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rebeccathenaturalist · 1 month

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Okay, y'all, it's rant time again. Buckle up.

A new report just came out from Public Citizen highlighting the dangers of using apps and AI foraging guides for identifying mushrooms, particularly when mushroom foraging. It's the latest in a string of warnings that are fighting against a tide of purported convenience ("just take a picture and get your answer instantly!")

I've ranted about this since last August, and I also wrote up a detailed post on how to identify an AI-generated foraging guide. I'm also including info on the limitations of apps and AI in The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go. I'm not just saying this to toot my own horn--it's because nature identification, and teaching it to others, is literally what I do for a living. So this is a topic near and dear to my heart.

I teach a very, very specific sort of identification class; whether we're focusing on animals, plants, fungi, or all of the above, I walk people through a detailed process of how to observe a given organism, make note of its various physical traits and habitat, and use that information to try to determine what it is. I emphasize the need to use as many sources as possible--field guides, websites, online and in-person groups, journal articles, etc.--to make absolutely sure that your identification is solid.

And every year, I get people (thankfully, a very small minority of my students) who complain because my two-hour basic mushroom hunting class wasn't just five minutes of introduction and one hundred and fifteen minutes of me showing slide after slide of edible mushrooms. There are so many people out there who just want a quick, easy answer so they can frolic in the woods and blithely pick mushrooms like some idealized image of a cottagecore herbalist with a cabin full of dried plants and smiling frogs or something.

While I do incorporate a bit of information on getting started with the app iNaturalist in my classes, it is as only ONE of MANY tools I encourage people to use. Sure, it's more solid than most apps because, in addition to the algorithmic I.D. suggestions it initially gives you, other iNaturalist users can go onto your observations later and either agree with your I.D.s or suggest something different and even explain why.

And yet--even as great as iNat is, it and its users can still be wrong. So can every other I.D. app out there. And I think that is one thing that the hyper-romanticized approaches to foraging--and nature identification in general--miss. In order to be a good forager, you HAVE to also be good at nature identification.

And nature identification is an entire process that requires you to have solid observational and critical thinking skills, to be able to independently research using many different types of tools, and be willing to invest the time, patience, and focus to properly arrive at a solid identification--if not to species level, then as far down the taxonomic ladder as you can realistically manage. (There's a reason even the experts complain about Little Brown Mushrooms and Damned Yellow Composites!)

People mistake one single tool--apps--for the entire toolkit. They assume any book they find on Amazon is going to be as good as any other, and don't take the time to look up the author to determine any credentials or experience, or even whether they actually exist or not. It doesn't help that the creators of these products often advertise them as "the only [book/app/etc.] you need to easily identify [organism of choice]!"

I mean, sure, the world isn't going to end if you never question the birdsong results on the Merlin app, or if you go through life thinking a deer fern is just a baby western sword fern. But when we get into people actually eating things they find in the wild, there's often no room for error. There are plants and mushrooms that can kill you even if you only eat a tiny amount. And even if they don't kill you, they may make you wish you were dead for a few days while you suffer through a whole host of gastrointestinal nastiness and other symptoms.

There aren't any shortcuts if you want to be safe in your foraging. You HAVE to be willing to do the work. And any teacher, author, or product that says otherwise isn't being ethical. I'm glad to see more people speaking out against the "fast foodization" of foraging in regards to overreliance on apps and the existence of AI foraging books; I just hope it's enough to prevent more people from getting sick or dying.

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thegnomelord · 2 months

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I silently make my way to your ask box, after days of reading your content like a lurker I'm. During these days I have made an oc, CoD self insert (With Monster AU variant and today I bombed my unwilling friend with Monster AU Makarov x Self insert brainrot, because I got succumbed to all cute courting hcs etc.) and started impulse One-shot. . Krhm. But in all seriousness. I love your way of writing, In your long fic about the Mage reader, while reading, I was talking to my friend how the picturing of the magic is so good, it's ugly, hard, dirty but damn is it powerful too yet not too op. I mostly returned to the as simple scene as the shower one in chap 2, usage of words and picturing how things tasted an looked like. Being on the edge in chap 1 and even before "the janitor" comes in, something tingles in my writer head "*Something is going to happen, I can feel it.*" That fic was one of the instanses I fell in love on your way of worldbuilding too. I accidentally found your Good dog fic first, as I was trying to find something from the tags for my own unholy projects. I notice the Male reader tag and despite my hope being drained after years, I click on it. And I was so glad I did. (On a note I'm in very bad brainrot train on that man, it took the edge off.) So, out of curiosity, my mind now given water after so long for being dehydreided, I decided to take a peek. And I ended up reading a lot, finding it so refreshing to also have a top reader. And I eventually found the Trans fics. I'm Pre-transition, ftm and the first time ever, a bloody fucking nsfw fic, (besides horny), makes me happy and content *with myself and my future.* And that's most sappy I will go but I told you this that your fics has also truly imbacted in some deeper way. Okay, back to lurking, but I will be going to some recommended blogs too, because I might just go and read all of your fics again. Also about time I remember to follow you. Keep up the good work and good luck on your studies. ✌️

Yessss another one joins to the monsterloving/ monsterfucking cult lol and honestly those impulsive one shorts are some of the best things ppl write lol.

And honestly you're making me grin like a mad man while I'm writing this :Dd Not to toot my own horn but I've had the worldbuilding of the HHABF universe for years lol and I love when magic is this nitty gritty thing that's more harmful than useful if you don't know how to use it lol. It feels great when people like my work but it's even better it impacts ppl in a deeper way than just 'oh yeah fap material' you know?

If you wanna check out some other of my moots there's @lieutnt who was the reason I got into writing myself because his work was so inspiring lol, then there's @rodolfoparras has some monster141 works and his old man Price is scrumptious, @embry-garrick has some trans fics too if I remember correctly and is a talented writer @fortheb0ys did some makarov fics too and they're great lol.

#gnome's tea break #gnome correspondence

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justice4billiam · 2 months

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Math Class

So there was this one moment in time in high school where I actually liked a guy (I know, weird concept, just go with it) who sat in front of me in my math class.

Something you should know about me, I fucking suck at math.

Another thing you should know about me, I was kind of a dick in high school.

Okay, I’m still kind of a dick, but a nice one.

However in high school, I was extra dick-ish (I’m sure it had to do with all raging teenage hormones and a shit childhood)

Anyway.

I fucking sucked at math.

And what happens when you suck at math?

Your teacher assigns you a tutor to help “guide you to the path of success” or whatever she said.

Cool.

No big deal, right?

Wrong.

She assigned me to the nearest person to me.

The fucking guy I had a crush on.

Who thought I was the fucking worst.

Now you’re probably thinking nooo, he couldn’t possibly think that way about you. I’m sure it was all in your head

Well, you’re wrong. The guy hated me.

BUT for good reason.

He just so happened to be the brother of the girl I beat up half a week earlier in gym class.

NOW.

I didn't beat her up just because…no. She was an absolute terror to this disabled girl in said gym class.

She would verbally bully her to the point of tears.

But that one particular day she physically shoved her to the ground while we were all running the mile.

Remember how I said I was a dick?

Well, I used my powers for good. (mostly)

I watched that shit happen.

Then came strolling up to her while she was shooting the shit with her friends and shoved that bish so hard.

Her stupid unblended orange face (this was the early 2010s guys, no one wore the right makeup shade or blended their foundation into their damn necks) bounced off the concrete floor.

Let me just tell you…it was satisfying as hell.

It started a full on fight of which resulted in her getting her ass handed to her.

So you see, her brother hated me

And I didn't blame him

A sister is a sister.

You stand by your siblings, I get it.

BUT.

I had a big fat crush on him and now he was to tutor me.

Let me tell you, he was NOT happy about it.

I distinctly remember the look on his face the second the teacher called his name out to work with me.

It was the kind of face you make when you smell roadkill wafting through your car vents because you have outside air circulating while you're going 65mph(that's 96.56kmph) on a back road.

The look fueled the need to make him like me.

Those who know me now, know I'm a cheeky, flirty little shit.

So not to toot my own horn but it's hard NOT to like me.

(Is that my god-complex talking? Probably)

I can get along with just about anyone.

Not so surprisingly after about 30 minutes of flirting my way into his heart, I had him FLUSTERED.

I'm talking man giggling.

Blushed cheeks.

Couldn't even make eye contact with me.

FLUSTERED.

Don't like who?

Not me.

I'm sure you're probably wondering where I'm going with this.

Well, after class ended he invited me over to his house after school.

A normal person probably wouldn't go to the house of the girl you beat up and meet her parents while on her brother's arm.

I did.

I went.

I wish I had taken a picture of her face when I walked into her house. (she had stayed home the rest of that week because I beat her ass)

Honestly, it was a core memory.

The best part was her parents didn't know it was me who did it.

It was such an eventful week for me.

Monday: bully the bully

Tuesday: ice my hand from bullying the bully

Wednesday: suck at math

Thursday: rizz the bully's brother and come home with him to have dinner with bully and her family.

Friday: DATE THE BULLYS BROTHER.

Yep. You heard me.

That dinner went so well that the guy asked me out.

And I said yes.

I then proceeded to date him the whole year and become best friends with her mom.

Oh yeah, and I still failed math.

I'm gonna make this a series 🤭

@voyeurmunson im sure you'd get a giggle out of this. 😅🤭

#welcome to my blog #T journal series #i'm a mess #i like it that way #there's more where that came from #hi #im unhinged #high school #trending #this is my life

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millenialfanfictionaddiction · 2 years

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🐍Being Nohebi's Manager🐍

Daishou's Little Sister

(Reverse Harem)

Nohebi x Daishou YN (fem! reader)

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: This is a request from 🦢 anon! Honestly, I'm excited for alot of requests but this is DEFINITELY one! First time writing a full set for Nohebi and our snake bbys deserve it 🥺

I'm slowly getting back into posting 🥰

🏳️‍🌈 Please Like, Share, Comment to support my writing 🏳️‍🌈

*sigh*

A big LONG exasperated *SIGH*

Once again I'm just out here, making dreams come true for our Queen Yn

It's hard being a fairy godmother 😫

But alas someone must do it and the best person for the job??

Me 🥰💅🏼

Let me toot my own horn ok 😅

So anyways, let's get too it!

Everyone on Nohebi knew Daishou had a baby sister

He rarely talked about you, except to say how annoying you were 🙄

Typical sibling stuff

So let's just say, it was a pretty big shock to the entire team when you showed up looking for your brother

Daishou had wanted to find a manager for his third year but no candidates had come about

Mika wasn't an option

Remember she thought Volleyball wasn't cool or whatever 🙃

The other third years had joked about Daishou asking his elusive "sister" to be the manager

It often went something like this 👇🏻

"Suguru just ask your sister to be the manager. I mean she deals with your dumbass all the time"- Takachiho said

Daishou 👉🏻 😐 absolutely not

"It's probably because she doesn't exist"- Sakishima joked

"Oh she's very much real and very much the bain of my existence"- Daishou 😒

"It's just weird that we've never seen her before. What are you afraid we'll corrupt her?"- Numai 😆

"Very much the opposite actually"- Daishou said setting up the net

Meanwhile, Kuguri and Seguro are grabbing the volleyballs when the door opens

Kuguri stops and Seguro looks at him, then looking at the door

Literally them 👉🏻😲😲

"Holy crap, it's that super hot first year from my science class"- Kuguri says

"Dang! Who the heck is she??"- Seguro

"Her name is Yn. She's in my literature class. She's freaking gorgeous, smart and funny!"- Akama says coming up besides them

Numai, Takachiho, Hiroo and Sakishima all look over towards the door

There stands the most gorgeous girl they have seen in their entire lives 😍

These boys are standing there like 🥵🥵🥵

"Damn who is that hotty?"- Hiroo asks

"I've seen her around, I think she's a first year"- Sakishima adds

"Lucky bastards"- Numai

Just as you look around, you smile at the boys who instantly cease to exist 💀

Then it happens

"YN what the hell are you doing here??"- Daishou shouts

You just glare 😑

"Shut it Suguru! I came to give you your stupid jacket since you let it at home and mom had to work late"- You, shouting back at Daishou

Suddenly Mika comes in and screams

"YN OMG HI LOVELY"- she says as you hug her

Daishou just rolls his eyes 🙄 and goes to grab his jacket

Now the peanut gallery is super confused 🤨

What the heck is happening here??

"Ahh Suguru... umm who is this?"- Hiroo

"She's nobody"- Suguru says walking away from you

"Suguru be nice to YN"- Mika yells

"Yeah be nice to your sister Suguru"- You 😜

Hold up 🤚🏻

"You're..."- Takachiho

"SISTER"- Sakishima, Kuguri, Seguro, Akama, Numai, and Hiroo shout

You giggle as you look at all of their shocked faces

Please Yn do less 😒

"Unfortunately yes"- Daishou says walking further away from him

You skip after him, on your way to make good on your baby sister pest status

"Ahhh Suguru you didn't tell me you had such handsome boys on your team"- you say smiling

Really YN... please do less ✋🏻

The boys 👉🏻😳😲

"YN leave now before I tell mom about you sneaking out last weekend"- Daishou

"Go ahead big brother, I'll just tell mom about how you snuck Mika in the house when they were out of town"- you, again being the baby

"YN I swear to god-"

"Bring it"- you say approaching your brother

"Ok killer chill out"- Numai says getting in between you and Suguru

"Hey your that super tall ace all the girls talk about! Man they are so right! You are cute!"- you 😍

Numai 👉🏻 uhh well ☺️

Please the rest of the team is FUMING at Numai right now 😅

"YN knock it off-"

"Hey do you guys need a manager???"- you say suddenly

Before Daishou can even form the word, the boys all scream

"YES!"- The entire team

Daishou 👉🏻🤨😐🙄

The team 👉🏻😍😍😍

Mika 👉🏻😬

"Yay!! Omg can I be your manager?? Please! I need a club!"- you say, jumping up and down

"Absolutely not"- Daishou

"Suguru please"- you 🥺🥺🥺

"YN no! Go manage the basketball team or something"- Suguru says glaring at you

"Don't you think this should be a team vote?"- Sakishima says

Daishou 👉🏻 really 😐

"Yeah I say we all vote"- Hiroo

Your eyes sparkle as you clap your hands together

These boys are already whipped YN you don't need to put so much effort in 🙄

"Ok all those opposed to YN being our manager"- Akama says

Daishou's hand shoots up

He looks around

Zero support from the crowd, literal crickets 🦗🦗

"All those in favor..."- Akama says

Please he doesn't even finish the sentence before these boys hands are higher than the clouds 🤣

Daishou 👉🏻🤦‍♂️ don't say I didn't warn you guys

You smile and run to hug them all

Please you literally jump into Kuguri's arms

Kuguri 👉🏻😰

Please you broke the poor boy YN

You move your way down the line as you hug each one

"I'm so excited to work with all of you"- you shout as you wave and run towards Mika who is waiting

When you leave, all hell breaks loose

"YOU SON OF A BITCH"- Takachiho shouts, glaring at Daishou

"You seriously hid THAT from us!"- Sakishima joins in

"She is literally the hottest girl I've ever seen in my entire life"- Seguro adds

"Probably the hottest girl we will ever see"- Kuguri adds

Daishou just stands there 🧍‍♂️ 😐

"Well now we have the hottest manager in the entire prefecture"- Akama says high fiving Hiroo

"More like the hottest manager in freaking Japan!"- Numai adds

Daishou 👉🏻 you guys realize that'd my sister right 🤨

"Dude you are just lucky YN will end up with me"- Takachiho says

The world stops ✋🏻

The boys heads snap to him

"You mean, with me?"- Sakishima interjects

Daishou 👉🏻 😐

"You guys know I'm the ace right? You remember she said I was cute right?"- Numai

"That's because your big head was blocking her view of the rest of us"- Hiroo

Daishou just rolls his eyes and walks away from the team

Please they asked for this 😅

You start your job as manager and boy is it exciting

Thankfully you are actually a decent manager...

The boys thrive under your praise YN 👏🏻

"Kuguri that was an amazing kill!"- you scream as you jump up and down clapping on the side line

Kuguri blushes while the team looks like they are about to commit homicide 🙃

"Sakishima that set was perfect!! And Hiroo, your blocks are so on point!"- you scream

YN you're doing it again...

"Akama I can't believe you dug that ball up!"

Seguro that serve was so good and Takachiho that line shot was gorgeous!"

Yn... chill...

You hand the boys their water bottles and run to get the towels

"God I feel like I'm practicing so much better with YN here"- Numai

"She's amazing"- Takachiho

"Honestly, how did we do without a manager for so long?"- Seguro

Daishou stands apart from the team, observing your interactions

"Guys I'm so excited for this tournament!! There's going to be so many schools there!"- you say excitedly

The boys all nodd at you before it suddenly smacks them in the fact

So many schools...

That means....

So... many... BOYS

Ope 😶

You giggle with excitement as you go to start collecting the volleyballs

The boys all stop and stare at you as you skip around the gym

"Hiroo your walking me home tonight right?"- You say

Hiroo just nodds as you kiss his cheek and skip away to keep about your tasks

Please these boys are just standing there, water bottles halfway to their mouths, like "shit 😐"

How could they have forgotten about the TOURNAMENT

Daishou walks up to them and smirks 😏

"Something wrong guys"- Daishou 🙃🙃🙃

Kuguri looks at Daishou, then to you as you go about your tasks

"We gotta protect our girl"- Numai says

"Agreed"- Sakishima says

After your done cleaning up, you change into your uniform and meet the boys by the gym

"Hey YN so we were thinking.."- Akama says

"Maybe you shouldn't come to the tournament with us..."- Takachiho

Your eyes start to water 🥺

"You- you guys don't want me there??"- you 😢

The boys eyes widen

"Please YN don't cry"- Sakishima says

"Am I- am I not doing a good job??"- you 🥺🥺🥺

"Sweetheart no you are doing perfect!"- Numai says hugging you

He looks over at the other guys who are now all unsure what to do

Daishou walks behind and smirks at them again 😏

Mans knows exactly what's happening here

"Yn we just want to make sure your safe"- Hiroo

"But you guys will be there and you can protect me right"- you say, peeking out from Numai's chest 🥺

Please YN you really do the most 🤚🏻

"YN we definitely want you there!"- Akama

"I think YN should be there as our manager"- Daishou interrupts

These boys just look at him like 😐 really-

"YN is a valuable part of our team now and she's earned a spot on our bench"- Daishou says, again smirking 😏

"Suguru 🥺"- you say running to hug your brother

They are all just standing there like 👇🏻 "really Suguru 😐"

Daishou pays them no mind tho 💅🏼

Unbothered king

So instead of making you cry again, they all just agree to guard you with their lives 🤣

Literally they are so stressed come tournament time 😅

You notice your poor bbys seem on edge

Hiroo is just standing there, in his own world and you walk up hugging him 🫂

He hugs you back and kisses the top of your head

"You look stressed"- you snuggling into him

Please he's a comfy tree YN give him love

"I'm ok love, just nervous"- he says hugging you tightly

You look to see the other boys just as nervous

YN to the rescue 🦸🏻‍♀️

You hug and kiss all the boys cheeks

You head to the gym to warm up, the boys getting ready to start spiking drills

"Ohh YN??? Could you go fill these up? I forgot to ask you earlier"- Daishou, knowing full well he did not forget

"Oh sure! I'll be right back"- you say grabbing the crate and running off

Daishou 👇🏻 freaking smirky snake boi

While in the hallway, you stumble into someone on accident

"Oh my! I'm so very sorry!"- you say, looking up to see a very tall, darker haired man

He looks... almost... Rooster like 😏

"Well hello there"- Rooster man says smiling at you

"Kuroo stop being weird"- a shorter guy in a red Nekoma jacket says

"I'm not being weird! I was just saying hello!"- the tall man yelled

"Oh im so very sorry! I was just apologizing for running into your teammate"- you say grining wide

The boys both look at you with heart eyes 😻

"Hey will you two stay with the group?"- another boy says, as he joined by several more guys in red jackets

They all look at you at you as you stand there smiling 😁

✨️back in the gym ✨️

Takachiho looks around and then hits Sakishima in the arm

"Hey man-"

"Where's YN?"- Takachiho says panicking

Numai, Hiroo, Akama, Kuguri, and Seguro all look around

"Suguru where is YN?"- Numai shouts

Daishou just shrugs 🤷‍♂️ and walks away

Freaking snake 🐍

The boys BARREL out into the hallway, looking everywhere until they see you

Standing next to NEKOMA

Oof 😬

Sakishima, Hiroo and Numai charge as Takachiho grabs you and pulls you behind him

"Yoshiya what-" you confused

"You pussy cats better not have touched our YN"- Numai growls

"As if they could even, our YN is too perfect for the likes of them"- Sakishima adds, arms crossed and glaring

"Hey- we were just talking with her"- Kuroo says, hands up and smirking 😏

He's just as sneaky as Daishou!

"Save it Kuroo"- Hiroo spits as he grabs your hand and hauls you towards the gym doors

Kuguri and Serugo fawn over you when you get back

"YN what happened-"

"Those bastard cats were talking to her"- Akama yelled

"Excuse me??"- Seguro says 😃

"Really guys, I'm ok"- you say smiling at your overprotective bois

They all look at you and boy are they PISSED

This calls for a good ole YN intervention

Hugs and kisses YN, needed STAT

The boys instantly calm as you make your way around the team

"Besides Suguru asked me to fill up the waterbottles before the match"- you say, smiling and turning away to set up the bench

The guys all look at each other, then to Daishou 😐😑

Daishou 👉🏻👀😗 🎶 what??

Please 🤚🏻 if you don't think this man is going to take advantage of his teammates crushing on his baby sister

Do you really know the snakes at all 🙃

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bettinalevyisdetermined · 1 year

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Damn good video. So damn good you achieved negative dislikes???? Somehow?

Wow, you have dislikes visible on mobile YouTube? How do you do that? And yeah, no idea how a negative dislike count is possible. XD It just looks like zero on my end.

Don't like tooting my own horn, but while I'm on the Youtube "Creator Studio" page, I'm looking at my other videos and feel really flattered that most all my videos are like 99% likes compared to dislikes. ^_^

#Bettina ask

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sobeautifullyobsessed · 1 year

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So...what's a girl gotta do to drum up some readers for an original fic?

I've been struggling with writer's block for nearly nine months now, but occasionally something (lately it'll be a photo or a piece of music) gives me a brief flash of inspiration. Most recently, this was for my original romance/erotica Scarlett and the Professor. I'm thrilled to share that I made a start on a one-shot last night, after about 18 months since updating.

Romance & Passion. Mystery & ties to the Supernatural. Lust & Erotica. NSFW material, so be forewarned.

Afterwards, I went back to reread some previous chapters,

and not to toot my own horn (because really, maybe twelve of you will stop to read this, and even less will be moved to check it out) but as for the love scenes there's some damn good writing. It's not just porn, as I'm seeing churned out, worshipped, and hailed as incredible writing every bloody day on this hellsite. So I'd like to appeal to those writers I respect, those who show some finesse and originality in their smut...and accompany their naughty passages with at least the veneer of a plausible story...to maybe, you know, check out a chapter or two of my work. I'd say I began to hit my stride (and Scarlett's sweet spot😏) around chapter twelve, and for the most part I feel the story and the love scenes have gotten better as I go along.

And who knows, maybe a little bit of love, a little bit of reblogs from fellow authors, might be enough to give me further impetus to pick up Scarlett & Hennessy's complicated tale, and continue on to the ending I foresee for them.

Most sincerely ~ Me (aka: @wide-eyedscottishlass)

#trials & tribulations of a writer #my writing #Scarlett and the Professor #original fiction #original characters #Professor Hennessy #Scarlett Campbell #faceclaims:#Benedict Cumberbatch #Vivien Leigh

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ofpineapplesanddawns · 1 year

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My prompt for when you wake up is that I miss Ghost Peter and Not Ghost Aro. I forget if you ever did something like this, but I would loove for Peter to steal Aro's computer and money to buy dvds of Peter’s shows and make him watch them with him. (Possibly with a very large bucket of popcorn neither of them are able to consume)

I legit do not believe I ever did have Peter do something like this, but I think he may have had Aro watch stuff on youtube with him.

This, however, is much funnier.

Warning: mentioned death, Peter being a little shit (as usual)

On with the fic!

It had been one of his best tricks yet, if Peter was allowed to toot his own horn on the matter.

Aro wasn't as clever as he thought when it came to hiding his platinum (because of fucking course he had the best kind) card from the ghost, nor was he good with passwords. Really? The year of his transformation and his birth city?

Okay, yes, that took Peter five tries, but it was surprising how quick he figured that one out.

Once he has access to Aro's internet (and swapping the language feature to English because fuck if he knows Italian outside of basic shit like foods and molto bene), he got right down to being the pest that he was.

It took a few weeks, because international shipping sucks, before a package arrived. Peter was quick to grab it before any of the human servants or one of those sparkling fuckers spotted it, and brought it to Aro's chambers.

He found the vampire himself in there, looking over something on his laptop, probably vampire mafia business, before he rudely dropped the package on the desk.

Aro paused, glanced at it, before looking up in the direction Peter was hovering in. "I take it you found my card. Again."

"Hiding it in your 'wine' cabinet was probably your dumbest location yet. As if I'm not gonna try to break in to see if there was anything real in there."

"I don't drink wine." Aro replied, either knowing he made a quote or didn't know. He probably did, he was the kinda bastard who would.

"Yeah, yeah, and technically I can't, but I can get drunk off enough vapors in this form." Peter opened a drawer with a flick of his wrist, he was getting so much better about movements, and found what he was looking for.

Using the letter opener, which was probably worth more than half of Peter's old flat, he sliced open the tape on the package and grinned at the contents inside. Aro peered inside, frowned, and shook his head. "No, I will not watch those with you."

"I didn't even ask!"

"I know you well by now, young Vincent, and I know that you will insist that we indulge in your... purchase."

"It's good, don't knock it 'til you try it, assbutt."

It took a bit of arguing before Peter was able to finally get Aro annoyed and exhausted enough to finally agree. Peter was giddy as he got the first DVD ready in Aro's laptop before vanishing down to the human quarters of the villa, and was surprised to find popcorn there.

It took a bit of struggling, but he was able to make some sort of excuse of popcorn for this, and returned to Aro's office. The vampire looked at the bowl with a slight rise of his eyebrow. "It's for the atmosphere of enjoyin' a good show, you prawn." Peter sniffed and sat down on the desk.

The DVD was started and they watched what was one of Peter's earliest versions of his show, from its first year on stage. Peter spent much of the viewing either making bad attempts at trying to eat his treat (which just ended up on the floor), or telling Aro off for his clearly-insulting comments and questions.

It was his first year! It wasn't like it was going to be perfect from the get-go! Though it was still pretty damn good, he couldn't deny that.

They moved onto two more of the several DVDs Peter had bought, showing altered versions of his stage show, including the one he did every Halloween. He liked to dub it the Extra Spooky edition, because it was much darker and gorier.

Aro, at least, enjoyed that one because he seemed pleased by all the fake blood that splattered around the stage and on the audience at times. He made a comment that human blood could do that if you sliced an artery just right, and Peter really didn't want to know if he learned to master that or not.

"So," Aro said as the DVD ended, "this is how you became rich and famous? Prancing about on stage like a show pony, wearing impractical leather pants and a jacket that showed more skin than protected?"

"People love campy horror, Aro. And my show was a beautiful mix of campy and goth, that perfect combo that got eighties and nineties horror fans excited. And sometimes the Hammer Horror fans, considering the unnaturally bright blood we used and my lovely fact that my name sounds like a combo of Peter Cushing and Vincent Price's names."

"Hm." Aro lifted up one of the DVD cases, looking at the image of Peter on it, in all his former, alive glory. He looked hot af on it, if Peter was allowed to be egotistical. "I cannot deny that there is a certain... allure to the impractical leather look, though the flames are a bit much."

"Not a bit much! I always needed more fire!"

"Oh yes, I'm sure you needed more flash for your show, an excellent idea."

"Thanks! That's what I've been- hey!"

#john's drabbles #good omens extended universe #vincturi #ghost (vampire) hunter au

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sofipitch · 2 years

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Honestly, knowing what has happened in other fandoms when black/BIPOC characters have been written in with prominent roles (race-swapped or not), I actually do believe the actors playing Claudia and Louis will be racially abused by many white/non-black fans. The show runners should be prepared for that, and I hope the writers actually are aware of the ramifications of race-swapping Louis and Claudia but keeping Lestat white because it does exacerbate their already canon toxic power dynamics.

Damn, I guess you're right anon, we should cancel the whole show, we should only show white ppl on TV from now on, because of a probability that a TV show will be the next OJ Simpson case.

I honestly should have just deleted this ask bc it's clearly not in good faith, with a false concern for BIPOC. However this is also not the first time I have seen this argument so I'm going to go ahead and give my response as to why I don't think loustat is going to be MORE abusive in the show, and that it'll be worse bc of the race change. I'm also probably going to go outside the realm of your ask, to point out other bad faith arguments.

First I've seen some people wondering why Rolin Jones, a white man, would change Louis and Claudia's race in the first place. But the thing is NOLA has always been a racially diverse city, it's actually pretty sus how white AR's vampires are.

Rolin Jones said this:

We made Louis an African American, which is not a swing if you consider the demographics of New Orleans.

Which is not wrong, the demographics of NOLA are stated as follows when Louis was originally turned in the books:

The report cites colonial census data from 1721 that show about 63 percent city's population identified as white. The remaining 37 percent were -- predominantly black -- enslaved peoples. In 1788, a new demographic emerges -- free people of African descent or "free people of color," enslaved people who were able to purchase their freedom primarily under Spanish law.

The thing is, NOLA today is mostly black, the break down of races as follows:

Black or African American: 59.22%

White: 33.40%

Asian: 2.89%

Two or more races: 2.55%

Other race: 1.75%

Native American: 0.18%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%

So when it comes to a series that is such a big part of NOLA history, it has to be weird for the actual people from that city to see themselves not represented in it. Which is why I believe RJ changes both Louis and Claudia's races to reflect where they are from (who unlike Lestat are NOLA natives).

When it comes to loustat being abusive, I tend to fundamentally disagree with a lot of the arguments I see on here, even before the show started, of Louis being the battered wife and Lestat the abusive husband. I think a lot of people project their own issues onto these characters but seeing Louis as inherently the victim to Lestat is often more based in wanting these characters to fit more into gender stereotypes than anything else.

But what we do know from the show is this:

Q about the Dark Gift being in the series. Sam says Lestat wants to make sure Louis loves him before he gives them the gift.

When Louis was turned in the series he is sick and in a very bad place, and Lestat drains him before asking him, letting Louis know that if he doesn't accept to become a vampire, he will die. X vs death isn't a very healthy dynamic. So changing this so that Lestat makes sure Louis is "the one for him" before turning him shows to me that they are going to try and make their dynamic less toxic. I also don't know where it came from but I saw a rumor that Louis asks Lestat to turn Claudia. Which means that while Lestat can def leverage "but think of the children!" to get out of their divorce, the way he baby traps Louis is less malicious.

I think these changes were made with their racial dynamic in mind. This is going to sound like I'm tooting my own horn but I cowrote a fic, The Long Way Home, with @sweetazathioprine in which Louis and Claudia are black. This fic is set in the book time period and Louis is still a slave owner (son of the master who later learns his mother was a slave and he's a child by rape, an unfortunately very common situation back when this kind of slavery existed in the America). Half the point of this fic was to show that Louis could be black with very little of him changed, and be the same person. We also had other goals, like addressing the horror of slavery rather than letting it be some romantic setting the story just happens to take place in, and also just writing a story where we could see ourselves reflected back. But my point is, there were changes/writing decisions my cowriter and I made knowing the potential power dynamics between loustat. Louis basically addresses every single one we do make, there's so much we just blatantly wrote out rather than trusting/hoping readers would "get it".

Now, the last concern I will address is "Rolin Jones is a white man how can we trust him to get these characters right"

The IMDB for the new series isn't finished, it still says there will be 8 episodes when we know there will be 7, it says Claudia will only appear for one episode but given her presence in the trailer and that she will be aging from "14-37" this season, and just how much Bailey was on set, I doubt one episode is the case. HOWEVER, from what is on there, a director for two of the episodes is a black man (his insta confirms this) and the only other writer is a gay latino man (I assume adding AR is a formality)

Again, this seems kind of incomplete, the number of episodes it says the directors are directing doesn't actually equal the total number of episodes. A lot of people where only giving V E. Scwab the credit for writing First Kill (a gay vampire/vampire hunter show that is also interracial, should that show also be canceled bc it "could have been problematic" but wasn't???) and the writers room was quite diverse.then Schwab showed a pic of the writing room, revealing all credit shouldn't go to her.

So my main point is that automatically assuming the show will handle race badly, and that the characters should all be white instead is a very bad tired take I have only seen white ppl make. I have said this before but I love this series and will be devastated if the show is bad, I will have to crawl into the ground and take one of Lestat's 50 yr coma naps. But a lot of people are trying to argue it will be bad and that we shouldn't support it, way before we actually get to see it. And a lot of the ppl making this argument are white ppl, acting like they need to act as some sort of guide to POC, acting like they are only thinking of our best interests when telling us how we should think and feel. I don't need that, I know some ppl in this fandom think they are shouldering The White Man's Burden, only wanting to protect us poor POC who are looking forward to the show, but I am perfectly capable of evaluating information on my own, thank you.

#im gonna hit the hornets nest on this one and actually put it in the tags #vc #vampire chronicles #iwtv #interview with the vampire #asks

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emeritus-fuckers · 10 months

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Hello! Hope the match-up event is still going on? I'd like to participate! :D A Papa match would be preferable 👉👈

Sooooo I'm a 20-year old freelance artist, I mostly do traditional and digital paintings, drawings and some animation. Some of my main interests are writing, sewing and fashion history, art history (history overall really) and language learning (I'm multilingual). I love sightseeing/travelling, going to the opera or ballet and talking loooong walks. Aside from that, I'm an amateur cook/pastry chef and have been doing well at that for some years now! :) Despite having some issues with eating myself, one of my favourite pastimes is baking/cooking for my friends and our game nights, it always brings a smile to my face when they enjoy what I've made. My favourite are French, Korean and Italian cuisines so I guess the latter would suit any of the Papas. :P

Oh, I also have two dogs that I love dearly, they're both silly noodle husky/borzoi mixes and they're like five? They like to chill with me when I'm reading. <3

As for my personality, I'm fairly quiet unless spoken to, I can honestly get very talkative discussing most topics. Messes stress me out, I cannot function around them. I'm an extremely anxious person to the point of it causing some serious mental and medical issues, so that's something that sadly has an impact on my everyday life. Sensory overload are a given more often than not (mainly from noise – I can deal with a concert every now and again!), I'm also shit at getting more than 5 hours of sleep a day. I'm a huge perfectionist, that's a flaw that leads me to destroy/discard a large chunk of my works, both verbal and visual. Nothing is ever good enough when it comes to me, my looks or the things I make.

On a more positive note, I used to be very shy around most people but have trained myself out of that and would consider myself fairly charismatic? Hope I'm not tooting my horn too much in this description, damn, YiKeS.

Anywayyyy thank you for all the works you've written for the fandom so far! We love you, byeeee :*

Your match is…Secondo

His hobby is painting, so if you have art to do he’ll paint with you and keep you company.

His favourite piece is a painting he did of you, when you were painting. He hung it up in his office to cheer himself up when he’s got loads of work to do.

He will buy the best seats for the ballet and go with you. He’ll lean across to you, and with a straight face, say his dancing is better. You struggle not to laugh out loud just as the music reaches a quiet part. You see him smile to himself, and he gives your hand a squeeze.

He loves your cooking, especially the Italian dishes you do. He can also cook and date night is sometimes spent in the kitchen cooking together.

He takes it seriously wanting to make the food perfect. But as soon as he gets a moment he’ll walk up behind you and kiss your neck. He’ll pull you close to him and whisper his plans for after the meal in your ear.

That once backfired when you both got far too distracted.

He completely falls in love with your dogs. His favourite thing now is curling up with you all and reading. Sometimes he won’t even read he’ll just sit there and enjoy your company.

He is very tidy so mess isn’t an issue. Even so he has assigned a Ghoul to be on hand to tidy up incase any mess developed. Between him and the Ghouls the place is kept immaculate.

He’ll pay for all your travels and come with you when he can.

He’ll often take you away for a week, any excuse he can find. You will travel all over and sight see as much as possible.

He plans out what sights you will see, and research’s them so he can tell you about them.

Or he’ll hire your own private guide for the day.

This post is a part of Match-up Event. The Event ends on July 15th.

Written by Nyx

#match up event #match up #ghost band #ghost bc #ghost band x reader #ghost bc x reader #papa emeritus ii #anon #papa secondo #secondo emeritus #secondo x reader #secondo

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stevethehairington · 2 years

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answer any/all of these if you haven’t already!! 1, 4, 9, 11, 14 (👀), 15, 16, 18

ahh ty for the ask my love 💕💕

1. What is your most popular fic?

ooh! so i'm going to base this off of kudos, and right now my most kudosed fic is imagine being loved by me, which is a fic i wrote for good omens! (honorable mention tho to my current steddie magnum opus, hand holding fic my beloved, bc it is getting closer and closer to upstaging this one and taking that #1 spot every day which is absolutely WILD to me!!!!)

4. Do you prefer writing multi-chapter or oneshot fanfictions?

definitely oneshots! oneshots are just so much easier to write for me! i would LOVE to be able to churn out multichaps! but i have a very very bad habit of coming up with a multichap idea and i either a. never make it past the plotting stage or b. start writing it, get a couple chapters in, then lose all motivation and totally abandon it. and the problem with that is, i Will Not post multichaps until i have them entirely finished (because the ONE time i posted a multichap before i finished it i never finished it, so it sits uncompleted, unfinished, abandoned (for now i keep telling myself) on my ao3 account, and that god damn fic HAUNTS ME EVERY SINGLE DAY IT REALLY DOES), so even if i write like half the fic, if i don't finish it it will never see the light of day slkgjd. so yeah, definitely oneshots lol

9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

oh man, i have so many fics from so long ago too that i'm SURE i'm probably missing some good ones that i just can't remember lol, BUT. from the fics that i can remember lol:

one of my favorite lines from sloe gin fizzy, do it till your dizzy is "The kiss is honey sweet and molasses slow. It starts off a little tentative, a little unsure, just lips slotting together, Steve’s bottom lip fitting perfectly between Eddie’s. But then the pressure changes, increases, and Steve’s mouth falls open, just a little bit, just enough." idk what it is about it, but i just really love the "honey sweet and molasses slow" part of it.

i am also incredibly pleased with this line from that good omens fic i mentioned earlier, imagine being loved by me: "He pinches a nipple. Rolls it between his fingers. Stutters out another hot breath. His hips twitch. Aziraphale’s name sits hot and heavy on the back of his tongue." not to toot my own horn here or anything but toot toot i think it's a pretty damn sexy line so. lkgjsfs. i like what i did with the sentence structure as well lol.

and also favorite scenes! i wrote a fic a couple years ago for stucky, a little more light, that was jewish bucky and he invites steve over to celebrate hanukkah with his family, and that fic is so very special to me, it's so very personal, and my favorite scene that i wrote for it is the one in which the barnes' have steve join them while they light the candles on the menorah and they teach steve the prayers. it's just a lot of family feels and a lot of honoring traditions and a lot of love, a lot a lot of love. it was a very special scene to be able to write, so it holds a very dear place in my heart.

(also just like. every single scene in i want to hold your hand. that fic was just so so so much fun to write, i genuinely love the whole thing with my whole heart so. yeah. every scene kfsjglfs.)

11. How many words do you have on AO3 (if you use that platform)

according to my statistics page i have posted a total of 536,079 words on ao3! (and counting!!!)

14. Have you ever co-written a fic?

i suppose not, since technically nothing i've posted has ever been co-written. but that is not for lack of trying lol. i've had a few different friends who have wanted to co-write and we've tried, but it was just one of those things where we both sort of petered out so the fic never got finished.

but like it is totally definitely something i want to do at some point!!! i think co-writing could be so much fun if it's with the right partner and the right idea!!

15. Are there words, phrases, mannerisms or scenes you tend to use a lot?

ABSOLUTELY!! i know i've mentioned it on here before but i did notice that in a lot of my steddie fics i keep using the phrase "bright and buoyant" to describe the laughter (usually eddie's). which, yeah, makes sense, because eddie (and steve too!) deserve to feel light and happy and free to smile and laugh as big and as bright as they want!

i also make it a point to mentioned eddie's dimples in every single fic. usually more than once too lol. (also if it is an eddie pov fic i WILL find a way to mention steve's freckles/moles every single time as well.)

when it comes to mannerisms, i do find that i like to write dialogue that kind of start-stops for characters that are like nervous or unsure. like i end up using a looot of em dashes and ellipses and repeat a lot of words.

also, this is probably more of a stylistic choice, but i find that anaphora is perhaps my favorite literary device lmao. i do a lot of starting sentences the same way to Make A Point.

16. How long is your longest fic?

longest fic is let me know your future plans coming in at a whopping 59,042! this one was written for the stucky au big bang back in 2019!

18. Recommend someone else fic! (And tag them if they have a tumblr!)

ooh yes!! love this one!!

okay, i'm going to rec a few because there are several that i have read and have subsequently not stopped thinking about ever at all.

(also i want u to know that if anyone else had asked this question i would absolutely 100% without a doubt be reccing your fics!!!!!!)

first, the summer of '85 series by @toedenandbackagain - there are currently 3 fics in the series and they are each absolutely incredible. it is THEE eddie and s3 scoops ahoy steve fic of all time!!!! the writing is exceptional, the story is fun and entertaining, the tension is delicious, the payoff is even sweeter, the dynamics are just so good. this series is, for real, everything to me!!

next, eddie's spectacular, awkward, very safe, very fun first time by @alligator-writes my beloved. this fic is. literally everything omg. it is a first time fic, with virgin eddie and first time with a guy steve (which is my favorite dynamic ever bc hello!! learning together!! figuring it out together!! being sweet and gentle together!!!) and it is just. the most perfect thing in existence. like, it is everything i could ever want and more out of that concept - it's fun, it's awkward, it's sweet, it's tender, it's just the best thing ever!!

next, transfiguration's gonna come for me at last by @aberfaeth - this one is absolutely stunning. it is a jewish eddie fic, and it owns my whole entire heart!! the dynamics between all of the characters in this fic are just top tier, so many good friendships explored and the bond between steve and eddie in this is just so lovely, and there is just an absolutely beautiful exploration of eddie and religion. this one is very special to me, and i for real cannot recommend it one enough.

finally, i see you (now) by apairofglasses (i am not sure if this author has a tumblr/what it is if they do). but this one!!!! this one!!!! it is a post-s4 in which eddie lives, of course, and he hides out at steve's and steve takes care of him. and it is just the honest to god most tender thing i have ever read. absolutely beautiful and so soft and so gentle and so vulnerable. there is non-sexual intimacy and hair washing and it is just so genuinely stunning. and the author did a fantastic job getting into eddie's headspace for it too. oh it was just such a lovely read. so very emotional.

#asks #toburnup #mack writes

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crinkled-emotions · 1 year

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Hey G 😊

Hope all is good! Have you any Bradley fluffy angsty whump for me please?🥺🥹 Something you’ve written yourself or any recs you might. (Honestly I trust you as a reliable source for this haha) You know when you just need a solid fic? it was one of those days.

(Not to moan or dump my shit on you but I had such a shit day, I didn’t finish one of my finals, well actually no one finished and the person next to me left in tears after 10 minutes so at least I’m not the only one. But I’m here because your fics make me feel better 🥰)

Anon, hey! I'm sorry you were having a rough time earlier, hopefully you're going well now!

All is going relatively well! I finished my major assignments for uni last week so now I get to have time to write and play the sims 😂

Hmmmmm... I've seen so many great fics, so let me start with some of my favourites!

First up, the Daderick List;

Literally anything by @purplearrowzandleather-blog . I can't even tell you how much I love and adore their fics!! Their fics really inspired me to post mine 😊

Of course, the beloved Pooty has literally amazing fics, 7700 being my favourite for the Daderick vibes!

I have adored Wolfcry22 for ages and their fics are SO good!! This one in particular hurts my heart but it's so worth it!

I feel weird recommending my own fic, but the asshole doctor fic is genuinely one of the favourite ones I've ever written!

Aquarius626 I think has some brilliant fics and I love their writing style! This one in particular makes me smile, it's short but it's also partially set at the Hard Deck and I love it sm!!

Sticker Fever I can't even- I love this fic, I've read DjDangerlove's content before and I had no idea they were writing for TGM until I read this fic!!

Now for the ship list! This includes Bobster, Hangster and Rooster/Phoenix as well as... well, not to toot my own horn, but I have a couple OC/Rooster fics that I have a soft spot for 😂

This is a Bobster fic, and it's literally so- I can't even. Fluffy!!

This Hangster fic is so good, Rooster comes home from deployment and he's so sick. What a vibe!

Another great Hangster fic, Rooster finally gives in and the vulnerability is my favourite thing ever!

This one is past Rooster/Phoenix and while the sickfic element isn't particularly there (Rooster is hungover and Phoenix is done lmao) it's still fluffy!! Pooty, another iconic fic!

Pet names!! ALL of the pet names!! I feel like I stick to the generic ones and I hardly ever use them these days but this fic really made my heart ache. Fluff!

This collection of fics is something I return to every damn time I feel like binge-reading sickfics!!

I feel like I missed a couple but these fics are only the beginnings of my favourites!

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daysfullofdreams · 1 year

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Can we just be honest and say that she truly hasn’t had a highly interesting, fun, creative, or exciting tour since like 1989? Or are we still pretending that the Rep Tour was good and that 40+ songs every night isn’t gonna burn her out of touring permanently by the end of the Eras tour?

I looooooooove to be a hater and complain on main so let's go there! honestly I do not remember rep tour super well....but maybe that sort of speaks for itself. rep tour's biggest thing going for it in my memory is that it made me like so much more of that album than I did before I stepped foot into the stadium. so major win there for ms swift.

I do think 1989 was the last time she really got creative in terms of how the songs were arranged (IKYWT and WANEGBT are the standouts from that tour, but we can't forget about Love Story and the Wildest Dreams/Enchanted mashup) which is one of the aspects of her tours I look forward to the most. And when you literally have a tour called THE ERAS TOUR with the express intention of honouring your career and work so far.....how do you not capitalize on your extremely large and diverse body of work and get creative with it. I made a setlist (an actually realistic one, not just 3 hrs of songs I personally wanted her to sing) just for fun and not to toot my own horn but the mashups I thought of (and I even wrote and recorded 3 of them just to prove a point) were kind of genius (and I did all of that in the span of a couple hours in one evening. this is Taylor's actual job). why is marjorie on that setlist. why is she only performing enchanted off of speak now. why did she cut the only song from her debut album the second night (jail!). WHY IS SHE PERFORMING THE DAMN 10 MIN VERSION OF ALL TOO WELL. I do not understand this woman!!!!!!!!!!

I'm also thinking (like you mentioned) about burnout and fatigue. It's not that I think it's impossible to sing/perform for 3h15m straight a couple days in a row and then have a few days off to recover, but like.....she is not a theatre performer who is accustomed to stuff like this. does she have the vocal technique and training to pull it off? we will see. I hope so! (also side note yes she should ABSOLUTELY be taking singing lessons if she's not already, absolutely anyone and everyone who sings professionally should be doing this and on an extremely consistent basis)

I do absolutely love the costumes for this tour though, and I like the visuals projected both onto the large screen at the back of the stage and the floor. There's some really cool moments (the dive comes to mind) and really great choreography (Vigilante Shit). The stage is not quite as intricate as (i.e. no real set pieces in comparison to) previous tours, but I think that has to do with the extreme scale of her tour. easier to have more elaborate moving pieces and detail when you're not in a stadium. idk. I watched most of the show via livestream Friday night and while I had a good time my takeaways were 1) this show is too damn long (for such a largely uninspired and at times straight up bad setlist) and 2) this doesn't make me want to spend hundreds of dollars for a ticket, go all the way into new jersey, and then go all the way back into the city after. so no fomo for this gal! only way you'll catch me at metlife is if I get a ticket for like less than $100. i'm spending my disposable income on theatre and broadway this summer because I'm moving to new york in may! wheeee

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