#maybe it wasn't anything revolutionary but the way it was said-

[thatsitso]

Finished Trimax, feeling good

[beatrixstonehill2]

"Jesus, these things are going to fill my lap in another couple months. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy my college signed me up for this clinical trial, but I am starting to get a bit concerned with how massive and heavy my boobs are going to get. Like.... only a few months ago I was a C-Cup. They're already humongous..... The people at the trial make me strip in front of a bunch of pharmaceutical execs. They weigh my breasts, poke and prod them, squeeze them, crush them in vices, and sometimes they even inject huge syringes of saline right into them, one after another, making them even more swollen and huge, telling me these saline treatment are 'just part of the trial'. I think they just like filling my boobs with a gallon of saline each to see me struggle to keep my back straight.

I ask them how long the trial will go on, how many more months I need to take the breast growth pills. Like, they clearly work..... But they just tell me as long as possible to test the limits of the medicine. I try to get them to tell me how big my boobs will get and they avoid the question, telling me not to worry and enjoy them. I tell them my back hurts really bad now and they laugh. I say, 'It won't be so funny if my spine snaps and I wind up paralyzed!' The scientists and execs just shrug and tell me when my spine snaps they'll ensure I have every possible accommodation to complete my diploma. They never say 'if', they say 'when'.....

I try to tell them I don't want to wind up paralyzed, but they say it's not really a big deal and I'll be able to live a perfectly fulfilling life, that their research is what's important. I got frustrated one time and blurted out that I won't be able to feel my pussy or when guys fuck me. They told me it's a good thing, men can be as rough as they want and I won't even feel it. I guess they have a point, that's kind of nice. I said I'll miss cumming, and they told me my pussy will still cum. I might not feel it, but it'll react physically on its own and squirt if men fuck me hard enough and rub/smack my clit enough. I guess that's OK...... as long as men can still make me squirt. It'll suck not feeling it but it'll be kinda fun to watch men have their way with me.

I guess I'm really dedicated to this clinical trial after all. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having fun growing such a giant pair of boobs. Soon they'll fill my lap and probably get way bigger. They'll weigh well over 100lbs each.... I'll need help to do just about anything regardless of whether or not my poor spine gives out. But I do agree..... I think it'd be more fun if it did, plus the people running the trial seem excited for it to happen. So, I don't wanna disappoint them. Hopefully my boobs get so humongous they totally surround me..... I wonder how much saline the team running the trial will pump into them for fun after that? A whole bathtub's worth? My boobs will be so fucking swollen and impossible to budge. All I'll be will be a poor, stationary girl who'll really only exist to serve cock; what else are such monstrous breasts useful for? And the rest of me will be a playground for men to use however they see fit. At least I don't need to be able to move to do therapy sessions online once I graduate and become a psychiatrist. Maybe I'll hold in person sessions anyway and judge my patients' mental state on how harshly they treat my gigantic breasts? With any luck it'll be a revolutionary new approach other girls decide to imitate. Wouldn't that be nice? ❤️"

[george-weasleys-girl]

Hey bestie, can you write 30 with f reader x fred?

She's spending Christmas with the Wesley's as she doesn't have a family as they died in the first war and were in the OG Order of the Phoenix (which they don't realise maybe until Fred and George are discussing going home for Christmas, and reader mentions staying at Hogwarts), and Fred has fancied her since they were best friends.

https://www.tumblr.com/writerthreads/704592881806082048/30-festive-writing-prompts-for-your-wipone-shots?source=share

❄️Yuletide Celebration❄️

Under the Mistletoe

Fred Weasley x Fem!reader

~•~

"Stop trying to get me under the mistletoe!"

"Frederick Gideon Weasley!" Molly yelled from the kitchen. "Leave that poor girl alone! She's here to celebrate Christmas with us, not have you chase her through the house like a crazed lunatic."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Y/N said, then turned, laughing, and stuck her tongue out at Fred.

~•~

It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss Fred. She really, truly did. But he was one of her dearest friends and also Hogwart's most notorious playboy. She was certain he would never see her as anything other than a friend. And if she kissed him, even just the smallest peck, all those feelings she kept buried would force their way to the surface, and she wasn't sure she could shove them back down again.

Four days earlier

"Well, that settles it," Fred announced. "You're going home with us for Christmas."

"But - I... " Y/N stammered.

"Nope, no buts," George said. "You don't have a family to go home to for Christmas. So, you're coming to ours."

"Exactly," Fred nodded in agreement. After learning that not only had her parents been killed in the First Wizarding World, but her grandfather, her only family, had passed away over the summer, there was no way he was taking no for an answer.

"But what about your parents?" She argued. "How would they feel if you just brought a random stranger home for the holidays."

"First off," Fred held up a finger. "You're not random. And second," he held up another finger. "You're not a stranger. And third," he held up yet another finger. "While you were busy arguing with us, Ginny sent a note to mum telling her to expect an extra guest. So there." Fred folded his arms, looking quite pleased with himself. "Now, let's get you packed."

~•~

Nothing could be sweeter to Fred's ears than Y/N's laughter ringing through the Burrow. He'd fancied her for a long time, though he'd never worked up the guts to tell her.

Oh sure, he could woo girls left and right, but when it came down to actual feelings, he lost all ability to speak or breathe or function at all. That was why he kept trying to get Y/N under the mistletoe. He was good at kissing, and he thought that maybe if he could just give her a small kiss, he could somehow convey all those pent-up emotions.

Except things weren't working out as he'd expected. The only reason he was doing the whole mistletoe thing was that he thought she felt the same way. Occasionally, he caught her looking at him in a way that suggested more than just feelings of friendship.

"Maybe I'm wrong," he confided to George. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking."

"Or maybe you need to change tactics," his brother suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this," George shook his head. "But I agree with mum. You are chasing her around like a crazed lunatic."

Fred sighed. "So what do you suggest?"

"Well, I know this is a pretty revolutionary idea, but stick with me," his twin began. "But you could just try talking to Y/N. Tell her how you feel."

"Tell me how you feel about what?" Y/N's voice startled both boys, who swerved around to see her standing in the doorway to their bedroom.

~•~

Y/N and Fred sat side by side on his bed. For a long while, neither spoke.

"Whatever this is, it must be serious," Y/N said, breaking the silence. "If you're at a loss for words."

Fred opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"I, um... you know how I've been trying to get you under the mistletoe?" He asked.

"Yeah... "

"I'm not just trying to... you're not like all the other girls. Not to me anyway."

With every stumbling word, Y/N's heart beat a little faster. "W-what are you trying to say, Fred?"

"I'm saying that," he paused to clear his throat. "That I like you. Alot. Alot more than as a friend. But if you don't feel - "

"I do feel the same way," Y/N interjected.

Fred's eyes widened. "You do?"

Y/N nodded. "That's why I wouldn't kiss you. There'd be no going back for me if I did."

" Yeah. Me either."

"So would you like to - " She barely got the words out before his lips were on hers, tender yet all-encompassing.

Even after their lips parted, they remained with their foreheads together, eyes closed for a few lingering moments.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Fred mummered.

"Me too." Y/N felt more than saw his smile.

"Wanna do it again?" He asked.

"You don't even have to ask," she smiled, leaning forward.

"Oh wait! We need something!" Fred yelped, causing her to jump. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sprig of mistletoe, holding it over their heads.

"Have you been carrying that around all day?" She laughed.

"Yep!" He replied. "I didn't know when the opportunity might present itself and wanted to be ready."

Y/N giggled and shook her head. "It's a good thing you're so cute, you know."

"I know," he winked and leaned for the second round.

~•~

@milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley @nighttimemoonlover @jsjcue @wzrd-wheezes @fredweasleyyyyy @hufflepuffie @alexistonks @anvaaryn @samshifts @asuperconfusedgirl @superduckmilkshake @mysticsheepsoul @gemofthenight @1lellykins @junerprsh @sierraluvz @wolfkill16 @smallsweetvanillabean @costheticbabe @thatonepersonwhocantwrite @charmedfandomgal @loveosewood @hanne-montana @rhunew @greenapplegrass @lizzytrees @spididerman

[moongothic]

We all know how a lot of Luffy's opponents have been in some ways premonitions of the type of person Luffy could end up as if something went wrong in his life. For example Moria is what Luffy could've become had he truly lost his entire crew at Sabaody if Kuma had not saved them

And we know Crocodile is what Luffy maybe could've become had Luffy given up on his dreams and become jaded after losing to him. But like, when you think about it, that's not the only dark reflection of Luffy in Crocodile, is it

'Cause Crocodile, despite employing people for Baroque Works, did not trust anyone around him and did not considder anyone to be anything else but an employee to him. And we know he had been planning on taking over Alabasta for like 14 years (at the very least), BW being a thing for only the past four (pre-timeskip)

So like. Did Crocodile spend the last 14 years alone

Like yes he had his workers at the Casino and Robin etc, so he was like, around people, he wasn't like Brook who was in Total Isolation. But on an emotional level, has he not spent the last 14 years all by himself, completely detached from anyone, unable to trust or rely on anyone else?

That is sad as fucking shit, holy hell

'Cause then you compare him to like Luffy and like

Our sweet baby boy was so afraid of being alone that Luffy literally went through hell just to gain Ace's approval despite Ace trying to signal to him he wasn't interested befriending him

And through out the whole series Luffy reiterates time and time again how he needs and wants his friends around because he literally can't live without them, both on a literal "he can't cook or navigate or have fun by himself" level but also on that emotional level

And Crocodile just. Spent 14 years of his life, if not longer, alone.

Sweet jesus what happened to this man

And that just makes me further wonder, what the absolute fuck were Crocodile's Rookie Pirate days like?? Like did he have a crew or was he just yolo'ing it by himself???

Like. Mihawk's never been on a crew as far as we know. Kuma was a Revolutionary, not a pirate, but he wasn't like alone still. Doflaming, Hancock, Jinbei and Moria however have/had crews of their own. So what was Crocodile's deal? Did he have a crew before? Was he a captain or was he on someone else's ship? (Although surely the Government wouldn't offer the position of a Shichibukai to a cabin boy or the first mate, right)

And if he did have a crew, the hell happened to them??

Like we know Crocodile got his ass kicked by Whitebeard, I just find it unlikely Whitebeard would've pulled a Kaidou on Crocodile's crew and slaughtered them, that's not a very Whitebeard-y thing do, right?? ...Unless Whitebeard was just different 20+ years ago and was willing to annihilate entire crews. We don't know. Or maybe Crocodile and his entire crew were like Turbo Rotten from the beginning and Whitebeard figured they deserved to get wiped out, much like how we saw Shanks wipe out Kid's crew at Elbaf. Or maybe Whitebeard saw no reason to have mercy on someone affiliated with the World Government.

That all said, if we wanted to assume Crocodile had somekind of trauma that lead to him viewing people not only as disposable but also untrustworthy, then maybe losing people dear to him like that wouldn't lead to that mindset. Like Moria witnessed his beloved crew die and that caused him to want to create a crew he couldn't die, so he wouldn't go through that emotional trauma again.

Which leaves me to wonder. If something caused him to lose his ability to (emotionally) trust people, and if Whitebeard broke his dreams... Maybe Crocodile had a crew. And maybe they abandoned him when he lost to Whitebeard. Figuring they didn't need a weak captain who was probably going to bleed to death anyways. Or maybe the crew tried to take his head (after Whitebeard kicked his ass), after all, he was already a Shichibukai, anybody who took Crocodile's head could maybe attempt to take that title for themselves if the Government allowed it, and if not, at least gain more fame for themselves.

Either of these scenarios would certainly result in you losing your ability to rely on others. And leave you willing to spend the rest of your life alone. Who would have in them to go through that again.

Or maybe he came out of the womb unable to trust people and he was just yolo'ing it by himself like Mihawk right from the begining, who knows

Regardless I'm just

[kukurykunapatyku]

[I.D.: Drawing of Sabo, Koala and Vinsmoke Ichiji from One Piece inside a wooden shack, framed like a photo. Also a random guy I made up just for this: he has short hair, is tied with rope to the ceiling and has wide-open eyes. He's not important. Koala is in the front, she's grinning with closed eyes and posing her right hand in victory sign. Her left hand and legs are out of frame, she's the one making the photo. She's wearing pink shirt with white frills and her bordo hat with goggles. Yonji is behind her, crouched down with his face in his hands. He,s wearing white t-shirt and brown trousers. Sabo is on the left, making thumbs up in front of the tied guy, part of his right leg is out of frame. He has wide smile, left side of his face is covered in scar tissue. He's wearing grey boots, blue shirt with white cravat, light blue pants and black coat. On the floor next to him lays empty bucket, water spilling out of it. /End I.D.]

Vinsmoke shipping week day 2: First date / Detective x Criminal

Say cheese!

Does going on a mission and waterboarding a guy for informations count as first date? I say yes. Turns out being an evil mercenary for most of your life doesn't necesssery prepare you to the kind of stuff revolutionaries do. Well, people learn all their life!

🔽Fic under readmore🔽 also on Ao3

"Everyone, say cheese!"

Koala, unconcerned that only Sabo followed her instruction, lifted the camera higher and put her hand in victory sign, smiling widely. Careful not to drop it, she pushed the button and a few seconds later the polaroid came out. She took it to fully appreciate the mess before her, forever immortalized on film.

Sabo was smiling from ear to ear and putting both his thumbs up, not caring that spilled water was pulling under his boots. In contrast, Yonji crouched down, put his head in hands and looked like he would prefer to be anywhere else.

The captured guard dangling from the ceiling looked mostly confused, if a little less fearful for his life. Well, that'll need to be corrected.

"Let me seeeee," Sabo whined next to her ear. Still smiling, she pushed his head away without any remorse.

"It's mine now, get your own."

"Oh came on, it's not fair! I lost my camera at the base, you know that!"

"I found it and put it on your desk."

His head snapped. "What? Where?!"

"Next to the paperwork from last week." At his blank stare she added: "You know, the one you were supposed to look over and check if everything's alright before we left two days ago?"

Too late to avoid the trap, Sabo did the only smart thing and changed the subject.

"Man, who's the real red one in your family, your brother or you? Maybe we should call you tomato instead of onion." He left her side and picked up now-empty bucket. "It's been a while since I've seen someone fumble interrogation this badly. Isn't a member of the 'legendary mercenary army' supposed be professional in this things?"

Yonji raised his head, his cheeks blooming red.

"I thought when you're waterboarding someone you lift the water up, not pull the guy down. That's why I used stronger knot here." He pointed at the hook the rope was connected to. "How was I supposed to know it's the other way around!"

"Oh, I was wondering about that," Koala interjected. "Weird way to tie it."

"Why didn't you say anything?" he groaned.

She shrugged. "I thought it was some weird Germa way. People learn all their life."

"Well, I just thought it was funny," said Sabo, before focusing on Yonji again. "Wait, with all the war crimes* under your belt, you never waterboarded anyone before?"

Yonji cringed and sunk his head.

"We weren't tasked with capturing people that often, much less interrogate them. Our employers usually wanted to do that themselves. Confident information and all that," he mumbled from behind his hands. He curled further, which was honestly impressive considering his size. Like a mastiff trying to fit inside the cat basket. She reached her hand to pat his hair.

"There there, it wasn't that bad for the first time."

"We won't tell a soul, promise," Sabo lied. "But I can't talk for this one." He gripped the rope and grinned at their guest. "Are you a talker, sir?"

The prisoner gulped at being in the spotlight again and furiously shook his head.

"No? Oh my, that's so unlucky! If you were a talker, this could go a lot faster," Sabo pouted. "As you can see, my friend over there spilled all the water for you. Which means one of two things; either you'll make it easier for all of us and answer a few questions, or-" He sighed dramatically. "We will have to improvise with what we got. And it's going to be bloody shame if you don't last to the end of it." He flashed him a wide smile with way too much teeth.

Fascinating, Koala thought. I didn't know you can lose all the blood in your face while hanging upside down.

-

Koala plopped on the bench between her boys, handing each an ice-cream cone.

Yonji took his and stared at it for a while before turning to smile at them.

"Is this what you guys usually do on missions? I could get used to it."

Koala scratched her neck. "Well, not exactly usually, but sometimes it goes like that. It's a lot less threatening and a lot more running and sneaking around on most days. With occasional explosion or two." She side-eyed Sabo, who looked annoyingly unrepentant.

"Since it's the first time you were going with us, we picked something more up your line." Sabo licked his ice-cream. "Of course, if we knew how much you'll screw it up, we would have given you something different to fuck."

Koala whacked him in the back of the head.

"We agreed not to talk about this anymore! You made fun of him enough already!" She looked back at Yonji. "And why are you blushing!"

"You really are a tomato!"

"Argh, I swear..." Koala huffed and went back to her food. "Why do I even bother."

This just get her twin snickers from the sides. She rolled her eyes but smiled. It went well all things considered. Their captive's tongue seemed to loosen a lot once he realized that everyone in the room was clinically insane, which she was more than happy to contribute to, so the mission went smoothly afterwards.

"One thing i don't understand," she broke the silence. "Why did that guy want your autograph? You don't even have a wanted poster."

"Oh, it's probably because my family is technically main villains of a surprisingly popular vintage comic strip from North Blue. I'm the green one."

Koala nodded.

"Yeah, that makes- You're WHAT?!"

*I apologize for insinuating One Piece world has anything like Geneva convention. It does not.

[cinememed]

₍ 🎞 ₎   revolutionary road   (2008)  rp  starters  ! featuring toxic relationships, mature themes, violent & explicit language . some lines have been slightly adjusted for rp purposes .

you'll leave me? is that a threat or a promise?

so now i'm crazy because i don't love you? is that the point?

you're not crazy, and you do love me. that's the point.

i just wanted us to live again.

i feel sorry for you. maybe we deserve each other.

how pathetic is that? to put your hopes in a promise that was never made.

i made a disgusting spectacle of myself, right?

you were just some boy who made me laugh at a party once.

you're not worth the powder it would take to blow you up.

you're not worth the trouble it would take to hit you.

is it supposed to make me jealous or something?

what the hell are you doing in my house if you hate me so much?

you are an empty, hollow, hollow shell of a woman.

is it supposed to make me fall in love or back into bed with you?

in other words, you don't care what i do, or who i fuck, or anything.

you'll have the time to find out what it is you actually want to do. 

that's right, i don't care. fuck who you like.

don't you understand that i want you to care?

our whole existence here is based on this great premise that we're special.

i saw a whole other future. i can't stop seeing it.

you heard wrong. it's all gone now.

i want to feel things. really feel them.

we were never special or destined or anything at all.

you think you can bully me into feeling whatever you want me to feel.

have i said i'm sorry enough times already? damn.

i'm just about the sorriest bastard i know.

i suppose i would care if i still loved you. but i don't think i do anymore.

i've got many questions to ask and i'm willing to pay for the answers.

how about doing everybody a favor? how about shutting up?

you've never tried at anything. if you don't try at anything, you can't fail.

i think you're the most interesting person i've ever met.

nothing's permanent, right?

are you still talking? isn't there any way to stop your talking?

you're the most beautiful and wonderful thing in the world.

i have the backbone not to run away from my responsibilities!

you just seemed.. special. of course, you still are.

sweetheart, what are you talking about?

we can be happy here. i can make you happy here. 

when i first met you, there was nothing in the world you couldn't do.

i don't mean how you make money. i mean, what are you interested in?

good to see your shining face.

no one forgets the truth, they just get better at lying.

if you come any closer or touch me, i think i'll scream.

i've never really been anywhere.

i guess it wasn't a triumph or anything, was it?

i just don't want you feeling bad about it. because it's not worth it.

it strikes me that there is a considerable amount of bullshit going on here.

haven't i made it clear i don't particularly want to talk about it?

you're always so definite on the subject of what you do and don't deserve.

this time you're not going to get away with twisting everything i say.

this happens to be the one time i know i'm not in the wrong.

you're sick. i really mean that.

you know something? you're lucky you met me.

why don't we go get some air, you and me?

i missed you all day, and i wanted to say that i'm sorry.

i think this whole plan sounds a little immature.

you really are being melodramatic about this whole thing.

all i know is what i feel.

i guess there isn't much more to say then, is there?

all i'm saying is you don't seem entirely rational about this.

can't leave, can't stay. no damn use to anyone.

you should value what you do. you're obviously good at it.

[king-krisu]

I hope K. will not only produce partybangers in the future. I understand that songs like kovis/morgan are not commercial enough as a single, but icip is just not mine cup of tea. I think he will keep his core fans, but I don't see songs like icip being successful in the charts, but maybe I'm wrong

I understand your concern, and personally I also don't think ICIP will be a commercial hit unless Kääryleet *really* stream the fuck out of it. Idk if you're finnish or not, but here CCC wasn't even the most played radio single of this year, it came in second with Kuumaa's Ylivoimainen being nr 1. Probably because it's more paletable for mainstream audiences. I think the whole point of the ICIP MV is to show that Jere doesn't give a fuck about being commercially successful, if it means he has to censor himself and restrict his creative expression (like for example, being the family friendly "koko kansan Käärijä" that he so desperately wants to shed in the mv).

I don't wish to assume, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't really understand your point of diminishing songs just because they're "partybangers". Yes, Jere has a lot of them, but Kovis isn't even about parties? It's actually quite a personal song to him about realising how bad you must feel about yourself to comment something negative online. And Morgan is about how dumb it is to drink so much you don't remember anything from last night, and on top of that having an awful hangover to deal with.

Further than that, Jere had a very interesting conversation on Urheilucast about his biggest source of inspiration, Rammstein. While their songs are maybe a bit more complex than your usual "partybangers", Esko brought up a good point: even if their music might not be revolutionary or even that hard to play/recreate, it's the show around it that makes it worthwhile. Jere himself said that no matter what you think of their music, the live performance is something everyone should see atleast once in their lives because it's so unique. I'd like to think the same about Jere's music in a way: even if a song like Paidaton Riehuja is just about taking your shirt off and going bananas, the way Jere performs it has so much energy packed into it that you can't help but love it. Same with ICIP, the lyrics might be incredibly basic, but the mv around it has such an insane story and visual side to it that you forget he's singing about parties 24/7. Sometimes music can just be fun and simple and pack a punch in the way it's performed either live or in a music video, it doesn't have to be the most profound thing at first listen.

Would I love some songs like Z, Alaks Olee or Online on the album? Absolutely. I think Jere is not only a good performer but also an incredible storyteller, and he can easily make a song like Alaks Olee again. Do I think his "partybangers" are any less cool just because they might lack in lyrical creativity? No I don't.

[alchemicaladarna]

Well...Happy 1 year of QSMP I guess...

There's just no easy way to say anything about everything that's been happening the past few weeks and everything that's happened since yesterday because it's a fucking dumpster fire and I'm just so tired of it all to be honest...

But this post isn't about that.

I still want to celebrate this server's first year anniversary because of how much it means to me personally. I made a post talking about how I initially started watching the qsmp (two days early 💀) but I'll reiterate what I've always said:

That despite all the problems of the server, despite all the damage that has been done, never forget what it has managed to achieve and hopefully continues to achieve in the future, under better conditions.

The QSMP's mission was to unite people from all over the world to play together and be friends despite speaking different languages and having different cultures. It united communities and formed friendships across the globe. Personally, achieving that takes more than just sticking random people in the same room together because it's about making genuine connections that could last a lifetime. And the qsmp achieved that. I'll never stop saying this because despite all its glaring problems, the qsmp is revolutionary for all the good it has managed to do.

Ok, like think about the translations alone. I'm using Bad as an example because he's the only one so far that I've seen do this but, BBH has set up live translations of multiple languages on his screen so non-english speakers can still understand his streams and his vods even if he's not playing on the qsmp. That wouldn't have happened without the QSMP's influence. That's fucking incredible!

Think about all the CC's and admins that became friends after meeting on the server. Former admins like Lumi (Pomme) and Shade (Dapper) still talking to Bad on his chat and watching his stream. That's still really awesome! Not to mention all the amazing collaboration projects with many qsmp members outside minecraft like Ordem Paranormal and Liar Liar, to name a few.

Look, the last three weeks have been extremely difficult on everyone. I myself am tired of the situation and scrolling through the tag, especially after yesterday, just makes me sad tbh. For the first time since these weeks, I felt so despondent and shocked about everything. It got to the point where, after Shade and Lumi announced their departure, I called my mom and broke down sobbing and vented about the whole admin situation. And bless her heart, my mom actually listened and I'm going to share the advice she gave me:

"Let them fix the problem. Let the company do the restructuring they need to do because right now, it sounds like they have a lot of problems to fix. It's going to take a long time before things can go back to any sense of normalcy, so while they do that, focus on yourself for now. If you're so invested in all the problems of this online world, maybe it's time to step back for now. Maybe it's time to focus on the real world."

And well, she's right. I've been so upset about the situation that my mental health wasn't faring well because of it. Yesterday was kind of a wake up call for me I guess?

I've been in this fandom for 10 months now. It's the longest time I've been invested in a community and qsmp has and will always have a special place in my heart. But I think it's time to let go and move on for now. I'll keep my hopes up and hope that the future is bright, and the qsmp will continue because it has so much potential to achieve more greatness, but I'll leave the project to rest and focus on other endeavors for now.

I'll be posting art and checking in on stuff from time to time, and of course, I'll be watching BBH, but it might be time to depart and say, "Thanks for everything, and I'll see you later."

Most people will be ashamed to mention the fandoms they've been a part of when they were younger, but 10 years from now, if anyone ever asks if I was a part of the qsmp fandom, I'll gladly say yes and tell all the good stories I have about it.

I love the community we made here on qsmpblr, and if I trust the QSMP's mission of uniting people, then I trust that, no matter what happens, this community will be here when I return.

Because...Despite everything, it's all about love, right? And no matter what happens, the love is still there, and will always be.

Thank you for the journey <33

[one-idea]

HIII, how are u doing?? hope everything's fine! I've just read the reverse strawhats au and I LOVE IT SO MUCH OMG YOUR BRAAAAAIIIN

if you'd like to share it, do you have plans about sabo and deuce's role in the au? I'm. totally normal and not insane at all about sabo haha (lies) so I'm very curious about what would have changed about his backstory (if anything) and how he would react to luffy's death and seeing ace again (which is gonna leave me an emocional wreck because omg their little brother DIED- that was their baby brother that they swore they'd protect and now he's dead and won't be able to realize his dream and sabo wasn't even there and ace had to see his baby brother die in his arms and was all alone and the GUILT that'd be eating sabo up would be just... GOD... and ace wondering why sabo left and didn't contact him at all during all these years... if that's even his brother at all or someone pretending to be him and ace would be livid!!)

as you can see I'm perfectly sane about the asl brothers. anyways! I'm also curious about what would have become of deuce if he didn't meet ace, would he even be a pirate at all? do they have any conection?

I loooveee your ideas for this au, thank you so much for sharing it with the world, we all appreciate it !!

🐝

Hello my friend, I’m doing well.

Ohhhh thank you so much!!!!

Oh Sabo and deuce my beloveds.

I have to be honest with you. I haven’t got to Sabo yet. I know his story beats but I’m just not there yet. So everything I say is still very fluid as it might change once I met him and get a firmer grasp on his character.

That being said I love everything you have here!!!

Right now I have Sabo mostly the same. He still grows up with Ace and Luffy. Still gets blown up by the celestial dragons. And still ends up with the revolutionary army.

Things will change a little. Luffy is executed for being Dragon’s son (and for a familiar straw hat on his head) I need to get through Marineford before I can speak on this to much. I don’t know if I want the revolutionary army showing up to Marineford.

Because it plays out two ways right now.

One Shanks comes to save Luffy, with support from Whitebeard

Shanks still has his connection to Luffy. He loves this kid. And the Marines are trying to kill Luffy before he even gets started. Not happening.

Whitebeard joins in because Ace is his boy. Ace might bot be part of the crew but for two-three years Ace’s crew has been hanging around the Whitebeards. They have an alliance. Whitebeard knows of Luffy. Knows that’s Ace’s baby brother. And he was captured by Blackbeard. Blackbeard is a Whitebeard problem. He wants to handle it ‘in house’

So those two show up. Shanks to save Luffy and Whitebeard to protect Ace’s baby brother while also ‘fixing’ what Blackbeard did. (Luffy shouldn’t die because Whitebeard trusted the wrong people)

Obviously Ace shows but the rest of the crew is separated.

What else happens is up in the air at this moment.

The second option is that the revolutionary army shows ups as well

Shanks and Whitebeard still roll in for the reasons stated above

But Dragon doesn’t want his son to die. (He loves his son. He just can’t be with him) so he sends some of his men.

Originally they were going to break Luffy out of Impel Down but Ace messed up their plans.

A small branch of the Revolutionary army fights at Marineford. They can’t come at full force. Dragon can’t sacrifice that much for ‘selfish’ reason. But he would put someone he trust in charge of it. Sabo

I can see him going with a mask on so no one knows his face. After all he still wants to keep his identity a secret for now.

Maybe he runs into Ace in Impel Down. And it’s horrible déjà vu. He’s been having an awful headache since he first saw Luffy’s picture and being around Ace makes it so much worse.

He doesn’t get his memory back until he’s at Marineford and hears Luffy and Ace calling for each other. Sees them fighting Side by side. And his brain kicks back in. And it’s to much. His visions going out but he can’t stop. These people are important to him. He doesn’t fully grasp why but he has to save them.

Just in time for 🍩 to happen.

He passes out and has to be saved by Koala (probably still making decisions)

When he comes to he finally has all of his memories. And Ace and Luffy were right there when he passed out. He needs to find them!

Only for him to be handed a news paper with THAT picture in it.

And he knows he’s failed. And he thinks both of his brothers are dead.

How could he fail? He had been with Ace. They were going to save Luffy. How could he fail? How could he not remember them earlier? If he had would he have succeeded? Taken risks where he didn’t? Fought harder? He and Ace would have coordinated better that’s for sure.

But none of that matters because his brothers are dead.

Or so he thinks until he a few days later when the news shows Ace’s return to Marineford.

Ace is alive! But where is he? And how can Sabo ever face him again? He can’t even say he wasn’t there, he was and he failed both of them.

Again this is a loose idea. I still need to get through this part of the show. Ace and Sabo won’t officially meet till dressarosa where they have a LOT to work through either way.

(As you can tell I’m very normal about the ASL brothers as well)

As for Masked Deuce!!!!

I have a few ideas I’m chewing on for him. But my current favorite is to Kobyfy him.

Ace still meets Deuce on Sixis and they get off the island together. And make their way to Shell town. On the way there they have a bunch of conversations about their family’s and their dreams. Deuce wants to be a writer.

When they get to Shell town and meet Kuina, Deuce knows that Kuina is Ace’s first mate. An emperor of the sea should have the world’s greatest swordswoman at his side.

Deuce decides to go his own way. But he keeps up with the story of the reverse Strawhats (who I really need to give a name to) writing their adventures. He pops up in different places interviewing the people who witnessed Ace and the crews escapades and writes them down and publishes them. It’s running like an anti newspaper. Something the marines can’t control or twist.

He bumps into the crew every now and then (he and Ace have the biggest crushes on each other, Ace’s crew teases him relentlessly over it)

I think he’d get so good at gathering information, or so popular that the revolutionary army picks him up at some point. Using his paper as an information gathering tool and a way to spread revolution.

But this is just an idea. I think it’s really fun with him ending up with Sabo at some point. He talks about Ace and the crew constantly (way to instagram stalk your crush Deuce) and Sabo hears about Ace for years before he sees his picture/face and realizes that his friend/co-worker has been openly pinning to him about his big brother.

It’s embarsing for both of them when Sabo reveals that Ace is his brother. Deuce wants to die. Has openly waxed poetics about Ace to Sabo for at least two years. Sabo and Koala already teased Deuce before. Now he’s stuck with

Sabo who as his friend finds it hilarious but as a little brother doesn’t know how to feel.

Koala who is bringing up his crush as often as possible because it makes Deuce blush and now has the added benefit of making Sabo SWIRM

And worst of all Nico Olivia who is basically Ace’s new mom and is talking about wedding details and her FUTURE son-in-law. Deuce craves death.

This is one idea but again it’s all fluid right now.

Koby’s roll will be played by both Deuce (was saved by Ace and is now a fan/admire) and Isuka (the marine who chases after Ace, I’m going to put her on Garp’s crew of the fun of it.)

It can’t be Koby in the beginning because he would be a literal baby going into the marines and no one deserves that.

But this is where we stand so far. Like I said all ideas here are fluid.

I’m so glad you like my AU I’m hoping to start officially writing it this spring. But feel free to keep asking questions!!!

[monards]

super duper curious about the lack of proper documentation on Rhinedottir pre-cataclysm now, especially since it's been confirmed it couldn't have been that she was just someone working under the nose of society,, and that she would've been esteemed enough to have had (at the bare minimum) majority of khaneriahns known of her, and her accomplishments, which knowledge would have then passed onto the surface of teyvat, in some capacity-- especially since any figure with THAT major of accomplishments, who'd be public, would and should have proper documentation ;; especially considering the phrasing of the log in "???"

" It seems that there was an alchemist from Khaenri'ah named ”R” who joined a secret order. From what fragmentary records exist, it appears that they made significant headway. But the available materials are scarce… If Rene doesn't recover, the Ordo will slowly dissolve. And if we were all mistaken, and the colossal beasts and apocalypse are false, will there be others who shall research the trail left behind, as I am now…?"

Compared then to what Dain described her (and the other sinners) with,

Clearly, these two perspectives are. not matching up!!!! The ambiguity used to refer to her in the Log clearly insinuates there's a HEAVY lack of proper knowledge or documentation on..,, anything she'd done. or who she even WAS ;; "an alchemist from Khaenri'ah named ”R”" also insinuates something as simple as her name wasn't known which is...,, very problematic considering who she is. THEY DONT EVEN KNOW HER GENDER OR PRONOUNS EITHER????? "they made significant headway" huh!!!! ;; . "From what fragmentary records exist," insinuates that, not only would these documents consisting of what was likely considered some of (what would've been) the most revolutionary and highly advanced alchemy at the time, were scarce; they were in NO way preserved which is. already. very odd!!! It's common knowledge by any civilization or group or ANYTHING that it's essential to properly document important knowledge for safe keeping;; Obviously, we know Khaneri'ah has( and is being) actively sort-of wiped/ignored in common Teyvat's history & knowledge (some relevant considering the utter lack of ANYTHING on it from the average person) ;; but the issue is that ordo was active 400 years ago-- a point where there'd still be people ALIVE from the cataclysm to tell the story and share that knowledge.

And this isn't even mentioning the fact this implies that the other 4 sinners have no known / found records.,, at all.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the only possible things my brain can come up with to explain this at 11:57 pm is that either 1 -> The things the sinners were doing, which were a big no-no by most laws and rules of teyvat, was explicitly left undocumented as to not have that knowledge taken. or to simply cover their tracks 2 -> Said proper documentation was destroyed by someone (likely from Khaneri'ah) who thought it was too dangerous to be left as it was 3 -> Irminsuil fucking with it 4 -> the heavenly principles fucking with it 5 -> these mfs were the most well kept secret by khaneri'ah ever and they SOMEHOW miraculously never had knowledge of them make it's way up to the surface realm.

Considering the entire concept of them originally trying to stop the "vinster king" + their entire thing with the abyss (meaning inherently anti celestia) ;; i can only assume it's gonna be somehow associated with one of those two authorities. but who knows!!! maybe we're gonna get hit over the head with it actually just being a big oopsie daises!!!!!

[olderthannetfic]

Something I find really grating is people who self-identify as fandom olds who think it's gross of these damn kids these days to like and admit to liking interaction with their fanwork. "Back in my day I read fic in a .txt file with no ability to comment at all and we all liked it that way!" Okay but my mom wrote Star Trek zine fic and people would respond and pass on comments to the zine distributors about things that other fans wrote, drew, etc. It wasn't a moment of great shame where they awkwardly admitted yeah, they are guilty of the uncool sin of liking a thing someone else created. It was a "I love this and I want you to know I love it!" that was not done with a disclaimer going "not that I need human interaction, I'm a super cool lone wolf who needs no one!" and was received happily by fandom creators, who did not then cringe and go, "I'm sorry I like feedback, that's super gross of me, I know I should be against social interaction like the cool kids". Before fan zines, people were still writing fan letters to creators of things they liked. Before I knew what fanfic was, I still doodled fan comics when I was eight and liked it when my friends read it and said they liked it. Before fan letters, people still had fans of their work. Shakespeare spoke with fans. It's not a new, rare, sick thing to enjoy creating something and enjoy people commenting on what you've made.

"You're trying to turn fanfic into social media!!!1!" is always the strawman this gets met with, but... no. Before social media was a concept, before the oldest fandom old's grandpa was born, people were still sharing things with others and enjoying getting a response. People have not, traditionally, created in the hopes of never having to put up with something as awful as someone saying "I loved this!" about their creation. Either my entire Art of World Civilization class last semester was wrong or in fact humans have traditionally been totally fine with people reacting to what they create and in fact sharing things with the intent no one speak to you about it is a very foreign, unusual thing, not a new-fangled trend of the icky teens. Creating things for the joy of it and not hiding it away lest someone make a comment was the way things were done for thousands of years. That's how folk art works.

Maybe some people really long for the days of downloading things as a .txt file and not seeing hits, kudos or (worst of all) comments. But the idea that liking comments or liking replying to comments means you're part of the problem in fandom baffles me. Why would I dislike it when someone says, "I really like this line!" and why would not replying be better? I get it, I'm Gen Z, I'm a special snowflake, I'm desperate for attention, etc., but so are most generations before mine. Art galleries in pre-Revolutionary Paris didn't exist because of us darn kids and our need for validation. They existed because liking feedback is pretty natural. And not wanting to see feedback is natural, too - that's why I know so many adults who have never shared anything they've written - but it's not the only "correct" opinion out there.

It's weird that in an era of death threats, rape threats, suicide bait, racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, transphobia and queerphobia in fandom all being discussed, instead of going, "Harassment is bad" a good chunk of people went, "Interaction is bad and liking it is bad, too."

Fandom as a solitary endeavor doesn't make sense to me. When did we go from "fans interacting is fine" to "oh gross, fucking kids and their attempts to turn AO3 into social media"?

I see people like the anon who proposed the "win" solution of not even being able to leave kudos on a work on AO3, shutting down all features that might risk a word being spoken to another person, and I just don't get it. I don't get why that would be a good thing. I get that if you speak to others you risk a negative interaction, so some people don't want to do it. Wanting existing spaces to rip out any and all features in place that allow communication, I don't get. I genuinely do not see what is wrong about interacting with someone about something you wrote, or about something someone else wrote.

It's honestly kind of depressing to me to imagine not being able to gush and write a super long comment to an author about how much I like their work. I love picking out individual lines I loved and pieces of prose that painted a picture for me. I enjoy quoting bits and explaining how that worked even better for me on a reread than it did the first time now that it's in full context. I like telling authors how a scene made me bite my lip because I was worried and tense because I was so invested in their writing. And no author, not one, has ever turned to me and gone, "Ugh, you Gen Z and your comments! Whatever happened to the good old days?"

I see the "don't speak, want to be spoken to or respond" attitude on DW and on tumblr from people who self-identify as fandom olds and I'm sorry to get all Gen Z psychoanalytical on you, but all I think to myself when I read that is, "Who hurt you?", because that's the only reason I can imagine someone viewing people interacting with others as bad. It reads as a trauma thing.

--

Really? That's a "fandom Old" thing now? I thought most people were still hung up on how community was so much better on LJ or whatever.

[brookstolemybrand]

The thing about the writing problems with Sabo's character is that almost all of them could be so easily fixed by just mentioning him a bit earlier, or even just hinting about him (I don't count Ace's tattoo as a hint because it's only clear that it even was a hint in retrospect)

The way I'd do it would be to just have Ace and/or Luffy refer to him in some indirect way in Alabasta. Just enough for the audience to understand that the two of them have someone they both used to know who was important to them but who isn't around anymore

One idea I had was that maybe Ace stays for just a little bit longer with the crew and to celebrate the reunion he asks if they have any booze, and either him or Luffy ask for an extra cup. The others might be surprised since Luffy usually doesn't like alcohol. They drink and then pour the extra cup into the ocean

Nothing else had to be said, the implication is very much that someone is missing from the table (with bonus implication that they were lost at sea) and the audience gets to make their speculations

Also it'd be an early hint about how Luffy and Ace became brothers

And then when the flashback comes along later and Sabo is introduced, everyone would immediately know that this is who the extra cup was for, even before they see the scene itself

Obviously this is only possible in retrospect (because I'm pretty sure Oda hadn't come up with Sabo yet at that point) but I hope the live action version does something like this (even if it's not literally this, and even if it never actually gets far enough to introduce Sabo)

My point is, that's really all you need to make Sabo fully integrated into the narrative IMO. That way he's subtly introduced with Ace so it doesn't come out of nowhere when there's a third brother, but at the same it preserves the element of mystery and surprise, because we don't know anything about him

It also removes the problem of people seeing him as Ace's replacement because we would have been expecting someone like this ever since Ace's introduction

And I think that demonstrates that there really isn't anything wrong with this character, it's only that his introduction is a bit too abrupt. It's all about properly managing audience expectations. Unfortunately you can't always do that in a serialised format when you come up with something just a little bit too late and can't go back to add the foreshadowing

I'm glad Oda still chose to include Sabo because I genuinely think he was a much needed addition, someone (preferably someone young) for the audience AND Luffy to personally connect to within the Revolutionary Army and a sort of secondary protagonist for that side of the plot which Luffy can't yet be involved in because he's busy chasing his goals

Somebody needs to be fighting the World Government directly, otherwise the audience might feel too torn about the fact that Luffy is just over here having a fun adventure and looking for treasure while this totalitarian government is oppressing people and keeping slaves. Luffy has challenged them, yes, but only for his own reasons. Because Luffy isn't and doesn't want to be a hero. So to balance that out and to leave Luffy free to do his thing, you need heroes like the Revolutionary Army to respond to the glaring problem that the setting introduces so Luffy ignoring it (for now) doesn't feel jarring; somebody else is working on it

Sure it's probably ultimately going to be Luffy who takes care of the WG, obviously, because he's still the actual protagonist. But you get what I mean, right? If someone else wasn't focusing on that issue, the audience might feel like it's something Luffy should be doing before going after the One Piece, because it feels more pressing and urgent

That's why a character like Sabo is important; this is in fact his main role in the story, not just being Luffy's big brother but being Luffy's counterpart in the RA, similarly to the way Koby is Luffy's counterpart in the Navy

[muffinrecord]

Rambling Thoughts (Negative)

Putting this under the cut and out of the main tag for reasons. Sometimes people will read my opinion here and then say it elsewhere-- to be clear, I just want to say my own feelings without influencing anyone about the state of the game.

(also I accidentally lost and rewrote this post twice so I apologize if it feels all over the place)

So yesterday I responded to a post about Homucifer and EOS, but my feelings are actually a little more complicated than that.

The truth is, I do think that this game has maybe another year left, but maybe not more than that. I'm not actually sure how it could keep going-- not because of Akuma Homura, but actually because of all the power creep. But let's talk about Akuma Homura first.

Everyone and their mom knows the issues that plague her release. First off, she didn't get a new shiny transformation video but a copy+paste of her rebellion one. Hell, even youtube was like "this shit isn't original" and gave me this:

This video is banned in Austria and Germany for its content, not because of music (for once) but because it uses footage from the Rebellion movie. Like jeez.

The game has been having issues with its transformation videos for a while now, so I don't think anyone expected something revolutionary for her video-- but to have it just be reused animation is very disappointing for an anniversary unit and such an anticipated one at that. Additionally her chibi poke animation looks super weird and offputting (which is such a stupid complaint but it really adds into every other problem with the unit). Her Doppel reuses more animation, which is a shame.

I think that's the big deal for me-- this is a massively anticipated unit, and she was an Anniversary unit. I think everyone, not just myself, expected more effort to be put into her. I say this as someone who wasn't hyped for Akuma Homura-- I didn't have massive expectations to meet.

All that said, I still don't think that Akuma Homura herself is an EOS signal at this point. I meant it earlier when I said that I think the game has another year left. The entire reason that Devil Homura was considered an EOS signal in the first place was because that was the "big" unit that could for sure draw in the most money. She was the one "oh shit" button that could draw in a crowd and force people to spend money.

And in a way... she kind of did, through some scummy tactics. We all know very well why they released Historia Yachiyo the way they did-- she looks like an Anniversary unit, she has gameplay like one, and her banner runs throughout Anniversary. I completely believe that they released Historia Yachiyo to drain folks' pockets of magia stones so that people would be forced to spend money to get Devil Homura.

All that said-- to go back to my earlier point, I don't think Devil Homura is an EOS signal. I think that Madoka & Homura and Kyoko & Sayaka would fill a similar role. They are also both very anticipated units.

Additionally, I don't think that Akuma Homura being released in such a state, no matter how pathetic, is an EOS signal. As mentioned above, the game is having issues with its transformation videos. If they're going to budget the game accordingly, I'd rather it affect the henshins than anything else.

Here's the thing that makes me think the game is starting to wrap up in this year: Gameplay.

This game is suffering from powercreep. No, it didn't start now, or even last year-- I think Madoka & Iroha definitely began a bad trend which has become more and more monstrous. But even before then, we had units like Yozuru and Mikage which just completely outclassed units before them (before getting outclasses themselves).

But imo, Madoka & Iroha were still at least fun to use? But then you get to units like Devil Homura and Historia Yachiyo.

These units are straight up not fun to play with. In fact, they're the opposite of fun-- you don't even need to play the game. I did all of the EX-Challenges with my Historia Yachiyo and... jeez, the hardest part about them is that I can't turn off magia/doppel animations or use auto. And maybe the answer is: well don't use Historia Yachiyo then.

But what did I roll her for? I want to play with this character. I got her four-slotted. I like her aesthetic. I liked Puella Historia and I want to use a character that encapsulates that.

It's just, it feels like lots and lots of parts of the game that used to be important simply aren't anymore. Remember when the poison used by that one uwasa boss was a murderer for teams? Or the curse inflicted by the little uwasa mail familiars? You don't really need to worry about things like that anymore.

I'm not just speaking as a whale either... I do have alt accounts that don't spend money that I play a whole lot of.

At a certain point, the gameplay gets really really stale, but investing in your characters isn't fruitful anymore either, because they're already maxed in episode levels, magia, doppels... The only reason that Spirit Enhancement isn't maxed is 'cause the middle to large fragments are artificially capped and you can't grind them out.

But how do you give players more ways to invest in their girls without increasing further power creep? Attribute Enhancement was introduced and god, the numbers are fun but also jesus christ. Like, in what possible way can you make the girls have new ways to be new?

....

This really is a ramble.

I don't think the game is going to eos in the next six months or so. I base this on all the promo this anniversary put out (that costs money to make money), all the new quality of life things put in place by anni, the announcement of Magia Day + Scene Zero, and the upcoming movie. These are all signs that the game is gonna keep going for a bit.

But man, it also just kinda sucks that this game I love is actively becoming less fun for me.

[steveinscarlet]

So I did more readable pics of that Joe in the desert article in case people wanted to read it as well as drool over the pictures!

Full text below the cut

Magic roundabout

For their latest tour of the US, Def Leppard have devised a revolutionary way of presenting their brand of arena rock with a stage set in the centre of the venues and surrounded by the audience. All of which makes for a more intimate and more exciting spectacle, according to Paul Elliott. Desert shots Russell Young

Panic in the round. Diana Ross and Kenny Rogers have lived through it, but Def Leppard claim to be the first rock group ever to play America's ice rinks and basketball stadia on a stage set in the centre and fully surrounded by the audiences.

In one stroke, they're making arena rock a more intimate and more exciting spectacle.

The band are closer to all of the crowd, providing more action as they randomly run to each of the stage's four sides. The lighting is imaginative and the sound, from the amps strung up high above them, penetrates the farthest corners.

On this tour, there's never a bad seat in the house, and the higher you can get, the more dramatic the view. Originally dubbed Mensch's Folly (co-manager Peter Mensch came up with the idea for playing in the round after a new, regular stage set had just been finished to the tune of 100,000 dollars!), this production is proving a great success, leaving the fans breathless... and baffled.

How the hell do Leppard get to and from the stage when there's no visible means of escape through the massed paying public?

The Harry Houdinis of rock are giving nothing away.

Stretched out in just swimming trunks and shades, poolside at a star-infested LA hotel (U2, Chrissie Hynde, Jamie Lee Curtis and a few English footballers, past and present, were all hanging out), singer Joe Elliot remains tight-lipped.

"It's not a case of paranoia that we don't want to be spotted. It's the element of surprise; we like to think that everybody goes home wondering how the f*** we got in there in the first place."

"Maybe we slid down to the stage on batpoles. Or maybe we were under the stage from soundcheck onwards."

Maybe.

Out of the dozen American dates that Leppard took in before they reached the West Coast at San Diego, only two have be been played with the stage at one end.

Phoenix, Arizona, was one; a fiery gig, but one which proved them right in thinking that, for the thousands of Joe Sixpacks and rockin' chicks, looking the band right in the eye one or two at a time is a whole lot more fun than squinting, as per usual, at five comparatively tiny and static blurs.

As they continually got in each other's way at Phoenix it also became

obvious that they'd half forgotten how to play to an audience straight ahead.

Playing is the round isn't easy or always possible (in Britain, only Birmingham's NEC could accommodate the 40 tons of gear that has to be hung from the roof). Yet it's different and fresh for band and fans alike.

Joe relishes the challenge, albeit an exhausting one.

"Well, I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't exhausting. The first night we did in the round was like the first gig of the 'Hysteria' tour, in Dublin I think. We did eight days' rehearsal on that stage before the first show, but we still ended up trying to fill the stage too much, and by the end of 'Hit and Run' everybody was looking for a bucket to throw up into."

"After three gigs though, we were really cookin'. It is exhausting, but now we've reached a certain fitness peak we can deal with it, and the set's paced well enough to take care of itself. I enjoy getting kinda hot and sweaty anyway."

Surely this tour will take a lot out of you?

"No," he insists, voice dry and croaky with the heat and dust of the previous night's show. "In fact, I think this tour's gonna be better than anything before, cos we're a lot more prepared for it."

Seven weeks ago Joe gave up booze, he doesn't smoke, and parties as little as possible.

"Now I can go onstage and perform better. The most important thing to me is those two hours a night, and if the other 22 have to be really boring then so be it."

Guitarist Phil Collen was the first to quit drinking a good eight months ago, although that afternoon his voice was rougher than Joe's from the strain of doing plenty of backing vocals.

"It's demanding on Phil and me and, basically, when you can't sing you sound shitty, and when you sound shitty you sound like a shit band. When you don't drink there's no point in going to clubs."

"I'd rather have a quick grapefruit juice back at the hotel bar and go watch Platoon or something. I mean. I'd rather go to a club till five in the morning cos I'm wide awake with all the adrenalin, but I know I can't sing the night after if I do, and for the sake of entertaining myself, I'm not gonna piss off 15,000 kids the following night by singing like Lemmy or somebody."

"No disrespect to the guy," he smiles, "but he wouldn't suit the songs that we do."

Panic in the round?

"Oh it's a constant panic. Under the stage, if one wire wasn't plugged in it'd never get found, and it only takes one person getting their gig wrong to screw up the whole show. So far it hasn't happened."

If panic does rule this tour, it's being played down remarkably well. Over three shows in Tucson, Phoenix, and San Diego (the latter their best gig of the tour so far), the only apparent concerns were for Joe's and Phil's voices.

The only problem drummer Rick Allen has found was walking through the crowd one night, heavily disguised, while unwittingly carrying a piece of paper stuck to his back by guitarist Steve Clark which read 'I am Rick Allen'. And even then the crowd didn't fall for it! Who's he trying to kid?

Clearly, it's the ambitious staging that's the novelty of Def Leppard's US tour, not Rick. He's now so adept with one hand and two feet that he's itching to get a new kit that can keep up with his own rate of progress.

"The stage show is impressive and it is a distraction," nods Joe, "but to be quite honest, I used to think we'd get a lot of people who'd be just peeping through the cymbals to have a look and see where it used to be, y'know, but it hasn't happened, in England or here."

"Basically, it all happened so long ago that people don't care. Being on tour two and a half years after the accident, people just seem to accept it. It's like when Archie Gemmill shaved his beard off (for the uninitiated, Archie Gemmill is a gnome-like ex-Scottish international footballer). He didn't look like Archie Gemmill any more, but after two and a half years, who cares?"

Who indeed?

"There's nothing short of playing upside down next time to top this. The novelty probably is taking a bit of weight off Rick, but at the same time, when it features him, it features him more. He's not hidden behind the rest of us."

"We can either stay in the round in America for the rest of our careers, or we can go back to playing at one end, which'd be a bit of a downer. I'd like to think that we'd play in the round on the next tour too, even if we couldn't play outside cos you'd have to get four helicopters to fly everything from each corner."

Is touring the US like coming home?

"Not really. It's more like going away," he laughs. "In the sense of coming home to the safety of knowing that you can play to a lot of people, then yeah, I suppose it is. Yet in a way it was like starting from scratch."

"We'd kept the cult of 25-year-old males, but we'd lost the little girls. Now they're coming back cos the record's really taking off, and that's why the halls are filling up."

Sure enough, there were plenty of boob tubes in among the beerguts and baseball caps at each show.

"We've not done bad business anywhere other than a few poxy Iittle towns. But I don't get off on business figures. Your bank balance is your own business and it should be that way with a band.

"I'm too sensible a person to let money f*** me up - it's not that important to me. If I had 200 dollars in my pocket and I was hungry I'd sooner just go and have a Big Mac."

And while he does cut a good rock star figure, Joe's Yorkshire brogue still gives him away. Through all their success, Def Leppard haven't gotten precious or affected or untouchable.

There is no Leppard myth. Their bus still stops on an overnight dash fro San Diego up to Los Angeles so that half of them can stumble out into the dark to water the cacti. But even then a pursuing carload of fans pulled up for a gawp.

Def Leppard's current sales figures are impressive. Already a surprise number one LP in the UK (nobody could've been more shocked than the band themselves), 'Hysteria' is edging towards the three million mark in the States at the rate of at Ieast 100,000 per week.

That's way short of 'Pyromania''s seven million plus, but it's still competitive with the three million a piece for 'Bad' and 'The Joshua Tree' - and it's not finished yet.

Peter Mensch reckons that, nowadays, hit singles are more vital than ever to a rock band's survival. A roll of three has broken the previously difficult British market, and in America too they're beginning to come after the initial failure of 'Women'.

'Animal' is picking up the momentum to carry it into the Top 20, and Joe feels that there'll be more to follow.

"I seriously believe that we've got up to five hit singles on this record, even 'Rocket', although it's such an unusual song and such a change from something like 'Sugar', which was an obvious stab at the commercial market."

That's a frank admission.

"Well, it is obvious. The chorus is three chords. I wrote it like that cos it's all I can play. I always have to think commercially. I can't write 'Gods Of War'.

"When I pick up a guitar, I tend to play 'Wild Thing' a lot better than 'All Along The Watchtower'. 'Sugar' was an obvious attempt at a single, as was 'Animal' to a certain extent, although that was a little less obvious, yet it was a bigger hit in Britain by a long way, so there's no set rule."

"But Peter's totally right. You can't survive without hit singles these days cos AOR radio in America isn't responsible for breaking bands in America any more. Bon Jovi's 'Raise Your Hands' was a great live song, but it was hardly played on the radio, so it had nothing to do with 'Slippery When Wet' selling eight million copies. That was through the singles."

"There was a stage where people were snobby about having hits, that it wasn't credible. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I like the idea of being on Top Of The Pops and on a poster on the back of Jackie. I find it funny."

"About 98 per cent of our stuff is tongue in cheek anyway. When you've got a rhinoceros on one of your videos you can't take yourselves that seriously!"

One consistent criticism of Def Leppard is their live performance; in terms of pure sound quality, the five just can't match the lavish sweep of their last two albums, which is hardly surprising.

Realistically, though, this criticism only applies to the song 'Hysteria' (the band's latest single) at present. While every other number, whatever tempo, sounds full and vibrant, 'Hysteria' still seems a touch clumsy and pushed.

As a particularly cocky squirrel cranes its neck and begins lapping up the pool water, Joe sits up on his sun lounger, skin still white as a milk bottle, and agrees.

"I think we recreate 'Hysteria' (the album) and 'Pyromania' better than we ever did before, but there's still certain things you can't physically do. When we do the track 'Hysteria', Sav (bass player Rick Savage) and Phil are doing harmonies that are done with about 200 voices on the record.

"We've always been a band who've wanted to get it right on record. It's the only opportunity you have to try to create your own perfection or whatever. And live, you go out to entertain."

"If you want perfection you stay at home and listen to the record. If something's a bit flat live, it's because someone's probably doing a double somersault while they're doing that flat chord!"

"I don't really stand still at all, and you can only really sing properly when you're stood still. But if I did, it'd look silly. I might sound out of breath sometimes, but wouldn't you doing what I'm doing?"

He shrugs his shoulders.

"It ain't an exact copy, but I don't think it lacks that much. There are nights when I can't hack it as well as I'd like, but that's because I've been hacking it really well for the previous four evenings and I'm just shot. Last night I sang OK, but half my job isn't singing, it's getting an audience going."

"The thing is, we set such a standard with our records. Things like 'Tear It Down' (in the UK, the B-side of 'Animal') sound as good, if not better, live. But if we did ten 'Tear It Down''s we'd just become an average rock band."

"What we do on record, five people can't physically do, but we don't want to take out an orchestra, we want it to be us, and we'd rather sound a bit weaker and know that it's us."

Maybe 'weak' isn't such a good word. If 'Hysteria' sounds ragged then it also sounds human. Better that than cheat with tapes, as Whitesnake's Rudy Sarzo was convinced Leppard did.

After all, Def Leppard's sometimes slow, sometimes breakneck rise both over here and over there owes something to polish, but a whole lot more to pure guts.

[valhallakonbi]

i meant new ask: character headcanons?

oh okay i wasn't sure my bad!

i'll start off with some small ones and gradually get to the bigger ones:

i can't tell if you were the one to come up with it or if it was established in the novels but i really like thinking of ougi as a neat freak... since koyomi is one, it ties in nicely

vegetarian koyomi & sodachi are also very good (i think veggie koyomi is yours and sodachi is annabelle's)

kanbaru and hitagi actually kissed in middle school. several times maybe.

yotsugi has a crush on nadeko but she doesn't understand that it is one. nadeko has noticed something's up but isn't sure yotsugi knows either

uni senjougahara can drive a motorcycle (please picture koyomi in the backseat as well)

hanekawa knows way too much about cars and all the men she meets at diners and gas stations overseas are really impressed with her, whether they like it or not (she drives manual btw.)

kanbaru wanted to become a sports doctor after meeting with numachi again, so i think she would mostly work with teenagers. i'd like to think that she frequently visits naoetsu and that ougi and kanbaru are still friends and reading buddies even when kanbaru grows into an adult.

my biggest headcanons are not fun ones and they are senjougahara related. reader discretion avised (mentions of eating disorders, cancer)

it's pretty on the nose, and it's edgy, and it's not revolutionary or anything, but hitagi crab as an analogy for eating disorders works extremely well in my eyes.

as someone who has dealt with eating disorders it makes for a very true-to-life tale of a girl whose response to multiple trauma has been control of other's perception of her by violent means (mindful of what people are saying about her, can't let anyone know about her secret, threatens and bullies anyone who tries to get closer to her). this is coherent with anorexia as a way to regain some form of pride and "autonomy" when you feel like everything's been taken away from you. the "weight" aspect is a major factor in how people come up with this interpretation, it's a pun on "omoi" (heavy ; feelings / ties / memories) and how cutting these off completely is easier than dealing with them... and eating disorders oftentimes serve as a way to shift the focus on something other than the actual traumatic event. i remember it functioning the same as addiction on a neurological level.

anyway, what i like about this reading is how the analogy makes it non voyeuristic. the lack of voyeurism (ironic, huh) when it comes to traumatic events is something i really appreciate in monogatari. even as she's talking about the ways she was emotionally and sexually abused, we're not directly shown, we listen to senjougahara talk. a lot of stories about eating disorders are very graphic with the subject matter. seems people can't talk about this stuff without putting extra stress on the "disgusting" aspects of it (critically underweight bodies, laxatives, vomit and other forms of purging). this kind of stuff does nothing except add shock value and try to warn readers or watchers about self-image issues and how starving and purging is bad and gross!! like they don't already know. with hitagi crab as an analogy for anorexia, the self-image/societal perception aspect is neatly implied and the root of the problem (relationship with her mother) is addressed directly.

the other on-the-nose, edgy thing, is senjougahara had a critical operation which saved her life when she was little. it's never been said outright what her disease was, but cancer is prevalent enough among kids and it fits her motif.

[videcoeur]

Desperate Times...Desperate Measures

The way people looked at him changed. It wasn't necessarily the Revolutionary's fault. They'd done their best putting his face together after it was split in half, and needless to say, the hook on his left arm weighed heavy.

18 months it took for him to heal - not physically, mind you, but mentally. His scars might be gnarly, but those were the easy ones to heal. Even the loss of his hand had less of an impact than his defeat itself had on his psyche. No longer did he have the will to become a pirate king the traditional way. If he couldn't force his way to the throne, then it's his wits that would get him there.

Crocodile spent over 2 years with the revo as they patched him up, hoping that he'd join their cause. He'd lied, of course. Helped them when they needed, but only until he got himself privvy to some rather interesting information. Pluto, a legendary weapon, and it's location.

After about 25 months with the Revo, he'd secretly built a great network, made powerful connections with a certain underground joker, and gotten all the information he wanted. He'd even started his own Baroque Works behind the curtains, the Revolutionary Army none the wiser about his ambitions.

And then, after he stole the map leading to where Pluto was hidden, Crocodile thought it was time to leave the Revolutionary. Hidden on some island, now, all he needed was transportation. Sure, he could steal a ship. Use his warlord status to get one, but the last thing he needed right now was attention.

The Warlord was still somewhat fresh from his defeat and was still in the process of building Baroque Works. He couldn't have the marines or some other snot-nosed brat pirate put a wrench in his plans.

As he pondered how he'd go about it over a glass of scotch, his heavy golden hook rested against the bar counter. Equally bright golden eyes scanned the crowd until he met the gaze of a sympathetic brunette who was giving his face scar a lot of attention.

And who is Sir Crocodile if not a charming man? In one quick gesture to the barman, he'd have a glass for her at the ready, the finger of his only hand beckoning her over. He was about to lay down his charm thick. Maybe he couldn't find transportation tonight, but he could escape reality for a little bit.

As she walked toward him, a loud crashing noise stopped her in her track. Boisterous boys entered the bar, and from the corner of his eyes, Crocodile saw a flash of straw yellow and red. Bright white teeth and a laugh that cast light into this seedy dark bar.

The woman's eyes widened like a doe in the headlight, and instantly, Crocodile started to think he should move. Maybe this bar wasn't the right place to be. He didn't know why, but he had a gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach. His intuition telling him to leave before anything happened.

The brunette in a tight dress stopped walking toward him, instead smiling coyly at the young man. A quiet sigh left Crocodile's lips, the smoke from his cigar rolling thickly off his tongue.

"Hit me again," Crocodile said to the bartender, hoping the little upstart wouldn't recognize him as a warlord and try to introduce himself.

@chillin-at-partys-bar