#inspired by the many of these i see on twitter in between the world being on fire

[dragonsdendoodles]

Halloween ship dynamic

Vampire bf x werewolf bf

In the face of conflict, vampire bf will turn up his nose and make an eloquent but insulting remark, then silently plot your demise.

Werewolf bf is willing to bite a man’s arm off.

Observe.

[myfairstarlight]

I need to ramble about the wedding breakfast dance.

That is Colin and Penelope's "Stare into my eyes. (s1) / Just keep looking at me, no one else matters. (s2) / Keep your eyes on me. There is no one here but us (QC)" iconic couple dance scene except no word is exchanged the whole time.

Instead, we get a visual representation of that feeling as the room empties, and only them remain. Albeit the editing did not let us savour that long enough, where's the full footage in HD Netflix???

And I think it's a core aspect of a friends to lovers story and Polin's that is so under-appreciated, this silent understanding between the characters. They've known each other for years, they've always been comfortable when together, so in that moment, no word of reassurance is needed because they already know! They have always been each other's safe space, even before friendship turned into romantic love. After all, they just need one look and a nod, just like at their wedding, to be secure in the other's love. No one else matters indeed.

Furthermore, unlike the other couples who were scrutinised by the Ton at some point or another because of their match, with the unfortunate pressure that comes with it, Penelope and Colin were always more of the outcasts, gossiping on the side of balls and no one truly paid them any attention until very recently as they both forced themselves to take part in society (Penelope to seek a husband, Colin to be taken seriously). Their season is the first time the Queen (or Lady Danbury) does not meddle with the main couple! (I would add Violet to the list who was more withdrawn than in previous seasons and mostly focused on Francesca this season, but she did nudge Colin a little.)

As soon as they get together, they stopped caring about others' judgement, because why should they? The Ton did not care before, after all. Colin and Penelope dancing in broad daylight at their wedding breakfast was breaking some unspoken society rule, but even before that, dancing at the church (also in broad daylight), at the Mondrich ball as they break the dance routine to add a twirl. They simply do not care. In fact, they never truly respected propriety rules, have they? Calling each other by their given names (even a nickname on Colin's part), the letters, the many unchaperoned encounters (one of which they got caught by Portia and Jack and yet nothing happened), Colin refusing a dance with Cressida to dance with Penelope instead... it just never brought a scandal because, well, the Ton constantly overlooked them, so now Penelope and Colin return the favour by overlooking the Ton.

And it is so significant that despite the Whistledown issue still hanging over their head, it does not change the fact they have chosen each other, that they will keep being their most authentic selves with each other and act like the whole world around them does not exist because they have each other, and as long as they do, everything will be alright.

After all, it is Colin loving and supporting Penelope that will give her the courage to step into the light and face the Queen as Whistledown, and it is Penelope loving and supporting Colin that will inspire him to write and publish, and make him feel like he finally belongs.

Oh also shout out to Albion Finch, best brother-in-law, always delighted to see Penelope thriving <3

And credit to this post I saw on twitter that prompted me to write this.

[borninwinter81]

William Blake - an introduction for Good Omens fans

I have sent @neil-gaiman an ask regarding his feelings toward the poet/artist William Blake a couple of times, but no doubt due to the size of the poor man's inbox I haven't received a response. So I did a Google search to see if he's spoken about Blake before, and it did indeed come up with a fair few hits. I think you might enjoy seeing this Twitter post if you haven't already, the painting is from William Blake's illustrations to Paradise Lost.

It's not surprising that an author like Neil Gaiman might have an interest in Blake. A visionary from a young age, his imagination was such that he was surrounded by angels made visible in his mind's eye, and he interpreted these visions through poetry, painting and engraving, and self-printed and published many of his own works. This gave him complete freedom to say exactly what he wanted.

Though he had a passionate faith in God, he also had a deep distrust of the church as an institution, and disliked the use of religion as a means of control. This poem from "Songs of Experience" perhaps summarises his feelings best:

"I went to the Garden of Love,

And saw what I never had seen:

A Chapel was built in the midst,

Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,

And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;

So I turn'd to the Garden of Love,

That so many sweet flowers bore. 

And I saw it was filled with graves,

And tomb-stones where flowers should be:

And Priests in black gowns, were walking their rounds,

And binding with briars, my joys & desires."

In his poetry there is often an incongruity with the generally accepted religious ideas of what is good and evil, Angel and Demon. In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (there's a title that should make any GO fan sit up and pay attention) he tells us that "in the book of Job, Milton's Messiah is called Satan", signifying that he feels it is Lucifer/the devil who is the true Messiah of Paradise Lost.

He gives us The Voice of the Devil and Proverbs of Hell, and has Angels being transformed into Demons through enlightenment. He tells us that Jesus broke all of the 10 commandments, yet was still virtuous because he acted according to his own morality rather than rules.

The god-figure of his later works, Urizen, generally comes across as malevolent, seeking to bind and control, whilst Los, the Satan/Messiah figure represents freedom, imagination and creativity.

"Restraining desire" and acting contrary to your own nature seem to be the only real evils for Blake.

He expressed his faith through a love of the world and the beauty in it, summed up in this quote:

"When the Sun rises do you not see a round Disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea? O no no I see an innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty".

He saw "God" in everything, in all the wonders we have around us, and considered writers/poets and religious prophets as essentially the same, since they both have a connection to the divine, and express it through stories.

It's quite ironic that probably his most famous poem, Jerusalem (the one that starts "and did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green"), was made into a very popular church hymn, yet it is supposed to be satirical in nature. The poem recounts the myth that Jesus may have visited England in his boyhood, and Blake is expressing his disbelief at that notion and the unworthiness of England.

Did I have a point to all this? Mostly to show my hand as a massive Blake nerd, but also to hopefully demonstrate that there's a lot of common ground between his ideas and those expressed in a show/book like Good Omens, and hopefully to inspire some of you who may not be familiar with Blake to seek him out. In particular I'd recommend The Marriage of Heaven and Hell to any and all.

EDIT: I should have thought to include this, here's Michael Sheen reading a Blake poem. I have the CD this is from, he reads several by Blake, as well as other poets I love ❤️ 😍

[abstractnaturaldisaster]

is it over now? (was it over then?)

part five

part six: with the wilt of the rose

With the success of Eddie's Steve single as his bandmates had started to call it, the label had basically told Corroded Coffin in no uncertain terms to channel that energy into the rest of their album. It wasn't that Eddie didn't like the attention his song was getting and Steve absolutely deserved it, the lying piece of shit, but it was like getting permission to write angsty music about Steve took all the fun out of it. He was fully out of inspiration of the angst variety and had taken a hard left turn into moping, feeling sorry for himself, and being one thousand percent convinced that he was going to be single for the rest of his life and die alone.

Eddie was reclining in his giant beanbag chair (his nest as Steve used to joke with him), occasionally humming lines, strumming on his guitar, and writing more and more pathetically dramatic lyrics for most of the day until he reached his limit and pulled out his phone. It wasn't like Eddie was purposefully keeping track of people in Steve's life but over the time they were together his little gaggle of gremlins wormed his way into Eddie's life too. Unfortunately when he opened his phone it was to tweets of Dustin going low key feral over Steve's new role in some indie biopic but at the same time being crazy upset that Steve would be incommunicado as Dustin so helpfully added in his tweet. The kid was such a dweeb. Eddie flicked out of twitter and opened instagram hoping that his feed would be mostly possum memes. He scrolled idly for a while seeing new tattoo ideas and of course many cute furry animals doing many silly things until suddenly he was reminded of a particular face Steve made and Eddie (although he would never admit this) searched for Steve's public profile only a little disappointed that he hadn't posted anything more recent than when the two were together.

Because Eddie may or may not be a massive masochist and can't leave well enough alone, he decides to tab over to Steve's tagged pictures to see if there is anything recent. In between several tags of Steve being unfairly good looking in whatever movie he was currently filming, Eddie was taken aback by a post that was just of Robin and Nancy. They looked a little closer than just gal pals or whatever it was the tabloids called them while speculating how they could be friends while "fighting" over Steve. So much for modern feminism.

Before Eddie got distracted enough to go through a full rant that might include a fairly long section about how Ronnie was treated differently than the rest of his bandmates, Eddie focused back on the issue at hand. Why was Nancy who he highly suspected of stealing his fucking boyfriend posing like she was getting engaged to Steve's best friend. And why did they fucking tag him it it? Robin was snarky sure but she didn't seem like that level of bitch. Eddie took a deep breath and opened the fairly lengthy caption to see:

nancywheeler Hello World! It's been a long time coming but I am so excited to publicly announce that me and Robin (@buckster) are going steady. I know I don't post a whole lot about my person life on here (seriously, the rest of the world is so much more exciting) but you've always been so supportive of my coming out and sexuality related posts as well as understanding when I needed to set a boundary between my personal life and my online persona. I've been unable to share my most recent relationship for a really long time because of the public pressure of coming out and being a "marketable asset." Steve (@sharrington) could not have been a better support during this time and took a lot of public flak to keep Robin and I safe and comfortable until we were ready to be out publicly. He always offered up his home while I was visiting and kept me company while Robin was working. I guess us bi guys have to stick together, huh? Anyways, that's all for now. And no, we aren't engaged (yet 😈)

Eddie was floored. He had spent all his time since leaving Steve's apartment feeling very holier than thou and smug about everything that happened with Steve and the success his band was experience because of it. Although if one Miss Nancy Wheeler was telling the truth (which like as a journalist Eddie thinks she has to), Steve was actually helping his platonic soulmate find love with his exgirlfriend. If Eddie hadn't already felt kind of shitty for assuming the worst about Steve, this had to take the fucking cake. Eddie was truly done for. Put a fork in him. He's the worst person ever. Fuck. He needed reinforcements.

devilededs: uhm hi friends, i think maybe i am the asshole in the whole steve situation can u come to mine?

ronnie: you saw it? i can finally give you shit about being a total drama queen?

devilededs: what do you mean? why would you not tell me if you knew it existed.

ronnie: precisely because of this vibe right now.

devilededs: okay, everyone but ronnie pls come over i need snacks and maybe some really b grade horror but you have to indulge me in my sadness.

garbear: already on the way with your emotional support jeff and frank. we'll pick up snacks.

ronnie: if you let me problem solve for you can i come for snacks? i don't think i can handle moping eddie without trying to show you its very fixable.

devilededs: YES! FIX! ME! HOW! GET OVER HERE!

Eddie flopped back into the beanbag chair and let his notebook flop out of his lap. Thankfully his friends all had keys so he could continue to rot in place until Ronnie forcibly withdrew him from his hovel.

part seven

@lololol-1234 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @zombiethingy @grtwdsmwhr @dreamercec @anne-bennett-cosplayer @strawberryyyenthusiast @mensch-anthropos-human @kal-ology @ttyrussss @kristmkris @starman-jpg @wonderland-girl143-blog @child-of-cthulhu @legalmenace87 @adealwithher @practicallybegging @lunaraquaenby @stripey82 @lexyvey @goodolefashionedloverboi @mothmamhasyourlocation @mugloversonly (if you wanna be tagged in future parts feel free to comment! happy to add people)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! Have you seen the new Mickey Mouse Rebrushed trailer??? Twitter is goin crazy over it and how it’s related to twst 😭 just wanted to hear your thoughts on it

I did spot quite a few parallels with TWST from the Rebrushed trailer! I'm not familiar with Epic Mickey at all, so I'll just be commenting on what I noticed right away. You'll have to excuse my limited knowledge.

Firstly!! This design of Mickey is the exact same as the one we see in TWST. Most noticeable is his white face, which is a fleshy peach color in most modern iterations.

Mickey is reading Alice in Wonderland’s sequel, Through the Looking Glass. Of course, Twisted Wonderland has Wonderland in its title, and even opens with an Alice in Wonderland inspired dorm. Yuu and Mickey also connect via their dreams and through the mirror shared in their rooms.

The theme of dreams is very present and upfront here; Mickey wakes up from sleeping and then creeps to his mirror, which appears to be a portal into another world. Hmm... dreams, mirrors, and traveling to other worlds, now what does that remind you of? You'll also notice that Mickey's room is the exact same as Yuu's room in Ramshackle, right down to the "inverted" room that appears when Mickey passes through the mirror. Everything up until this point is very similar to what is depicted in the 1936 short, Thru the Mirror.

Next, Mickey spies on a wizard carefully using a magic paintbrush over what seems to be a diorama of a bunch of buildings on a plot of land. When the wizard leaves, Mickey fiddles with the paintbrush, causes a mess, and calls forth some kind of black ink monster with green light coming from within it. This seems to be a very close parallel to Overblots, particularly since the most recent OB has a signature neon green color. If we really are to connect Epic Mickey to TWST, this scene also seems to allude that Yuu, Mickey, and/or the "wizard" have parts to play in bringing these Overblots to life. And who do we know that is a powerful wizard that is aware of the corrupting power of blot and runs a large chunk of land... say, a campus? Crowley. This goes hand-in-hand with the theory that Crowley is intentionally allowing these OBs to happen or is even puppeteering his students into OBing.

I find this visual in particular to be very ominous; again, we have the colors that match a certain OB dragon fae but also the map itself reminds me of Twisted Wonderland's and the eerie visual of Malleus's thorns digging into Sage's Island and aiming to go way beyond it.

Anyway, the ink monster is temporarily contained while Mickey returns to his own world. We then get a montage of various Mickey media passing by, as well as a lot of imagery that would imply the passage of time (clocks, the date on the calendar changing, etc.). So... what? Is that implying not only parallel worlds, but also a time skip? Or maybe a time... loop? Like time loop theory???

The ink monster somehow eventually escapes and makes it to Mickey's world, with the blot dripping from the ceiling waking Mickey up from his sleep. It drags Mickey away into a hole drenched in ink. Kind of foreboding when you realize Yuu has also had prophetic dreams... Not of OBs, but of the events leading up to them. And being dragged away into an inky... opening? Like an... abyss? Like book 7, Ruler of the ABYSS?

That's how the trailer concludes!! Gotta say, there's definitely a lot of shared elements between this and TWST. If I recall correctly, Epic Mickey was a game that existed on the Wii waaay before TWST. It even has largely the same cinematic trailer (just with older graphics), so to me it feels like TWST probably took inspiration from Epic Mickey rather than the other way around. There are definitely too many parallels for it to be a coincidence. If that's the case, then we can probably pull some hints for what awaits us in the rest of book 7 from these cinematics. (This is a video comparing the two side-by-side if you think that might be of use!)

[a-victorian-girl]

Hi! I'm Vicky, welcome to my pinned masterpost! I'm a digital artist, fan of BBC Sherlock, and this is a collection of all my retouching works (and other stuff) I've been posting here so far. I hope you enjoy it!

PS: this post will be updated from time to time

☆ MY WORKS

You can see all my work HERE.

☆ Interactions with others accounts:

(X, X)

☆ MY OBSERVATIONS

The oscillating movement of the kitchen lamp meta in 'The Blind Banker'.

Benedict Cumberbatch's skull tie.

Sherlock reading an 'explicit' johnlock fic that John accidentally left open on his laptop.

Christmas John, before & after the fall getting married.

☆ MY GIFSETS

The moment when John discovered that Sherlock was the only one who jumped into the fire to save his life.

Conversation between John and his brain being like...

Tea with the devil before the fall.

This was the only one time when Sherlock broke the 4th wall to tell us that he's the only one consulting detective in the world.

The only moment in the entire show where Sherlock doubted John.

Sherlock having fun texting to his brother.

(you can see other creations HERE)

☆ MY FANVIDS

Johnlock - Lose Control (Teddy Swims)

☆ MY FANFICS!

"And at that moment.... I knew", Inspired by “The Moment I Knew” by Taylor Swift and based on the BBC Sherlock mini episode "Many Happy Returns". Spanish version here.

May Prompt 2024 with the only 2 fics I wrote :)

☆ FANFICS INSPIRED BY MY ARTS

'Tell me Where it Hurts' by @helloliriels, inspired by this work.

☆ MY ARTS INSPIRED BY FANFICS

I made this image for this lovely fic 'It Belongs in a Museum', written by @helloliriels.

I'm always open for commissions 👉🏼 here you'll find the details

Ooooww, you wanna invite me a ko-fi? Thank you! ☕️

And tysm for your love and support!! 🫂

Vicky 💋

Instagram Twitter Ko-fi

[ck-17088]

Similarities between Transformers One and the Aligned Continuity (aka Transformers: Prime) 

Watching the trailers and reading the interviews made me realize that there are many similarities between TF One and the Aligned Continuity. As a reminder (or for those who don't know)- the Aligned Continuity consisted of the War for Cybertron games, Transformers: Prime, Robots in Disguise, Rescue Bots, etc.

Transformers: Prime got me into the fandom, so it's interesting to see a multi-million-dollar movie use elements from the continuity it is a part of.

Here is a list of similarities I have found so far. 

Note: I'll also be mentioning IDW1 briefly since the Aligned continuity and IDW1 comics have similar concepts and have constantly exchanged ideas with each other.

Megatron's name: D-16

In TF One, D-16 will become Megatron. D-16 is a name directly taken from the Aligned Continuity and has been solely associated with it until now. Even though Prime Megatron and IDW1 Megatron have very similar backstories—both being miners and then revolutionaries—only Aligned Megatron was also known as D-16.

Caste system/Social Inequality (hinted)

In both the Aligned and IDW1 continuities, pre-war Cybertronian society had a rigid caste system where one's role in society, thus their life, was determined by their alternate mode (Functionism in IDW1). In Aligned, Orion Pax's desire to learn more about this system, specifically the corruption and inequality it created, leads him to find Megatron (as described in Exodus and TF: Prime). The two become friends who desire change for their society. The interviews with Josh Cooley (the director) hint that something similar exists on Cybertron and is the main cause of their fallout.

 

The thing that starts the wedge between him [D-16] and Orion Pax is that the world is not what they thought it was, and they then start to form two different views on how to solve the problem.

 (Entertainment, Comic-Con 2024 Issue) 

In addition, someone on Twitter -who saw an early screening-said that the movie was "very in-line with IDW's ideas for how the war started," so it's safe to say it draws heavily from Aligned/IDW.  

Extra note: Another interview with Cooley revealed that in an early version of the film, Megatron was supposed to be a gladiator. He and Orion Pax were also supposed to have "very different backgrounds" - which sounds very similar to the data clerk and gladiator origins of the Aligned continuity.  

 Unfortunately, the limited runtime meant Cooley had to limit how much of the characters' origins to show on screen, including changing part of Megatron's accepted story. "If we had all the time in the world, it would've been fun to show Megatron as a gladiator and have the two characters come from very different backgrounds," Cooley added. "We actually had a gladiator scene that alluded to this origin that was cut out." Instead, Orion and D-16 are reimagined as bunkmates working as miners to bring Energon back to the planet after a years-long drought.

(IndieWire)

Cooley also mentioned being given a "bible" of the franchise's entire lore, which reminds me of the Binder of Revelation Hasbro made, or the source material for the Aligned Continuity...

The 13 Primes 

The 13 Primes will appear in the movie (you can spot them in both trailers). The idea of the 13 Primes isn't new, but this particular group version is heavily inspired by the Aligned Continuity. In Aligned, Alpha Trion is canonically one of the 13 Primes (aka the Covenant Primes, who also include Prima, Solus, and Megatronus). He wasn't considered a Prime in other stories before TF: Prime. The Covenant Primes also appear in Cyberverse and Earthspark, and TF One continues the trend. 

Below (in order):

Onyx Prime design from the Covenant of Primus

A mysterious statue (being?) from the trailer that looks very much like the Aligned Onyx Prime

Mysterious beings (Primes?) behind Optimus

Airachnid

 The design for Airachnid in TF One is very similar to the design in TF: Prime. Both have the "arms" on their backs and similar head shapes.

Vehicons 

Some Cybertronians look like the Vehicons. Looks like we're getting multiple Steves…. 

Extra: Brian Tyler 

Not directly related to the story, but the composer for Transformers: Prime (aka the genius who made the ionic Prime theme) is back and composing the music for the movie. If I hear the Prime theme in the movie theater, I might start screaming. 😂

I think it's so cool to see how much influence one continuity can have on the franchise, so much so that its elements are used in a movie that'll soon be seen by millions of people and future generations.

[coochiequeens]

They all have he/him on their lanyards and it’s extremely clear they identify as men and are here to take opportunities away from the actual women and [non-binary] attendees.”

By Reduxx Team September 28, 2023

A major networking conference focused on centering women in computing is facing backlash from some participants after a flood of males were allowed to attend, reportedly due to the event’s inclusivity policies.

Created in 1994 and inspired by the legacy of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, the AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration purports to “bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.” While the conference was historically focused on women, recent developments in its gender inclusivity policy saw its branding open up to “non-binary” participants as well.

In its most recent Press Release on the conference, AnitaB.org deemed it “the world’s largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists.”

But the week-long conference, which costs $650 to attend for students and academics but over $1,200 for the general public, is facing heat this year after some female attendees noticed a “significant number of men” attending the event.

In a now-scrubbed Change.org petition, one female attendee calls on the Grace Hopper Committee (GHC) to provide women who purchased the pricy tickets a full refund, and commit to banning men in the future.

“GHC (2023) is named after our pioneering female programmers, who have paved the way for gender equality within the tech industry. This event was established with the intention of empowering women by creating a safe space where they can connect, learn, and thrive. However, by allowing men to participate, GHC fails to uphold its own mission,” petitioner Agnes Lu wrote in the description.

The petition was uploaded on September 26, but deleted on September 27. A cached version of the page shows that it had collected over 2,700 signatures in the 24 hours it had been active. The reasons for removal are currently unknown.

Similar sentiment was shared on Reddit as a conference attendee posted “why are there so many men at Grace Hopper?”

Posted two days ago, the user wrote: “I’m seeing entire groups of just men, at a conference that’s sole purpose is to give opportunities to WOMEN and non-binary individuals in a male dominated field. I attended last year and did not [see] any male identifying student attendees. This is genuinely infuriating.”

The user goes on to articulate in the replies that there are a limited number of networking slots available and internships are fiercely competitive.

Like in the petition, the user claimed there was an obvious discernible difference between males and “non-binary” individuals, an issue that quickly became a point of contention in the comments.

“They could just be non-binary, gender queer, etc, or that could just be men trying to get a leg up. No way to know,” one user wrote in response, to which the original poster replied: “They all have he/him on their lanyards and it’s extremely clear they identify as men and are here to take opportunities away from the actual women and [non-binary] attendees.”

But the attempted defense was quickly undermined, with some users calling the original poster a “TERF” for failing to include gender-diverse non-binary people.

“Nonbinaries, including he/him nonbinaries, belong at grace hopper and are welcome there. TERFs like you are the ones who shouldn’t be there,” one comment reads.

“Lots of NB go as he/him. The only way you could possibly know is if you asked them,” another claimed.

On X (formerly Twitter), users debated how males could be “gate-kept” from the conference without being exclusionary, to which few solutions were provided.

The conference was held in Orlando this year, in tradition with previous years, but has announced it will relocate for the next iteration due to changes to recent state legislation regarding LGBT people.

In a statement on their site, AnitaB.org claims that Florida has introduced an “onslaught of legislation that not only devalues women and non-binary people and, at the intersections, those who live as members of the LGBTQIA+ community but is also aimed at erasing Black history.” It states that the 2024 conference is being arranged to be held in another location.

One of the featured speakers this year was trans-identified male Sasha Costanza-Chock, who describes himself as a “researcher and designer who works to support community-led processes that build shared power, dismantle the matrix of domination, and advance ecological survival.”

Costanza-Chock spoke on a panel with Alejandra Caraballo, a trans-identified male attorney, on the “Intersection of Tech and Social Justice.” The panel was described as “diving into the critical intersection of technology and social equity and explore how technology can inadvertently become a barrier for underserved groups.”

[yeomies]

𝜗 𝓜e, 𝓔spresso .ᐟ 𝜚

⌗ synopsis — love at first sight is one thing but love at first glance is a whole different story for jake (idol!jake x blk! kpop idol reader — member of æspa)

warnings :: one singular curse, not proofread, the use of “you, your, you’re” instead of i / first person views, in lowercase, my first story so pleaaaase 😭

word count — 939 [funnyface]

you were a foreign idol from the states that had joined the group æspa after a good 3 years of training. you had been known as korea’s foreign beauty and an inspiration to many black kpop idols across the world that there was hope, and you can do whatever you put your mind to. like the black barbie of your time.

but your biggest fan? sim jaeyun. you two had never spoken before, but he was so enticed by you and your visuals. he had spoken publicly about you and how you were one of his idols even though you two were around the same age. this infatuation turned into a little joke between fandoms and even dating rumors which he formally apologized about. throughout the many months to come, he had asked for your number numerous times to which you replied with how you wasn’t really giving any one your number yet

but after many attempts, you had given him your number. you thought he was cute don’t get me wrong, but you just wanted the attention and rumors to stop. but they didn’t. after giving him your number he got asked a question about you

“do you like [__]? are you two dating?” “no, we’re not dating. but i do have her number!” he said with a wide smile on his face as he read more comments like he didn’t just say something that could potentially lead to yet ANOTHER. dating rumor.

in the dorms with aespa that night it was chaotic. “what the fuck.” you exclaimed while karina & giselle showed you the clip “no, [__] he’s obsessed with you.” giselle laughed loudly as winter came up to the three of you. “did you see the clip? there’s like 7 posts about it already on twitter..” you examined winter’s feed hoping what she was saying wasn’t true.. but it was. you sighed heavily as you walked over to your shared dorm. “i’m going to sleep. this’ll blow over by tomorrow… right?” the three girls shrugged as you rolled your eyes contently and shut the door. being greeted by your groups maknae, ningning. who had been watching jake’s live from the beginning

“hey ning.” you huffed, shuffling over to your bed and flopping onto it. “hey, what’s wrong?” “another dating rumor.” she sighed. “look on the bright side, he probably just wants to be friends, try and get to know him more, under, the idol image.” you looked up from your bed and thought for a second maybe she was right — maybe he just wanted to be friends! you whipped out your phone and texted the boy.

“hey jake it’s [__]! just texting to get to know you better, i know i gave you my number but we really never got to speak about our lives outside our careers:)!” you sent the message and awaited a reply. . and, of course, within minutes, he responds ! “hey! sorry, i was a little scared to text you lol!! but yeah let’s talk!!!” you smiled as you kept the conversation going for a couple hours. from the conversation, you had found out what movies he liked, what he liked to be called and his favorite part of doing what he does.

these conversations lasted for months before you two started publicly hanging out and hugging at award shows, which of course, sparked confusion between fandoms & fan bases.

one night, you had been working in the studio for your groups new comeback as you walked back to your dorm to play animal crossing with winter when you see jake already playing, so you texted him “well goodnight to you too” “lol sorry, i haven’t been able to sleep lately..” you frowned at this text “awh why is that?” you replied with a :( emoji at the end. “honestly, i’ve been up thinking about our conversations, i’m so excited to start a new one everyday and i’ve been waiting for forever to finally talk to you and now i can. so i just stay up thinking about you.”

“wanna call?” you risk-fully typed as you almost threw your phone across the room — when you heard a ding! come from your phone. you gasped an hastily looked for it on your bed “sure, [__] let’s call” you melted at this text and called him. you two were quiet for a moment until he spoke up “i’m sorry.. if i came off as a little weird when we first met. when i first saw you i was amazed by you — like you were a goddess that flew in from the states.” he paused inbetween his words before speaking up again. “you really are one of my favorite people right now and i’m glad we’re talking.” you smiled at his confession and replied “thank you, jake. you’re too sweet.” the two of you talked until the morning came and ningning complained about having to sleep in the living room because of the noise.

after that, the two of you had spoken everyday, talking every single hour until he finally confessed, he proposed to be your boyfriend. he came to your dorms and brought flowers for you with a note saying “bf & gf?” it was simple, but you loved it. you texted him immediately after seeing them saying “yes, you can be my boyfriend.” a week later, you had released a solo track called “espresso.” jake listened to it on live and realized the lyrics were aimed at him

“said you can’t sleep? baby i know, that’s that me espresso..!” he sighed and chuckled at the lyrics, this was the start of a long relationship.

[caeruleums]

i've added a family and i wanna see who i wanna keep on writing, so like this for a starter from someone in the galloway family. under the cut i'll list a little more information.

harrison "harry" galloway. 50-55. heterosexual. skeet ulrich. harry is a real 'rags to riches' kind of guy. he was getting into trouble with the law as a kid, so when he was a teen his aunt (who was his guardian) made him join the local theatre because they had no boys. it was a fluke, but one of the biggest directors in hollywood picked him up and ever since then he was hollywood's golden boy. in a PR relationship, meeting the love of his life on set of the biggest movies of the century. eventually, they both cheated on their partners and quickly (and unexpectedly) got pregnant with their twin boys. however, harry is always looking for ways to recreate his youth. unfortunately, he can't say no to his pretty little costars when they bat their eyelashes and invite him over for a drink after the wrap party. he's an amazing man, some would say, being the face of a lot of charities. but he's not a great husband and an even worse father.

misty galloway. 50-55. bisexual. madchen amick. being an actress was in her blood. her mother and father were also a hollywood couple, her father being the head of the biggest production studio and her mother being his starlet. with a massive age gap between the two, misty barely knew her father. she just knew he was a cruel man, and her mother put up with it. gave up her dreams, but instilled an incredible work ethic for misty. in return, she was a child actress turned teen it girl. she was known for being sexually liberated but when she met harry, that all changed. having her twin boys changed her. she was devoted to being a good mother, advocating for every single thing she could. she saw her husband straying, so she desperately tried to keep him by having two daughters. nowadays, she keeps her head up and ignores the rumors, for her children. she is strong willed, and speaks up against things that could get her blacklisted. but she doesn't care, because she is more passionate about keeping a world safe for her children and potential grandchildren, than staying in hollywood's good graces.

rexford "rex" galloway. 27-30. bisexual. josh o'connor. though all of the galloway kids love their mother, rex and his mum have a closer relationship. he was always passionate about acting, but he had hesitated because she tried to keep him out of the scene. despite the boys being in a few of their father's movies, only rex had gotten bit by the acting bug. unfortunately for him, he took after his father having a wandering eye. he had always been connected to famous socialites, but still had himself focused on doing films that really inspired him. he only takes on indie projects that have meaning, but he's his mum's go-to for anything press related. he will often be seen fighting with his father, and many times tmz has covered their 'tumultuous' relationship. he's quick to anger, though normally reserved, and often seeking intellectual connections.

oswald "ozzie" galloway. 27-30. bisexual. callum turner. he never really cared about the whole 'hollywood' of it all, but stuck around because he cared for his little sisters. ozzie never needed to get a job, he knew he was set, but he did take a particular interest in video games. ozzie constantly avoids conflicts, unless it's involving his younger sisters. your typical eboy/gamer bf, fluffy hair, tall and lanky. he'll secretly post thirst traps on twitter and tiktok, casually mentioning that he also likes to read books (acota and the likes) and has a pretty intense following on twitch. he doesn't get involved with his family affairs, often falling for the wrong girls and trying to hide away from his fame despite having a complete online persona. he's the sweet one of the family, always trying to work things out between the six of them.

sawyer galloway. 22-24. bisexual. bailee madison. the bubbliest galloway in the world. a total daddy's girl, though he always seems to disappoint her. a child star despite her mother begging her father not to let her get into it, and now is starring in every teen movie netflix will put out. constantly battling with insecurity, secretly hating herself and everything she does. will often let boys walk all over her, afraid to come to terms with her attraction to women despite her sister and her mother being open about it. she will cry at the drop of a hat, but also has been referred to as a 'real life rapunzel' which she strives to be each and every day. more talented than what she's given, but too afraid to dip her toes into anything more serious for fear of rejection and critique.

vaughn galloway. 21-23. lesbian. sophie thatcher. the black sheep of the family, though she does often respect what her mom is trying to do it never feels like enough. passionate about activism, vaughn moved out as soon as she could, going to school and not entirely sure as to what she wanted to major in. she's insecure about the fact that she's a 'nepo baby' and so she'll likely hide away at different functions so no one notices her. she loves her brother but she still constantly feels like she doesn't belong, or that she doesn't deserve what she has. has been very open about being a lesbian since she was 12, and though many people questioned it her mother did not and supported her through it. can be found at lowkey music festivals, or just doing part time work in a small town where no one would notice her.

[polycharismas]

my monthly alien stage rewatch findings. or rambles. Yeah rambles. i didnt say anything about Black Sorrow or Cure because those are like the most analyzed videos of all time and im tired Sigh

My Clematis: It still amazes me how much of an effect this one still has on me after all the time that has passed and after all the things that have happened in Alien Stage by now. It truly represents every single thing that makes Alien Stage such a special story. I think watching it again after all that went on in the story just elevates it so much more. This time around what did it for me was the monologue because you can easily apply it to every other character in this and it just Fits so well. Because truly what else do these children have aside from one another? Who else are they supposed to believe in? Where else are they supposed to find a God that can keep them moving forward in a world as cruel as this? All of them have someone, the nature of their admiration and the way they express it varies so much between all of them, but it still follows the same principle after all. The whole mv just put it in such a beautiful way it honestly holds up as its own story but knowing there was way more to these two girls and this whole world makes it so much better. I love yuri

ALIEN STAGE: UUugggGGahsgagahHahwnajwjdj Sorry. Okay. This is like the actual real trailer for this thang and its also so perfect. It foreshadows everyone's role surprisingly well. I think the fact Sua is the one singing also makes it better somehow because it just makes sense. She's the one that indirectly triggered a lot of what happens in Alien Stage in the first place she's the most important for our protagonist she's related with the rest of the cast in many different ways and to this day we still know next to nothing about her and yet she's the one singing the song that can be considered a true introduction to this whole world and that's Fascinating to me. I just feel nostalgic about this one also even if it really hasn't been that long since it was released. General banger and also it looks pretty as hell it makes me ill. Waugh

Unknown (Till the end...): OKAY I REALIZED THIS WAS PROBABLY THE ONE WHERE MY OPINIONS WOULD CHANGE THE MOST i have recently taken quite a liking to thinking about Till since a Twitter thread changed my whole perception about him and Oh Boy Did It All Change. It kind of really fucks me up. Till's relationship with Mizi i mean. It's stated he's one of the most brilliant in Anakt Garden. Not only is he skilled at both singing and playing an instrument he's also a pretty damn good composer. It's really something when you realize Mizi was the one who gave him both the determination and the inspiration to achieve all of this. The song he performed was the fastest selling album and he made it to Top 2 despite the fact the aliens are just not fond of him at all to put lightly. And he only achieved all of this because Mizi decided to show him a kindness she has always been familiar with but also a kindness he never experienced once in his life. Till has suffered a lot. Struggling to find an alien that would actually want to adopt him, being experimented on by the aliens and probably way Wayyyyy more, but it only took a single person to show him kindness for him to be able to keep on living. The nature of his feelings can be easily interpreted as romantic but it honestly resembles more that of a painter and his muse to me. So how do you think he felt when he saw his muse experience for the very first time the unkind world they lived in? He couldn't even glance at her during his performance because seeing his idol in such a state was painful. That still didn't stop him from wanting to speak his heart out through a song specifically made for her to hear. I sure hope nothing bad happens to this determined and energetic little guy!

Ruler of My Heart: Hi. This time around i thought really hard about how naturally Luka could hit all of Mizi's weak points through his performance. It's like a skill he learned throughout the years which is a really disturbing idea for me because we all know the state of his mind but what else could this be than giving the aliens exactly what they want from hosting this competition through all these years? Luka's parallels with Hyuna in the way they went about their roles in this world always fascinated me greatly because on one hand we have a total rebel who didn't hesitate to escape and do what She thinks is correct and on the other we have the Perfect contestant for Alien Stage. A title that sounds prestigious but can be also terrifying if we look at it from a human perspective. Someone so capable of twisting people's minds for the sake of entertainment and someone just detached enough to not hesitate at the truly awful implications of being a part of this competition and still participate with everything he's got. We don't know what exactly is the reason he did all of this and we also don't know much about. Anything that goes through his mind. So what the hell am i even talking about honestly. I want him so badly its painful i can fix him❤️

TOP 3: guys Guys Guys Guys Guys Guys Guys. Here it is. Famously known video i never shut the fuck up about. I think dropping this not before Alien Stage started but in the middle of it was genius because now we know exactly what the nature of this world truly is. I will never shut the fuck up about how absolutely amazing this video specifically is. The shift between the perspective of Alien Stage the aliens have to the perspective the humans themselves have is so fucking well done it makes me insane everytime. What could Alien Stage be to beings incapable of feelings? Just the perfect source of entertainment and money they could ask for. Its nothing more than that. But to the humans themselves its absolutely everything. Where they could win everything or lose it all. In this world humans have no other option than to trust their abilities to have even the slightest chance of being given the right to live freely. Where the cost of losing is your life. But also where the cost of winning is your own humanity. This video represents all of that in such a perfect way and it makes me ill in the head. GHhagzgHagGagagagav im normal

MIZISUA: Having a dedicated video for the most important relationship in the whole series is actually such a brain move. You can always feel the love these two have for each other every time they are together but the way you can feel it here just hits. Not a single word is spoken and yet you can feel everything they felt for each other in just that peaceful moment they shared when they were being sent to Anakt Garden. And the way you can also feel the pain Sua's absence has on Mizi in the span of so little time. You can feel absolutely everything with just that final scene alone. You can also see how opposite they were to each other and yet how well they fit together despite that. Seeing Sua like this makes me feel ill because i know already how much Mizi's everything changed her completely. To be loved is to be changed indeed. This video says everything you need to know about their feelings for each other and im DIGGING IT man. I miss them so much it hurts

All-in: HEH. HEY. HI HYUNA. This is like the perfect way to introduce her. We already know Hyuna somehow managed to break into the competition itself to save Mizi and this video just enhances more the way we see her by showing us how strong she is both as leader of the resistance and as a person. Hyuna is by far the most mature of the cast and this video shows it in such a perfect way. Someone like her is exactly what Mizi needed to finally break away from the pain Alien Stage caused her and to search for a path of her own in the freedom she now has. I love how easy going and fun the whole song feels because its no longer a performance for the aliens its a performance for the humans. Its no longer a song trapped beneath all that surrounds Alien Stage. Its a song made for the people that are free from the aliens that's meant to inspire them to keep moving forward and to not stop fighting for the future where the humans hold freedom. All of this also makes the fact that Luka is such a huge trigger for her elevate both of their characters greatly and also just make the whole conflict between them more interesting. What exactly was it that made Hyuna despise this man to the point thinking about him makes her sick? What exactly goes through Luka's mind when it comes to Hyuna specifically? They make me insane in the head i think the day we get more Hyuluka lore is the day i officially pass away forever. Godbless

[xray-vex]

Against all odds, we found each other. And we will find each other again.

This is my entry for a Draw This In Your Style challenge on Twitter for the effort to save Our Flag Means Death.

Mine was partly inspired by Stede sending his love letters to Ed via messages in bottles, set adrift in the sea, hoping against all odds that one might reach him someday (spoiler alert, it did).

I also happened to watch this video today about the incredible, incomprehensible vastness of the universe (a lot of this info wasn't new to me, but it's fun to watch people's reactions to this stuff!), and I also started thinking about the incredible odds that we, as complex, self-aware life forms, exist at all (I think about this kind of thing all the time).

The above video references Pale Blue Dot, a really famous photo taken of earth from billions of kilometers away [*and if you look carefully you can spot it in my illustration above]:

[source]

The astronomer Carl Sagan wrote this famous & beloved passage about it (video about it below):

[source]

Just think about it! It has taken billions of years and vast amounts of energy and the right chemical reactions for us to be right here, sitting here thinking & talking about it right now. Every human being who has ever existed won a really incredible lottery.

And how does this tie into Our Flag Means Death? Among the billions of people currently alive on Earth, some of us gathered from all over the world as a community around OFMD, a profound work of art that resonates with us about our shared humanity. That's really something fucking special! We get to experience this all together.

Bonus: I included the imagery of a solar eclipse for a couple reasons. The symbols of sun & moon are repeated metaphors in OFMD associated with Ed and Stede. Also, since a total solar eclipse is an alignment between sun & moon, that seems like a perfect symbol for their relationship.

And speaking of odds, solar eclipses on Earth are pretty unique:

[source]

Edit 21 Jan 2024 - somehow I forgot to include that part of the reason I included the eclipse imagery is that there will be a total solar eclipse viewable from many parts of the US this year, on 8th April. Here are some links about it:

Road trip! See April's total solar eclipse from one of these awesome North American routes

Why 2024's Total Solar Eclipse Will Be So Special

The Science of 2024's Epic Solar Eclipse, the Last for a Generation

(tip: you can read the articles for free if you have Firefox by clicking the icon below in your search bar)

SO yeah that's my story about the design I came up with for the DTIYS Save OFMD thing, and how I've been feeling about OFMD & the fandom community, and how this entire experience for me has felt fucking miraculous.

in conclusion, Peace and Love on Planet Earth /gen

[likeadevils]

I've been toying with the idea of the "Superman > Foolish One > I Can See You > Ours > Dear John > The Story Of Us" sequence of events and I need to know if I'm completely deluded.

While I'm pretty deadset on this timeline, the one iffy part is Foolish One. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Anon, Foolish One is a breakup song. How could she have written it before they got together," and to that I say I KNOW, BUT, there are SO many lyrical parallels between Foolish One and all the *confirmed John songs that I find it very difficult to believe.

In terms of the timeline, something that I recently learned after listening to Jessica Simpson's book, is that after they had been off for over a year, John had begun pursuing her in mid 2009, whilst she was dating Tony Romo (it's slightly ironic that this whole sequence is preceded by Jessica making mention of the fact that Rascal Flatts asked her to be their replacement opener after Taylor finished touring with them).

She then implies that the two slept together throughout the latter half and the year, and that she confronted him about "sleeping with another/other girls" after reading a quote from him where he said he "only wanted to f*ck girls he'd already f*cked because he didn't want to explain to them that he was interested in them."

(She also makes mention of the fact that he told her she and inspired basically the entirety of Battle Studies including Half Of My Heart. There is a lot of parallel here but that's a topic for another time.)

With that whole messy timeline, I am toying with the idea of this:

Superman:

the early stages of their working relationship.

She pines, hopeful that one day they will be together despite her current entanglement, and his potential entanglements.

Foolish One:

being hit with the sudden realisation that they will Not be together Someday.

Said realisation may or may not be be spurred on by a certain former flame, or a certain comment about whether she actually writes her music, something that is obviously deeply personal to her.

I Can See You:

A mark of a shift in their dynamic

Her waiting is finally paying off, and she is eager to explore it

It is seemingly pre "confession" of interest, but post denial of it.

Ours:

There are now "together" and subscribing to an Us and against the world mentality.

Takes place in the very brief "Happy" stage of the relationship, however despite this there is still a level of distance, something followed up on in the music video

Dear John:

The realisation that she REALLY should've known better.

The immediate fallout from the relationship

"F*ck you, we're done. You're broke, I'm up."

The Story Of Us:

"Hey, what if we just like... talked it out?"

The internal debate of whether or not to offer out an olive branch to someone who caused you great pain, but you still hold a torch for (she described the song as being about "pining" over someone in her journal)

The realisation that she got nothing out of the relationship, despite her high expectations.

This is VERY long, and I am SORRY, but if you took the time to read this, thank you, and if you take the time to respond to my midnight ramblings, THANK YOU🙏

oh no i see foolish one as very much a situationship song like it can absolutely fit “i have a crush and you keep PLAYING WITH IT AND THEN DIPPING”

and i think that does fit his and taylor’s relationship in 2009! like, they were flirting over twitter like, all year. may-december there was lots of flirty tweets. though, i don’t know if it’s about john specifically, or just the general idea of a man? like, that feb 2009 lover diary where she randomly brings up “i feel like i’m the one before the one” is before she really got involved with john and feels very foolish one to me

ALSO ALSO ABOUT OURS

i’m pretty sure it was written before they were Together Together? like? idk she said it was written the week before her 19th birthday and she didn’t break up with taylor lautner until at least the december 14? not that— like, i don’t think her and taylor lautner were ever seriously dating to the point of exclusivity, i think it was just a ‘while we’re both in the same city’ thing, BUT at the very least that implies ours was written before she was exclusive with john? idk fall 2009 is so. so teenage mess

i also think all of the 2010 songs are about her kinda. coming to terms with that. like mine -> innocent -> back to december -> mean -> long live is so. it drives me insane. chosing kindness, trying to apologize to those you hurt, rebuilding self worth— it’s such a fascinating little mini arc, that healing from that heartbreak (amongst other things) set her on

[chaifootsteps]

There is an "artist" in the hyspanic side of the art internet community that reminds me so much of Vivziepop:

Her name is "Angel de la verdad" (Angel of truh in spanish, wich is a very ironic name lol), and she is know for being a grown ass woman (she is almost 40) that acts childish and cant take criticism.

People started making fun of her because she would react badly to any kind of criticism; she would make big tantrums every time someone made a video criticising her work and would send her fans (all of them being literal children because she made videos about sonic, undertale and other things that were popular between them) to harrass and attack them, then negate that she did that. She would also claim that those who have any little negative opinion on her art were haters and would call them childish insults like "rats" and encourage her fans to do the same.

One day she got mad beef with a literal 14yo boy cuz he made a video saying that her Sonic fancomics were cringe, and that made her so mad, that she took down that video, made several video directs making fun of that child, made a drawing where she potrayed him as a crying child while she was scolding him, told lies about how he was harassing and stalking her when she was the one doing that, and even threaten to doxx him because she got his personal information.

She became a very hated figure, in every video she uploaded you would see she had like 40k views but only like 10 comments cause she would erase any "hate" comment calling her out, only keeping the ones made by her bootlickes that couldnt be over the age of 8.

I remember she even did a video "debunking" her acusations, and in the part of the doxxing she said "i never said i would leak personal information of that child! I just told him to behave, and to not give his information to strangers!" Thing that is obviously a lie. She also showed screenshot of personal conversations she had with him "proving" that he was harrassing her, but they were basically her insulting him and he responding with "lol ok".

The latest thing i knew about her is that she posted on twitter that she would sue some youtuber who made a video on her revealing all the things she did, she claimed that the video was "defaming" her and that she already got a lawer. That was about a year ago and nothing happened, so i guess it was all a lie lol.

Viziepop reminds me a bit of her, in the sense that she is also over the age of 30 and still cant take criticism in a mature way. Maybe she doesnt openly insult her "haters", but she inderectly encourages her fans to be horrible people to those who dont like her work.

I was thinking, if Vivzie didnt have a reputation to take care of, she would be similar to the lady i talked about, maybe not to the point of doxxing a child, but in the sense that she would post on her social media the links of videos where she gets criticised and telling her fans to attack them, then acting all inocent with "those mean haters were attacking me 🥺 i was just defending myself..."

But she cant do that, right now she is know as "the saviour of indie animation", as a goddess of pure positivity that inspires others and will get her work shown on TV, that behaviour would ruin her reputation in a second.

So now i can imagine her sitting in front of the computer, looking for people who criticise her work. She would get the idea of making a post so her fans attack them, but then she glances at the poster on her wall, wich says "reminder: you have a reputation on the internet, DONT fuck it up". So she just growls angrily, and limits herself to like comments of her bootlickers defending her.

(Also, little fun fact about Angel de la verdad: she has a sister who is EXACTLY like her, a mediocre internet artists who acts childish and throws tantrums in the sight of criticism. Many people used to belive they were the same person with different users, but they have different voices and pictures together so we know they arent, the world is a crazy place).

Thank you for this story, Anon, and also for this peek into Vivzie's Christmas future.

(Hopefully.)

[tinananau]

Elymobi right person wrong time (?) trope inspired by this pic I saw on twitter with someone captioning it that it looks like Mobius seems like she’s pining here AAAAA

It had been a long time since Mobius had last seen Elysia. Not a single day had passed without thinking of her; if only she had been a little more brave, a little more spontaneous, a little more affectionate… if only she had been enough for Elysia.

The pink haired woman didn’t want to break up with her. She always had the ability to see the good in others, and despite Mobius not being the… best person, Elysia had always understood her, and somehow wanted to be with her.

If anything, it was all Mobius’s fault. She knew herself well, but never ever tried to be the best version of herself. She knew that it made Elysia suffer, and still chose to ignore how their relationship was just toxic. Elysia doing everything she could to feel appreciated and loved, and Mobius… she enjoyed being around the other woman, but ultimately sometimes felt she was an… annoyance.

She still loved her. She loved when, in the evening, they snuggled in bed and warmed each other. She loved when Elysia sometimes interrupted her experiments to bring her out of her lab and hang out somewhere else. She loved when Elysia’s attention was all for her.

But sometimes, Mobius felt like that attention was too much. She frequently had aggressive outbursts towards Elysia, screaming at her to leave her alone. The expression on the woman’s face always left a bitter feeling in Mobius, but she felt like Elysia would just brush it off like her positive self always did, and so, never apologized for that.

At some point, Elysia didn’t know what to do anymore. She tried to give the best of her to Mobius, just for Mobius to push it away. Everyone could notice just how much of a toxic relationship that was. And, when Mobius noticed that Elysia was almost losing herself, she decided to be selfless just for once and let her go.

It had been a painful decision. Mobius was okay in that relationship, although she found Elysia an annoyance sometimes.

But, she knew better than to ruin a positive person’s life… especially Elysia’s. Elysia loved the world more than anything, and those feelings were so heartwarming that even the coldest hearted person couldn’t help but feel some of that too. Mobius… as much of a bad person as she could be, she couldn’t bear to see those feelings… gone.

The break up itself… Mobius couldn’t even remember it. And so couldn’t Elysia.

A memory like that… maybe, their brains had erased it to protect them from a suffering too big for their hearts.

After that, Mobius never saw Elysia again.

That is, until Mobius received a letter just from her.

“Hey, Mobius!

I know it’s been a lot of time since we last met… I didn’t know whether to write to you or not, seen everything that’s happened between us and just how many years have passed… I honestly thought a lot about this, and eventually came to the conclusion that it’s time we leave the past behind and embrace the future. I would like to start over with you! You know, we used to be best friends. I’m inviting you to my birthday party!

I know you don’t like writing letters, so don’t bother to respond. I’ll know your answer if I’ll see you at the party!

Bye bye,

Elysia”

« birthday? » Mobius briefly checked the calendar. Ever since Elysia had left, she almost lost the perception of time. November 9. Two days left.

Some days later, Mobius was standing in front of the door belonging to Elysia’s new house. The green haired woman somehow felt very nervous, to see who was once her… lover, again. Her lover. Hers. Mobius knew Elysia wasn’t gonna be hers anymore. She felt… weird, about it. Feelings she had never felt before.

She rang the doorbell, and immediately heard quick steps running towards the entrance.

And there she was, Elysia.

As beautiful as Mobius remembered her, even more. She was shining, radiating light as if she was the sun itself.

« Mobius! Long time no see! I’m happy to see you accepted my invite » the girl smiled tenderly and let her get in the house.

« come with me, we’re partying in the garden! » Elysia hastily walked, making sure Mobius was behind. The other woman kept the pace and followed the pinkie in her house. It was quite big, very much bigger than the apartment they used to live in before. And that Mobius had never left.

They finally reached the garden. Here, Mobius noticed some familiar faces along with some new ones. She didn’t bother to greet them, and gave her attention to her old friends.

Mobius and Elysia hadn’t talked much at the party. Not at all. It seemed like they were trying to inevitably avoid each other. Elysia wanted to move on from the past, but maybe that same past they both wanted to forget was just too important to forget. Too important, but dark. It was standing in a corner, chaining both of them and keeping them under its control… so that it would always have an influence on them.

Mobius talked with her old friends all the time, almost ignoring Elysia. Until, the moment of celebrating the real birthday arrived.

Kalpas and Aponia had prepared a cake just for her, and brought it to the garden, putting it on the snacks table. Everyone gathered in that area and wished a happy birthday to Elysia.

Elysia said that she had never felt so happy until that moment, so happy that all the people who were the most important to her were there with her to celebrate her special day.

Mobius felt some sort of sense of comfort after hearing those words: Elysia still cared about her.

Nevertheless, at the same time, Mobius had the confirmation that Elysia would’ve never been hers again: she acknowledged that now she was engaged to another woman. That woman had been there for her when Mobius couldn’t, and Elysia grew so affectionate to her.

When Mobius saw them, across the garden, exchanging a tender kiss, she knew that with Elysia she had messed up.

She had ruined everything, even tho she could’ve fixed it. And now, she was paying the consequences of her own actions: Mobius could’ve never told anyone that she was Elysia’s girlfriend, she could’ve never called Elysia “her woman” again, she could’ve never kissed her soft lips again, just like their fates were destined to never meet once more.

That party, maybe it wasn’t for reconciliation. Maybe it was… for coming to terms with the past and move on. It was over, and nothing else could’ve ever bring it back.

Mobius left early that night, saying that she had more important things to do than loitering around at a party. No one gave it much thought, they knew how Mobius was.

But when Elysia greeted Mobius goodbye, they both had the sensation that they weren’t going to meet again. It effectively was a ‘goodbye’.

Author’s note: I forgot to put the source of the pic, sorry!!! Here is the link:

[literaticat]

Can bad Goodreads reviews or Book Tok bomb an author's career? Reviewers trash books that aren't even out yet because they didn't like the blurb. Or something the author said. Or because of something they heard about the book that isn't even true. A lot of these reviewers haven't even read the book, which they even admit in the reviews. How can authors protect themselves in this climate? I'm thinking particularly of the Cecilia Rabess case.

I think it's very important to remember that "online" is not the same as real life. Like I know it SEEMS like it! And if you're in the thick of reading terrible reviews about your book, or getting involved with some Twitter Controversy, or whatever -- it FEELS like it is all-consuming and truly the world is against you, etc.

But like -- that's probably not the case, in reality. In REALITY, a small number users are very active on BookTok or GoodReads or whatever. MOST people in reality, the people who like, GO OUTSIDE, etc, will have never heard of whatever-the-thing is, even if it seems like everyone in your online circle has.

As an example, one of my books had a sort of publisher-"scandal" years ago and it was big news -- zero fault of the author, entirely the publisher mishandling something and seemingly "whitewashing" the cover, which went viral on Twitter etc, and then even got picked up by major media like The Guardian, etc. -- For me, and the author, this was SO INTENSE -- people were so mad, many of them AT US! For some reason! -- and it felt like the absolute end of days. During the midst of this, though, I had to go to a dinner with like, 100 of the most well-connected librarians in the Bay Area. I truly expected them to not only know the story, but have bad opinions about it, and I was bracing myself. Guess what: ONE of them had heard the story, and they were very nice about it. The rest of the folks had never heard about it -- because they weren't glued to a small section of twitter or paying attention to random-ass "news" that didn't affect them anyway. That's when my fever broke - -this wasn't the end of days. This would blow over. Nobody would remember it later. And that was all true.

So I guess that's the takeaway. Don't seek out lousy reviews. Don't engage with reviews. Do not argue with reviews. Reviews are not your business. If you are freaking out -- get off the internet and talk to some people and touch some grass. And remember -- "Bad" reviews might inspire people to read the book, too. I read/see plenty of "bad" reviews that make me think, oh, that sounds interesting, actually. And if people are talking about your book, even if some of them are mad, that's better than NOBODY talking about your book. (I'M NOT SAYING, start a scandal! LOL. Just, you know. Most books get totally ignored, so hey, no such thing as bad publicity?)

I had not heard of "the Cecilia Rabess case" so I did some digging online. It seems that the author was the subject of "review bombing", where a bunch of disgruntled people saw a post online that made them mad and went en masse to one-star review the book on Goodreads. It very much sucks that people do this, btw, and I wish they wouldn't -- but it's much like when a bunch of people review bomb a business on Yelp because they saw a video of the owner being a jerk or something. Can that make the owner's day/week/month pretty rough? Yes. Will it prevent the owner from ever working again? Probably not, at the end of the day, provided they are actually doing good work and real Non-Yelp people know that.

In this case, the "bad review" on TikTok that inspired the whole thing was done well before the book even came out, and the person was objecting to the very premise of the book, and many/most of the people one-starring it had definitely NOT read it, because it wasn't out! (Insert "Old Man Yelling At Cloud" GIF)

The premise they were objecting to is that it *seemed* like it was an enemies-to-lovers Romance between a Black liberal woman and a T**mp-lovin racist white dude. I can absolutely see why people lost it about that -- because A ROMANCE NOVEL inherently has a happy ending, and sorry, but there's no way that premise COULD have a happy ending unless both parties got lobotomized, and how happy could THAT be? (Much akin to why people lose at at enslaved person / enslaver Romances, or Nazi/Jew Romances -- GROSS. It's GROSS.)

The thing is though .... it's not a Romance.

It has at its center a woman and a man in a complicated romantic relationship -- a 'love story' if you will -- there may be romantic PARTS -- but ultimately, it is not a Romance Novel. The author didn't intend it to be a Romance Novel, and the publisher didn't intend for it to be shelved in the Romance section as far as I know. (Where they effed up is I guess in the marketing they used the phrase "enemies to lovers" or something, so people assumed that because of that Romance Trope being invoked, that it was a Romance Novel? But IDK.) -- if anything, though it isn't horror, it seems more akin to like, GET OUT, thematically. The title and cover alone point to that -- "EVERYTHING'S FINE" is what the character says even though everything is very much NOT fine -- and there's a crushed strawberry on the cover bc (spoiler) one of the things that happens in the book is, the main character doesn't tell her partner that she's allergic to strawberries and eats them anyway because she doesn't wanna rock the boat, and "EVERYTHING'S FINE" -- but it's, again, say it with me, VERY MUCH NOT FINE -- it's about her self-sabotaging, etc. Lots of us gravitate towards things that hurt us but feel good, no? Especially in our 20s? I sure did.

Luckily the book actually sounds pretty good, and has had a lot of big time accolades as well as the trolls. I wouldn't have heard of it before, and now I'm interested. So... I think the author will end up fine, at the end of the day. An unpleasant episode that actually the majority of people never heard about and will be forgotten by all soon.