#this is a bit too niche i fear but oh well

[whycantwegivellove]

Day 16 of @gelphiefemslashfeb: Crossover

in which Elphaba isn't the only one who gets a makeover

[uglygirlstatus]

Curious to see how you’d rank every Riverdale musical episode

this ask has been in my inbox for months because I could not make up my mind whatsoever and had to rewatch all musical eps 2x each to decide.

Splitting rankings into categories for my own sake: Songs (ranked on both quality and integration), Plot (entertainment value of the storyline points featured), and Iconry (ratio of special/memorable/iconic lines and scenes)

#6. American Psycho

Songs ⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I remember somehow being underwhelmed when I first watched this because I had really hyped myself up after reading the episode description. But now in a post-50sdale world, I realize how lucky we were with this one. We got SlaughterCon, Cheryl and Kevin hexing Toni and Fangs, Betty being gay, Kevin not warning Betty in advance that he added a bit to his musical number where Doctor Curdle Jr dresses as TBK and then getting visibly annoyed with her when she interrupts it fearing for his life, Betty finally killing TBK and he’s literally just wrapped in duct tape and garbage bags, AS WELL AS Archie’s Labour Union all in one episode. However, since this IS a ranking of musical episodes, I’m afraid I can’t let the incredible plot compensate too much for the lack of strong musical bangers.

Stand out lines:

“It’s your dad’s knife. I bought it on eSlay.”

“Betty Cooper, are you hot for agent Drake?”

“You’re one of us. An American Psycho.”

Not a line but shoutout to Lili Reinhart’s boobs in You Are What You Wear.

#5. Carrie

Songs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cheryls heavily autotuned explosion into “THATS NOT MY NAAAAAAAME” will forever tickle me. And her finale drenching herself in blood and coming to her mother with the candelabra to threaten burning down their mansion for a second time is one of the top ten Cheryl Blossom moments for all time. Everything about the presence of Alice Cooper also kills me like she is IN this high school musical. Madchen I could listen to pitch correction software fighting for its life against your dulcet tones forever. I read in a Twitter thread by the duo who produces all the Riverdale music that Madchen had literally never sung in her entire life prior to this episode. And they still gave her a solo. Amazing. The plot doesn’t carry as much weight for me in this one but the I love the integration of the music, and it also gave us the first ever Beronica duet and Fifi appearance. Oh and rip Midge!

Stand Out Lines:

“I will not succumb to thespian terrorism!”

“I’m not the same girl who burned down Thornhill.” “Sure you are!”

“Nightmare child, what do you want from me?!”

#4. Next to Normal

Songs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️

This one has real emotional impact okay. It was genuinely moving. I love when the musical episodes tackle a huge range of plot lines and still try to apply the niche musical choice of the season to each of them. We have Cooper grieving & family choreography and spite-Jabitha and Cheryl attacking her mother with song & holy water and Varchie being useless and Britta becoming Cheryl’s little child servant/protege. Reggie is there too. Also all of the music hits for real. It’s a shame that “I Am The One” and “I’m Alive” had so much cut in the ep because the spectres of Polly and Charles are killing it on the harmonies in the full versions. I could listen to Lili Reinhart sing all day long. Above all though I think my favourite part is the uncanny photoshop of Alice and Betty and Polly in front of the Next to Normal Broadway poster.

Stand Out Lines:

“YOU’VE GOT SOME NERVE JUGHEAD, AND I’M JUST ALL NERVES!”

“I’m gonna eat in the garage.”

“You remind me of Hiram Lodge.” “I don’t know who that is. But please, have a Swelligrino for the road.”

#3. Heathers

Songs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Guys It’s so crazy that Midge literally died in the middle of our musical last year. Anyway time for Heathers! Something fun about this episode is that I first watched it before I was fully Riverdalepilled and was still foolishly rolling my eyes at the show while I watched with my mom and sister. I was like “guys Heathers is actually a great musical, it’s going to be hard for me to see what Riverdale does to it”. We began watching and very soon my mom and sister were commenting on the music. It quickly dawned on me that they were complaining about the aspects of the show that were more or less unchanged from the original musical. And I had a great epiphany moment where I realized 1) Heathers is sort of bad 2) if I loved Heathers the musical in earnest then why should I not love Riverdale? Heathers was actually PERFECTLY CRAFTED to be performed by the Riverdale cast. Anyway. This episode had a lot going for it. Lodge divorce arc straight into Veronica partying. Kevin’s sudden perm. Toni’s threesome fake out. Our favourite Chad Michael Murray Rhythmic cult clapping. And of course KJ Apa doing this

Stand Out Lines

“Did you have a lobotomy for breakfast?”

“Here I invented red. I AM red. *snaps*”

“Evelyn called a closed rehearsal for select members in the Gargoyle Chamber.”

#2. Archie the Musical

Songs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one had EVERYTHINGGGGGGGG. Fun with the meta narrative and original songs mixed with covers taken from various obscure and specific sources and by far some of the most fun choreography and sets of all musical episodes since they were able to be so free with it. Seeing Gay Kevin back in his natural habitat of directing the school musical was so heartwarming. Jughead and Reggie quitting immediately. Archie going left. And Archie going right. Bisexually. Julian demolishing Archie vocally every chance he gets. And knowing it. Also every single facial expression and mannerism that Julian has in this episode is god tier. Actually kj apa too. Actually also Lili and Camilla. SANDWICH? The loudest in-song sound effects we’ve ever experienced. Archie the happiest he’s ever been in his life on the back of Toni’s bike. BERONICA - PRIMAL AND INTENSE! My review is barely coherent because this one does fill me with silly giddy joy. Plot loses a star because how the hell are we expected to care about Gay Kevin’s divorcing parents. I know “ohh suffering isn’t a competition ohhh” Ethel just watched her parents get murdered by a milkman and no one sang for her.

Stand Out Lines:

“I don’t wanna be a drip, but it’s super distracting when my understudy is singing literally at the same time as me!”

“You completely captured the longing of being in a queer, interracial relationship in the 1950s.”

“Maybe there are other more emotionally complex mountains to climb.”

“The new Archie, Julian, he’s even better than the real Archie!”

#1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Songs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iconry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On a 9 hour flight to Europe in the Summer I had all the Riverdale musical eps downloaded to rewatch and then noticed that among the plane’s complimentary movie selections was the original movie of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which was pure kismet. I decided to watch the movie for the first time prior to rewatching the Riverdale ep and I was blown away. Knowing the context of all the songs and musical they chose to include in the episode made everything so much more insane. The song about feeling like a stranger in your body after surgical malpractice being used for the Bughead conflict over Juggie prioritizing mysteries over finishing high school and Varchie conflict over Archie not telling Veronica about her dad’s epic fail at the gym. 20? something year old gay Kevin proclaiming WE ARE GENERATION Z before jumping into Random Number Generation. The BIZARRELY spliced version of the best ever rendition of Origin of Love all for BARCHIE FODDER?!? Actually all the rest of the songs were perfectly fitting no notes. Anyway hallway full of students in Hedwig drag one of the top Riverdale shots ever though I forever mourn KJ Apa’s absence. At least he got to kiss a man in this one. The plane hit turbulence while I watching the Midnight Radio scene but I was so happy witnessing it in that moment that I thought to myself “it would be ok if I died right now”.

Stand Out Lines:

“Writing a book report? Now I know how Sisyphus must have felt.”

“It celebrates identities, genders, expressions of all kinds.”

“[scoffs] How queer-phobic of you.”

“There’s a problem that comes once you get caught up on your homework. Your mind wanders and evil creeps back in.”

I was convinced Archie the Musical would come out on top for me due to the obscene level of euphoria I felt upon first experiencing it but after intensive review I do have to say Hedwig wins. Ultimately I miss the original timeline that much and I am all for the events that eventually tear apart everyone’s relationships and most of all it gave us Origin of Love full version Riverdale cast edition. But know that it is so so so so so close between the two. And honestly really all 6 are close in my heart as this exercise reminded me just how much the musical episodes are to watch and rewatch.

[mid0khan]

I got tagged by @the-apocrypha in the last line game, so I'll share a little bit of the (really big) Sandman fic I'm working on (like seriously I went from 'only writes one shots' to 'start a 100-chapters-long project' with no transition and I don't know what I'm doing I can only pray it's good)

Anyway, enjoy

Hob stood across the street from the bookshop.

When Abel had told him there was an angel in London, and one with a passion for books and a knack for magic, he had hardly believed his luck. If the revelation hadn’t been immediately followed by Cain stabbing a butter knife in his brother’s head (“How dare you ruin a perfectly good mystery you miserable maggot!”), Hob would have hugged him. Cain had assured him such a “benign” wound would heal pretty quickly, and he had even proposed to burry Abel near the surface, so he would rise up more easily, but Hob had awoken before he had a chance to thank his unlucky informant.

Finding the bookshop had been easy enough, but Hob was now facing an unexpected difficulty.

The ghost car, the one he had seen driving itself and that had caused him to avoid Soho for years now, was parked right in front of the shop.

He had feared he would see it; he was in the middle of its territory after all. But he had never thought the thing would be waiting for him there.

Hob had been standing there, staring at his newfound adversary for at least half an hour. The thing hadn’t moved at all. It was waiting for its time to strike, no doubt. Hob had no choice but to try and get around the car to reach the shop’s door, and pray that the car wouldn’t have a sudden crave for blood.

He warily crossed the road, keeping his distance with the ghost car as much as he could. It didn’t move. He hugged the wall, slowly approaching the door while never taking his eyes off the beast. From up close, he could see what a beautiful car it was. He hadn’t seen this kind of Bentley in ages, and this one looked brand new! He would have been in awe if he hadn’t been so suspicious of the thing. He finally reached the door, all but fleeing away from the car with a sigh of relief.

When his eyes got used to the relative darkness of the shop, Hob gasped.

Books everywhere. Books on shelves so full they looked like they were going to crumble. Books in piles on the floor. Books on the stairs, because there was a mezzanine filled with books too. New books, old books, children’s tales next to things that really should not be read by children, big classics and very niche authors… It was untidy. It was crumpled.

It was lovely.

“Go away,” a voice slurred to Hob’s left, making him jump. “We probably don’t have what you’re looking for, and if we did, we wouldn’t sell it to you anyway.”

Hob had been so focused on the books, he hadn’t noticed the little reading space next to him. Slumped in a very old armchair, a red-headed man was staring at him, slightly menacing. He looed very out of place in the bookshop, with his old-rocker style and his sunglasses, but somehow, he also seemed to perfectly belong there.

“Weird way to handle a bookshop,” Hob mused, and the redhead hissed at him. “But I’m not here to buy anything, actually I have a book to show to M. Fell?”

The redhead raised an eyebrow, curious, all trace of aggressivity leaving his body.

“Oh! Well in that case, welcome. Aziraphale is out for now, but he should be back soon. You can wait for him here, take a sit.” With a lazy raise of his arm, he pointed to a chair, and after carefully putting the pile of books covering it away, Hob sat, trying not to stare too much.

He was sure he had already seen the man somewhere.

The thing with being immortal was that he had seen a lot of people. It wasn’t always easy to remember which face belonged to which name, or where and when he had met someone. But there were situations that were harder to forget than others.

He had frequented a few circles that were… not very legal, in the 60’s. He had missed the thrill that came with doing something forbidden, that he had grown up with as a mercenary, and he had been quite good at picking locks. He had made sure never to kill anybody (his life and the last century both had had enough death already, thank you very much), but still, it had not been as fun as it had once been. He had felt like a fraud, stealing alongside people who struggled to make ends meet when he himself had been richer than any of their victims.

But there had been a weird job, not long before he had left his group. Someone had offered thousands to simply walk in a church and steal holly water. Of course the client has made it look like a big coup, but Hob had not been fooled. He had refused the job. He didn’t want to risk getting dragged in some demon summoning or whatever.

The redhead was the spitting image of the client.

Maybe it was just a man looking a lot like his father. Or maybe it was the same person. A fellow immortal? Another angel? Something else?

Maybe he could help too?

“Could you take a look at the book, too?” Hob asked, making the redhead frown. “I really need advices on how to use it.”

“How to use a book? Well, usually, you’re supposed to read it.”

“This one is a bit special; besides, I can’t read it.”

Hob took the grimoire out of his Marlowe was better tote bag, and the redhead tensed

“Nope! Absolutely not.”

“Could you help me-”

“No.” The redhead stood and grabbed Hob, forcing him toward the door. “I’m not helping you with that, Aziraphale is not helping you with that, you get out and you never come back.” He pushed Hob out of the shop and slammed the door shut behind him.

Hob stood there, dumbfounded. Welp, that didn’t go as planned. What was he supposed to do now? Could he convince the redhead to let him back inside? Was there maybe another book-specialist angel in London?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a squeal. He realized he was still in front of the bookshop’s door, and a white-haired man was standing in front of him, a look of bewilderment on his face, his hands flapping in front of him in excitement. The man pointed to the grimoire still in Hob’s hands with a shaking finger.

“Oh my, is it really… No, it can’t be, but it looks just like… Where did you… Come in!” The man grabbed Hob’s arm and dragged him back in the bookshop, while almost screaming. “Crowley? Crowley dear, you won’t believe what I just found!”

I am supposed to tag people there too, which makes me a bit nervous, so I'll tag @cuubism, @kydrogendragon and @mimisempai if you want to play, and if you don't, forget I ever tagged you

[olderthannetfic]

Tumblr seems to be sliding in a downward spiral, and it feels like the start of the end of a fandoming era for me. I've been through it before; platforms are born then die, and life fandom finds a way. I'm just not looking forward to floundering for a bit, and dreading what the next hub will look like.

AO3 isn't really a place geared or meant for the same thing, and that's fine. My only fandom-related activity took place on AO3 only for a few years between my leaving LJ and joining Tumblr, and I lived ;-) But during that time, I was my own little island in fandom. Reading, leaving a few comments, not being super active. It's only when I found a community again that I was back to being really active in fandom once more.

And it's not that I actually use Tumblr to post about myself, but I do use it to read and reblog cool things - art, gifsets, science stuff, discovering new fandoms, and the like. I'm not sure where else I could find my people, with sameish purposes. The other sites I've tried didn't fill that niche in a way that suited me, in part because of how they look and work, in part because of who and what is(n't) there.

I have DW & PF accounts just to be safe, but I'm not very fond of group chats Discord-style - and without Tumblr, IDK how I'd even hear of new communities where I might pop in once in a while, loins girdled and everything. The micro-blogging platforms are not what I'm looking for either. Sure, I can follow a few DW comms and blogs; I already occasionally do and I will be more consistent about it if I must.

But one of my greatest fear is that the next platform will be phone-based, app-only, or some such BS - and that is something I just won't be able to deal with. Phones are tiny, it's uncomfortable to write anything, I don't like touch screen and much, much prefer a proper keyboard and a mouse (copy-pasting on a screen? (x_x) << it me), art/pics are too small to properly appreciate, a phone isn't comfy to hold for a long time for me, and the app system means you have no control over anything as a user… and that anything there must be Apple Approved, dick-free, blood-free, and tasteless. And I say this as someone who's pretty much uninterested in sex IRL or in my entertainment ;-) I still support and want the tits, the gore, the everything, and as long as I have the tools to curate - oh, wait. Curate things myself? That's not something that's popular these days, is it? It's not going to generate money, if I'm happy ;-)

So… I guess I'll play some more on Neocities, and see if anyone wants to have webrings again? (it would be fun and nostalgic, but not really viable on a large scale; people who haven't known those would just laugh and point and go on the InstaTok of the time).

So here is my little cane-waving rant of the day! I know things evolve and change and that in ten years I'll be rolling my eyes at my moping. It's only that I feel tired of moving from one shitty platform to another, of fearing I won't adapt (or more accurately won't want to adapt given the annoyance/benefit ratio) to whichever new place things will move in a few years. It's saying goodbye to a former home, moving, and hoping you'll make another home elsewhere kind of sniffles today!

--

We already know the next platform. It has been Discord for a few years now.

If you want the one after Discord, I think you're looking at waiting things out for quite a few years (or until Discord makes a major misstep as a company).

True, real time chat is not for everyone, but small discords with well-chosen channels can operate more asynchronously. Just like a lot of people who hated the look of Tumblr early on eventually capitulated, a lot of chat haters have jumped ship to Discord already.

Realistically, 90% of fandom always goes where the action is, no matter how much they claim the features make that space impossible, and 10% disappears.

We might get the 10% back on the next platform or they might leave fandom for good. There were LJ-haters who resurfaced post LJ era.

But as for where you'll find out where people are... probably AO3 author's notes.

[sarcastic-sketches]

I think the thing I like about Anakin Skywalker so much is the relationships he has with other people - because they’re all different. They all have their own little niches. Character interaction and the dialogue they share is my favourite part of a character.

Obi-Wan is his brother/dad figure he can have banter with and who is trying to balance the line between mentor and friend, but is still looking out for him (even if he doesn’t appreciate it half the time!), while Anakin has this desparate want to be closer but fear also doing so because then Obi-Wan will know too much and leave. Plus, there’s the banter, my god these two chucklefucks.

Anakin: Everything I learned, Master, I learned from you Obi-Wan: Oh, if only that were true

Obi-Wan, where else would he have gotten that much audacity.

Ahsoka is his sister/daughter, similar to Obi-Wan he can relax with her but he has to at least try to reign himself in on his more bullshit antics to set a good example (if she doesn’t enable him first). He obviously cares for her, it’s just that his way of expressing he cares is a bit more intense than what other people are used to. Especially other Jedi.

Padme is obviously w i f e who is just as insane commitment wise as he is (literally, I will help you hide the body(ies)) and they are a source of escapism for each other. It’s juxtaposed by Anakin obvious awe of her whilst having a very jaded view of the Galaxy (for good reason admittedly).

Rex is his bro, his main man, his good time boy (this guy knew about Anakin’s marraige ffs, he was actively in on the secret) and you can tell that trust goes both ways. Don’t even get me started on Rex still carrying that torch well into Rebels, he clearly respected Anakin a lot. They probably raced each other to see who could enter a skirmish first. Unfortunately, it’s all undercut by the fact that Rex is a clone and Anakin is his superior.

Then there’s Palpatine, who for Anakin is the older mentor/grandfather role, someone with an ‘outside perspective’ he can go to for advice or just someone impartial who won’t reprimand him for venting/bitching about his current grievance... and it makes me want to scream. Anakin, you dumb fuck. Palps is literally telling him everything he wants to hear, he is enabling all of his worst traits, actively encouraging them and making them worse. Not to mention the casual dismissal of everyone else around him (who would have been able to protect him from Palpatine’s manipulations) playing on his insecurities - including the doubts he has about himself so that his own judgement can be skewed - only to play the ‘woe is me, I am but a humble old man, not a threat at all’ card. It’s a horrendously abusive relationship and the reason it works as well as it does is because Palpatine has gotten Anakin to defend it, to defend him. Anakin won’t hear a bad word about the man so no-one can make him realise just how vulnerable he is. You sick fuck, A+, game well played.

[boxwinebaddie]

𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓱 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮 & 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓼 𝓻𝓲𝓵𝓮𝔂,

greetings from wherever you are and whatever timezone you are in, and with any luck, in that nook you are tucked, it is still the best day of the year aka...Rile Pile's Birthday ( aka pastorcraigenjoyer on ao3 ), who some of you may call the style one-shot whump wizard now ft. lizard, but i am blessed to call, my lovely computer wife and life. <33

my angel, my darling, my dear, sweet girl: happy birthday, beloved.

( beneath the readmore is a birthday surprise. xx for my favorite redhead writer girl, but also for all of you. fair warning, you do have to read a lot to get there, but i promise that it will be worth the while. )

@actually-its-riley @1moreoffkeyanthem @marryme

i know that you do not like to make a big deal about your birthday, but unfortunately, i am a chaotic bisexual disaster, of whom pep!stan's insane stananigans and big sweeping gestures are #Based, so unfortunately, you have to endure my psychosis, RP.

which you often do, you wild and patient and wonderful thing you. <3 i sent you a DM on new years that was way better articulated than this, but when writing peppermint, i made a lot of friends who were readers and that was extremely gratifying, but i felt very isolated from the style writing community on ao3...until you came along. c':

i was also extremely anxious and over encumbered/ill-equipped to handle the stress that came along with the success of my fanfic, but your support throughout my writing journey made that load lighter.

it has been a joy and an honor being your friend and for once, being able to read rather than write -- all 70+ fanfics you have uploaded. which, given that i have written two unfinished ones, the fact that riley has written that many and finished them is astounding. :***

-- they are also brilliant, btw. we seriously don't deserve her. </3

but here's to trying!

and drying those tears for fears of dying, because when you write, you live forever, clever girl. but before i ramble on too long, my salt of the earth ( dissolved in oj ), here, dear, is my birthday gift to you. <3

so...listen. at first i was going to post a whumpshot for you but...the only person i ended up hurting was myself because i couldn't finish. granted, i never finish anything, as we know, but i had a backup plan.

which is this:

i am thankful for all the support i've gotten writing my fanfictions, but riley has been particularly supportive of me, both emotionally, and also regularly wrecks havoc on her poor followers by reblogging my insane niche au ask meme content onto her blog and likes all my stuff, no matter how weird or deranged it is.

i apologize because that's going to happen again, but this time it will hopefully be slightly more relevant because rp is fond of peppermint, and i am very fond of her so i decided...that for riley's birthday, i will be releasing everything i have in my drafts pertaining to…

pep 12. <3

whiiiiiiich is not much, please don't get your hopes up, but i think it is well deserved by you all and on what better occasion than today?

anyways, your cursed limited edition peppermint package includes:

-literally like the first five minutes of the chapter ( i'm not even joking that's how little i've written -- which is still too much -- and how slow )

-this weird thing that i posted on twitter once where stan is thinking about the friendship bracelets and being emo as fuck oh my god, i made a lot of weird metaphors...it's garbage, but...have at it.

-and finally, a very weird fucking flashback from hell that...is the main reason why my update got stalled because i couldn't figure out how to write it and when i started writing it, i got so comfortable in kyle's narration, i fucking *jersey vc* forgot it was stan season and started writing it in kyle's consciousness, then...tried to switch it back to stans...it's a mess. it's also not done like...at all, so you get a little bit of actual writing and actions and thoughts and a lot of...just dialogue. i wasn't sure about giving you guys the whole thing but i'm not sure if its gonna make it into pep, so i wanted to give you guys a chance to read it before i throw it into the fire where it belongs, smh...jail.

again, rp, i know today is a hard day, but i hope this makes it easier. thank you for being born, happy birthday...and i hope you heal, lovie.

but now...dear readers...without further ado, it is time,

to enjoy the very worst part...

...of the very best day. ;)

-uncle neen the queen with the scheme <3

p.s. the computer quality is ass, it looks better on the app, smh.

𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮; 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷

a/n: EVERYONE SAY YOU'RE WELCOME UNCLE NINA FOR NOT KILLING STAN!!! HSDLKD STAN LIVES!!!! BARELY! SMH!!! i'm so sorry you waited so long for...sigh...that...anyways here's this too:

𝔀𝓮𝓲𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓮𝔂 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰

A/N: wow...so edgy, nina. i wrote that instead of sleeping one night and i did not take my mood stabilizer so that's why it sounds insane. okay, here is this last thing which is...actually so embarrassing, but i love you all and riley specifically, so merry riley's birthday everyone.

𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓾𝓷𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓲'𝓿𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷

A/N: my kylepilequil!!!! HELLO!!!! HOPE YOU HEAL NATION!!! WHO IS UP BITCH!!!! that was choatic, i am not proud of a lot of that dialogue, particularly kyle being insane ( it was not gonna stay like that i promise...it was a road map...leading where? i have no clue ) but i hope that it thrilled you! please smile, pendejos lmaoooo, rip!

[angryteapott-archive]

Why is Goncharov 1973 funny:

I saw something like the goncharov joke stands in direct contrast to the “sometimes the curtains are just blue” post which made me go hm…. Also saw people confused by the joke so now I thought too much and made a three parter on my take

Part 1: shoe movie funny

The original joke is that a pair of shoes invented an obviously fake movie, which is funny because why would a pair a shoes do that. The derivative joke is a person going “wow loser you haven’t seen this fake movie?” Which is a joke stressing how ridiculous it is by pretending it’s normal for shoes to advertise a niche obviously fake scorsese film, who isn’t known for gimmicky advertising, BUT ALSO a joke on how bullies could use fear of missing out to make people just pretend to have seen something that doesn’t exist rather than reveal ignorance (like the classic made up band name jokes).

The next step of the Goncharov joke, and from what i can tell launched it all, is a person making up a poster about the movie and going oh yes this very real movie. It has jokes about the mafia genre tropes (“ice pick joe”, a hot lady side character, mostly male cast, scorsese actors) as well as being funny because it commits highlights the same two juxtapositions as the previous jokes, FOMO and shoe movie funny, while adding the inherent funniness of someone putting in way too much work for a bit. Things like the soundtracks follow on this (they’re mostly funny because they take the shoe movie too seriously) and thus should be categorized as part of the third wave.

Part 2: sometimes the curtains are just blue

The fourth wave of goncharovism, which is the bulk of the posts and the subject of most discussion, is media criticism, content, and derivative works about Goncharov, a movie that doesn’t exist. There’s posts that read like actual film critics, lines that seem like surprisingly good dialogue, themes about time because Film Shows Clocks Means Deep, bad overwrought dialogue, and most critically, the typical tumblr engagement with a piece of media including meta, gifsets, fanworks and snide comments about how other people are misinterpreting the movie. A movie that isn’t real. It’s fake.

The joke here is obviously a love letter to and scathing critique of criticism- the fact that analysis of something that doesn’t exist reads like actual analysis that people unironically post mocks that a lot of analysis doesn’t engage with text but overlays existing biases over it regardless of content, and also that a lot of movies are the same movie tbh. Katya is being held to unrealistic standards makes fun of shallow stock feminism, “homoeroticism” points to tumblrs obsession with gay stuff that isn’t actually that gay, and all the fake and often bad quotes show how we love to feel deeply about stuff we don’t really engage with. It’s also pointing to how silly it is to put in this much “anger” and effort in and how enjoyable it is to do this, regardless of whether it makes sense. Sometimes curtains are just curtains, and sometimes a clock doesn’t fucking exist, but it sure is fun to say what the curtain really means is that humanity is inherently sinful and that the clock means that Goncharov and Andrey, two characters that don’t have personalities because the movie they’re from doesn’t exist, wanna fuck.

The joke is that it’s fake deep, but it’s fun to do anyways. The joke is that people are getting mad about “people” who don’t exist being sexist etc because they’re making fun of tumblrinas who don’t look at nuance and assume a very specific form of oppression without evidence AND that people would say that shit because scorsese bros ARE sexist. The joke is that we know it’s fake but people find themselves taking it seriously anyways because it’s fun to make up a movie together and fun to make fun of ourselves. I love it!! It’s great!!! But it’s not a declaration against that the curtains are just blue, it’s a satire making the same point much more joyfully.

Part 3: the reality of goncharov

The fake goncharov movie has trended a fairly specific ways: it has defined characters and relationships, a fairly limited cast in terms of people who matter, homoeroticism, hot girl with a gun, and a lot of foreshadowing. It’s very invested in Katya and Goncharov’s personal narratives despite the wide array of people on the poster. Other than that very funny post about a (fake) shoot out showing the destructiveness and hollowness of nationalism, it’s not all that engaged in systems or the mafia specifically.

And sure, our Goncharov is so narrow partially due to its fake genre- mafia movies are tropey and hero obsessed. It’s fake. We’re making fun of the “best movie” by making a fake tropey movie!! But half the joke is being earnest, and our fake movie is chock full of the tumblr beloved tropes of obsession with romantic relationships, with “themes” that emphasize tragic endings for mutual obsessions, of an absolute lack of engagement with systems while insisting we are engaging , and of a focus on two or three characters instead of an ensemble cast- a million people are writing a movie and yet it has no breadth.

And GET THIS- Goncharov is a real movie. No, I mean it. Goncharov is probably a Google-translate-error-caused misprint of the movie Gomorrah, “presented” by Scorsese while not being directed by him at all. Egbert’s review, so mercilessly parodied in Gonch-posting (or goncharosting, as I like to say), calls it “a curative for the romanticism of The Godfather and Scarface”. Rather than deifying a specific man, it is a series of vignettes about horrible violence that seems unavoidable for its rotating characters. It’s based on real killings, and many of its actors were actually arrested for mafia activities. Forget hollow themes- it’s a movie that’s harrowing due to its reality.

Which is very very funny. Like i genuinely can’t believe we made a fake mafia movie that’s accidentally about a realest mafia movie ever made that proves how much we don’t mentally engage with the important oppressions and systems in our world while insisting that we’re self aware the irony the thematic parallel the sheer “oh fuck for real”ness of it all i was going to try to say something deep but like can you believe it??? God playing is playing 4-d funny chess with every last one of us. Long live goncharov

[not-close-to-straight]

That is so cool to know!

And I think a lot of us went 'Oh my' when we saw Benedict 🤣.

Now I'm wondering what pairing you would have written for if you did write for Sherlock BBC. Feel free to tell us (me), I'm so curious about your thought on it, and on the show.

Because, while I still write fanfic for the show, I haven't watched it in years and probably never will again because of how they wrote John in that last season and everything that went down between them. The fic I'm writing now I even have had to look up the transcript for it so I could remember what had happened in that season. I remember the big moments but that is all and I wanted it to be at least a bit realistic and tied in with the show.

Oh well, that's why fanfic is so fun. We take what we like and then change what we didn't like. 😊

I feel like I would have written Johnlock

But honest I feel like the majority of the fics in that fandom are so damn great, I’m too intimidated to write in it 😂

Like I’m an insanely picky fic reader, I hardly read at all anymore but when I do it has to be EXACTLY THE PERFECT fic otherwise I’ll click out of it immediately? But i read…. Hundreds. Maybe thousands of BBC Sherlock fics and loved all of them. I’ve never found another fandom that has that level of My Particular Niche as far as things I want to read.

But of course, the second I start writing for a fandom, I stop reading in it (my own insecurities plus fear of accidental idea stealing plus Brain Too Full of my own fic stuff) so I’m sort of glad?? I never got into writing johnlock? Cos I would miss reading it

As far as the show— season 1 and 2 were peak, the addition of Mary was…. Awful. And I don’t like to say that about women characters, even poorly written ones, I don’t like to say that they ruin a show or whatever but… she did. She ruined it. Sherlock and Holmes are an entire self contained story whether you ship them or not? And bringing in Mary as anything other than a generic sort of background character really took away from what made the show (and any sherlock version) special— the doctor and detective relationship

Also the secret sister storyline made me want to jump out of a building

HOWEVER Greg Lestrade is just… whew. That boy is a whole incident isn’t he? In the grand sweeping range of my sexuality and attraction, I definitely prefer Individuals with Boobies but like, Silver Fox Inspector can GET IT okay

[splendidissimus]

2001ish - Cycle

((Content warning: none))

Genre: general

Romance level: minor

Angst level: 2/5

Draco's headspace: reflective

((words: ~1100))

------------------------------------

Draco looked up when Theo entered the room. He had papers and books spread out in front of him on the table, sofa, and chairs, taking over the entire parlour in research materials. "My grandfather was a Death Eater," he announced.

"Okay," Theo said as he sat down with the beer the house elf silently provided. "The first Minister was a Hufflepuff." 

Draco shook his head sharply. This was huge, he just wasn't explaining himself properly. "No, I mean, my father's father was a Death Eater. Look at these dates." He pushed a paper up on the table.

Theo groaned as he levered himself back up and came to sit on the arm of Draco's chair so he could see. "What am I looking at?" Draco had made some sort of complicated chart that he didn't feel like deciphering, with a bunch of bars starting and ending at random across the page and labelled lines crossing various sets of them. 

"This is the important part." He folded the paper to isolate a section around the second third where he had drawn a line straight down through all the other bars. "1970, when Voldemort returned to the country and started his campaign, my father was sixteen or seventeen — I don't have an exact date. His father was a very influential man who had already been secretly embarked on an anti-Muggleborn agenda," he briefly pointed out a line crossing one of the upper bars on the page, marked 1968, which Theo dredged from his memory had something to do with the first Muggleborn Minister for Magic. Ousted from office or something. "These people," he tapped the 1968 mark, "that's where he already had a base of support, organised enough to carry out their own conspiracy, just waiting to be tapped into. You get your message into the school to recruit soldiers and high-spirited lackeys who aren't going to think too hard about it when you tell them to go sow chaos, but for actual support, for a network of influence and control? You recruit these people." 

It all made a lot of sense, but Theo shrugged a little bit. "Well, congratulations, I guess? You successfully proved that a twentieth-century Malfoy was most likely a Death Eater?" 

"Not just a Death Eater. One of the originals, one of the forces behind his reign of terror." 

He clapped Draco on the shoulder, firmly enough to rock him a little bit. "Welcome to the club." Considering his own father had been one of Voldemort's old school mates… "Which you were already a member of, because you already knew your father was basically his right hand, so…"

"By the end of the war — after his father had already died. At the beginning, he was just a student with too much pride and a family with too many wrong ideas, who got this," he turned his left arm, "when he was seventeen or eighteen because his father was in with Voldemort. You see? It's a cycle. The same thing just keeps happening over again." 

"I think that's a stretch."

"It isn't."

"There is a pretty big difference between you," Theo pointed out, draping his arm over Draco's shoulders. "You didn't want to be there."

"You are giving me leagues more credit than I deserve," Draco said flatly. "Firstly, it took me almost two months to 'not want to be there', or at least admit it. You saw me at the beginning of that term, I was…" He shook his head. "Secondly, how long have you known me? You know I'm not exactly a wizard of naturally strong moral fibre. If Voldemort had been only infinitesimally less evil — if he had never threatened my mother and made me live in fear, even if he treated my father exactly the same — I would have actually been one. I might never have been the most enthusiastic killer, but I would have felt very powerful and important telling Crabbe and Goyle to do it. As long as the terror never turned against me, I would have made myself a nice little niche perpetuating it with, oh, probably the Imperius, and gotten progressively better at not thinking about any of it." 

"After everything you know, do you really think that's true?"

"I know it." Draco leaned back, trapping Theo's arm in the seat, and summoned his glass of wine to hand. "I've had a taste of being truly feared. It's… intoxicating. Especially after you've felt helpless." He paused pensively, looking at nothing as he considered the old memory of people fleeing from him as he cursed Blaise after suffering too many bouts of detention at his hand. Now it had a little patina of shame over it, but at the time… "But it's not sustainable. I would have known the first and not the second, and ridden that to my inevitably pathetic death." 

"Thank Merlin Voldemort was so evil, then." 

"And that's a new record for most awkward thing I've ever heard someone say. Do you practise?" 

"Yes, every night before I go to sleep." He ran his fingers through Draco's hair. 

Draco looked distantly toward the table with his research on it, twirling his wine more than drinking it, for several minutes. "Why are we trapped in these cycles?" he finally murmured. 

"We aren't. You became a halfway decent person. If my family had a theme, I guess it would be proud poverty and sycophantry, and I'm not living that."

"Not of our own accord." He glanced at Theo. "Well, you're you, so you probably didn't need any help. But it seems like people who are more normal can't get out of these roles without extreme outside interference. It's like we're doomed." 

Theo ran his fingers back through Draco's hair again. "How long has it been since you slept?" 

Draco raised two fingers without taking his attention off of his musings. 

"I thought so; you're getting broody. Sleep tonight, all right?"

He nodded without commentary, and Theo kissed the side of his head. 

He knew that Theo wasn't really the right audience for this; he genuinely had no appreciation for history, society, family… any of these things. It wasn't meaningful to him. But Draco couldn't get it out of his head, and Theo at least indulged him by listening, even if he didn't appreciate it. It was nice of him.

He'd write it out, he decided. Use Theo as a sounding board as much as he let him, and get his thoughts together on paper. Maybe it was the lack-of-sleep high talking, but it felt like an important truth.

[kindaconfusingme]

Since it's the end of november, I thought I'd give an update on my reading for the Autumn Reading Challenge 2.0 :)

I am working on a few other prompts atm so I think I will be through kind of soon. I have decided to pick books I already own for all of these so I can use this challenge as motivation to reduce my tbr. I fear this post will be kind of long so be prepared :D

Number in the title: Million Girl Vol.1-3 by Kotori Momoyuki

I read the 1rst and 2nd volume of this years ago when I was a teenager and bought vol 3 secondhand for this challenge bc I always wanted to finish it. It’s about a girl at a very elite high school who finds out that her family owes a lot of money to the yakuza. To repay them, she enters the Money Game that is established at her school, which consists of multiple rounds of competing against different opponents in different challenges, cheating is allowed. While I enjoyed the atmosphere and the reading experience, I’m not the biggest fan of anything beyond the first volume. It gets a little absurd and one does not get the chance to solve the mysteries of the rounds alongside the protagonist, which I would’ve liked to try.

Book with riddles: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I love the movie, so I hoped to like the book as well. Sadly, I was disappointed :(

I think one of the problems with it was the pacing, because a lot of the moments that are essential for the plot and should be interesting to read are just really hard to transfer to written text (while looking cool on screen). It’s not that interesting to hear Wade talk about how he has to beat a Pacman-high score. Moments like these were either boring to listen to (audiobook) or skipped over by the author, the latter option being weird as well because some of these moments were quite important. I also found Wade to be pretty annoying and full of himself. I think he compensated a lot of his low self esteem by feeling like the absolute best at knowing niche pop culture details. I kind of relate to that bc my self-esteem is held up by similar things, but I would like to think that I am not as insufferable. Or maybe I am but nobody notices bc nobody can read my thoughts. And I had to listen to Wade’s through the whole book, which made me want to scream sometimes. Artemis was pretty cool, but I felt like a lot of her character was the way it was to make sure she’s the ideal girl that lonely gamer guys wish to meet somewhen (spoken in cliches, I don’t want to shame lonely gamer guys in general here). I guess you can read this book either as a homage to 80s pop culture and be happy about a virtual reality adventure or it reads as a slightly problematic self-insert. … Idk, the book had its moments but ultimately it was a bit of a letdown. I will stick to the movie. And I still love the premise of this story a lot.

Nostalgic read: Sieben Pfoten für Penny – Freiheit für einen Delfin by Thomas Brezina

This book is part of a large series of books about a teenage girl named Penny who gets involved in different stories with animals that usually need saving. Like Flipper 2, the dolphin this book is about – or rather: Should be about. The story of saving this dolphin would be enough to tell a compelling story, if it was detailed enough. Instead, a lot of different side plots get introduced and solved within a few scenes and everything just felt rushed, mismatched and weird. I wondered whether that was because I am reading this as an adult now or if it was because of the way it was written and I landed on the latter since I read plenty of children’s books as an adult that I enjoyed a lot.

Nonfiction: Interest and Investment in fictional Romances (van Monsjou & Mar, 2019)

I stumbled upon this study while researching for my thesis and downloaded it bc boy oh boy am I myself invested in fictional romances – so why not find out what science says about it. I will not go into detail here bc there are too many tiny findings for that, but I was expecting what the authors were expecting as well: That high involvement in fictional romances compensates one’s one loneliness/dissatisfaction with love life and correlates with attachment anxiety. Interestingly enough, the attachment anxiety part was more or less there (they listed some statistically insignificant findings as well though and I don’t remember whether this was one of them and I also don’t remember whether it was found in all studies that included the attachment anxiety measurement). The loneliness/dissatisfaction thing was not found, instead people who were more interested in fictional romances seemed to use those as an exploration for their own romantic wishes – which makes sense, I guess. It is to be said though that the sample was taken from people who were not very involved in fandom over all, only a slight number of participants read or wrote fanfiction for example. As well as the authors, I do think that in a sample that consists of people who are actually involved in shipping and stuff, the results could be more consistent with the expectations, because I do think there is a big difference in the reasons for enjoying the chemistry of a fictional couple casually and being extremely invested in a fictional couple to the point of obsession. Therefore, I’d like to read follow-up studies that have these samples; so far, I have not seen these anywhere.

[steele-soulmate]

Tattooed Wings Kinktober 30, Cockwarming

WORDS: 1717

“Hey, hey, hey there now everyone, what’s up? This is Mollie, reporting live from Santigo Stadium in New York City, where I am sitting with Type O Negative’s lead singer and bass player, Peter Steele and his soulmate and wife, the always lovely, ever enchanting, Mary Claire Ratajzck!”

“Dia dhuit!” Mary Claire chirped from her place on Peter’s lap, her arms tossed causally around his neck as she sat on his bare cock. Peter held a glass of red wine in his hand almost lazily, his arm slung around his wife’s slender waist as he hugged her in closely to his broad chest. “How’s everyone doing tonight?”

 Peter just grunted as he held up his cup as though saluting the viewers tuning in for the live broadcast. He told Mary Claire that he wouldn’t say anything unless absolutely necessary, for great fear that he would give away his wife cockwarming him in ‘secret’.

 “First off, congratulations on tying the knot you two! But I do have to ask, why a courthouse wedding?”

 “I have really bad anxiety,” Mary Claire began. “So bad in fact, that sometimes I legit thinks I need to be hospitalized. The very idea of having a wedding- of any size, mind you- made my mind race thinking of all the things that could go wrong, so when I expressed a desire for a courthouse wedding, Peter was quick to agree to accommodate my wants and needs.”

 “How do your families feel about you two being married? I’d imagine the age gap weirds out a lot of people.”

 “Peter and I don’t really care about what other people think,” Mary Claire answered sweetly. “The number one thing is that we’re both fully consenting adults. Though it would be weird if I was a minor, which thankfully, I’m not. Peter is double my age and at first, the age difference kinda made me a little bit weirded out because what if he thinks I’m too immature? and what if he finds someone who’s closer to his age and they clique really well with each other? just… you know?”

 “Reasonable fears. Now, tell me about your families. What do they think about PeteClaire?”

 “Oh, is that what Peter’s fans are calling us?” Mary Claire laughed. “My daddy is really cool with Peter- whenever we’re over at his house, they spend hours down in his workshop, doing- whatever is it that men do inside garages. My brothers on the other hand, gave him a bit of a hard time when they first met him, however, time has since made them kind of adopted him as an older brother. My little sisters like him well enough, Jackie enjoys talking cars with him and Sammi tells him wild stories of what happened at the tattoo parlor where she works. Peter’s sisters now, they seem to really adore me,” Mary Claire said, purposely leaving out her abusive mother’s thoughts on her oldest daughter being married to a man double her age.

 “Remind me how many brothers you have and what they all do for a living? Speaking of which, what do you do for a living?”

 “Adam is a navy SEAL, Benjimen is a MMA fighter. Caleb is a professional boxer, Daniel is the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, Ephraim is CIA, Frank is SWAT, and Gideon took the smart way out and followed in daddy’s footsteps and became a lawyer,” Mary Claire listed, making her soulmate dig his fingers into her waist as he recalled how nervous he was at meeting her seven terrifying older, physically bigger brothers.

 “They were going to kill me when I first met them all,” Peter deadpanned, earning him a playful smack on the chest from his talkative wife.

 “Adesso basta con te amore mio,” scowled the petite redhead, clenching her walls a little bit and making the older man bite back a savage growl, instead taking a long sip from his wine glass. “Anyways, to answer your second question, I’m a published author with a set niche in the young adult fantasy genre. My latest book is coming out on January 6th, so be certain to keep a lookout everyone!”

 “Wow, that’s really impressive! Switching the subject really quickly, Peter, I understand that you’re writing a new album. You said before that you’re going to try and branch away from the heavy metal/ hard rock style of music and lean more towards gentler tunes. Do you care to elaborate a little bit more on that for me?”

 “Certainly,” Peter shot the interviewer a charming smile. “I am dedicating this new album to Mary Claire Ratajzck, the love of my life, and she has stated before that she’s really not a big fan of Type O Negative’s usual style of music, so I’m going with something a little bit tamer. I really hope that everyone likes it.”

 “Well, I’m certain that I’ll like it! Tell me about the first time you two met!”

 “Well, I won a ticket to go see Type O Negative live in concert, and long story short, I suffered a really bad panic attack,” recounted the redhead, leaning into her soulmate’s chest. “I was honestly pretty terrified when I first met him, because he’s close to six foot eight inches- meanwhile, I’m pushing four foot ten inches, and I knew without a doubt that he could seriously hurt me if he wanted too, and I didn’t want to take that chance. Looking back now, I’m really happy that I didn’t run away after finding my soulmate.”

 “Wow. My last question is for Peter- you recently signed up on Instagram and the first book of pictures that you posted were of your courthouse wedding to Mary Claire. Tell me a bit about that.”

 “Well, my woman here is constantly showing me funny videos and stuff on Instagram and TikTok,” Peter answered after taking another quick sip of his wine. “And I decided to sign up for Instagram so that way I could show people my life behind the scenes of having such an amazing, smart, quirky, funny soulmate.”

 “Before I wrap up, I have some screenshots of the photos from your Instagram, why don’t you two tell everyone what the story is behind these snapshots?”

 “Oh, these are from our courthouse wedding,” Peter smiled. “My wife looked absolutely stunning that day, she wore her high school graduation dress and family heirloom wedding pearls that have been used for every wedding on her dad’s side for many generations.”

 “I think this picture here was from my brothers helping move my stuff from the apartment that I shared with my little sisters to Peter’s house,” Mary Claire remembered. “Adam- he’s my oldest brother, he brought his twin daughters with him to give his wife a break with them. They loved sitting with their little hands pressed against me when I was pregnant with little girl.”

 “Oh, I love this picture,” Peter smiled at the sweet picture. “Mary Claire had just gotten done with feeding little girl and had fallen asleep while still holding her. I quickly snapped this picture before I took her to her nursery to sleep in her crib.”

 “I think this is the last photo,” Mary Claire announced. “I think Slitzy took this picture. Peter was onstage at the St. George Amphitheater in Maryland playing at a concert and he had invited me and little girl to accompany him. This picture was of him playing- I think Black No. 1? and I was standing in the wings where he could see me, as how the sight of me is more than enough to help my husband with his stage fright, and I’m holding little girl, and we’re just rocking out to the live music.”

 “Well, there you have it people! Peter Steele and Mary Claire Ratajzck, the love story of the century! Catch Mary Claire’s latest book, The Princess of Sherwood Forest, out January 6th, and Peter Steele as Type O Negative gets ready to tour the country on their latest tour later this summer!”

 ~xoXox~

 The second the door closed behind Mollie, Peter had flipped Mary Claire so that she was now on her back as Peter began wildly rutting into her, chasing his high that had been torturing him for the past hour or so.

 “Oh, yes Peter!” gasped Mary Claire as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulder. “Fuck, just like that, just like that!”

 “You liked that, sweetheart?” Peter snarled as he stared at her in the face, his own hands carefully cupping the back of her head and neck, supporting her delicate body as he ravished her. “Did you enjoy cockwarming daddy during the interview?”

 “Yes- oh yes I did, daddy!” Mary Claire’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she orgasmed, her pink pussy milking Peter’s cock limp as he stilled himself, releasing his steam of jizz into her womanly womb.

 “Daddy?” Mary Claire whimpered softly, curling her fingers into his dyed hair.

 “Hmmm, sweetheart?” Peter cooed, gently tracing her pixie-like face with his nose. “Did you have fun?”

 “Can we do that again?” she breathed out before blacking out limp in her husband’s arms.

 Peter chuckled as he pressed kisses to her face, making a mental note in the back of his head to give her a morning after pill the moment they got back home. Even though he wanted kids of his own with his wife to be the one to carry them, he understood that she wanted to wait at least two years to give her body a chance to heal from carrying little girl.

 But what both soulmates weren’t aware of was one of Peter’s sperm cells mating with one of Mary Claire’s eggs in a sacred kiss.

  Dia dhuit, hello, Irish Gaelic

Adesso basta con te amore mio, that's enough out of you now my love, Italian

 TAGLISTS ARE OPEN/ ASK BOX IS OPEN/ REQUESTS ARE OPEN/ PLOT BUNNIES ARE WELCOMED

 If you liked this, then please consider buying me a coffee HERE It only costs $3!!!

 PETER STEELE TAGLIST

@starchild0985​

@xxgreendruidessxx​

@red-velvet-black-lace-dress​

@angel-cherrycake

@sheris532​

[xplrvibes]

my opinion that nobody but me asked for:

i gotta say that so far hell week has been so bellow mid for me it’s not even funny. their editing also feels like it’s back to s1 with so many filler images it’s unnecessary and add absolutely zero value to the video itself. nothing about that hype lived up and i didn’t think it would (because frankly they always say it’s their best content, they’re “upping the game”, it’s the “most haunted place”, it’s a broken record at this point, we get it) but i definitely thought it would’ve been better than it has been so far.

the hill i will die on by myself, though, is: they joke way too fucking much and every single time they do it, they never get satisfying enough results. like it’s not the first time it’s happened and if you notice, it always happen when they’re being too loud or joking around too much/too often. when they take it seriously, when they get their heads in the game, they always get better results. every single time. i will absolutely die on that hill - spirits are not something to make jokes out of and if that’s your way to cope with being nervous then either find another one or go STUDY spiritual world/spirituality in depth to understand it better and lose the fear or cope with it better. the sooner they realize we’re all spirits and only have a body while we’re under the human condition, the sooner they understand fully that spirits have their own personality, their own trauma and wants and they don’t need permission to go from one place or another or to approach and communicate, the better they will become at this ghost hunting thing bc for me they’ve been falling flat for a while now tbh.

I feel like they go heavy on the filler images and jumpscares when they know they don't have a lot of actual paranormal content to put in the episode, partially to pad the timing of the vid, but also to try and create a more spooky environment to make up for the lack of paranormal activity.

Which is fine, but like- I don't know. Maybe pull it back a tiny bit.

Sidenote: xplrclub tidbit for you all (I don't normally do this, because I hate when people announce things that were said behind the xplrclub paywall, but I'm feeling generous and this is rather harmless) snc hired an illustrator to draw ages for their videos. So those creepy illustrations they've had in every video so far? Custom made for them. Kinda cool, I think.

And I agree with you on the joking. I don't mind some tomfoolery and jokes here and there, but there are times when it is too much and they just gotta chill and be in the moment. The Mrytles episode was much heavier on the joking than I can personally deal with, which may also be why I didn't exactly love it.

I think they still operate under the old school Vine/YouTube mentality of "the loud and the haha's = the views," which I guess has been working for them so far...but if they ever want to be taken even remotely seriously outside of that niche, they gotta scale it back a bit. They gotta find a happy medium (pun not intended) between what they traditionally know and what they want to be known for.

I randomly came across a video last week by a youtuber named Danny Gonzalez. He decided to try ghost hunting to see if it's real or fake. The first freaking clip he put in his video? snc freaking out over something, lol.

Yea, they're probably the most well known ghost hunting youtubers out there right now, but at what cost?

Anywhosie! Complete sidenote here but since we're kind of on the topic: I also think they would get more results if they (namely Sam, although Colby has his moments) stopped hammering in 8000 questions per second during the Estes Method and just chilled the fuck out a bit, let the answers come in, and try to figure out the conversation later. If I were a ghost trying to figure out their stupid modern technology and some fool was peppering me with questions and "OH MAH GAAAWWWDS!" every 30 seconds, I'd use my ghostly energy to chuck something out their heads lol.

[icarus-suraki]

24. if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

26. a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

31. what type of music keeps you grounded?

24. if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing? Probably just hanging out...? But, no, really: if it's a city rooftop, I'm definitely going to be pointing out things I think are interesting down on the street, or what some pigeons are doing, or what people are up to. If it's a suburban or rural rooftop--well, kind of the same things, but maybe with a few more silent gaps in between. Besides that, in any situation, I will insist on sharing music. I don't think my taste is all that great, but I like hearing new stuff. Also weird stuff. Like, just tell stories, make jokes. I'm not really into those "super-deep rooftop philosophy" conversations. I'm better at dumb shit and funny stories and weird music.

Somewhere there is video evidence of this, with me being the sober one in charge of the camera while three or four of my college friends stumbled around on a (flat! fear not!) roof while very, very stoned. I was more interested in making jokes about how my dorm room was so far from the main campus that if the whole school sat down, my room would be immediately plunged into total darkness.

26. a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times? Does it have to be a scenario about, you know, IRL meatspace me? Because I don't do that very much. I do have several hundred (thousand) dramatic and/or romantic scenarios that I like to play in my head until I fall asleep. I think that counts. Sometimes it's the same scenario over and over, with no alternations or additions because it's just a Good Scenario. I like thinking about a life I can’t live because that’s the closest I’ll get.

31. what type of music keeps you grounded? Keeps me grounded? See, I'm never sure what "grounded" means because I feel better when I'm not too grounded. But, anyway: I like repetitive things, if that makes sense? Electronic music, electronic-adjacent music, things with a repetitive beat, things with a heavy beat, or just something that has obvious repetition. I remember looping "Get Around" by the Beach Boys once when I was working on a paper: rhythm and repetition, and also something I could ignore enough to focus. I'll also listen to gimmicky "focus music" and "binaural beats" because it works the same way but there's even less distracting vocals and whatever going on. This is your brain on ADHD. 10 hour seamless loop mixes are ADHD culture don't @ me.

I usually say, "oh, I like weird and experimental and conceptual stuff," and that's true but that's not going to get me to focus. And I say this with some certainty after I had a stumbling slide into bleak despair when I listened to "Dead Flag Blues" on the 4th of July. Don't do that. As @lew-basnight put it, "Yeah [Godspeed You! Black Emperor] are not a backyard bbq party band, bless their hearts."

Likewise, Everywhere at the End of Time is in-cred-i-ble as a conceptual album (series?) but I will 100% cry at the last couple of movements, especially the final choral coda. This is a couple of layers down but hearing it the first time reminded me of the "Ave Maria" section of the old 1940 Fantasia, but not as it is but as I remember it. Pad Chennington did a long collaborative video about all the searching that went on to find all the different samples used in EATEOT and there's a bit where someone finds what is probably the original source for the coda and the sound of him just shouting about how they'd finally found it, the joy and the relief and what I swear are tears, just sticks with me. (As an aside, I disagree with the popular the idea that the "hell sirens" are a PTSD episode.) Also, if you like unusual and sometimes extremely obscure niche music, I highly recommend Pad Chennington's channel.

I will listen to In the Court of the Crimson King straight through, though, because I think the only thing keeping that album from ascending to the higher planes of Platonic Ideals of Prog Rock Forms is the fact that the jam session at the end of "Moon Child" is just a leetle bit too long.

But for focus and grounding? IDK, a 10-hour loop of "Bangarang" will work. And so will "Leekspin."

Uhhh...you can ask me things?

[itsthemysterykids]

"Want any Camp Camp quotes? Just ask" -itsthemysterykids June 4th 2022. "Yes please!" -Me June 3th 2022

Dipper: Who’s gonna threaten us into submission?

—

Lili: I'm not here to make friends, Mabel. I'm here because camp is where kids are sent when their parents don't want to deal with them. Why do you think we return the favor when they hit seventy?

—

Coraline: Well guys, I hope we all learned something today.

Lili: Oh, no. I hope YOU learned, Coraline. I hope you learned that before today, you only had one little bastard to deal with. But now you've got three.

—

Lili: No! You're gonna get taken advantage of by the 1%! Rage against the machine, fight the power, 9/11!

Norman: Progressive buzzwords can’t save you now.

—

Dipper: Mabel, she's just using you! She just uses people!

Coraline: Don't listen to him, Mabel!

Mabel: It's okay, Coraline! I know you would never do that!

Coraline: No, its true, just don't listen to him Mabel! I need you on my side!

—

Stan: And, what brings you fine ladies to this completely normal summer camp?

Lucille: Why… Our precious grandson, Wyborne, of course.

Wybie: I said call me Wybie!

Stan: So you two are…

Wybie: My cool gay grandmas. *High-fives his grandmothers and poses* Aw, yeah!

—

Mabel: All I want is for you guys to have as much fun as I did when I was a Mystery camper. Is that really too much to ask?

Lili: I refuse to believe someone as happy as you can possibly exist.

—

Mabel: Ooooohhh~ There's a place I know that's tucked away, a place where you and I can stay, where we can go to laugh and play and have adventures every day! I know it sounds hard to believe but guys and gals it's true, Camp Mystery is the place for me and-

Wybie: The kids are gone.

—

Neil: Oh no! Rule 1: No backing down! Look out world. I’m hard and Im coming! Whether he likes it or not, Dipper is going to let me in! *Tries to badass kick down the door* … Ow.

Lili: … So, does he wanna help Dipper, or fuck him?

—

Lili: Hey guys! I found it! I found the bird!

Raz: Really?

Lili: Yep. It’s right here. *Holds up her middle finger*

—

Wybie: MOTHERFUCKER! Lili you don't crank SHIT! Get down from there, Neil!

—

Wybie: *Holding the platypus by its’ tail* Why do you people always have to make things weird and complicated?

Coraline: Well, I mean, I think this is all pretty normal.

Wybie: … I need more aspirin.

—

Mabel: So once, there was this girl that no one really understood-

Raz: So help me if this involves vampire romance!

Mabel: I-it could've been werewolves! You dunno!

Lili: Here's a horror story, go look at the job market you're dealing with once this camp shuts down.

—

Wybie: Nope. We're boned.

Rando: Fear not, sweet Wyborne. Once you work for the Wood Scouts, the only man you'll have to deal with in your life is me. *Wraps his arm around Wybie*

Wybie: Oh, Jesus Christ! Campers, we are winning that fucking trophy!

Neil: How the hell do we do that?!

Mabel: By overcoming our differences and working toge-

Wybie: NO! Shut up. You are not going to work together.

Dipper: We're not?

Wybie: No! You're all terrible at it! But we've got something they don't.

Lili: Sub-par indoor plumbing?

Wybie: We've got the most bizarre collection of campers with niche talents and ridiculously specific skill sets Gravity Falls has ever seen! And sub-par indoor plumbing!

—

Raz: That's the end of Act I. Intermission time. GO GET SOME SNACKS!

—

Raz: Yes Dipper! Loving the passion but feeling a little too on the nose. I need you to sell it to me without saying it to me. Lets do it again, but maybe try to bury your motivations in a *Dipper chokes him* ...bit...more...subtext.

—

Norman: How am I supposed to make EDGY ART without an authority figure to rebel against!?

—

Mabel: YEAH! Space is our turf motherfu-

—

Raz: Fab-u-lous! This is the kind of house I'll live in after my 'Hamilton, But With Jazz' musical wins all those Tony's

—

Coraline: Woah, check out the balls on new kid.

Neil: *Looks down* Where?

—

Coraline: Lady-sickness. My mom used to get that all the time.

Neil: How do you cure it?

Coraline: EDGE CLOSER TO DEATH.

—

Wybie: Heeeyy...Mabel?

Mabel: Yes, Wybie?

Wybie: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE KOOL-AID

—

Mr. Cipher: *Scoffs* I think I'm pretty resistant to Kool-Aid poisoning at this point. I just can't eat dairy anymore. You know what that's like, Dipper? NO ICE CREAM!?

—

Mr. Cipher: You see, Dipper. The last time I was unfortunate enough to have met you, you got me introspective. Where did I go wrong..? So, after a lengthy conversation with Xemüg, I came to a personal realization. In the pursuit of eternal salvation for Humanity, I've forgotten to salvage myself! And my idea of self care? KILLING Dipper!

—

Wybie: Thank you, Mr. Pines. Under my rule, I VILL MAKE CAMP MYSTERY GREAT AGAIN!

—

Wybie: Remember your place, Stanford. I am in charge today. Now, what seemed to be the problem? There is a missing child?

Ford: What?! No! I’m sure this is a misunderstanding. ‘Missing’ is such a strong word. I’m sure Neil is just… Hiding!

Stan: Ford! I swear to God, if you lost-

Ford: BECAUSE WE ARE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK!

Wybie: Someone is hiding from camp activities? Unacceptable! We will make an example of him! LET THE HUNT BEGIN! *Thunder crash*

—

Lili: Where are your papers?

Norman: … Uh, I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Lili: Your papers, vhere are they? It's a very simple question, Norman… You are only hurting yourself by lying.

Norman: … Oh. Oh, you want more construction paper!

Lili: Ja, vhat did you think I meant? I'm not some sort of secret police or something

—

Mabel: Dipper! You must believe!

Coraline: Yeah, Dipper! Believe in the magic!

Raz: Believe or I’m punch you!

—

Wybie: I think we can all agree that I am the best camper.

Coraline: Hold up! I thought we agreed that I was the best camper! I’m the coolest.

Lili: But I’m the most powerful!

Raz: No, I’m the most powerful!

Neil: Yet I’m the most adorable!

—

Lili: Back off! I only bully Dipper Tuesdays, Thursdays, and non-denominational holidays. I understand he celebrates the Sabbath.

—

Raz: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the greatest trick of all! Getting a cynical, close-minded asshole to believe in magic!

[g0ldenstar]

I am very normal (not to un-anonymise myself but I wrote way too much just now), sorry to future you who has to analyse all that!!

I'd love to know how you'll be processing this data as someone who's done two years of uni work about research (mostly qualitative, and also not very good at classes lol) :D Also, what's the kind of scope you're aiming for with this paper, both sample wise and actual paper/word count wise?

Of course you don't have to answer any of these if you don't want to, I'm just very curious. Or DM me if you want!

Have a good day!

HI!!!! i just read your response (or what i believe was yours) and oh my god it was so well written and thought out and so SO helpful and informative! :)

ALSO i forgot to mention that im focusing on mcyt fandoms after mc’s revival in 2019. in my introduction/background information section of my paper i go into the whole history of mc’s peak in 2013, it’s slow decline up until 2019, possible reasons why mc was gaining popularity again, etc.

i am a first year uni student and this is my first time doing a research project! so i’m super new to the whole process and everything in general. my research class that this is for is fairly calm and mainly leaves the students with creative freedom for their paper (which is so nice and im so greatful for that), so as for sample wise i am not looking for anything huge or crazy! at this point im thankful if i had 3 responses or 300. i also don’t plan on doing any sort of statistical analysis for my survey portion so im not looking for my data to be normally distributed. as for length, the requirement is for 12-15 pages (apa formatting, so not including references and cover page), but so far ive written about 20 LMAO i talk a lot

i’m not extremely sure how i’m going to go about analyzing the data from my survey, i’ll probably end up having a section where i discuss the averages of each multiple choice/scaler question, then another where i discuss the open response portion. i’d like to really go in depth with participants’ responses though! i think getting fans’ opinions and just their general knowledge on certain events that i might be unaware of is so important to my project.

i’m also conducting a mixed qualitative and quantitative analysis on mcyt fanfiction and its relation to the set boundaries by ccs as well! it’s my kind of way to get the content creator’s opinions without interviewing them since that’s a bit out of the question for my project lol. also lmk if you want a more detailed explanation of how im doing that, i would go ahead and explain but its a LOT and this response is already super duper long

but thank you again for your response and your interest in my project !! i think what im studying is just genuinely so interesting and im so glad other people think so too. my biggest fear when choosing my topic was that it was too niche, but ur ask has made me think otherwise :))

[the-alconbury-chronicle]

Creepy romance books

Okay!

So I didn't expect to be posting again so soon, but I have something I wanna say to more than just my family.

So as I might have mentioned...literally like two minutes ago, I am trying to write.

I do not plan to write romance novels, but I might still want to include relationships in my work.

For that reason, and that reason alone, I went to look for some romance books that include a trope I like.

In doing so I stumbled upon a video of books that use that particular trope.

"Huzzah!" I thought. "At last, a source of bountiful knowledge on this somehow niche topic!"

Imagine my disappointment when the very first book of the video completely bastardizes the trope I was looking into.

It didn't even just do it poorly, it totally corrupted it.

Which is a very funny joke...to me.

The book is called "Corrupt", okay?

What do you want from me, I'm not a comedian.

Anyway, the synopsis of the book is as follows:

Erika I was told that dreams were our heart’s desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession. His name is Michael Crist. My boyfriend’s older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college’s basketball team and now gone pro, he’s more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. But I noticed him. I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away. Now, I’ve graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven’t stopped watching Michael. He’s bad, and the dirt I’ve seen isn’t content to stay in my head anymore. Because he’s finally noticed me. Michael Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika. My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway. Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college. In my city. Unprotected. The opportunity is too good to be true as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they’re out. We’ve waited. We’ve been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

Already sounds pretty gross, right? But it gets worse!

Apparently Michael is planning to harm, or even kill Erika, because she somehow got some of his friends arrested?!

Hey dude, hey Michael. Fucking how? Okay? How are you and your buddies, all grown adults by now, gonna hold an 18 or 19 year old girl respnsible for their arrests? Is she a teenage detective? Did I miss that part of the summary or something?

Regardless, Michael gets close to Erika, intending to gain her trust before betraying her to his friends.

But uh oh! Michael falls for her! So now, he has to protect this girl from a situation HE put her in!

Honestly, I feel like a title like "Corrupt", coupled with it's description of "dark romance" perfectly encapsulates the nightmare that must lie between the covers of this book.

I hope to anything that might be listening that people stop feeling the need to write books like this.

Like seriously, just write likeable characters, okay?

I know it's not that hard to write characters that aren't either total dumbasses or awful people!

Just write about two decent people who have a healthy relationship, and let any drama you need to be able to, you know, have a plot, come from other people or situations.

Hell, you could have a romance that fits into another genre!

Superhero romance? Sure, maybe a pair of vigilantes are into each other and their relationship is the focus of the story rather than the crime fighting.

Fantasy romance? Great! Two characters in a magical setting with cool magical crap going on who also love each other, write about that!

Why does every "romance" book have to be a toxic or even abusive relationship, huh?

It's gross, yucky.

Anyway, I think I've gotten that out of my system.

That's all for now,

Tyr