#the r feels different from the rr

[two-sibyls-tall]

I bullet-point planned out a batfam fanfic aWHILE ago but I am Bad At Writing full-fledged stories so I’m going to just throw it out in the open here in the hopes that ya’ll will appreciate it, and also that mayhaps someone else who is Good At Writing will find it and make it.

So. Here’s my take on a Reverse!Robins Dimensional Travel fic.

Damian:

Starts off with Robin!Damian seeing a black-robed uniform that’s awfully similar to the League of Assassins gear. Which is. Worrying. to see in Gotham.

Robin!Damian sneaks up on him to figure out wtf he’s doing.

Nightwing!Damian, aka the black-robed figure, calls him out. Possibly even makes an offhanded joke about how R!Damian shouldn’t be wearing bright ass colors if he didn’t want to be seen.

R!Damian catches sight of the Nightwing logo on N!Damian’s chest and proceeds to demand who he is

N!Damian recognizes R!Damin’s pattern of speech and essentially goes “oh fuck”. Reveals himself as Nightwing, aka Damian Wayne.

R!Damian immediately thinks of the Heretic. He calls for backup in code via comm link.

N!Damian is on the same comm channel, so he hears the responses to the code even if he doesn’t recognize the code itself. He’s semi-annoyed and starts running

R!Damian is IN PURSUIT.

N!Damian gets yoinked back to hid own dimension

R!Damian meets up with Nightwing!Dick and says something along the lines of “the assailant disappeared but who tf was that.”

Jason:

It’s a couple days later now.

Red Robin!Tim has already started working on a multiverse-type theory and let Red Hood!Jason know, so honestly RH!Jason isn’t terribly surprised when he comes across a vaguely familiar vigilante beating the shit out of a criminal in Crime Alley.

New vigilante introduces himself as Redbird

RH!Jason goes across comms to ask Tim how tf he should be handling this shit?

Redbird visibly freezes up when RR! does the classic “no names in the field” chastise

RH!Jason straight up asks Redbird if he can hear the comms bc who needs to be subtle.

When Redbird confirms, he just sorta sighs and gives a code to O. There’s a bit of yelling while the team processes the possibility of compromised comms.

It calms down again, and RR!Tim is like “okay the evidence is pretty clear here if you ask me,, Redbird I think you’re from another dimension. Do you recognize any of us?”

Redbird is like “well I’ve only actually caught one of your guys’s names so far, but yes I. Know. a Tim. He doesnt sound like you anymore, though”

RH!Jason is like ‘hmm we’re gonna put a pin in that one for now’

Meanwhile RR!Tim is talking to Redbird about going to the batcave and also maybe running some tests to figure out where they’re coming from and what’s going on here

Redbird shrugs and mentions that this whole situation sorta seems like what his brother was talking about a few seconds before he jumped dimensions.

“Is your brother Damian Wayne, aka Nightwing?”

“Fuck. Yeah, that’s him.”

At this point RH!Jason connects the dots an goes “ah shit, you’re me aren’t you.”

Redbird!Jason gives the most dramatic eye-roll possible and is like “bro we went from Redbird to Red Hood? That’s so lame. Why’d we even change it.”

RH!Jason just looks at him. “No dude we went from Robin to Red Hood. because we died.”

“NEWS TO ME???”

They've been heading to the batcave during this conversation

They walk in and RR!Tim's already there and he's like "Jason stop freaking out mini you this is clearly a different universe he might not even die."

Redbird!Jason is completely frozen staring at (unmasked) Tim and just kinda whispers "Tim?" And then he gets yoinked back to his universe.

Tim and Jason look at each other and Jason's like "so that's definitely not a good sign for what happened to you in their universe, right?"

Dick:

Nightwing!Dick is in the Batcave w/ most of the family discussing the dimension travel shit when he suddenly feels like he's being watched

He puts the meeting on pause and the feeling increases and he just looks straight up and sees golden eyes staring at him from the rafters

The other Batfamily members in attendance also look up and go what !! the fuck !!

NW!Dick knows about the whole 'Haly's circus being a theoretical breeding ground for the Court of Owls' thing bc I said so, so he already feels like he knows whats goin on

before anyone can say anything he just clears his throat and says "Gray Son?"

Batfamily freezes in shock and the small child w/ gold eyes just tilts his head in recognition and then jumps down from the rafters w/ no hesitation

He lands right next to NW!Dick and stands at attention, and Dick kinda feels sick bc Talon!Dick is like 8 years old

NW!Dick looks at the batfamily and makes some joke of like "haha looks like it’s my turn for the alternate dimension encounter"

RR!Tim is already taking notes

Bruce's put it all together and he's like "fuck. Little you is a Talon."

Cue the batfamily losing their shit again

Talon!DIck is looking between all of them confused, and he notices Damian just deadlock staring at him, and he's like Oh!! I know this one !!! so he stares back

RR!Tim is like "okay fantastic, well between Talon and Nightwing!Damian I think I can confidently guess by now that their dimension is one where all of our ages are reversed. Hey Talon do u wanna confirm that."

Talon is Very Helpful and nods, and Nightwing!Dick is like "alright buddy do you wanna tell us about ur dimension"

Except Talon doesnt really talk but !! he does sign!! his big sister cass has been teaching him sign !!

NW!Dick is like “thats great!! I know sign!!” and he starts relaying info to RR!Tim so he can take notes while Talon talks

Talon tells him that Tim From His Universe (and Dick isnt going to unpack yet why Tim’s namesign is a T drawn in the shape of a smile) has also put together that they’re going to a different universe

He says there was a case that the 4 nightshift batboys were on (girls were working a different case, Batman is offworld) w Oracle leading ofc that was selling alien technology

he says the 4 nightshift batboys were hit w a beam that didnt seem to do anything, but Tim of His Universe thinks that beam just had a slower affect and is what’s causing this

He says his big brother damian was the first to just randomly disappear mid mission and it gave Talon a scare bc they were together at the time, so he just froze and waited for damian to come back

and when Damian did, he immediately relayed what happened over comms, and a couple seconds later Redbird wasnt responding either

at this point RR!Tim interrupts and is like “are u saying urs all happened the same day? bc its been like a couple weeks since NW!Damian came here and several days since Redbird”

Talon just kinda shrugs and is like “well keep an eye out for Tim Of My Universe next bc he was hit too”

At this point NW!Tim is like “hey bud. why u. Why u using that name sign for Tim?”

Talon’s is about to respond when he gets yoinked back to his universe as well

Tim gives a mildly hysterical laugh and is like “well that’s not foreboding at all!!!”

Tim:

RR!Tim doesnt actually notice when JJ!Tim comes in this universe, bc at this point JJ!Tim has figured it out as well and is like “alright well the kid hasnt been jokerized so why traumatize him if I dont have to”

but unfortunately JJ!Tim IS spotted by a random passerby who mistakes him for the Joker so the whole batfamily’s out soon anyway looking for him

Hood finds JJ!Tim first and is like “alright i got eyes on him and im in pursuit,, hes kinda dressed weird tho wtf”

JJ!Tim hears this over comms and is like ‘welp now or never’ so he talks over the comms too (while running from Hood) and is like “hey I might be in the wrong universe, any way I could talk to one Tim Drake”

RR!Tim is like “Fuck dude really. rn? with a joker breakout? this is a bad time”

JJ!Tim responds w like “ur telling me, dude, Im the one being chased by a homicidal maniac w a red bucket on his head”

“YOU’RE THE GUY DRESSED LIKE THE JOKER?”

“THE JOKER IS STILL ALIVE HERE?”

JJ!Tim does NOT take this news well and he stops running, Hood catches up but doesnt engage bc ur telling me this is Tim?? this is RR?? tf happened?? but he does relay over comms that JJ is laughing and it is freaking him tf out bc he sounds EXACTLY like the Joker so SOMEONE get over here before Jason goes full Pit Rage

RR!Tim does arrive and immediately recognizes his own features despite the green hair and green eyes and bleached skin and Absolutely Terrifying Smile what the FUCK happened

JJ calms down just enough to be like “Oh I get it. This universe is age reversal so it also changed who the Joker got, too”

Hood looks like hes about to be sick, Tim’s not far behind

JJ’s like “great! well I’m Joker Junior, occasionally known as Tim Drake, and in my universe I was brainwashed by the Joker, then killed him and myself!! but apaprently the universe wasnt a fan of that because then I woke up in an UNMARKED GRAVE and wandered around for awhile, got dunked in a lazarus pit, and am overall having a terrible time”

At this point NW!Dick and Robin!Damian are here too and they’re like jfc dude

JJ looks down at his wrist like theres a watch there (there’s not) and is like “alright well according to my calculations, I shouldnt be here much longer, since most of my time was spent hiding & then running from ya’ll in order to NOT have this confrontation but look how well that worked out. Anyway u guys should kill the joker,, who knows if he might get inspiration from my universe and torture little timmy over there,, anyway ta ta” and then he fuckin disappears

Red Hood is like “yep ok im gonna go murder a clown” and no one really moves to go stop him

[vivaladicamillo]

RYAN DUNN WITH A GOTH AND METALHEAD GN READER

heyy yalll im backkk, took a little break for a bit but IM BACK BABYYYY, ive been getting into goth culture a lot as of recent and have been changing my style to fit around it more so this is js a silly little thing to fuel my brain ☺️☺️ enjoyyy

WARNINGS: none

—————————————

GOTH

ok so really i think ryan would LOVEE a goth s/o

but it depends on the era of him

if we r talking BEGINNING of cky days i feel like he would be into it but NEVERRR let yk abt it

if we r taking 1999 ryan oh my god hed fall in love with u then and there

we all know back then he had a little thing for more hardcore women (COUGH COUGH YALL EVER SEEN GLOREN BRO, the leather jacket RYAN WE KNOW WHO U RR)

i feel like he would be curious about it

just with how intricate the style is

i feel like hed be into all the styles of goth ngl, hes js so curious on how it all works

the closet thing hes really seen of goth is bam fanboying over ville

soo not much to compare it too

i feel like he would ask so many questions

just like “where do u find clothes like that??” “how long does it take u to get ready?” js air headed questions

if u started dating him tho oh my god hes a sweetheart

anything halloween related that looks edgy in the slightest he will buy and say it reminded him of u

will help tie up corsets, clip on necklaces, and always have a spare pair of flat shoes on him just incase ur heels start to kill ur feet

obsessed with the make up, he thinks its so cool (and so hot)

oh bam is lowkey so jealous

especially if u are a fan of ville

ryan would try and color match his shirts to ur outfits

u wearing red? his shirt is gonna be red

purple? he has a purple button up somewhere

hes js so in love w u he doesnt care

will be the type of guy to run to the store last minute to get accessories for an outfit for u

also will buy u those overly expensive edgy ass heels from the store bc he know u will rock them

probably has tried on some of ur platformed shoes or heels and busted his ass

bam would probably be there dying laughing bc of it

or he would casually put on a hair piece or some necklaces and imitate you (he swears it out of love)

honestly would let u give him a gothic makeover, js dont show bam

he doesnt reallyy get whats going on but he loves it anyways bc he loves u

METALHEAD

oh he thinks ur so cool

depending on what metal genre u prefer he would listen to so many songs from it

i feel like he’d be a little intimidated at first bc mf thinks HIM and CKY is hardcore

he will buy patches for ur battle vest

love hearing u go on about the bands

WILL GO TO CONCERTS WITH U

warning tho hes gonna try and fucking stage dive into the mosh pit

hes gonna get his ass KICKED

loves ur accessories

the gauntlet cuffs, the bullet belts he thinks its so edgy and cool

hes a little scared of the corpse paint tho

hes seen bam do it but never fully going out with it

when he walks into the room and see u just with two massive black holes for eyes a white face and a frown drawn on it kinda scares him for a second

but he thinks its so cool after he realized

wants u to do it on him

literally if u do he will js be staring in the mirror of a good 20 lins is awe

will go to bar shows with u

cant fight for shit tho so if someone starts shit goodluck LMAOOO

lowkey would grow his hair out bc one of ur fav bands fav members has long hair

hes wayy more into this probably then the gothic vibe but tbh ryans such a sweetheart if he liked u, HE LOVEDDD u

—————————————-

hey yall so hope u enjoyed, ive been really into both these scenes recently and broo the goth metal style is my favvv, its hella cool. i need to start writing on here again lmk if i should do other cky/jackass members with different styles and genre loving readers!! byeeee :))

[dirtyvulture]

😎 This is in reply to the reaction of my “ bonus points” post and again absolutely no rush to write ( a reply, story, anything) and this isn’t a additional comment or head canon to it , more of a defense or in depth explanation as to why that could work to your rebuttal of “ if I was Nat I would be nervous about having R hands near me” ( is isn’t a serious thing , more of my silly little nonsense that you Vulture and others graciously indulge me in , I have in fact seen all the little hearts in my posts . So the other people feel free to add your own little comments to my silly little thoughts) or how even with that it can still work and if it doesn’t then it is called ✨bonus points ✨ for a reason , it can be taken or left. This can be read in many different ways but let’s go over the facts. * Pushes up nerd glasses ( the thick kind with type wrapped around the middle piece)*

Nat has recently left the RR and no matter how you look at it , the girl must be touch starved. Because all Nat has ever known was “ bad touch” ( violence- against her and her against others , forced relations or her doing relations she didn’t want to for sake of a mission) and not “good touch”(comfort, affection and wanted relations) . When R cup Nat’s face in R’s hands telling her that Nat is safe with her before the confrontation with the RR agents R knew that was the last time she could give Nat the good touch that R knows Nat needs for now ( more likely forever) , because she knew when that was done Nat was more than likely going to be terrified and hate R ( that is the only reaction that R is used to after people see her claws, like the monster R sees herself as ) . That is why she takes that precious moment to do that for Nat , and not that R will admit to it but she herself is also touched starved ( the only physical touch R gets is violence- against her and her against others, the casual and meaningless relations. The last good and meaningful touch R had was with her old friend) . Also why R is so careful with her hands . Nat is also a master at reading people , their intentions , body language and non verbal communication . Now on to the defense.

When R is stuck in her trance ( R was more really stuck in the music- R loves music and often gets sucked into it , by singing or more recently humming along. As seen by her vibing earlier with the 40s song. And the memories - even if she doesn’t remember her past fully , she was gets flashes of it brought on by the song , emotions and actions brought out to the surface.) , Nat could tell and read that R at this time has not I’ll intend or wanted anything cardinally from Nat . That R’s actions were déjà vu ones performed for another and those actions were purely good touch meant for affection, comfort and soothing. Now here is where the multi versions and reads can take place.

One is Nat still has the same view of R as before the confrontation and was soaking up the good touch and the line from the bonus points post that goes “ as Nat drift off to sleep she thinks R’s “SWEETEST FRIEND” was a lucky one “ was sadness and envy as she knows the touch wasn’t for her but for someone R lost long ago.

Two Nat is nervous to have R’s hands around her after the confrontation but is soaking up the touch because of touch starvation and that with the combination of R’s lullaby ( plus sleep deprivation) put her to sleep . The line that was mentioned up above was read to be as Nat thinking that the “ SWEETEST FRIEND” is lucky because they haven’t seen “WHAT r HAS BECOME“or they that they “ WENT AWAY IN THE END” ( * the capital letters were apart of the song lyrics in the original post) .

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk * takes off the nerd glasses* but now it is time to decide on if my defense holds water on the bonus points post ( in cases of Nat being ok with R’s hands around her and that it works in the case of Vultures rebuttal) but it certainly holds angst of the original bonus points post that I put in. So people , do you take or leave the ✨bonus points✨post ?

I can't believe no one else has commented on any of your thoughts yet :( Maybe we can fix that with this post?

Nat is very touch-starved indeed, she was probably ready to pass out the very first time R even offered her hand. 😭 But you're right, I think R would only ever be gentle with her, especially when she's still trying to gain Nat's trust.

Random question: How do you think Nat would react if R fell asleep and accidentally rested her head on Nat's shoulder?

[cultivatingyourfuture]

OK BRAIN WORM NUMB R ONE. WHAT WAS THE THING WITH NEIL N PIERRE ABOUT DYING AND COMING BACK THE SAVE VS LIVING WRONG

i went through. my entire got damn blog trying to figure out WHAT you were referring to where the hell i had said this. and then realized it was the 3rd most recent reblog. im so smart and organized guys

so in reference to this post

essentially you can read it as either neil or pierre, but the perspective of WHO is saying this definitely changes.

for neil, the dying and coming back refers to the cyborg process and the fact that neil has the very unique situation of... being used for intermittent testing for about a year. And then being shut off and kept in essentially storage for about 6-8 years after that. where he was unconcious and did not age at all. so when he gets out, its still just a teenage boy, but suddenly everyone is so much older and everything is different and not only is eveline older shes also. not her anymore. which is not new ground here ajdjdhfjf

but its also worth noting that neil does not get the near instantaneous reconciliation that he did with cherry in WTTW, because cherry is dead. for at least 10 months. so it spends that time not knowing why cherry came to RR or who they are now or anything of the sort. so like if i had to do a line by line breakdown itd look like:

-"i died but i came back exactly the same" neil has not significantly aged and is around the same age he was when eveline knew it

-"you though, i came back and you were wrong" neil is the same. eveline is very much not. it has been a much shorter time

-"did the fact of my dying really damage you this much?" neil doesnt know WHY evelines so different and wonders if them being ripped apart the way they were had anything to do with it

-"was bringing me back worth what it cost you?" neil thinking the reason any of this happened is because eveline came back for him, and it cost her her life. (also the fact that haha um neil is. Kind of the one who kills cherry. oopsie!)

-"would it have been better to just leave me?" neil sees all the new people in their life that they dont know and feels guilty over the idea that He was (as far as he knows. because no one ever tells the kids anything except for vallen but shhh) the reason eveline went back, died, and left all of her friends to clean up the aftermath of it all. tldr neil blames himself for everything bad that happened to cherry and it fucks him up bc i cannot give that boy a moment of peace

pierre is a lot more straightforward. imagine some visage of eveline saying this shit to him. "bringing me back" is less about being brought from the dead and more about, like. taking someone by force and bringing them back home.

pierre sees the moment "eveline" escaped left as the big turning point of his life, when everything having to do with his future life became a lot less clear and what was left of his morals went down the drain in pursuit of Maybe Having Her Back One Day and as such he DOES wonder what may have happened had he just... let her be. so he lives in guilt over what happened because it went So So Wrong and because shes gone with next to no chance of seeing her again and not. the obvious reason he should feel guilt over eveline.

the more things change etc etc

[cbrownjc]

Twitter discourse update:

Anne Rice is being called a racist now for having a main character as a plantation owner.

Have these people read even a single novel? I'm beginning to hate this fandom rn

George RR Martin has so much problematic stuff in his books,Stephen King too,I don't see people attacking them. Colleen Hoover romanticizes DV and her books are always sold out.

I'm sorry if this comes off as insensitive but I'd like to know your thoughts. I don't think Anne did it with malicious intention.

Hey Anon,

Honestly, I don't feel comfortable declaring what Anne may or may not have been personally. I mean, I don't think she made Louis a plantation owner out of some malicious intent, but that's only because of how Louis is presented in that book. But she did have her own racial ignorances as well I'd say.

Louis' position of being a slave owner isn't romanticized in the book, at least in my reading of it. He is very much of his time with all the racism that comes with that. (And book-Louis IS racist, that is very clear, IMO.) And that all becomes analogous when he is turned into a vampire, a supernatural creature that prays on the innocent.

IMO it's more book fans who tend to romanticize book-Louis than the actual text does when it comes to this and him being a slave owner and the racism he both exhibits and is a part of sustaining. (Some of the language used to describe book-Louis by some fans screams Southern Plantation "lost cause" romanticization mythology in the vein of Gone with the Wind.)

And I understand people who just do not feel like reading about a character like that and dismiss any type of sympathy for him. Especially when it comes to talking like that about him, that comes from some book fans.

Again, I don't feel I can declare one way or another whether Anne Rice herself was racist. Like, I only heard things here on Tumblr about the whole Paula Dean thing and her, so I don't know all the details of that. All I will say is that she had some ignorance about race and racial issues/history/imagery and her own inherent biases within that. But she also didn't strike me as someone completely unwilling to learn. I could be wrong about that, as that was my reading of her back in the late-90s and early 2000s, at least.

I mean, the fact that she wrote Akasha, who was an Egyptian Queen, as white shows that ignorance. However, Aaliyah's casting as Akasha was one of the only things Rice praised about the Queen of the Damned movie, specifically noting how, with Aaliyah's casting, many black fans of the books feel included in her world.

And I personally remember, around the late-90s or so, when she used to have a newsletter and actually talked about black fans asking her if she could include more black vampires and how she honestly didn't feel she had the knowledge or skill as a writer to really explore that topic of what might be a difference for a black person becoming a vampire than a white person.

And, again, just personally? I prefer it when a white writer can acknowledge that kind of ignorance they have and not try and write something that might (usually) just end up being offensive in the long run.

There are also book readers who are more knowledgeable than me that have legitimate issues with how she handled the few Southeast Asian characters in the VC, particularly the body-swapping plot with David Talbot and the body he got in the end.

Oh, and I can tell you outright both George R. R. Martin and Stephen King have been harshly criticized for some of the handling of race, and other things, in their stories. Though, again, this usually comes more from people who've only watched the adaptations of their books than have read the books in question, from what I've seen. Legitimately so when it comes to the difference between the ASOIAF books and the Game of Thrones tv show and how the show handled a lot of that stuff. (Don’t get me started, I still have . . . feelings.) (I've never read Colleen Hoover's work, so I can't comment on that.)

Anyway, I guess I'm saying yes, Anne Rice did have her racial ignorance, but that's what they were - ignorance. Not something done maliciously or with that intent, but things that still had some consequences because of her ignorance.

[lostbetweenthepagesofthesebooks]

"Good and evil are silly lies, nonsense put forth to plague honest sensible men." (Fevre Dream, Martin, 348)

Fevre Dream

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wait, what?! How do characters and plot get 4 stars, but overall it only gets 4 stars? Two reasons, which is what this review is all about, right?

The good: I really enjoyed all the characters, even the "bad guys". All the "good ones" weren't necessarily all out good, but complicated, from human to vampire. Abner Marsh, our main (human) character, describes himself basically as such, but also makes himself out to be hard to get along with. But he's good, he's honest, and in the end, he always sticks by what he thinks is the right decision; even when he's stubborn as hell. I'd say the one... not necessarily drawback... but weird quirk? he describes himself eerily like George himself? I remember setting down the book and going "wait a minute...." and then when my memory couldn't serve enough, promptly Googled 'George RR Martin'. Nothing wrong with it, just found it interesting. Gotta love a little self insert, right?

Joshua York is lovely though, and he's our main "good" vampire. I loved him every time he was on the page. And not in a "oh my gosh he sounds so dreamy" kind of way. Never in this book was I given the impression that these were 'dreamy' vampires... albeit they also had no problem luring their victims. But who doesn't love a good ole conflicted, morally grey soul? Joshua and Abner are vastly different, but that's why they actually work so well with each other throughout their journey. They compliment each other where the other person fails.

Our main bad guys, who I'd say are Damon Julian and Sour-Billy, make you hate them. By my standards, that's some damn good writing when the writers invoke those strong feelings out of you. And these two certainly do it. There's nothing hidden in these two men. There's nothing redeeming about them. I thoroughly enjoy this. I love it when there's truly "the good" vs "the bad"... regardless of the quote by Damon Julian.

George also does a fascinating job with the vampires, from their abilities to their lore. The lore itself is only bits and pieces from what Joshua has picked up over time about himself and other, older vampires. There's definitely A LOT that isn't explored and certainly made me want more, but alas. I don't want to go into detail here really because the lore really does tie into the story a lot and I'm trying to steer away from spoilers, even slight ones.

The... not bad, but the.. meh: It's Martin. It's George RR Martin. If you've read a Martin book, what does he love to do that irritates (most) readers? And for those of you that haven't or somehow haven't heard this before: the man loves to go into detail. Way. Too. Much. Detail. Pages and pages of unnecessary detail. I quite literally do not give a fuck about reading every little detail about a goddamn steamer boat. So... just a head's up about that. We also take so damn long to get to the climax. I think with Martin's writing style, I just get impatient at times, but I do think this could've been just a bit shorter.

The ugly: The n word. Frequently. Quite frankly... Martin was too comfortable using it in my opinion. And I do not care about the time period. I do not care that there are slave states and free states. It's extremely unnecessary. It's a book with vampires. It's a fucking fantasy book. There's absolutely no good reasoning for it. MAYBE, maybe... it makes you hate some of the "bad guys" more, but still. It really didn't need to be thrown around as much as it was.

For the lore/vampires, the characters, and (most) of the writing, I would definitely recommend reading Fevre Dream, with the caveat that I personally won't be reading it ever again. At least not in its entirety. I might go back and review the vampire lore/history because it truly was interesting. But I'm satisfied with my one go-through of the book, and can understand why people rave about it. I do think there's better vampire novels out there, I personally just haven't found them yet.

Read on beautiful people. 📖🤘

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Hurt!Luke Masterlist

a piece of peace of mind (ao3) - sparklyjimin N/rR, 1k 

Summary: it feels like forever since they performed for fans, and the prospect of going on tour feels a lot like coming home to luke.

then again, he's just spend two years struggling with being isolated from others, and maybe facing a crowd again all of a sudden is going to be a little much for him to deal with.

disguise (ao3) - orphan_account G, 1k

Summary: Based off that video where they're running down the hallway, and Luke tripped carrying Calum and hit his knee. But with more whump.

floating then drowning (ao3) - lovelymuke michael/luke T, 9k

Summary: As Luke stands over the bathroom sink and swallows one of the pills, he knows that this is it. There's no turning back after this. As long as he can make the bottles of pills he has stashed in the bottom of his suitcase last until the end of the promo run he’ll be fine. So he doesn’t worry. Instead, he just knocks back the second pill and walks out of the bathroom to his waiting boyfriend. He’s going to prove that he’s still worthy of being in the band, that he can hold himself together.

If he needs medication to do that, no one needs to know.

perfectly fine... (not) (ao3) - lovelymuke michael/luke T, 7k

Summary: In which Luke is sick, stubborn and trying to deal with his problems on his own. Michael is unaware, exhausted and honestly kind of, just a little bit, sick of Luke’s shit.

Should've kept you close to me (ao3) - kittenmichael Luke/Ashton N/R, 6k

Summary: The one where Ashton needs to pick up his drunk band mates at a party, and how on earth did he just manage to lose their youngest member?

Taken (ao3) - sarsarm Michael/Luke, Calum/Ashton M, 3k 

Summary: When Luke is kidnapped, Michael, Ashton, and Calum do everything they can to get him back.

The Taste of Tar and Concrete (ao3) - Branithar, Ciyesci michael/luke E, 20k

Summary: While recovering from a traumatic night, Luke notices that his friends act differently around him, like he's constantly a wrong word away from falling apart. The only person who doesn't treat him with infuriating fragility is his arch nemesis, Michael Clifford.

Unexpected Places (ao3) - The_Lady michael/luke T, 2k

Summary: The last thing Michael expects to find when heading home from his morning shift at the bakery is a slumped over Luke Hemmings sporting a black eye and split lip. Yet, there Michael’s school-hood rival is, clear as day, sitting on the concrete and leaning against the alley wall. Well, there goes pizza and DnD.

why do you try to save me? (ao3) - bellawritess Luke/Ashton T, 2k

Summary: Ashton sometimes finds it hard to return Luke’s gaze.

you got me trippin', stumblin' (ao3) - prettyluke (parting_ways) luke/ashton, michael/calum G, 4k

Summary: Luke breaks his ankle and won't tell.

[djuvlipen]

Hello! I have two questions about terminology used, if it’s not too tedious to answer (considering how many people you already seem to have to explain terminology to)!

1. I’ve seen some people say Roma/Romani, and some people say Rroma/Rromani. I assumed it was a transliteration difference, but when I searched it up an article seemed to suggest it was to differentiate the word Romani from the word Romanian! Do you know the reason behind the spelling differences, and is there one you would recommend non-Roma to use?

2. May I ask what vista means? I tried to look it up, but unfortunately it’s a homograph to a very common word, and I assume “a pleasing view” is the wrong definition!

I hope you have a good day, and thank you for your time!

Hi anon! You've come to the right place to ask this first question, as my Romani language teachers have explained this one to me many times.

The way they explained it to me was: The Romani alphabet was standardized by Romani linguists who wanted to give Romani language classes to Romanian Roma who had forgotten the language, so they based it on the Romanian Romani "standard" dialect. The "rr" is meant to represent a specific phoneme in that dialect, similar to the "rr" you'd get in the Spanish word "perro". But many other Romani dialects don't have that specific phoneme (mine doesn't, who pronounce "r" the German way), so it doesn't make much sense for them to spell it "rr". The "rr" spelling is also associated with the Romanian Romani community, so a lot of other Roma don't care much about it. Finally, it's contested because the initiative came from Romani linguists in an academic setting, and not from the Romani community in general. So the reason why some spell it with the "rr" and some with a "r" is a mix of all of this: it can be a dialect reason, a geographical reason (they don't feel represented in a sound associated with Eastern European, especially Romanian, Romani communities), or more rarely, a sort of political reason (as the spelling was decided by a few Romani linguists)

As for your second question, "vitsa" is the word we use to refer to our specific Romani group within the broader diaspora. So Spanish Gitanos are a vitsa, Sinti are a vitsa, as are the Romanichal, the Lovari, what have you. Other words are used to convey the same meaning: endaj, or sometimes, "clan", "tribe", or just "group"

Hope this helps!💞

[sinnerlillith]

Fiction is about conflict, drama and mistakes and the reasons and consequences behind human behavior. People make the mistake of conflating enjoying art with agreeing with what it depicts and that’s just not how consuming media works. I like hurt/comfort fanfic, but that doesn’t mean I want to see my partner beaten up. I really enjoy Hannibal, but that doesn’t mean I approve of cannibalism. What we read, watch, write or ship doesn’t reflect our character. If that were true, Stephen King and George R. R. Martin should both be in prison, and every fan of Die Hard would be on a watchlist. We enjoy stories because they take us outside of ourselves, into adventures we could never have and into the minds of people we could never be. That’s art. And while it’s always important to be critical and thoughtful about how and why we enjoy something, that should never keep you from liking what you like. And it certainly doesn’t make you a bad person.

you straight up copy and pasted this. i have literally seen this argument before. if you’re gonna defend why you’re in love with a racist character, be fucking original. 

like wow thats embarrassing.

anyways, yes it does reflect your character. in certain cases, fiction affects or is a reflection of reality. in this case, it shows that you let pretty privilege win when it comes to seeing red flags in people. it shows what you are literally willing to ignore. You cannot go and say this when you know damn well your attitude towards billy would change if any of these actors played him:

If the face of Billy wasn't some beauty standard pretty boy, y'all would not go this far. Y'all would say things like "he's ugly AND abusive, yikes"

Also everything you mentioned literally does reflect character 💀 it doesn't mean those people are psychos, or how ever extreme you may think, but it does mean that they created "art" with a reflection of how they feel about those topics in those books, movies, and shows.

Art is an extension of the artists feelings and/or mind. Tell me you're not an artist without telling me you're not and artist.

The bad guy portrayed, the good guy portrayed, the plot, the best friends, the character design, the setting even, ect are all reflections of how the creator feels about the topic being brought up, or their values on good, evil, love, hate ect including MEMORIES, which idk if you knew this, BUT ARE A REFLECTION OF A PERSON.

Hannibal kills and eats people he typically hates (like pedophiles) which is most likely a reflection of the creators own hate for pedophiles, and reflection on their views.

Hurt/comfort reflects peoples trauma. Sometimes the creators, and other times something the creator observed. Sometimes, something the creator desires. Ex: they wish to "save" someone and be there for them

Stephen King writes about murder on one hand, and friendship/ family on the other in a "which will pull through" type of way. "Which one is stronger" type of way, which reflects how he feels at the end of the day and how he views horror too.

George RR is famous for GOT, which is straight up about power struggles. This also reflects his character by showing his view on what is basically power politics. How not all the good guys will be in favor. How loss is inevitable in the batte for victory, and that doesn't mean you should essentially "abandon all hope". This is a reflection of what he believes in.

Also, people mainly like die hard for ACTION, which is a reflection of their character because it shows that they are a person who is/wants to be a daredevil, hero, tough guy, ect. if they liked watching people get murdered, that's completely different, but guess what? It's also a REFLECTION OF THEIR CHARACTER.

so you are wrong wrong wrong over and over again. "IT cErtAinLy DoEsnT maKe YoU a BaD pErSon" but it does REFLECT WHO YOU ARE as a person when you like someone as problematic and harmful as Billy.

[perceabeth]

i know this isn't really what you were talking about lskdkj but even just as a dynamic jercy pisses me off in canon bc rr clearly wanted them to be THE narrative foils of hoo but he didn't write in ANY nuance for them. like their dynamic is so built up as the leaders of their respective camps and opposite personalities and the different ways they go abt being Heroes but they r so boring and almost never interact... it's laughable comparing them to luke and percy in pjo who actually pulled off the Main Narrative Foils thing 😭

you're sooo right. i think it's because like riordan couldn't decide what to do with percy? he was meant to be a main character but also a side character. the lost trio was clearly set up to be The Focus Trio of the series-- they were all overpowered with little to no training the story began and ended with them and they were led by the Superman-eque Boy so u know it's meant to be about them

the reason luke and percy worked is because at some point luke saw himself in percy, just as percy saw a better future for himself in luke. they were similar in all ways but one- percy was guided predominantly by love and luke was guided predominantly by anger. the funny part about it is that luke did feel love at a very deep level, just as percy felt anger on a very deep level- it was what each character chose to act upon that made them different. that's a personality. that is what a narrative foil is meant to do: draw comparisons in character.

the percy/jason dynamic is so badly done because they aren't even friends. we don't actually see them as similar. sure, they fill in the same role at their respective camps: their lives may be symmetrical, but they themselves aren't that similar. are they both buried under responsibility? sure. but their core struggles are not even remotely the same. percy has already passed jason's current phase. he knows where he belongs, knows his role in the world, knows how to bear his burden. his problems come now from controlling the same flaws that he saw in LUKE, who remains a mirror to him despite being dead and gone. percy and jason aren't on the same journey!!

also this is a bit nit-picky, i know, but i find the whole 'jason is boring because he's a narrative foil to Interesting percy' SO so annoying lkjsdkfsjkf. first of all- i don't think characters who are straight-laced, morally inflexible, and tight lipped soldier types are boring. one dimensional, trope-filling characters are boring. jason didn't have to be a sarcastic quick witted impulsive lil shit to be fun! personally i don't think he's boring at all!! he's as full of wasted potential as any of the other hoo characters- they are all there to fill a role and be a trope. percy, annabeth, and nico are not exempt from it. a lot of what we know to be true about them are erased in hoo so that they will 'give space' to the new kids to fulfill their old role. it's so dumb and so offensive!!!

i'm sorry for talking so much, i'll wrap it up now but basically what i mean to say is: jason and percy don't work because jason is literally the lead while percy is reduced to comedic relief by the end. it's fine- not every stroy has to be centered around percy, but it makes drawing comparisons between them so cheap and tacky. they're not character foils. they're barely even in the same story. they're just two boys who kind of tolerate each other and pretend to be best friends with absolutely no explanation or chemsitry slkdjfklsdfj

[dirtyvulture]

😎 I am feeling much better from the headache that I had last night and yay our fingers are healing well!!!!! Just make sure not to press anything too hard Vulture 😉.

I was talking about how journaling for Nat was very healing for her inner child but let’s talk about Wolvie for a second. She didn’t have much of a childhood herself. She was rise to be a high society lady, wife and mother( as birthing children and then teaching them how to be high society ladies if they were daughters). Not to mention she didn’t get a lot of attention or send a lot of time with her parents, for John it was because He was a business man and was quite busy maintaining that as well as always gathering contacts. It was also because the wealthy didn’t look after nor rise their children but if it was different then He would. As is John sent as much time and attention as he could for a wealthy man of that age but he did love and doted on his daughter. For Elizabeth it was quite different, she was cold and distant towards R ( Jane at the time ) as Elizabeth never told her that Elizabeth loved or even liked R ( it was every much a Tony Stark and Howard Stark situation , both saw their own respective parent as very cold and very calculating . Both parents could be charismatic working up a crowd and gathering/ maintaining connections) . The only real attention Elizabeth paid to her daughter was teaching her how to be a high society lady , to marry for money , etc. The Howlett estate was isolated and there were no other children to play with and the only children she interacted with were the children of her father’s business partners /  potential business partners or the high society parties . Not to mention she was a sickly and fragile child, so she couldn’t do much playing. THEN if that wasn’t ENOUGH her mutation hit between the ages between 10 and 13 ( you can pick the actual age R’s mutation actually hits Vulture. But these are the canon age ranges I believe that movie’s wolverine hits, I believe it’s 13 for comic Wolverine) then was forced onto the run surviving anyway she could. 

I love to think that watching Disney movies or other such children movies is very important in healing her inner child ( especially since the older Disney movies were based on the fairytales that she read about and loved as a child in her Grimm Brothers Fairytales book she had gotten from her parents * cough her papa John cough * for her birthday and or Christmas) . R being with and tending to kids also does wonders for healing her inner child even if she doesn’t realize it, not to mention being the mother/ parent figure she NEVER had but DESPERATELY NEEDED as a child . R has always concerned her self with giving a good childhood to actual children and healing the inner child in other people rather than her self . And Vulture you mentioned not knowing how R would react to Nat  surprising her with a Trip to Disney land ….. well she would be shocked, surprised and grumbly because “ This is wayyyyy toooo much!!!!!”and “ I DON’T deserve all of THIS !!!!!” but as soon as she settles in she is like a big kid in a candy store running around seeing EVERYTHING and all of her FAVORITE CHARACTERS from her favorite movies . She would end up hugging Nat and crying thanking her for this and saying she never thought she would get this ….. this kid  experience and unbridled joy. I also can’t help but wonder how Nat would react to Disney movies because as seen in the Agent Carter series/ the opening of The Black Widow the RR uses old Disney movies and old American cartoons ( we only see them use Snow White and we don’t know how far the RR goes down the collection of Disney movies but we do know that Nat herself was in the RR in the 1990s with a three year break with the Ohio Mission but the 1990s was the GOLDEN ERA of Disney movies) to both teach the girls English and to brainwash them. Meaning any RR Black widow would have a visceral reaction to these movies / cartoons. I am seeing R watching Disney movies ( alone or with others , possibly Rouge and or the little ones of the school) and Nat comes in to which R pauses or shuts off the movie soooo fast or blocking it from Nat as much as R could and trying to get Nat far away from the movie because R knows what the RR did to the widows with Disney movies and cartoons but doesn’t know which movies and cartoons or how far it goes. That leaves me with this which Disney movies / American cartoons do you think Vulture did the RR use ( specifically while Nat was training and as a kid there because I highly doubt that Nat has to watch them / be brainwashed by them now ) now and how far down the collection did they go?

I am on my period at the moment and that sparked a couple of ideas for both the DK and SB AUs . But first did DK Nat “graduate” from the RR and go through the “ graduation ceremony” before she escaped the RR ?It doesn’t have any baring in these thoughts at the moment but I just wanted to know for future reference. First of all SB would be sooo attentive and just great at taking care of Sergeant Romanoff on her period going all out when in private. Flowers, chocolate, snacks and fully  stocked with all the feminine hygiene products and heating pads/water bottles . And last but not least fully stocked on pain medication , the golden retriever would also have a app or something to track both their sister’s and Nat’s ( because they learned how to take care of someone on their period from doing so growing up with their sister. And even if their sister is married they still take care of her and still stock up for her ) periods so they have everything they need. Later on when they meet and get close to Yelena ( and by extension Kate ) they would do the same thing for Yelena ( *cough and Kate cough* ) if she were to live close by when not on duty/ deployment. Nat wouldn’t admit it but she loves this treatment and especially loves it  extends to her little sister . In public at work SB sneak in chocolates / coffee and covertly makes sure Sergeant Romanoff has everything she needs( feminine hygiene products, extra  clothes, hot bottle/ heating pad) . At one point Nat finds out that the OG Wolverine that SB is named after was the inventor of pads ( Maybe someone was making of SB’s name ) or maybe she already knows this ( from history class or something)but finds out that SB was specifically named after the OG Wolverine ( from the sister/ SB themselves or someone making fun of that fact of them being named after the inventor of pads )But I really want to know how she would handle someone making fun of HER BEEF but can’t do anything too obvious or official because the relationship is being kept secret. Either way I have already said that it has never bothered SB that is how they got their name and has always been proud of their name sake but the same can’t be said about Nat being unbothered at the fact that people making fun of or being rude/ mean to her beef .

In the DK universe I have said that R definitely stocked up with enough supplies while on the three day run for both Nat and Wolvie because Wolverine R still gets her period( has been for nearly two centuries and will continue to do so) but she isn’t sure if Nat does. How she made sure that she shown Nat the supplies so if it is needed Nat could grab some and have it without talking about it, if Nat doesn’t then she will still let Nat have some of the chocolate and snacks but they don’t have to say anything about the it ( avoid talking about the “graduation ceremony” all together but R does KNOW what it is and what is done to a widow when they “graduate” from the RR . I have also talked about the fact that pain medication wouldn’t work for R so she would crave up trees with her claws and yell for pain relieve ( how that inspired ✨ Cryptid ✨ War !Wolvie) . R would be very good and attentive to everyone who haves periods in her life and whom she cares about ( if she doesn’t like you you are pretty much on your own 😂😂😂but if you really NEED help she will but she wouldn’t be tender or gentle) that includes friends, lovers, daughter / child figures or people under her watch. But what about R ….. who watches out for her whilst she’s in her monthly hell of pain and bleeding ( I have really bad clamps on my periods and I am thinking that Wolverine R is the same way.) . So imagine that R’s period rolls around and the clamps hit HARD and She is clutching her stomach, Nat watches on with Jean and she asks Jean what is up with R ( Nat was talking about/ asking her about mutation and when that hits and everything, I will expand on this thought later) Jean telling her that along with R’s mutation with the claws/ super heighten senses and her long life but looking young her healing factor means EVERYTHING is  regenerated ……. And Jean does mean everything Including all the eggs in R’s body that she losses from periods every month . R has as many eggs as she did when her body physically stopped aging or has as many as when she was born. Meaning R has had periods for nearly two centuries and will continue to do so , she has seen the evolution of feminine hygiene products first hand and * Jean says with a smirk * every single period having persons have R to thank for the invention of pads as we know them during her time being a nurse in WWI ( this was one of the memories that R bits and pieces of this time and of Esther Hudson. R knows that she made the realization and shouted for Esther to come see it) . She tells Nat that for R it takes an  extreme amount of alcohol or extremely strong alcohol to even get her intoxicated and needs a constant supply to keep her drunk because it wears off quickly . Meaning painkillers or any type of drugs/ medications are absolutely useless to her . She has to go through all that pain every month for eternity without anything to stop it. Nat thinks about the supplies that R got and shows her ( Jean sees the Memory and smiles) Jean says that R ever the thoughtful person wanted to make sure she has everything that you needed if you are still ….. affected by the monthly cycle and didn’t have to worry about discussing it because * Jean clears her throat after she pauses hesitating saying this next * ….. R KNOWS WHAT the RR DOES for “ graduation” and she knows what the RR “ graduation ceremony” IS , R doesn’t want to cause you any discomfort or pain so she did what she did so you take what you need or want without discussing anything. Even if you are ……unaffected by the monthly cycle she would want you to feel free to take any chocolates or snacks. Nat is teary eyed hearing this because no one ever cared that much about her or her comfort before, she tells Jean that R is the best and Jean does agree. That is when they both come up with a plan to force R to lay down and let them care for her FOR A CHANGE. They force R into bed with mountains of fuzzy warm blankets, a heating pad and loads of chocolates and snacks . Movies too and surrounded by people R cares about.

One last thing for Nat with Scott it’s on sight , she doesn’t like him at all ( he is mean to R and he is just a dick in general) .

Also R can always tell when someone is on their period because she can literally smell all the blood on them.

I am glad we are both doing better on all fronts :)

I wonder if sickly little Wolvie!R was ever nervous about her future (pre-mutation). Like, did she feel her life was already being written by her parents' (mostly mother's) expectations and wanted to break free? Or maybe she was just too young to really understand any of that at the time?

Nat taking R to Disneyland and R pretending she is NOT having a good time at first because she's so embarrassed someone has gone out of their way to give her a good time, and then eventually being so happy and running around so fast even Nat cannot keep up. :)

I wonder if Nat's "brainwashing" of Disney movies can be undone? I hate to think that she would miss out on something that brings R so much joy because of her background, but I guess that's what happens when you get inducted into the Red Room. Perhaps Nat would prefer the newer Disney movies (like Toy Story, Zootopia, etc.), and R is happy to compromise with her on watching those.

In the Darkest Knight AU, I don't think Nat went through the "graduation ceremony" yet because she escaped too early. Although I imagine she was right about there, but escaped just in time. So she would get periods (assuming she wasn't stressed to hell).

Sergeant Beef wouldn't even understand periods all that well, but they are a golden retriever and would be happy to supply for any and all needs that arise with Nat. I don't think would ever take too kindly to someone being mean to her beef, but she would strike back in more subtle ways.

I love the idea that Nat takes care of Wolvie!R on her period (although I'm not sure how willing Nat would be to include Jean in). And to be fair, no one really likes Scott so Nat is not alone there lol.

I hollered at the way you just ended your thoughts with that omg. But you are not wrong. I bet when R was "younger" a.k.a. when was sleeping around a lot, she would be able to tell when women were on their periods and then get them lots of chocolate and flowers and such to get on their good side. ;)

[longdeco]

Rims racing track list

#Rims racing track list how to#

#Rims racing track list upgrade#

#Rims racing track list tv#

While it does what it sets out to do, a part of me feels that maybe a little more depth in the opening tutorial would have been appreciated, especially for newcomers not only to the sport but also to motorcycle racing games in general. The first thing you are introduced to when playing RiMS Racing is the tutorial that tries to walk you through the basics.

#Rims racing track list how to#

Based on my first two hours playing the game for this review, it starts as an excellent simulator of how to fall off a bike and look like a ragdoll doing so. In summary, RiMs is an excellent game that tries to marry the joys of racing and the minutia of the mechanical side of things. I always found this fascinating and wondered how they were able to turn so tightly and not hit the ground.įast forward a few years and RIMs Racing from RaceWard Studio and Nacon wants to show me that it is a lot harder than it looks. One thing that always grabbed me about the show was when the motorcyclists would bank around corners so tightly that their knees would almost touch the ground. They would cover new bikes coming to the market and look at recent races that occurred.

#Rims racing track list tv#

If you make the right decisions and improve your racing performances, opportunities with other manufacturers will become available to you!Īll links are interchangeable.Growing up, there was a TV show I would watch called “4 Wheels Good, 2 Wheels Better.” As the name implies, it was a TV show centered on motorcycles.

#Rims racing track list upgrade#

Build your rider by managing their race calendar, choose which R&D areas to invest in, and upgrade the team’s skills. For those who prefer roads, five routes in the stunning landscapes of the United States, Norway, Australia, Spain and Italy have been recreated for a different racing experience on two wheels! MANAGE YOUR CAREER AND TEAMĬareer mode in RiMS Racing gives you control of a team. Silverstone, Laguna Seca, Suzuka, Nürburgring, Paul Ricard… Travel the world and enjoy thrilling races on 10 faithfully recreated official circuits. But thanks to the various ride assist technologies, less experienced players can still learn the techniques that will take them to the top. The level of accuracy and details provided by the mechanics management and MSC is matched by realistic motorbike physics that will thrill the most demanding of track racers. Brake disc temperature, tyre compound and pressure pressure, suspension behaviour affecting stability, electronic settings… Just like for a real rider, your motorbike’s configuration can be adapted to your riding style! ACCURATE AND REALISTIC PHYSICS RiMS Racing thrusts you straight into the heart of the action with the Motorbike Status Check (MSC), which helps you analyse your bike’s behaviour in real time and understand how to optimise your performance. Browse a catalogue of over 500 official spare parts from the biggest names in the industry along with over 200 official equipment items to personalise your rider! ANALYSE YOUR PERFORMANCE You will become familiar with every last screw in your motorbike. With a mechanics management system never before seen in a motorbike simulation, you can dismantle all your bike’s parts to maintain them after each race or to upgrade them and boost your performance. They are true rough diamonds that only need a few cuts to shine their brightest! OPTIMISE YOUR MOTORBIKE Recreated with an unmatched level of detail thanks to close collaboration with each manufacturer, these motorbikes also provide a highly accurate and realistic riding experience. In RiMS Racing, you can ride the world’s 8 most powerful European and Japanese motorbikes: Ducati Panigale V4 R, MV Agusta F4 RC, Aprilia RSV4, BMW M 1000 RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000R, Honda CBR1000RR, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, Yamaha YZF-R1. Your adventure starts by choosing your dream motorbike. Traction, angle, braking, torque, trajectory, speed… every factor must be considered before heading to the workshop to change certain components and configuring the optimal set-up. A race is not won purely on the track, so you need to become more than a rider by understanding motorbike behaviour like a real engineer.

[spanishskulduggery]

Do you have any tips about pronunciations/specific sounds to be aware of?

Before I mention things I HIGHLY recommend using https://forvo.com/languages/es/ because you can hear native speakers from all over pronouncing things in Spanish

You'll more clearly hear the differences

-

It kind of depends on where you are and the accent you're talking about

In Spain you'd want to be more aware of la distinción with S/Z sounds and C sounds, but that's more of a special case; Spain generally pronounces Z and CI and CE differently compared to the rest of the Spanish-speaking world

https://forvo.com/word/buz%C3%B3n/#es

https://forvo.com/word/voz/#es

https://forvo.com/word/ictericia/#es

https://forvo.com/word/aceituna/#es

https://forvo.com/word/cinco/#es

-

The most important sounds to be aware of as a non-native speaker are probably LL, the GE and GI sounds vs. GUE and GUI for example, the ü sound which can surprise people, and the B/V sounds

I feel like people are generally aware of H being silent and the general ñ sound so I wouldn't include them but they're also important. Also RR which again, not as big of a deal but some people go hard on the R's.

-

LL in particular is regional because in some places the sound is pretty distinct, in others it can sound like a Y sound... I know in some places LL comes out sounding like a hard J sound for English, and in Argentina it comes out like a SH sound

https://forvo.com/word/llamar/#es

https://forvo.com/word/llorar/#es

...so depending on where you are lluvia "rain" can sound like "yuvia", "juvia", "shuvia" etc and that's always fun

https://forvo.com/word/lluvia/#es - you'll hear it more that Spain's speakers pronounce LL a little harder so it sounds like "lyuvia" a bit. Most of Latin America has it more like "yuvia" or "juvia", and Argentina is a clear SH sound

-

B/V is one that native speakers know very well, but many times - with the exception of proper nouns and some linguistic cases - the sounds of B and V can sound very similar; to the extent that sometimes people misspell haber as "aver" or mistake it for a ver

https://forvo.com/word/haber/#es

B/V is kind of its own fun linguistics topic

https://forvo.com/word/abeja/#es

https://forvo.com/search/bebieron/

https://forvo.com/word/subir/#es

There's also a well-known tongue twister involving tuvo and tubo

-

As for ü (and also many words with a "ue" sound) it tends to sound like a W sound. I typically see it with G, like averiguar in subjunctive is averigüe and it sort of sounds like "gway" rather than the harder G sound. Usually if you're seeing ü it means a weaker U sound that comes out like W

https://forvo.com/word/averig%C3%BCe/#es

https://forvo.com/word/g%C3%BCey/#es

As for what I said about other "ue" sounds, it's not everything but I know people who say bueno like weno.

-

With the exception of maybe GE and GI [sounding like English H] vs GUE and GUI [which have the harder English G sound]

https://forvo.com/word/gelatina/#es

https://forvo.com/word/girasol/#es

https://forvo.com/word/guerra/#es

https://forvo.com/word/guitarra/#es

...most everything I mentioned is a matter of regional pronunciation or sounding more like a native speaker

As in, if you can't roll your RRs, it's not like no one can understand you and don't worry about it, but you can sort of hear it

Same thing with B/V, English speakers have a much clearer distinction in how we pronounce words with B vs. words with V, and it does come across. If anything we sound more formal because we're pronouncing everything more clearly than a native speaker would. That's true of any language though

-

This is maybe more of a linguistics topic and I can recommend some things, but I feel like videos explain this better because you can hear it more (and because I could use IPA but some people don't understand it)

But definitely explore around Forvo at your leisure. It's really useful for hearing differences in accents for Spanish in particular because there are so many

(but it's also for other languages so use Forvo for all your language needs it's great)

[ursie]

I'm thinking about the wasted potential that is aroace Leo Valdez

Like there's the simple fact that entering a relationship was just. Very poor writing in terms of themes. The whole 'third wheel' thing could have turned into important commentary on friendship and establishing non-romantic relationships, as well as the pressure to conform in terms if him being a flirt despite it never being quite genuine (though we all know that wasn't smth rr was going to deconstruct, since it really just served as a racist stereotype of latino men). Additionally when he does things for people it is never out of romantic intent. He helps Echo because he is kind and sympathises with her (as well as for Quest Purposes) he is kind to Piper because she's his friend etc

Plus the thematic implications of a character feeling like a left out third wheel resolving that character arch by entering a relationship is quite dubious when included in a book for developing children learning how to establish relationships (of all kinds) and facing pressure to conform. It could have been a chance to make a statement on the importance of establishing genuine bonds with multiple people, healthy romantic relationships for teenagers (because those are fundamentally different from adult relationships), and that it is okay to be single and have a support network compromised if friends rather than a partner

Plus it would avoid literally everything with Calypso. (I find it incredibly alarming that rr has MULTIPLE examples if thousand-smth year old adults dating Teens under the justification that while they may have been alive that long they are 'mentally' teens(🤢) which reinforces the while bullshit mental age theory thing and unintentionally supports the bullshit idea of maturity over actual age and experience. An adult that acts like a teen and possibly sees themselves as one is still an adult fantasy setting or no. Those gods/goddesses have had thousands of years to mature and experience things a 15 year old child simply can not. The rr kids are highly traumatized and mature but they are kids)

Furthermore that relationship does nothing for their characters. I know almost nothing abt Calypso and am frankly not invested in her character arch and it does a diservice to her character to make it rely on two teenage boys. Plus the potential parallel she could have had with Leo on how a heteronormative and misogynist society can effect people with their opposite coping strategies (Calypso had become straight up hostile towards the idea if love since she had been forced into a system that relied on her feeling toward men designed simply to punish her indefinitely. Because the best way to punish a woman for being dissatisfied with her situation is to exploit her emotions 🤡. And Leo's hyperfocuse on relationships and getting a date and comforming where Calypso attempted to refuse to participate. Neither one of those works tho because emotions are nit controlled by your opinion on society. Society can hurt you and punish you for loving but your heart will love regardless. You can try to force yourself to fit in and date and fall in love but emotions don't care about conformity, and that is not a healthy ground for relationships.)

This is messy because its nearly 2 am and my sleeping pills r kicking in but! Leo is genuinely so interesting in theory but RR drops the ball so hard it's maddening

No no like?? Go off legend!! I agree completely honestly there’s a reason I jump between Aro/Ace and gay Leo it’s because both add sm to his narrative and work sm better than what we got 😭

[thatblondeperson]

What are some of your more... rated R TimSteph headcanons?

Answering this one because I don't have to fig fof issue numbers for this. (Except oops I did cuz I'm not fucking around today I guess.)

I don't have like...a ton of headcanons here, but I do have some.

For starters, while I'm very ace, I don't believe either Tim or Steph are ace. I could make a case for Steph being demi!ace, but eh. It's not a priority headcanon for me.

But hey hey, that's not what we came here for.

I feel like, and I could ramble about this forever, that their first time would be something very special. While others have written fics where Tim isn't a virgin when this occurs, imma keep him as such to put them on equal ground. (I am aware that Steph is not a virgin, but I refuse to believe Dean was a smooth ride. She deserves better. )

Tim did have that one instance where Ari wanted to cross that threshold with him, (and they were 14!!! Yeesh!!!) and Tim turned her down. Nor because he didn't want to, just not yet. It's suggested that Tim at this point is a wait till marriage guy, and throughout Robin he's consistently not pushy or really focused on that kind of physical connection. He likes smoochies, but he's tame otherwise. Fast forwarding to RR, his hormones have caught up with him a bit, but while he's thinking about things more, he's not acting on them.

Tim is not a one night stand guy imo. Tim wants emotional connection, he wants trust, and this is mirrored by Steph who has a whole different experience with this matter.

Stephanie has suffered several counts of sexual assault. As a child there was Jim Murray who was a threat to her, who fully intended to violate her when she was eleven. (Robin #111)

There was Dean who was definitely not a teenager who she was with way too young, and he only came back around after she'd given up her kid to what? Keep fooling around? Gross. (Robin #80)

And then there's the heavy HEAVY implication that Black Mask sexually assaulted her as a part of her torture in War Games. (Robin #130)

Super disturbing comments to make towards a 16yo.

WHOA! WE'RE GETTING DARK!!

Yes we are, but it's crucial to the convo about sex.

Stephanie also desperately needs trust. She needs care and gentleness she needs patience and understanding. Tim already being slow to the finish line himself, I think he's a perfect match in this scenario, and her natural empathy is also a good match for him.

Are we getting into vulnerability again? Fuck yeah we are.

Shedding masks and layers is a symbol of their growth as a couple. Whether literal or metaphorical, these two took their sweet time opening up 100% to one another. That last layer shed would be an emotional explosion for them. There's not a single barrier after that, that's about as intimately as they can know each other. I think in a way, even by RR, Tim is already kinda there. If they stuck around each other a bit more, worked up a better repertoire, if something had started between them and Steph suggested it? I don't think there would be much pushback from him. But Steph needs more reassurance. She's down for trust, but it's more than that. She wants reliability, stability, she wants love. I think when that shoe drops, it'll be an easy decision for her.

There's the idea that Tim being the boy virgin would be bumpy and uncoordinated, but let me plant a dif idea in your head. Tim is an overachiever, he's a planner, he's meticulous and hyper focused, he's diligent. Watch him try to work overtime to get it right. Even if he finished fast due to emotional overstimulation of experiencing the that kind of uninhibited love and affection and giving all of yourself to one person, I want someone to tell me that he wouldn't still try to make it better for Steph. He's a good guy, he cares for the people he loves, let him show it. Let him also ask WAY too many times if what he's doing is okay. He has to be sure.

And for sure, Timmy's a giver. 😏😏😏

I do think, as do many, that they're pretty vanilla. I don't think they're hopping onto any crazy kinks. Look me dead in the eye and tell me either of them likes being tied up after looking at the panel of Steph above, and the fact that in RR issue #24, Tim was also tied up and nearly r*ped.

(And I haven't even talked about Tim being sexually assaulted by Rose Wilson but I'm sure that puts a damper on certain types of kinky shit)

I know there's a heavy fandom focus on pegging for TimSteph, and while I'm not going to discredit it, I think a lot of fans use it to hyperfeminize Tim or use it as an excuse to push the hypersexual Steph headcanon that I despise. I don't think either of them is truly trying to dominate the other. I think they are taking turns taking care of each other. They switch it up.

As far as how kinky it gets, I'm firm on Tim being a biter. I think there's the occasional bout of "can't keep hands off each other" neediness, but not so much that it would happen in public. (ie: they're not ducking into a bathroom at a restaurant any time soon, or parking the Redbird somewhere to have a go. Well...maybe. I do think they're not as frequent as a TV drama, but there's a sort of unspoken cue that they have where they just know what they need. Maybe it's not a full go, maybe it's just a bit of intimates touches and lip/bite marks in extra places, but it's just a re-centering for them. Shower sex? Sure. Wash away troubles and engage in a bit of dopamine heavy fun times. This also works for bubble baths.

I think for them sex isn't so much a "I need this feeling" it's an "I need to feel you" type of dealio.

Sex is connection. It's a warmth that melts them together. And yes, Tim has absolutely cried during it a handful of times, as well as blurting out some very awkward sweet nothings in the moment because he's a bit overwhelmed and he becomes unfiltered. Dirty talk? Nah. Mildly incoherent comments about how incredible Steph is and how he wants to be with her forever? Yah.

Just let them get lost in the physical love that neither of them have received or experienced before. LET THEM.

THANK YOU ANON!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this one, I hope you weren't looking for something dirtier cuz instead we went into angst territory! Pro tip: it will always be angst territory with me. 💜❤