#legit have had my most challenging group this year

[anewkindofme]

Teacher Appreciation week is BS because we shouldn’t need a week to be appreciated.

That being said…would like just one week where my bosses treated me with respect. And it should’ve been bare minimum this week.

Take back the bagels and fruit platter…just tell me you appreciate all the crap I do and be nice to me for 5 seconds.

[batboyblog]

How concerned do you think we should be about election officials who are election deniers refusing to certify results? I’m trying not to be anxious about it but it is a challenge.

well this was a worrying moment

my understanding is that Mr. Richer will oversee this election before his term is done, it's super duper VERY VERY important that any Arizona voters who see this make sure to vote all the way down to the Democrat Tim Stringham to make sure ALL Americans get free and fair elections.

ANY WAYS, how worried should you be? well, I think its always important to not let fear and worry paralyze you, its important to remember that in 2020 election deniers did try, but Joe Biden had won too many states, they had to try to overturn Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada, too many state courts, too many election officials, too many moving parts. So our best hope of frustrating them again is to win big. Many of them will lose their nerve and not want to be on the "losing side" which again happened in 2020 with most Republicans going along with the election. In 2024 Trump will be an old-old man, to try to run again for President he'd be 82 years old, everyone says his public appearances have slipped from the past, his legal battles drag on, he could be sentenced to jail in 2025, all to say if I'm a scummy Republican Congressman in January 2025 and Trump has lost every swing state commandingly I'm not sticking my neck out for him.

SO! you want to feel better? you want to not feel worried, get involved, its the only cure, I swear to god it is, I know no one believes me when I say that but its true, want to not have election anxiety? Volunteer, the anxiety comes from a sense of a huge out of control event looming over you, if you take action your brain won't feel out of control, you will feel better.

look for an event to volunteer with here, if you live somewhere super red or blue without an important Senate/House race, I recommend checking Run for Something they support young progressive candidates running for lower profile offices. If you're super stressed about the federal thing Democrats do Phone Banking a group called Field Team 6 is doing Text Banking to help register likely Democrats in key states, Swing Left is writing letters and Progressive Turnout is doing Postcards starting on the 5th

EVERYONE! can do SOMETHING! even from their own home, but trust me, door knocking is the easiest, most satisfying, and most cathartic thing you can do. And it's all any of us can do about Republicans plotting, win, and win big.

[ladykailitha]

You pardon me, I'm getting a little foamy at the mouth about this and if I don't rant about it, I may explode.

Lucas and the Game.

Which game? Both of them. Basketball and D&D. Because honestly I am a little lot weary of Eddie getting the lion share of the blame for what happened that Friday. Like I legit saw someone suggest that the school move the basketball game. Like what now?

Did Eddie make some CHOICEStm? Yes, yes he did. Lucas did not go to the dark side for playing a sport.

HOWEVER!

Lucas made some choices of his own.

Now, my information is 20 years old and I'm doing this based on memory, so if I get things wrong, also know I am from a different state than Indiana.

The play offs and championship games are announced ahead of time. There is no way Lucas was told THAT day that Hawkins was playing in the championship game. He had three days on the inside and a week on the outside of knowing when the game was.

Also take into consideration that the likelihood of Lucas PLAYING in said championship game is astronomical. Like the starting lineup and all the second string players would have to injured or fouled out before he could play. Because he's a freshman. He would have to wait out all the sophomores, juniors, and seniors(grades 10-12 respectively) before the coach would put him in. As opposed to a game that not only would he be playing in, he would be considered a valued member.

But as a club, Hellfire probably had set days they could meet. (Also, also, who the teaching advisor for that club and where the hell were they at any point during that season?)

So for most of the school year, the Hellfire club met on Fridays. Lucas would have known that.

So he had a few days to tell Eddie that he wouldn't be able to make it to the finale of their campaign, and he didn't. Then he didn't have to courage to tell Eddie himself and made Dustin and Mike do it.

So here's Eddie, president of the club (though, I can only imagine he was because no else wanted it, as something tells me I don't think they would have a let a double super senior president of anything), being told he's going to be down a player or be forced to move it. Something the other members of the club didn't want to do.

So why does Lucas's choice matter, but Gareth, Jeff, and the Unnamed Freak's choices don't?

So Eddie has to make a decision. Move it, find a replacement, or cancel it all together.

But since it was Dustin and Mike who brought to his attention THEY can find a replacement.

Because here's the thing about D&D and especially about being a DM. You build the fight based around the characters' abilities, classes, and magical items. And there is a lovely thing called CR or challenge rating. It's based on a party of four but can be adjusted for how many players you have. So a CR 10 would be a monster or fight that would take FOUR level 10 characters to beat. So six players, he would probably throw a CR 12 or 13 because of the extra players.

And if they are down a player it can really fuck things up, because what do you scale back and how?

We don't know what level all the characters were or what their classes were. We know that Lucas HAD played a ranger in the past so lets go with that. And since we know EXACTLY what Erica's character was: a level 14 half-elf rogue, so Lucas was probably of a similar level. And let me tell you TWO complete different skill sets.

Which is probably why the group is decimated at the end. Rangers are long range (heh) and rogues are better up close and personal. If Erica hadn't rolled a natural 20 both her and Dustin would have been dead when Vecna took his turn.

Sorry, I got off track a bit with the D&D stuff. But the purpose of that was to show that Lucas bailing last minute would have fucked things up for Eddie.

So TL;DR is that Lucas chose a game that he would likely be on the bench for for all of the game over a game he was an active participant in, didn't tell Eddie for DAYS and made his friends do it last minute, and then demanded the campaign get moved at the cost of the other members of the club's wants, and all because he wanted to be popular.

So, no. Eddie should NOT apologize for not catering to the wants of one member of his club over the needs of everyone else in said club. Maybe a bit on the traitor thing, but not moving the finale because Lucas thought basketball was more important? Nah...

[sylkiddsey]

Here’s a little snippet of an AU that has been rotting in my drafts forever and maybe posting a part of it will spark some inspiration again :)

:::::

Prove It

Sylvie Brett moves to Chicago the second her divorce goes through. It’s inevitable she and Harrison split. He never understood her to begin with.

She wanted to work. He forced her home to cook and clean. She wanted a social life. He practically chained her to the front porch. She loved helping people. He loved destroying her spirit.

They lasted a year until she couldn’t take it anymore. She no longer cared if she disappointed her family. She didn’t care whether the town would gossip or how her life would be hell if she left him.

She serves the papers, signs them and leaves Indiana for Chicago. It’s the city of dreams after all and she’s sick of living a nightmare.

She obtains her paramedic license and starts floating around at the stations. It’s not a permanent position, but at least it’s something. She’s still able to do the job she loves even if it’s for one shift at a time.

After a month bouncing around firehouses, she impresses the Chief at house three. It’s small, consisting of one fire truck and one Ambo, and overpopulated by men, but she’s just happy to land somewhere.

Her partner, Chris Rosales is older than her and quite the showboat. He has a reputation for treating women like shit and it’s spot on. He’s either objectifying her or ridiculing her work. There is no in between, but she’s no stranger to interacting with jerks. Harrison gave her enough practice to last a life time.

He invites her to an event for The Gaffeny Medical Center. She’s worried it’s a prank, but then he produces the pamphlet out of his pocket. It’s a legit invite so she goes.

She squeezes into her favorite black dress, straightens her hair and applies a a pink shade of lipstick that’s strawberry flavored on her lips. Rosales of course whistles when she arrives and the rest of house 3 all make comments about how they’d pay money for her to give them mouth to mouth.

Safe to say, she needs a drink. She orders a martini, chewing on the olive while her parade of pigs engage in a conversation about sex and scoring.

“I bet Brett’s never made a move on anyone,” one of the engine crew says. He scratches his mustache and winks. “We all know you’re not bold.”

They don’t know anything about her. Hell, no one has ever asked her a single question in the last month and a half that didn’t have to do with her body. She feels like an object that all the guys chose so they could stare.

She wishes she had another woman at the small house besides Lucinda (who doesn’t like her either since Sylvie’s younger and the new eye candy).

She scoffs. “You’re wrong once again, Kipper.”

Rosales claps a hand on her back, stinging the skin and causing her to spill her drink. “Bullshit. We all know you’re a prude.”

A prude? She’s not that! Well, she’s not super flirty or anything, but she’s not timid either.

“What? You all think I’m a wimp?” She asks the table.

“Pretty much,” another man says. What’s worse, is he’s the most bearable one of the group. Sure, Max is just as sexist, but he never leers at her in the locker room like everyone else.

“You’re vanilla,” Chris shrugs, as if that’s the simplest fact in the world.

She took all those assumptions without a word in Indiana, but she’s not doing that again. She’s a new woman after moving to Chicago and frankly, she’s sick of their bullshit.

She tips the rest of the martini in her mouth. “Oh, you guys are so wrong about me. I’m not bland or a wimp.”

“Prove it,” Kipper challenges.

She sure will. She’s tired of being underestimated. That ends tonight. “I will. What do you want me to do? Climb up on the table and shimmy my hips?” She’s hoping that isn’t their plan, but she’s so fired up that’s she’s willing to do it.

“Hell, yeah,” Max grins.

Rosales nudges him. “Um, no. That’s too easy.” He looks around the room at the assortment of medical professionals dressed to the nines. She sees his wheels turning. “Ask one of these guys out. Better yet, make out with one of them.”

Of course the bet would be so sleazy. She shouldn’t have expected more from Rosales. “You’re not serious. I don’t know anyone and I’m not gonna jump them without consent.”

Her ambo partner purses his lips. “Vanilla.”

Nope. This is not happening. Screw the rules and common decency. She’s not about to let Rosales go home smug and gloating. She’ll grow a pair and kiss someone here. Most of them are probably doctors or rich donors anyway. She’ll never see them again.

Oh god, this is entirely crazy, but she’s not looking like wimp. She sets her glass down. “Fine. Prepare to eat your words.”

She leaves, shivering a little because their eyes are no doubt glued to her ass. Whatever happens next, they’ll see.

It’s just a random stranger. It’s fine. Most men here by themselves have to be single. She passes a few couples, searching the crowd for the simplest target.

She brushes past a man about twice her age because she’s not going to kiss someone so old. That won’t make her look great. She just needs to find a nice looking guy who won’t cuss her out for essentially jumping his bones.

Doubt creeps in as she navigates the crowd. Maybe she could cause some sort of scene to make them forget about this stupid bet? If she collapses, surely they won’t force her to kiss someone.

She’s planning the most believable way to fall to the floor when she spots a man leaning against the wall, separate from any crowd or beautiful girl.

He looks somewhat familiar, but she’s probably reaching. Maybe he’s a doctor? She could’ve seen him at the hospital.

He’s in a navy suit, sleeves rolled up with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Truthfully, he’s a very attractive man. She thinks if she kisses him, her annoying house will commend her for choosing someone out of her league.

He catches her staring, and she thinks it’s now or never. Screw it. Her reputation means more than one embarrassing kiss with a complete stranger. Well, a possible, but incredibly hot stranger.

His eyes track her movements, most likely expecting an introduction or conversation. He raises an eyebrow when she crowds his space.

Just do it, Sylvie. You have a lot riding on this.

She looks behind her shoulder to make sure they don’t miss her victory. There’s no way in hell she’s doing this twice.

She faces the attractive stranger again, who seems very confused by her actions. She doesn’t blame him and she hopes he doesn’t blame her for this.

Sylvie grabs the back of his neck and pulls his face to hers. She kisses him slowly, making sure Rosales can’t accuse her of chickening out with just a peck.

Cute stranger freezes, but quickly complies with her movements. He kisses her back and she takes it a step further, pushing them flush against the wall.

No way those idiots can ever refer to her as Vanilla.

She’s thoroughly enjoying this kiss. Mystery guy tastes amazing, like chocolate and whiskey. He smells great too so she’s in no hurry to end this, but she can’t breathe much longer without air.

She pulls away, gasping. And oh god, what is she supposed to say to him? She ambushed his lips out of nowhere. He probably thinks she’s insane.

She glances behind her shoulder again. Kipper’s jaw is on the floor and Max looks like he’s on the verge of tears. Rosales looks resentful and victory has never tasted so good.

Or maybe it’s the man out of her league that tastes great.

Mission accomplished. She’s satisfied but also incredibly mortified because the poor unsuspecting party guest is staring at her in utter surprise.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, fixing her lipstick with her finger. She doesn’t want to explain to him how she kissed him to prove a point to a table of pervs behind her. “So sorry.”

She detangles herself from his arm, speed walking towards the table as fast as she can so she can grab her purse and leave.

“That too vanilla for you?” She asks the guys, stealing Max’s bourbon and chugging it in one gulp. “See you on shift.”

There’s no way she did that. She winds her way through the crowd and out the lobby doors. Harrison would go into heart failure to learn she kissed some random stranger for the hell of it.

Wow, she feels electric.

[guardr0ck]

Intro post I guess?

I always said I would never ever EVER let go of my old online handle because it was so unequivocally me and, while that is actually still true, the community that I cultivated there for over two decades no longer is. Even as a young tween when I first started posting online in '01, I had a very concrete grasp on what is fiction, and what is reality. I used the internet to connect specifically with other girls and young women who enjoyed the kind of strange fiction and games that I love; from fanart to RP to cosplay and everything in-between. I was born with major organ failure and a deformed body, so I had to get used to accepting my lot very quickly and at a very young age. Practicing radical acceptance, if you will. The notion that other women (and men too) didn't live with such a concrete divide between the real and unreal never occurred to me, as that level of delusion was nearly impossible for me to fathom at my young age. And, for a good while, the culture of fandom reflected this, as it was always understood, for example, that the person I was conversing with was just Kelly the fellow 19 year-old gal from Wisconsin, and not actually Dave Strider from our Homestuck RPs.

This notion was completely challenged when, circa 2011, my best friend found gender ideology on this very site.

At first I was accepting and tolerant, but it quickly shoved a wedge between myself and all my friends, for it was as if a contagious disease ravaged my entire extended friend group, all of whom were neurodivergent females. My close-knit friend group in real life all began identifying as some sort of trans. Soon followed my internet friend group as well. In both spaces it then spread even further to other extended female companions we had. Altogether, about twenty young women with whom I was close with, now identify as some flavor of trans, with a few of them currently suffering grave illness in their 30's due to complications from extensive testosterone use throughout their 20's. You can not tell me that this is not a social contagion, because IT FUCKING IS. I became a pariah because I refused to take T or id as "non-binary" (a make-believe, pseudo-spiritual identity with absolute 0 basis in reality). I became a pariah because of the simple "crime" of accepting myself as a lesbian.

I have been critical of trans ideology from the very get go, albeit in a "you do you, I do me" sort of way. If the individual was close to me or even clearly trying their best to assimilate and "pass" I was even cool with using their "preferred pronouns" no matter how wrong it felt. Live and let live, and all that. Honestly, I still AM like this towards TIPs who acknowledge that they aren't actually the opposite sex. You would think there would be no issue with that, but nah, I was met with comedically extreme resistance ("bigot"/"murderer"/"violence-promoter") for stating the simple fact that one can not actually change sex. I knew these accusations of bigotry were untrue words coming from disturbed minds (who needed help, not hormones...), but I was willing to forgive these egregious accusations on the grounds of "tolerance" and "being kind". However, in their minds I had to become a True and Honest Believer or else I was evil. Of course, they could never make me believe in the unreal, so I simply held my tongue and walked on eggshells with nearly every interaction, tying myself up in knots to please them.

This changed when I was sexually harassed (in real life and online) by multiple heterosexual trans-identified males for the crime of being a gay woman. "The right cock will fix you, as long as its wearing a frock." Legit the same shit coming from the hyper-religious right, but wrapped up in a glittery package complete with hideous make-up. Most of my friends sided with them, with the men threatening to "fix" me via heterosexual corrective rape.

All I have to say to that is: FUCK YOU.

I'm lucky to have made it to my 30's, and I'll be fucking damned before I let some delusional assholes continue to control how I act and feel. You only get one trip around this rock, and I'm done letting them invade my spaces online and threaten my safety in real life. Funny that, when all the lunatic jargon and double-speak is removed, this all boils down to straight (predominantly white) males trying to sexually dominate a profoundly disabled woman who doesn't want sex with them!

If you made it this far, congrats lol. PLEASE DO interact if you are a GC artist, but especially if you do fanart of HH or 80's/90's animation (especially lost media and foreign stuff). Please understand the characters and dynamics I find entertaining in fiction ARE NOT indicative of what I like irl!!!! I can never let go of "fandom" or being creative -- it's in my blood. Literally, I come from a family of artists. But I can't keep living in this bizarre upside down space where I am forced to kowtow to the delusions of every person who lives in a fantasy, and where I am encouraged to support blatantly narcissistic behavior at the expense of my own safety and happiness.

[amywritesthings]

i have to be a wee bit honest with you all, besties (personal - i'm okay! just some sappy things - content warning: loneliness)

i started writing fic officially last year in february. i didn't think it would become anything at all. my friends made fun of me for trying out reader insert fanfic for the first time, implying (and outright saying) that reader insert was childish, lower quality writing, but as someone who didn't really read much 2nd POV - i was curious. i wanted to try out the medium. it was a challenge. i tried telling my friends (online and irl) about it, but i got a lot of sneers because... well, it was reader insert. and not canon/canon, or original character/canon content.

i'd been toying with a mandalorian fanfic ever since the end of season two. i loved that show. i wanted to tell a story for myself, so i posted a few chapters over the weeks, thinking i'd abandon it and go back to reading fic... then met all of you. i started gathering followers, something i NEVER thought would happen, and from there mutuals. fellow writers were following me! i had never been so excited in my life!

but i'm going to be so honest: i am quite lonely. i've transitioned away from writing groups/dnd/rp to basically be a full-time fanfiction author, and i feel like i've lost all of my friends. most of them don't want to hear about it, so i don't hit them up anymore. i've had friends question why i don't hit them up, and when i explain that my entire life's kinda become "weight training and fanfic" the conversation stops.

add another layer of getting into anime, something NO ONE in my personal life cares about / thinks highly of, and i kind of only have this blog and my vision and writing and -- well, you all.

and you all are so amazing. my mutuals are so fun, and talented, and crazy smart people. i see their fics, and even if it isn't a fixation of mine, i root for them. then the people who have not only read one chapter of my fic, but multiple? or those who have checked out some of my other work? people who legit message me, send me anonymous questions, engage with what i love ---- i no longer feel so lonely. i stop wondering if i should hang up fanfic so i can gain my old social life back where i still talked to my online friends pre-fic blog often. i don't think 'maybe i'm stupid for doing this.'

i'm okay with being lonely and alone, honestly! i'm an only child lol i grew up with a single mom, my entire life was built on my imagination and the ability to be alone. but i just need every single one of you who have touched my work in some form or another -- just how important you are to me, and how grateful i am that you've not only read my works, but engaged, DM'd me about a thirst trap, anything!

it's very easy to forget there is a human behind the stories you like or reblog or comment on, but i hope you know that this human is just really happy that you've validated her greatest love: writing. and that i don't feel so lonely all the time when i'm chatting with you all, or responding to your infectious excitement. i'm just... i feel so content. and happy. and like i actually belong posting my stories, versus keeping them to myself on a word doc that will die within my external hard drive.

you see me. so thank you for seeing me.

[sakarrie-creates]

2022 Art Summary

Sooooooooooooooooo, how late do I need to be to be considered fashionably late? Do I need to wait another month?

Anyway, here’s my 2022 art summary! I had to get a little unconventional just cause this year really wasn’t an art year haha. These aren’t in any specific order. My reflection questions are under the cut!

What events did you participate in (with art)? Player Appreciation Week, Pidge Angst Bang (raffle art), Code Secret Santa

What was your biggest challenge this year? I think my biggest challenge would have to be time. Just like with writing, school kind of swallowed up my chance to draw pretty effectively. That being said, I also had a rough time because I literally had 6 months of no consistent device. Trying to art while having a rotation of laptops that didn’t work right was very not ideal. And searching through all my files to find the art pics to compile for this kind of sucked too haha. Oh, and there was period of time where I legit thought I was going to need to leave CSP cause they were making some very questionable decisions. They’ve since gone back on the most important one though, so I think I probably will at least try.

What was something you were surprised by? I got to try out drawing with a 2 in 1 laptop/stylus which was interesting! I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, even with lower pressure sensitivity and such. I also think I was surprised this year by just how much of a different filters can make. I’d messed around with them some last year, but hooboy, they’re a toolbox I feel like I’ve barely opened now.

Where do you think you most improved? Maybe my coloring? I was a lot less shy about coloring in different ways this year and I think it worked in most cases! I also think that I’m slowly getting more comfortable with just saying screw it with anatomy, which might not actually be improvement per se, but it means I’m more willing to try and fail which is always good for art.

What are you most proud of? I’m really not sure, tbh. I really like the lighting in the star wars au art, and I was proud of the Code Lyoko group picture just because I went for a huge group picture on a tight time frame and tried shading. That being said, I think I’m most proud of myself for storyboarding my 30 minutes animatic. That thing makes me so happy when I look at it and I really do like how it turned out, especially considering it’s my first time actually creating full thumbnails. I don’t actually have the thumbnails included above but the mountain/Player one in the bottom row is a concept sketch I created for one part of the animatic.

How’d this year compare to your 2022 goals? To be honest, not very closely haha. I was expecting art to be easier to combine with school since its lower brain power for me, but it was about as limited as writing. I do like what I did make though! In terms of specifics, I’m just going to go list item by list item from my last year’s reflection.

-Brushes: I’d say for how little art I did this year, I think I actually did try a fair amount of new brushes! Particularly with coloring, but also in doodles. -Shading and Lighting: I think comparatively I did okay in this area too. I definitely didn’t do as many colored pieces as I’d like, but I did almost as many colored/shaded pieces as doodles, which is a huge step forward from last year! -More Dynamic Scenes and Positions: Hmmmmmmmmm this one is hard to say. I do think I was a little more adventurous this year, but I definitely could have branched out from my comfort zone a bit more. -Experiment With 3D Sets!!!: Hahahhhhhaahhahahhahahahhahaa yeah, I don’t know that I even touched these this year oops. So gonna have to go with a hard fail on this one. -Post More: Mmmmmmmmm yeah no, this one also was not great. I think everything I posted was part of an event. Most of the art in my summary hasn’t even been shared outside my main 3-person discord server haha.

Alrighty then, now it’s time for 2023 goals!! Okay, so I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to do more this year. I missed creating a lot last year and I’ve got so much I’d like to do. It’s really hard to say with the uncertainty of a new school/program, but so far I’ve already created more art than last year, so my fingers are crossed. Having my Acer Spin with its built in wacom stylus really seems to have made a difference, so here’s to hoping! Specifics: -One fully colored piece per month -Finish Huntlow comic -Player Appreciation Week -Add to zine portfolio -Apply to at least one zine as an artist (fine if don’t get accepted) -30 minutes animatic digitalize rough draft -Pull out some old WIPs -Keep experimenting with backgrounds and shading -Maybe make some fanart of my favorite fics? As an author I’ve always been so flattered by those so I’d love to do the same for others -Build more consistency of style Overall, how’d the year go? I definitely don’t think it went the way I was hoping for it too, but at the same time, I made so much progress on animatics and really did try some new stuff out, so I don’t think it was too bad! Cutting myself some slack for quantity, I think I’m proud of most of what I did and have continued to gain experience/confidence. I’m looking forward to this year! Also as a reward for anyone who got this far, please take this quality finger art I did while trying to get a feel for angles of an angst scene. It was late and clearly my brain was not in angst mode by the end lol. Obviously, this is my true best art of the year.

[asexual-means-no-attraction]

Hey just curious but is there any point in trying to go on T after a certain age? I'm almost 30 and still haven't been able to see someone for a diagnosis and start medically transitioning and I've been told that if I haven't gone on T by 23 then it's too late for me but since you're a guy who's had to go through that process I wanted to ask if you know anything about that and how legit the claim is?

Don't get me wrong, transitioning later in life does come with its own unique challenges. One of the big one being the social issues that come up. By the time your 30 you might have a more stable job, kids, a spouse, etc. Coming out by itself can be difficult by itself let alone trying to explain to your straight husband that you're also a man. Depending on where you work you might risk your job. Most support groups seem to focus on young adults, and said young adults can be very mean to older folk (and vise versa).

That said, 30 isn't old. It's not. I know we all like to think it is, and as someone who's not there yet it still feels like some far off number. But 30 really isn't that old, and it's certainly not too old to medically transition. I think there's more health risks when you start later (this is a guess, I have no evidence to back this up). But that reasoning being because you are more at risk for certain health conditions in general as you age. Plus the specific risks hrt can bring. But none of those risks would be any different than the risks as someone who starts hrt at 20 once they get close to 30 or 40. So it's really a mute point.

It can also be a little more frustrating since hrt is basically like puberty. Imagine being a teenage boy but at the age of 35. It's a little awkward. But that phase doesn't late that long, and you'll have the rest of your life (a good 40 years if you live to 75) to enjoy being who you truly are. I'd say that's worth it.

Transitioning later in life has it's challenges. But so does everything in life. It's never too late to transition. I've seen transmen transition after 30 and be just fine. I've seen trans women transition at 60. You can do it at any age. Your journey is yours alone. Whether you discover yourself at 20, 30, or even 60 that's ok. You always have time take steps into being your real self. Into becoming more comfortable as yourself. Into doing what'll make you happy. Don't worry. You can do it.

I think a lot of the misconception comes from the fact that most stories we see are of younger adults. And we consider that age range to be a traditional period regardless of gender (it's when you're supposed to figure yourself out). But you can discover yourself at any age. My dad is 50 and only says that he's only now feels like he's figuring out what kind of person he wants to be. My gf's mom is going on a hippie road trip around the USA in her minivan at 50. My grandmother at 65 is only now getting a chance to learn about herself after being stuck in an abusive marriage. My 80 year old grandmother tells me about new things she's figured out every other month. You have so many more years ahead of you. 20 isn't nearly as impactful of a time for self discovery as we like to claim. It's important don't get me wrong. But I've seen more impactful self discovery journeys from people over 40 than anything I've seen from people in their 20s. You got time. It's never too late.

[pumpkin-quest]

I ran my first game of 5th edition! My first attempt at DMing anything since my campaign ended *mumble mumble* (I've legit forgotten, but it might be 4? Maybe 5?) years ago. And it went...well? Ish?

It was for a charity event, and one of the players was a young man who was clearly *incredibly* nervous about playing with a group of strangers, so I was a bit slack with the rules, but who really needs a rules lawyer anyway.? If the table is having fun and I don't need to remember my bizarre house ruling of things for more than a few hours, it's all good.

We played the pregen adventure "Heist at the Museum", which the venue provided, because while I enjoy the storytelling aspect of DMing, I *hate* coming up with maps and encounters. I'm not good at it and am generally just much happier if someone else does it for me.

The general set up is this group of thieves have been hired to steal The Tetrad Gems from the museum and deliver them to this posh dude in his house on the outskirts of town. They've been provided with Amulets of Escape to facilitate this. Use of these amulets will transport them to a predesignated teleportation circle. Easy life.

Problem was, the dice really seemed to want this poor party dead. The very first thing that happens is they knock over the Dinosaur statue in the museum, activating the automaton guards deeper within the exhibit hall, prompting them to have to retreat outside to hide until they've reset. Only thing is, they reset and went back into waiting mode right near the door they picked the lock for. So, they had to find another way in. Did result in some creative sleight of hand with a crowbar though, so that was fun.

They get the gems, load up on assorted other valuable trinkets on display, and then activate their amulets when a whole platoon of automatons turn up to investigate the break in.

The predesignated circle takes them to the middle of a port and cheese evening at the manor, where all the guests are wearing robes and having identical ornate daggers hidden upon their person. Because the game makers do not want this to be subtle and want the players to know they've been hired by a cult. Because handing over the stolen gems will be a Bad Idea and they want the players to be aware of this.

But this particular party, either due to youth (two of the players were children, with the oldest likely no older than 12 or 13) or inexperience (the nervous guy, who probably late teens at most tbh), were not genre savvy enough to truly take this in, and merrily handed over the gems and then hung around to wait for their payment.

This was good for me, because the part of the adventure I was most nervous about was how the posh dude was going to stay charming and attempt to get the players to hand over the gems without arousing suspicion before he finally got mad and ordered the cult to attack. But it was bad for them because it meant he could immediately disappear off into the back room and summon the Devlish Piper. A challenge rating 5 creature when the part couldn't have been higher than level 2.

There were, admittedly, many punches pulled during this fight. Because the Piper could have easily wiped the floor with all of them on his own. I had him roaming around, murdering the cultists rather than the players, had him smash a locked window to provide another escape route, and just pretended he didn't land a single blow on the last character left in the room (because the player was the youngest of the siblings and her brother's character had already escaped and there had been enough sibling bickering that I was not about to do that to their poor dad). I still had two of the players making death saving throws, only surviving by the skin of their teeth (and a lucky natural 20 where I may have elected to go by 4th ed rules), and the entire party had collectively less than 10 hp by the time they escaped.

But I think my favourite moment was the super nervous new guy looking at his inventory, spotting the firecrackers in their, and improvising it as a way to break a different window to make his escape easier. That's the sort of thinking that will help him go far in future games.

All in all, a fun few hours, and a very hard won but I still think well deserved victory.

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

Possible Bioshock story synopsis and characters

I just want to post this because I want to do something with Bioshock again ever since seeing The Last Voyage of the Demeter and other feelings I’ve been having. But I do think I become too ambitious with shit like this. This is technically my Bioshock movie here. But I’m going to make some edits to certain things and characters like Elizabeth was originally supposed to be called Debbie.

I may just call this “GeekGem’s Bioshock” instead of Bioshock Rebirth.

Maybe one day, not right now. My head has been feeling weird recently. I may want to write more of this. But it’s so much and...I got to write/complete an outline for this. 

This is essentially a new take on the Bioshock series because it’s best to not fuck with the game’s canon. And I legit believe it’s best not to adapt those games because they were not meant to be films.

This was first developed in a draft on March 29th, 2023.

When a distress call from somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean pops up after many disappearances. The US government sends a group of covert ops soldiers aboard a ship posing as a regular cargo ship. But when the mission turns up disastrous when his ship is sunken down, former US Army Ranger and rookie covert ops operative Archie Wynand stumbles upon the isolated underwater city known as Rapture. Built and owned by thought to be dead business magnate Andrew Ryan.

But what appears to be a beautiful utopia is being torn apart by a civil war, classism, and the horrific growing danger of Splicers that were once people. Along with the unsettling nature of children becoming Little Sisters.

To save a Little Sister named Eleanor, Archie must navigate through the city as he is set on a collision course with the Splicers, Atlas, and Andrew Ryan himself. But things become challenging when Eleanor's protector, a Big Daddy is determined to bring her back.

-

Archie Wynand: A 22-year-old soldier who had endured much trauma during his childhood. A person who hopes his purpose is life is even making a difference. His entire life changes when he arrives in the city of Rapture and meets Eleanor.

Despite not wanting to get involved with the war at first. He makes it his mission to help Tenenbaum develop a cure for Little Sisters and end the war by taking down Ryan.

Used to have a little sister, Miranda, nicknamed "Flower" that had died. Thought of idea on 4/26/23.

Andrew Ryan: The 60-year-old founder of Rapture. Having built the city to be a paradise for the most brilliant men and women and inspired by Ayn Rand. His Objectivist views and other details are the major reasons why the city started to fall.

In a war between the rich and the poor. Ryan tries to keep all control to himself. But when Archie, a soldier enters the city. Ryan becomes Hellbent on killing the soldier before he brings to light about Rapture to the surface.

Subject Delta: One of the original Big Daddies and the first one to successfully ever bond with a Little Sister. More streamlined and agile than later Big Daddies. When Eleanor is taken away, Delta is Hellbent on bringing her back.

But on his collision course with Archie. Delta's purpose slowly changes. Specifically Archie as realizes the similarities between him and Delta.

Eleanor Lamb: A 7-year-old Little Sister that a "Utopian" test subject by Sofia, daughter of Ryan and Jasmine.

Brigid Tenenbaum: One of the leading scientists in Rapture and the creator of the Little Sisters. Horrified by the actions she has done, she has been Hellbent on creating a cure and trying to save as many Little Sisters as she can.

Elizabeth Winslet: A 20-year-old woman that was trying to get around in Rapture before the civil war. And the only person helping Tenenbaum’s quest to save the Little Sisters.

Atlas: A supposed "Voice of the people" in Rapture that Archie despises due to his violent actions and harvesting Little Sisters.

Yi Suchong: The creator of the Big Daddies who survived his near-death experience with a Big Daddy.

Julie Langford: The scientist in charge of Arcadia and able to make oxygen for the people in the city.

[cryanne23]

Dati tuwing may mag aask ano ba gusto kong specialization, lagi kong sinasabi na cardio ang gusto ko because heart is my passion. Cheka then I got to meet ECG tracing interpretation na never ko na ata magegets nung first year at internal medicine subjects na sobrang daming subspecialty nung third year, which made me doubt kung kaya ba talaga ng brain cellz ko magmaganda siz. Hmm. Until now torn pa rin naman ako sa cardio, derma, family medicine, and most recent nga yung ophtha. As much as possible I’d like to keep an open mind kasi gusto kong maenjoy and matuto sa every single rotation that we will have this clerkship year. Sobrang amazing lang ng medicine, theres just so much to learn! And yes, I really love learning, pero I despise studying for the grades with all my heart (cos it makes me super anxious and it takes all the fun out of learning)! So imagine yung fascination ko nung first time akong makanood ng laparoscopic cholecystectomy during our surgery rotation, nung first time akong nagdeliver ng placenta at nag assist sa cesarean delivery during ob rotation, nung first time akong nag assist ng tonsillectomy.. If you are also the type na masaya tuwing may natututunang something new, then I’m pretty sure that you will enjoy taking up medicine! Pero I think what makes medicine a lot less enjoyable is when you happen to end up in such a toxic environment where everyone seems to be sad and angry and miserable. It will surely take a toll on your mental health and your overall quality of life, so it’s really important to choose the right kind of environment that fits your personality. Anyway ang gusto ko lang naman talaga ikwento ay yung first day ko sa IM rotation, sorry sobrang dami na nitong segway. :))

First day palang pero parang gusto ko nang umiyak. Try not to cry challenge po ang pamaskong handog satin for this december, brought to you by IM rotation. Huhu sobrang grateful ko lang kay Guia kasi just when I was about to cry, she handed me candies tapos good luck candies daw yun. Thank you Lord for kind souls 🥺 Imagine night shift kami on our first day. Right after the endorsement, kakarating ko palang pero nag code na agad ang pasyente ko. I also had 17 patients for vital signs monitoring, sobrang grateful lang din kay Karen Joy kasi kinuha na nya yung dalawa kong pasyente. Plus admitting team pa kami so I had to take complete history and physical exam of my patient. We were also assigned paperworks such as course in the ward and discharge summaries during that shift, pero siz idk kung inefficient palang ba ako or di na talaga kaya ng time so we had to do this during our off. Then just few minutes before our 7AM off, may nagcode na namang another pasyente under our team huhu. Right after our 12-hour duty, hindi pa rin uwian kasi meron pang admission conference so we had to stay for three more hours. I was informed that our group will be the presenting group for our first ever adcon this IM rotation, pero I had no idea na ako lang pala mag isa magppresent in front of our consultants, residents, PGIs, and co-clerks??? ??? Pagod na pagod na ako mga mhie. Yung anxiety ko biglang umabot ng moon nung sinabi ng PGI ko na ako lang daw mag isa ko presenter, just few minutes before the adcon. Sobrang asdgjaafahjaagda!!! Legit gusto ko na talaga magpatawas. Anyway huhu after akong mabigyan ng candies ni Guia, sobrang kumalma na ang pechay ko so naitawid naman ang first on the spot gulatan adcon on my first duty this IM rotation ❤️ Hindi rin ako napagalitan ng seniors namin kahit super bano pa ako mag physical exam, pero need ko pa raw magpractice so thats what I’m gonna focus on this weekend.

Praying for more learnings, endurance, proper diskarte and time management, and emotional regulation skillz this month, Father God 🙏🏻

Good luck candies from Guia saved the day 🥰

[bts-weverse-trans]

201127 Weverse Magazine ‘BE’ Comeback Interview - Jungkook

Jung Kook: “I hope this feeling never fades” BTS BE comeback interview 2020.11.27

I had a chance to interview BTS before, when they debuted. During that interview, Jung Kook had one small habit; when I met him again a while later, he had corrected it. He makes a conscious effort to change himself. And after seven years, I met Jung Kook again.

You directed the music video for “Life Goes On,” BE’s title song. Jung Kook: I was really eager to direct the music video from the outset. My plan was to organize the synopsis, discuss it with the  music video director I was working with, shoot and edit them, but we were short on time. So I worked on it while sharing ideas with the director. Originally there were a lot of scenes with lip synching in them, but we took some of them out and put in more scenes that conveyed the members’ emotions better. It wasn’t easy to combine scenes, but I think now I know more about how much of everything is needed when shooting a music video.

You had shot the Golden Closet Films and uploaded them to the BTS YouTube channel, and now you shot a music video. Jung Kook: Once we were on location, we had directions for everything we needed to shoot prepared in advance, so I took candid shots of the members here and there with a camera during the shoot. We were filming in a beautiful place so when they asked me to take pictures of them as they wanted to be presented, I did.

What kind of pictures did you take of yourself? Jung Kook: I was just, in them. (laughs) I’m not in the shot for the Golden Closet Films either. I kind of take a back seat. The director had to shoot my parts for the music video, since I couldn’t film myself, so I relaxed a bit. I tried to make the other members look really good when I recorded them. Since this was a BTS music video and not my own, I wanted to show what was happening with every member and the team, not just one individual’s thoughts. Each person who watches the video might feel different, but I wanted to show that we feel what other people feel, that we’re in the same situation.

You get your picture taken a lot, but you don’t pay much attention to the ones you’re in. Jung Kook: I never really liked having my picture taken. (laughs) And I’m usually with the others when we’re working, obviously, but it’s hard to take a camera and take selfies. So I take pictures and videos of the other members every chance I get.

Do you still find it difficult to have your picture taken? Jung Kook: I put my best face forward when it’s for something I have to do, like  for photo books, but it’s still not easy. Videos are okay, though. And even though I’m not nervous at all when I sing in front of tens of thousands of people, if I have to sing or talk in front of a small group, I get super nervous. I never feel that way on stage, but maybe I have a hard time doing things that are a little bit awkward for me.

It seems like you draw a distinction between work you enjoy and work you find difficult. Jung Kook: Work related to music, like recording, composing, writing lyrics, filming music videos and things like that, are all fine. But anything outside of that is probably a challenge for me.

On BE, you each explained your feelings about work in the song “Dis-ease.” You must have experienced a cycle of enjoyable and difficult work over seven years, so how did you get through the hard times? Jung Kook: I actually understand my own problems well, so most of the time it’s okay. I can figure things out one at a time through experience instead of just looking for answers. I’m always growing and my personality changes, depending on my environment. I think I’ve learned to do things I used to find difficult by experiencing it little by little.

Speaking of growth, “Skit” was very memorable. You recorded it the day after “Dynamite” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and you, who talked about what you did before you became trainees in “Skit” in your debut album,talked about being first place on the Billboard Hot 100 this time around. Jung Kook: When I was a trainee, I saw the older members rapping and thought, “Wow, they’re so cool!” But now, after having spent everyday together, I’ve forgotten about all that. (laughs) Sometimes I see the lyrics they wrote, see them dancing and hearing the things they say on stage, and think, “Oh, right. That is the kind of person they are. They’re a lot different now.” You know how you don’t feel it when you live with your family, but if you can’t see them for a long time, you miss them. You might even cry. We’re a real family. Like, legit! (laughs)

Your “legit family” (laughs) each put their own songs on BE and came up with units spontaneously. What was it like making the album that way? Jung Kook: We talked with the company over the outline of the album and organized our ideas together. That was our process for making songs. Then we’d listen to them together, and if we thought they weren’t great, we’d go back and work on them some more. The members would get together and say, “Hey, how about so and so do a unit song this time?” or, “What should it be about?” and share a lot of ideas that way.

How did the others respond to your song, “Stay”? Jung Kook: That song was originally meant to be on my mixtape. We planned to put a different song on the album, but after V heard it, he said, “This song that Jung Kook wrote is really good,” and then the other members all listened, said it was better than the other one, and somehow (laughs) “Stay” made it into the album. The message for the other song was also, “Even though we’re far apart, stay just where you are.” I wrote my song with the same theme so I loved that it was included in BE. At first, I wanted to talk about how we’re always together, using the English word “wherever.” I wanted to express how we’re always together no matter where we are, but Namjoon heard that and said “Stay” might be better. I liked his suggestion, so I changed it. He really helped me to organize my thoughts, since I’m not always good at writing everything I want to express.

One might go as far as to say the lyrics sound heartbreaking, but it’s arranged in EDM. Jung Kook: We imagined we were performing for the fans while we made it, jumping up and down with them.

It sounds like you really miss your fans. Jung Kook: This album really hit us in a different way, with this situation being what it is. Because the world is struggling with COVID-19, we have to keep our heads up and convey our messages to our fans.

What can your fans expect from you when you finally meet again? Jung Kook: There’s nothing specific, but when I watched our old performances, my facial expressions were awkward and my dance moves weren’t always perfect. I keep working to improve myself, so I hope   when the fans see me, they think my performance is amazing and that my aura fills the stage.

Are you happy with how you look in your latest work? Jung Kook: I’m not 100% satisfied, no. When we did performances for “Dynamite” recently I kept seeing my imperfections.

Your acting in the intro to your “Dynamite” performance was really impressive. Even in COVID-19 times, you captured a feeling of liveliness and being cool, as though to explain what the song is all about. Jung Kook: Actually, on the first day of filming the music video, I was supposed to film my parts first, but I was so bad that it had to be pushed to the end of the shoot. So,I was a bit more relaxed when the camera rolled.

So that’s what you get when you’re relaxed! (laughs) Jung Kook: Yes, I relaxed, and something went “pop!” and “boom!” inside me, and then I did it however I wanted. (laughs)

It’s fascinating how someone who performs the way you do during stadium tours can feel nervous while filming and yet still do so well in it. Jung Kook: I can be a shy person. When people used to ask me to sing, I couldn’t always do it—like in front of adults or teachers. And I’m still a bit like that. If I start thinking, “Oh, I can’t do this,” then I really end up not being able to do it. Even when I could have done well.

Why do you think that is? Jung Kook: I feel the same way about my dancing and my singing, and I can’t compose a really amazing melody either. I feel like I’m always somewhere in the middle. But then I also think I have my own colors, so I like to quietly, slowly open up to people, and let them know what kind of person I am. Yeah, something like that. (laughs)

But, when you review your songs and performances objectively, you see all of your changes, don’t you? Jung Kook: There’s a lot of change. My voice has changed a lot; I grew taller and my frame and facial structure have changed, too. I could tell how awkward I looked at the beginning, but after a while, I think, “My gestures look better now, but I feel like my dance is too rigid.” And again after a while, “Now my dance is fine and my gestures are good, but I’m making awkward facial expressions.” And later, I say, “Now I got the facial expressions down, but, hmm, there’s no killer move.” (laughs) That’s how I slowly changed. And then my actions, thoughts, dreams, goals, what I value, what I want to do—all these things will change depending on the situation.

You had some changes in BE, too. Throughout “Life Goes On,” you lightly carry your voice and tone throughout the whole song, like they’re flowing. Jung Kook: Right. I think that’s very important. My general feeling was my voice should be woven into the song, rather than bringing out my individual voice. The lyrics say the world stopped, but I can’t keep on being sad, and life continues and flows on. I wanted to mix a little bit of my own colors into that complex, subtle sadness. I listened to how the other members recorded their parts for the song, and I sang while thinking about how I could do it in a way that it would all blend together well. I kept changing my voice exploring how to make it sound better, cleaner. I kept trying new things while I was recording, performing, and practicing.

When you look back after all that change, don’t you feel like you accomplished a lot? Jung Kook: I don’t really pay attention to things that have already happened. I think more about what it is I need right now, so I rarely think, “I got a lot better from how I used to be,” or, “I did a good job.”

You sound insatiable, in a good way. Jung Kook: Yes. This is how I want to keep living, and I hope this feeling never fades.

You’ve found immense success with BTS. What makes you want to keep doing more and keep improving yourself? Jung Kook: I want to show people who I am: how I talk, how I act, how I sing, and so on. And after that, I want to be acknowledged for doing what I like to do, and for people to see what an amazing guy I am. I want to do these things step by step. I want to be appreciated as Jung Kook, as the real me.

What do you think is the source of that energy—the energy to keep proving yourself, even though you’ve already achieved so much with BTS? Jung Kook: I think my heart’s telling me to. BTS was able to climb this high thanks to the group members, the company and our fans. But there’s always the question of whether I could receive that kind of recognition by myself, so I have this feeling of wanting to throw myself at some challenge alone. There’s a lot I want to do, and a lot I want to achieve.

By gradually improving yourself, what kind of person would you ideally want to become? Jung Kook: A person who’s crazy awesome in their field. (laughs) Those kinds of people look cool even when they do something different. I still have a long way to go. I feel like I could be more captivating and draw more out of people by improving any number of things, by trying hard to be confident about my singing, or the way I dance and perform. BTS is way more important and meaningful to me than I am to myself, so I’m not saying I want to do anything alone. But I hope I get to the point where I can perform alone for three or four hours in a venue full of people.

It’s clear that your job, music, is very important to you. Jung Kook: I must never let it go. That’s what I always think. I have to keep it close to me, even if I get bored, or I don’t want to hear it, or it feels like a hassle. I want to keep on making music. It may be a long ways down the road, but I want to prove myself with my music.

You said before that your MBTI is ISFP, so I looked it up. Obviously, MBTI can’t sum up a person perfectly, but it says ISFPs tend to be “curious artists.” Your answer reminds me of that. Jung Kook: That sounds about right. I looked up the personality traits for ISFP too, and it was interesting. (laughs)

Maybe that’s the reason you set your goals so high. You seem like you have high standards and want to keep growing. Jung Kook: It’s like a foggy mountain top. (laughs) I can’t even see it yet.

You’ve been climbing for seven years, staying curious. Is there anything you want to say to the people who have been watching you all this time? Jung Kook: Umm … Well, there are seven of us, and the seven of us keep running ahead. So it’s possible we could get tired, one by one, and drop out, right? But if more people join us, one by one, and run with us, we can support each other and pull each other up if someone falls down. That’s kind of how I feel. There are people who supported us from the beginning who have been watching us the whole time since, and because of them our follower count keeps going up, and they all keep us on track. So the only thing I can say is—thank you. We were nothing special, really (laughs) but they keep on liking us and supporting us, and the best way we can repay them is to give them our all through our music and our performances. They push me to work hard, even on things I find difficult. (laughs) I’m eternally grateful.

Just like in the last line of “Stay.” Jung Kook: “We are together.”

Trans © Weverse

[sunrisefairy]

Sketches

Pairing: George Weasley x reader

Word count: 2.1k

Summary: Y/N likes drawing people. More specifically, she likes drawing George Weasley. Which is fine, until she loses her notebook and George is the one who finds it. 

A/N: Okay so because of lockdown and me having legit nothing to do i spent the last 2 days writing this fic for @teawiththeweasleys​ writing challenge and i couldnt wait to share it with you. im lowkey very proud of it so i hope you all like it 

Taglist: @hufflepuff5972 @inglourious-imagines message me if you would like to be added!

Ever since Y/N was a little girl she was always drawing whether it was scribbles of her family, animals, magical creatures or plants, you could always find the girl with a pencil and paper somewhere nearby. For as long as she could remember her home was covered in her drawings, Y/N’s mum and dad would frame and hang up all of their daughters’ drawings all over the walls. They were so proud of Y/N’s creativity and encouraged her to keep creating her art. It had become a tradition that every year for her birthday Y/N would receive a new notebook and pencils form her parents and it was always her most cherished gift.

Over the last few years Y/N has become very intrigued with drawing faces, she loved how she could capture a person’s emotion with just some charcoal and parchment. More recently when Y/N was sketching she’d try to focus on the subtle and small features that make humans unique and beautiful, may it be the way their eyebrows arched in curiosity or the dimples and freckles etched into their skin or small wrinkles that danced near their eyes when they smiled. Y/N loved it all.

Because Y/N was so captivated with how facial features made everyone unique she found herself draw a particular ginger a lot more than anyone else. George Weasley. Everybody at Hogwarts knew George Weasley was the twin to the confident and loud Fred Weasley. And being that they are identical twins they look very similar. Y/N found it fascinating trying to pinpoint their minor physical differences and she had become quite good at it.

Her brown leather notebook, which if it wasn’t in her hand was usually found stuffed in her book bag, was full of sketches of George. It started of gradual, her drawings of the sweet boy. Y/N was usually found sitting on a bench in the courtyard if the weather was nice, drawing anyone she saw nearby and normally it was someone new each time. But when her eyes landed on the loud group of Gryffindor boys, she felt a pull to the tall boy with fiery hair who was standing next to his twin, both taking turns to tell a story which had the rest of the group engrossed. Y/N wanted to challenge herself, it was simple, she wanted to capture the features that made an identical twin unique.

Y/N spent the last few weeks ‘studying’ George in a very non-threatening and not at all creepy way. The pair had a few classes together being in the same year at school but the two hadn’t really spoken much to each other. So, Y/N admired from afar, normally from across the great hall or in class. She quickly learnt that George’s face was longer than his brothers, his eyes were more slanted, and his lips had a curve in them that was more prominent when he smiled, something he does a lot, Y/N observed.

~~~

The weather was particularly nice on this Saturday afternoon, so naturally Y/N found herself on a bench in the courtyard with her pencil tin open and a range of charcoals scattered around her as she doodled in her notebook (the one which wasn’t unofficially dedicated to George).

“Hello there little Gryffindors-” Y/N heard a voice call from nearby, the voice belonging to Fred Weasley. George was standing next to his twin and the duo were chatting to some unsuspecting first years.

“-anyone fancy a nougat? They are delicious” George finished; the twins shared a mischievous glance at each other.

Y/N quickly grabbed her other notebook and some charcoal and began sketching the boy’s face focusing on the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed at the poor Gryffindor who accepted the free candy which turned out to be a nosebleed nougat. Y/N was absorbed in her sketching she didn’t notice her best friend sit next to her, peering over her shoulder.

“Ah, drawing your lover boy again I see” Alicia chuckled as Y/N slammed the book shut.

“He’s not my lover boy, I’ve already told you; I draw him to-”

“-capture the features that make an identical twin unique. Sure, so if I flick through your other notebooks, I’ll find one dedicated to Fred too then?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, “shut up.”

“Come on creeper, we told the others we’d hang out today.” Alicia pulled on Y/N’s hand as she quickly threw her notebooks and pencil tin in her book bag.

“Merlin, hang on! You’re gonna rip my arm out of its socket!” Y/N giggles hoisting her bag strap higher up her shoulder.

The two girls walked off, arms linked and laughing, neither one noticed the lone notebook that was left on the bench.

~~~

George, Fred and Lee were heading towards the great hall after their amusing interaction with a group of first years when the younger twin noticed a brown book perched on a bench. He detoured that way to pick it up, flicking through the pages in hopes he will find who it belongs to so he can return it.

George furrowed his brows as he dove deeper into the book. He expected it to be filled with notes and writing but he was not expecting to see drawings of people; of him and Fred. But as he looked closer, he quickly realised that they weren’t sketches of him and Fred, just himself.

“Oi! What are you doing? We’re gonna be late for dinner” Fred’s voice pulled him back. George shoved the notebook in his pants pocket and hurried after his twin very confused as to why the notebook was filled with drawings of him.

Later that night George found himself sitting on his bed in his dorm room flipping through the notebook. These drawings were incredible, whoever it belonged to had some serious talent but he couldn’t get over why someone had drawn him, let alone multiple drawings. Each sketch was different to the last though, some were of his whole face others just of his eyes or mouth. George was in awe of the skill this person had; they had managed to capture his face perfectly.

Some might view finding a notebook filled of drawings of themselves a little creepy, however George Weasley found it flattering. You see, for his whole life, George has seen himself as the other half of Fred. Most people in their lives couldn’t tell the pair apart and opted to talk to them and refer to them almost as if they were one person as FredandGeorge and not Fred and George. This notebook was proof that someone out there noticed George as a singular person, an individual, which made George’s heart flutter.

~~~

“Oh godric” Y/N mumbles pouring out the contents of her book bag on the table.

“Hey, Y/N relax. I’m sure it will turn up eventually.” Alicia says in attempt to calm her friend down.

Y/N ran her hands through her hair, very stressed. She had been searching for her notebook all morning with no luck worried that the wrong person had found it and would deem her a creepy stalker.

“How can I relax when my notebook-the notebook which is filled with drawings of George Weasley-has gone missing. Oh merlin, whoever has it will most likely recognise the drawings of George and give it to him and he’ll eventually find out that it belongs to me and think I’m a freak” Y/N’s arms are frantically waving around to empathise her point as she paces up and down the room.

Alicia stops in front of her friend, placing her hands on her shoulders, squeezing reassuringly “Y/N breath. You’ve told me a million times that those drawings are just about capturing someone’s facial features, right? It’s not like you have a crush on the guy so it doesn’t matter if anyone thinks that, because it’s not true.”

Y/N’s sketches of George Weasley had started just as Alicia said but it quickly turned into Y/N possessing a small, okay maybe huge crush on the red head and her trying to find any excuse to stare at him and draw. Y/N’s heart hammered in her chest at the thought of George being the one to find her notebook. There was no way George wouldn’t be freaked out and think Y/N had some weird obsession with him.

“Okay so when was the last time you remember having your book?” Alicia questions.

Y/N racks her brain trying to remember, “yesterday afternoon. In the courtyard on that bench, I was drawing him when you came over. I’m sure I put it in my bag but I haven’t seen it since.”

Alicia nodded, the two deciding that was the best place to start.

Y/N practically sprints to the courtyard, luckily there wasn’t many students here, giving it was a Sunday morning and everyone was probably still sleeping. The two girls look around trying to spot the leather book. Y/N sighs in defeat, collapsing onto the bench and groaing into her hands.

“Bloody hell, I can’t believe I lost it. I’m so stupid”

“Err, Y/N” Alicia nudged her friend’s shoulder.

“Geez, thanks Alicia, you’re meant to say ‘No Y/N you’re not stupid’”

Alicia widened her eyes at Y/N before glancing behind her, “look”.

Y/N follows her gaze and freezes. George Weasley was walking towards them, that in itself was strange but it wasn’t until Y/N looked down at George’s hand and noticed the missing notebook.

“Oh no.”

George had figured whoever misplaced the notebook would probably come back to the last place they had it to search for it. He was hoping for that at least. Not only did he want to return the book to its rightful owner, he also wanted to thank them for seeing him, for noticing him.

As George rounded the corner his eyes scanned the courtyard and were met with Alicia Spinnit and Y/N L/N sitting on the same bench he’d found the notebook on, bingo. Judging by Y/N’s wide eyes that were glued to the notebook in his hand and how Alicia gave her a pat on the shoulder before disappearing, George figured the drawings were the work of Y/N. George’s heart sped up with this information. The two of them weren’t close but were friendly having shared some classes together. George had caught himself on more than one occasion glancing at Y/N during lessons and mealtimes, wondering what it would be like to get to know her. Guess now he has a chance.

His feet stopped a few paces in front of the bench as Y/N gawked up at him.

George cleared his throat, “uh I believe this belongs to you?”

Y/N basically snatches the notebook from his fingers, feeling insanely embarrassed and when Y/N is embarrassed, she rambles. “Oh merlin, I’m so sorry! I’m guessing you looked through it, of course you did. I would have too if I stumbled across a stranger’s book. I’m also guessing you realised all the drawings were of you. Look I’m not some stalker, I swear. Like I’m not some girl that has a massive crush on you and decided to fill a notebook with drawings of you… Well I do have a crush on you. But I promise I didn’t mean to be creepy. I just, I like drawing people and you have a nice face.” Y/N chews on her bottom lip, forcing herself to shut up.

George opens his mouth and closes it a few times as he processes the girl’s words. “Wow, um- I want you to know that I don’t think you’re creepy at all. I was actually really flattered looking through your pictures. It’s nice to know someone sees me as me and not as an extension of Fred.”

The two stare at each other for a few moments, neither one knowing what to say.

George moves to sit beside Y/N, close enough that their thighs are touching, “they are really good by the way. The drawings I mean. You’re very talented.”

Y/N blushes at his words, “thank you. I don’t normally share my art, with the exception of my parents and Alicia.”

George places a hand over his heart, “well in that case I feel very honoured.” He runs his fingers through his hair as Y/N giggles before continuing, “I know we aren’t super close and I kind of hate that it’s taken me this long to ask but would you maybe wanna hang out sometime? Like a date.”

Y/N fiddles with the notebook in her lap trying to hide her excitement “for sure, I’d love that.”

George lets out a sigh of relief, “great, well what are you up to right now? Maybe we can hang out and you can draw more pictures of my handsome face.”

Y/N rolls her eyes and playfully shoves at his side “careful, your head might explode with all that ego. But yes I’d love to hang out with you right now.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

[nightswithkookmin]

JK either thinks SM is just for casual fun stuff or thinks things like birthday wishes or selfies should be private or not a big deal. He can’t be bothered about that be he obviously cares because we just saw him calling Hobi. at this point I’m sure they all forced him to do a ot7 and wish Tae a happy birthday that day and even that he couldn’t do right 😅 his personality is fascinating

He busy having nightmares bout me and JM

Its JMs hand on my waist for him.

I feel you though.

He'd post angsty song recommendations but god forbid he posts Hobi on his story on his birthday. Posted Tae Kook for no reason but won't hola publicly at a man who spends time to like and engage with your posts like where is your loyalty and gratitude

RIGHT??

WRONG!

I been told y'all not to get phased bout nothing he does. Yall don't listen. He is the last person I take seriously on this planet or the next.

Social media isn't real life. Whatever they do on here is out of courtesy and sometimes, to a degree convention and their own established culture within the group.

I speak for him when I say he doesn't like ostentatious displays of anything but he does try for others and himself. Sometimes it's about challenging himself and getting out of his comfort zone or going that extra mile to please whomever he chooses to please or contributing to the peace of the group. Sometimes he's being petty and wants to flaunt something in our faces- cough Jimin's cough.

But a lot of the time he doesn't like to be forced into doing things he doesn't like to do. We should all get this down about him. He loves to live on his own terms as much as he can. His freedom and independence is still to this day very important to him.

He made a whole ass portrait of Hobi for Hobi on his birthday. What's a post in the grand scheme of things??

Besides, his love in private agenda is so strong. If the members don't say what he does for them behind the scenes you'd legit think he's an asshole. He comes off as such on sns most times to be honest and sometimes the members do lowkey insinuate he is behind scenes but he's not. I can bet my left toe on it.

Needs to work a little bit on his social skills on and off sns. A few nuts and screws here and there and he's good I think. Like sir return calls and don't leave folks on read that's just lazy, not to mention rude💀

But yea you right.

They do force the ot7 agenda on to him- DUH! is all I've been ranting about ever in these streets. Jimin and his cohorts do be pushing that agenda on him OBVIOUSLY trying to bend him into shape.

I mean there is a reason he keeps emphasizing on his need and want to do what he wants to do and not what others want him to do all the time. It's just like Hobi saying he enjoyed staying at hotels because it's the only time he felt he had his independence from the group.

They are not twelve year olds. The older they get they more freedom and independence they would naturally crave from eachother.

It don't mean they are emotionally growing apart. It just mean- yea they are emotionally growing apart🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Kidding.

They are weaning themselves from the over attachments and unhealthy emotional entanglements. They can't move on to form healthy emotional and intimate relationships outside the group otherwise. That type of weaning is necessary and healthy in the long run.

I been said that's always lowkey been an issue between Kook and JM. Neither can form healthy emotional attachments outside each other if they don't wean themselves from eachother.

It's how Kook thinks he always has to be in a group with Jimin, or sit next to him or have him close.

It's how Jimin thinks Jungkook's place is beside him developing crazy eyes and baiting him into orbiting him with the jeonlous triggers. I see the crazy in his eyes.

BTS put Kook on a pedestal. They love and adore him. I refuse to believe it's because Jungkook is a bad person. If he was they'd only fake their affection for him in front of Army and stay as far away from him as possible behind cameras. But that's not the case.

Sometimes they check themselves and their biases towards him which is a great thing. He's the youngest and sometimes they can come off as insensitive and unaware of the power imbalances between them.

Like sometimes you can tell some of them get uncomfortable when he subconsciously oversteps his place as the youngest in relation to them especially when he gets carried away- like when he was so excited in recent run episodes and started hitting one of the hyungs. This hyung seemed utterly surprised. Whereas someone like Suga will probably let him get away with it. Probably.

As someone who sucks at being social myself and find being social both online and off a daunting task most times, I think he's alright. As in there's nothing wrong with him.

He don't do certain things online for the same reason Tae keeps posting and deleting or the others don't post everything about themselves online.

I don't know if I agree with your last statement....

Simply because i find it inconsistent with the character of Jungkook as I've described above- of course from my point of view. I mean his character from my point of view.

If they can force him to post for Tae they can force him to post for everyone else as part of the kumbaya ot7 agenda.

It's why i roll my eyes when Tuktukkers yell bighit is forcing Jikook to be gay. Given as they profit from ships you'd think they will force Tuktuk to be gay too if they have that type power to force anyone to do anything- which is also not to say they don't force their interactions. Marking seats and determining who sits where with whom is a form of coercion. The fact they curate ships in bangtan says sometimes people who naturally gravitate towards eachother or want to sit next to eachother all the time don't get to do that all the time and as such are forced apart. That's a given.

However, there is also free will that underlines these coercive practices. Jikook interacts because they want to. They don't interact because they don't want to. Tae kook interact because they want to. They don't interact because they don't want to.

I understand that this conversation is nuanced. Keep up.

Jungkook might interact with others to uphold the OT7 facade and in furtherance of the OT7 agenda. Right? He might want to participate in group culture every now and then because it creates a wholesome sense of the group. Which is what the company wants, what we want, what everyone in the group wants.

But it shouldn't be to his detriment and he shouldn't put the need of the group above his own in the name of OT7 all the time. Granted a little bit of sacrifice of self wants and autonomy is needed and required every now and then.

That creates a sort of choice coercion binary for him. He is choosing the group's needs because he has no choice at all.

Posting for everyone on sns on their birthday that might be an OT7 agenda. If he had a choice outside this what would he do? Still post for everyone? Post for a few? Post for none? Post for all but inconsistently?

And if he made any of these choices, would he go scot free or would there be backlash? If there's backlash from fans or the members then wasn't even a choice to begin with?

If the only reason he keeps posting for everyone is to avoid backlash then that's not a choice. That's coercion. If not posting results in fans cussing him out etc then again that's not choice.

We give him a choice when we are ok with him doing whatever he wants to do without punishing him for it.

That's not limited to him posting alone. That includes him choosing to love whomever he so pleases on this earth boy or girl or other without being punished for it.

It breaks my heart to this day when he asked if it was okay for him to be in JMs Vlive on jms birthday. I'm sure they are at a point where they are conscious of the fact people really hate to see them together😔

Anywho

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bretman (Da Baddest) Rock (@bretmanrock)

I will do anything to see Jimin in this.

I used to feel some type of way about Jimin conforming to these ridiculous and rigid male body beauty standards but I eat my words.

I want this for Jimin. It's the abs for me.

Suga and I have dirty laundry we need to wash on some abs😊

I digress.

Jungkook is nonconforming and lowkey antisocial in the sense that he really don't care what others think of him especially if to him it's inconsistent with what he believes is true about himself. He's not gonna conform to social conventions including social media conventions- unless it's something he wants to do on his own free will.

He's not more fascinating than Tae🤣

It just so happens Tae is a social person who don't find being social daunting or draining all the time and he don't hate us- all the time

Chilee they hate us😢

It's the microaggressions towards us for me. They've totally 'outgrown' us🤧

My opinion? Being social is overrated. I've had much peace and sanity being by myself than in the company of others. But that's because I have subpar social skills and dont thrive in social settings.

I hope one day he'd see the value in going out of his way to develop such social skills. It's something I strive for myself. I mean it would be nice to care sometimes...

But yea. Nothing's wrong with Kook🤧

I miss the times they were giddy and excited about posting on each other's birthdays and set alarms, or took funny photos and saved them specifically for birthdays. These days it seems like hopping online to wish others a birthday is such a chore. I feel that way and wish they stopped it all together 😐

Let those who wanna do it do it wholeheartedly and those who don't shouldn't. I hate when they half ass these things and frankly nobody cares💀

Again Hobi and Suga- mwah. chefs kiss.

It's the consistency for me.

Couldn't care less bout anyone else.

Honorary mention to Jimin. It's him listening to fans feedback and being cautious of how his actions affects others. Emotional intelligence is sexy.

GOD BLESS PARK JIMIN👑

I wish bighit will take chances with their fashion style this season. More skirts. Long hair. Heels. Crops. I want to see skin.

Until then I'm holding on to my money.

GOLDY

[thesweatycollectiontyrant]

Anna Karenina

The show that I’ve always wanted to listen to because of its amount of legit repertoire, but have never had the time to. Now is the time.

It's been two and a half years since I went through a show this way. I graduated from college a week ago tomorrow, and I am finding time to do my favorite things again. It's been such a fun time reflecting on my time at university. I'm grateful.

Background Info

Anna Karenina ran at Circle in the Square in the early 1990s. It wasn’t largely successful from what I understand. It is based on the Tolstoy novel of the same name. There was no cast recording for the musical until 2007, when an absolutely crazytown (my favorite term for TALENTED) group of people recorded it for posterity! Wait until you hear these names.

Writers

Music for Anna Karenina was written by Daniel Levine, who received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score for his work on the show. Peter Kellogg wrote the book and the lyrics.

I’ve been through hell and high waters trying to get a legible and complete score for this show, so we shall see how this goes.

Character List

COUNT ALEXIS VRONSKY (Baritone) - Anna's lover, a cavalry officer.

ANNA KARENINA (Soprano) - Oblonsky's sister, Karenin's wife, and Vronsky's lover. A woman who is unhappy in her marriage and searching for fulfillment in her own way.

CONSTANTIN LEVIN (Tenor) - Kitty's suitor, Stiva's old friend, certified nervous wreck.

PRINCE STEVEN OBLONSKY (Baritone) - Civil servant, Anna's brother, and man about town.

PRINCESS KITTY SCHERBATSKY (Mezzo-Soprano) - Sister-in-law to Oblonsky, pursued by Levin. Bubbly and fun.

NICOLAI KARENIN (Bass) - Senior statesman and Anna's husband, twenty years her senior.

Who’s Singing?

As I mentioned above, there was a studio cast recording that happened in 2007. It has an all-star cast, including Brian d’Arcy James as Vronsky, Melissa Errico as Anna, Gregg Edelman as Levin, Marc Kudisch as Oblonsky, Kerry Butler as Kitty, and Jeff McCarthy as Karenin. This is such a group of amazing singers and actors, especially the four men. I’m very excited to dig into this show.

Let’s Do This

In the cast album, we begin with “Journey to Moscow.” The interweaving eighth notes remind me of Anastasia. The 3+3+2 accent pattern begins as the ensemble and principals begin to sing about being on the train and all of their personal problems that will be fixed by being on the train…? I love that each of the principals get a little moment of solo line throughout. Not the most dramatically exciting opening number, but the rhythmic pulse in the music does a good job compensating for it. I do love the end, especially the piano swell.

Anna and Oblonsky sing a duet called “There’s More to Life Than Love,” filled with witty conversation. Anna is trying to tell Oblonsky that there is more to life than love (as if you didn’t get that from the title) and she is telling him this by bringing up other topics, hobbies, and humanities, however for everything she brings up, he counteracts with its connection to love. It’s written as a waltz. Marc Kudisch does such a fun job of coloring all of his comebacks. I love how Melissa Errico so casually throws her soprano up into the stratosphere out of nowhere. I especially love the very end where you think it’s going to be a big finish, but Oblonsky so quickly and quietly spits out the last lines, saying “But who cares?”

Kerry Butler enters the picture as Kitty with her solo “How Awful.” As she always is, she is earnest and hilarious. This is a fun range-y song for a mixer looking for something that is funny, but not well known. The beats are fun to play, the melody is challenging and fun to sing as well. Kerry Butler sings the role with a lot of charm.

“Would You” introduces us to Levin, who when asked how long he’d be in Moscow replies with a marriage proposal. I am beyond utterly obsessed with this song. The energy is so exciting, and the odd time signature makes it all feel a little disjunct and scared and anxious and excited. Lovely singing from Gregg Edelman!

There’s a conversation piece (Wonderful Town, anyone?) number for Kitty, Anna, Levin and Vronsky called “In a Room.” They sing individually, voicing their thoughts while the others chatter (perhaps?) I was more focused on following along in the music because the copy I have has the song, but it may as well be a completely different piece by a completely different composer for a completely different musical. It’s cute. Not very memorable.

Anna has her first solo with “Nothing Has Changed.” She lists the things she finds similar compared to the last time she was here. Levine’s harmony in this song is really remarkable. There is a constant churning with both the mode used for this piece, and also the extra notes in the chords. The suspensions added to the root position chords are impossible to miss. This song is really stunning musically. Dramatically, it’s one of those songs that tries to make something bigger out of ending exactly where the character began. Oops.

In “I Shall Work,” Levin sings about how he will become a learned man in order to ignore the romantic feelings he has for Kitty. The song reminds me a bit of Henrik from A Little Night Music. It’s got a solid high note at the end too.

“How Many Men” is where Kitty wonders how many romantic trysts she’ll have to go on before she can meet “the one.” Kerry Butler takes every opportunity to make this fun, and she succeeds. In a waltz, she allows the melody and music to accompany the dramatics of the song. This is a great audition song that no one does!

In his first solo “We Were Dancing,” Vronsky sings, presumably to Anna, as they dance. Another solo that I don’t have music for, but it’s beautiful. It reminds me of Anastasia yet again. Brian d’Arcy James keeps the material interesting.

Jeff McCarthy, everyone’s favorite officer (Lockstock) comes in as Karenin. His solo “Karenin’s List” begins with a fiery recitative. He jumps into the song proper and plots what he will say to his wife. The melody twists and turns around the scale as he maneuvers his brain through the possibilities of what to do here. McCarthy has always had a sort of operatic sound to his voice. It never ceases to amaze me. His sound has always been so remarkable for every show he’s been in. So many of these songs would work so well in an audition setting. It reminds me of She Loves Me because of the amount of solos!

Anna has another solo called “I’m Lost.” She realizes where she is in her relationship with her husband and where she is in her relationship with Vronsky. A woman discontented, she sings to herself “on the way home” according to Wikipedia. Not a big fan of the lyric “So lost, and I don’t even want to be found!” It’s giving the reaction that 8-year-olds have when they hear “you’re grounded give me your phone and go to your room” instead of “Isn’t it rich? Are we a pair?”

In the Act I Finale, “Waiting for You,” Anna and Vronsky finally have a love duet. This music is soul-stirring, and beautifully lush. Perhaps the music didn’t work its charm until the two lovers were able to embrace their love for each other. Oops. Again. Stunning vocal performances from both Errico and d’Arcy James. 

Act II starts with “This Can’t Go On.” It is an operatic trio between Anna, Vronsky, and Karenin where the three individually lament their situations. Anna asks Karenin for a divorce and reveals that she is pregnant. The harmony swells and surges. It reminds me of the “Storm” from The Secret Garden. The stakes are HIGH at the top of Act II, people! At least no one’s singing about a train anymore.

It seems that Levin’s heart has been broken in “That Will Serve Her Right.” Rather than feeling bad, he feels rage - makes for a much more interesting song. Edelman does a good job as he reprises his role from Broadway fifteen years prior. The resolution is so apparent in his voice!

Anna and Vronsky sing a duet called “Everything’s Fine.” I’m thinking about the structure of the story and I don’t see how many of these songs function in the narrative. I hunted for a script, but I couldn’t find one. Both Errico and d’Arcy James sound incredible on this music.

Anna and Kitty have their duet with “I Never Dreamed” where they both look forward to marriage, Kitty with Levin and Anna with Vronsky.

Karenin gets the eleven o’clock slot with “Only at Night.” He sings that he misses Anna, but only at night. There’s an incredible bridge here that could work so well in a cut. McCarthy is simply masterful. In this role, it reminds me of when he was in Side Show as Terry Connor.

As she denies her son, realizing that he is better off without her, Anna goes to railroad tracks and stands in front of a train in “Seryozha.” It is a hauntingly beautiful finale into a lovely “Epilogue.”

Audition Songs

There are so many solos in this show!

“How Awful” - Princess Kitty Scherbatsky, C4-F5

There is a fun, tantrum-like energy to this song. It would work for younger roles really well.

“Would You?” - Constantin Levin, C3-B4

This song is perfect for a role like Laurie from Little Women. There’s such an excited and nervous energy here. It bubbles through the accompaniment and the irregular time, and it is a fun challenge in musicianship and acting.

“Nothing Has Changed” - Anna Karenina, G3-D5

This song has a lot of beauty musically. The only problem is that, just like the title, nothing changes. It is up to the actor to choose a good and interesting cut because the music is really incredible.

“I Shall Work” - Constantin Levin, D3-B4

This time, the B is not sustained, but it is full voice. The A right beneath it is sustained right before it! This one seems like a lot of fun to act and sing. Complete devotion to someone. There are a few roles that this would be really good for. I said earlier that this reminds me of Henrik in A Little Night Music. Certainly, use it for that.

“How Many Men” - Princess Kitty Scherbatsky, A3-G5

This song has Kristin Chenoweth’s style written all over it, especially the early roles of her career. Glinda, Sally, Precious, all of them! Put it in your books!

“Karenin’s List” - Nicolai Karenin, A#2-F4

Great for a bass-baritone. There are moments of patter, but it isn’t frenzied - it is metered, it is precise, and it is premeditated. The F isn’t sustained, just tapped a couple of times.

“That Will Serve Her Right” - Constantin Levin, G2-E4

The music I have has the range listed above. The version that Gregg Edelman sings on the studio cast recording is very different. The pitches, rhythms, and many lyrics are changed.

“Only At Night” - Nicolai Karenin, Bb2-Eb4

This song is hauntingly beautiful. It lingers. The key that Jeff McCarthy sings it in is lower than the music I have.

To Wrap It Up

I didn’t see this show as one that would astound me. It didn’t flop, but it didn’t remain particularly noteworthy after its closing. Another sign is that there is no way to license the show. The good thing is that there is a lot of really good material for singers who want to explore more of a legit sound in their singing. I really like the role of Levin!

Thanks for reading!

[angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main]

AkaYona characters if they were/had Pokémon

I’ve been playing Pokémon for as long as I can remember. I’m talking Gameboy color days with Pikachu walking behind you and N64 Colosseum days with Lickitung and sushi bars. Every year, my siblings and I purchase the new Pokémon game and play it together. It’s been a tradition of our since forever. 

This past year the new game was Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (remakes of the original gen IV games). A personal tradition of mine is to name my Pokémon after characters from my favorite series at the time. This playthrough used characters from none other than, Yona of the Dawn!

A couple of notes:

I only chose Pokémon found in the Sinnoh-dex, NOT the National-dex

These are my own personal interpretations

I chose Pokémon based on what I thought were defining characteristics

I will go through my main 6 fighters then the honorable mentions

Enjoy and let’s begin!

First we have our fierce leading lady: YONA

Originally a Ponyta, Rapidash was the greatest fit for our fiery and resolute Princess!

Pros:

Fire - this Pokémon literally has flames for hair

Yona likes horses

It will kill you if it gets mad

Likes to stab things

Modest nature (Yona doesn’t flaunt)

Somewhat vain (lol remember when she complained about her hair?)

Special ATK is her best stat (range attacks like the bow she uses)

Cons:

Does not come with bow

Second we have our super sexy leading man: HAK

Originally a Shinx, Luxray was the perfect choice for our Thunder Beast!

Pros:

It’s a literal “lightening beast”

Look at that color scheme (blue and black???)

Will literally kill you

Lax nature - Hak is chill (most of the time)

Loves to eat! (how many times did he ask Yun for food?)

Ability is intimidate

Cons:

Does not come with glaive (guan-do)

Next up is the most beautiful dragon of the group: KIJA

NO HATE, but this was literally the hardest pick out of all of them. There are no pretty dragons or white snakes with claws in the Sinnoh-Dex. Originally a Gible, Garchomp was the best I had to work with for our gorgeous Hakuryuu!

Pros:

A literal dragon type

It has SCYTHES for arms (way more effective than dragon claws)

Knows the move Slash and Dragon claw

Best stat is ATK for close combat

Good perseverance (y’all know how Kija can be)

Cons:

Not white

Not a snake

Not weak to bug types

Not that pretty

Next up is the best cinnamon roll ever: SHIN-AH

Originally a Riolu, Lucario was the ultimate/only choice for our little blue dragon and I will absolutely die on that hill!

Pros:

It’s blue and black and yellow and white (color scheme matching???)

Steel/Fighting type - Shin-Ah fights with a steel sword

Special ATK stat is most powerful (dragon eyes are most powerful)

Will eat ANYTHING

The Aura Pokémon - can see things that others cannot (dragon eyes)

Knows telepathy - can literally speak into your mind (hallucinations)

Loyal to a fault (if you haven’t seen the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, then you’ll understand and probably cry)

Listen to these Pokedex entries:

It’s said that no foe can remain invisible to Lucario, since it can detect auras. Even foes it could not otherwise see

Not only does it perceive auras, but it has also gained the power to control them. It employs them in battle

It can tell what people are thinking. Only Trainers who have justice in their hearts can earn this Pokémon’s trust

Cons:

Absolutely none

Next up is our favorite perverted dragon: JAE-HA

(Don’t laugh) Originally a Starly, Staraptor was the best choice for our high-flying masochist!

Pros:

Legit bird that flies

SIDE BANGS

Strong legs

It’s HASTY, you know, excessive speed

Listen to these Pokedex entries:

It will courageously challenge foes that are much larger

The muscles in its wings and legs are strong

When Staravia evolve into Staraptor, they leave the flock to live alone

It never stops attacking even if it is injured

It fusses over the shape of its comb

Cons:

Hair (comb?) is not green

No ponytail

Does not come with throwing knives

Finally, the one that makes us all cry like babies: ZENO

Originally a Turtwig, Torterra was the best starter that seemed to fit anyone in the group, but most definitely our centuries old yellow dragon!

Pros:

Legit tank

It has a STURDY BODY

Carries the weight of the literal world on its shoulders

Highest stat is defense (obviously)

Shell Armor ability

Been around since ancient times

Cons:

Not yellow

Does not call out its own name

POKEMON LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Look at them <3 One of the best teams I have ever raised!

Honorable Mentions:

The best genius pretty-boy, and mom, around: YUN

Originally a Happiny, Blissey was the obvious and most hilarious choice for our fave mom!

Pros:

Sassy nature

It’s frickn’ stubborn

Only females (lol - always getting mistaken for a girl)

Knows a ton of healing moves

The Chansey line has always worked as nurses in the anime

Literal mom of the group

Listen to this Pokedex entry:

If it sees a sick Pokémon, it will nurse the sufferer back to health.

Cons:

Haven’t found one yet

The only squirrel to ever steal an entire manga: AO (PUKYUU)

The only reason I raised a Pachirisu to level 100 is because it’s the only squirrel in the entire game. There are no other reasons. I call it the Death Squirrel.

Pros:

Will kill you if you look at it wrong

Always saves the day

Never not cute

Powerful but can still die easily

Picks up useful stuff

Always smiling

Cons:

Not brown

Does not carry acorns

The one that sat in my party for-ever and became an honorable member: MUNDOK

I raised this Gyarados from a tiny Magikarp and he sat in my party until I found Kija at gym number SEVEN. So he had to stay an honorary member, as none other than Gramps!

Pros:

Flying type (wind tribe)

Literally floats in the air (again, wind tribe)

Brave nature (dude literally stood up to Su-Won)

Stubborn!

Scary on the outside, but lovable on the inside

Ability is intimidate (just like Hak <3)

Will kill you if it gets the chance

Cons:

No scar