#this is my one exception. this is the one place I genuinely will get obnoxiously petty.

[musical-chick-13]

Sadly, I cannot completely refrain from Complaining About Characters/Ships I Hate because Raúl/Sofía exists.

[lonely-cowboy]

HEY HEY CAN I REQUEST ANYTHING FLUFFY W CONNOR X FEM READER

YOU WORK IS SO GOODDD

MY DARLINGS FORGIVE ME

requests started coming in hot right as i started my midterms so pls forgive me for taking so long to get through my requests (which i'm loving btw i'm so excited to get to all of them)

with that being said i'll stop yapping and let you read in peace

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framed

pairing: connor (rk800) x f!reader

summary: you're very confused when you find a photograph of yourself on connor's desk.

word count: 1k

warnings: none

author's note: i said i'm done yapping and i mean it i have nothing to say. (except i do wanna say this was inspired by the person that said my connor was very you are in love coded bc that made me happy and got me thinking)

masterlist ⟡ requests

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“What do androids do in their free time, anyway?”

“Plot against humanity? I dunno.”

Hank’s laugh came out in a quiet huff, one that indicated he didn’t think your answer was too far from the truth. 

You had come into the precinct hoping to interview Hank and Connor on their latest investigation surrounding a human cult determined to wipe out every single android. As head journalist for the Detroit Free Press, you were desperate to get word before everyone else. And as Connor’s friend, you were sure you could sweet-talk it out of him. 

But when you got to the precinct, Connor was, strangely, nowhere to be found. Usually, he trailed behind Hank like a lost puppy, but not even Hank knew of Connor’s whereabouts. His unusual absence only led to conversations about what the hell an android could be doing on his lonesome. Neither of you had any clue.

“Have a seat, kid,” Hank offered, nudging his chin over to Connor’s desk. “You know he’d feel bad if you were standin’ around waiting for him.” 

Rounding the table, you took a seat in Connor’s chair. You sat stiffly with your hands atop your thighs, the exact same way Connor would. The realization made you chuckle softly to yourself. Even when he wasn’t here, his presence always made itself known in the subtlest of ways.

Your eyes wandered across Connor’s desk, noticing that it was relatively barren. Hank’s desk was littered with mementos– old donut boxes, Detroit Gears merchandise, anti-android propaganda that he’d crumpled up and intended to trash. But Connor’s desk was plain and organized. A single blue pen sat exactly parallel to his recent case file that had been neatly folded. On top of his case file was a quarter like the one he always fidgeted with. You wondered idly how many quarters he had lying around, having never seen him without one. But the only belonging of actual interest was a picture frame right beside his terminal.

Your brows furrowed as your gaze latched onto the photograph. You were staring directly at a picture of yourself.

Believing it to be a trick of the light, you reached for the picture frame and brought it closer. Sure enough, it was you.  

You stared at a version of yourself who was mid-laugh. You could almost hear your own laughter ringing in your ears. It was that genuine kind of laughter, you knew. The kind that was an obnoxious cackle you always wanted to hide. Why on earth would Connor have a picture like that framed?

Come to think of it, where did Connor even get this picture? You didn’t recognize it at all. You couldn’t even place where it was taken. There were zero clues in the photograph as you were the only focus. Nothing else, just you.

You were about to ask Hank about it when a voice over your shoulder startled you, “I really like that picture.”

An inhuman yelp escaped your lips as you spun around in Connor’s chair. You found him looking down at you with a pleasant smile, not even remotely embarrassed to be caught having a photo of you.

“Why… what even… what?” you stammered.

Connor cocked his head curiously, waiting for you to get your words out. But you couldn’t. You were so utterly confused that your brain couldn’t remember a single word in existence. You just stared at Connor with a gaping mouth, holding the picture up for his viewing pleasure. 

When you didn’t say anything, Connor’s eyebrows furrowed for only a moment before easing. An endearing habit of his that made your heart flutter. He definitely was not helping you find the right words. 

“I’d like to clear your confusion as best I can, but… I’m afraid I don’t understand its cause,” Connor said gently.

From behind, you heard Hank’s quiet snort. He wasn’t helping either.

“Well… Connor,” you started slowly like you were gradually putting the puzzle pieces together. No matter how hard you tried, the pieces weren’t fitting. “Why do you have a picture of me?”

The corners of his lips raised into a small grin, his hands moving to clasp in front of him. You knew this stance to mean he was about to tell a story.

“I asked Lieutenant Anderson about the keepsakes on his desk. I was curious as to why these particular items were objects of significance and what classified them as such,” Connor explained cheerfully. “As I recall, he said ‘I don’t know, they’re just alright, I guess.’ Perhaps my interpretation was incorrect, but I took that to mean those items made him happy.”

Connor’s smile widened slightly. That meant he was finished. He didn’t clear any of your confusion.

“Okay…?” you prompted.

“I wanted to do something similar. I thought it could help me accommodate to deviancy, so I decided to surround myself with things that make me happy.”

Your mouth clamped shut as your confused look turned to one of shock. You were almost sure you hadn’t heard him right, but another laugh (hidden behind a cough) from Hank made you confident that you had.

“I… make you happy?” you clarified.

“Yes,” Connor answered curtly. There was another long pause as you waited for Connor to continue. He seemed to get the hint by now, elaborating further. “I always enjoy your company. I look forward to seeing you when we have scheduled plans. This wasn’t a scheduled visit, so I was pleased to see you were here. It made me smile. Seeing you makes me smile.”

With all his talk of smiling, you couldn’t help cracking one of your own. Seeing your smile made Connor brighten.

“Like that,” he said. “If I could photograph and frame you right now, I would.”

You were so giddy with affection that you couldn’t help but laugh. You had never known Connor to be so poetic with his words.

“You know, Connor,” you said with careless laughter. “I came here to sweet-talk you into an interview for the Press. But here you are sweet-talking me.”

Connor looked pleased with himself, standing a little straighter. “I hope that made you smile.”

“It certainly did.”

[skiiyoomin]

hello! i’m not sure if you’re taking reqs so if not feel free to skip this! i was wondering if we can get a oneshot of bakugo x reader except reader is a famous jpop idol (or even a global pop star) and bakugo is a pro hero. how the rest plays out can totally be up to you but i thought this would be a unique pairing. :)

ʚCont: pro hero! Bakugou x idol! reader, inspo from the met gala, gn! reader, swearing cause its bakugou

⤑Back to navigation

a/n Hi hi! Yes my reqs are open so feel free to ask as much as you´d like! I looove the idea, its literally one of my fave tropes. It´s a little short but I thought it was a cute way to start a possible relationship between bakugo and reader :>

Bakugou hated attending these events. The constant flashing of camera lights, the stuffiness of his suit, the obnoxious voices of paparazzi begging him to look their way. It was exhausting.

But alas, as one of the top heroes, he had to show his face more often than he´d like to and make small talk with people he could care less about. At least he´d get a few free drinks and food for the night.

As he finished walking down the red carpet and away from the dizzying lights, a figure smaller than his own bumped into him. And Bakugou in his very characteristic fashion, was ready to threat whoever wasn´t watching their step. "Oi, watch where you´re-"

The words died in his throat when his ruby eyes landed on your own. You had to be the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The luxurious fabric of your extravagant clothes complimented your features and sitted on the curves of your body just right. He realizes he was staring more than he should when your silky voice reached his ears.

"I´m so sorry!! It´s just it´s a bit hard to walk in these clothes" You admit with an embarrsed chuckle. He tsks, though there was no real annoyance directed towards you. "Can´t believe they´re making you wear something you can´t even walk in"

You chuckle feeling flattered by the concerns from someone who was so notorious for being abrasive...and devilishly handsome. "Yeah, well, you know, practicality isn´t really on top of their priority list."

To the surprise of the both of you, he holds his arm out. "What table are you assigned in?" God it took everything in him not to sweep you off your feet with the way your doe eyes were marveling up at him. You link your arm around his own. "Table three"

He hums in acknowledgement, though deep down he felt his heart hammering in his chest like a teenage boy. "Good, at least there will be a pretty face sitting with me"

It was embarrassing how quickly heat rose to your cheeks from such a common and simple compliment you heard quite often. Though it felt so different hearing it slip from his tongue. It felt genuine.

The picture you had portrayed of the pro hero Dynamight completely shattered the longer you spent the night engaged in conversation with him. He too, felt any prejudices he may have held against you for being an idol slip away. Conversation rolled easily between you two as if you had been friends for years, and for the first time in a very long time, you both truly enjoyed being there.

Of course, it didn´t make it any less exhausting. The proof being written all over your energy drained face by the time the clock struck 12 PM. Lucky you, Bakugou had a knack for being observant, so it didn´t take long before he realized how fatigued you felt, and truthfully, he wasn´t doing much better than you. He was just better at hiding it.

"Let me drive you home" It wasn´t a question, and it´s not like you had the energy to retaliate. You let him place a warm calloused hand on your waist while he led you to his car. The drive back to your home felt like it went by in a flash, though it must be because you were fast asleep.

His heart clenched when he gazed at your soft features while you were deep in slumber. But alas, the last thing he wanted was to overstep boundaries, so, albeit begrudgingly, he reached out and shook your shoulder.

"Hey, wake up, we´re here"

Your dark lashes fluttered against your cheeks before your eyelids slowly opened. It took you a long moment to gather your surroundings, but once you realized, your lips formed into a small `o´.

Bakugou thought it was a crime to look so adorable, but it´s not like he would ever tell you that. "C´mon, i´ll help you upstairs"

Once again, his hands felt just right against your body when he aided you in walking properly to your home. Everything felt like a fever dream. The way he respectfully removed any excessive fabric of clothing or the way he helped you into your bed in a surprisingly soft manner for someone so rough.

But you realized how real it was when you spotted a little note sticked to your fridge the next morning with beautifully neat handwriting saying:

"Text me xxx-xx-xx-xx"

And if anyone had seen the wide grin that spread across your face, they would have called you a simp. Maybe you were.

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

You were surprised to see several of your family members gathered around the doorway to your room as you came down the hall. They were talking in whispers, peering inside your space. You adjusted your pack over your shoulder and sidled up to them. “Uhhhhh, hi? Excuse me?” you asked, popping in and matching their hushed voices. “Why’re you all staring into my room?”

Carol grinned at you. “Oh. You’re home early,” she said, her eyebrows lifting. 

“Yeah, I am. What’s going on?”

Michonne simply jutted a finger in the direction of the interior of your room and you leaned around Tara to look. Daryl. Daryl was asleep on your bed. He was flopped right down on the comforter, hugging the pillow beneath him, completely passed out. 

Your heart fluttered and you felt your cheeks flush. “Why is he—?”

Carol caught your eyes and smiled, one of those knowing Carol smiles she was always doing. You gulped nervously and glanced back at him. He looked so genuinely peaceful and you didn’t think you’d seen him more comfortable in the entire time you’d known him. You felt your own tension melting away as you looked at how he had sunk into the soft folds of fabric. But why was he on your bed?

“How has he not woken up?” Tara asked. “He’s the lightest sleeper of all of us. We’ve been standing here for ten minutes talking.”

Michonne shook her head. “He’s out. I’ve never seen him so out.” She shot you a smirk that seemed to have some smug meaning behind it too and the heat in the apples of your cheeks grew.

“Maybe we should see how loud we can talk before he wakes up,” Tara snorted.

You rolled your eyes. “Alright... Leave him alone. He’s sleeping. Let the man catch some sleep for once in his life,” you said, nudging past them. “Go on. Shoo,” you waved them away. They scattered with quiet laughter and more obnoxious glances your way. You stepped over the threshold as softly as you could and set your pack down. You were slipping off your jacket when you heard the soft rustling of fabric behind you. Daryl was stirring. He shifted and stretched and then opened his eyes. Blinked. Once. Twice.

And then he realized you were there and he shot up so he was sitting on the center of the bed. “Uhh—h—hey,” he drawled. His entire face was red. “Yer back. Yer back way sooner than ya said ya would be. Uhh—Shit,” he growled. “I didn’t mean to—I mean, I wasn’t—I—fuck, I fell asleep. ‘M so sorry. I wasn’t plannin’ to sleep on yer bed. I just drifted off... I’ll go. ‘M sorry...” 

“Whoa, whoa,” you smiled. “Hey. It’s okay.” Daryl watched you looking at him good-naturedly. The knot in his stomach loosened slightly. “Honestly, I’m just glad to see you getting some sleep for once.”

Daryl rubbed a hand over his face and shook his hair out of his eyes. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to. I just came up here to—uhh... for somethin’ else and I sat down on the bed and... must’a just dropped off...”

“It’s alright,” you reassured him. “What’d you come up for in the first place? Get what you needed?”

His entire face flushed crimson again. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah... I did.” He ducked his gaze and avoided your striking eyes.

“Good. What was it anyway?” you asked, bending to unload gear from your pack. 

The air was suddenly charged with electricity. When there was a long silence and no response you looked up to see Daryl frozen there, all of him still as stone, except for his hands which were fiddling anxiously. “Uhh—”

You gave him a questioning look.

He gulped. “Well, ya were gone and... I missed ya, so I came up here. Felt—felt like bein’ closer to ya, I guess.” 

Daryl watched understanding suddenly dawn on your face. Your expression softened into gentle surprise, your lips forming an ‘oh’ although no sound left you for a long moment. You bit your bottom lip and considered him softly. “Well... I’m back. But don’t get up on my account. If this is where you managed to get some sleep, by all means...” You smiled at him warmly. “But you’re gonna have to scoot over. Just a little bit.”

Daryl gulped. Were you serious? ...you looked serious. Your smile widened at his disbelief. 

“Are you going to scoot over or am I on the couch?” you joked.

Daryl moved to one edge of the bed and nearly lost it when he felt the bed dip down behind him as you settled in on the other side. “You don’t have to scoot over that much. You’re risking falling off,” you murmured to him. 

He gathered his courage and then turned over to face you. “I should go,” he murmured, ducking your gaze again. 

“Daryl Dixon, if you leave right now, I will never forgive you,” you said. He saw jest in your eyes when he looked up again. “So, what was it that helped you sleep here? Just an extraordinarily comfortable bed?” Your voice was low and soft and Daryl felt goosebumps rising on his skin. 

“Sure,” he drawled sarcastically. “That and... smells like you up here.” That last part, he meant.

You blushed and then moved in toward him. “I missed you too.”

Prompt: “Leave him alone. He’s sleeping.” A/N: Oh, fuck me, this came out adorable af. 

[worriedvision]

Your friend gets jealous - Wriothesley

Gender neutral reader, reader isn't dating Wriothesley and their friend gets jealous of how close they seem. Angst to fluff.

--

Wriothesley didn't often come to the surface, only doing so for mandatory meetings with various people. You were lucky enough to get close to him through your work, and you discover that he is a good friend to have. You treat him to a meal, where your friend comes along and asks you who the handsome man across from you was. After making a small joke about no handsome man across from you, you introduced him.

Your friend tagged along all the time for hangouts with Wriothesley when they see you with him, now ignoring you the rest of the time. You asked them why, to which they said their work kept them away more often.

Your friend was not shy in their flirting with Wriothesley, to the point they looked wildly out of place when the conversation was casual and not at all romantic. Wriothesley brushes it off, not wanting to assume your friend was flirting, and when he cracks a joke, you genuinely laugh at the joke. Wriothesley smiled at the achievement of making you laugh, and your friend does this fake, flirty giggle. Wriothesley continues the conversation, not sure why the laugh was so delayed, and your friend went silent for the rest of the conversation.

--

"_, we need to talk." Your friend huffs, you nodding in agreement. "Your laugh is so annoying, you know that?"

"What? A laugh is a laugh, I can't help it." You chuckle in disbelief. "Why have you been so flirty with Wriothesley? Just ask him out if you want to!"

"Well, because you're so obviously the obnoxious pick-me who wants to get an attractive man." Your friend tuts. "From my perspective, you are the one being inappropriate. Stop being so desperate."

--

From that day, you actively stop laughing out loud at anything. You didn't want to annoy anyone with your laugh, especially if it was angering other people. Your friends, with the exception of one, became concerned. They asked you if something has been stressing you in your personal life, but you kept brushing them off with a smile.

Wriothesley was especially worried, but he decided to ask your 'friend' about you.

"Hey, do you know if someone's threatening _? I'm getting concerned, and I could support them if this is the case." Wriothesley asks, wincing when your friend rolls their eyes and sighing out.

"What, because they stopped being obnoxious?" Your friend tuts, Wriothesley unimpressed by the statement. "Don't you agree that they were being too loud when laughing?"

"Not at all." Wriothesley replies, crossing his arms. "I value their friendship, and I feel happy when I hear them laugh. If I'm being honest, I feel odd when you're there."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to... change your mind?" Your friend bats their eyelashes, leaning towards Wriothesley and implying some romance.

"...I don't want to have anything to do with you." Wriothesley admits. "I'm sorry, but you didn't even know anything about me before starting to flirt with me."

"So you're going to give that pick-me a chance?" Your friend laughs horribly, Wriothesley staring at them with a blank face.

"I'm not giving you a chance. _ has a much better chance than you ever would have." Wriothesley states, walking away as your friend gawks at him, both people feeling the eyes of the public on them.

--

The next time you meet up with him, you don't see your friend there. Assuming your friend was going to be there as well, you mentally prepare yourself for another conversation where you stop yourself from laughing.

But he cracked another joke to start things off.

Unable to stop your laughter from bursting out, you do so for a few seconds before stopping yourself. Before you can apologise for your loudness, Wriothesley cuts in.

"That was like music to my ears." He smiles warmly, removing your hands from your mouth. "You should laugh when you want to."

[samptlay]

Could We Be High School Sweethearts? - Out on the Field

A/N: shh... wdym it's almost been three weeks???

How in the world can anyone work out in this weather? Maybe you should have been smarter when signing up for Athletics at a place where it’s always cold, there would never be a reason to stay inside. Even with your three workout jackets on, the cold seeps through them and you’re shivering.

The weather in Snezhnaya isn’t something you could easily get accustomed to. Of course, it’s only the normal human natural response when put into a new environment. But of course, he would want to add to your suffering rather than sparring it. 

As your class headed outside the track, Ajax somehow slipped behind you, silently watching how your body turned pale. He can’t help but tease you for it.

“Aw, can’t handle the cold? Believe it or not, today’s one of our warmer days. I’m scared to see how you’d do when winter actually hits.” So this was barely scratching the surface. That’s just amazing, isn’t it? Is it too late to fly back to Liyue? You’ve already seen three different individuals grab icicles from who knows where before starting to munch on them, with no one else batting an eye.

Yeah, maybe homeschooling isn’t as bad as you thought.

With a groan, you turn around and face the redhead and Ajax could tell you weren’t particularly happy with his comment. You could see the smirk on his face grow ever so slightly at the sight of your reaction and it only ticked you off further. 

“I- I don’t understand the people who can swim in this weather.  Also, no normal human should be able to survive in this climate.” You stutter out, and surely the whole world could hear the clattering of your teeth. Your body was not built for this.

“You’ll get used to it. But if it makes you feel better, I’m sure it’ll take me a while to adapt to Liyue once I go there… eventually.” That was some new information to your ears. Well to be honest you didn’t know much about this guy in the first place, so while everyone was lining up on the track, you got behind him and started your interrogation.

“Why would you ever go to Liyue?” The question wasn’t meant to sound harsh, it was formed by your genuine curiosity. You could see something change in his eyes, and it’s only then that you realize that he has no spark inside them.

Maybe you’ll ask about that later if they ever get closer.

“I’m going to be a Fatui Harbinger. I’m going to travel across Teyvat and see every nation, eat all their food, and bring back souvenirs for my siblings. So a little bit after I graduate, I'll be out of here and across the world. There’s more, but you need to learn that information.”

The line moves up when the coach calls out for the next row to go and Childe looks down at you to gauge your reaction to which you look back up at him blankly, the only sign that you heard him is your singular eyebrow raised.

“That’s- a nice dream to have. But… You realize that you’d have to be crazy strong and master so many skills to be able to merely get recognized by the Tsurista?” Now it's Childe’s turn to look confused. His eyebrows furrow, and he shapes his mouth in a way that looks like he just tasted something bad before his face suddenly goes blank again, with a slow smirk forming on his lips.

Right. Everyone on campus is aware of his skill, all except you. Well obviously you’re new so it’s only natural, but that doesn’t mean he’ll fight like he always does at the next monthly Sparring Competition, no he’d do the best he can. Ajax’s sure to knock all the wind out of your lungs the moment you see him against his opponent. But for now, he’ll just let you believe he’s an obnoxious rich kid who doesn’t know what he’s doing.

“Oh come on! Don’t go ahead and crush all my dreams like that with a reality check.” He winces, clutching his stomach as if he’s been hurt, but you both notice he’s next in line to run and he gets in his stance. You roll your eyes and watch as all the other kids follow his motions. “Aww, was that too harsh? Don’t worry, I’m sure you could be a Harbinger’s assistant if anythi-”

As soon as the couch blows the whistle, he leaves everyone behind in the dust. Well, snow in this case, even if there wasn’t lots of it on the athletics field. He was fast and flexible, you had to admit. Sprinting down the track with everyone cheering and clapping, girls practically squealing and you swore you saw him win at one. The wind blew through the strands of his messy hair perfectly and he had finished running the whole thing in under a minute.

In the cold. Shit, he’s good.

You hadn’t realized your jaw was dropped until he stopped running right in front of you, raised his hand to your face, and pushed your chin upwards, causing your cheeks to flush a bit. “Impressed, girly?” Childe suspected you as the Tsundere type, so he was taken off guard when a slight smile came onto your lips.

“I really have to say, I underestimated you. Good job, Ajax.” Huh. He didn’t expect to be getting praised if anything. He thought you would roll your eyes and sarcastically clap for him, not this. Childe still had his finger on your chin, and it's then that he actually took the time to look at you. You were… pretty. And your eyes stood out in the winter compared to all the white around, unlike his dull, soul-threatening ones. Then yours blink. Repeatedly. It’s only then he realizes that he’s so close to you, holding up your chin, and around a crowd. Childe quickly steps back and clears his throat.

“S-Sorry I was just-” “Newby you’re up!” The coach calls, and you quickly turn around, thankful for an excuse to get away. Getting away is something you want more than anything right now since no one had ever expressed interest like he did just now. So while everyone else in your row was getting into their position, you were only thinking of being done, finished and back inside a warm, toasty classroom.

Childe guesses that’s exactly what you were thinking because you were gone in a flash., leaving everyone bewildered.

Taglist: @uhfhfhfhf @xdrin @msun1c0rn @umi-adxhira @lovingnahida @strrawb3rrysh0rtcak3 @ssecylia @skyl8ver @immahuman @meowmeowraven @01234 @markexplanation @esthelily @dawnofazrael @chickenalfredo4life @eccaza @jun-xiu @klemen-time @delulu-val @everi-eve

Borders by @cafekitsune

[birdsandbatsofgotham]

Working on the next installment of my Pantheon AU:

He stood upon the edge of a rooftop, a single point of perfect darkness, gazing out impassively across his city. And Gotham was, truly, his city at this point. Whispers of the Bat flowed through the backstreets and alleyways, making the criminals clutch at their weapons and more innocent souls breathe just a tad easier.

There were shrines popping up, too. Alfred had helped him create a small temple in the cavern beneath the Manor, something to anchor his power in Gotham, but shrines- Tucked away in corners, hidden in the shadowed nooks, each one served to spread his influence, catching and multiplying every bit of belief offered up to his name. To his symbol.

The outline of it still hummed against his chest. Simple curves and narrow points, nothing elaborate. Nothing flashy. But so far, it proved to be his best choice, out of all the new things pulled into his sphere of influence. People had begun to carve it into bricks, to spray paint it onto concrete and asphalt - each one a testament, not only to his growing influence, but to the good he was doing.

Someday, the overhanging layer of fear might just dissipate enough he could request the Patron of Hope make a proper visit to the city.

Caught up in the pride over his work, it took the god a moment longer than usual to notice the increasing glow around him. At first he tensed, alarmed that the Day had come to try and convince him of returning to the divine plane.

But the light didn’t brighten to obnoxious levels; it remained a soft, silvery color, rather than the overwhelming yellow of the sun. And that put a different sort of alarm into him. 

“So I hear you’ve been getting around a lot lately,” a voice purred.

“Moon,” he rumbled, turning to face her. Rather than the elegant gowns or silver armor of days past, she approached him wearing a black bodysuit, equipment belt slung low around her hips, intense gaze hidden by a pair of goggles. “Selina,” he amended.

She hummed, looking his guise up and down. “And what should I be calling you these days, my Lord Night?”

Before, he wouldn’t have reacted to the mocking title beyond a stern grunt. Now, he grimaced at it, and turned back towards the roof’s edge. “Bat. Or Bruce.”

After a beat, her footsteps resumed their approach, muted like a feline padding across snow, or perhaps thick carpet. “How about Tiger?”

He twitched, eyeing her sidelong as she stepped right up alongside him. “No.”

“You sure? I’ve been saving that one for you. Could use Pussycat instead, I suppose-”

“Selina,” he huffed.

“Cat,” she corrected, angling just enough to smile up at him. For once, it appeared genuine, instead of mocking. “If you’re the Bat, then I’m the Cat.”

“...alright,” he managed to say, more than a little taken aback. “What are you doing here, Cat?”

“Wonder’s looking for you. Apparently the Day has gone missing, and she wants your help to find him.”

And just like that, he could feel his walls pressing back in. “Then she can ask the Oracle. I’m busy.”

“Pretty sure she would, except Little Miss See-It-All is missing too.”

That- sounded alarming.

---

Bruce ended up bringing her as far as the rear gardens of the Manor.

Selina couldn’t come down into the caves with him - just as his empowered form required the cover of darkness to travel anywhere in the mortal realm, so too did Selina need to remain in places where her moonlight reached. They could, of course, fold down into purely mortal shells to escape the impediment, but-

But.

Being Bruce Wayne... he didn’t quite want to share that part of himself. Not yet. And for all that the Moon knew him best of anyone besides, perhaps, the Day- he didn’t think she wanted to really expose so much of herself to him either.

There were many eons of harsh words and curt dismissals to overcome first.

Still. She liked Alfred, when the man came out for an introduction. And he seemed a touch charmed in return, with the easy, teasing manner Selina liked to speak in, especially each time Bruce huffed an exasperated breath.

By the time Dawn began to paint the eastern sky, their garden possessed a new little bower, with silver flowers blessed by moonlight. “If you ever need a touch of divine help besides his,” Selina said, smirking in Bruce’s direction, “Pluck one of these off the vine, and I’ll come as soon as I can.”

“You are extremely generous, Miss Selina - perhaps, though, I might be able to do something else if there’s a cup of tea in need of sharing, rather than an emergency?”

The Goddess of the Moon laughed, already starting to fade back to the divine realm. “Just one petal, then, for social calls.”

Once she was gone, Bruce let his shadows fall away as well, returning to the much smaller and more visibly petulant form of an eight year old boy. “A cup of tea?”

“Well, if you won’t indulge in such rituals with me, Master Bruce...”

“Hmph.”

[raspberrii-soda]

I had a few drafts of a sugar rush sona, but then I forgot lol. Here she is now.

Her story is kinda cringy I feel... But basically she gets out of her ds game, gets stuck at game central station, decides to go into Sugar Rush and eventually coded herself into it

Im still gonna use my main sona for most stuff, Syruphia is too niceys and not as unhinged as my main sona

Uh... Here's more details about her backstory else I'll lose them again ig

She was a seasonal character from a ds party game, so she had a lot of time to explore and wander out of bounds and into other games in the console, since it was a cracked console she had plenty of places to visit.

When the ds was left charging during game hours she wandered out and then couldn't go back. She liked sugar rush tho, the world was like her og game.

She doesn't know that changing games is both rare and also not seen in a good light, so she codes herself into Sugar Rush. Her better knowledge of code as well as her appearance already being candy themed animeish meant she was able to integrate into the code pretty seamlessly, her code box even looks like a normal racer's.

She's seen the code room, so she knows king candy is Turbo, however she has no Idea who Turbo is, as far as she knows some character from another game did the same thing as her except the guy was specially obnoxious and self centered.

She's also seen Vanellope's broken code, but again, has no idea what the implications of that are, maybe it was already like that! She'd rather not mess up anything by tampering with other's code

She has a hot chocolate stand near frost rally(she keeps calling it soft swerve speedway for some reason?) and her house is in the outskirts of the only town in the game. She likes to take walks around the different sugar biomes but she usually avoids going into crowded places.

She gets along with Vanellope, they talk a lot and she let's her stay in her hot chocolate stand during the day, and they also like strolling trough the candy cane forest, she tried to persuade her from trying to race, as she's worried about what the others could do to her.

She gets along with King Candy in their rare interactions, though she's annoyed at his condescendence towards her(he genuinely thinks she's like, 14) and at his very egotistical attitude, one time she won a small meaningless bet against him, and he got furious.

That's about it. It doesn't even make sense but idc cringe is dead I'm spawn killing the cringe forever

[whaledocboi]

oc shitpost blast idgaf

matthaeus looks mean and scary and stares with the force of a thousand suns, but he's actually pretty chill and fairly well adjusted. rasalas is the one who's contemplating murder suicide more often than you'd think.

rasalas came back wrong (from almost dying) except he's always been like that. and he's very annoyed by it always being brought up (because he's still nice, just doesnt take as much shit anymore)

modern au matt works for viktoria's old money generational wealth historical noble family as the head of security, elias and viktoria are dating, but none of them connected the dots about it (elias i dont know what my father does for work, viktoria i didnt think every blonde person is related, matt i assumed it was literally anyone else named viktoria) until once they accidentally run into each other when viktoria brings elias over to her big ass mansion. the vibes are mortifying for a moment.

cal ineracted with matt once before deciding i dont know how to hit on this man so he has to die. his daughter needs to die even harder because she makes fun of me, but unforchie if i so much as poke her viktoria will have me killed in my sleep. (not to mention matthaeus who would kill me himself while im awake) what a difficult life im leading. proceeds to do nothing about any of this

rip elias you would've loved being an annoying jock with a beat up old pickup truck. being an annoying almost knight with a big ass work horse is close enough though

baltazar would have all these edgy insane clown posse-esque songs in his playlist and then right next to it theres katy perry california girls. azrel doesnt listen to music (type of person to sit in silence for a 2 hours long car ride alone)

at any given place any given time period baltazrel would encounter people who are like, these two should Not be put in positions of power, thats a dangerously unstable violent attack dog only held back by a manipulative gaslighting way too ambitious psycopath, to which they always react with genuine offense and omg noo how could you say that. look how normal we are. and then get in positons of power and do exactly what the people warning about them said they would do

in a human au azrel is like actual patrick bateman, corporate girly 50 step morning routine unsettlingly perfect appearance at any time of the day unsettlingly polite and charming behaviour, nobody really knows anything about what she does or who she is outside of work. maybe she's just very good at separating her work life and private life. and her weird obnoxious asshole probably unemployed roommate friend sibling or dating question mark (baltazar) who purposefully plays call of duty with a voice changer so he sounds like a girl to make cod bros as mad as humanly possible. not really in the feminist way he just likes pissing people off. they definitely have killed someone and had a dismembered body in their freezer before at some point, unclear if it was an accident or not

[thedoodlersdomain]

So, i’m only now just watching ep 26 because I lost motivation to listen for a but BUT IM BACK AND HOLY SHIT. So here’s some live reactions to it:

Bit the inside or my lip while eating from laughing at the mental image of Link trying to do a pull up on the shower curtain and just tanking it

Normal is either gonna rock the style at 24 or it’s gonna look absolutely horrific-

THE BOOING FOR SCARY’S INTRO

I gotta hear the Butthole Ricochet album

Real organ dice would be fucking dope as hell

Ngl I genuinely wanna sign up for organ donation just to get those dice

SELL AN ORGAN FOR THE DICE (honestly i would)

Literally just finished ep 25 before starting this and i’m still in shock about what happened.

The mental image of Willy getting the shit beat out of him is so nice.

I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT HERMIE NO MY BOY

You get a mech suit, you get a mech suit, EVERYONE GETS A MECH SUIT. (Except for May)

oh shit may has magic hell yeah

God if I was frozen in place for two months I genuinely would never recover my fucking body would just stop i would never recover from that pain

gotta shake your head yes and nod it no

grant ;-;-;-;-; someone please get the li-wilson boys therapy

father-son bonding: panic attack pacing

Well now I relate to Taylor more because the feeling of having your braces tightened enough to make you lisp is too real for me that shit hurts so much

Taylor getting his life lessons from anime is literally me as a kid

ANIME ISNT REAL THIS REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF UNDYNE AND ALPHYS IN UNDERTALE

Link now canonically has selective mutism in my mind and no one can convince me otherwise

Does Scary even know where the anchors are though because I thought it was only Normal that knew?

“Anyone can walk back from the darkness.” Ayo Will how can you just say these things and not expect me to be IN PAIN

WAIT TERRY NO OH MY GOD I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT HIM KNOWING ABOUT HOLY SHIT

Fucking goof dimension-

THE FART PORTAL

Lark is a mood as always

Sparrow ;-;-;

oh damn Normal-

NOT THE PROBABLY

Aaaaaand end of podcast lmao

Taylor is so fucking extra and I love it so much

ROLL FOR OBNOXIOUSNESS

RUN BITCH RUN

oh shit initiative time

Taylor has 1000% been dreaming of having a break down like that

ethnicity-

Give the white guy the nat 20

FUCKING ICE CLIMBERS IM WHEEZING

LARK ‘THE IMPORTANT ONE’ GARCIA OAK

OOOO ITEM LETS GO

oh shit OH SHIT Y E S

psychologically devastation: the best attack type

Lark has zoomies now

o u c h

LINK AHHHHHHHH

the li-wilson boys need therapy ;-;

oh damn

OH DAMN NO GRANT NO WHY

from nat 1 to nat 20 big up Taylor

OF COURSE HES GONNA NARUTO RUN

yup totally planned difficult terrain

Taylor & Hermie have the best dynamic (still gives me whiplash to know he’s taylor’s uncle)

All hail the whale

MAGIC USER SPARROW

fucking soy boy-

ah yes a kids movie where adults kidnap children

NOT THE EXTRA SOUND EFFECTS

irl dm murder too test the accuracy of an attack is the real dnd life

rip terry ;-;-;-;-;

THE FUCKING CONTENT WARNING

D O M I N O E S

no take backsies

THE PARABLE OF THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER

“anythings a parable if you take the wrong message from it” honestly Anthony do be speaking truth

i’m now evaluating the mental image I had of the whale because for some reason I really have been picturing just like a tiny pokémon sized whale in like a little cuboid fish tank and it’s taken this long for me to be like “oh wait. they said a whale and meant an actual whole ass whale. what the fuck-“

the whale of conflict creation

THE NINJA ROCKS HOLY FUXK (might start caring around ninja rocks in case i ever need to break a whale out of a tank to escape parents trying to stop me from stealing an amplifier with magic)

this entire plan was nearly all for nothing-

i need this episode animated in like a proper tom & jerry style cartoon episode

NATTY 20 HOLY SHIT

this is such a dumb episode i love it

Hermie really said ride or die

Rip the whale

HERMIE NOOOO ;-;-;-;-;

GRIPPY SOCKS

OH SHIT SCARY AND WILLY ARE GOING BIG BROTHER MODE

insight into the mind of taylor swift

BB banana skin marbles gag

ayo is Lark gonna drown-

hermie and taylor drown everyone challenge

LARK’S UNCONSCIOUS IN THE WATER HE’S GONNA DROWN

this episode is so dumb i’m wheezing

GLENN COMING IN FOR THE CLUTCH YES

sparrow please save your brother-

GRANT GOT KNOCKED UP I- what in the DC Joker

LINK JUST HIT PUBERTY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HIS VOICE FUXKING DROPPED WHAT THE FUCK

i love hermie so much ;-;

THE NO-BETRAYERS CLUB i need merch

link ;-;

oh god what’s gonna happen

somethings gonna happen

JUST TWO CASUAL PEOPLE

OH SHIT WILLY NO

O H M Y. G O D.

TAYLOR

[thebreakfastgenie]

Wait omg you like DS9 too right?? Ok if I'm not annoying you could I please request Julian Bashir for 1, 12, 22, & 23 please? THANK YOU I'm done now lol

Yes I do!!!! And you are not annoying!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

God I just loved him right away. He's so annoying but he cares so much! He's really a good guy he's just kind of obnoxious and it's not really his fault. He's a genius who made one really dumb mistake on a test and will never get over it. He is so good and kind and loving and moral and he never shuts up. I relate to him a lot and I just love him. The popular opinion is he's annoying at first but he gets better later but I don't understand this because it was love at first sight for me.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

lol so I hate the augment retcon and fanworks have not redeemed it for me and will not and I prefer to ignore it entirely but I will accept that it happened, but there are certain things I absolutely will not allow to be changed by that retcon. So one of my headcanons is that Julian did not choose a remote posting to conceal his augmentations, he did it for the reason he said in the pilot: frontier medicine. He had a genuine desire to make a difference and felt that would be the place to do it and he was also very naive going in, but he grew a lot and did end up making a difference. My other one is that he did not miss one question on his exam on purpose. Yes, it's a ridiculous thing to mix up. That's a very realistic error. That's why he hasn't gotten over it. It's so relatable and so important to Who He Is to me. I also feel very strongly that augmentation or not, even pre-augmentation in post-retcon canon, he is twice-exceptional. The best way the augment thing works for me is if he was basically a mostly nonverbal twice-exceptional kid and the augmentations made him verbal and also athletic etc.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

I don't read a ton of DS9 fics but I guess I like fics that focus on his compassion as a doctor. I don't care for too much focus on the augment thing. I actually did have an idea for a storyline involving it myself, so I'm not completely closed off to fics that deal with it, but I'm also not very likely to read those fics because I am just not interested in it. Anything that leans too heavily on the augmentation explaining everything about him I am not interested in. I'm also not really into the parental trauma aspect of it all. I'm much more interested in his arc after he comes to Deep Space 9 and how the war affects him than I am in his backstory.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

I don't have it saved but that one where he's in his tennis outfit and he's just in the silliest pose.

[ashperiences]

Meant for this to just be part of talking about the first game but didn't realise how much I'd go on lol

Didn't like this one as much, on paper most things sound better and I liked a lot of those ideas but I left without much of a real impression left on me.

The stratums never really ended up feeling like a place to me, I got a little shot of excitement going into the airship but it ultimately just felt like a big bunch of yellow corridors with a knock off version of the previous final boss. The areas could be really pretty and I liked some of the level design and the bringing a specific class gimmicks that unfortunately feel more fun of an idea than actually evocative but oh well.

Therein lies a big problem I had with this, the gameplay mostly turns into spamming big damage, the enemies and levels can get really obnoxious in response and the quests routinely become pains in the ass even as they build some genuinely endearing steps and events in them that make them more than just go to A or collect 6 of B (loved the one that made me mad that finding a guy to deliver a thing to relied on an rng roll to check if he runs away over and over owning me by having the guy eventually be like why the hell are you chasing me who are you though).

I like all these ideas it has, getting to know people in town better, weird FOE gimmicks and all but a lot of the quiet imaginative space is lost, I didn't really wonder about my party, the npcs were more fleshed out and likeable but they weren't really memorable enough to make up for feeling like just some decently entertaining guys in some dlc pack levels.

So much is hampered by relation to the first game, class design is heavily built around nerfing old strategies and over empowering other ones, the story has the same structure but less interesting as an attempt at playing the hits again, we got bird people again but they're magical helpful natives now. It's all just kind of uncomplicated heroics where your attack goes up and eventually you beat up god who is mean and make friends with everyone.

Its fun enough though although similarly the gameplay made it hard to distinguish any real sense of character between my variety of big numbers damage guys. The new class concepts are fun but not tremendously well implemented and the reuse of old classes doesn't help the stale feeling.

I can't stop complaining about it but whenever I think about parts of it I think of them fondly anyway, its not charmless it's just, it's overshadowed and directionless, everything you like feels nice but overtime it kind of just eats away at itself until its a town of slightly charming people and their heroes in a world that just feels built for purpose. I can barely remember any of the actual exploring.

If etrian odyssey 1 ends with your party literally going to hell this one feels like a conscious attempt at crafting explorer heaven - nothing complicates your role, doing big damage almost always wins, everyone ends up loving you and you can live forever as a cool sword guy (suppose there's a fun little thing to think about on context of the villain speech there actually).

I think you can summarise this game with two things:

1. The pathways only open to certain classes that just give you an rpg narration of your guy doing some cool stuff that repeats exactly the same the next time you find one without any of the environment reflecting it and usually organised into some weird box room with multiple class paths like you've found some side mission level select.

2. The way the gunner just inherits a strong move from the now decimated survivalist and also functions as a superior alchemist, the way the war magus can awkwardly remove any mp consideration or how the hexer can just turn hp loss into practically instant killing everything. The game gets flattened under this stuff to the point that the struggle of it all ceases to feel real, no monster is a real threat except by just doing something annoying, every boss gets steamrolled and as if representing the shift in genre the survivalist ends up with practically no purpose.

It was fun while it lasted for sure but also super annoying and I spent most of it thinking about my previous party and looking back on it all I can imagine my party as is an endless succession of multi attack skills.

A true dlc side story 6/10 where you go oh that's a nice idea I guess oh that's a funny guy they put in here and then evaporates.

[bumblebeehug]

whoops here comes an analysis on the pheonix priestess movie - heads up before you read!! this is all lighthearted and my personal opinion, you could probably tell me the opposite opinions and i’d agree in some way so if i sound mad or upset just know that it’s all written with love :)

i rewatched the pheonix priestess movie and wanted to commit crime at how badly they portrayed lucy lmao. at first they made her cute and excited for the job, but then they fail it which obviously is fine except lucy thinks it's all her fault (like yes she was the one who couldn't catch the thief but NEITHER COULD THE OTHER IN TEAM NATSU). then there's some scenes where lucy blames herself despite team natsu delibirately telling her that they don't blame her, and i get this whole fanfic vibe. like I can write a depressed lucy for those reasons because the stuff i write isn't canon, but unless she's depressed for genuinely good reasons (natsu leaving, losing aquarius key, not being able to say goodbye to her dad before he died) it just doesn't make sense for her character to get so genuinely sad over how things went. then, as if everything isn't bad enough, eclair acts like a total bitch just cause lucy wants to make friends with her - which leads me to the way she's acting when she's trying to make friends!! like why is she being so consistent on following eclair around and giving her ice cream and stuff when eclair is telling her she doesn't like it!!! LUCY WOULDN'T DO THAT, like sure, she'd walk quietly with her in that new town because she wants to protect her, but there's no way she'd act so obnoxious. then eclair decides to be kind to her, finally, because "oh, it turns out i'm not the only person in the world who has experienced sadness?? even mages can be sad?? but mages are bad because i hate magic!!" which was just a weird concept to me, like girl be for real.

nothing in that movie sat right with me (that’s a lie, i like the movie, but you get it) - i would like the nalu moments better if they didn't feel so out of place. there was no reason for eclair to tell natsu to take care of sad lucy - eclair and natsu barely had any interractions throughout the movie at all! how would she know shit about their relationship!! i'm sorry but it's just so weird. i do like how much natsu notices lucy though - when she's upset because of the mission he cheers her up, and when eclair bullies her (ignores her attempt to introduce herself) he jumps in to save the situation. those moments i like, because it shows development in how natsu pays attention to lucy, which does in fact prove that their relationship is evolving (nowadays it's all gone backwards though, but let's not talk about that here).

the portrayal i do like is when they show Lucy's more considerate side - she has moments where she pays attention to eclair's needs (asking her if she'd like to switch roommate since she obviously doesn't like lucy very much - good thing she declines that offer, because i would bite her head off if she took it), and is overall more silently caring. i like that more because that's the character i recgonise. don't get me wrong, i LOVE lucy's outbursts and outgoing personality, but she isn't known for being intrusive. she knows when not to step over boundaries, and this movie shows the complete opposite.

I also like when the thief (geese or whatever his name was lmao i love him) thanks her for being her - he admits that even if they were "enemies" (not that severe but u get it lol) he still found her intriguing enough to like her - which made him want to save her in a bad situation later on. he compliments her on her way of bonding even with her rivals (which i LOVE that they brought up - girlie befirends every single person she meets!! not even zeref could hate her lol) (no comment on that everlue guy though lmao).

I think that translates nicely later into how well eclair and lucy bonds later - they were truly only able to become friends thanks to lucy, because let's be so real: eclair's a bitch and i'll say it again. i still like the bond they formed later (they were such lesbians for a while i'd love them together if eclair had a better personality lol) because lucy could really shine in her way of loving her friends - she's the one who gets closest to the people around her, and she cries the hardest when they have to leave.

overall i have a love hate relationship with this movie, cause the characters are lowkey so ooc that they're in character which is ironic lol.

also i can't stand the animation. dragon cry stepped up!! love that animation, the pheonix priestess was just weird - their faces were weird, their propotions all whacky and they didn't look like themselves. some scenes were really pretty though, esp lucy's sad/melanchony faces.

[analogskullerosis]

The lovely @poppy-ghost tagged me to put my spotify repeat playlist on shuffle and post the first 10 songs. So, here we go!

"Please Don't Go Girl" - New Kids on the Block

This is tied with being my favorite NKotB song (1st place is "Tonight") and I love everything about this song and it's absolutely batshit stupid video. First, I think all five boys are dating the same woman?? Because the video starts with her leaving Danny's house, then she gets into a cab and Joey (who is a child holding a flower to a woman clearly older than him) starts singing at her, then Jordan chimes in with "I love you, I guess I always will." There's a point where Jordan is singing to her while she's waiting for a train but also the other four are there with him? I just like to imagine they're all in a polycule, except the boys aren't dating each other, they just have joint custody of one woman and she's leaving all of them at the same time.

Also, I always like adding a comma to the title so it reads "Please Don't Go, Girl" implying that the person they're singing to is named "Girl." 80s pop is wonderful. I love this song. I should do a full write-up of it someday.

2. "Slow It Down" - Kim Petras

This was done years before she unleashed the masterpiece Slut Pop into the world and I like this song a lot because it's sensual and intimate and I don't think there are enough songs anymore about taking things slow and finding a comfort zone with someone you have a lot of affection for. Disregarding her habit of choosing to work with people that land her in hot water (Dr. Luke and Nicki Minaj in particular) I genuinely think she's a trailblazer and someone who is doing really good work.

3. "Nice to You" - Vulfmon & Jacob Jefferies

The combination of pop punk vocals and low-volume funk has been one of the greatest things I've heard this year. Jacob Jefferies is wonderfully obnoxious with his vocals and this whole song is wonderful. This is coming from somebody who absolutely hates this style of vocal but hot damn he just makes it works. It sounds genuine but there's just enough tongue-in-cheekness to make the thing remain funny. It's good stuff.

4. "2 Wheel Drive" - Magdalena Bay

I've written about my love for Magdalena Bay before, so I'll keep this brief: This song is very fun and when those synths kick in at 1:45 I am transported to another world, mini mix vol. 3 is very good and worth your time, I absolutely adore their video editing work and I wish I could make something otherworldly like this, I want to give Mica Tenenbaum a nice, shiny quarter and ask her kindly if she would kick me in the head.

5. "SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE" - Tyler, the Creator

"Still on the boat!"

"Call me if you get lost!"

This is still Tyler's best song (although "WHARF TALK" and "SORRY NOT SORRY" are fighting for that title for me). I think this is one of those songs that just shows off everything people love about the guy and what he's created. Every part of this is just wonderful and it's the biggest standout on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST for me. While I'm on it, The Estate Sale was very good and is worth your time if you haven't given that a listen yet.

6. "Arcadia" - Goose

I just started listening to Goose and I think they're pretty cool. This is their best song that I've heard so far. That chorus is very infectious and earwormy. Fun to sing along to when you're driving somewhere in your car. I also think "Arcadia" is a cool song title. Iss good.

7. "Best of My Love" - The Eagles

The Eagles are responsible for a lot of shitty corporate boomer radio rock. They're a seventies band that are never getting the Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin critical reappraisal (they were reviled then and unlike Floyd and Zeppelin, they still are. It's deserved). This one is really good though. Has a lot of heart to it and I don't think the band ever harmonized better than they did on this song.

8. "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" - Sophie Ellis-Bextor

During the days of Covid lockdown back in 2020, famed British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor did a series of Instagram livestreams that she called "Live From the Kitchen Disco." In these livestreams, she would decorate her kitchen (and sometimes other rooms in her house) and sing songs in her house. Usually she sang her own songs, but sometimes she sang disco songs she liked. The instrumentals were always provided via karaoke versions. Her husband would be behind the camera and sometimes her kids would make appearances and dance around and do stuff in the background. It was a really cute series that I loved a lot and it was a nice way to keep going through tough times.

Anyway, she brought that concept with her on stage when concert performances and touring became possible again and it's just as good and fun! "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" is one of my favorite songs from Grease and I think this is a good performance of it.

9. "New Guru" - Vulfpeck

If you want my full, unbridled thoughts on one of the best funk songs of this decade, you can find it here on my other blog. :)

10. "Freedom! '90" - George Michael

There's so much I love about this song. Every note of this thing is infectious. Every second of this song just feels empowering and if you're leaving a shitty situation (bad relationship, bad job, etc.) then every time "freedom" is chanted just feels all the sweeter.

One thing that has always fascinated me about this song is how much of its existence is owed to the success of the Faith album in 1987. I don't think there are a lot of "response songs" about an era that brought you more success than you could ever dream of. I always got the feeling that George Michael grappled with wanting to be a successful superstar but never wanting to be constrained by all the trappings that being a superstar brings.

"Freedom" is a song (and theme) that followed George for his entire career. "Freedom" was originally on Wham!'s Make It Big album in 1984 during his carefree younger days (freedom from responsibility), then the chorus melody reappeared on a church organ in the beginning of "Faith" for his big solo pop move (freedom from Wham!), and then it reaches its final form here (freedom from needing to cater to what people want you to be). Listen Without Prejudice era George is my favorite era of his career to study because it's a giant superstar shying away from the spotlight and letting only the music speak for him. He's nowhere on the album cover, doesn't appear in any videos from this time, and he didn't really give a ton of interviews for this album. He was a fascinating figure and I think there's still a lot to learn about the guy.

Anyhoo, those are my 10! Thanks for tagging me! I want to tag these friends: @cowgirliee, @memento-more-tea, @wolf-tree, @themarvelousinterrobang, @xrinsohma, and anybody else who sees this and has interest (you can say I tagged you! :D)

[digitalcockroach]

i think a lot of tumblr has weirdly strong feelings and opinions on Neil Gaiman and Good Omens like it's popular and popular to hate and victim to Tumblr Discourse, there's a loud subset of (usually young but not always uhg) fans that are obnoxious uwu soft bean terminally online types, and there's a a kind of reactionary hatred and criticism for Neil and Gomens itself (and laugh at me if you must but there is some of that coming from a homophobic, transphobic, abliest place. it is not coincidence that these reactionary hate for fandoms is worst when a fandom is predominantly queer and neurodivergent like i get it whatever we all need someone to bully not the point here) and there are PLENTY of things to not like about the man, the show, and the fandom but like

one sentiment i see going around in the wake of s2 is that Neil Gaiman is just a Bad Writer which like. objectively doesn't really add up. in terms of technical skill and success of his work? he's very skilled and respected as a writer, he's considered a master of his craft, he's won awards, yknow? whether the stories he tells are compelling or interesting or important is subjective, hate em all you want, but he is TECHNICALLY a good writer which leads me to my main question

WTF happened to s2 of Gomens????? like i liked s1 enough to watch it 3 or 4 times, i loved the book in high school, i was excited for new content despite my misgivings about extending a completed story! and this is what we get? the major worldbuild hook, an arch-angel thrown out of heaven without his memories now in the care of the angel and demon who saved the world from said arch-angel essentially, is a fucking C plot after fanservice azi/crow flashbacks and a weird uncomfortable not-romance between two random new characters (and this isn't even mentioning the major spoilers for way stupider plot decisions). none of the humans from s1 are there. there's 0 tension (except for in the final cliffhanger scene) bc they just. basically say "nah no you wont" and fix all their problems. literal deus ex machina resolution. the writing is bad, the ACTING is bad in the case of the weird ass Beelzebub recast (WHY would you draw attention to it by mentioning they look different TWICE) who moves like a tiktok teenager and can't lipsynch and oh yeah has a completely different personality. i get that some things were on purpose, i see the hints and foreshadowing for a s3, i get that some ooc-ness of characters is likely to be revealed as part of a bigger plot eventually but y'all. i sat through this Bad season of TV hoping the few interesting and genuinely cute moments would pay off, and they did not. why would i wait for another season of this shit to actually resolve anything?

I'm just fuckin disappointed in it yknow it was a total fanfiction of itself and i have literally read better gomens fic than what s2 did

[akaikami-cherryblossom]

HII IM SENDING THE QUESTION BACK TO YOU: your top 5 a3 plays? 👀

AAAAAAA FRIEND IN THE ASKBOX<33333 I didn’t even rb the ask game but I’ll take it because I need to get my thoughts out!!!! Btw this list took me hours because I am so indecisive but it was worth it🫶

5. Romeo and Julius

Even though it’s the first play introduced, it’s still one of my favorites and it has a special place in my heart. The only reason it’s so low is because it’s the first one newborn Mankai put on, so there are some pacing issues and I honestly just wish there was more. I’ve also been using it to lure some of my irl friends into A3! because who doesn’t like a million totally-not-gay plays? Aside from that Bokura no Kizuna is the song ever.

4. Harugaoka Quartet

This one doesn’t have the best plot in my opinion, but I still love it. I enjoy a simple plot with really well-written characters, so it works! That and the event story is one of my favorites of all time. I’m also biased because I finally found a recording of the Mankai Stage version and it is WONDERFUL. There’s this one part I really like towards the end where it’s just Ennis on stage and it’s completely dark except for a spotlight. He continues to practice the first part of “Spring”, getting frustrated each time. There is no dialogue. It’s all in his expressions. The last time he starts playing, the rest of the quartet joins him as the lights come up and aaaaaaa ;-;. It’s sososo beautiful I think it was adapted excellently!!! And the final scene with “Hajimari wa Quartet” is incredible I love the added harmonies oughhhhh…

3. The Floral Prince and Sympathy for the Angel

I couldn’t decide. Floral Prince is up here because it’s got SUCH a pretty fairytale aesthetic and the story is so fun and sweet. I always like a good fairytale so this is right up my alley. Sympathy for the Angel is really important to me hehe it was the first Mankai play I subbed and I ended up loving it the first time I read it.(And I’m biased because Sakuya’s Uriel>>>>>)

2. The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz

Another one of my absolute favorites. The second I read it I was already imagining how it would look on stage and it’s so incredibly well-done and fun to watch and aaaaaaa!!!! Also Rick is just genuinely one of my favorite characters of all time no matter how bad I feel for him. Oswald is such a compelling character as well, I think the way Someya portrayed him made him fun to watch, both annoying but still likable. Same with Yokota’s Rick. He’s loud and gullible, a little stupid, but really offsets Oswald nicely. Not to mention the FINAL BATTLE UGH!!! Incredible. Admittedly, I don’t love that the rest of the Spring Troupe has smaller roles, but I don’t think this is the kind of story you can tell with this many people. It’s just good overall.

Honorable Mentions:

SSR Family(The costumes are lovely and I like a lot of the characters and plot, especially Blanc and Nero, I think they’re interesting and well-written. And my wife is there)

A Clockwork Heart(Yeah I cried so what)

The Great Sardine Search(CLASSIC. Though I’ll admit I can only watch it once in a while because Shiro’s voice is super obnoxious to me)

Wonder Rush(It has the same vibes as Sardine Search but it’s got more of a modern vibe to it, plus the plot and costumes are adorable)

Welcome to Akebono-so!(My favorite Autumn play, especially given that I don’t typically like Autumn’s plays. I like the elements of both a fantasy world and reality, plus the characters are a huge selling point for me)

Fallen Blood(I don’t remember much of the plot, but I remember being emotionally smacked in the face once I finished reading it)

Nocturnality(Gay)

Die by the Sword(Gay again but this time it’s me for Orin)

Luminous Circus(The plot is meh but I live for the aesthetic and the event story mentally fucked me up)

Oh, Exquisite Gaia!(Not a mainline play, I know, but it was going on in A3EN the same time I was auditioning for a play about Greek gods and was really nervous. I ended up getting a lead role and I’m blaming this event because that play was also what solidified my place in more plays with that director. Plus I ended up basing my character’s movements and stuff on Azuma because I liked the way he did Gaia ajsjdbfj)

1: Le Fantôme de l’Opéra and Magician’s Pure Love

I couldn’t choose just one. Yeah. Phantom is one that I only really fell in love with because of the stage version. I remember it was late at night when I watched it, but once it finished my jaw was on the floor and I had to pause and process what I just watched. That good. Hang on I have a note in my phone with a bunch of notes on the stageplays I’ll copy paste some stuff from there:

-the English language does not contain the words I need to express how I feel about the Phantom performance

-it just does not have. Enough.

-I’m gonna try anyway

-THE OPENING

-THE MIRROR EFFECT

-GUY

-TSUMUGI

-THEIR VOCALS

-WHO TF WILL LIVE UP TO THAT WHEN MACKEY LEAVES

-THEIR VOCALS x2

-THE EFFECTS BEING SURPRISINGLY GOOD

-THE SCENE WHERE CHRIS PERFORMS WITH THE PHANTOM’S VOICE

-GAY. but also PHENOMENAL

-THE UNMASK PERFORMANCE

-I liked that they didn’t just leave it and decided to use it for a conclusion/bows

-the fact that it’s ACAPELLA

-CRIED

-thank you for coming to my TED talk

As for Magician’s Pure Love, I honestly loved it from the moment I read it. It reminds me of the ballet Copelia, but less dark. I also love the event story because, and I know some people disagree, it is peak Masumi. This is the closest we’ve gotten to the Secret Good Masumi That Lives in my Head. And I love it. Not even that, the play’s plot is a lot of fun and had me guessing over and over again. Also Koma is there<3

Augh that was a lot but hehe thank you for the ask<333