#ive actually drawn them an insane amount

[apocalypse-alpaca]

Aziraphale sketch roundup yeehaw ✨️

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

...You know I would apologize for this but tbh I'm not even sorry-

This is like the most self indulgent bullshit Ive drawn in a WHILE but for those who don't know, back in like 2016 there was this Deadpool team-up thing called Mercs for Money. I don't normally consume. Anything comics related, really, but I was already invested in one of the characters on the team and, since everybody on the team was insanely obscure aside from Deadpool, I read all the comics the Mercs for Money appeared in and became emotionally attatched to literally all of them. Then yesterday I was kinda bored and realized there are a surprising amount of parallels between the MfM and Co- and C- and C&F that I literally HAD to redraw that one MfM cover as them akrkfkekfkekfkek- Kinda sad I couldn't include everyone, but I think I picked the right characters for each spot.

I don't like how the background looks.

List of similarities under the cut for anyone interested cuz this post is getting kinda long-

The leader is completely deranged(Deadpool, Cartman)

Team has broken up at least once

There's a massive physical fight with the leader at some point

Constant infighting

One of the members is mostly just included for the dick jokes(Slapstick, Stan)

Swearing

Lets be real if C&F were actual adults they would for SURE get sued over their name and you know why

^ context for that one, the MfM were originally called the Heroes for Hire, but got sued bcuz the name was already taken

That being said, two names

Incredibly short runs

Lots of franchising(in universe)

Stingray and Kyle have similar vibes idk

One of the members goes on a rampage to get revenge for one reason or another(Madcap, Cartman)

... Ig Kenny was stuck in Cartman's head that one time, and Madcap being stuck in DP's head was a major plot point in MfM-

Okay that's all I can think of rn-

[sushisocks]

omg imagine if sean got his own game like about his childhood and ending just before he met dutch and hosea with a full soundtrack and developed characters THAT WILL COMPLETE ME

God, Anon, what I wouldn't give for ANY MORE INFORMATION about Sean and what his life was like prior to the gang. His timeline & backstory has so many vague elements to them, to the point that parsing some things are REALLY hard (I think I definitely can say it's fucking hard, given the amount of research I've done to answer some asks abt his background before!!).

But for me, a big part of Sean's appeal is the -- unfulfilled potential? Which is obviously part of the POINT with both his & Lenny's deaths (Lenny moreso, but I digress), but I've always been drawn towards characters with a lot of unanswered questions left in their wake and we don't even actually know Sean's AGE.

So like, YES OBVIOUSLY, if a game revolving around Sean was ever released, I'd fucking die, yall would see insanity on this blog like never before. I'd be posting like a bitch in heat! Though do I think a game abt Sean is likely? Of course not. And do I want one? Well, not necessarily?

For one I don't know how a game focused on Sean's backstory would fit into the themes of the Red Dead series, nor am I sure such a game would be as emotionally fulfilling or have the same kind of impact when we already KNOW where he ends up and what happens to him. (Sidenote; this is sort of why I'm not necessarily hankering for a RDR3 focused on the gang in the early days. A prologue to the prologue feels in many ways redundant.) Obviously I'd still be FERAL if R* decided to do a game about him anyway, but I'd be SUPER curious as to how they worked around these aspects of his story.

What I REALLY want is literally just like. A booklet with more information about him. But not so much that it ruins what I find fun about him, if that makes sense? I don't necessarily WANT to know his exact age when he died, but I DO want to know what age he was when he came to America, or how long he stayed in reform school.

ALTERNATIVELY a DLC with even more missions with him or content about him in ch2/3 would be much appreciated. I've been putting off going to see him in RDO because I know I need to be like -- ready for it, lol.

I WOULD LOVE more soundtracks dedicated to him though 🙃 And maybe more info about the people in his life who were important to him prior to the gang, besides his dad. (Ive been thinking a lot about that RDO line when you first meet him, where he says he lost the gang because he went off killing a guy he owed a killing to. WHO IS THIS GUY???? WHAT DID HE DO FOR SEAN OF ALL PEOPLE TO HUNT HIM DOWN????? I have my thoughts and theories but ohh my god this one haunts me man.)

ANYWAY Thank u anon, I hope u don't mind me using this ask as another opportunity to rant, because that's obviously ALL I DO LMAO

[orowyrm]

#1: I love finding someone with a unique/rare ship or headcannon.

#2: the interaction with Sigma and Sombra, where Sigma is saying Moira is going to run some tests on him, how do you think Ramattra would respond to hearing that?

#3 do they have any nick names for each other?

AW TEEHEE THANKYOU!!! its been a while since ive had the motivation to like, draw or write anything for em but rest assured im thinking about them so so so much... youve activated my autism trap card though i have an INSANE amount of convoluted opinions on the nature of character dynamics between sigma and sombra as well as sigma and moira and im taking this opportunity to babble about it. sorry in advance.

as for the interaction, personally im of the opinion that said 'tests' are literallly.... just tests. as in like, yknow, bloodwork, scans to make sure the implants and augments he has are actually working to redirect excess pressure and kinetic energy from his vital organs when using his abilities ... ive talked about how i think that sorta stuff works more in this post but tldr is that a lot of the tech and equipment hes using is of his own design and VERY experimental, hes pretty much flying blind here so he kind of has to make changes as he goes and so it's kinda important that his health and safety are taken into account. and he also has a bit of a uhhh. demonstrable history of disregarding his own safety for the sake of his research. it would kind of make sense that theyd be going out of their way to make sure someone stays on him about actually doing the damn tests and keeping track of the results. it just so happens that he's really averse to letting just anyone Examine (tm) him because of. yknow. the everything. and moira happens to fit the bill of being A. someone he feels he can trust to not take things too far (whether or not he's making a good choice here is up for debate, but i think he could do worse) and B. actually have a degree of knowing what she's doing. i definitely think that the only reason she's bothering at least initially is her own curiosity about everything he's got going on, but he also does just really feel like the type to jsut kind of naturally be very endearing . ive said before that a lot of their interactions read as playful to me, at least on his end - he DEFINITELY sounds like he's messing with her on purpose. i think he does genuinely regard her as a friend, and for the most part, he's probably right - even if she's a bit cranky about it. i have a LOT of thoughts about their relationship too honestly probably far too many to cram into this one post LMFAO i think about the dynamic a lot. im a moira apologist idc i think that she is capable of being nice sometimes. just because shes kind of a cunt sometimes doesnt mean shes needlessly cruel, like not only do i feel like messing with his head and experimenting on him given his history would be kinda kicking him while he's down. but ALSO, i feel like she's smart enough to know that making him an enemy would be a baaaad idea. he can literally explode people with his mind. she knows better than to give him any reason to be genuinely mad at her, and i do think he would absolutely NOT tolerate any kind of treatment like that ever again unless it was on his terms and he had the power to just leave if it got to be too much. even as it is, i think the entire process is a bit of a sore spot for him and not exactly something he's thrilled about, hence his hesitation in that interaction - not because it's happening against his will so much as he's regarding it the same way i think about having to go get blood drawn. it's not fun, but it's gotta happen somehow.

all that to say, i think upon overhearing discussion of said 'tests' without further context mattra would NOT be happy about it, likely getting defensive the same way sombra does. he'd probably be a lot harder to dissuade than she is tbh, i dont know if he'd really take moira's word for it that there's nothing underhanded going on here unless sig told him so himself, and even then it would still put his hackles up. he's probably very nosy about it for a very long time. just to be safe.

as far as nicknames/pet names go, in my mind theyre both very... awkward about these kinda things i guess if that makes sense? emotional vulnerability comes easily for NEITHER of them, between sig still recovering from decades of isolation and mattra just naturally being very guarded and bitter (for good reason!) and not used to outwardly expressing his care for others, especially not for some random human who seems to have decided that they're friends. to me, their dynamic is very much one of tentativeness and battling with distrust and insecurity. i think it would take a very, very long time to get there, and even longer to actually be able to casually say stuff like that without wanting to explode and die on the spot. i do think sig is a bit more outwardly affectionate than mattra, but even then, a lot of it is kinda tempered by the fact that he's just very forward with everyone about everything at this point - he's kind of desperate for positive connections with others that he can hold onto, so he's reached a point where it doesn't take much to get him to consider someone a friend and he's not exactly hiding it anymore. oh, i dropped something and you picked it up before i had a chance to? sick, we are now besties and i would kill for you.

i think that sort of attitude would catch ramattra off guard and he'd not really know how to react to any of it. sig could call him anything at this point, but if it's in an affectionate tone he WILL bluescreen about it. ramattra.exe has encountered an error and must restart

i do really like sig's valentines voiceline, so i might just roll with 'starlight' even if it's a bit cheesy... hell, now that i think about it, i think he'd do that specifically BECAUSE it's cheesy and will probably elicit an eye-roll or a 'stop that'. he seems to enjoy pushing people's buttons. maybe bothering his friends is his love language idk

[survivorraccooncity2]

Tribal Council #8 - S.T.A.R.S.

Welcome S.T.A.R.S. to the eighth tribal council of the game.

Questions:

Adeline: Were you shocked at the amount of DNFs for this challenge? Does that change anything?

Naur. This challenge was a BEAST. I don’t think it changes anything, just shows who’s willing to hustle vs who feels safer giving up.

Ariel: Congratulations on immunity! How happy are you to win and also go to Summit? Do you think this will make you a target moving forward?

Thaaaanks, Hosts. I was happy until you reminded me that this could make me a target. Honestly, I did not expect to win at all. But here we goes, I know this could make me a target, but for now I will just enjoy this and I'll worry being a target when I get there.

Ava: Did last vote solidify where people stand within the tribe? Who is at the top and who is on the bottom?

I'm not sure. I think who is at top and bottoms is so subjective right now, especially since there is no one person consistently winning challenges. As far as how the vote is going go to we'll have to see, especially knowing advantages are still out and could be played.

Clefford: How did the challenge go?

The challenge was hard, really, but fun. I'm just happy that someone in my alliance won.

Cliftone: When your name came up last vote, Some of the messages had said they had not talked to you much. How important is is talking to people in this game and does this affect your gameplay?

Talking to people in this game is VERY important. But I believe people talking back to you is even more important and they say you look insane with you talk to yourself.

DJ: last Tribal Council we saw you play a vote steal that resulted in a tie vote and Evangelina leaving the game. Did things go as planned? What was the plan?

I see players getting voted out with advantages/idols in their pocket on Survivor (the TV show) quite often. That is sad to see. I did not want to have such regrets after finding myself in a tough spot and feeling like my days in the game might be numbered. My plan, that I made very impulsively, was to use whatever resources I had available to me, to try and change the direction of the guarded/down low game I was playing from the start. The luck was not on our side though and things didn't go to plan when Evan had to leave. However, now the directon of my game has changed for sure. My Kamikaze mission didn't fail completely nor did it succeed and now things are up in the air. 🛩️☠️

Dom: why do you think DJ stole your vote specifically last round?

Did not respond.

Els: With a tied vote last round do you think there was a permanent line drawn? How do you determine who to work with?

I think that permanent lines in games are so boring so I hope not! And honestly you determine it by the people that are willing to reach out and work with you

Julia: what makes someone a threat in this game? Are there big threats? Who are they?

Everyone is a moving target as soon as the last person is voted off. You feel relieved for a minute then the jockeying begins again and the fear starts to creep. People who play well, win challenges and are good at recruiting others to do their bidding or swaying votes, are actually the biggest threats. Ive also observed the use of other ‘arts’ if you will… someone suggested another player used emotion to make people feel sorry for them. Other strategies include charm, flattery, dishonesty, seduction, integrity…. Despite these strategies being obvious or cheesy, you gotta use what ya mama gave you or whatever you think will get you to the finish line and keep others off balance. I also that suspect that the Black widow brigade is a tight alliance and the other followers are probably expandable for them.. and they should all watch their backs. And Ariel - a smart  strong player, aced that damn Star Battle challenge and may now have a target on their back after immunity this round. The lesser threats are intermediaries, not to be trusted and the followers; people who are so afraid of being voted off they will do anything you ask them

MJ: since you were in the tie vote, you became immune in the rock draw. Do you think that anyone could have known that would happen or did everyone believe they were in the majority?

I think everyone believed they had some sort of advantage. For some, it was that they might win with more numbers and for others, that their advantage would perform such mighty miracle! However, what struck me most was seeing everyone stand by their votes even with the obvious probability that their head might be gone for it! (Rocks)

That’s how to survive! I respect everyone for that. 💖

Zukiswa: Do you think everyone is lying? What makes a lie in survivor acceptable or unacceptable?

I don't think everyone lies. At the very least I do my best not to. Blatant back stabbing lies are very uncomfortable to carry. I think in this game people lie because they think it's the making of good game play. They are in a hurry to build resumes when they need to still be in the game to present those resumes. I know many survivors with great resumes that sat in the jury bench. Acceptable lies are those where people are literally fighting for their lives in the game and they are backed in a corner. I respect a lie motivated by self preservation not just dirty game play for dramatic effect. I've experienced this in this game, at least I understand it, and even respect it.

~

If someone has an advantage and has played it, this is the time it will be announced.

Cliftone stands.

He plays his hidden immunity idol on himself.

HOWEVER, this is a FAKE idol that someone has set up. Therefore, Cliftone is NOT immune, and any votes cast against will still count.

I’ll read the votes. The person voted out will be asked to say their last words and leave the game.

First Vote

*Cliftone*

_Sorry to be voting you again_

Second Vote

*Ava*

_I'm sorry I don't know you that well._

Third Vote

*Els*

_Oooops_

Fourth Vote

*Adeline*

_self-vote_

Fifth Vote

*Ava*

_sorryyyy_

Sixth Vote

*Cliftone*

_sorry I had to go with the majority._

Seventh Vote

*Ava*

_Only name I've been hearing. Gotta go with the numbers._

Eighth Vote

*Cliftone*

_round 2. Hopefully this time it works._

Ninth Vote

*Cliftone*

_Maybe it sticks this time?🤷🏾‍♀️_

Tenth Vote

*Cliftone*

_I'm sorry. I'm just sticking with the majority. See you!_

Eleventh Vote

*Cliftone*

_It was nice while it lasted 😭_

And the second member of our jury is…

By a vote of 6-3-1-1, CLIFTONE has become the third memeber of our jury.

Cliftone’s Last Words:

Adeline has received a strike for not voting.

Announcement shortly. Next twist incoming.

[spearxwind]

Saw your tags on a post and I've gotta know what your top books are because I want to read and I can't get into anything atm x...x

that's a hard thing to answer because.. it has been so long since i read things properly but i can say ive got two things that immediately spring to mind

1. the ruins by scott smith - survival horror, drawn out suffering, etc. I honestly read this in like, a week-ish, maybe a little less and at first i didnt think it impacted me a whole lot. i closed the book saying 'huh, that was neat' and then the book didnt leave my mind for two years straight. i am not joking. i am not exaggerating. every single fucking day for two years i would think 'wow the ruins fucking slapped holy shit'

so yes, if you like that kind of stuff then i totally recommend.

fun fact: this book rooted (hah) itself in my brain and i used it as a springboard to develop adri's personality. if you read it youll understand.

and 2. GONE (the whole saga) by michael grant. its uh. well. its kids with superpowers. except instead of playing hero they act like actual kids and there is a LOT of violence. and i mean a LOT. there are so many disasters and casualties the whole saga its insane and if you read it youll probably think 'wow yeah this totally changed windy's brain chemistry jesus christ'

DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO VIOLENCE. its not incredibly graphic but its very very harsh, even by YA standards

my favorite one was the fourth one, PLAGUE.

fun fact: there are SO many editions have diff covers and some even have fucking pictures of real people as the faces of the kids and i am so SICK of them they should go back to the covers i have which are JET BLACK save for the outline of the title, and the name of the author printed in transparent shiny film so u can only see it if you lean the book towards light

theyre honestly so cool. why did they change them

seriously, what the fuck is this. these do NOT do the books justice this looks like a romance drama not books where teenagers are beating each other to death

(sidenote AGAIN i have only read these six. apparently after light michael grant has been writing several other books in this same universe (w the same characters???) but the situation they were in is not there anymore so????????) but yeah i havent read them. idk if theyre good or not. frankly idk if i want to read them at all

and last but certainly not least

3. phantoms, by dean kooontz. its uh, its wack. first time i read this i plowed through it in 3 days cause i was so hooked

its ALSO a fucked up book, and it ALSO changed my brain chemistry a less than normal amount.

spoiler: its not about phantoms (its worse)

[daily-dose-of-imagines]

ᴊᴏᴇꜱᴛᴀʀ ꜱʏɴᴅɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ | Yakuza!AU | Head Canons | 19+ [𝕁𝕁𝔹𝔸]

[JOESTARS] [JOBROS i] [JOBROS ii] [JOBROS iii] [JOBROS iv]

Here is the next part to the headcanons~! I’m so happy you guys like this so much! ;; I’m excited to write more for this AU~! After this it’ll be one more Jobros and then the one-shots, drabbles, etc will follow through~!

» » Admin Ko

»»————-　♔　————-««

𝕆𝕜𝕦𝕪𝕒𝕤𝕦 ℕ𝕚𝕛𝕚𝕞𝕦𝕣𝕒 [21]

Josuke’s most trusted right hand man. Though many within Josuke’s faction really question whether or not the psychologically unstable male should be the right hand man. With the onslaught of crimes and cynical things the man has done, they’re surprised he isn’t one of the torturers or clean up men. 

Within a week, however, their minds change at how utterly fast the male reacts to a threat made to the Higashikata. From then, no one really questions why Okuyasu is the right hand instead of Koichi. 

Besides being the right-hand, Okuyasu is Josuke’s most trusted bodyguard. All of the Joestar siblings know and recognize this and honestly don’t even try to go against the young male.

One of the most terrifying assassins within the group, and is recognized by Lisa Lisa as a man with potential and power to make his enemies cower.

He honestly feels indifferent about all of Josuke’s siblings and makes decent conversation with most of them. 

Out of all the commanders within the younger Joestar line, he’s well acquainted with practically all of them and has no problems when both he and Josuke visit Giorno or Jolyne.

𝕂𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕙𝕚 ℍ𝕚𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕖 [20]

The literal brains and planner of the Higashikata faction. 

He is literally the most trusted man who keeps connections between Giorno and Josuke.  Every other week he’s usually sent to Italy to update the Don on the happenings at the main base along with any of the commotions that may have occurred that he should keep an open ear for.

Alongside Yukako, the pair make a rather deadly assassin duo. His skill with quick tactical deductions and quick thinking pairs well with her inhumanely quick reflexes and desire for blood as they’ve taken out quite a number of individuals that were planning on trying to overtake the small town of Morioh.

Besides being one of the main assassins, he’s also one of the main interrogators alongside Rohan. He may not seem like it at first, but Koichi takes immense pleasure in seeing the victim mentally break before him. The information that falls out of the victim always being written at great speeds by Rohan. 

ℝ𝕠𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕂𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕓𝕖 [25]

A stick in Josuke’s side, but still a crucial person to the Higashikata team.

In all honesty, both he and Josuke are usually at each other’s throats because of the clash of personalities. Though when they work their differences out on rare occasions, they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.

The main source of information and stalker expertise. He had actually traveled to Italy on a couple of occasions and took lessons from both Leone and Bruno in the art of watching and shadowing a target for information. 

Besides being the informant, he absolutely loves to interrogate people. His dislike of getting himself dirty though leaves Koichi with the more heavy duty portion of the job, but always provides the younger with the most amount of information and will do any favors asked without a moment’s hesitation. 

He personally doesn’t consider himself friendly, or to even have friends; but he does consider the Higashikata gang--- really the Duwang gang-- as his home.

𝕐𝕦𝕜𝕒𝕜𝕠 𝕐𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚 [21]

Similar to Rohan, she isn’t necessarily on the best of terms with Josuke. Though it was immensely worse when they had first met. Now, they’re on better speaking terms but still there’s an unsettling tension between the two if there’s no one there as a mediator. 

The Duwang gang’s number one assassin. Her shadowing and quick kill skills are rather legendary within the Duwang gang. Whenever she visits the main base she takes lessons with Lisa Lisa, and like Rohan, had visited Italy on more than one occasion to improve her shadowing technique from Bruno and Leone.

Her skills lie mostly in sniping and quick strangulation via fishing line. She once used her own hair and relished in the fact, but found it to be too risky as she didn’t want to leave any evidence behind. 

Out of all the members, she works the best alongside Koichi and gets the most done with him. 

𝔹𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕠 𝔹𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚 [25]

Giorno’s most trusted man. Literally everyone in Passione and the Joestar family trust this man. 

Despite being the main cause of Passione’s previous leader’s downfall. He choose to not take the position of Don. Instead, felt that it would be better if he stood alongside someone with strong ideals and beliefs in their own work and dreams. 

He is the most skilled in assassination with high respect from Lisa Lisa. He does like to teach any of the newer recruits any necessary skills, and is always open to having guest commanders from other factions over to learn from one another. 

Easily one of the most feared men within Passione. 

𝕃𝕖𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝔸𝕓𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕠 [26]

Similar to Rohan with Josuke, Leone is not on the best terms with Giorno. The only difference is that this is a one-sided relationship as Giorno tries hard to appease everyone within his faction in terms of respect. 

Second to Bruno, he is the most feared member within Passione. Mainly because of his no nonsense attitude and ability to crack a man’s skull open with only three hits. 

He is one of the main assassins that’s sent out to get rid of competing gangs. 

Prefers to work alongside Bruno whenever he can, but doesn’t mind working with the other members. 

𝔾𝕦𝕚𝕕𝕠 𝕄𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕒 [23]

Besides having tetra-phobia, he is one of the best marksman within Passione, falling second to Johnny Joestar. 

Despite being one of the more casual and laid-back member, he is quite the force to be reckoned with out on the field. 

He most definitely leaves an impression on the Joestar family when they first meet him and become absolutely surprised at how well he manages to hold up against Johnny in a marksman competition. 

Besides Leone, Guido is one of the other assassins that helps to not only deal with threats to Passione, but threats to the Joestar family. 

Out of all of the members, he works the best alongside Narancia and Giorno (Though Giorno rarely goes on missions now because of the amount of work he has now.)

ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕒 𝔾𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕘𝕒 [22]

The most chaotic and one of the most unstable members within Giorno’s chain of command. 

Despite his age and how he looks, Narancia is a seasoned veteran in the field of torture and death. 

Absolutely, positively loves to cause misery and despair to his enemies and will undoubtedly torture them for his own personal pleasure if he has the spare time to do so. 

Besides being one of the assassins, he’s also part of clean-up duty with Trish and helps bring back any bodies that can later be used as autopsy and study material for the forensics analyst. 

ℙ𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕒 𝔽𝕦𝕘𝕠 [23]

The second unstable member within Giorno’s chain of command. Unlike Narancia, his bouts of insanity stem mainly from emotional stress. 

He’s the team’s medic, strategist, and interrogator. He most definitely enjoys ripping information out of victims, and has no qualms in using inhumane methods in gathering that information. 

He mainly works alongside Giorno and Trish when it comes to anything pertaining the medical field. 

Besides working within the medical field, Fugo absolutely loves to work with dangerous poisons and bacteria that’ll leave the victim in absolute pain. 

As unlikely as it would seem, he works alongside Cioccolata much more than one would expect. 

𝕋𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕙 𝕌𝕟𝕒 [21]

The clean-up crew. Despite her appearance and no nonsense attitude, Trish loves to learn various ways of getting rid of a corpse as well as how the human body decays with time. 

Her extensive research in the decaying process and experimentation process with...live test subjects help further the connections that can be drawn to Passione and the Joestar family. 

Not only that, but it makes for a very nice item on the market to help smaller ‘businesses’ get rid of any threats they deem worthy of her work. 

She enjoys working alongside Fugo and Narancia whenever she gets the chance to.

Definitely teases and makes fun of Guido when she works alongside him, and won’t hesitate to yell at him if he happens to wreck a potential test subject.

[let-it-raines]

CS Fic Rec Monday

I hope you’re all staying safe and inside as much as physically possible! I said I was going to do this weeks ago, but I finally remembered to queue it all up! Here are some dang good multi-chapter fics you can curl up with! You’ve probably already read them if you’ve been around for awhile, but rereading is fun, too! Plus, I know these writers would get excited to see a new comment or two 😘 

-/-

As Real As You Want it To Be by @ive-always-been-a-pirate​: Teaching at the same school as Killian Jones was both infuriating and distracting, but when he throws Emma under the bus for the final time, she devises a plan to get back at him. After all, nobody likes to go to a wedding alone. Time for some CS AU fake dating.

Warm Nights and Firelight by @oubliette14​: When in the wake of a messy breakup Emma makes the impulsive decision to return home to her parent's ranch in the Rockies, she certainly doesn't expect to find a strange Irish guy living in what was once her apartment over the garage, and she definitely doesn't imagine that the home she couldn't wait to be rid of five long years ago would be the very place her heart begins to heal.

If Looks Could Kill by @wellhellotragic​: Emma Swan is a dedicated FBI agent getting over a bad breakup. When she and her partner, Ruby Lucas, are forced to go undercover as contestants on a reality show, Emma is forced to try and win the affections of Killian Jones, a man she despises.Killian Jones is a lost boy. Having recently been nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy of Boston,’ he’s been living up to his moniker using women and rum to avoid dealing with his dark past. When he’s forced to take the lead in a reality show, he encounters a gorgeous blonde who turns his world upside down. Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor.

The Reason by @xemmaloveskillianx​: The three of them share a laugh before they all look to Emma. She has yet to comment on the new addition because she isn’t sure what to say. She usually doesn’t like change, they have a good thing going there, just the four of them. Plus, they all know him and she doesn’t, but she trusts their judgement, and she’s sure any brother of Liam can’t be all that bad.So, with a shrug and a smile she says, “Welcome to Storybrooke, Killian Jones.

The Wife by @ineffablecolors​: No one knows all that Emma has been through and certainly no one knows all that Killian has been through and being husband and wife doesn’t make them any less unknown to each other. And really, how can you help someone heal when you don’t even know how hurt they are?

Beauty in the Aftermath by @high-seas-swan​: Confronted with the sudden appearance of her birth parents, Emma, in a moment of panic, flees. She flees the diner, Storybrooke, the country. She finds herself a day later in the Dublin, Ireland Airport terminal wondering what the hell she has gotten herself into. With some fear, a little determination and a considerable amount of faking it along the way, she sets off on a trip she never planned on taking but needed more than she ever knew. She finds herself, she finds a Brit adrift on his own journey and finds out what home really means.

Playing the Part by @shireness-says​: As a stage manager who's clawed her way up from the bottom, Emma Swan can handle just about anything thrown her way. But does that include handsome lead actor Killian Jones? A CS Broadway AU.

Love, Kindness, and Other Useless Things by @joneskillian​: CS AU, set in 1815. Lord Killian Jones is haunted by the demons of his past which makes him nowhere near the man he once was, so he can't be the father he wants to be. And above all, he believes he is undeserving of love. Perhaps with Emma that is all about to change. But falling in love is never easy, that's just how it is.

Something Like You Love Me by @bemusedbicycle​: Emma decides the best way to get Mary Margaret off her back about Walsh is to say she already has a boyfriend. Except she doesn’t. That’s where Killian comes in. Fake!Engagement fic.

a one time thing (and other untruths) by @weezlywrites​: "She supposes the reason she tells him is the same reason she kept his phone number after all those weeks." Pregnancy has a way of throwing a wrench in one's plans.

Alone, until I get Home by @peglegsjones​: In Boston, Henry Swan's six-year-old brother Ian finds a book titled "Once Upon a Time" hidden beneath the seat in their mom's old yellow bug. As soon as Henry touches it, he remembers.Season 3 Canon Divergence-Emma finds out she's pregnant a few weeks after she and Henry leave Storybrooke with new memories and new lives. Nearly seven years later, another Dark Curse puts her family in danger, and Emma must return to Storybrooke to help them.Who's powerful enough to cast the Dark Curse? And how the hell is she going to tell Hook they have a son together?

Knock, Knock by @charmingturkeysandwich​: Emma Swan has made the best of her crappy apartment ever since she became best friends with her neighbor, Ruby. But when Ruby moves out and a loud Brit takes her place, the thin walls and lack of space are suddenly not so endearing. After a particularly stressful day, Emma decides to confront the nightmare next door, and entirely against her better judgment, she might just be making a friend.

These Nights Aren’t Made For Thinking by @nowforruin​: AU. Emma Swan came to Portland, ME to start over. She's got a job she loves, but when a particular case gets under her skin, she finds herself visiting the Jolly Roger and its curious bartender, Mr. Killian Jones, more often than she thinks is wise. But some nights aren't made for thinking. Captain Swan.

On the Two by @lifeinahole27​: He’s one bad trip from ending up in AA, and she’s one performance away from a solid job and moving closer to home. Their paths were unlikely to cross until Camp Hope brought them together. How and why they meet and intertwine is against the odds, and definitely against the rules, but will that really stand in their way? A Dirty Dancing inspired modern au.

Separate Lives by @lenfaz​: Set after 3x20 "Kansas". After saving the town one more time, Emma decided to return to New York, leaving her past behind. Three years later, she realizes that might be not have been the best decision.

Natural Opposite by @searchingwardrobes​: Dance is more than Emma Swan’s career; it’s practically saved her life on more than one occasion. But when it comes to reality TV shows, she’s always danced in the shadows of her twin brother David and her sister Elsa. Her first season as a pro on Dancing With the Stars was a disaster, and she enters her second season determined to prove herself. All she needs is a good partner. Hollywood bad boy and ladies’ man Killian Jones isn’t what she had in mind.

Walking in a Straight Line by @msgenevievee: It’s one of the oldest stories in the book. Two old friends have a few too many drinks, two old friends share a kiss. Happens all the time, right? But what happens when only one of them actually remembers it?

Out of the Frying Pan by @welllpthisishappening​: Emma Swan is only doing this for one reason, well, make that two. To get her show's numbers back up and, maybe, impress her son. She doesn't like admitting to that second one though.Killian Jones is doing this for absolutely, positively, just one reason. To expand his restaurant. And maybe get Regina off his back. So that's kind of two reasons.Neither one of them is doing a year-long Food Network all-star competition because they're celebrity chefs and there's not really any other choice. Of course not. And neither one of them is enjoying it because they maybe, kind of, sort of enjoy each other. That would be insane.

A Cold Awakening by @swanderful1​: Modern crime AU. Twenty years have gone by since Storybrooke was shaken to the core by a gruesome crime that went unsolved. Sheriff David Nolan and his partner, daughter Emma are forced to revisit the crime. At the same time, Killian Jones and his older brother Liam have been drawn back to the town they had longed to never see again, struggling to find their own answers. As taunting notes and clues show up they are taken on a journey to finally bring justice for the Jones family. And Emma Nolan finds herself caught in a situation more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Beyond the Horizon by @alexandralyman​: AU: When Princess Emma's ship is captured by the Jolly Roger and Captain Killian Jones, she offers herself as a hostage for ransom if he will let the ship and the other passengers go. With Emma, Killian remembers the honour he once held dear, and Emma catches glimpses of the gentleman Killian had been. Against all odds, the pirate and the princess begin to fall for each other.

[harry-leroy]

the give you a character meme: Henry V and Henry VI. (it's lisa btw)

“Hi! Thank you so much for this:) (And I hope your tumblr gets fixed soon because that is no fun :/ ). 

Henry V will be above the cut and Henry VI below! 

HENRY V 

do I like them:

Like… what a man yes I love him. 

5 good qualities:

strong, spiritual, knows when to be jocund and when to get down to business, excellent politician, unyielding 

3 bad qualities:

anxious, sometimes harshly brutal, also like if you’re going to conquer France then learn some French my sweet summer child (if we’re using Shakespeare’s version hehehe) 

favourite episode/etc:

I love him in Henry IV, Part I the most. But any Hal is wonderful. (I am so excited for The King though ahhhh) 

otp:

Hal x Catherine (otp: take a soldier) I just have so many feelings about these two. The Hal Survives AU is like one of my favorite AUs of all time because I love these two so much - and their son is such a sweet summer boy and I love that entire family dynamic. Also, best wooing scene in Shakespeare’s canon, hands down. 

brotp:

Hal x Poins (Will I ever get over the fact that Poins calls Hal “my sweet honey lord”? Absolutely not.) 

Hal x Falstaff (one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking friendships in the canon) 

ot3:

Hal x Henry IV x Richard II (every fic I read where these three are in it is just an absolute joy. Sometimes a little angsty, but I love this dynamic more than words.) 

Hal x Catherine x Henry VI (I would absolutely adore more fics with these three because again, the Hal Survives AU gives me so much life. Like, it waters my crops and clears my skin. Hal and little Henry have so much in common - even though they have a world of differences between them too - but what they share is so so powerful and ahhhhh I just need more of them in my life). 

notp:

I don’t think I have a notp for him?? At least, not one that I can think of off of the top of my head. 

best quote(s):

“If I could win a lady at leapfrog or by vaulting into my saddle with my armor on my back, under the correction of bragging be it spoken, I should quickly leap into a wife.” - Henry V; Henry V (5.2.) - conquer France that’s all fine, but get to conquering a woman’s heart? Now we’re stumped, we’re speaking in prose, we don’t know what the heck is going on. She doesn’t know what the heck is going on and if only she could understand me! Ahhhh you didn’t think this through, did you Hal? 

“Shall not thou and I, between Saint Denis and Saint George, compound a boy, half French, half English, that shall go to Constantinople and take the Turk by the beard? Shall we not?” - Henry V; Henry V (5.2.) - one of the many reasons why I think Henry VI would make a wonderfully heartbreaking Chorus to this play, especially if you’re going to stage the histories in a marathon. This moment is so pure, there is so much hope in this statement. Not only hope for these lovers, but for these two countries, and how quickly it is all lost is just absolutely heartbreaking. But at that point, you see that Henry VI, our Chorus, is that boy. Though he and Constantinople fell in the same year, and how much guilt lies on him then would be utterly, and uncomfortably palpable. 

“Francis!” x 15 - Hal; Henry IV, Part I (2.4.) - this was the scene that made me fall in love with the histories. 

head canon:

Hal Lives AU because I’ve been hyping it this whole post 

(Also possibly modern AU too - when his son gets into a highly prestigious university, Hal is probably more excited than Catherine is. They’re both proud as heck of course, that’s their boy, but Catherine was totally expecting it. And of course, Henry is a shy bean about it.) 

HENRY VI  

do I like them:

I LOVE him ahhh protect this darling boy 

5 good qualities:

wicked intelligent, sweet, just needs the people he loves, modest, honest (I could go on…) 

3 bad qualities:

anxious (just like his dad - but it’s like ten times worse), sometimes sacrificial of others for his own self-preservation, doesn’t always think through the consequences of his actions 

favourite episode/etc:

Henry VI, Part II is my favorite play of the H6 cycle, but like I adore him in everything he’s in. (Except TV shows that are really Yorkist centric… cough, cough The White Queen hehehe) 

otp:

Henry VI x Margaret of Anjou (otp: fit for none but for a king) - again, can you imagine how powerful these two would be in a modern AU?? I get chills just thinking about it. All Henry really needs is Margaret, Edward, some of his favorite books, and some animals to take care of and he is 100% content and at peace. And Margaret (especially in the modern AU) totally knows that. Ugh just… I love them so much. 

brotp:

Henry VI x Humphrey of Gloucester - just let these two be happy please ahhh 

(also poor darling boy he needs more human friends >-

ot3:

Henry VI x Margaret of Anjou x Edward of Westminster (aka my favorite family ever. This little family will always and forever end me. I adore the AU where nothing bad happens to Henry and he and his family just live happily ever after because it’s what they deserve.) 

notp:

Again, I don’t think I have one? Maybe like Henry VI x Richard III because bad things happened, but also like give me an AU where these two become friends and Henry is like, ‘no Richard, killing is not the answer’ >-

best quote:

“Whether it be through force of your report,My noble Lord of Suffolk, or for thatMy tender youth was never yet attaintWith any passion of inflaming love,I cannot tell; but this I am assured,I feel such sharp dissension in my breast,Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,As I am sick with working of my thoughts.” - Henry VI; Henry VI, Part I (5.5.) 

This for me is actually such a gorgeous passage and if you ask any of my irl friends it’s my entire personality (especially those last three lines). Whenever my friends and I are like ‘tag urself’ with a TV show or play or anything really, I’m always the precocious, anxious one who thinks too much for his own good and most importantly, is trying his absolute best (and it’s usually a guy - which I find interesting). I got told just last week by two different people in my playwriting class that they wanted to “spend an hour in my brain” and like big yike >-

head canon:

(modern Plantagenet AU) 

Coffee makes Henry wayy too jittery, so he doesn’t drink it (there was that one time, and mistakes were made), but Margaret loves coffee, so Henry spends an insane amount of time learning how she likes her coffee, but also just learns an insane amount of coffee knowledge in general this boy could probably write a book. 

[yiulee999]

Hey! What do you think of OPM season 2? I still love it & am looking forward to next weeks new episode but i just wish Saitama had more screen time ;-(

hey nonny~! 

apologies for the late reply, its a combo of not getting notifications (tumblr u useless trashbucket) and being on surgery rotation (i miss sleeping so much) 

firstly, i am truly glad you still love it and look forward to the new episodes!!! 💖💖💖please dont let anything i say from this point on dissuade you from that enjoyment 

THAT BEING SAID 

///cut for length 

ive only watched up to the second episode, and i am having Such Difficulties convincing myself to keep watching. i know my rxns to ep 1 were overall pretty positive and I stand by it but the more i watch the more the Cringe/Hypercritique starts take over. 

Turns out, the art style had a bigger impact than i thought on the length of which i enjoy shows. personally, i just really like when anime/shows have a happy marriage between writing and artwork. and when show directors know how to interpret writing, how to set up a scene (the angle, the music, the pacing), and then communicate with artists who have the skills to bring that idea to life using the medium they’re given -- that’s when writing becomes storytelling. OPM’s writing is still fantastic since they’re going off ONE (whereas GoT has the opposite problem where the production value is 4K and the writing is early 2000s livejournal/fanfiction lol god why is everyone dropping the ball in 2019??)

As for the art, since opm switched to jc staff and shingo natsume & co. left for other projects ( ;;_____;; im emo ), its inevitable we would see a drop in animation quality and i find myself constantly getting distracted by things i never used to get concerned about in the first season (bc of the high bar of expectations set by s1 artists/directors, like theres just no way jc staff would match up it to all of that and i feel bad for them, they’re trying their best but that doesn’t mean theyre immune to critique on the artistic liberties that they’ve taken that i feel as a viewer, may not have been the best choice?) 

the shading: no, just, unnecessary and distracting and why is it the center of saitamas face, im by far no expert in lighting but a bish can tell something doesnt look right??? 

the shading pt II: color choices. just gonna say i was not expecting sai’s ‘hair shirt’ in ep 1 to be bright-ass neon green, it was a little jarring at first and i miss him in red ;-; i get hes supposed to have poor fashion choices but i dont see him as the type to pick something that stands out so much in the crowd, like he likes to be left alone. NEON doesnt really relay ‘hi dont mind me im just barely existing here lol’ 

the shading pt III: genos arms/neck. okaY so the bby looks good in screenshots. like he’s shiny and nice to look at when nothings moving. bUT this is animation?? movement of objections is different from still life manga so making every single scene almost 99% like murata’s panels translates a little awkwardly to the screen (like staff is lucky bc murata’s a force of nature with his panels playing out like a movie for ref). but when genos moves, the arms are just distracting bc everything around him is drawn simply without shadows so they stand out by themselves and i (visually) forget about the rest of him haha. 

the pacing: it feels scripted, person A says this so we’ll show person A in the shot, then person B is saying something so we have to cut to person B, etc etc like keeping pretty steady to manga lines to the point where i was starting to get bored bc i knew what was coming. it was really intervaled? like someone had to be saying something at a certain effect and i think s1 had more dramatic pauses (lol) but thats how you can place emphasis on scenes to have an emotional impact if the character doesnt say anything and just let the soundtrack do some talking and the cadence of the script will change too (im 10000% talking about the sunset scene in s1 god bless. like it was slow, there was MOOD there wasn’t any rush and really gave the viewer time to think about the relationship between the two characters and what that moment meant to each of them) i feel like there were several scenes that could have been more like in the scene where sai protected fubuki, could have been a little more dramatically emphasized (aka just a pause) so the viewer could get a chance to understand that he purprosefully shielded her or when genos says that strong heroes are drawn to saitama--bUT nope its the same pace, like c l o c k w o r k just like my t eARS--

the fight scenes: how do i even start. the one scene that got me INTO opm (like watching the anime, reading the manga, drawing fanart, writing fanfic, reading fanfics etc) was kickstarted by the fight scene between genos and saitama in s1 that was circulating on tumblr a while back. i thought the characters were interesting and the fight was badass and it just looked SO COOL. (also the forehead flick at the end just kinda sealed my fate). going from that to s2 fight scenes where its mostly cut scenes and freeze scenes?? where theres a cut out behind the characters back?? during a fight scene????? this isn’t a calling card or an anime opening??? i dont understand. when they dont do cut scenes, its interesting but my initial impression is just underwhelmed. i can find good parts but it feels like i have to replay the scene to notice it? theres also an overwhelming amount of graphics/cgi manipulation that overpowers the actual art sometimes. its lacking some of the fluidity that comes from hand drawn fight scenes from first season. OTL

the sound directing: so i thought that the mood just felt off for certain scenes and the sound didn’t seem to support the scene as well (unless it was like the character’s theme or smtg) and i looked it up and the sound director was also replaced (Yoshikazu Iwanami replacing Shoji Hata). i have no idea if the sound director is also in charge of character lines but there were parts were fubuki was monologuing and i had no idea she was inner monologuing, i thought she was talking out loud and that just took extra effort on my part to re-orient myself (im nitpitcking i know but its just how i watch shows lol) 

there are still some parts i like about the animation:

fubuki looks bangin and i love her👌👗

all of this just made me realize how insanely lucky we were to have an amazing s1 and just have it exist and how i really could not care less if they had just waited forever to make s2 as long as we had the same crew come back. but anime is still a business and the quicker they dish out merch/seasons, the more money they can bring in. which they do in the short run but they would bring in more if they spent a little more on quality in the long run and it becomes one of those classics that ppl will rewatch and keep recommending to ppl who want to get into anime and oh my god we’re never gonna have that now, are we. if im gonna rec it to a friend its gonna be ‘read the manga!’ or ‘just watch s1!’ uGH. its just an unfortunate situation, its not one person’s fault either, so many factors go into what made opm s1 so spectacular and seeing s2 just made me appreciate s1 more. i guess im happy to have a s2 regardless? 

i’ll still watch to support (and bc i like suiryuu and wanna see sai in a karate gi and wig lol). maybe i just have to get used to the new style. 

so in summary,

[aikainkauna]

Fatigued? In pain all the time? The little-known illness that is far more common than we’ve previously thought, especially among geeks.

This is going to be a bit long, but it's so incredibly important, and so very much not just a personal issue that I hope you will read it (and hopefully, also share it). I'm choosing to speak about this now because this is an insanely unknown, disabling and yet seemingly a fairly common illness, and I want more people to know about it, especially as it affects geeks--geeky women in particular. I’ll talk about my own variant briefly at the beginning, but don’t stop reading there, thinking this is just a personal post--there are lists of symptoms and resources at the end that I urge you all to look at, because they are *frighteningly* common.

I and the doctors have finally found out I've got Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Which means there is one, or there are several, genetic mutations in my body messing up the build of my collagen, collagen being the glue that holds your body together and which is found practically in all your tissues. So, technically, anything that can go wrong with your body might do *exactly* that, because that b0rked collagen is everywhere. This is why I've always been not only hypermobile (being good at yoga and able to bite my toenails and tie myself into knots while sitting down), but easily fatigued and have had trouble simply sitting, let alone standing or walking, because my muscles have to strain like crazy all the time to compensate for my connective tissues being too wobbly. (Every time I've participated in guided meditation, the exhortation to "sit up with your back straight, your body as relaxed as possible" has always been absurd to me, because I can't hold myself upright if I don't tense my muscles. Try it: lightly tense all the muscles in your body for a bit, and see how long you can hold that, and you will know what staying upright is like for someone with EDS). It's been said that having it is like the body having to do strength training with weights all the time, except, unlike on a normal person, the muscles never get to rest and recuperate fully (except during sleep, and even then perhaps not completely; to make it even more fun, sleep disorders are a common manifestation in EDS). I sprain things all the time--I do my back in even in my sleep, and get trapped nerves/sciatica just from walking; winter clothes, let alone bags, are exhausting for me to carry even for short distances. For me, lifting a coffee cup, due to the laxity of my connective tissues, requires the same amount of muscular exertion as it requires for a healthy person to lift a full pint. Et cetera. Plus all the other weird ailments, which I'll get to in a bit.

But the main reason I'm telling you all this is that you really, really, *really* ought to read up on EDS. The whole world does. But especially if you, or someone you know, suffer(s) from chronic fatigue and muscular pain and are bendy--*because it looks like this is actually the illness behind many (not all, but many) fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases.* I repeat, *this is now assumed to be the most common cause of fibromyalgia and CFS.*

And then there's all the other EDS-induced stuff, all freakishly common among geeks. Here’s a list of some of the most typical symptoms:

-Bendy? "Double-jointed?" Good at yoga (even without practice)?

-Gut problems/IBS? Leaky gut?

-Serious fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, body feels like it's made of lead? And is it unexplained by other conditions (such as a dicky thyroid or anemia)?

-Sleep problems, anxiety/panic attacks/PTSD, autism spectrum, AD(H)D?

-Bad PMS and awful reactions to the Pill and other progesterone preparations, health crashes after pregnancies, dysmenorrhea with godawful cramps (like you're giving birth to a demon baby every month), endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic pain and other gynaecological issues?

-Allergies by the bucketful? Multiple chemical insensitivities?

-Weird heart thumpages, blood pressure issues, fainting when standing up?

-Early-onset problems with eyesight?

-Can't go numb from anaesthetic, and/or are hard to put under for surgery (this is great fun)?

-Feel pain more intensely than other people (developing needle-phobia from horrid experiences when having blood drawn or being put on an IV drip)? Are all dentist trips and having gynaecological exams (even sex and wanking at times!) a nightmare?

-Or, as a bonus, has the weird pain response made you kinky or just crazily responsive to acupressure/acupuncture? Or just caresses?

-Have you got weird and/or excessive scar tissue formation? Keloids from piercings? Have your wounds healed badly; after surgeries, have your stitches torn spontaneously?

-Got hernias, squashed-up internal organs, including a heavy/tilted uterus, breathing problems like your lungs are squashed (but asthma inhalers don't seem to help much)?

-Weird bruises, and you have no idea where they came from? Excessive bleeding (including bleeding buckets during periods)? Varicose veins at a young age?

-Flat feet? Funny little round, soft bumps (piezogenic papules) on your ankles? Need sturdy shoes with high tops and arch support? Find it difficult or impossible to walk in high heels, due to wobbly ankles and/or the muscular strain it puts on the whole body?

-Constant sprains, muscle pulls/tears, dislocations, subluxations (=partial dislocations; just something going 'crunch', like when the bones of your hand or your vertebrae seem all scrunched up together and you need to pull them open), trapped nerves, monster headaches? Growing pains? Pressure in the skull?

-Just. Hurt. Everywhere?

-Weird adverse reactions to medications that are way worse than ordinary side effects, completely intolerable and/or causing permanent damage, even life-threatening situations?

-Even queerness/gender-atypicality (I am not joking; it goes with the neuropsychiatric profile)?

Guess what, they're all related to this exact damn thing! And just how common are they in fandom, among geeks?! Right? Weirded out yet? And this is *far* from being an exhaustive list, because again, this is a multisystem disease which can technically affect pretty much all your body parts and their functions. But if you said "yes" to several, take a deep breath and keep reading. Or if not, hell, keep on reading anyway, because it's likely you know someone with this thing--it could be as common as 5%-10% of the whole human population.

Even if you are born with this rubbish, people go undiagnosed for decades (I only got diagnosed at 38, and I’ve been sick ever since childhood!) and since it mostly affects women (although guys *can* be affected), it's ignored and/or psychiatrisised by doctors. And since the female body is a chaotic body horror movie anyway, many have just thought it's normal to always have little sprains and crunches everywhere all the time, and that the fatigue just has a merely neurological basis. That it's just depression or a part of having been born with XX chromosomes. But it isn’t.

And another main reason that it goes undiagnosed is the persistent myth that EDS *always* has to involve extremely stretchy skin and extreme hypermobility, which is categorically *not* the case for everybody. Even the sodding Wikipedia article (misleadingly) only uses photos of *extreme* hypermobility and skin stretchiness, of the usual circus performer contortionism EDS has traditionally been associated with but which is NOT WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE TO HAVE EDS, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A RUBBER PERSON TO HAVE EDS; you only have to be bendy and exhausted and ill. There are some people with it who are even *stiff.*

Thousands, hundreds of thousands of people remain undiagnosed even if EDS/hypermobility-related illness seriously messes up their daily lives--it can be debilitating. So, please, do yourself and your friends a favour and spread the word, and check out these links.

When to suspect EDS (blog discussion, also linking geekiness to this thing):

http://ohtwist.com/when-else-to-suspect-ehlers-danlos-syndrome

An overview on when to suspect, by a specialist (Dr. Bravo, PDF format):

http://ohtwist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DrBravoWhenToSuspect.pdf

Good brochure:

https://www.chronicpainpartners.com/brochure/

Another overview from the same site:

https://www.chronicpainpartners.com/what-is-eds/

Hypermobile EDS diagnostic criteria, with pictures showing how the bendiness level is scored (see how many you or your friend can do):

http://edsresearch.weebly.com/the-brighton-score-and-the-beighton-score.html

Good infosite:

https://www.edhs.info/understanding-eds-h

Pictures of a woman with typical hypermobile EDS, which is far more common than the actual contortionist stuff, and thus goes unnoticed:

https://mastcellblog.wordpress.com/journey/edsphotos/

A good overview of the problems hypermobility can cause by a specialist doctor who knows what up. This made me pretty much scream at the screen because I have one of those exact types of insanely painful mini-hernias that some doctors don't believe are there because they are almost impossible to see with normal imaging, but which my gyn saw during laparoscopy (PDF format):

https://www.dynainc.org/docs/hypermobility.pdf

Why hormones, progesterone in general (contraceptives, pregnancy, PMS) screw up the hypermobile body and may cause serious damage:

http://hypermobility.org/help-advice/hormones-hypermobility/

The official site of the biggest, worldwide EDS/hypermobility organisation:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/

UK support, including a toolkit for GPs on how to handle EDS:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/

Finnish EDS association:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.fi/

More info in Finnish, but this also has an embedded video clip (old but neat and short) from US telly (in English) to illustrate a family living with the disease:

https://eds-group.vuodatus.net/lue/2018/01/mista-voin-loytaa-tietoa-ehlers-danlosin-syndroomasta

(Hey, where have I seen eerie, elongated moves by a tall, bony guy before?! Yes, there are variants, like with the related illness, Marfan Syndrome, where people basically Look Like Cesare.)

And last but not least, the brilliant Dr. Sharon Meglathery's RCCX theory, which ties up all those illnesses I and others have noticed clustering around sensitive/artistic/neuroatypical/queer/geeky/triggered by everything folks, such as hypermobile EDS, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, allergies, IBS, sleep issues, stress hormone (adrenaline, cortisol) issues, CFS/ME, oh, you *know* the type when you read it. It's like a list of the usual Tumblr issues, for crying out loud--she might as well have called the PTSD-prone psychiatric profile that underlines these specific gene weirdnesses as "Triggered By Everything." Only it explains the links to the severe physical illnesses as well, and how and why they relate to stress hormone overload and why, thanks to problems with progesterone and cortisol metabolism, the physical illness stuff screws geeky women over more often than it does geeky men. And you owe it to yourself to read it.

https://www.rccxandillness.com/

I don't often say this, but reblog to save a life. These are geek illnesses, *our* illnesses. There are forms of this stuff that are lethal (causing stroke and heart attacks and organs going boom out of the blue at a young age), and the amount of suffering it can cause is ridiculous--I would have lived my life in a drastically different way, and would have never got so ill from the wrong medications and life choices, had I known I had EDS. (Just don't call me a "spoonie;" I'm not a fan of that thing--I'll explain later. Call yourself whatever you like; however, I'm still a ridiculous arctic chicken just as I've always been.) But there are still thousands of people out there who have all these symptoms and yet have never heard of this stuff, and for whom this knowledge can be life-changing, so *please,* spread the word.

Thank you.

[getanattitude]

The Next Big Thing in best beginner piano

“THE more you dig into a piece of Ives, the greater pleasure you get from it,” the pianist Jeremy Denk said lately, sitting at a piano inside of a rehearsal space in the Juilliard College. “It’s like resolving a puzzle.”

Then he enthusiastically deconstructed Ives’s “Concord” Sonata, untangling and conveying the themes and motifs embedded inside the complicated textures of the interesting rating.

Mr. Denk is about to release a disc, “Jeremy Denk Performs Ives” (Think Denk Media), showcasing two piano sonatas, an esoteric decision of repertory for a debut solo album. But then, there's nothing generic about this adventurous musician. His vivacious intellect is manifest equally in his actively playing and on his blog site, Think Denk, an outlet for astute musical observations and witty musings, irrespective of whether a lament about inedible meatballs or simply a spoof interview with Sarah Palin.

Mr. Denk will demonstrate his a lot more mainstream credentials when he performs Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. one with Charles Dutoit and the Philadelphia Orchestra commencing on Thursday for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and on Oct. twelve at Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Denk argues that the Ives sonatas, composed early during the 20th century, are mistakenly categorized as avant-garde is effective rather than “epic Romantic sonatas with Lisztian thematic transformations.” To your informal listener, the tunes that Mr. Denk describes from the CD booklet as “excellent, inventive, tender, edgy, wild, first, witty, haunting” can certainly audio avant-garde. Ives, who produced his residing in the insurance enterprise, incorporated jazz, riffs on Beethoven and American hymns, marches and people music into his daringly experimental piano sonatas, rich in polytonality, thematic layering and rhythmic complexity.

“It’s so splendidly in-your-facial area,” Mr. Denk explained, demonstrating a very maniacal passage inside the “Concord” Sonata. “It’s also fairly surprisingly hideous. There is one thing maddening about his humorousness. Ives is continually thumbing his nose at you in a way.”

But Mr. Denk implies that Ives’s tenderness, which he illuminates wonderfully With this recording, is underappreciated. “Ives is frequently about factors recalled,” he stated, “or Recollections or visions fetched from some tricky spot.”

He played the harmonically misty passages in the next motion with the “Concord,” in which Ives directs that a piece of Wooden be pressed around the upper keys to create a cluster chord. “It doesn’t feel gimmicky in the least to me,” Mr. Denk reported. “It’s all blues in The underside. Ives understood the best way to use Individuals small clichéd bits of Americana in a method that suddenly gets your intestine. You can’t consider how touching it truly is.”

Mr. Denk, 40, has actually been keen about Ives due to the fact his undergraduate times at Oberlin in Ohio, where he carried a double key in piano functionality and chemistry. “My full double diploma experience was to some degree of the ongoing freakout of 1 form of An additional,” he explained.

He were a “really nerdy high school university student” that has a limited social lifestyle, he claimed. “Ever given that I had been a kid I wished to head to Oberlin and preferred the liberal arts. Clearly I really get intensive enjoyment from drawing connections between items and poems and literature and concepts.”

Mr. Denk described himself to be a “practice maniac,” but his horizons have prolonged much further than the follow space given that Oberlin. Though nibbling an enormous piece of chocolate product pie at an Upper West Aspect diner close to the apartment he has rented considering that around 1999, Mr. Denk referred to his blog site, calling it “an astonishingly very good outlet to release tensions of 1 form or An additional.” He claimed it had drawn new listeners to his concerts. An avid reader of liberal political weblogs, Mr. Denk desires of creating a classical audio version of Wonkette, he said, but that could be tough to do devoid of offending people today. And he attempts to avoid offending folks, he additional, although he did lately post a rant about application notes.

Mr. Denk, who phone calls himself “an actual Francophile,” is soft-spoken but powerful, his dialogue peppered with references to numerous “obsessions”: coffee, Ives, Bach, Proust, Baudelaire and Emerson.

He went off on “a Balzac mania” a couple of years in the past, he claimed.

“That was a hazardous time, and anything in everyday life seemed drawn out of a Balzac novel,” he added. “I missing about a few a long time of my lifestyle to Proust. I’m positive it modified all the things, together with my taking part in.

“Someday my supervisor was like, ‘Dude, You must focus on your career and obtaining your things with each other.’ ” At that point, Mr. Denk claimed, “I was bringing Proust to meetings.” He extra: “I’m unsure I really experienced a job route. I had been just undertaking my Strange factor, which probably gave the impression of a disastrous nonroute to many of the people that ended up observing in excess of me. I don't forget some exasperated meetings with my management, but they were being quite affected individual and devoted, which I’m insanely grateful for.”

Mr. Denk grew up in Las Cruces, N.M., considered one of two brothers, a son of music-loving nonmusician moms and dads. His father, who's got a doctorate in chemistry, has become (at distinct moments) a Roman Catholic monk plus a director of computer science at New Mexico Point out University.

Mr. Denk remains addicted to the chili peppers of Las Cruces, he explained, seemingly only 50 % joking: “The purple as well as the inexperienced and the whole spirituality of chili peppers. It’s however a huge Portion of my lifetime. Once i go dwelling I visit this true dive and obsess more than their inexperienced meat burrito.”

When not on tour, Mr. Denk spends time along with his boyfriend, Patrick Posey, a saxophonist and also the director of orchestral things to do and arranging at Juilliard, the place Mr. Denk been given his doctorate, finding out with Herbert Stessin. Mr. Stessin recalls acquiring been amazed by “the maturity and depth” of Mr. Denk’s actively playing and remembers him as “an extraordinary student who absorbed items quite rapidly.”

Mr. Denk stated he “was in school permanently” right up until “in some unspecified time in the future I decided to have faith in my own instincts.” Now he teaches double-degree undergraduates on the Bard University Conservatory of Songs. The pianist Allegra Chapman, who examined with him, mentioned he was “worried about a great deal much more than the notes on the site, always citing literary and historic references.”

“Now I try and method songs in a extra holistic perspective,” she added. “He may be very passionate. He used to leap within the place and bounce about and wave his arms. It absolutely was genuinely enjoyment. He tried to get me to look at the new music having a sense of humor.”

This blend of enthusiasm, humor and intellect, so vibrant in both of those Mr. Denk’s participating in and his creating, is what distinguishes him, according to the violinist Joshua Bell. The two are actually common duo companions because 2004, whenever they done at the Spoleto Festival United states.

“You receive the intellectual musicians or those that dress in their heart on their sleeve with no lot of musical imagined,” Mr. Bell stated, “but Jeremy manages to accomplish both of those, and that’s great. We have now a good amount of arguments in rehearsal, that's the fun part too. The very fact we don’t generally see eye to eye keeps points clean and helps make me concern every little thing I do.”

Mr. Bell, whose alternatives of repertory are usually more common than All those of his additional adventurous colleague, claimed he wasn’t normally an Ives fan: “That has a good deal of modern audio I’m a little bit cautious. Despite having Ives, right until I listened to Jeremy. He just provides it alive. He has such an incredible creativity, and very little is completed randomly.”

Ives’s piano sonatas, Mr. Denk reported, “are in a method like animals that don’t wish to be tamed.”

“Every single overall performance needs to be so distinctive,” he extra, a single rationale he was originally hesitant to record them. Like Bach, he said, Ives leaves a good deal to the performer’s imagination.

A marvelous interpretation of your “Goldberg” Versions at Symphony House in 2008 unveiled Mr. Denk’s profound affinity with Bach. Mr. Denk will perform the get the job done and Textbooks one and 2 of Ligeti’s Études at Zankel Corridor on Feb. 16.

To help keep the “Goldberg” Versions contemporary, Mr. Denk is incorporating new fingerings, he claimed, “to reactivate the link amongst my brain and my fingers After i’m participating in it.”

“I think it’s an actual magical area If you have the muscle mass memory,” he extra, “even so the brain is in advance with the fingers.”

Modifying the fingerings is one way to keep away from plan, he claimed. “I get real pleasure outside of producing in a really great fingering. It can be like relearning the piece, and it makes you not just take any Observe for granted.”

The musical philosophy Mr. Denk relates to Bach, Ives as well as other repertory is maybe ideal summed up in that site put up on program notes: “I’ve in no way been a major enthusiast of the ‘Visualize how innovative this piece was when it had been created’ school of inspiration. For my money, it should be groundbreaking now. (And it is actually.) Whichever else the composer may have supposed, they didn’t want you to Assume, ‘Boy, that should are actually interesting back then.’ The most simple compositional intent, absolutely the ur-intent, is that you Engage in it now, you help it become take place now.”