Germán. And although Priscila is still an asshole, she is such a well written character both as a villain and an abusive parent. It’s like they put all their attention on Ludmi and crammed writing for every other character right before they were supposed to be filming. Apart from her, the songs are great too, the cinematography is great (I was very shocked when I saw episode 1 and the shots of the tour and Germán and his car were gorgeous), the wardrobes (for the girls lmao) are *chef kiss*, and idk, it’s quite funny. This season does have problems that I can’t name right now because there’s so many, but I tend to see the good more when it comes to this show.

(It looks like season 3 should be my favourite judging by how long that paragraph is, but, again, it feels weird calling any of them my favourite. Also, most of the bulk comes from my love for Ludmi because. I. am. predictable. 🤪👐)

#so yeah #i love this dumbass show so much <3 #thanks for the ask <33 #i write better essays on tumblr about music show school than important assignments 👐#music school show* 😭#sorry season one #but i only watched this show last year so i don’t have the *nostalgic* attachment to it

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yukiobeyme · 3 years

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Your tattoo shop AU sounds cute! I’d love to hear more about it!!

I’m so sorry for how long this is, but thank you to you and @s8ncake , @asmos-pet , @aguacats , @dj-night-owl , @avellanna-world for enabling me to write and share this. I am putting it under the cut because it is extremely long, like way too long. I am so sorry.

So AciesGecko on Twitter Piercing Diavolo has been living in my mind rent-free and like Tattoo Shop! AU. Their @ here is the same but they suffered from me tagging them once but here is their tweet that inspired it ( x) (it can also be found on Tumblr here: x)

This was originally found on my Twitter but I have made edits and added more details to indulge everyone because I really like this idea. I don’t have any relationships in it, but it could easily have DiaLuci, Solomon/Asmodeus, and Barbatos/Simeon. I have this currently have Lucifer being Satan’s biological father and Lucifer is a single parent. But anyway now into the actual meat and enjoyment of this Tattoo Shop! AU

Welcome to Royal Art and Design (RAD) owned by Diavolo Rey. (It’s my default last name for Diavolo, in my modern DiaLuci fic his name is Diago and someone suggested Rey because it meant King in Spanish and so it’s just stuck.) Diavolo was supposed to take over his father’s company but fell in love with tattooing instead.

This caused major tension and Diavolo’s dad just thinks Diavolo is being rebellious and will one day realize his mistake and crawl back to his Dad but as Diavolo is in his late twenties to early thirties, Diavolo doesn’t regret the tattoo shop. Diavolo is covered with piercings and tattoos that he shows off constantly. Something that also upsets his father because it isn’t professional to have all those tattoos and piercings.

The shop’s main receptionist is Barbatos, a childhood friend of Diavolo. Barbatos’ family lived on the Rey’s property and were their butlers. Barbatos is about 10 years older than Diavolo but they are close friends and Barbatos would follow Diavolo anywhere. Barbatos has far fewer tattoos and piercings than Diavolo. Most of his tattoos are covered except for the ones on his hands.

Then you have the six “brothers”. They aren’t by blood but by choice. They all grew up in (and out of) the foster system.

The oldest is Lucifer, a renowned tattoo artist (honestly no one knows how Diavolo convinced Lucifer to work with him) Lucifer has a unique tattoo style, something that is sought after. Diavolo loved and adored Lucifer’s style and could recognize his work from a mile away. Diavolo begged and pleaded with Lucifer to work at his shop and was glad they came up with the agreement.

I haven’t decided yet but Lucifer is either covered in tattoos, that he always has covered. Long sleeve button-ups and long pants are a part of Lucifer’s everyday wear. Something Diavolo has told him isn’t necessary. OR Lucifer surprisingly has no tattoos but either way has his ears gauged and an eyebrow piercing and is constantly covered up. (I am leaning towards him being covered in tattoos)

Diavolo constantly compliments Lucifer’s skin and say how it would be a dream to tattoo because he is so pale. Any color would pop and look good and honestly, Diavolo is waiting and hoping for the day, Lucifer lets him tattoo Lucifer. (Spoiler Lucifer will probably let Diavolo tattoo a huge back piece)

Soon after getting out of foster care, Lucifer got a girl pregnant. He didn’t know until he was contacted. Saying how the mother had given up her rights to the child and he could either sign his rights way or take the child. Not wanting his kid in foster care, Lucifer adopted Satan.

So while Lucifer is in his late thirties Satan just turned 18 and is a walking contradiction. He already filled up one of his arms with tattoos and has plenty of piercings, he loves nothing more than to curl up and read books (he wears big chunky black glasses). Lucifer tried his best to be supportive of Satan wanting to get tattoos but also had to play the bad cop and make sure Satan understood how permanent they were and if he really wanted them.

Satan more or less just hangs out at the shop all the time, that he might as well work there too. He interested in Art and is hoping to attend college for it. Diavolo said if Satan wants to intern at RAD and be a tattoo artist all he had to do is say the word and Diavolo is willing to make it happen.

The second oldest of the “brothers” is Mammon. Mammon was more or less a pity case went it comes to getting his job at RAD. He got in and out of trouble and found himself in jail for a bit, gambling and tax fraud isn’t a good mix. During his time Mammon found himself getting prison tattoos and even taught himself how to tattoo. Something that honestly was encouraged because if it allowed him to have a skill he could use once he was out then it was a skill worth him learning.

Once Mammon was released, he found he still had a gambling problem. Lucifer allowed him to crash on his couch and Diavolo put him through the wringer but told Mammon if he could prove himself he earned himself a spot at RAD and Mammon passed with flying colors.

Mammon’s tattoos are old school and traditional but have a uniqueness to them because of where he learned his skill set. It’s also evident in how Mammon moves around the piece and even how he holds his equipment. Mammon isn’t a fan of piercings, “they hurt too much!” “You have tattoos on YOUR FACE!” He does have his tongue and septum pierced though.

Third is Leviathan, an otaku but has beautiful Japanese-style tattoos. Even went abroad to Japan to learn about tattooing. In between appointments you can find him either watching anime or playing some game on his phone. Levi had his tongue pierced for a bit but went ahead and committed to having his tongue split. Definitely talked Diavolo into having a fish tank and Levi own reptiles (Is this important to the story? Not really but good to know)

The fourth is Asmodeus. He is the head piercer at RAD and it shows. Asmodeus only has tattoos on his fingers and they are small dots, very minimalist. He also helps Barbatos with receptionist duties. Loves wearing crop tops to show off his belly ring. And flirts with everyone, mainly because it hard to be nervous when you have such a gorgeous person flirting with you.

Finally, the last two “brothers” are the only ones that are related. The twins, Beelzebub and Belphegor. Their style of tattoos are the complete opposite. While Beelzebub focuses on lots of colors, Belphegor works in black and white with maybe one or two colors. Beelzebub is really fit and has full sleeves on both arms and one leg. Belphegor has both hands tattooed and one-half sleeve. He has a hard time finding and committing to a tattoo design, so he waits until it’s perfect. He also is one of the only people Diavolo knows that can fall asleep while being tattooed, it’s quite impressive.

Then you have the current interns Solomon and Simeon (and MC if you want to include them) The application process was intense and it means something to be an intern at RAD because you are honestly learning from the best and learning multiple different styles and perspectives.

Solomon is learning how to pierce too if it’s because of the attraction to the head piercer well no one needs to know about that. While Simeon is strictly doing tattoos and focuses on traditional styles, nothing too modern and not too many colors/ complex colors; “You can’t use the color straight from the tube Simeon, that’s just not right!”

Simeon is the legal guardian to his godson Luke, who is constantly found at the shop too. Energetic and loves to draw then show it off to everyone. Simeon is a little old to be an intern but Diavolo took the chance with him. Something Lucifer disagrees with.

“Wasn’t he apart of your family at one point?” Diavolo asked at some point

“Yes, but he was adopted. We are brothers no more”. was Lucifer’s only response, and didn’t talk any further on the topic.

That’s all I have at this point, but it’s a lot and I just need it in my life. Someone help me do punk edits of the boys. Like maybe I’ll write a small piece on it eventually, but this could easily turn into a huge work that I don’t currently have the time to plan or write. Because tbh I would make DiaLuci a thing for sure, but add Simbarb and Solodeus just for fun or have them as a side relationship.

#obey me #yuki speaks #yuki rambles #Yuki Writes!#yuki writes #tattoo shop AU!#Please someone indulge me in something #im sorry how much I wrote #but you don't understand #I planned this all out at work #and that 6 hours of world building

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my-lady-knight · 3 years

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Favorite Reads of 2020

I take back everything I said last year about how 2019 was a comparatively bad reading year for me. 2020 was even worse. I only read 48 books, I could barely focus on reading even when I did find a book I liked, and, just like last year, I ended up with fewer favorites than usual. Starting in August I’ve been having trouble reading any written media that isn’t TOG fic. And some of my eagerly awaited releases by favorite authors ended up being disappointments (Deeplight by Frances Hardinge and Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee).

2020—the year that keeps on giving.

I sincerely hope 2021 will be a better year in all respects, including my reading habits, but, as with everything else, who knows.

Regardless, here’s my list of favorite reads of 2020, in chronological order of when I read them:

Network Effect by Martha Wells

I’d read the first four Murderbot Diaries novellas when they first came out and enjoyed them, but I didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with them. Maybe because they were novellas, and too short to get fully invested? Possibly. As it turns out, Network Effect is the novel-length fifth entry in the Murderbot Diaries that turned me into full-on squeeing fan—SecUnit, aka Murderbot, continues to be its delightfully acerbic, antisocial self, SPOILER makes another appearance and oh how I’d missed this character, the supporting cast is fun and endearing, and the novel-length story means there’s time and space for the brand-new corporate espionage/colonization/alien civilization murder mystery to unfold and spread its wings. (Sounds like a Sanctuary Moon plot tbh). SecUnit is possibly my favorite non-human fictional character atm, and I am now fully on-board for every and any new story in the series.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

When I first heard about this book and read the words “time travel romance”, I immediately went, “Nope, not gonna read.” I don’t like reading time travel stories, and honestly, I was imagining it to be something like The Time Traveler’s Wife, which granted I haven’t read but also sounds like it’d be the opposite of my cup of tea.

And then I went to a reading where Amal and Max took turns reading chapters – letters written by Red and Blue, enemy agents who repeatedly taunt and thwart the other’s plans to ensure their side is the one to win the time war and who can’t resist smugly outlining just how they’re staying one step ahead of the other – and the prose was witty and gorgeous and clever and intricate, and Red and Blue were snarky and arrogant and talented and fun. I had to read it. And I ended up loving it, this enemies-to-lovers story that is a meld of fantasy and science fiction such that they’re indistinguishable from the other, where the past is as equally fantastical and alien and imaginary as the future, where Red and Blue’s power play transforms into something different and scarier and more intimate than either of them imagined.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers has done it again, writing a gentle, hopeful story about humans working together out of a share a love and fascination for scientific exploration and wonder for all the possibilities the entirety of space can hold. With the advent of both space travel and technology that alters human physiology to allow them to survive otherwise inhospitable environments, a team of four astronauts and scientists have embarked on a mission to ecologically survey four distant planets and the life forms that inhabit them, from the microscopic to the multicellular—not to conquer, but to record and to learn and to share the gathered knowledge with the rest of Earth. In the meantime, lightyears away, Earth is going through decades without them, and the four of them must also contend with a planet that may have forgotten their existence—or that’s abandoned the entire space and scientific exploration program.

Reading Becky Chambers is the literary equivalent of sitting down with a warm mug of my favorite tea on a bad day – I always feel better at the end and like I can imagine a future where humanity does all the wonderful things we’re capable of doing.

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker

I started reading this book right as NYC was gearing up to go into lockdown, which should have made this a terrible choice to continue reading since part of the premise is that a combo of multiple stochastic terror attacks and a brand-new, deadly plague upend the world as everyone knows it by causing the U.S. to pass laws that keep people physically apart in public for their own safety and make concerts, theatre, and any other kind of artistic gathering obsolete.

But that’s largely just the set-up, and the real story is that of Luce Cannon, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who played the last major concert in the before times who twenty years later performs in illegal underground concerts, and Rosemary, a younger music-lover who’s only lived in the after-times, and who’s taken a new job scouting out talent to add to the premier virtual entertainment company’s roster of simulated concerts.

It’s a love letter to live music and what it feels like to connect and build community via music in unusual and strange and scary times, the energy involved in making music for yourself, for an audience, exploring the world around you, imagining and advocating for a better tomorrow, and embracing the fear, the possibility, and the power of change, both good and bad. This was the book I needed to read at the beginning of the pandemic, and I’m thankful I ended up doing so.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 edited by John Joseph Adams and Carmen Maria Machado

When I end up loving half of the stories in an anthology and greatly enjoying all but two of the rest, that’s the equivalent of a literary blue moon for me. My favorites included the following;

"Pitcher Plant" by Adam-Troy Castro

"Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women" by Theodore McCombs

"Variations on a Theme from Turandot" by Ada Hoffmann

"Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good" by LaShawn M. Wanak

"The Kite Maker" by Brenda Peynado

"The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by P. Djèlí Clark

"Dead Air" by Nino Cipri

"Skinned" by Lesley Nneka Arimah

"Godmeat" by Martin Cahill

"On the Day You Spend Forever with Your Dog" by Adam R. Shannon

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

No one is more surprised than me that Harrow is on this list, given that I am one of approximately three people in the universe who did not unequivocally love Gideon the Ninth.

And yet the sequel worked for me.

Maybe because this time I already knew and was used to the way the world and the Houses worked, and I knew to not take anything I read for granted because I could be guaranteed to have the rug pulled out from under me without even realizing. Maybe Harrow’s countdown/amnesia mystery worked better for me than Gideon’s locked room mystery. Maybe the cast of characters was more manageable and fewer of them were getting murdered left and right before I got a chance to get used to them (and some of them even came back!) Maybe it’s that Harrow blew open the potential and possibilities Gideon hinted at and capitalized on just how fucking weird and mind-blowing the whole premise is in a way that felt incredibly and viscerally satisfying.

Also SPOILER happens three-quarters of the way through. That was pretty fucking awesome.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

P. Djélí Clark is a master of melding history and fantasy in ways that are in turn imaginative and clever (his fantastical alternate-history, early 20th-century Egyptian novel A Master of Djinn is one of the books I’m most looking forward to in 2021), while also using fantasy to be frank and incisive about the history of American antiblack racism (as in the above linked story in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019). Ring Shout combines the late-nineteenth and early 20th-century history of the rise and normalization of the KKK with Lovecraftian supernatural horror, in which the release of The Birth of a Nation summoned literal monsters (called Ku Kluxes) that became part of the KKK’s ranks. Maryse Boudreaux is a Black woman who’s part of a grassroots organization hunting both the monsters and the human members in order to keep the Klan at bay. However, there’s soon to be another summoning ritual atop Stone Mountain that will unleash even more Ku Kluxes into the world, and Maryse and her friends are running out of time to prevent it from happening.

Maryse is a fantastic character, as are her two friends—brash, unapologetic Sadie and WWI veteran, weapons expert Chef—her mentor and leader of the Ring Shout group Nana Jean, and all the other members of the group who work and fight together as a team and a family. Maryse’s past and the journey she goes on in the book to uncover the truth and stop the summoning is harrowing and heart-stopping, the supernatural elements are both horrific in and of themselves while also undergirding the real-life horror of the KKK and the hatred they engender. It’s smart, it’s fun, it’s eye-opening, and it’s also being turned into a TV show starring KiKi Layne. It’s really, really good.

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

“Stick to the brief.” This is the maxim given to Dietz and all the other soldiers who join the war against Mars, where soldiers are broken down into light to travel to and from their assigned battlefields instantaneously. Only Dietz isn’t experiencing the jumps like everyone else – Dietz, like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five, has become unstuck in time and is experiencing all the battles in the mission briefs out of chronological order, to the point that Dietz starts to build a picture of a war and a reality that’s been sold to Dietz and everyone else on Earth as pure fiction.

I’ve always appreciated Kameron Hurley’s stories, but this is the first book where she fully succeeded at writing the book she set out to write—it’s fast-paced science fiction thriller in the form of a loaded gun that takes brutal aim at late-stage capitalism, modern military warfare and the dehumanization of everyone involved on all sides, the greed of ungovernable governing corporations, nationalistic and military propaganda, the mythology of citizenship and inalienable rights, and it’s viscerally bloody and violent without being grotesque in the way all of Kameron Hurley’s books are. Especially important for me, I loved that Dietz went through the entire book not being gendered in any way, shape, or form (those last five pages didn’t exist, what are you talking about), and I love in general that Kameron Hurley is committed to writing non-male characters who aren’t less violent or fucked-up or morally superior to men just because they’re not men.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Middle grade is a hard sell for me these days, as are books in verse, and I wouldn’t have known this book existed if it weren’t for the Ignyte Award nomination list earlier this year. As it turns out, this book, the story of Jude, a pre-teen girl who wants to be an actress who leaves Syria and the encroaching civil war with her mom to go live in the U.S. with her uncle and his white wife and their daughter while her dad and older brother stay behind, is full of beauty, curiosity, humor, confusion, grief, pain, and joy, and the poetic prose is both lyrical, nuanced, and perfectly fitted to Jude’s voice. I devoured this book in one day, which is the quickest amount of time it took me to read any book this year, including novellas.

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

The first book Darius the Great Is Not Okay was one of my favorite books in 2018, and I’m ecstatic that the sequel is equally as amazing.

It’s been approximately half a year since Darius went to Iran, met his maternal grandparents in person for the first time, and found his best friend in Sohrab, and in that time he’s come out as gay, joined the soccer team, got an internship at his favorite tea shop, and started dating for the first time. Darius is also working through some things though—when and if he wants to have sex with his boyfriend, his grandfather’s worsening illness, his dad’s recent depressive episode, his emotionally distant paternal grandmothers on his coming for an extended stay, the fact that he’s getting to know and growing closer with one of his teammates who’s best friends with Darius’s years-long bully, and a bunch else.

Darius the Great Deserves Better has the same tender and vulnerable emotional intimacy as the first book, more conversations over tea, new instances involving the mortifying ordeal of being a cis guy with a penis, even more Star Trek metaphors, and so much growth for Darius as he works through a lot of hard situations and feelings, and strengthens his relationships with all of the people in his life he loves and cares about. I can’t think of any other book that’s like these two books, and I love and treasure them dearly.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I had zero awareness of this book until a bunch of SFF authors started praising it on Twitter a couple months before the release date, and I was intrigued enough to get a copy from the library. I loved this book. I happened to be reading it right at the time of the presidential election, and it phenomenally served the purpose of desperately-needed distraction from the agony of waiting out the ballot counts.

It’s book about the power behind borders, citizenship, exploitation, and imperialism, set in a late-late-stage capitalist future, in which a prodigy invented the means to access and travel to slightly divergent parallel universes to grab resources and data – but only if the other universe’s version of “you” isn’t there. It’s the story of a woman named Cara – poor, brown, born in the wastelands outside the shelter, security, and citizenship privileges of Wiley City – who’s comfortably employed to travel to all the parallel worlds no one else can visit, because all her counterparts in those worlds are dead from one of the myriad ways Cara herself could have died growing up. It’s the story of Cara traversing the muddied boundaries between her old life and her new one, the similarities and differences between her own life and that of her counterparts, as well as the figures of power who defined and shaped her and her counterparts’ existences, and solving a mystery involving the unexplained deaths of several of her counterparts and the man who invented multiverse technology.

It’s a story of the permeability of selfhood and self-determination, and complexity of power dynamics of all kinds – interpersonal, familial, collegial, intimate – and the interplay between violence and stability and identity, and how one can be both powerful and powerless in the same dynamic. It’s a story with literary sensibilities that is unequivocally science fiction, written with laser-precise prose that flays Cara open and puts her back together again.

I worry this description makes this book sound dry and removed when reading this book made me feel like I was coming alive every time I delved back into it. This is a book I cannot wait to reread again to experience the brilliance and skill and thoughtfulness and emotion of Micaiah Johnson’s writing. I have no clue what, if anything, she’s writing next, but I have a new favorite author.

Honorable Mentions

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Stormsong by C. L. Polk

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (I feel bad putting it here and not in the first list – it is undeniably a modern classic and a brilliantly crafted book! But I had zero interest in any of the Italy chapters, and I found the way he finally figured out how to access fairy magic by essentially making himself mad to be both disappointing and narratively unsatisfying.)

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

For my yearly stats on books written by POC authors, in 2020 I read a total of 24 books (one of which was co-authored by a white author), which is fewer than last year (30). However, because I also read fewer books this year overall, this is the first year ever that I achieved exactly 50-50 parity between books written by POC and white authors. I honestly wasn’t expecting this to happen, as I stopped paying deliberate attention somewhere around April or May. Looking over my Goodreads, the month of September ended up doing a lot of heavy lifting, since that’s when I read several books by POC authors in a row for the Ignyte Award nomination period. But also, it does look like the five or so years of purposefully aiming for 50-50 parity have materially affected my reading habits, by which I mean even when I’m not keeping my year’s count in mind, I’m still more likely to pick up a book by a POC author than I was five years ago when I had never kept track at all. My goal for next year is to once again achieve 50-50 parity and to not backslide.

#long post #book recommendations #book recs #favorite books of 2020

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spockandawe · 4 years

Text

Okay, I want to pull together more detailed thoughts at some point, I think, because the sheer amount of material means I have about ten billion thoughts to sort out. But I’ve read all three of the mxtx novels now, and loved all of them, in different ways. Though I already tried to figure out if I can pick a Favorite, and tbh, I can’t. I love them all in ways that are too distinct to let me rank them easily. And... man, it’s lucky for my friends that social distancing is in place, or I’d be hassling them shamelessly to give these novels a try.

RIGHT. So.

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Shen Yuan goes to bed full of rage directed at a trashy webnovel with a grimdark blackened hero who conquered the world and collected hundreds of women into his harem.... and wakes up in novel, while that hero is still an innocent youth. As the hero’s abusive teacher. Who is doomed for a horrifying death unless he can somehow turn things around.

I think I had the most fun with this one. I really enjoy self-referential stories, and stories poking fun at certain genres, and I’ve run into the concept of transmigration before (the idea being a person enters a fictional world, a la lost in austen), though I’m blanking on any media like that I’ve actually consumed. This was chronologically the first book mxtx wrote, and it has less of a sprawling cast with complicated relationships than the other two books, but it definitely has the thing where she lays early groundwork for later revelations that shatter my poor heart.

And there may be fewer relationships to play with, but my GOD, do I love the relationships we got. I’ve been rolling around in svsss fanfic since I finished the book, even more so than mdzs or tgcf. There’s a lot of good crunchy relationship content with the 79 ship (they destroy me, all day every day), Liu Qingge owns my whole-ass heart, and Luo Binghe makes for a fascinating love interest. I love that even at his best, he remains a needy, needy, manipulative boy, who’s so smart and strong and nEEDY. I don’t love how the book handled moshang, but mmmm the fan content is Good. And Shen Qingqiu does the unreliable narrator thing that is usually not my jam, but works so WELL in these books, in that his unreliable narration is hugely skewed towards not giving himself nearly as much credit as he deserves. Xie Lian takes this to UNBELIEVABLE heights in tgcf, but in Shen Qingqiu’s case, it’s done on such a casual, immediate, personal level that I’m fascinated by everything he does.

And, since Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu is a millennial fan of trashy romance webnovels who gets yanked into the universe of a novel he hates, into an old-timey xianxia setting, the prose is SO COOL. You swing between modern slang and old school high society courtesies at the drop of a hat, and I’m honestly awed that the translators were able to catch so much of that. Like, in-setting, I love all the nuance you can get in ‘qi-ge should give his a-jiu the scroll’ vs ‘yue-shixiong should give this teacher the scroll’ vs ‘you should give me the scroll’. But then it adds a whole new layer when the person ALSO has modern-day casual speech bouncing around in their head. It makes for a fascinating, fascinating reading experience.

The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation: Thirteen years ago, Wei Wuxian died. And then he wakes up! In someone else’s body. I’m not going to try to summarize the premise of this one, go look up The Untamed if you want someone to do a better job of this than me XD

Ahhh, this was the book I read first. I still haven’t watched the show (only clips) and I’m not sure I ever will, because adhd is a hell of a drug. But it’s hard to purely evaluate the prose when there’s also this gorgeous, beautifully-acted visual adaptation all over my tumblr to bias me in its favor. I think this book benefits a lot from the MYSTERY of it all. From the very start, there’s the question of ‘what the fuck is up with this goddamn arm’ that the characters pursue, even as that takes them through flashbacks and other arcs within the story. It gives a thrust to the novel that I think isn’t exactly there in tgcf, though I’m torn on which one is “better.” This gave the story momentum, yes, but it also meant I was much more impatient in yi city and the 3zun flashbacks, because this isn’t what I was focused onnnnnn this is cool but how much longer will we BE HERE--

That being said, I think I’ll be more patient with those flashbacks on my next time through the book, now that I have a better picture of where everything is headed. I think the balance and structure of the book worked really well, I was setting myself up for self-sabotage because of the pace I was plowing through the thing. My reading habits didn’t lend themselves well to the nonlinear storytelling, and it speaks to the story’s strength that it held up that well despite me. And the CAST. My GOD. I went in not caring about anyone but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and maybe the jackass nephew, but... that Did Not Last. I didn’t intend to care about 3zun? Nope, too bad, you care so much now. Who cares about Xue Yang? Me. I care. Way too much. HECK!!!

And something that happens in this book and tgcf that was much less of a thing in svsss is that there are some meaningful holes in the story that I’d like to be filled, and I really care about filling-- and the story doesn’t go there. But it doesn’t leave me unhappy, it leaves me cheerfully scrabbling around in the throwaway details trying to piece together a picture of what happened when I wasn’t looking. What happened to Wei Wuxian in the burial mounds? How did Hua Cheng take control of the ghost city? Idk, but let us Rummage and theorize and roll around in ideas and have a fantastic, speculative time. Svsss might hook me more than the other stories from an au+shipping perspective, but mdzs and tgcf do a great job of making me want to roll around and create within the bounds of canon.

Heaven Official’s Blessing: 800 years ago, Xie Lian ascended to heaven. And fell. And rose again! And fell again. Now he’s ascended for the third time, and things are Awkward.

God, I just finished this, and I’m still reeling. This is the LONGEST mxtx book, that’s for sure. I also think it’s the most tightly edited translation. All the translators did an unbelievable job, I could never even approach what they accomplished, but I am genuinely stunned that a book this long was edited so well. I blew through this in about 3.5 days (if not for work, i could have made it in three dghsafdsgf) and my brain was cooking in my skull by the time I was halfway through, but I couldn’t STOP. I was ENCHANTED the entire time! I was reading so much my head was destroying me and I still sulked so HARD every time I had to put my phone down and sleep.

This book sprawls the hardest, I think, because it involves a cast made of mostly immortal/immortal-adjacent people, so time and space get... flexible. And I feel really bad saying this, because Lan Wangji is DEVOTED, but this is seriously the book with the most attentive and adoring and respectful love interest. Hua Cheng is..... god. I truly don’t think I’ve EVER read a character quite like him before, and I am so, so sad, because I don’t know how I’ll find one who lives up to these heights ever again XD I recommend reading this book just for the Hua Cheng experience, if nothing else. I was making audible noises at literally flailing at multiple points in the story, but most often, it was because of him.

Shipping is what usually drags me into a fandom hardest, and all of these books do pretty well for themselves, all of them have a nice selection of fluffy and crunchy ships to choose from. And this one... goddammit. I just realized, that the best, most crunchy ships are too spoilery for me to be willing to talk about them here. Hell. Goddammit. But I think tgcf has the crunchiest ship of all, even better than xuexiao. I was so invested, and then there were Reveals, and then I was like OH NO THIS IS TERRIBLE BUT MY INVESTMENT HAS EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED.

And something that I really, really appreciate, is that across the mxtx books, even though a lot of characters fit into strong archetypes, there’s nobody that is blurring together for me, either within or across the books. Liu Qingge isn’t Jiang Cheng isn’t Feng Xin. They’re all blunt, fighty boys, but all super distinct in my head, and what I want for each of them is distinct and character-driven. I want Liu Qingge to be properly cherished and I want Jiang Cheng to relax with his brother and nephew and I want Feng Xin to [goddammit i don’t want to spoil this book AGH]. It’s something I appreciated in the other books too, but I can really FEEL it in this book, with how long and luxurious it is.

And last thing I have to say, I think, is that tgcf is so long. It’s so, so long. But I would FITE if anyone tried to pare it down at all. I can’t think of anything I’d be willing to sacrifice. I enjoyed every last piece of it so much, and it was all ultimately SO well-constructed and interlocking, that any piece I can think of snipping out would take away significant emotional impact from what was left. It’s a nonlinear story, like mdzs is nonlinear, and I loved mdzs a lot! But the construction here is so, so, so elegant. I’m just in AWE of how well it was assembled. I was in Agony as reveals happened, because oh no no no no, now that they’ve told me this, that casts this whole other scene in a brand new light! The one I read hundreds of thousands of words ago! Literally, I need to go start the book over so I can savor the shitty teens in new ways, given [redacted] as revealed in like, the last twenty percent of the book. The book was a fun experience, but there’s so Much here that I know I haven’t even absorbed yet. I loved the other mxtx books a lot, and in many ways, they were easier to get a grasp on than tgcf was, but even before I finished tgcf I was already despairingly trying to figure out how easily I could fit a full reread into my life, and I think that says a lot

#tgcf #mdzs #svsss #long post/#[sad journaling noises as i realize that whatever ridiculous wordcount tgcf has still only counts as one completed book on my list]#i need to get an actual wordcount at some point #then stack up enough physical books to visually represent each of these monsters #i know i read a lot #enough that i very much want to know *how much* i read #because CHRIST

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years

Text

November 3: Election Day

I’m going to try to block social media tonight because my anxiety was already pretty bad last night and I just... need to take care of myself. So, just a quick note now.

I went to vote at about 11 or so. I’ve never had a bad experience voting here so I wasn’t too worried, especially since I figured there’d be even fewer people than normal with so much early voting. And it went fine. There was one person just ahead of me and one behind, and a few other people hanging around, plus the workers and poll watchers. No one weird. They had a lot of covid precautions in place: the usual floor markings and mask requirements, plus pens you could take with you, and a system for checking id’s that did not require anyone to touch the id (you had to put it on a piece of paper, and then the poll worker just touched the paper). The booths were arranged a little differently, I guess to make social distancing easier? But there were so few people voting, it wasn’t hard to find a spot away from the others.

The poll worker at the entrance seemed kind of nervous. I thought I heard him say something like “Can we count on your vote?” and I had a mini-crisis, thinking he was trying to campaign?? (Though for who, I don’t even know lol.) He might have been saying something like “Are you here to vote?” (duh) or he might have been making a joke? I don’t really know.

He said that 60% of the precinct had voted early and that there hadn’t been any big rushes of in person voters. The most they had at once was 15 people, early in the morning. According to the news, 73% of registered voters in the county had voted by noon, so that’s pretty good, I think. (This was in an article about “slightly malfunctioning” voting machines that were getting fucked up from all the cleaning--so that’s encouraging lol.) (This area uses paper ballots but they’re read by a machine.)

The actual process of voting wasn’t as exciting as in previous elections. I really cared about the candidate I voted for in the primaries, and this time... it wasn’t a clothespin vote per se but I just felt very much like I was doing what I had to do and hoping it would be enough. Not an inspired feeling. I felt more excited voting for my district candidate (the one whose tweet got picked up and carried all the way to my tumblr dash, and who also left some campaign literature at my apartment, which looked good) (I am soooo informed lmao), because the incumbent sucks and I would really like to see this guy win. I don’t really think he will but I’m hopeful.

There were also two constitutional amendments on the ballot and I was excited to vote in favor of a redistricting commission. My former election law professor wrote an op-ed in favor of it and honestly I’ve been pro-commission since that very same election law class. So that was cool, I hope that works out.

After voting, I went downtown for the first time in a while... probably the first time I’d been there in the afternoon since February tbh. I went to my favorite coffee place (which was closed when I was last wandering about because it was a Sunday after five), and I had a delicious drink that was like butter nut pecan or something weird? But it had a lot of caffeine in it and was delicious. They still had their giant spider decorations up for Halloween. And I’d just missed the atmosphere so much. I will say...the structure of the shop is not conducive to social distancing. It’s small, it’s popular, the tables are crowded together, and the ordering is set up so that there isn’t a lot of space for the line to go. Like it can feel claustrophobic sometimes even in non-pandemic conditions. So I was a little nervous. I did the best I could though. I sat outside, and after I ate the yogurt parfait I’d bought, I kept my mask on unless I was actively drinking, and there wasn’t anyone directly next to me. But still. I was right by the door. There were a lot of people out because it’s a gorgeous day.

I didn’t really accomplish anything other than voyeuring on the dog next to me (a very easily upset pit bull mix who would cry every time “the love of his life” wasn’t interacting with him), and obsessing about random writing projects. But I do this on purpose you know: obsess over writing stuff so I don’t go down an anxiety death spiral about Other Stuff. Before all the holiday exchanges and events start, I want to make serious progress on an old WIP. We’ll see how that actually goes.

Anyway now I really do need to do laundry... it’s already past 4 and somehow that means it will be dark soon. Such a pain. But I need the distraction and I need some more clean clothes so. Laundry I shall do.

#the year 2020 #2020: rl #election 2020 #politics

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luccislegs · 4 years

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aaaaaaaa the Roger/Reader/Rogue was so beutifulllll how dare you do this to me and make me ugly sob. I like both versions but this one is just so bitter sweet and I'll love it ;^; Would it be too much to ask for a third just to finish off the triangle? xD ie, Roger and Rouge where toghther before Reader. (and maybe Rouge as a pirate as well or somthing simlar since its fun to make up a backround for her other then civilan)? Also with Reader also not being round for Ace cuz im mean ~cute anonz

i realized as i was editing this i should’ve killed him off but too late tbh. i don’t feel like rewriting a ¼ of this so enjoy this lol

When you met Rouge and Roger, you were instantly smitten. They were both so stunning as they stepped off their ship, like a king and a queen, and you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. When they turned their attention to you, you thought for sure they were going to tell you off for staring.

But to your surprise, Roger approached and offered for you to come join them at the bar they were heading too, a knowing glint in his eye. Rouge’s arm wrapped around yours, and that was the end of it.

The few days they were docked at your island was spent in your company, whether in your bed or sightseeing, for which you were more than happy to play tour guide. There wasn’t a lot to show, but they seemed keenly interested anyway.

When they left, they promised to return but gave no time, and you missed them desperately for the few months they were gone. You weren’t sure if they meant it when they said they would come visit again, so you moved on with your life as best you could, but found yourself watching for them on the horizon from time to time.

They did return almost 6 months later, looking as lively and gorgeous as ever. Roger swept you up in a hug the instant he caught sight of you, and Rouge placed a gentle kiss on your cheek. The other villagers were giving them cautious looks and whispered behind their backs. It soon became apparent that their unease was spreading to you, and when Roger realized it, he offered for you to come with them.

You didn’t accept the offer right away. As much as you would have liked to, you weren’t sure if you really wanted the life of a pirate. But as the villagers became colder, the prospect seemed more and more appealing, until you finally gave in and left with them on their last day docked.

Watching your island grow smaller in the distance left a bitter taste in your mouth, until the warmth of Roger and Rouge at your sides overwhelmed it and you turned, ready to face the future with them.

It would turn out to be a short lived adventure, as hortly after you joined, Roger fell ill. At first, it seemed like it was just a cold, but after that he seemed to keep getting sick, with fewer bouts of wellness in between.

It wasn’t long after that that he decided you were going to sail to the end of the Grand Line.

You and Rouge were desperately concerned, and Crocus, whom you picked up at the start of the whole voyage, had no answer beyond he was unable to cure it.

Doctors on the islands you docked at were at as much of a loss as yours, but all of them came to the same conclusion. Roger was going to die.

The crew seemed to take on a frantic need for reaching the end of the Grand Line, and Roger seemed to do better for a little while. Upon reaching the island, he named it Laugh Tale and you and Rouge could see a little of the old spark return to him. It was around that same time that Crocus found Rouge to be pregnant, and you and Roger couldn’t have been happier.

Under no circumstances was Rouge to be outed as being pregnant. At that point Roger knew he was the number one enemy of the World Government, and it didn’t matter that the child could just as well be yours. They would be killed for the mere possibility of being related to Roger. And since you and Rouge were notoriously known along with Roger, he wouldn’t be any safer with you.

The rest of the Roger Pirates made it their life’s mission to protect Rouge and her unborn child. Not a breath was breathed outside of the ship, and only the Crocus was allowed to examine her.

After only a month, Roger’s illness came to the point that he knew something had to change. The announcement came directly on the heels of his divulging it to you. Both you and Rouge were still reeling from it as he explained it to the rest of the crew, and within a few weeks, it was only you, Rouge, and Roger left.

Crocus was the last to go, doing everything in his power to make sure Roger lived long enough to see his end goal fulfilled before departing.

You and Rouge spent too much time and wasted too much breath trying to change his mind, even though you knew he was right. It took a little while for you to come to terms with it, and then you agreed to his plan.

It almost killed you, but Roger knew that Rouge’s– and therefore your unborn child’s– best chances of avoiding being caught were to lead the Marines astray. With Roger turning himself in and distracting them, Rouge could disappear amidst the chaos and if you were to pop back up after Roger’s death and distract them further, Rouge would be able to safely have the child without Marines breathing down her neck.

That was the plan anyway. What Roger didn’t tell you was his plan to tell Garp, and have him intercede in the case that something happened to Rouge. In his defense, he really didn’t think anything would happen, but they somehow caught wind of Rouge being pregnant, and she was forced to hand him off before leading the Marines astray, and lost her life in the process.

You didn’t find out until well after her death that it had even happened, and Garp hid his involvement so well that you were unable to track down little Ace.

After a few months, you realized it was fruitless as well as probably for the best. Ace was likely alive because, child or not, the World Government would have announced they caught the last of Roger’s line. If you were to pop up wherever he was at, you could lead them to him and that would be the end of it.

Nonetheless, you kept your eyes peeled for anyone that could be your son.

After all, there was no way that you wouldn’t recognize someone related to the two people you loved most in the world.

#gol d. roger #gol d. roger x reader #portgas d. rouge #portgas d. rouge x reader #gol d. roger x portgas d. rouge #gol d. roger x reader x portgas d. rouge #one piece headcanons

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the-darklings · 5 years

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[thank you for the 4k!];

Wow. I always feel such a deep sense of shock whenever I have to make one of these posts. These last few months have been crazy to put it simply, and with fewer fics and my changing interests, I never expected so many of you to stick around and actually follow this blog. I’m so lucky to have so many of you with me, and I’m incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. Your support is always overwhelming and even though I’m terrible at keeping on top of everything, please know that I am immensely grateful for each and every like/comment/reblog/message on my fics.

So in order to celebrate this amazing milestone, and to bring the more active flow of fics on this blog, I’m officially bringing back the nightly drabbles. My DBH followers will be more familiar with these but essentially over the span of this month, I’m challenging myself to write 22 drabbles based on this prompt list.

So what can you expect:

semi-daily drabbles (usually around 1k give or take)

fandoms: DBH (rejoice~), RDR2, and Marvel (yes, to all of you who have been asking me/eagerly waiting for me to write for Marvel, it’s finally happening. I’m going to be using this celebration as a stepping stone/testing of waters so to speak)

ideally, I want to do/finish these throughout February but it might take me slightly longer

drabbles will not be split equally (5 for dbh, 5 for rdr etc) because I will write each drabble depending on what character that particular prompt reminds me of/inspires me. Some characters that are expected to make an appearance, however: Connor, Nines, Arthur Morgan, Bucky, Loki etc.

please feel free to leave any other suggestions for this celebration because I would be happy to hear your thoughts.

And finally, under the cut, I'm taking a chance to gush about some awesome friends I have made on this hellsite. So thank you, once again, to all of you for supporting me and reading my stories in ‘18/’19. You’re all incredible! <33

Firstly, to my friends:

@ilikecheesecakeforbreakfast oh man...where do I even start with you, Ali? My good soldier, I’ve never expected to meet someone as awesome and funny on this hellsite but here we are months later and I’m so grateful to have met you. Thank you for putting up with my mood swings, whining, and all the good and bad in between. Thank you for your art, thank you for staying up with me till 5am to talk about trashy ships, and crying over Arthur Morgan. Here’s to making this piggie our this year, pal! *jets down*

@drmsqnc Vina. My sweet, sweet angel. You’re one of my oldest friends on here and I appreciate you so much. I love the fact that sometimes we can go days (even weeks) without chatting but then we can crash into each other’s DMs and it’s never awkward. Your writing skills honestly blow my mind; your fics are so atmospheric and prose lyrical, I’m pretty sure you’re not human most days. Your blog?? Aesthetics goals and just ahhh, you’re amazing!

@deviantramblings Laurennnn. I’m so happy I got to know you better over these last few months. You’re an amazing person with so much talent it blows my mind. I’m glad to chat with you because you’re always so open-minded, and I respect you so much as a person who is passionate about so many things, and always SO supportive. You make me smile a lot, so thank you for being here for me <33

@malanoches Angel. You’re an amazing, brave, incredibly talented person. I told you before how much I appreciate your presence in my life and how much more aware you make me of certain issues now. I admire your passion, I admire your wild spirit that burns so bright I’m in awe of it. Your writing is a blessing to this hellsite so thank you for working so hard on it. I’m glad to call you friend. <33

@sunstrain Oh Bai. Hi. You’re the new addition to this list but I’m honestly so damn grateful I stumbled upon your fic that day. You’re so talented, so funny, and just overall a wonderful person. You’re a beautiful individual both inside and out, and I’m glad so glad to call you my friend. Your tags are always so funny, so thank you for making me laugh with them at the most inappropriate times.

@connorshero Sadie, oh my sweet Sadie. I know you think you’re mean but honestly?? You’re one of the nicest people I have ever interacted with on this hellsite. Your sweet messages always brighten my day and I love seeing you on my dash. Your writing? Honestly, you could be writing about rocks and I would still love and enjoy it. Never stop sharing your talent with us, please. Love ya bean!

@thedragonkween Oh, Angie...the true Queen of aesthetics and amazing writing. You’re so talented and such a kindhearted person, seeing you on my dash always makes me laugh. Also, I kin your tags more than I would care to admit because they are just that good. You’re amazing and it’s always nice to have another European gal around <33

@hades-ii Yue. I didn’t think so much talent could fit into one person tbh. Amazing writing, incredible and unique ideas AND brilliant and graphic design?? You blow my mind honestly. Your blog is so gorgeous it makes me cry, and you’re an overall incredible person. I can’t wait for the Grisha show so we both can cry over the Darkling together.

Secondly, to some of the most amazing followers who I always see sneaking into my notifications (or leaving me supportive messages, or mutuals who I don’t talk to as much). I’m so sorry if I forget to mention you, trust me, I’ll probably see your name later, and go ‘oh crap, forgot them’ but honestly?? I could tag you all even though that would take me a while:

@moonlace @dragonfruitdingus @supernatralysupernatural @teigra @rosesaregayy @but-who-saves-you @glitterlizardstuff @esylveon @seasalt-seaweed-goddess @coolmaybelateruniverse @coffeeandmusicinthemorning @sophiealivy68 @geronimo-11 @mynahx3 @negotiator-on-site @wrinkledparchment @blue--blushes @marvelousmorales @thirium-ink @dbh-connor-rk800 @shadows-echoes @deviancy-wasteland @maiden-of-gondor @the-kryomancer @lavenderstages @writinginstability @winterofherdiscontent @littlexmissxmischief @pandemoniumambassador @mywinterivy @dis-weird-girl-over-here @sadroomba @super-flamin-hot-cheetos @idacecyliajadwiga @tropfenlady @fusrobruh @honest-good @negative-blackbird @icecoldsoul1987 @hey-there-cowboy @delightfully-anonymous

#thank you times a MILLION honestly #you guys are incredible <33 #kat speaks #4k celebration

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idealisticrealism · 6 years

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Blindspot 3x04 recap

Aka ‘You probably should have just watched 3x03 again, Laura’

Okay, clearly I don’t do well with deadlines. Despite having 2 weeks to do it, I’m still doing this last minute, so it’s gonna be a fairly short one. Not to mention that this wasn’t exactly my favourite episode, so I may have fewer thoughts about it than others... but there’s definitely a few thoughts I do wanna share, so here goes.

At first I thought that little girl was Alice but then realised all the many reasons why that made no sense. Instead we get introduced to a bomber guy who is clearly gonna be relevant to the ep despite just seemingly blowing himself up...

Oooh Jane came out with the truth about Roman calling her. Nice, honey. I’m proud of your openness. I wonder if Weller noticed she was acting weird last night, since it’s morning now? Also dude she gave him yet another perfect opening to tell her about Berlin and he didn’t take it!!!! Literally no matter what happened in Berlin, his staying silent about it is bad enough in itself. Dude you are setting yourself up for a big fall here!

Naww I love that Zapata is always checking in on Patterson. Ugh, these sisters. And instead of forcing her to take a break, like all the others would have tried to do, she just asks how she can help. I just love these two. I love that Zapata helps her see things from a different angle and gives her a plan to follow. Poor Patterson is so determined to make it up to Stuart and she needs all the help she can get

God I love Hirst’s accent. But dude what is happening with this scene. How have she and Reade been on such close terms that they had a bet that involved potentially shaving her head?? That’s the kind of thing you agree on whilst drunk. Have these two gotten drunk together?? What is going on. Also she legit takes the ugly jumper thing and agrees to wear it to a meeting?? At work, at the FBI?? With executive people?? That just feels very unlikely. Also dude she basically just said ‘hey Reade if you’ve done any shady shit make sure it’s buried deep because we’re gonna have people looking into us’. Wow.

Anyway my lil genius has cracked a tatt, which relates to the bomber guy we just saw before. Lol the guy’s ex wife nailed him by recognising his handwriting and tipping off the cops. You go, girl. Now though Patterson’s smarts they’ve found a van in some particular car park in Brooklyn, and lol Weller’s doing the bombsquad thing for some unknown reason. All that’s in the van is a letter though-- to the bomber’s daughter, from the bomber. He’s not really dead. Dun dun dunnnnnnn (lol get it bc his last name is Dunn haha)

Oh boy we’re actually seeing the wedding video. I don’t know whether to roll my eyes or melt into a puddle, but tbh I’m a little more leaning towards the eye rolling. I like that Zapata and Reade are doing theirs together, because I imagine they were both like ‘you go first, no you go first, no you go I don’t know what to say’ so they just went in together. And lol ‘what do you even do in Colorado’ (right tho??) and ugh they’re so looking forward to being part of Jeller’s future and Reade even tells them he loves them (sidenote I like his earrings) and they say ‘don’t screw this up’ which kinda just hurts to hear because man did they screw it up real bad. Also Patterson ‘videobombing’ is the best lol. But I wanna know what happens in between the cuts! Where’s the director’s cut of this vid? haha

Lol Zapata giving Weller shit about the bombsquad thing (right tho????) and then also giving Jane shit, saying that she was surprised she didn’t squeeze into the suit and go with him. Ugh Zapata is so great this season already, can she just be like this forever? I’m still confused about Hirst’s ugly sweater sitch and why this is even being included. Is it to show her bond with Reade/the team? To show she’s a good sport?? Why Gero what are you trying to sayyy. Also they found the bomber’s daughter (who has had some trouble with the law herself) and they’re gonna bring her in to try find the bomber or whatever

Roman is looking dapper and heads into some fancy event as his new Tom persona. And then he meets Blake, the gorgeous hostess of the event, and who was also another former ‘LA Complex’ character-- fun fact she played the long-lost sister of Jonathan Patrick Moore’s character, so technically her and Roman’s siblings kind of dated. Ish. But ugh he’s being all cute and charming and weirdly Australian and she’s clearly liking it. She has such a great smile, it lights up her whole face. Aaaand the moment she walks away he’s off doing something sneaky, bc of course he is.

The bomber’s daughter is being recalcitrant, naturally. Goes with the territory. Weller and Reade are interrogating together which is nice, I like my good boys playing together. Glad to see Weller isn’t being such a butt. Anyway turns out her dad doesn’t drop the letters himself but has someone do it for him, and there’s an emergency signal for if she needs help. So they go to the park and they’re so cute all loitering about ‘undercover’. And I like that Jane can tell from across the park that Weller isn’t happy with the situation. Naww, so married. Based on Weller’s gut they all move out, looking for the drop guy. Of course it’s Jane that spots him-- and does he spot the daughter, or Jane?? I can’t tell which he’s looking at. She loses him momentarily and then next thing he’s got a gun on her-- only he recognises her, his tone surprised but not hostile when he says ‘Remi?’ So they knew each other in the Sandstorm days?? He’s definitely not pleased to see her working with the cops though…

Oh boy. Now Weller is on the wedding vid and okay it’s pretty damn cute. And ugh he said the thing about her being his starting point AND end point and ughhh how many of us included a line like that in our fics?? But ugh he loves her so muuuch and he’s so emotional and amazed and happy to be marrying her ugh

Okay after that brief interlude we’re back to the suspect guy. What has this guy been in? I recognise him. And he seems to actually like Remi/Jane, which is why I think she is able to get the jump on him. I always love Jane being a badass. I wanna know what happens right after this tho-- like does she radio/call the team and be like ‘hey guys come to the house across the street I’ve incapacitated our suspect’ and Weller is all like ‘are you okay?????’ while the Reade is hoping that she managed to do it without drawing attention or injuring him too badly, and Zapata’s just miffed bc she didn’t get to kick any butt lol. Back at the lab Patterson fills them in-- he’s a dude that’s wanted in like seven countries for “like, all of the crimes” hahahaha. I love the way she said that. Zapata’s kinda impressed with him since according to the CIA he’s the go-to guy for forged documents. Then Reade sends Jeller in to do the interrogation and tbh I’m kinda getting used to Reade giving the orders. It’s pretty much like hearing Weller’s voice come out of his mouth lol. And then aw their suspect is kinda sad that Jane doesn’t remember him, bc he was like an uncle to her? And then omg he says “that summer, in Kalispell, up on Flathead lake” and dude I was literally just there in July??? My friend has friends like an hour from Kalispell and we all went rafting together at Flathead. Yayyy Montana. I love when slightly more obscure places I’ve been get mentioned haha. Jane tries to get him back on track and he just keeps reminiscing. Clearly he knew them when they were pretty young-- he says he did her adoption, so however old they were when Shepherd took them in I guess? Sounds like he wasn’t a huge fan of Shepherd tho which I approve of haha. Too bad he won’t tell them anything about the bomber guy.

Again Patterson and Zapata are having one of their little vibing moments and they realise the suspect must have had a ‘go bag’ somewhere. And Zapata being the kickass FBI and CIA trained badass that she is, realises that it’s hidden in the seat of his car. Lol she even uses the CIA lingo. And then omg Patterson just whips out a butterfly knife from her pocket?? Lord that is so damn cool. I wish I could be cool like her and carry one of those around but alas carrying knives is illegal in my country. Ugh then they find his stuff and high five over it and I just love them so much

Hirst is arguing with some bigwig guy who wants to take away their suspect bc of his other crimes and ugh I could listen to her talk all day. I’m proud of her for saying ‘you all’ and not ‘y’all’ to him haha. Lol Weller tries to tell the dude he can’t take them and errrr Weller I think he’s a little above you on the foodchain, buddy. Anyway Patterson calls them into the lab-- they stuff they found includes a coded ‘black book’ of his transactions. I love that she calls Zapata ‘00Z’ haha. And then they figure out from the cypher thing that the bomber is in Ithaca, bc Patterson is a genius, of course

Uh oh. They’ve arrived at the place in Ithaca and the local fuzz are all over it instead of keeping the perimeter-- they apparently found a bomb which has also supposedly already been disarmed. Well that was quick. Also omg the guy calls Tasha darling and her face is all ‘bitch please’ and Weller shoots her a look like ‘please don’t kill him, please don’t kill him’ lol. And Reade puts a hand out to settle her lol. They get in and it’s a pretty basic bomb, then as the dudes go to lift it Weller realises it’s a decoy and yells for everyone to get out-- and good thing it’s a room with a lot of exits bc Weller and the main cop go through one, Zapata pushes another cop through another, and Reade and Jane go through another. Not sure about the last cop, but he’s probably fine bc ~magic~

Oh now it’s Jane’s turn for the vid. And omg she immediately makes a sex/dirtytalk joke??? Wow girl, you’re really opening up, aren’t you? But ugh she never thought she would have this and she’s so emotional about it and she’s like halfway through a sentence when Weller walks in?? And I know this should be adorable and all but I’m kinda mad about it? Like he already had his chance to share everything he felt without being interrupted, but now whatever she was gonna say is lost bc he felt that he was entitled to butt in?? And then she jokes that he thought she’d run away and he said he’d never let that happen bc he’d ‘never let her out of his sight’ which tbh I do not like??? Firstly it hurts bc she DOES leave, but also it feels kinda weird and possessive and like a ‘you will never be free of me’ kinda thing? Feels more stifling than romantic. But whatevs just gonna let that one slide right on past

Back at the bomb house, Weller is immediately searching for Jane, and belatedly remembering to check on everyone else haha. Zapata emerges, lookin kinda fine with all those soot stains, then a cop stumbles past and Reade stands up. Assuming the other cop who was saved by Zapata gets out fine, then that just leaves Jane. Who is unmoving on the floor, and ugh Weller’s voice gets all small and wobbly and he’s all ‘no, no’ and goddammit writers can you not? Then she miraculously regains consciousness under his touch and he cups her face in his hands as she tells him she’s okay and then he hugs her to his chest and nope I do not need this in my life please stop

Why do these guys all look so great covered in dirt and soot?? They’re back to the NYO with the news that their bomber guy has a bunch of bomb stuff (surprise!) and is likely planning an attack. They split up and Weller finds Jane in the locker room icing her bruised ribs, and he knows right away that it’s not the injury that’s bothering her-- it’s Roman. Nice hubby senses, Weller. Ooh interesting she says that she doesn't care about her past bc she finds nothing but pain in it, which makes me feel like this Rossi guy is going to reveal something big and kinda positive to her about her past. And then ugh she says that right now, them, is what she cares about and ughhhh why they gotta be so cute? Tho again I take issue with Weller-- this time with calling her perfect. Jane knows she’s not perfect, so why not say that he loves her as she is, imperfections and all? But whatevs. He promises her a lifetime full of perfect moments though and okay that’s pretty sweet with the heart eyes and the hand kissing and ugh he loves her so much and yet he’s STILL lying about Berlin and I haaaaate it

Oooh we’re back at Roman’s charity event. And ugh Blake is so cute and she’s a good auctioneer and she auctions off a little bracelet and she clearly knows the little girl who made it quite well, and cared about her particularly, I think? And her jokes are so sweet and I love that she gets them to start bidding and then bam here’s ‘Tom’ with a $20,000 bid and says that he ‘likes wishes’ so cutely and omg the way she’s looking at him rn is just so-- Oh no I ship it. Why do I ship this I mean it’s like a terrible idea but wow I do. Oh noooooooooo

Patterson called Zapata to the lab even though their tests re the bomber are still ‘marinating’, because she wants to talk to her about Operation Cuttlefish (aka their investigation into Stuart’s murder) and lol she tries to give a nerdy explanation of cuttlefish’s camouflage ability but Zapata is like ‘good lord just show me’ lol. Turns out a bunch of things have been meddled with and now they both wonder whether there could be another leak in their taskforce. Man, this office is leakier than a damn sieve….

What, Hirst even made a video entry? Really? Ok, I guess. I do love listening to her talk. And lol she says ‘y’all’ this time. Patterson again videobombs with shots and also to inform everyone that she met a guy named Jonathan Walker Blue and that they’re in love and I was literally about to make a comment about how that’s a weird name and that I wanted to hear more about this guy, when I suddenly realised that I’m an idiot and she was referring to Johnnie Walker Blue. The whiskey. Lord that went right over my head the first time haha. Then Hirst goes on to say that they’re an amazing team and even though they’re gonna have hard times, they’ll lean on each other. “To the good times and the bad, may love rule mightily over both” and lbr that’s totally gonna be a theme for the season (and the show as a whole) isn’t it

So they’ve discovered that the bomber is planning to bomb a university in the city within the next hour, and while they were about to waste a lot of time evacuating all the campuses, Patterson discovers that the colours on the materials that the bomber had on his workbench were the same as the colours for the metro university so he must have been making an ID badge for there, giving them their target. And lol Weller is giving all the orders and then is just like ‘okay you heard the boss’ (meaning Reade) and it’s like well I think we all know who is really running the show here…

Aaaaahhh Blake comes to deliver the bracelet personally to Tom bc she has the epic hots for him and omg THIS FLIRTING IS SO FREAKIN SMOOTH I CAN’T. And then she gets all earnest and is trying to ~understand~ him (because she liiiiiiiiiikes him) and ugh they move in closer and there’s more flirting and then he tells her about Tom’s backstory of fighting in Afghanistan and inheriting money from a friend who died and wanting to use it for a good cause and oh god she’s falling like a rock for him and I DIG IT. FOR STUPID MASOCHISTIC REASONS. Seriously gimme more of this, Gero. (Ship name: Take?? Blam?? lol). And then ugh he asks her how the wish bracelet works and then when she explains he ties it on HER wrist and tells her she deserves the wish more than he does and I’m????? So into this???? Which is ridiculous bc it’s all a total lie but damn it’s just so cute and she’s basically swooning and then she offers to buy him a drink and they joke about the open bar and ughhhhhhhhh why. Why must I want this. And then he says he can’t because (sadly) he has a plane to catch and ughhh I’m bummed about it. But then again, the old ‘leave em wanting more’ thing does have merit, so maybe we’ll see…. Oh aaaaand he’s tracking her with a GPS he planted in the bracelet bc the whole thing was a ruse. Of course. Dammit, Roman, why you gotta crush all my dreams

Back at the lab, Patterson realises that Roman gave them the clue to crack the bomber’s manifesto, because all the older manifestos use the same code. Also literally how was anyone meant to crack that code without that very random and specific picture?? But eh. So now they know that the bomb is under the medical building at the university and man that’s just mean. You know how hard it is to evacuate a hospital??? That crap takes forever. But anyway damn Zapata and Reade are looking like a really badass team rn. Zapata gets slammed into the wall by the bomber guy (rude) but Reade shoots him just before he can shoot her. Phew. Unfortunately now this means that Jane and Weller are disarming the bomb on their own….

Lol it’s finally time for drunk!Patterson to get to have her say on the video, and of course she mentions D&D. Apparently Jane is an elf paladin and Weller is a dwarf monk. What’s the bet that Ashley herself chose those characters? I kinda wanna look up their abilities and characteristics now. And ugh she just loves them and believes they can do anything and she’s just the sweetestttttt

And now Jeller have 80 seconds to disarm the bomb, which has an anti tamper device which requires them to work as a perfect team in order not to set it off haha. Symbolism, symbolism everywhere. Also lol Weller, saying ‘steady’ over and over doesn’t really help buddy. And then they pull each of their wires (as advised by Patterson, bc no one would get through anything without her) at the exact same time, staring at each other as the timer hits zero. Sidenote but anyone here used to watch Castle?? Can’t help but think of the scene in S3 where Caskett hold hands in front of the bomb and then Castle disarms it by yanking out all the wires. Anyway, different OTP, different time. Then Jane is giving Weller a look and tells him that disarming the bomb with him was kinda hot and he pulls her into his arms and lol they’re getting off on this and Patterson is like ‘Mom! Dad! Stop, I can hear you!’ hahaha. But they don’t care bc they’re already making out haha.

Ooooh the fancy schmancy dude from the other organisation is back to tell them that Rossi escaped from his custody, which they’re all pissed at him for, bc now they have to help fix his screw up. But I only care about Patterson not-very-subtly pulling Zapata away from the bullpen mouthing ‘CUTTLEFISH’ lol. And lolll Zapata's like ‘god I’m the only adult in this place’ haha. Patterson has discovered that the anonymous tip from their last case (the one from Karen about the train crash, I assume, not Rich’s sneaky fake tip lol) was wrongfully marked as low priority on the database-- so someone in the FBI is doing this tampering? Idk I don’t think I’m following along very well lol

Ugh I’m actually mad at Weller for fast forwarding through Patterson’s message on their wedding video??? Like clearly he’s watched it before (probably many times, whilst drunk, and always laughing bitterly at the part where he tells her he won’t let her out of his sight, and ouch I made myself sad) but Jane clearly hasn’t seen it since she asks how long it goes on for. And then they basically ignore the rest of what Patterson’s saying anyway in favour of having a little chit chat. Sigh so rude. It is cute though how Jane is teasing Weller about not ever saying lovely things like in the video. And dude clearly I am wired a little bit oddly but for the split second when he moved fast I almost thought he was going to hit her, which makes no sense at all and once that tiny fraction of a second passed I was like ‘aww he’s playing around with her and being cute and silly, how adorable’ and then I’m sure he was gonna say some more sweet things and then demand apology kisses, but instead suddenly there’s Roman on the screen. And mmmmmm isn’t it symbolic that the two of them, having been all tangled up in each other, suddenly separate when Roman appears?? I see what you did there, Gero. But okay I literally cannot get over Roman’s little decorating effort. Like I know this is supposed to be a grim moment but I am almost wheezing over his lil fairy lights and flowers and handwritten sign?? He could have just appeared in front of a blank wall but nope he is just that Extra. I love him. Not cool of him to tell Jane she’s broken and tell Weller that their relationship is built on lies, though. But omg he literally toasts them with what I assume is champagne and lol this is hilarious. Err, I mean, it’s terrible, sorry Jeller….

Oooh Zapata wants to hang with Reade for drinks but he tells her he’s already home-- only for her to see him a moment later with fancy schmancy dude from before, and immediately gets all suspicious. My head says we’re supposed to suspect there’s dirty dealings going on but my heart says ‘gay love affair’. Though lbr there could be some dirty dealings involved in that, too lol

A mysterious envelope has been slipped under the Jeller's door. And Jane, seasoned FBI consultant and ninja warrior, just goes right ahead and picks it up with her bare hands. Really? No thought for fingerprints or anthrax or anything? Fine, whatevs. But hold up, it’s from Rossi, about some secret that he thinks she deserves to know. Weller comes over just as she pulls out some birth records-- and BAM, turns out Rossi organised the adoption not of Remi and Roman, but of Remi’s daughter, 18 years ago. Ohhhhhhh boy. I feel like Gero is actually literally Oprah rn-- you get a daughter! And YOU get a daughter! Daughters for everybody!!!! And as legitimately terrible as this plot decision is, I hate it somewhat less given that Weller’s spawn also exists. I mean, at least instead of just one of them having a child outside the relationship, then now both do, which balances things out a bit? I literally can’t believe I even am in the situation of having to write that sentence but this is where we are now. This is what you did to me, Gero. Ugh.

Well. Interested to see tonight’s ep. Here’s some spoilers you might not have caught yet: Reade’s estranged twin, Duane, comes demanding that Reade donate him his kidney or he’ll die; Zapata falls into a brief coma after a rollerblading accident and awakens only able to speak German; Patterson turns out to be a chihuahua piloting a very convincing android; and Hirst admits that she is actually Canadian and not from the South at all, eh. Can’t wait!

#Blindspot #Blindspot recap #Jeller #*sighs eternally*#That Blam tho

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calangkoh · 7 years

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Reasons 03 is a genuinely GOOD SHOW (without added critiques or comparison to BH):

great commentary on racism and imperialism -realistic psychology of characters

is really good with foreshadowing, thematic development, and ambiguity

is extremely nuanced (one second of character content is worth a thousand episodes)

the homunculi origins are damn brilliant -everything is so deep, you can write so much meta on pretty much anything. the symbolism of the homunculi’s sins? the way sloth and lust foil each other and manage to be super feminist and sympathetic villains? the degradation of al’s character until he ends the series with MORE flaws than LESS and how it’s actually BRILLIANT? the rule of entropy and how a pessimistic message becomes so freaking hopeful?

the ending!!! im a sucker for hopeful, “the adventure continues” endings. obviously this is a taste thing, but the 03 ending made me so happy. cos was a satisfying conclusion to the characters

there’s such a perfect balance between humor and drama, and the humor is so diverse and clever.

ed is such a complex and realistic character, and he goes through such great development

the show is so thought provoking and gutsy. it makes you question your own thinking WHICH IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST THEMES AND POINTS OF DEVELOPMENT FOR EDWARD WHERE NOTHING IS EVER AS IT SEEMS AND THAT YOUR INITIAL REACTION COULD BE WRONG AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE YET TO LEARN THAT ITS OKAY TO BE WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING AND THAT LIFE IS FULL OF MORAL GRAYNESS

THE SYMBOLISM! like i said before. the plot is mini but because everything is so rich in life lessons, consistent themes, and metaphors, this tiny plot just THRIVES.

despite it starring two brothers, it’s so feminist…for a shounen, but even in general it’s pretty dam great and underrated. it has amazingly developed female characters (AND THREE FEMALE VILLAINS WITH FANTASTIC MOTIVATIONS–well dante is arguable, but she’s absolutely a much more developed villain than she gets credit for) and the lead female character forms at LEAST six female friendships. the strongest female character (i will fight anyone on this claim), Rose, subverts what is commonly seen as “strong female” and is actually such a badass.

is anything ever surface-level in this show? nope. tbh a lot of criticism ive seen can be refuted because it was made without taking the time to analyze. the writers take their audience seriously, and expect them to fill in the blanks, which makes the show interactive, fun, and timeless.

the art style and animation is GORGEOUS. AND it’s from 2003. the animation at its best far surpasses tons of anime today. the characters are so expressive and it helps their emotions feel real. even its off model moments tend to add to the effect rather than distract you. it has FAR fewer fight scenes than BH, but the few major ones it has are SO beautifully done.

the music is hella. Brothers is beautiful, and the lyrics are heartbreaking, giving us an explicit insight into the brothers’ states of mind. the music is varied, covering all spectrums of mood. they also included many classical pieces that were just so brilliant.

i just find the difference in tone from the manga and BH so great? it’s a canon au that interprets the characters and presents its themes so uniquely that its almost unrecognizable. its fascinating and i respect all the people involved.

the presentation/directing. cant count how many times that alone was what made a scene rise above and beyond. thats one thing i respect: making something exceed its potential. i feel from the series that the team had faith in what they were creating, and nurtured it from the start. it wasn’t just an adaptation with their own twist; it became their own story and it SHOWED

#rant #fma #fma 03 #fma 2003 #fullmetal alchemist #calangkoh

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sytycdrankings · 7 years

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Top 7 Duet Rankings

I didn’t realize it until I ranked them, but this was a very lackluster week. Top 6 is historically also lackluster, but I’m going to go against my better judgment and hope this week is good to make up for it.

9. No Twerk (Comfort/Mark hip-hop), Misha Gabriel

I did not like this at all. There were parts that were kinda cool, like Mark’s few moments of breaking and that part where Comfort swung her arms behind her neck really fast?? That looked really painful and she just did it out of nowhere. But besides that, I’m over this concept, and there was so much time they could have been dancing that was spent with them pretending to be “ninjas” with each other. Mark didn’t deserve this. #JusticeForMark

8. Rock Around the Clock (Marko/Koine jive), Dmitry Chaplin

Is that a bus I hear? Because I can’t figure out any other reason that some people get jazz and contemporary eight times in a row and Koine gets a jive right after a salsa. This was cute and all, but I don’t feel like it was a very good showcase of her at all. Koine is amazing at getting into character and she and Marko have perfect chemistry as always, but I’m very very VERY scared for her going into the double elimination tonight. Please, dance gods. Let this be enough to get her in the finale.

7. Dancin’ Fool (Jenna/Kiki Broadway), Warren Carlyle

Why is this Broadway when it’s not set to a Broadway song? They weren’t even acting, so why wasn’t this just jazz? But An American in Paris was a jazz routine and not Broadway. I don’t get it. But I found the choreography here really disappointing. I feel like a whole lot of nothing was going on except for the cane catching. The cane catching was very cool, but it was kind of gimmicky tbh. That being said, this is the best Kiki has done performance wise for me outside of his style. For once, I found my eyes drawn to him instead of Jenna, and I feel like it had a lot to do with the fact that the choreography didn’t favor her for once. Finally, he showed the same presence that he does in his solos, and it was nice to see. I just wish the choreography could have been better.

6. Kabila (Allison/Logan African jazz), Sean Cheesman

Tbh, the only reason I put this above anything else on the list so far is because Logan can do very impressive things with his body and not because I actually liked this. There are some African jazz routines that I can tolerate, but the ooga booga caveman routines like this one make me roll my eyes so hard they fall out of my skull and I have to put them back in. (Then we had everyone being racist as hell afterward pretending to be “tribal”. I would have been offended, but I mostly just felt embarrassed for them.) There were too many props here. I didn’t get the purpose of the skate thingies or the big platform. I hated their fake tribal outfits. But damn, Logan, how does he do some of this stuff? Those turns with his leg outstretched? His perfect lines? Even his leg muscles are impressive. I really enjoy watching Logan in his own style (or whatever this counts as) and I’m still waiting for him to have a Big Contemporary Moment (tm) to satisfy me.

5. To Make You Feel My Love (Robert/Taylor contemporary), Mandy Moore

Maybe I’m just a hater. I don’t know. But this did nothing for me. Yeah, Taylor is a pretty dancer, but I feel like I learned nothing new about her by watching this. I know that she has gorgeous lines and is very good at putting her leg up, but that’s all I was shown once again. I saw a comment on Youtube that said “I feel like all choreographers do is throw Taylor’s legs at me” and YES. That is the perfect description. I also wasn’t really feeling their chemistry in this routine until the very end when they looked at each other, but then the routine was over. This was nice to look at, but I’m over it and I’m over the judges crying about it like they haven’t seen routines that look exactly like this for 14 seasons now. If say, Kaylee was given this routine and Taylor was given hers, I would learn something new about the both of them because we’ve never seen Taylor be forced to move in a way different than what she was used to. That’s all I’m asking for since we all know she’s going to make the finale thanks to this.

4. DKLA (Cyrus/Kaylee contemporary), Tyce DiOrio

Tyce and his disaster routines. How many times is he gonna use this concept? I could have done without Kaylee and Cyrus literally being covered in dirt, but I did think it was a good showcase for them. Choreographers have the challenge to make routines that fit the both of them (and they’ve only gotten hip-hop once, which would solve some of the problem), but Tyce likes using dancers’ strengths instead of forcing them through their weaknesses. (I complimented Tyce. Call the national guard.) Some of it was a bit disjointed and dramatic, but I appreciated that they put their all into it and didn’t lose their connection. I just wish Kaylee would point her damn feet a little better. I don’t know what it is, but for a contemporary dancer, she seems to have trouble straightening her legs and pointing her feet.

3. Humble (Gaby/Lex hip-hop), Luther Brown

Geez, FINALLY. I knew Lex was going to destroy a hip-hop routine, yet it took this far into the season for him to get one! This was so good! It was literally miles better than pretty much everything else last week except the group routines. I know that Lex is also a hip-hop dancer, but there are plenty of “also hip-hop dancers” that come onto the show and still have trouble getting into the groove and sitting in the floor with their moves, but he did not. He outdanced Gaby, who I thought was pretty decent in hip-hop as well. Besides the jazz with Taylor, he looked like this was the most fun he’d had thus far on the show, and I really hope everyone is done saying he’s bad at emoting because he was perfect. I can’t really pick a favorite part because I loved the entire thing so much. Possibly best hip-hop of the season?? We’ll see how I feel when I rewatch Red Mercedes from week one lmao.

2. Strange (Kaylee, Lex, Logan contemporary), Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson

Surprised that they put Kaylee in this group. I would have assumed this was their chance to make the perfect contemporary trifecta and stick Taylor in here to further their narrative. It was very nice to see Kaylee here instead, but I kind of feel like it highlighted her weaknesses a bit. She always did fewer turns than Lex and Logan, and I don’t think she ever did a leap or anything even when the other two were in sync. Her solo also didn’t involve much more than her standing on the chair and moving her upper body while Lex and Logan got to show off all sorts of madness they can do with their bodies. Regardless, they all came together and created a very visually stunning piece for me. I really love one minute in especially when they’re all in sync. I think Logan stood out the most because his lines are better and Lex has the tendency to hunch over (the hip-hop in him, I guess lol), but Kaylee had the best performance, which I don’t think any other girl could have done. Well, except Koine, probably. Not my favorite routine by Dwight and Desmond, but still really really good.

#1 is no surprise lol.

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