#like imagine auditioning for a tiny role

[crxw1ey]

so so so scary recommending people my favourite show of all time (IWTV) because if they hate Armand I have to fight the urge to cut them out of my life like I'm so serious

[silkpagess]

Every Summertime - Part I

Summary: Fresh off a breakout role, Y/N is cast in the year’s most anticipated romcom. She’s ready for the spotlight—until she finds out her on-screen love interest is Harry Styles, and the lines between fiction and reality start to blur.

Part II

Content Warning: none :)

Word Count: 4,311

This is a 5 part story that I've started writing last year and finally had the courage to post lol, I hope you guys like it 🤍

The kitchen smelled faintly of orange peel and clean linen. Y/N stood barefoot by the sink, towel-drying her favorite mug—the one with a tiny chip on the handle that she always used anyway—when her phone rang.

She nearly didn’t answer. It was past noon, and she’d promised herself a day off: no emails, no self-tapes, no endless doom-scroll through industry chatter. But then she saw the caller ID: Miriam Klein – Agent.

She grabbed it immediately.

“Hey,” she said, balancing the mug on the drying rack. “What’s up?”

“I hope you’re sitting,” Miriam said, too calm in that way she only got when something big was about to land.

“Not yet,” Y/N replied, already walking to the kitchen table.

“Okay. Here’s the deal. You’re being asked to read for Every Summertime.”

Y/N sat down hard. Her heart did the exact thing it always did when something she’d dared to want actually started to happen.

“You’re serious?”

“I’m very serious,” Miriam said. “It’s happening. Big studio, full greenlight, same producers from Before the Fall. Sadie Bloom’s doing the script.”

Y/N blinked. “As in Sadie Bloom, the Sadie Bloom?”

“Yes. She adapted the novel herself. It’s been buzzing for months. Everyone’s been asking who’s playing Ivy. They’ve done weeks of auditions already, but apparently they’ve been holding off on final callbacks because the director wanted to take a look at a few new names. You’re one of them.”

Y/N leaned forward, elbows on the table. She’d read the book a year ago, cover to cover in two days, sobbing over the last few chapters and immediately texting Mara to do the same. It was that kind of story—summer and heartbreak, family and longing, slow-burn romance and two people who find each other just as their lives are unraveling in opposite directions.

She had loved Ivy. Had quietly imagined playing her, though she never said it out loud. The role was delicate. Not easy. The kind of part that asked for both lightness and real emotional weight. She hadn’t seen a female lead written like that in a long time.

“What’s the catch?” she asked, finally.

“No catch,” Miriam said. “Just that the room is tight. They’re only seeing three people, total. You’re one of them.”

Y/N’s chest felt tight in the best possible way.

Then Miriam added, as an afterthought, “Oh, and Harry Styles is already attached. He auditioned a few weeks ago and got cast as Theo.”

She blinked again. “Wait—he auditioned?”

“Yep. Just like everyone else. He read three times. Apparently, he worked his ass off for it.”

“Oh wow,” Y/N said. “I mean, I figured it’d be someone big, but I didn’t think…”

“I know,” Miriam said, “but I don’t want that to throw you. You’ve got just as much shot at this. They asked you. That means something.”

Y/N nodded, even though Miriam couldn’t see her. “Okay. Okay, yeah. Send me everything.”

She spent the next two hours reading the sides, walking through the scenes quietly in her living room, letting the language settle into her skin. Ivy was just as rich and warm on the page as she was in the book—witty and careful and emotionally bruised but still hopeful. She understood her immediately. Not just as a character, but as a person.

By the time Mara and Gia showed up at her apartment uninvited—with iced matchas and a chaotic playlist of "songs you can fake-date to"—Y/N had already color-coded the script, flagged three emotional beats she wanted to dig deeper into, and made a Pinterest mood board for Ivy’s wardrobe.

“You’re disgusting,” Mara said, watching her set up a ring light for practice. “You just got the call and you’re already in prep mode.”

“You don’t understand,” Y/N said, breathless, holding the script to her chest. “It’s Every Summertime. It’s Ivy. And they asked for me. They didn’t even make me chase it.”

Gia threw herself on the couch. “Wait, and Harry Styles is Theo? Like, officially?”

“Yes. But that’s not the point.”

“That is absolutely the point,” Gia muttered.

Mara leaned forward. “Do you think he’s going to remember your name? Or like… do that thing where he knows way too much about your performance in something you did three years ago?”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling.

“I don’t care if he remembers me,” she said, and she meant it. “I just want to walk into that room and be Ivy. That’s the only thing I care about.”

And she meant it. This wasn’t about him. It was about her. And if there was even a small chance that this role—the one everyone in the industry was quietly circling—could be hers, she was going to show up ready.

No matter who else was in the room.

The studio was quiet in that specific, clinical way only casting buildings managed to be—sterile, over-air-conditioned, and filled with soft voices and the occasional sound of someone clearing their throat in a hallway.

Y/N arrived fifteen minutes early.

She always did, not because she wanted to impress anyone, but because she hated walking into a room while her heart was still racing. She liked having a moment to breathe, to ground herself, to flip through her pages one last time and pretend that this was all normal—that she wasn’t sitting in a casting office about to read for the role every young actress in the industry was dreaming about.

She kept her headphones in while she signed in at the front desk, though no music was playing. Sometimes she liked the illusion of noise, the space it gave her from being approached or spoken to. Her hair was pulled back in a low bun, clean and simple. She wore a soft cream knit top tucked into well-tailored navy trousers—comfortable, but confident. She hadn’t overthought the outfit. She’d learned the hard way not to try and look like the character. The work had to speak louder than the styling.

She sat down in the holding area, a sleek gray couch pushed against a glass wall. There were no other actresses waiting outside. That meant they were being seen one by one. Intimate. Focused. Possibly recorded.

Her heart thudded softly against her ribs.

She reread the scene again, even though she didn’t need to. The one where Ivy and Theo were walking through a parking lot at night after an argument they didn’t totally finish. It was quiet and tentative and messy—full of unfinished thoughts and sideways glances, two people trying not to say the thing they were thinking. The kind of dialogue that lived in pauses, in breath, in what wasn’t said.

She loved it.

“Y/N?” a woman called gently, peeking her head out from a side door.

She stood quickly, smoothing her pants as she walked.

The room was bright and white and warmer than she expected. A camera on a tripod faced the taped floor marks, and a few people sat behind a folding table covered in notebooks, iced coffees, and half-eaten snacks. The director—Elaine Kim, a sharp, perceptive woman Y/N had read about in interviews—looked up from her notes and smiled.

“Hi, Y/N,” she said, warm but professional. “Thanks for being here.”

“Thanks for having me,” she replied, stepping into the light and placing her water bottle gently on the ground beside the mark.

And then she saw him.

Harry Styles sat on the folding chair just behind Elaine. He was relaxed in that effortlessly casual way some people managed to be—wearing dark jeans, a light blue sweater, sleeves pushed to his forearms, his hair a little messy like he hadn’t tried to fix it before walking in. He was holding a copy of the sides in one hand, a pen tucked behind his ear.

He looked up when she walked in.

And smiled.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t flirty. It was quiet. Just�� acknowledgment. Recognition. Maybe even a little curiosity.

She gave a small nod back—professional, polite, but not overly familiar.

Elaine gestured to the center mark. “So this is the parking lot scene. Let’s start from the top and just run through it once. No pressure. We’ll play with it after.”

Y/N nodded and shifted into place.

Harry stood, moving to his own mark opposite her, flipping his page to the correct scene. Up close, he looked exactly like you’d expect him to—but also not. Less glossy. More present. There was something focused in his expression. Something serious.

They locked eyes for the first line.

And something clicked.

It wasn’t fireworks or electricity—not yet—but it was ease. He listened, which was rare in reads like this. He responded, didn’t just deliver lines. He watched her mouth when she spoke. He took a second before replying. His body language changed with hers. And when she shifted her tone halfway through a sentence, he adjusted like he’d already lived in this character for months.

When the scene ended, there was a beat of silence. Not awkward. Just thoughtful.

Elaine leaned back. “That was great,” she said. “We’re gonna try a version where you lean into the frustration a little more, Y/N—like Ivy’s holding in a thousand things she doesn’t want to say. Can you try that?”

“Absolutely,” Y/N replied, already feeling her body recalibrate.

Harry stayed quiet, letting her take the lead.

They read again. Then again. They tried new beats, changed pacing, added a half-second pause in the middle of a breath and watched the tension stretch out like taffy between them.

It was the most fun she’d had in weeks.

When they wrapped, Elaine stood and clapped her hands once. “That’s great, guys. Thank you so much.”

Harry turned to her and gave a small, genuine nod.

“You were really good,” he said simply, in a soft voice that made her want to double-check if she’d imagined it.

“Thanks,” she replied. “You too.”

They exchanged one more look. Just a moment of eye contact. No lingering. No flirtation. Just… mutual awareness. Two people who understood what this scene could be. Who knew that if they ended up doing this together, it would work.

It wasn’t chemistry in the cliché way.

It was trust.

And that, she knew, mattered more than anything else.

The moment she stepped outside the studio building, the sun hit her straight in the face. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been inside until the daylight made her squint.

She didn’t rush home right away.

Instead, she walked three blocks up and sat on a quiet bench tucked next to a tiny bakery she used to visit when she was still auditioning for short films and background roles. It felt like a good place to land for a second. Familiar. Neutral.

She took out her phone and opened the Notes app—not to write anything in particular, just to look busy, to give her hands something to do while her body caught up with what had just happened.

The read had gone well. She knew that. Not in the arrogant, self-congratulatory way. But in the honest, I-was-present-and-I-did-the-work way. She had hit the beats she wanted. Had felt the tension she built in the back of her throat as Ivy. Had watched Harry adjust and lean into the shifts in energy, the kind of give-and-take that felt real.

She hadn’t felt that kind of scene partner chemistry in a long time. Not the fake “oh my god we just clicked” type people always said in interviews, but the real kind—the kind that made you breathe differently when the camera was rolling.

Still, callbacks were a strange kind of limbo. You left everything in the room and walked out with your hands empty, unsure if what you gave was the version they wanted.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Mara.

MARA:

Did it happen?? Did you cry? Did he cry?

She smiled but didn’t reply yet.

She wasn’t ready to open the door to speculation and “what ifs.” Not yet. Not when her heart was still beating in callback rhythm, not regular rhythm.

Instead, she ordered an iced tea, sat with her thoughts, and let herself do the hardest part of the job: wait.

Two days passed. Then four.

By the fifth, she had convinced herself she didn’t get it.

It was ridiculous—how the brain worked. She could feel confident one minute, and then in the next, be absolutely sure she’d imagined the connection, that the casting team had probably already offered it to someone else. Someone with a bigger name. A better following. A longer résumé.

She went about her days normally—pilates, meal prep, overdue errands—but there was a thin string of tension running through everything she did. An invisible thread tied to her phone, which she kept just slightly too close. Just in case.

Mara and Gia didn’t help.

GIA:

I keep checking Deadline for a casting announcement like I work there. Do you think you’d know before they publish?

MARA:

Should I casually follow the director on Instagram or is that too obvious?

Y/N replied only with a gif of someone staring out a rainy window.

She wasn’t trying to be dramatic. She just didn’t want to break the spell.

The call came on a Friday afternoon.

She was folding a blanket over the back of the couch when her phone rang—and this time, unlike before, her stomach dropped the second she saw Miriam’s name. Her breath caught in her chest.

She answered slowly.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Miriam said, a smile already in her voice. “You ready?”

Y/N didn’t speak. Couldn’t.

“You got it.”

It took a full second for the words to land.

“What?”

“You. Got. It. Ivy Carter is yours.”

Y/N stood still in her living room, one hand still holding the corner of the blanket.

“You’re serious?” she whispered, barely able to say it.

“I’m serious. They just called. Elaine said—and I quote—‘She is Ivy.’ You nailed it, Y/N. It’s yours.”

She sat down, knees folding underneath her like they couldn’t hold her up anymore.

A full breath left her chest. A real one. The kind that only comes when something you’ve wanted quietly, patiently, for longer than you let yourself admit… actually becomes real.

“Oh my god,” she said softly, tears springing to her eyes before she could stop them. “Oh my god.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Miriam said. “Start wrapping your head around it. You leave for pre-production in two weeks.”

Y/N laughed through the tears. “You’re really just gonna say that like it’s nothing.”

“I’m saying it like it’s everything.”

She hung up and sat for a long moment, letting her body catch up to the news. Letting the weight of it settle gently, instead of crashing.

She didn’t need to scream. Or jump. Or call everyone she knew.

She just needed to sit there, quietly, hand over her heart, and smile like she hadn’t in a long time.

Because she had done it.

Not because someone asked for her. Not because of luck. Not because she was “someone’s pick.”

Because she earned it.

She didn’t text them. She could’ve—God knows they’d been obsessively waiting for an update—but this felt bigger than a three-line message or a gif. This deserved real faces. Real reactions. Real yelling.

So she told them to come over.

No context. Just “Please come by tonight, I made dinner. And wear something cute.” Which, in their language, was code for something is up and we’re not taking it lightly.

By seven o’clock, her tiny apartment smelled like garlic and lemon and the fresh rosemary she’d tucked into the sauce just because she could. She wasn’t a show-off cook, but she liked the rhythm of it. Stirring, chopping, laying the table—things that made her feel grounded when everything else was floating.

She’d even lit candles. Mara was going to be suspicious the second she walked in.

When the buzzer went off, her stomach jumped. Nerves, again. Not the kind from auditions, but the kind you get when something good has happened and you finally get to say it out loud.

She opened the door before they even knocked.

Mara walked in first, hair piled up in a claw clip, carrying a bag of chips and a bottle of prosecco. Gia followed, dramatically overdressed in a vintage floral maxi dress with a belt that jingled when she walked.

“Okay,” Mara said, eyes scanning the apartment. “What is this vibe?”

“Why are there candles?” Gia added, narrowing her eyes. “Are we mourning something? Are we casting a spell?”

Y/N grinned. “Sit down.”

Mara raised an eyebrow but dropped onto the couch without another word. Gia flopped down beside her, kicking off her boots and reaching for the chips before the bag was even open.

Y/N took a deep breath.

Then she grabbed the script off the counter, walked over, and dropped it gently on the coffee table in front of them. No words. Just the bold-font title staring back at them:

Every Summertime

FINAL SHOOTING DRAFT

CONFIDENTIAL

There was a pause.

Mara leaned forward slowly. “No. Way.”

Gia blinked. “You got it?”

Y/N nodded, and just like that, the room exploded.

Mara let out a shriek so loud she startled herself. Gia screamed into one of Y/N’s throw pillows. Someone knocked over the chips. Y/N just stood there, laughing and trying not to cry again while her two best friends lost their collective minds.

“YOU’RE IVY?!” Mara yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“You’re fake-dating Harry Styles in a movie based on that book?” Gia yelled right behind her. “Do you understand what you’ve done to me emotionally?”

“I can’t believe it,” Y/N said, the words still tasting new. “They called this afternoon. It’s mine.”

Mara paced a circle around the living room like she needed to walk off the adrenaline. “I’m so proud I think I’m going to vomit. This is not a joke. I might actually cry.”

Gia was already pouring prosecco into mismatched glasses. “To Ivy Carter! To our girl! To the woman who is going to be impossible to sit next to in a movie theater because I will be whispering ‘that’s my best friend’ the whole time.”

Y/N finally sat down between them, letting their joy fold over her like a blanket. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. Her stomach still fluttered every time she pictured that moment on the phone—You got it.

“Did he say anything to you?” Mara asked suddenly, already fishing for gossip.

“About me getting the part?”

“No, about like… your aura or whatever. Your essence. Did he cry when he looked into your eyes?”

Y/N laughed. “We just read the scene. Nothing dramatic. He was focused.” 

Gia sipped her drink. “So you’re telling me he wasn’t completely in love with you already?”

“I’m telling you he was doing his job. And so was I.”

“Boring,” Mara muttered. “But fine. We’ll allow it. For now.”

Y/N rested her head on Gia’s shoulder, letting the room go quiet for a moment. She watched the candle flicker on the coffee table. The script sat between them, the pages fanned slightly from being flipped through too many times already.

This was real.

No more waiting. No more wondering. She was Ivy. She was going to spend the summer fake-dating a man half the world was obsessed with while bringing to life a character she’d secretly been carrying in her chest for months.

And she got to share that moment—with them.

“Thank you,” she said, suddenly serious. “For making this feel… big. It’s easy to pretend it’s not. To try and act like it’s just another job. But it’s not. It means something.”

Gia reached out and gently clinked her glass against hers.

“We know it means something,” she said. “We’ve always known.”

The building didn’t look like much from the outside—just another converted studio space in the middle of a quiet block in West Hollywood. The kind of place you’d walk past without thinking twice unless you were part of it. Inside, though, it was buzzing. Quietly. Like a hum under the surface.

Y/N was greeted by a production assistant with a headset and an iced coffee in one hand, who led her down a hallway lined with framed posters from past films and into a bright, high-ceilinged room that smelled faintly like paper, Sharpie ink, and someone’s very expensive cologne.

The long table was already half-filled when she walked in.

Labeled name cards sat in front of every chair. A stack of fresh scripts lay at each place setting. Crew members milled around the edges—producers, assistants, someone from hair and makeup who gave Y/N a small, polite wave as she walked past.

It was her first table read for a major studio project. And even though she had already been cast—contracts signed, emails exchanged, fittings scheduled—it didn’t quite feel real until now.

She spotted her name about halfway down on the left side. Y/N Y/L/N — Ivy Carter. Seeing it printed, so simply, gave her a little jolt in the chest. She ran her hand over the card before sitting down.

She glanced to her right—and there he was.

Harry Styles, sitting just one seat away, wearing a soft gray hoodie and black trousers, flipping through the top pages of the script like he hadn’t already read it a dozen times. His hair was slightly damp, like he’d just showered. He looked relaxed but alert—attentive in that calm, still way he had in the callback room.

He looked over when she sat and gave her a warm smile.

“Morning,” he said.

“Hey,” she replied. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too. Congratulations, by the way.”

She blinked, a little caught off guard. “For what?”

“For getting the part,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I heard they saw a lot of people. Said you were the easiest decision they made.”

It was such a quiet, sincere compliment that it took her a second to respond.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling back. “That means a lot.”

Before she could say more, the room began to settle. Elaine, the director, took her spot at the head of the table and greeted everyone, her voice calm and no-nonsense, but not cold.

“Thanks for being here,” she said. “This is going to be a long day, but a good one. We’ll read straight through, pause halfway for a break, and then meet the department heads after. But for now, let’s just live in the story.”

A few people clapped quietly, and then the rustling of scripts filled the air as everyone turned to page one.

The table read began.

The first scene was a quick one—an establishing moment in Ivy’s flower shop, full of overlapping dialogue and neighborhood energy. Y/N found her rhythm quickly, her voice soft at first but steady. It was strange, hearing the lines spoken aloud by real people instead of looping them over and over in her head. They lived differently in the air.

Then came the first scene with Theo.

It was early in the script—scene eight—a chaotic rental pickup gone wrong. Ivy arriving to find out the place she thought she’d have to herself for the summer had been double-booked by a tired, borderline-annoyed journalist who couldn’t believe she still arranged flowers for a living.

Y/N delivered her first line.

Harry replied in character, voice a little lower, a little dryer than his usual one. It was subtle. American, but not distractingly so. Wry, but not smug. He nailed the tone. The sarcasm. The guarded frustration. He even underplayed the joke in a way that made it land harder.

Their back-and-forth built naturally. A little sharper than in the callback room. Quicker. Like two people who had known each other long enough to know exactly how to get under the other’s skin.

By page twenty-four, someone at the far end of the table laughed out loud during a bickering scene.

By page thirty, they were all leaning in a little closer.

They broke for coffee halfway through.

Y/N stood in the corner of the room, quietly sipping a too-hot green tea and listening to the murmur of conversations happening around her—crew members catching up, producers on quick phone calls, someone from casting laughing softly near the door. She felt out of place for exactly forty seconds before Harry walked over.

“How’s it feeling so far?” he asked, nodding toward the table.

“Honestly?” she said. “Like I’m still dreaming it a little.”

He smiled at that. “I know what you mean.”

There was a pause.

“You’re really good,” he said. “You’ve got this way of landing emotion without forcing it. It makes the scenes feel… like real moments. Not written ones.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Was that feedback or a compliment?”

He shrugged. “Both, I think.”

She laughed, and he smiled wider.

The second half of the read went even smoother. Their final scene of the day—the one where Ivy and Theo slow dance under string lights in the middle of an accidental town party—ended with a pause so soft, no one moved for a second afterward. Not even Elaine.

When she finally looked up from her script, the director just gave her a small, meaningful nod.

The whole room felt different after that.

She didn’t say anything on the way out. Didn’t want to break the stillness. But as she stepped into the hallway, script tucked under her arm and nerves finally quieted, Harry caught up with her and said simply:

“See you on set.”

And she believed it. Not just that she’d see him—but that this story, this world, this version of herself she was stepping into… it was real now.

And it was only just beginning.

[drewswife]

summary — rafe and you do baby things

warnings — fluff, baby talk

a/n — i have such bad baby fever, also this was requested so ty!!

"Are you sure you should be lugging that plank around, baby?" Rafe's voice was rough, a low rumble that usually sent a shiver down your spine in a different context. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, watching you attempt to maneuver a piece of the crib that seemed determined to stay put. Your seven-month twin belly definitely wasn't making things any easier.

"I'm fine," you grunted, your voice a little strained. "Just gotta get this lined up"

He pushed himself off the frame, his movements still carrying that restless energy you knew so well. "Here," he said, his tone brooking no argument as he took the wood from you. "You're carrying enough weight already. Let me handle the heavy stuff." There was a hint of something softer beneath the gruffness, though he'd probably rather wrestle an alligator than admit it.

You let out a small sigh of relief, rubbing your lower back. "Thanks. My back's starting to feel like it's auditioning for a role in a horror movie."

Rafe snorted, already focused on fitting the piece into place. "Yeah, well, try carrying two of 'em. You're a trooper, though," he mumbled, more to the wood than to you.

You settled onto the rocking chair, its gentle motion a small comfort. The room was a mess of wood and screws, but slowly, surely, the shape of a crib was emerging. You watched Rafe work, his brow furrowed in concentration. Even when he was being a grump, there was a focused intensity about him that you found…endearing, in a weird way.

"You know," you said softly, breaking the silence, "you're actually pretty good at this."

He glanced up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," you chuckled. "Just you're surprisingly handy."

He went back to work, a small, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. "Gotta be good at somethin', right?"

The afternoon wore on, filled with the sounds of Rafe's occasional frustrated sighs and your more frequent requests for him to slow down or be careful. Despite his gruff exterior, he was surprisingly gentle when it came to the baby-related tasks, handling the delicate wooden pieces .

Finally, the second crib was assembled, standing sturdily beside its twin. Rafe leaned against the frame, wiping his hands on his jeans. "There. Done. Now can you actually sit still for five minutes?"

You smiled, a genuine warmth spreading through you. "It looks great, Ray. Thank you."

He shrugged, avoiding your gaze. "Whatever. Just gotta get this place ready for the… little ankle-biters."

A few weeks later, the air at the mall was thick with the usual weekend chaos. You navigated the crowded aisles slowly, Rafe trailing a few steps behind, his usual impatient energy somewhat subdued. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be surrounded by pastel colors and cooing shoppers.

"Seriously, how many different shades of baby blue do they need?" he muttered under his breath, eyeing a wall of tiny onesies.

"They're different," you insisted, holding up two almost identical outfits. "This one's 'sky blue,' and this one's 'ocean mist.'"

Rafe just rolled his eyes, putting your hand in his. He wasn't exactly a baby clothes enthusiast, but he was here, following you around, his presence a comforting weight beside you.

You picked out a tiny leather jacket that looked ridiculously cool, even in miniature. "We need this," you declared. "Imagine them rolling up to daycare in this."

Rafe actually cracked a smile. "Alright, alright."

"Oh my goodness," you breathed, holding up a minuscule pair of dungarees with embroidered bumblebees. "These are the cutest things I've ever seen!"

Rafe peered over your shoulder, a smile playing on his lips. "They are pretty adorable. Though, I have a feeling they'll outgrow them in about five minutes."

"Worth it," you declared, adding them to your growing pile. You moved on to a rack of tiny dresses, their delicate fabrics and intricate details making your heart melt. You imagined your little girls wearing them, their small hands reaching out to explore the world.

As you stood in line, the bags overflowing with tiny garments, Rafe placed a hand on your back, circling his hands around ur big round belly. "You okay baby?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that only you could hear over the mall's din.

You leaned against him, a wave of exhaustion and overwhelming love washing over you. "Yeah," you said softly. "Just can't wait to meet them."

He didn't say anything, but the squeeze on your back spoke volumes.

@starrii-sturns @spencerreid66 @zenithsturniolo

[thebroccolination]

WHY ARE KRISTSINGTO A BIG DEAL?

TikTok | YouTube

KristSingto are widely respected in the Thai BL industry for their contribution to its historic rise in popularity, but largely because of the language barrier, interfans generally know much less about them. Luckily, @ysphcpb has been kind enough to translate their lesser-known content on her blog, and recently posted some of KristSingto's earlier interview moments as gifs here.

Essentially, once their work on "SOTUS" was complete, Krist and Singto were set loose into the world without any protection or guidance from GMMTV. Just twenty and twenty-one years old when "SOTUS" had its blessing ceremony of January 2016, Krist and Singto went on to experience relentless homophobia from the press and public, constant belittling of their acting abilities as "just BL actors," invasive personal questions from reporters and fans alike, and much more that we'll never know. At very young ages.

In 2022, I made a Twitter thread to dismantle the pervasive rumor of Krist's """homophobia""" with what little I could gather that had been translated into English. I did it mainly because in 2021, I'd seen interfans post photos of Krist's car upside down on the road joyfully hoping he was dead.

Hundreds upon hundreds spat virulent hatred at him without researching any of the claims made against him, and very few have since admitted they were wrong. Some try to claim that "he was homophobic," but I'm fascinated by how they arrived at that conclusion given that Krist asked his parents for their blessing to audition for a queer role in an indie series when he was an unknown university student.

Krist was defending the queer community along with Singto from their very first interviews as a twenty-year-old with zero media training.

I can only say so much about this, and truly, my opinion doesn't matter. So I decided to compile and stitch the videos together and actually show people a tiny portion of what they both went through. We'll never know it all, but please consider that what you see these hosts say is what they were comfortable saying to Krist and Singto on television.

So imagine what it was like behind the scenes.

Kit has said more than once that the one thing he can't stand is when he's misunderstood. And given that he had a long, long history of being discriminated against himself while standing up for the queer community and defending his pride in being a BL actor, it must have been surreal for him to have a wave of international fans appear in droves in 2020 screaming "homophobe" at him in languages he doesn't even speak.

The same guy who attended the farewell party for the gay magazine "Attitude" after featuring on the cover with Singto twice in very risque poses, and told a story about his queer friend whose parents couldn't accept his sexuality:

Even when GMMTV put him on the path of het series, Kit never stopped talking about his pride in Thai BL.

He's not, and he never was, the end. \o/

Meanwhile, Singto has always been adamant that BL shouldn't be considered unique from other stories.

For nine years, he's been saying the same thing! He's not tired of it yet, either! He'll keep saying it.

There's one interview with Singto in particular I think every Thai BL fan should watch because he's incredibly eloquent and it's fully subbed!

I know newer fans are less likely to throw rocks at Kit than fans I joined fandom with back in 2020, so forgive me for the hints of frustration. It's been a long five years of people making assumptions about him when he has done quite literally nothing to deserve the rampant verbal abuse he's gotten from interfans.

I hope that by making this video as a resource, people will see what Krist and Singto both went through.

To appreciate that they got through it with as much grace as they did.

So they could become the experienced, kindhearted seniors they are now, who protect their juniors of all genders from the nightmares they had to go through.

[rosemaidenvixen]

Arcadia Oaks High School Drama Department Presents: A Christmas Carol

I have no explanation for this other than it came to me in a vision and I knew it to be true. Arcadia Oaks high school puts on a play of A Christmas Carol. Who would be playing what roles and why.

First off who plays the man, the myth, the legend, the star of the show himself Ebenezer Scrooge? That would be Steve Palchuk. This isn't just because of Steve's heel turn from bully to ally (although there is some fitting poetry there) but because he has the best acting chops to pull it off. He can bark out the harshest Bah Humbugs in one scene then be practically radiant with Christmas joy in another. Steve canonically auditioned so well for the role of Captain DJ Kleb he nearly usurped the roll from the actual DJ Kleb. He's a perfect fit for playing Ebenezer.

Next up is Jim as Bob Crachet. Jim I love you but a thespian you are not. Jim an play it cool in tight situations but creating big emotions for big roles isn't his strong suit. Playing Bob Crachet works well because any nervousness he has about playing the role can be worked into the character. Plus I imagine him and Steve have a lot of fun getting into their characters and playing off each other.

Aja plays Mrs. Crachet. Not only do she and Jim work really well together and have good chemistry on set, but Aja has a great time cursing "Scrooge" for his miserly ways as part of her role. Gently teasing her boyfriend about it. Although Mrs. Janeth has lecture the two of them how Mrs. Crachet and Ebenezer Scrooge shouldn't make out in costume where audience members might spot them.

Scrooge's nephew Fred is played by Krel. He grumbled about the jokes of how his sisters boyfriend is playing his uncle "So does this make me your brother in law or your uncle in law?" "Watch it oaf" but he slowly warms to the role and throws himself playing Fred with the same enthusiasm he played DJ Kleb with.

Toby would play Marley. A small but critical role as a terrifying specter, perfect for Toby to sink his teeth into. He has a great time "scaring" Steve and haunting him for his sins.

The Ghost of Christmas Past would be played by Mary. The subdued personality of this ghost is a big change from Mary's usual bold, outgoing energy, but she enjoys the challenge and has fun playing a character who's personality is such a contrast to her own. And going over people's past misdeeds and evaluating their choices is right up the social media queen's alley.

Eli grumbles that he only got cast as younger Scrooge because he's the shortest in the grade. But he and Steve know each other so well that they're able to mimic each other's mannerisms. And with practice they're able to have their performances reflect each other perfectly.

Shannon plays the part of Belle, not a huge part but Shannon's busy dodging the embezzlement allegations, she doesn't have the time for a big role.

Seamus as Mr. Fezziwig. Nothing to say here except for that I was running out of characters.

I can see Darci playing Mrs. Fezziwig. She's shown before that she only likes performing in front of a crowd while wearing a mole costume mask. So she's happiest playing a minor role with only a few lines that mostly involves dancing.

On loan from Arcadia Oaks academy is Douxie playing the ghost of Christmas Present. Douxie is a theater kid through and through and brings big "Live in the moment" energy to his character, but also with a touch of seriousness. The knowledge that present actions affect the future. Which brings us to the next ghost.

They say that there's no small parts, only small actors. And while the role of ghost of Christmas Yet to Come might be a small, non speaking role, but Claire absolutely kills it. No lines but a strong, commanding presence that hits home just what a bleak Christmas yet to come looms ahead without uttering a single word.

(But again, no making out with Mr. Cratchet where audience members can spy them)

And of course who would play tiny Tim other than everyone's favorite changeling, Notenrique.

"God bless us, everyone,"

"Notenrique I don't care if you're the star, if you don't stop eating the fake snow I'm punting you into the trashcan!"

With all that said, happy holidays and let the show begin!

[blogger360ncislarules]

If you don’t immediately recognize Betsy Sodaro’s face from her countless TV and film appearances, odds are you recognize the voice. Currently stealing scenes as Nancy, a basement-dwelling ghost who died of cholera on CBS’ hit comedy “Ghosts,” Sodaro’s voice packs an extra punch to her already assassin-like skill with a punchline. Simultaneously raspy, yet childlike with a joyful cadence, it’s become so much her signature that in one recent “Ghosts” episode, where Rose McIver (as Samantha) was “possessed” by Nancy and spent an entire episode doing an imitation so uncanny many viewers assumed it was dubbed (it was not.) Like Morgan Freeman, Sodaro’s voice is so distinctive that it can often proceed recognizing the actor. Yes, that eye mite in the commercial for XDEMVY medication is indeed her. Both she and her characters are prone to outbursts of enthusiasm (“Ooh!”) or disgust (“Ugh!”) that are becoming as iconic as Homer Simpson’s annoyed grunt, and her language is frequently peppered with words like “rad” or “crazy cool.” Combined with her expressive face, Sodaro often conjures images of an animated character – so it makes sense she’s in-demand as a voice actor, recently lending her talents to such shows as “Exploding Kittens” and “Tiny Toons Looniversity.”

“Ghosts” fans can rejoice – Nancy will be seen in the final two episodes of the season, starting tonight on CBS. Here’s some things to know about the scene-stealing actor.

She auditioned for a different role on “Ghosts.”

It might be hard to imagine, but Sodaro originally read for the role of the hippie cult-member Flower, played by Sheila Carrasco. Sodaro admits her take was very different from Carrasco’s naïve and forgetful character. “I was definitely more of an aggressive hippie,” she says with a laugh. “My take was more like Nancy – I don’t know that my range is too big. Sheila is just killing it.”

After the show was picked up, the producers offered her the role of Nancy; while she isn’t certain it was written for her, she did pick up on some similarities immediately. “I was like, ‘Whoa! This is, like, how I talk! This is awesome!” At the time, she was told the character might be back for more episodes – but that’s something actors are frequently told. “I felt lucky just to do one episode,” she notes. “From the start, it has always been such a kind set and such a safe space to make big choices and feel comfortable. Sometimes you guest star on a show and worry you’re just in the way or annoying somebody.”

She’s created quite the backstory for Nancy.

Part of the genius of the program is how it takes certain archetypes (a Viking named Thor, a stockbroker bro) and plumbs unexpected depths. The Cholera Ghosts all began as pretty much an entity of nameless specters covered in sores who aren’t accepted in the main house, but that didn’t stop Sodaro from building a whole character biography.

She started with justifying why a 19th Century woman would speak in such a modern way. Because most of the Cholera Ghosts are obsessed with the water heater, she had the idea that in the 1990s two repairman were frequent visitors. “I saw them sort of as Bill and Ted, these two cool, laidback dudes,” she reveals. “And she kind of clung to them and listened to them talk about surfing and absorbed their whole lifestyle.” Suggest that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter should play the repairman in a flashback on the show, and Sodaro literally gasps. “I just got chills!”

Sodaro began performing at an early age.

Sodaro grew up obsessed with the standards, from “I Love Lucy” to “The Simpsons” – she even has a season pass to Universal Studios Hollywood so she can hang out in Springfield. Her father Craig is a teacher and a children’s theater playwright who often writes under the pen name Sam Craig, and his plays have been produced all over the world. He would also teach a summer theater class for kids, which Sodaro participated in. She continued acting through high school, realizing she wanted to study it in college.

“Saturday Night Live” was the original goal.

Sodaro originally attended Marymount Manhattan College simply to be in New York; the goal was to end up on another of her favorite shows, “Saturday Night Live.” She laughs now at the memory of her hubris. “I figured I’d go to college but probably drop out to do ‘SNL’ in a couple years. I absolutely thought: Lorne Michaels will walk by while I’m ordering a sandwich and think I’m funny and I’ll get on the show!”

She found she didn’t care for the pace of New York and transferred to a smaller college in Colorado where her love for theater really blossomed. After college, she spent a year in Sacramento doing improv and eventually moved to Los Angeles as Upright Citizens Brigade was blowing up. “My friend and I decided we were going to work whatever crappy jobs we had to just to take classes and get on that stage.” Those jobs included working at Target (“Which sucked”), the Disney café next to the El Capitan Theater and, ironically, Universal Studios when they still had the “Backdraft” attraction. She spent more than three years working a “rad job at a little company that stored sets and props for shows” while teaching and touring improv.

Sodaro did submit tapes and do showcases to audition for “SNL” but started to realize she was enjoying the dynamic of UCB and improv. “I learned there was this whole other world of comedy that I think I personally thrive in more,” she notes. She still performs regularly, including every second Friday of the month at UCB with her team Bangarang, and frequently guests at shows like “Assscat!”

It was through her comedy performing that she began to realize she had a distinctive voice – literally and figuratively. “I remember as a kid recording messages on the answering machine and thinking, ‘Ooh…my voice sounds weird,’ but everyone thinks that,” she says. “The more I was performing, the more people would comment on it, and I realized: I guess it is different.”

She’s built up a long list of credits in the last 13 years.

Sodaro cites her role on the 2012 NBC comedy “Animal Practice” as a major break – it was not only her first series regular gig but her first TV show outside of unaired pilots. Memorable guest spots on shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Superstore” proved she could make a meal out of a minimum of lines, and she got to share the screen with legends like Adam Sandler in “Hubie Halloween” and Seth Rogen in “An American Pickle.” But it was the Kathy Bates-starring Netflix comedy “Disjointed,” in which she played Dabby, a regular customer at a cannabis dispensary, that shifted things for her. With the exception of “Ghosts,” it’s what people bring up most when they see her today – all over the world. “A couple years ago, I went to Greece and people kept coming up and saying, ‘Dabby!’”

Sodaro is writing and pitching future projects, and while she would love to have her own show one day, she says mainly she just wants to “make stuff with my friends.” And for now, standing out as a scene-stealer is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “Growing up, I was always drawn to the side characters,” she says. “Where I’d say, Oh that person’s in a billion different things. They say one line and it’s always funny – that seems really cool.”

[erisweekofficial]

SURPRISE! 🔥❤️‍🔥

We are SO excited to have chatted with Matthew Bassett, the voice actor for Eris Vanserra in the Graphic Audio Production of the ACOTAR series.

Read below for an Exclusive Q&A with Matt ❤️

How long have you been voice acting? How did you get started in the voice acting industry?

I’ve only really worked with Graphic Audio for voice acting, and I’ve been in their roster of actors since 2012. I’ve been a stage actor (with a tiny bit of film) since 2003, and I’ve taught acting in the Washington, DC, area since 2012. When I moved to the DC area after graduate school and started working around here, a number of actors I liked and admired kept mentioning this company that provided steady work on fun material - westerns, fantasy, sci-fi. The comic book adaptations sold me, I’m a huge comics fan. Since 2012, I’ve played countless varmints, monsters, cads, aliens, superheroes/villains, and the occasional good guy. Along with Eris, my larger roles have included voicing The Homelander in all six volumes of GA’s adaption of The Boys graphic novels and Cullen in the World of Lupi series.

Can you describe the process for being selected for the role of Eris (or any other character)? Were there auditions, callbacks, or specific criteria that led to your casting?

Graphic Audio works like a repertory acting company, in that after your initial audition, they maintain your contact information for project directors to pull from when needed. I’ve done a lot of work with Colleen Delaney, director of the ACOTAR adaptations, including several longer character arcs in multiple series, so she thought I would be a good fit for Eris based on similar characters (rogueish, but with hidden depth that is explored over time) I’ve played elsewhere. I’m glad she did! Eris has been really fun.

How did you prepare for the role of Eris in terms of understanding the character's backstory, motivations, and relationships with other characters?

Graphic Audio does a fantastic job of preparing actors and directing us through performances. Colleen sent each actor a brief but rich character description, often quoting directly from the novels, as well as providing a plot description for each specific novel (necessary since the turnaround from offer to recording is very short). During our sessions, Colleen tells me everything I need to know about where Eris has been since the last scene/book and how his relationships have evolved. GA directors also read in as “scene partners,” which, considering they are all performers themselves, makes it very easy to react as I imagine Eris would.

Eris is a complex and morally ambiguous character. What aspects of his personality did you find most challenging to convey in your performance, and how did you approach tackling those challenges?

His vulnerability is very challenging. Eris has had a hard life, despite growing up with every privilege, which is difficult to convey. He hates everyone to some extent, but it all comes from how much he hates his family and himself. The scenes with Morrigan in particular take a while to record - he has all the feelings when talking to her, but he can’t show any of them.

Did you have any creative input into how Eris's voice would sound, or was it a collaborative effort with the production team and director? Were there any specific discussions about the character's vocal tone or style?

Definitely collaborative! His basic vocal character is very close to mine, with the musicality dialed up a bit so he can taunt everyone so well. Where my director really helps is pushing me to find the different levels to his interactions - when he’s teasing (often), when he’s antagonizing (mostly with Cassian), and when he’s speaking from his heart (VERY rarely, usually to or involving Morrigan).

What actors (voice, stage, film, etc) have inspired you? And did any actors or other characters help inspire your performance for Eris?

Hoo boy. Too many to list! For something like Eris, a lot of inspiration from Tom HIddleston’s Loki, Tom Cruise’s Lestat de Lioncourt, and anything Jeremy Irons has ever done. Characters that you can’t take your eyes off of, even as you want to beat the crap out of them.

Were there any specific challenges or unique aspects to voicing Eris compared to other characters you've portrayed in the past? How did you adapt your voice to capture his essence?

Y’know, for all the dirtbags, murderers, literal monsters, aliens, and villains I’ve voiced, Eris is the one with the biggest heart. The biggest challenge is allowing him to have a deep want, hidden from even himself, for some tenderness, the one thing he has been denied his entire life. A character like Eris is easy to just have fun with and play as a smug prick (which he is), but he has moments of aching loneliness that make him much richer. SPOILER: One of my most recent favorite moments was playing Eris’ surprise and gratitude when receiving a “made” dagger for safekeeping. Eris can’t fathom trusting anyone else with something so powerful and important, because he simply wasn’t shown that level of trust or respect. The moment took him by such surprise. It was great to let myself feel that in the playing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring voice actors who are considering pursuing a career in Voice Acting? Any tips for breaking into the business and honing their craft?

Train your voice! I received excellent vocal training as part of my MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Acting at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I learned how to care for my vocal health, how to support with my breath, and how to modulate the dynamics of my voice for character differentiation as well as basic performance beats. You may not have the inclination for that level of training, but a regular voice lesson with a singing coach will give you similar techniques. In terms of breaking in: like anything of this nature, it’s relationships. Build a strong resume, but also build strong relationships with your collaborators and a reputation for reliability. Directors know that I’ll prepare so that I can make strong initial choices, but that I am more than happy to adjust my choices as needed to make the overall production its best.

[autumnvine]

If you ever need anything

Summary: Your boyfriend Max was less then a gentleman, you could never rely on him to be happy for you. But your best friend Tom was always there supporting you, and taking care of you

⚠️ Abusive boyfriend ⚠️

Even on your worst days you thought you could count on your boyfriend Max, obviously not. Max was never the boyfriend you had imagined for yourself, you thought yourself finding someone who loved you and was proud of you, supported you, cared fro you. But Max, no he wasn't much like you had imagined, almost total oposite. Max was always angry, never proud of you, was never excited for you, he never really cared about you.

When you left your job on a gamble Max couldn't bat an eyelid of excitment for you. This was a huge deal, it was a difficult and nerve wracking thing, it was your dream come true. For ten years you served coffees and sandwiches as the manager of the coffee house across the street from your home, taking orders, calls, communications, hiring and firing collegues. You needed a change, applying for an audition in the local theratre sounded like a good idea, it was a good idea, you got the part and many many more after that. Eventually you landed the role of a life time "Thor" playing the girlfriend of the mighty Thor, a scientist named Jane who ended up becoming the lovely girlfriend to the God of Thunder. The first movie was such a success, the directors called everyone back, including you, you were so excited, thrilled beyond belief. There was just once tiny small issue. Max. He wasn't happy with you going to movie star city as he called it the first time never mind doing it again, yet he came with you. You were just excited to see all your friends again, Tom , Chris, Kat, Nat, Jaimie everyone, it was going to be wonderful everyone together again you couldn't wait to see Tom once more.

You wished Tom was your boyfriend. Tom is exactly what you pictured for yourself, he was your friend, he cared for you, helped you, read lines w ith you. Max never read lines with you, the last time you asked him he threw it on the table picked up his phone and wouldn't speak to you for the rest of the afternoon, but Tom, he even helped you with your lines over the phone. Tom was a sweetheart he would call to make  sure you were okay, to make sure you were managing, to make sure you still had a roof over your head, he wanted to know what was new in your life, what was going on. You wished Tom liked you more then a friend, but a friendship was much much better then nothing.

Max had met Tom just for a brief period of time during the first shoot of filming Thor, Tom was polite, shook his hand intriduced himself as your co-worker and friend, he of course he introoduced himself as the only man in your life, the only reason agrred to fly across the world with you, was so he could keep anyone else from being with you. Which Tom already found ridiculous, you didn't need a baby sitter, you were your own paerson, you didn't need a keeper. Max was very overly cautious of you, very controlling over you. Tom made sure to always check in with you after that. 

-Time skip, Set of Thor-

After everyone was reacquainted and had there own skripts, highlighted, noted, changed slightly, you could feel your heart rush at the first table read,  you're part in this movie was significantly bigger then the last one, you had one of the main parts you could not screw this up, you wouldn't it would be amazing, you had an amazing team who supported eachother

"Thor: How is she?

Heimdall: She's quite clever, your mortal. She doesn't know it yet, but she studies the Convergence as well. Even...Heimdall stops

Thor: What?

Heimdall: I can't see her.

Darcy Lewis: Jane! Where the hell were you?

Jane Foster: Tell me you didn't call the police!

Darcy Lewis: What was I supposed to do?

Jane Foster: Not call the police!

Darcy Lewis: I was freaking out.

Jane Foster: You call the cops they tell the feds, the next thing you know we have SHIELD crawling all over area fifty-one-ing the place.

Darcy Lewis: Jane!

Jane Foster: We had a stable gratification anomaly, we had unheeded access. Our only competition was ten years old!

Darcy Lewis: Jane, you were gone for five hours!

Jane Foster: What?

Darcy Lewis: Appears Thor standing a few feet away from them, Jane hands her gadget to Darcy and walks towards Thor.

Thor: Jane. [as she reaches him suddenly she slaps him hard in the face]

Jane Foster: Sorry. I just needed to make sure you were real, it's been a very strange day.

Thor: Well, I am. Jane... [suddenly she slaps him again]

Jane Foster: Where were you?!

Thor: Where were you? Heimdall could not see you.

Jane Foster: I was right here where you left me. I was waiting and then I was crying and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back

Thor: I know, I know, but the Bifrost was destroyed. The Nine Realms erupted into chaos, wars were raging, marauding hordes were pillaging. I had to put an end to the slaughter.

Jane Foster: As excuses go, that's not terrible. But I saw you on TV, you were...you were in New York!

Thor: Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world, but I was wrong, I was a fool.

The first read was amazing, it went so well. You did so well, sure you had sweat flowing down your back like a river, your leg shaking uncontrollable under the table. Your breath tyring to keep up with your nerves.Everyone clapped and hugged. You had  few hours before your wardrobe fitting, heading straight for the coffee machine and grabbing a ham salad ovalbite "You done well darling" A beautiful english familiar accent came from behind you. Swallowing the coffee in your mouth, turningaround to see your Tom standing. He hugged you, kissed your forehead linked his arms in yours

"Darling you done so well, I'm very proud of you, how are you feeling, you seem nervous, is everything alright?"

"I'm great, this is my dream Tom, being here is my dream, I really never thought I'd get to do this again, I didn't think I'd be back. It's amazing seeing you Tom, how are things with you?"

"There good, very good. I am glad you are back. I missed seeing you. Perhaps we could catch dinner one evening, to properly catch up?"

"Awwh Tom I would love that" sudenly remembering about Max staying in the hotel with you.  "I....I'm sorry Tom I can't"

He tried to hide the disapointment and slight embarrisment "Tom it's not that I don't want to, oh my goodness I'd love to, I'd love nothing more then to go to dinner with you, but....Max is here, and I sill sort of need life to see you again"

"He's here? staying with you?"

"I know I'm sorry, He wouldn't let me come, if, well Tom he wouldn't let me come if he didn't come too, to aparently keep an eye on me, eventhough there's nothing wrong with me, sorry I'm rambling"

"Your not rambling darling, does he still make you happy?"

"It's complicated" you sighed, unable to answer a simple question about your boyfriend to your best friend.

"Forgive me darling  for asking, if I'm out of line feel no pressure, does he hurt you?"  

"Nothing I can't handle, anyways stop worrying, drink your coffee, we gotta be back in there soon and I still have alot of coffee to drink plus the other half of my sandwich, which is really good, want to try it? Also Chris will be sooo mad if I come back late on my first day, heck not even my first day, my first half of the day after the first break. You know we used to be happy, he used to be nice to me. Tom he was so sweet to me, he didn't always treat me bad you know, he never used to shout at me.  anyway, I'm sorry I'm rambling again.I'm so sorry Tom my head has just been everywhere. I feel like I'm on cloud nine but waiting for thunderstorm you know?"

Tom looked at you worry and confussion all over his face "Yn you know if you ever need anything, I mean it, anything, a place to stay, me, help, money, a ride, absolutely anything anythime, I am always here for you. You are never alone."

"Thank you Tom, I'm always here for you too."

A few weeks had passed Thor Dark World was really comming together, everyone had muktiple costume changes a day, hair and makeup bearly left your trailer, you were practicing and practicing reading over your lines, going to the gym six days a week to keep up with the physical aspect of your role, you were finally getting there with evevrything. Max had been his usual self throughout this whole movie, hated days you had to work late to run lines, hated the fact you worked with a cast of primarily men. He hated when you asked him to help you, or to come watch rehersal. Max was never going to let you do this again, you were sure of it.

It was now nearing eight when everyone was supposed to be finishing, however you called Max to explain you'll be late once more and not to wait up for you, you still had two more scenes to run, to his disamuse you stayed working until ten. Getting home everything was in darkness, none of the lights were on,  the doors were all closed, the window curtains were drawn, trying very quietly to take your boots off, and set your bag down, walking into the kitchen to wash your face from everything, popping the kettle on and some bread in the toaster. Toast wasn't an ideal dinner but you were hungry, it was late and definetly not up to cooking. Seeing a pile of dishes that had been left foor you you sighed in disapointment that Max hadn't even washed his plate from his dinner, or even made you anything for yours. Scrubbing the pots and pans, forgetting he was asleep just upstairs you were to tired to even hear the footsteps thud behind you. A cold hard grabbing your arm, spinning you round and holding you to the wall, both wrists being held above your head

"Let me go" you asked unfaised, Max was towering over you, his face right up at yours,

"I said let me go Max"

"I was sleeping. and you" slamming your arms against the wall as you tried to move "You woke me up,"

"Yeah well I was doing your dishes, that you left."

His grip tightenenig on your wrists, "That hurts, stop that Max let me go" trying to wriggle your arms a little. "STOP, YOU THINK YOU CAN  COME HOME AND TELL ME WHAT TO DO" he shouted, you weren't in the mood for his nonsence or his anger.

"Let's just go to bed I'm tired" you sighed dropping your gaze to the floor, not acknowledging your boyfriends fury. He let go of one wrist, and you thought he was letting you go, feeling the cold hand smack off your face, now a burning heat sensation across your cheek and under eye,

"DON'T YOU DISRESPECT ME!"

A few stray tears rolling down your cheek , purely just from the shock, it waasn't the first time he'd hit you, it wasn't the first time he'd shouted, at this point nothing could surprise you. Max threw you to the side, onto the floor "Sleep there, you're pathetic"

Waiting for him to leave and go back up stairs to what once was your shared bed, you sat on the floor, back against the wall, debating even standing up rubbing your wrists from where he hurt you, you let your tears run dripping down onto your clothes. It wasn't supposed to be like this,your boyfriend was supposed to take care of you, not hurt you. After sitting a little longer yoou dried hyour eyes, gathered yourself togeher, finished buttering your toast and drank some tea, you took the fluffy blanket from over the arm of the sofa wrapping it around you, scrooling through your phone trying to think of something better, anything better.

Remembering Tom's kind words from weeks ago:

"Yn you know if you ever need anything, I mean it, anything, a place to stay, me, help, money, a ride, absolutely anything anythime, I am always here for you. You are never alone."

You debated calling him but deciding against it, you weren't Tom's responsibility, he wasn't your saviour, he was your friend, besides if you called him, Max would propably kill you, or him. That was an unrestful night, not being able to get comfortable from your back pain after being thrown to the floor like a garbage bag.

The following morning you got up streatched out, trying to ignore the pain that overwhelmed your body, you couldn't call in sick it's simly not that type of job, people relied on you and counted on you being there. If you called in sick Tom would be worried about you and probably call or come over which was a really bad idea under the circumstances, and everyone else would be mad knowing you single handedly held up rehersal for the day, when the movie was so close to being finished. looking at your wrists blue and purple, each of them badly bruised you had to find a top long enough to cover it, as well as the cut across your cheek bone from last night. Getting ready, mentally preparing yourself and a silly enough reason that people would believe you hurt yourself. Walking onto set with a fake smile plastered on your face, coffee in hand, and painkillers settling nicely in your stomach working there magic, Chris was the first one to see you

"Morning Yn, how are you?"

"Chris good morning, I'm good thank you, a little tired I hadn't slept great last night, I couldn't get comfy"

"Get some coffee down you and if you need anythig give me a shout alright" Thanking him, he walked away, not noticing your face or wrists, this might be easier then you worried about. "Darling there you are I was looking for you" Tom kissed your forehead gently with a warming smile

"Sorry I know I'm a little late, I lost track of time, I didn't really sleep and then i couldn't find my clothes, one thing led to another and I'm here now, just a little later then I originally planned for."

"Not to worry darling your still here before we started." Tom smiled at you as if you had just made his d ay better by beinng there. Smiling back you noticed his eyebrown frowning and his smile falling, "Yn what happened to your face?"

"Oh" you lifted your hand to casually deflect it, "Nothing really I got home late, made some toast and forgot to close the kitchen cabinet behid me, turned around and bashed my face of it." You didn't enjoy lying but you were certaintly not telling him the truth. "Really Tom I'm alright" He didn't believe you for a second but respected you enought that you obviously didn't want to talk about it. Going through to wardrobe you nsisted upon noone helping you, afraid of them seeing the bruising, you struggled but eventually managed.

Today you shot the fight scene, Thor and Malekith were fighting you were getting taken up by the red ether, when Loki jumps arcoss catching you and holding you as you fall to the floor, Tom's arms around you felt nice, him being so close to you felt nice. You lay crouched on the floor with Tom dressed as Loki leaning over you, sheilding you from the fight, protecting you. A single tear managed to escape your eye, trying to fight it, crying was not apart of the scene, but more so because your already bruised and delicate body had just been slamed to the floor. Tom didn't notice your tear until one became two, two became three, three became awkward, almost trying desperately to controll yourself, controll your pain, you sucked it up and continued with the scene until the fighting was over, having to get up and run behind Loki was sheer agony but you did it. You could bearly hear the conversation between Thor and Loki, or Loki and Malekith. You didn't have any lines you had to speak for, you could just focus on not crying right now, that was enough for you. As the scene came to an end you got up and left, making a beline straight for the coffee, getting your phone off the table to call Max because you were going to be home late again.

"What do you want?" he asnwered abruptly

"You know its polite to answer your phone to start with hello, or hi"

"Noted, what do you want?"

"I'm going to be working late again, I got here late after last night and then filming never started until later so I just thought I'd call, you don't need to wait up for me or anything, or make dinner, you can do what you want tonight"

"Great thanks for the permission"

"Hey, you don't have to be so rude all the time you know. You could just say okay, or thanks for telling me or I hope you have a good day. It's always negative with you isn't it"

"Yeah yeah thanks for the lecture, you really are pathetic you know that, PATHETIC, you think I care if you come home late or at all for that matter, you think i honestly would worry if you didn't" his sacrasm and arrogance was getting to you a little,

"Would you not?" Tom came to get a quick cup of coffee beside you, you lowered your volume and smiled to Tom,

"Would I not what?" asked Max,

"Would you really not care?" asking him softly afriad of Tom overhearing

"Yn get it through that thick skull of yours I don't give a rats arse where you are, especially after last night, why would you think I give a damn about you, you do nothing but complain, or make things worse for me, you are stupid and irrelivant to my life, I want you for what I need and tonight I don't need you!"You felt your heart crumble, as if the world imloaded, Max treated you poorly that's why you couldn't justify the pain he was causing.

"If this is about waking you up last nigt I-"

"I THOUGHT I TAUGHT YOU ENOUGH OF LAST NIGHT, WHEN YOU GET HOME TONIGHT, LATE AGAIN I'LL --"

"You'll what?" what is it you will do because I have to work late?" compleately foggettinng where you were andwo was standing besdie you, but enough was eough.

""When you get home I'll make last night seem like a walk in the park, I'm going to hurt you and I will make it painful, you are pathetic and I shouldn't have let you off so easy last night"

A sob broke from your parted lips"Pathetic" Max laughed down the phone, unaware that Tom had been listening to the conversation, gently he placed his hand on your back, taking the phone off you"

"Now you listen to me I don't know where you get off speaking to a lady like that, but you will not threaten her, you will not hurt a singly hair on her head-" Tom abruptly shut off his sentance by listening to Max yelling

"She's mine, I'll do what I want with her"

"YOU will not harm her, you will not touch her, and you will not disrespect her. Yn is not yours, she is  a lady, a person, she is not your property, you will not controll her. And you will nnever get near her again" Tom shouting back at Max, you'r legs went from underneath you, falling to the floor, holding your legs just crying your heart out. Tom bent down beside you and wrapped his arm around you, pulling yoou into his chest.

"You will never see her again. You will never hurt her again." Tom told Max as he ended the call. Tom wrapped his other arm around you. gently shushing you and rubbing little circles on your back.

"He's going to kill  me Tom"

"He won't get near you darling"

"He did this to me, rolling your sleeves back to show Tom the bruises on your wrist, and pointing to the cut on your face

"Next time he will kill me"

Tom's eyes welling with tears seeing his best friend hurt by someone she loved.

"My darling, I'll take care of you. He will never hurt you again, I promise"

Taglist

@plutoispurplw

[unsoundedcomic]

Did you watch the new Noclip documentary on LoK? Mark Hamil auditioned for Janos Audron, and Robert Picardo for Moebius.

I used to have such a crush on Robert Picardo, as the Doctor, and also as Johnny Cab. It's a little cute that Rene Auberjonois, another Star Trek staple, later had a major role instead.

And I did watch the documentary! I suffer psychic damage to imagine anyone else as those characters. Obviously Kain was always going to be Simon Templeman in Soul Reaver, but I just don't think I'd have fallen so hard for Raz if he wasn't Michael Bell. There's a vulnerability to his voice that stabs me right in my softest bits. Even when Raziel is good and pissed off he sounds a little bit like a tiny gerbil backed into a corner. There's also a timelessness to his voice. It's really hard to gauge how old he is, or any particular accent, and that's perfect for an immortal. My sweet blue baby wraith.

[hunter-sylvester]

Hi! I’m the anon who wrote the ask about Hunter’s parental issues and about his attachment to Kevin. Thank you for answering my asks, I absolutely love the way you write and how you explain everything! You’re extremely talented!🫶

I honestly didn’t notice how in love Hunter was with Kevin until I watched the movie a second time. It’s crazy how you can literally see all feeling in Hunter’s eyes when he looks at Kevin. I also loved how you said that their relationship fits a BDSM bratting dynamic, because I totally see it.

[and as someone who has ADHD and deals with RSD on a regular, I completely understand him. It sucks.]

Hey 🤘 [prev ask for context] Yeah I obviously couldn’t be 100% sure they were from the same person but it definitely makes the most sense lol

Thank you so much! I’m really glad you enjoy my rambling thoughts about Hunter as a character <3

If you do like my writing, I’m tempted to sheepishly gesture over to my actual Metal Lords fics over on Ao3 if you haven’t checked them out, even tho it makes me feel like a bit of a dick to do so 😅 (They are mostly locked to registered users, blame AI data scraping. The only Metal Lords fic not locked rn is a tiny ficlet. An Ao3 account is free tho 👀)

In any case, I really appreciate that you pushed me to do a bit of analysis again. Because sometimes I tend to forget that all the stuff that lives in my head as “obvious” isn’t always stuff I’ve said out loud on here lmao

There’s a lot to pull from the film if you’re willing to be a bit mentally ill about it.

And you’re absolutely right about the way he looks at Kevin, I mean, it happened enough for me to make a whole ass gifset of it lmao

Look at him. The boy is smitten. Clueless, of course. But smitten.

Which I credit basically entirely to Adrian Greensmith, as it was a vision he had for the character. I really can’t imagine Hunter having been played by anyone else as he brought so much to the role. (Fun fact, if I remember correctly: Noah Urrea, who plays Clay, originally auditioned for Hunter. No harm but I'm very glad he didn't get that. He makes a good Clay and Hunter just needed to be played by Adrian.)

One of the key things Adrian brought to the role also being, probably accidentally, his anxiety.

"I spent a lot of Metal Lords feeling a bit anxious [...] and in hindsight I wonder if some of that was just a sign that Hunter was quite an anxious character [...] I mean his body's so tense all the time." - Adrian Greensmith.

I shortened that quite a bit so I'm including a slightly longer clip of the interview audio for more context. (I can upload a subtitled video clip if anyone wants that as well as link the video on yt but I'd have to do a bit of a search for that)

Aside: If I had to guess I'd say he's probably referring to Peter Sollett who directed Metal Lords when he mentions a 'Pete'.

And yeah the bratting thing was a little bit of a joke but mostly not a joke. Without going absolutely off the deep end, the mentality behind bratting is something I really see in Hunter.

Evie Lupine has a wonderful video about bratting and why people would be interested in it (and why some people hate it) but a short snippet that always spoke to me from that is the following:

"The motivations behind bratting are pretty varied. I think one of the main ones would be a sense of security and comfort. This is when the acting out is sort of a way to be reassured that even when you, break rules, even when you push at things, the partner that you're with is not going to abandon you." - Evie Lupine

Obviously, with Hunter's fear of abandonment, it's easy to see why this would appeal to him.

He also just...idk he has brat energy - sincerely, a brat.

And Kevin does just play out the counterpart to that. He doesn't always have Hunter under control but he tries to.

And he does mostly act as that safe person to brat against, which again amplifies the impact it has when Hunter starts to think he's actually losing Kevin, destroying that feeling of safety.

Aside: I obviously don't think that these characters, in universe, negotiated for a bratting dynamic. In universe it'd be something that just sort of organically developed within their friendship/relationship. But even more than that it's an archetype of a dynamic that we as the audience can easily read into their interactions if that makes sense.

Can you believe the shit they will accidentally put in movies? lmao

And yeah, I have ADHD as well. And RSD is something that affects me pretty fucking severely. I've only really become more aware of it in the past year or so as my partner has pointed it out more and more.

So it's definitely something that I then noticed more and more in Hunter too.

Obviously this is all just my take on the character, and other people might have totally different interpretations. That's the beauty of art, we all get to find what we need in it and read it in our own ways, influenced by our own life experiences.

Thank you again for asking, Anon 🤘 (if you want to use a nickname or smth to identify that you're the same Anon, let me know. If not, that's totally okay too, but I might not always know it's you)

[xxchthonicreaturexx]

Matchup Trade with @frostfall-matches

Hello hello :) Thank you for doing the trade with me <3 The MysMes match might be a little off since it's been a long time since I've played or read anything from the fandom, but here it is! Hope you like it :)

Twisted Wonderland

Lilia Vanrouge ~

....My little gramp vamp <3

I decided to match you with Lilia :) Why? You know why.

Okay so first of all, your styles would completely go hand in hand. Like hands down, whether it's you or your self insert, from what you describe it's the same kind of alternative vibe. Like, have you seen Lilia's band/pop club outfit? You guys would probably lowkey be matching from what I imagine. And he probably will ask to borrow your combat boots from time to time. They kinda remind him of his time as a War General to be honest...

(Plus your insert is a Fae? Hello? He won't have to worry about you growing old and dying like he is Silver?)

That being said, Lilia is a little asshole of a rascal, and he will prank you just to get you to snark some attitude towards him. (It probably turns him on.) Like he'll do everything in his power to spook you and annoy you just to have a smirk on his face while you shoot him some insulting little quip. Oh but what he'd do to see you ACTUALLY annoyed for once-

While you're distant but respectful, he's more so...everywhere and nowhere all at once. Bro is an enigma, and somehow you got stuck with him. But underneath all the spooky pranks and vampiric allure, he's actually kinda a sad man. He's been around, he has seen some shit, and i mean he's literally a dad so?? He knows coping mechanisms when he sees them. He won't force you to talk. He knows not to pry and try and help you when you havent asked, but he makes it known that he's there to help if there ever comes a time that past trauma pops up. He makes sure you know that he's just an old fae with coping mechanisms too.

Despite being a fae that knows more than most, he doesn't enjoy babying people, fae - human, doesn't matter. He doesn't baby people, and he can recognize that you're independent without him. It's more so you entertain him. You guys are able to play around and yet be serious on another level as well. (He probably encourages you to break rules with him)

Lilia definitely has you play video games with him. Wants you to play that shoot-em up game with Idia at some point, even if Idia will probably rat on you the whole time. (Like he has room to talk-)

I can guarantee too that he will learn languages with you. I mean, he's how many centuries old? He probably already knows multiple. With time like that, he probably is at LEAST Trilingual. Studying together would be cute though <3

Overall score 8/10.

Lilia is an amazing character, but cons would be his pranks. Bro is a menace and he will never stop. Also he's been around for YEARS so he lowkey thinks he knows everything- I imagine living with him for so long will get annoying but he's incredibly loyal and entertaining!

Runnerups: Malleus or Floyd (...Don't question- I had ideas...)

Mystic Messenger

Zen (Hyun Ryu)~

Okay so HEAR ME OUT...

Zen is a cool guy but he's a little....narcissistic. BUT I do believe you have just enough of a mix of blunt attitude and slight arrogance to make him reel back and be like "Woah-" Because lets be honest, just because he has a pretty face doesn't mean he can be all about himself. (Well sometimes.)

On the other side, it's also known that Zen can be very self doubting and beats himself up at any miniscule mistake. Again, you're blunt and have enough spark to quickly reassure and pull him from his depression.

Ex: Zen -"Sweetie, I appreciate your help, but as far as I'm concerned I can't get this role. I screwed up while auditioning. I failed."

(Probably) You - "Stfu- It was a tiny voice crack no one probably even noticed. You're seriously gonna mope? Get over your pity party."

Or atleast how I imagined you two would kinda banter. He can be SLIGHTLY overdramatic.

He'd definitely take you on cafe dates though. He knows the best spots and he can afford those real fancy drinks. Oh and don't even get him started on DIY or home projects- He's setting up pinterest boards, finding aesthetic blogs, and posting cute pics and vids all over social media. It's a win-win. Content for his fans and he's spending time with you doing something fun! Not to mention he'd ask you to work out with him. A jog? Hiking? Still physical activity to him!

He's not super into gaming but I don't think he shuns it (that I remember anyways-) but he might just go ask 707 for some tips and ask to play a multiplayer game with you. Something easier though like Mario Kart or Gang Beasts. Lighthearted and easy to learn.

Oh and the TRAVELING- oh honey- Zen is a somewhat successful performer so I GUARANTEE that he travels whenever he has the chance. You wanna go back to Korea? Absolutely. Spain? Why not. Antarctica? Not sure why you'd want to, but maybe there'll be penguins!

Overall: I'd give you guys 7/10. Zen is a good guy, really! But you two might clash sometimes, just because he does come off a little narcissistic sometimes. He doesn't mean to, in fact it's a coping mechanism for his own self doubt, but it just comes off the wrong way sometimes. Overall though, he's handsome, has money to travel, and would definitely learn languages with you for the sake of getting new roles and whatever else!

Runnerup: 707

Thank you again <3

[mrsfezziwig]

Joe-ver, Traylor & Condescension

I know how I reacted to the news that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn had broken up because a fellow Swiftie I am close friends with via FB - I am housebound - gave me the 'terrible' news. Dissolving into fits of laughter apparently wasn't the reaction I should have had; whilst the rest of Swiftville collectively used sobbing emojis in tweets, Facebook status updates, Instagram posts and comments, I was among the few who were marvelling at the fact it managed to last six years at all. I was among those who were avoiding saying 'I told you so' by duct-taping our mouths closed.

Apparently it is morally reprehensible to speak ill of the dead, and Joe's career may as well dead as a door nail now he only has his... skills to fall back on. No one can ever convince me that this man got the roles he did because of his talent alone. Even if he was told that his almost god-tier performance in audition was what got him the role, directors and casting agents aren't stupid. Being linked to the whirlwind force that is Taylor Swift means that her immensely supportive fans will support those she loves, equalling higher ratings and more cash. Oh, and it would make doors firmly shut to these directors and producers before magically swing open with a 'tada' and jazz hands. But of course it was alllll Joe, it was no one else but Joe that pushed him into suddenly getting the role he went for each time. Yes, I am being condescending, but the reason I have been so purposefully scathing is having had the pleasure of working with this man pre-Taylor. I wasn't yet debilitated by my medical condition and my in-real-life best friend was working on the wardrobe for a show which Joe was in. She needed help with understanding knitting and other 'lady-like' skills, which I have experience with from the age of seven. My opinion of the man is formed from seeing his interpersonal connections and just how pompous he was then.

After the initial wave of 'oh no' and 'this can't be happening', the tide swept away the sand-like haze the fandom had been in and left bare the truth that everyone failed to see sooner. Joe thought Taylor was beneath him in terms of her craft. She wrote songs to go on albums that are insanely popular but also effete, passing fads and fripperies compared to 'real' artsy music. These song were dumb, unless he was in the credits because money doesn't matter; in his head he is a modern version of a 1920s bohemian who lives in a tiny studio surrounded by easels and clay, earning a pittance and drinking with friends every night as they discuss intellectual things the majority of people can't even pronounce.

Suddenly Swiftville filled with pauses then began to whisper about how Joe really treated Taylor, how his demands for a total blackout in terms of speaking about the relationship were kind of controlling, and that he liked living in the enormous apartment that Taylor rented in London, he just didn't want to be known as 'Taylor Swift's Boyfriend' like it's a disease.

I understand wanting privacy in a relationship but if became obvious quickly that Alwyn wanted to live like he was the star with an average everyday girlfriend who basked in his light, not the other way around. Sure, that privacy was perfect for the time they got together, Taylor was at her very lowest mentally and they were cocooned together, where he can imagine himself as the star like he desired. The pandemic didn't help when it came to being in that cocoon again. I genuinely and passionately believe the relationship would have ended after the Lovefest Tour, or even whilst she was actively touring but it would have been kept secret. A split from the person she wrote almost all of Lover about in the middle of promotion would have been tough to manage in terms of PR. Tree is an absolute wizard when it comes to that but she can't perform miracles!

The Midnights album and tour played a huge part in the break up, or the final, no going back break up as there were a few others according to what various sources have said. In addition I don't believe it was amicable at all, it was protracted and painful, particularly now we know 'You're Losing Me' was written in late 2021! My instincts tingle that they were over in late 2022, but Joe attended the Grammy after party to keep the ruse going for a while, although the why of this part I can't put together sensibly.

As the fuss of Ratty Healy fizzled out (what the fuck were you thinking Taylor?) and The Eras Tour continued on, a new beau appearead in Travis Kelce and it is where I begin to loathe some parts of the fandom. Just as Joe was condescending towards Taylor, her 'fans' are now being condescending to Travis, and that is never fair until you get to know more about them. If whoever is on Ms Swift's arm is a dick, we can call it out but so far, based purely on his podcast with brother Jason, he is a deeply genuine, generous, honest man.

As a time out I would like to look at why I think Taylor and Travis are great for one another, which is obviously only my opinion, this entire essay being based on those and a few podcast episodes, an NFL game I had to dig around on my TV package to find and which I understood literally nothing more of than that the grass was green and Travis was playing... Off I go-

This man is unashamedly himself. There's nothing hiding, he's not pretending the dorky side of him doesn't exist, he has embraced it for millions to see for years and years. He made a fucking friendship bracelet for her. This tall, strong NFL guy sat down and threaded tiny beads onto string with his phone number on. I mean... please? That's some of the cutest shit I have ever heard and probably just bumped my high expectations in what I want in a man into near impossible levels.

Travis is confident and comfortable in his own skin, there's no feeling inferior, he is already successful, in a career that does not sit in the arts sphere so he doesn't need to be Taylor Swift's Boyfriend to get parts in films or sell albums. I also noticed when he waited for Taylor to come off stage in Argentina, he kept his hands behind his back to ensure Taylor was the one in control of the PDA level. She could indicate what she wanted by reaching for his hand or, as we saw, run up to him and throw her arms around him. The mental image of the sequin purple dress as Taylor ran to Joe could practically be a copy paste of this but the second time around there was no hiding under the brim of his baseball cap like he was ashamed to be seen with someone who has mass market appeal. He was there in a shirt so unique he couldn't be misidentified by even an ET.

Now I want to move onto something more serious, something that I cannot believe Swifties considered acceptable to do: dig around in twitter and find tweets 12 years old with misspellings even though it is common knowledge that Travis is Dyslexic!

They dragged a man with dyslexia because his old tweets were misspelled. It was all a joke, of course (/s), but it isn't and shouldn't be, because it was Swifties looking at the tweets, creating a spiderweb thin veneer of being humorous whilst, consciously or unconsciously, thinking Taylor is too good for him because of it. They were trying to make it look like Travis was the dumb jock student who barely breathed near a book his whole life and Taylor the intellectual who uses big words in her songs that he could never understand. In what world is it okay to point out how her past boyfriends looked down on her only to do the same to Travis? This has truly pissed me off.

Oh, how I wish it stopped there but it doesn't. As the news got out of the budding relationship, more than one Swift 'news channel' said she was having a 'himbo' moment. A Himbo moment... How much more degrading can you get? They may as well have been blatant, not cowardly, hiding behind buzzwords and have said:

"He plays in the NFL? Urgh that is so puke, everyone knows those players don't have a decent braincell in their heads! This break up with Joe really hit her hard, Travis has to be a rebound, she couldn't possibly like this guy."

Well, it doesn't take much to find out that actually, Travis has a Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He didn't have a need to complete his credits, his place with the Kansas City Chiefs is secure, but he still persevered, kept studying despite his difficulties with reading and writing and graduated in 2022. That's not even remotely easy and certainly doesn't make him intellectually beneath Taylor at all.

Another thing I saw and heard more than once was that Taylor looked bored at the Kansas game she attended, unable to understand what she watching and simply doing what others did to hide it. This was the 'first date' for them and she spent it with his parents, who, shockingly wanted to be there to support their son as they always did, in a private box. So much about this is stupid to the point I think these Swifties need to learn a lesson in humility! It's appalling that they are so arrogant, so indelibly stained with Taylor's genius-by-proxy that anyone or anything that sits outside of what they think she enjoys is only fit to be squashed beneath the queen's high heeled boots. Sound fucking familiar? What is laughable about it is that Taylor herself is incredibly humble and thankful and doesn't paint herself as a genius at all!

Scott Swift is a major, major football fan, a former(?) Philadelphia Eagles stalwart and possible Kansas Chiefs new sign up, therefore it is utterly ridiculous to suggest his daughter didn't pick up on the lingo, rules, statistics and points from hearing holy talk about it. Taylor was very responsive to the game, I found as many videos of her as I could to be sure of it, and there was no waiting around for others to react, she was up there shouting and jumping in all her glory, decked out in that perfect shade of red that suits her so well and following the game.

As for the whole 'mama on the first date' thing? Who are you to assume it's a date? Obviously it wasn't. In fact Travis has clearly stated that he invited her to hang out in his box and see him after the game, not as a date... And of all the videos and pictures I have looked up to try and get this opinion piece to be reasonably accurate, the laughter and smiles between Mama Kelce and Taylor look genuine, not like TayTay is playing a part in a movie as has been suggested by some.

By taking a step back from the stupidity and condescension you can see why they work so well, so here's my reasons for why I believe that:

Family comes first for both and they understand the closeness of a family bonded like that as Taylor's parents are her backbone through all the bullshit.

They are both successful and don't actually need one another. It's a position of equality for them both.

Travis has said in his podcast that the paparazzi are insane but he knows how to handle it. He knows that being with a global superstar comes with negatives but you have to decide if those negatives are manageable for the person in your life and he has decided he can hack it. Head down, hold tight to the hand and just go for whatever door you are aiming for.

As strange as this is about to sound, he's a man. At 6'5" he is just perfect for a woman of Taylor's height, she can still wear her heels and feel feminine beside Travis. He is bigger than her security guards and can take a few knocks if anything goes west.

He's a God-damn gentleman. He opened her door, kept hold of her hand tight so as not to lose her in the kerfuffle of photographers outside the SNL meal they went to and he let her pick her comfort zone in terms of hugs and kisses.

Culture. I mean in terms of holidays, traditions, norms and values. Most of the people she's dated have been British, and although we share much, we can never truly understand what Americans feel about their country. To us the idea of reciting a few words to a flag in the corner of a classroom each morning is very, very, very cult vibed.

Freedom. Sure that sounds weird but I mean it in the sense that Travis is a Swiftie, this man knows how utterly off the wall Taylor can be even before he took his friendship bracelet shot at her, and they complement one another in that sense. No judgement will be coming from this man at all, he'd more likely be the one with her on the dance floor as they moved in crazy ways like no one sees them.

They've agreed on how much they are willing to divulge. He consistently says in post game interviews that although he will openly say that they are dating, he won't say anything more than that without speaking to Taylor first, and it doesn't take Stephen Hawking to realise she'd tell him not to elaborate further. Whenever she's mentioned in the podcast it is usually about the fans, not our Queen directly, such as the Christmas single reaching number one on iTunes.

He. Wants. The. World. To. Know. Isn't that refreshing? From her songs alone anyone can deduce that Taylor enjoys being in love and wants that love shouted from the rooftops, she wants to be acknowledged by her partner. She is able to express this in song whilst her other halves generally haven't or if they have it's been too subtle. Going from being as closed off as Jaylor were, to Travis proudly saying they are together must feel awesome for her.

He likes her acknowledgement right back. If you haven't seen the video of his face and neck going red as Tay changed the lyrics to Karma for him, go find it and then come back and read this again.

With all the love and respect I have for Ms Swift, I pray, beg fate, give offerings to the gods, ask the universe to make this one be it for her. Of all the guys that have gone before there's no one like Travis Kelce in the mix and maybe this is the 1!

P. S. I chose Maroon because it is all said in the first verse...

[all-the-tyler-talk]

Do you think Tyler is done acting with s&l ending?

Any hopes for a dream role youde like to see him in next?

I think he's probably more interested in producing because he probably thinks there's potentially more money in it, and he won't have to audition for new roles all the time just to get a job. He didn't do very well when he left TW, just a bunch of not very good indie movies or tiny roles in slightly better indie movies, he lucked out when he got S&L.

I can't really imagine what role he'd be any good in. Definitely not a detective/medical/law drama as I find those all incredibly boring and they're all the same basic show just with different characters. I did see something about a Bewitched remake, I think he'd make a good Darren (the husband) and Bitsie could be Samantha (the wife), but I doubt that'll happen.

[cciaustralia]

The Role of Thermometer Calibration in Quality Control

When was the last time you wondered if your thermometer was accurate? We often take it for granted, especially when that thermometer is a critical tool in quality control. Ensuring precise temperature measurements is crucial in a kitchen, a laboratory, or a manufacturing plant. But how do you know your thermometer is telling the truth? Enter thermometer calibration - the unsung hero that keeps our readings accurate and our processes flawless.

Why Precision Matters: The Heart of Quality Control

In the world of quality control, accuracy is everything. Whether you ensure that a vaccine remains effective, a food product is safe, or a chemical process is stable, the temperature must be spot on. One tiny error in the temperature reading can lead to spoiled batches, unsafe products, or even catastrophic failures. This is why Thermometer Calibration is more than just a good thing to have - it's a necessity.

Imagine baking a cake, and your oven's thermometer is off by 10 degrees. Your cake could end up undercooked, overcooked, or just plain inedible. Now, multiply that error by a thousand in an industrial setting. The stakes are high, so precision through Thermometer Calibration is at the heart of quality control.

What Exactly is Thermometer Calibration?

Calibration isn't just about checking if your thermometer works. It's about ensuring that it works correctly and consistently. Professional thermometer calibration services is the process of comparing a thermometer's readings against a standard known to be accurate. If discrepancies are found, adjustments are made to correct the thermometer's readings.

This process is not just a one-off event. Thermometers must be calibrated regularly depending on the usage and the environment. A thermometer frequently used or exposed to harsh conditions might need calibration more often than one used occasionally in a controlled environment.

The Domino Effect: How Inaccurate Thermometers Impact Quality

Let's talk about the ripple effect. One inaccurate reading can create a chain reaction of errors affecting the entire production process. For instance, if a thermometer in a food processing plant is off by just a few degrees, it could mean the difference between safe consumption and a product recall. The financial and reputational damage from such errors can be massive.

Similarly, an incorrect temperature reading during production or storage in pharmaceuticals could render a life-saving drug ineffective. This is why Thermometer Calibration isn't just about preventing mistakes; it's about ensuring trust and safety in every product that reaches the consumer.

Making Calibration Part of Your Routine: Best Practices

So, how can you ensure Thermometer Calibration becomes a regular part of your quality control process?

1. Set a Calibration Schedule

Just like your car needs regular maintenance, your thermometer also needs it. Create a schedule that fits your thermometer’s usage and environment. Regular calibration ensures that your readings remain accurate over time.

2. Document Everything

Keep records of every calibration performed. This helps in tracking the accuracy of your thermometers over time and serves as proof of your commitment to quality control, especially during audits.

3. Train Your Team

Ensure everyone on your team understands the importance of thermometer calibration and knows how to perform it correctly. A well-trained team is your first line of defence against errors.

4. Invest in Quality Calibration Tools

Using high-quality calibration tools is just as important as the calibration process itself. Invest in reliable equipment that can provide accurate standards for comparison.

Conclusion

Thermometer Calibration might seem like a small detail in the grand scheme of quality control, but it holds up the entire process. Accurate temperature readings ensure that products are safe, effective, and reliable. It's a simple step with far-reaching implications, making it a critical component of any quality control strategy.

So, the next time you check a thermometer reading, remember that Plc Programming is the silent guardian, ensuring everything is just as it should be. After all, in quality control, the little things make the most significant difference.

[parenting-toddlers]

Home Harmony: Balancing Independence and Safety – A Guide to Toddler-Proofing

As toddlers take their first steps into independence, creating a safe yet stimulating home environment becomes a top priority for parents. In this blog post, we'll explore practical strategies and tips for achieving the delicate balance between fostering independence and ensuring the safety of your curious little explorers.

Understanding Toddler Curiosity: Begin by acknowledging the boundless curiosity of toddlers. Their innate desire to explore and discover is a crucial part of their development. Understanding this curiosity sets the stage for effective toddler-proofing.

Creating Designated Safe Zones: Discuss the concept of creating designated safe zones within your home. Design areas where toddlers can explore freely without posing significant risks. These zones may include playrooms or corners with age-appropriate toys and activities.

Childproofing Hazardous Areas: Dive into the specifics of childproofing hazardous areas. Cover electrical outlets, secure cabinets with safety latches, and install safety gates at stairs. Addressing potential dangers helps create a secure environment for your toddler to navigate.

Choosing Toddler-Friendly Furniture: Explore the world of toddler-friendly furniture. Opt for rounded edges and stable pieces to minimize the risk of bumps and falls. Secure heavy furniture to the wall to prevent accidental tipping.

Strategically Placing Fragile Items: Discuss the importance of strategically placing fragile or valuable items out of reach. Consider relocating breakable decor, plants, or other items that may pose a risk to your toddler's safety.

Introducing Age-Appropriate Toys: Emphasize the role of age-appropriate toys in fostering independent play. Provide toys that encourage exploration, imagination, and sensory development. Avoid small parts that could pose a choking hazard.

Installing Window and Door Safety Measures: Highlight the necessity of installing window and door safety measures. Use window guards to prevent falls and doorstops to protect tiny fingers. Ensuring these precautions contributes to a secure living space.

Teaching Safe Behavior: Discuss the importance of teaching safe behavior to toddlers. Simple instructions like not climbing on furniture or touching hot surfaces contribute to their understanding of safety boundaries.

Supervising Water and Bath Time: Address the specific safety concerns around water. Supervise bath time closely, use non-slip mats, and adjust water heaters to prevent accidental burns. Vigilance is key when it comes to water safety.

Regular Safety Audits: Conclude by emphasizing the need for regular safety audits. As toddlers grow and develop new skills, reassess the safety measures in your home. Stay adaptable and make adjustments as needed to ensure an ongoing balance between independence and safety.

Creating a home that balances independence and safety is a continuous journey for parents of toddlers. By strategically childproofing hazardous areas, introducing age-appropriate toys, and teaching safe behavior, you can foster independence while maintaining a secure environment. Here's to a harmonious home where little ones can explore, learn, and grow with confidence!

[lockpickingliar]

Honestly find this very interesting! I don't see a lot of content about DICE specifically after the killing game, exploring the grief of losing their leader. Very thought-provoking post!

At least among the canons explored on this blog, not every Kokichi even has a DICE, but among those who do, I imagine it's a very mixed bag. Some, like Cookie, died in the killing game, while others are in a simulation but are yet to return to their DICE. I know a lot of our Kokichis are also prone to the existential crisis of the game canon claiming that none of their memories are real, implying that DICE itself doesn't really exist. Harrowing stuff!

But that's specifically Kokichi's perspective, and I don't want to derail your focus on DICE in particular.

I agree it must have been a terrible experience, and while I see that you're lacking some context in that you haven't finished the game for yourself, the implications of the killing game participants in some way being there of their own volition is not lost on you. (Although some canons we have here explore killing games that were NOT on a volunteer basis, I will stick to game canon here.)

I like to explore the reasoning behind Kokichi's audition to the killing game in Talent-based universes, particularly because he has so much to lose (DICE). Kokichi's a pragmatic guy, and so something very serious must have driven him to joining the game in the first place. I imagine this reasoning would not be lost on DICE themselves, because they know their leader and they know he wouldn't just throw his life away for no reason when he has so many people who care about him. As rough as his joining would be, they wouldn't be able to deny that he had his reasons, and I feel like they would respect that (not to say that doesn't make the whole ordeal hurt any less).

They would ABSOLUTELY be offended by the rest of the cast's treatment of Kokichi, however. They know how Kokichi operates, so it's clear to them what he's doing and why, especially in the beginning before any deaths have even happened. He's trying to lighten the mood, he's goofing around, trying to keep everyone's mind off the gravity of the situation by treating it like a joke so that they don't fall too far into despair.

No one takes kindly to that, though, and write him off. That'd sting, I think, but at least seeing their leader operating as normal would bring some kind of solace. Maybe, they think, Kokichi will be able to come out of this unscathed.

Then the killings start.

Things go downhill VERY quickly, and Kokichi falls down this slippery slope of isolation and paranoia that DICE has never seen from him before. It'd take them all off-guard, I think, how he seems to flip like a switch. I know you're not familiar with anything past the first trial, but trust me when I say it's bad. It's really, really bad.

The deeper down the hole Kokichi falls, the less and less he looks like the leader they knew and loved.

That isn't to say they would stop believing in him, though! Quite the contrary, I think they'd be heartbroken to watch how easily Kokichi is broken down into a bundle of his worst neuroses until there was nothing left. They'd still see glimpses of the old him, in his desperation to end the killing game, his kindness towards the outcasts like Miu and Gonta, (granted THAT becomes a whole OTHER can of worms to break him down later, good god-) just tiny slivers of the leader they know and love slowly being overtaken by this monster of paranoia and cruel, cruel lies. It'd really hurt to watch.

And then at the end? After he was thoroughly broken down to the point of no return, shunned by the rest of the cast and forced into a role that DICE knows isn't the real him? Death. He's just gone. That was the last they ever saw of him, a complete mess and barely a shell of who he was. I genuinely don't know how they would be able to handle their leader--someone they cared about so much and knew so well--being bastardized and remembered by the world as the exact opposite of what they knew him to truly be.

And even in simulation verses, I agree with you that it wouldn't be any better. Kokichi is left fundamentally broken now. I don't think he'd even want to show his face to DICE again after everything he did. Even if they sought him out, he would try to turn them away. He doesn't deserve their respect anymore, even if they think he does, even if they know it was the circumstances and that their real leader is still there somewhere. He wouldn't see it that way at all. It doesn't matter.

Whether or not Kokichi Ouma lives or dies it doesn't matter, because that's not Kokichi Ouma, beloved leader of DICE anymore.

It's Kokichi Ouma, Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil, cruel liar, failure, murderer.

And how is DICE supposed to save him from that?

I was scrolling YouTube this morning listening to music and watching videos to wake up as i always do and stumbled across a question. "What was the aftermath to DICE losing their leader to the game?" Now. I'm not super good at nuance and I'm quite bad with words but for reasons I can't really explain, my brain said this would be an interesting one to break down my thoughts on. Now, please mind, I haven't finished the game, and have barely touched chapter 2 because life likes getting in my way. Buuuut since this isn't a breakdown of DICE as a whole and just my thoughts on the aftereffects of losing their leader, figured it was worth a shot. I'm going to cover three scenarios I can see happening.

1. Was Kokichi the first member of DICE involved in the game?

2. Was he not the first?

3. Simulation vs Reality

Yeah. This might get a little long but I'm going to try to be concise as I can and expand later as needed.

For a little context on how I view DICE's makeup. They are a found family unit, most likely post tragedy or even late tragedy for some. Some could be related directly but I see it more as a "didn't fit in" or "lost family during the tragedy" or any other number of reasons. They all have their issues, sure, but they support each other in any way they can and love each other dearly. Their ages may range, from all being right around the same age within a few year range, to a few adults even being trusted enough to be within their ranks. Lies are a daily thing to them, being a way to joke and play or even say "I love you" without needing to say it directly. And for people who have been hurt? Not having to be as open and honest could be nice. For some members it could even be a safety blanket.

Now. Question 1. Was Kokichi the first DICE member in the game?

It's hard to say for certain. For all we know, he's not. Others could have gone in before him and been lost. DICE theoretically could have been bigger at one point, and there could have been loss for them prior, but I'll cover that in my next point. If he was the first, I can see it being a lot for DICE to have their leader away and be terrified for his safety.

Their leader is strong and clever. And the bestest one out there. Hands down. And that's not just because they're his subordinates. I can see this being a true belief to them. The rest of the class treatment towards Kokichi would probably hurt or even piss off some of DICE. His lies aren't hurtful, they're playful, or even guiding at times. DICE can see it, why can't Kokichi's classmates at least try? Do they not see that he isn't being cruel with them?

The first trial would probably be hard for all of them to watch, and lead to a whole slew of emotions; anticipation (to see how their leader will handle it and take control), sadness, fear, hope, frustration, disgust, mild mocking at Akamatsu-chan's sad attempt to lie, any number of things. And the first investigation probably more so. Kokichi seems the kind to me who'd want to protect even those he doesn't know well, and I can see both Amami and Akamatsu's death hitting him hard. No killing. It was their one rule. So having to watch their leader deal with it again and again can not have been easy for any of DICE, especially Kokichi. And I can't imagine it got easier the further in they got. Every trial, every cruel remark to Kokichi was probably hard on all of them. Watching someone you love be beaten down again and again can't be easy after all.

But what if he wasn't the first DICE member to be part of the killing game? What if he was the second, or even third to be dragged into it? Is it possible he'd lost members of his found family to the bears and game? Was his motivation to join for revenge? Or an attempt to make it all stop permanently so no one else has to lose loved ones? To show how messed up it all was? Who knows. I personally subscribe to this thought process, but that is neither here nor there right now.

If he wasn't the first, it makes more sense to me why he'd join. I know the game seems to want you to believe at the start that none of them are there by their own choice but that just feels.... wrong to me I guess? Like it's not entirely the truth at the very least. My best guess is some of the kids are there for a reason, but I won't pretend to know why. I'm sure DICE discussed it, but I know if it was me, I would have fought tooth and nail to keep him from having to experience that, even if he had his own reasons, and I'm sure he'd do the same. But loss and grief can be hard and make you do stupid things sometimes.

If it was discussed as something he needed to do, it probably wasn't something easy for DICE. It would have been a last resort for any of them, and left them all a little broken that they even needed to consider sending another of their own to the slaughter, especially their dear Ultimate Supreme Leader.

Now, if Kokichi made the call on his own though and left during the night or with no warning after school or something, DICE would have woken up in quite the panic, wondering where they're beloved leader had gone until they found a note or saw the roster for the upcoming game? This could have multiple effects, from the entirety of DICE shattering and separating to being forced to helplessly watch their dear leader play a game none of the wanted involved in. And if he failed and it was all for naught? How would that effect his subordinates? Had he considered that? The effect of watching another person they loved being destroyed by that damn game. No. Wouldn't feel like that in the moment. I don't think they'd resent him, but I do think they'd be hurt beyond belief, left to flounder without any direction, maybe even leading to further bloodshed to the group trying to finish what he'd started..... or a desperate grab to understand why, or save the little family they had left before that's gone forever too and they're alone.

But if it was just a simulation it would be okay wouldn't it? Not like anyone actually died. Let me make this perfectly clear. NO IT WOULD NOT. I honestly think it could be worse than actual death in game for them.

Kokichi and anyone else in DICE who'd been through the game would probably be traumatized beyond reason, maybe even scared to even hide behind their own lies because it had just caused them so much pain in the game. And that could just lead to them bottling it all up until they'd break. Or it could lead to hiding even more heavily behind lies or whatever that member's coping mechanism is, maybe even unintentionally hurting themselves and further DICE as a result. Either way. Not a good outcome.

As for Kokichi, I can see it leading to DICE constantly worrying for him. Wondering if his lies are truly kind or if he's hiding behind a cruel lie thinking it's kind. It's not hard to do. People do it all the time without realizing, so who's to say that someone who excels at it could fool himself into it? And if he can pass it off, what is it doing to him and DICE in return?