#discovered this. i remember having it. but .. why

[poppyseed-cookie]

(In honor of 1,000 notes, here’s the story behind this post)

Haha it’s a little roleplay au. I’ll explain it since u asked, it’s actually a lot less focused on the art I showed than you’d think. Warning, it’s all beast x ancient (this is a shadowvanilla post so I doubt that’s much of a problem for ppl but in case yall don’t like the other bxa ships)

Soo, for whatever mysterious reason, the Ancients get transported back in time to before the Beasts were corrupted. Millennial Tree, having powers of Time and all, noticed this happened, and said “okay, don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you guys back to when you’re supposed to be. As long as you don’t create or destroy any life, I should be able to fix the timeline, so just hang out and have fun or whatever until I figure out how to get you guys back”

So the Ancients are just like “cool vacation in prehistoric times ig (we call them prehistoric times cuz technically the history of these times is practically all erased lol)” so they just tour around and see what the Beasts were like in the past as Virtues.

First off, we don’t have Silent Salt lore, so White Lily just went “awesome I love studying things that cookies shouldn’t normally be able to” and just completely wandered off doing her research on literally everything and they just don’t see her 😭 ngl I keep imagining she’s going to Solidarity Salt’s Concerts for some reason I can’t make this canon I don’t think they held concerts why would they be a singer I shouldn’t even be typing this I haven’t even told my sister (the one I rp this with) this stupid idea

ANYWAYS… Golden Cheese just goes sight seeing, not wanting to get into any trouble. Hollyberry wants to go see the Garden, but immediately gets distracted by visiting all the bars she can find and tasting all the prehistoric drinks. Pure Vanilla enrolls into the Fount of Knowledge’s school because he just wants to see what his teachings were like. Dark Cacao… the real story begins with him.

Dark Cacao saw that cookies lined up to get their wishes granted by Master Flour Cookie. He figured, since that’s his beast and all, he should go and see what it’s like. So he stood in line and eventually got to her. She asked him what his wish was, and then he realized he stood in line that WHOLE time not having a wish. He said “uhhh I just came here because I wanted to see you”. Master Flour’s not really sure what to do about that one. It feels really awkward so Dark Cacao asks her what her favorite food is. She answers, and he wishes for some of it, which she grants, but only for him to tell her to have it. He remembered that cookies weren’t very nice to the Beasts from what he could gather, so he figured he’d do something a little nice for her. Then he left.

Master Flour Cookie was stunned. A cookie shows up with only the desire to see her? And wishes she would give herself a treat? She’d never had a cookie be so kind and selfless to her. She goes to the other Virtues and tells them about this mysterious cookie that warmed her heart, and Sugar of Happiness immediately encourages her to pursue this feeling of happiness. Master Flour’s not sure if she can, but the other Virtues, especially Sugar of Happiness and Fount of Knowledge, offer their help.

So Dark Cacao is just walking around when suddenly the Sugar of Happiness swoops down from the skies, picks him up, and flies him over to the Ivory Pagoda. Scariest moment of his life. Once he’s there he discovers that Master Flour Cookie is interested in him. Romantically. Oh no no no. How could this happen??? This is the beast of APATHY. It’s so unnatural to see her this flustered… she’s not supposed to like anyone!! But what’s Dark Cacao gonna do? Break her heart? Nope.

So when he gets back to his Ancient friends he explains the situation. They’re all shocked. “What did you do to make Mystic Flour fall in love with you??” but when he explains what he did, they all go “OH MY GOSH UNMATCHED RIZZ!!!! DUDE YOU TOTALLY RIZZED HER UP!!!! THAT WAS SMOOTH!!!!” He doesn’t believe it except he has to believe it because why else is he in this situation. Also I can’t forget to mention that the Fount of Knowledge approached Dark Cacao, circled around him, nodded, and left at one point which also terrified him. (Fount was analyzing him to figure out what sort of things he likes to help Master Flour out in her dating escapades)

Now let’s have a look at Pure Vanilla. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to note, that, this au is based on my roleplay, and in that roleplay, Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP. So, he enrolled into school to see what his Present boyfriend was like in the Past. He’s been studying at the Blueberry Milk Academy, and enjoying it for the most part… but there was one thing that ruined it for him. And that was the other students in his class. They didn’t enjoy the Fount’s more creative ways of teaching (especially the songs they were forced to learn) and would sometimes talk during lessons. Pure Vanilla would sometimes snap at his classmates if they were disrupting the Fount’s lessons, and was always very encouraging of the Fount’s creative lessons. He always spoke many praises of the teacher and how he’s proud of him for doing such a good job teaching the class.

This is also where his classmates ruin the experience for him. He didn’t have many friends. That’s because… there was a rumor about him going around class. A rumor that he was crushing HARD on the teacher. His classmates were all very disturbed by this and constantly told him “dude the Fount of Knowledge isn’t gonna screw you” and he kept insisting that was NOT his goal, he’s NOT into the Fount, he just really enjoys class. Yet his excellent grades didn’t help the rumors. He was basically the “teachers pet” except nobody called him that especially because it felt more like he wanted the TEACHER to be HIS pet. Pure Vanilla is absolutely stunned at these rumors. Like, sure that’s his future boyfriend, but he wasn’t trying to do anything!!! Just school!!!

For a while, it’s just rumors and a lack of friends. But eventually, the Fount starts to see the evidence pile up that his top student Likes him. He doesn’t know how to react, and confides in his fellow Virtues that one of his students seems into him. A very good, kind, and attentive student. Seeing as they all got Master Flour a boyfriend, they immediately encourage Fount to pursue this as well. No one had ever treated the Fount as lovingly as Pure Vanilla, so he went along with this idea, not receiving any help since he can already see Pure Vanilla during the day and he also hates admitting when he’s not sure what to do so of course he wouldn’t ask for any further help.

So one class, the Fount nervously asks to see Pure Vanilla after class. He’s surprised by this but is like “ok”. His classmates are STUNNED. “Surely not…” they think. After class it’s just Fount and PV. Fount gets really flustered and says “so, um, d-do you want to, um- NEVER MIND!!!” and he tries to run away but trips and almost cries from embarrassment. Pure Vanilla is nice about it and tries to make sure he’s ok. PV gets the message and gently accepts Fount’s offer, careful not to scare him off. Sooo now they’re a thing.

Also yes, Dark Cacao and Master Flour are dating. He didn’t want to break her heart. He has tried coming up with excuses for why it wouldn’t work out but she grants wishes bro she has the power of Volition SHE CAN MAKE IT WORK. He refuses to say “I’m not interested” so there’s nothing he can do (but is he really not interested…?).

Pure Vanilla tells his Ancient friends that he’s dating the Fount of Knowledge now. They are not surprised, except for the fact that TWO of them are now dating Virtues. At least THIS time Pure Vanilla was ACTUALLY already dating the guy in the present…

Seeing as this post is focused on purefount y’all probably want me to go into more detail about that. They’ve had a lot of developments and gotten really close, the Fount of Knowledge lets Pure Vanilla call him Blueberry Milk now and he’s learned things that he didn’t know about Shadow Milk. Blueberry Milk is willing to be so open to Pure Vanilla in part BECAUSE he has this strange sense that the two of them have a far deeper connection than normal cookies, not realizing they are actually soulmates.

In terms of close calls like the post, Blueberry Milk DID absolutely scare the life out of Pure Vanilla by asking “oh by the way, I don’t recognize the fields you grew up in! Where is that? Oh, right, forgot to mention, I looked into your memories 😊” Pure Vanilla considers himself very lucky that he seems to have ONLY looked into his childhood, which doesn’t have any super incriminating evidence of being a time traveler with a soul jam, (Blueberry Milk was only curious WHERE Pure Vanilla came from, that’s why he only checked as far back as he could remember) but the fact that Blueberry Milk has the power to see into his memories is very concerning. Luckily the Fount doesn’t seem too interested in prying, but man.

The other Ancients start to get concerned about all this plus the fact that Blueberry Milk has discovered that the cookies catching the attention of the Virtues (skipped over GC and BS don’t worry I’ll loop back to that shortly) are all actually friends, AND wants to come over and visit them sometime, they’re like “listen we know you love Blueberry Milk and we’re letting Dark Cacao date Mystic Flour (DC in the background: help) but this is starting to get dangerous. That’s one of the most powerful cookies in existence when it comes to magic, if anyone could ruin the time fixing stuff it could be the Fount, plus what if discovering that it becomes Shadow Milk causes that to happen early and cookies die?”

But Pure Vanilla just caaaan’t stop loving his precious partner. Sooo let’s go back a bit and see what happened with Golden Cheese Cookie.

She was just sight seeing as per usual, going around one of the Herald of Change’s kingdoms to admire the culture and architecture there, not realizing that the Herald himself would actually BE there. He noticed her wings and was captivated by her IMMEDIATELY. He went up to her and said “hey! Why do you have wings?” to which Golden Cheese panicked and said “oh, I was raised by cheesebirds.” Herald of Change said “ohhh that makes sense” and immediately went to the Fount of Knowledge to ask about what cheesebirds like. That’s how Blueberry Milk discovers that the Herald is now interested in Golden Cheese, PV also happened to be there and was just internally like “ohhh no”

Unlike with the other two, when the Herald tells the other Virtues about his newfound crush, they aren’t as intrigued or encouraging. The Herald was one of the only Virtues to actually date around. This wasn’t new or exciting to them, and it’s not even like Golden Cheese had done anything to win him over, he just thought she was pretty. Still, Blueberry Milk was always happy to help the Herald (important part of our roleplay lore tbh) and hunted down Golden Cheese for him so that it could scan her and learn what she likes, since the Herald really wanted to know.

Golden Cheese saw the Fount of Knowledge approaching her, and thought “oh, no, Dark Cacao described this happening to him, too. The Fount definitely isn’t meant to be here and is definitely coming towards me. Oh, wait! I don’t need to let him circle me! I can fly away!” So that’s what she did.

Blueberry Milk didn’t expect that but immediately became suspicious because of that action. She DEFINITELY saw him approaching, and CHOSE to escape him. Plus, she had LIED. Potentially. Blueberry Milk has an open mind and says that “MAYBE there are WAYS you can spin it so ‘I got wings because I was raised by cheesebirds’ is true” but still thought it strange. Blueberry Milk also noticed a pattern, that both his and Master Flour’s new boyfriends knew each other, and figured maybe it was the same for the Herald’s new crush. Blueberry Milk went to PV and did a brief scan of him to discover that yes, he does know Golden Cheese.

The Fount of Knowledge is somewhat onto them, no longer totally oblivious that there’s anything strange going on, but is giving Pure Vanilla its full trust because it loves him deeply. Still, it questions whether it’s all worth it, knowing that for reasons unexplained, Pure Vanilla isn’t planning on staying.

Anyways. The Herald of Change figured that cheesebirds like cheese and sticks. So, he went to Golden Cheese with cheese and sticks. He gave them to her, then yelled “OH MY GOSH IM STUPID! WHY DIDNT I GET CHEESE STICKS?!” and ran away in embarrassment. Golden Cheese found the pitiful attempt at wooing her kind of cute. She put the cheese on the sticks to eat.

Back home with the Ancients, she is DEVASTATED that she is now part of the “strange relationship with Beast” club. She insists that she doesn’t DESERVE to be lumped in with Dark Cacao and Pure Vanilla, because she didn’t DO anything to garner his attention other than be her glorious self. All it took was a look and she was involved. Hollyberry is just like “on one hand I should avoid Eternal Sugar at all costs so that I can be the One Cookie who is doing things right. On the other hand, I’m REALLY curious”

So far we haven’t added a branch to the au where Hollysugar happens. So FOR NOW, Hollyberry is the one safe Ancient (other than WL until we learn more about SS). But I don’t doubt that at some point we will drag her into it. She’s certainly not AGAINST going to the Garden, despite her friends suggesting maybe she doesn’t.

Also might be worth mentioning that again this au is based on our RP and QUITE CONTRARY TO CANON Golden Cheese and Burning Spice have NEVER been on truly bad terms. They’ve spent most of their time just awkward around each other but are practically besties now. Never a strictly negative relationship. So Golden Cheese doesn’t have as many problems as she probably would if this were a regular AU based on canon.

I wouldn’t be against writing this AU as an actual fic that’s based more on canon rather than my sister and I’s silly little RP! My only problem would be my severe writers block haha! I have 2 WIPs for CRK fics rn and it’s not looking great!!!!!!!!

Wait maybe if I made it an actual fic I could have the ships go in release order so it still starts with Dark Cacao but we swap GC and PV’s plots starting… hahaha… will have to brainstorm this. If ppl want a real AU ig.

Pure Vanilla goes back in time and dates the Fount of Knowledge while trying not to reveal the fact that he is a time traveler who owns half his soul jam

[midniqhtt]

comfort fic reads II 4k celebration

₊˚⊹⋆ main masterlist ꨄ︎ part two list ₊˚⊹⋆

a/n: list got too long and had me maxed out. so i shifted some fandoms to part two instead.

hi loves! i never do anything for celebrating but i thought i could make a big list of all my favorite fics i’ve read over the past few months/years and continue rereading. i can never get enough of showing my appreciation for writers and all their hard work, and i want them to know i think of these fics/series at least once a day ♡︎ i say ‘comfort’ but theres more angst lol

key- A: angst II F: fluff II S: smut II SB: slow burn II C: comfort

.𖥔 MARVEL .𖥔

𝑩𝑶𝑩 𝑹𝑬𝒀𝑵𝑶𝑳𝑫𝑺

ꨄ︎ loving you is easy two II @blank-potato II A + F

You and Bob are indifferent to each other, never seeming to mesh. But when you lose your memory, something new blooms between the two of you.

ꨄ︎ fooled around and fell in love II @flowersforbucky II S + A + F

you've never been one for commitment, and your teammates know it. when you and bob start seeing each other, it takes them by surprise and makes them worry about how he'll react to the heartbreak that they expect to follow. what they don't understand - you've never felt like this about anyone.

ꨄ︎ soft currents next to you II @nghtwngs II S + A + F

there is falling in love. there is also falling into another universe. there is also falling in love again.

ꨄ︎ home is where the heart is II @ilovemilestellersmoustache II A + F

Wanting to feel more included Bob decides to help on a mission but in efforts to protect you he injures himself leaving him with amnesia. Your boyfriend not remembering isn’t the biggest problem because he’s always going to find you again, even in a hundred lifetimes.

ꨄ︎ soulmate II @geminiwritten II A + C

you're engaged to bucky when you find out that not only are fated mates real, but you have one... and it's not your fiancé

ꨄ︎ we can’t be friends part two II @tfatwsbarnes II A

bob always wondered why you didn’t favour him over the rest of your team. until he learned that you had unsettled the bones of the tva.

ꨄ︎ cowboy like me II @goldenlikedayl1ght II A + F

you get a text from an old friend and think.. you could do worse than a book club.. with some benefits.

ꨄ︎ xerox two three II @ichori II A + SB + C

you had one last job before you were free. no more splitting, no more deaths. unfortunately, that job seemed to rope in four other assassins and a... a man in hospital-wear?

𝑩𝑼𝑪𝑲𝒀 𝑩𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑺

ꨄ︎ bad boys don’t buy flowers II @espinosaurusrexex II S + A + F

Bucky would have never thought, he’d be chasing after a girl. Not when all of them usually fell at his feet. But when he finds himself entangled in a deal born out of a desperate argument with his assistant, he realizes there is nothing he wouldn't do for you: The independent florist who is adamantly dragging him to the homeless shelter every chance she gets. There is just one problem: Bucky doesn't know how to tell you. And the teasing from his friends is certainly not making things easier for him...

ꨄ︎ come back to you II @buckyalpine II F

What happens when a time travel mission ends up with a version of Bucky from the 40′s standing on the time travel platform.

ꨄ︎ curiosity killed the cat II @queers-gambit II A + C

after rescuing you from kidnappers, you overhear your boyfriend-turned-savior complain about how clingy you've become.

ꨄ︎ you’re my desire part two II @marvelouslizzie and @notafunkiller II S + F

Your best friend drags you out on a double date. You were supposed to be Steve Rogers' date, but plans change pretty quickly and you end up in Bucky Barnes' arms.

ꨄ︎ graveyard part two II @wkemeup II A + C

As the unofficial healer for the Avengers, you pride yourself on the ability to mend heroes with the touch of your hand. Only, your gift comes at a heavy price — one you keep secret from your friends —and when Bucky asks you to do the impossible, they’ll discover why your gift is called a sacrifice, too. 

ꨄ︎ dreamscape II @/wkemeup II A + C

When Bucky falls under the spell of a Djinn, the line between fantasy and reality blurs. In order to survive, he must fight his way back to the real world - even if it costs him everything he's ever wanted.

ꨄ︎ blurred lines part two II @ellemj II S + A + F

When choosing a female agent to send back in time to gain young Sergeant Barnes's trust, everyone's in agreement that it should be Sharon. Until Bucky, the man that you barely get along with, speaks up and lets everyone know that it could only be you.

ꨄ︎ love language II @/flowersforbucky II S + F

snapshots of your relationship with bucky told through the five love languages.

ꨄ︎ flashing lights part two II @pellucid-constellations II A + C

Bucky’s worst fears come true when he’s called to a scene. If he’s the one with the dangerous job, then why is it your life that’s hanging in the balance?

ꨄ︎ stay still part two II @buckysknifecollection II A + C

What if your soulmate was the one person you had hurt the most?

ꨄ︎ saturn II @shurisneakers II A

you die. bucky tries to bring you back (or) close to a year after you die, bucky's desperation finally finds an answer. but it may not be the one he's hoping for.

ꨄ︎ bleeding heart II mournthebird II A + C

You're his assigned nurse.

ꨄ︎ 40s!bucky II @helaintoloki II A + F

after accidentally sending yourself back in time, you run into a younger version of the man you loathe only to find yourself questioning your feelings for him

𝑱𝑶𝑯𝑵 𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑲𝑬𝑹

ꨄ︎ under my skin II @/flowersforbucky II F

what first begins as a series of bad luck shows you a different side of the man who normally drives you crazy.

ꨄ︎ moral of the story II @starktonyx II A

You never expected to be blindly sent to kill your ex-husband, but when you cross paths again in looping shame rooms, it’s like going through the pain all over again.

𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑹𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑲

ꨄ︎ without you part 2 II @foli-vora II A

You return after the 'blip'. Five years is a long time, and a lot of things can happen in that time.

𝑴𝑶𝑶𝑵 𝑲𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻

ꨄ︎ for science II @projectionistwrites II S + A + C

In which the Moon Knight alter system presents a unique opportunity to settle the nature versus nurture debate, once and for all...

ꨄ︎ red flags II @astroboots and @thirstworldproblemss II S + A + F

Sweet as he is, dating Steven means you have to be willing to ignore a few red flags along the way. 

ꨄ︎ the jake problem pt2 II @bensolosbluesaber II S + A + C

Jake hates you. Like really hates you, which wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t dating Steven and Marc. But maybe, just maybe, Jake doesn’t hate you.

𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑲𝑬𝑹

ꨄ︎ sunset lovers II @duskholland II F

you’ve never met your soulmate, but you know his handwriting like the back of your hand—literally. every word your soulmate writes on his skin appears on yours, and vice versa. you’re desperate to meet him, but until the universe decides to introduce you, you’re stuck with scribbled smiley faces and chemistry formulae.

ꨄ︎ one more to see you II @waitimcomingtoo II A

in an effort to see Peter again, you Dream Walk and learn it’s consequences

𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑻𝑹𝑶 𝑴𝑨𝑿𝑰𝑴𝑶𝑭𝑭

ꨄ︎ silent treatment II @floral-and-fine II A + C

where the words their soulmate speaks first are tattooed on their arm.

𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑽𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑹𝑺

ꨄ︎ watchful eyes II @/espinosaurusrexex II S + A + F

When your best friend gets you a new job, cleaning the apartment of the most successful man in New York City, you don't hesitate to accept. The pay is more than good, and the man himself is better than any eye candy you have ever seen. Unbeknownst to you, you've caught his attention just as much. Steve can't keep his mind off you, so much so, that he drives everyone around him insane with his grumpiness when you aren't around. It seems like he has to take matters into his own hands when he realizes, you're too shy to take things further yourself.

ꨄ︎ out of time pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 pt8 II @after-avenging-hours II S + A + F

When Steve is poisoned on a mission, his only hope is a pure Super Soldier Serum. You travel to 1943 to find it—but without the infinity stones, your actions could change the future. Can you save him before time runs out?

.𖥔 TOP GUN .𖥔

𝑩𝑶𝑩 𝑭𝑳𝑶𝒀𝑫

ꨄ︎ the plan II @/geminiwritten II A + F

the squad are all pretty sure that bob has a thing for you, but you're not convinced, so you hatch a plan to tease him within an inch of his life until he snaps

ꨄ︎ the kind of girl i could love II @roosterforme II F

Bob has a secret admirer, but he's convinced it's actually Jake and Nat messing with him. 

𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑫𝑳𝑬𝒀 𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑫𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑾

ꨄ︎ love to lie pt2 pt3 pt4 II @/ddejavvu II A + F

Your worst fear is recognized when Bradley’s jet goes down with him in it. You’re not sure why you’re still his emergency contact, you’d broken up two weeks ago, but when you rush into the hospital room, you discover that you have a chance to fix the mistake you’d been cursing yourself for. The only problem is, you have to lie to Bradley, and you discover that you love doing it if it means you get to be with him again.

ꨄ︎ things unseen and heard II @bloatedandalone04 II S + A + F

the one where you overhear bradley talk about you to jake and decide to give him the space he apparently wanted.

ꨄ︎ playing games II @/geminiwritten II A + F

you've been best friends with rooster for years and you're both obviously in love with each other, but he refuses to cross that line... until you accept some help from hangman and he takes the game just a little too far

ꨄ︎ wrong number II @roosterforme II F

Bradley was planning on a quiet night at home with a beer and a basketball game on TV. When he receives a text from a wrong number, he's left looking at a beautiful photo of you. Now he just needs to persuade you to ditch the guy you meant to text and focus on him instead.

ꨄ︎ between friends II @sometimesanalice II S + F

Bradley and you don’t talk about that Spring Break. But a single question asked during a night out at the Hard Deck might just change things between the two of you forever.

ꨄ︎ trouble in paradise II @/sunlightmurdock II S + A

After the most painful break-up of his life, Rooster is stationed in Hawaii for the next six months. Alone, away from home and hurting, he finds comfort in the arms of a stranger.

ꨄ︎ i’ll show you good, restore your faith II @/se7entyrell II A + F

Your relationship with Bradley is new. Really new. Like, 'haven't let him smell your morning breath yet' new. But when he gets a call telling him that his mom is dying, you find yourself driving him to San Diego in the middle of the night, preparing to meet his entire extended family during the worst period of their lives.

ꨄ︎ terms of endearment II @ohtobeleah II A + C (heavy themes)

They always say when you aren’t looking for love it tends to find you. So when you and your daughter turn up in Fighter Town, Bradley Bradshaw is instantly infatuated. With reluctance to trust and harbouring a bad past, you don’t make it easy for the fighter pilot to love you.

𝑱𝑨𝑲𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑰𝑵

ꨄ︎ domestic fantasy II @/geminiwritten II F

your ex is coming back to collect some things he left behind and you accidentally tell him that you have a new boyfriend, so hangman accepts the role of your new (fake) boyfriend

ꨄ︎ dirty laundry part two II @/geminiwritten II S + A + F

after a couple months of living together, you're still completely oblivious to how you affect jake and he's starting to spiral because now he's... feeling things

ꨄ︎ medical emergency II @marvelwitchergilmore II F

When Jake gets a call asking to pick you up from the hospital, it's safe to say he's confused. Especially considering neither of you were known for getting along with the other.

ꨄ︎ sign of the times pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 II @se7entyrell II S + A

You're destined to die in Jake Seresin's arms. In every life, in every iteration, it's inescapable. Whether you loathe, or love each other, each ending stays the same. But what if it doesn't have to?

ꨄ︎ spring fling pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 II @ddejavvu II F (in progress)

You should have known the ‘no refunds’ detail on the website for Spring Fling was a red flag. But you paid no mind to it, eager to be assigned a quick fuck for spring break. When the man that walks through your cabin door is none other than Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, your wildly infuriating fellow pilot, you have two choices: bicker the entire time and have a miserable spring break, or fuck.

.𖥔 MISCELLANEOUS .𖥔

𝑹𝑯𝑬𝑻𝑻 𝑨𝑩𝑩𝑶𝑻𝑻

ꨄ︎ odds are stacked II @sunlightmurdock II S

In which Rhett loses a bet and you lose your virginity.

𝑻𝒀𝑳𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑺

ꨄ︎ all yours II @/geminiwritten II A + F

after being best friends and chasing storms with tyler for years, one night changes everything... now you're staring at a pregnancy test with two pink lines—and just as you're working up the nerve to tell him, tyler announces to the world that he never wants to settle down or have kids

ꨄ︎ orange juice II @ahsokaismyqueen II S + F

When it's time to interview a group of storm chasers for your new book, you get sent back to your hometown. You never would have guessed one of the people you'd be interviewing would be your ex boyfriend. And you might still be a little in love with him.

ꨄ︎ no hesitation II @briefinquiries II S + F

Tyler would be the type of guy that if a girl came up to him and said ‘this guy is creepy, pls pretend to be my bf’ he would be like ‘hell yay’ and scare the guy away

𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑪𝑲

ꨄ︎ all the stars are closer II @kashimos-hajime II A + F

mark watney wasn’t the only one left behind on mars, and as you struggle to survive on the desert planet, hidden feelings come to light between you and your best friend, dr. chris beck.

𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑹𝑲 𝑲𝑬𝑵𝑻

ꨄ︎ all american boy II @scribes-of-valar II A + C

Your friend has been distant for months, all of a sudden he's a brand new man. He's practically a puppy dog following after you and you're not sure how to feel. What's a girl to do when she suddenly finds herself looking at not one, but two Clark Kent's?

ꨄ︎ no.1 party anthem II @sunsburns II F

what was supposed to be a night for work takes an unexpected turn when you run into clark kent—alone at a restaurant, waiting for a date who seems to have no intention of showing up. poor guy.

𝑴𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑬𝑳 𝑹𝑶𝑩𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑻𝑪𝑯

ꨄ︎ an itch you can’t scratch pt2 II @theonewiththefanfics II S + A + F

After taking a bad fall, Y/N gets rushed to the ED of Pittsburg Trauma Medical Hospital only to come face to face with a man she had a one-night stand with, and who ghosted her that same morning without a word - Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. As if her bad day couldn't get any worse than it was...

[daydreamgoddess14]

The Reading Rooms

Previous weeks Masterlist

Always remember to heed the warnings posted by the individual authors. What I'm happy to read may not be what you're happy to read, so I take no responsibility if you find something you're not into.

And finally, Tumblr is a community. Reblog, gush like you've never gushed before - I promise you, the authors below will love it, and love you for it! We write because we love to, but we share our work because we love the community of it. If you read something you like, let the world know! 💕

The List

Another busy week! Handed in my assignment - nothing like the last minute, right?! Posted TWO new chapters of Strategic Interests and a spicy one-shot - I'll Do That Thing based on a gif I couldn't stop watching (you can blame @sunday-bug for that one!) which completely blew up. Fun! I'm currently working on Strategic Interests chapter 7, For Your Consideration - January Part 2 AND another spicy one-shot. Apparently it's a new thing where I write sex acts I've never written before. Why not, it's good to try new things! 🤭

I also read some amazing stuff this week, and thanks to @azriona, I discovered how to properly use the queue so I can stop clogging up ya dash when I'm on a reblogging spree!

Bucky Barnes

It's been a Bucky week.

The Celibacy Challenge by @sunday-bug was so much fun, I too would have to nope out of every room and I would cave SO fast 😅

I'm SURE I'm behind on reblogs for Declassified but Chapter 12 landed just as I needed something to read before bed last night and it was AMAZINGGGG!!! My love for Kelsey is only challenged by my need to shake her right now, @dreamwritesimagines!

Sergent's magic mouth by @buckyseternaldoll. Please. Anything. I'll give anything. Also by Elle,

I love it when @societyfolklore blesses us with a short and sweet bit of filth. So good to us 🙌

@navybrat817 said the words 'Bucky is hot and fucks like a God' and we all nodded with our entire bodies - Back It Up

@buckysleftbicep wrote a dad's best friend Bucky fic and... good god, it's so hot - daddy's best friend. As was little black dress, clearly I am feral this week. I feel like I'm gonna look back on these lists and go, whooooh yeah that was a horny week, y'know?

In fact, I'm sticking with Lily here, I realised I accidentally reblogged a reblog - so sorry, love. Swipe Right was so, so quietly beautiful 😭

@whitedarkmoonflower gave us the gorgeous Good morning and I would like to incorporate that and also Sweet Surrender into my morning routine please and thank you.

Saturdays with Bucky would be a dream. ngl. Loved this @buckybarnes82!

The Desperate to Devoted series by @buckets-and-trees was amazing!!

I will always rescue you by @firelilyfox was super sweet and lovely!

Happy Father's Day by @wildflowersandvibranium - this was the most adorable Father's Day everrrrr!!! Bucky is SUCH a girl dad, you cannot convince me otherwise!

The Suit Problem by @salty-tang - this was so hot and yessss, I can definitely see him ripping through those suits!! I've added the masterpost to my reading list AND it's so good to see another Congresswoman fic! 🙌

She Looks Nothing Like Me @writing-for-marvel - as a curvy girlie, I really felt this one! So, so lovely 🥹🥹

@buckybarnesfic BBF wrote their first fic!! About a stuffed dick!! Go read it, you will NOT be disappointed!!

A smutty talk you through it by @crowsofdarkness - no notes, just me begging, actually.

Ok, I've been neglecting my longreads - the 8/9/10/11k(+) fics that are all sitting in my drafts begging to be read. I've also just rescued a bunch of fics out of my likes so I can get to those for next week!

Phew! LFG!

[sixosix]

a/n so i took the whole "aether is an alien" thing and ran away with it (aka aether has a strange way of expressing interest and you just think he's weird)

aether x reader, ayaka&reader&yoimiya, plus my yoimiya bffs w paimon agenda

special feature: earthtooz beta reading the fic, “aether you're so weird back tf up.”

"This is from... Miss Ying'er, you said?" Ayaka turns the bottle in her hands, her grip careful, deliberate—with the grace of a princess. Like she's trying to recreate the procedure in her head.

Yoimiya holds her perfume by the neck and inhales a lungful. "Wow, this smells amazing! Are you sure I can just have it?"

You laugh, amused as Yoimiya dabs it all over her body enthusiastically without even waiting for your reply. "Yeah, don't worry. She just offered me a bunch of samples. You like it?"

Ayaka nods approvingly, still fixated on the miniature vial. She seems endearingly fascinated. "This scent is phenomenal. I might have to ask you to deliver me a box of this next time you go."

You busy yourself with teaching them the best points to apply the perfume, the scents heightened by the dewy atmosphere of the forest. As you sit in a circle on the grass, you share laughter and stories from your extended trip to Liyue. Nothing could ruin this relaxing moment. Yet just as Ayaka offers for you to try on her perfume, Yoimiya gasps and sits upright.

"Oh, oh! I just remembered—Aether is coming over today!" Yoimiya claps eagerly, buzzing with energy. "It's been a while since he's visited Inazuma."

You frown. "Oh."

Ayaka gasps lightly. "He returns today? We should welcome him back."

"Honestly, he should be at the city right now." Yoimiya gathers herself, dusting off blades of grass as she rises to her feet. Without warning, she reaches for your wrist and begins pulling you off the ground.

"Wait, wait, wait." You pull away from Yoimiya's grasp. "I never said anything about joining you."

"Why not?" Yoimiya mirrors your insulted expression. "Hold on, do you have beef with the Traveler?"

Ayaka's fingers press to her mouth, eyes alight, like she's just heard the gossip of the century.

"No, no, it's nothing like that!" you burst out frantically. "We're just not close. Like—um, how you guys are with him, I assume."

"Did he do something?" Yoimiya asks, seriously concerned.

"He's just a bit strange."

"Hm." Ayaka taps an index finger to her chin. "I'd say he's more polite than strange."

Your nose wrinkles involuntarily, memories of your first impression of him flashing back. "Polite?"

Yoimiya exhales dramatically. "Alright. I don't know what's going on, but we're not leaving you here—not after it's been months since we last saw you! You're coming with us."

You turn to Ayaka for help, but she already has her gaze casted away as if expecting it. Accepting defeat, Yoimiya cheers, hooking an arm under yours as she hauls you off before you could sag to the ground. Ayaka follows after, smiling as Yoimiya practically drags you back to the city, her trail smelling like freshly-picked Liyue-exclusive flowers.

It doesn't take long to find the Traveler's whereabouts—practically everyone is gushing about his presence and how lucky we are to catch him before he goes! You three discover them walking around the streets of Tenryou, lugging a cart full of street food and packages of what you could only assume are gifts handed by the locals.

"Hi, Yoimiya, Ayaka!" The little floating creature next to the Traveller waves her hands around excitedly. "It's been a while!"

"Hi, Paimon!" Yoimiya exclaims, doubling the energy and stretching her arms for Paimon to barrel towards her chest with a thud.

As you and Ayaka watch the two spin around like separated sisters with fond smiles, you don't notice that Aether has pretty much snuck up behind you until you can practically feel his presence.

You damn near shriek, jumping away as he grins and crowds your space like it's not entirely improper.

"We meet again," he says cryptically.

"Archons," you mutter, terrified.

Yoimiya smacks her fist to an upright palm, as if she's just solved a year-long agonized riddle. "So you have met!"

"You didn't believe me—"

"Yeah! We met Y/N before!" Paimon whizzes over to your personal bubble as well, circling around your head a few times. "Back when we were in Liyue before we left to Sumeru, the Traveler wanted to strike up a conversation."

"Seems like it was very one-sided," Ayaka muses, unforgivably entertained by your distress.

"Yeah, Y/N was a little…" Paimon said with a grimace, missing the way you inch away as Aether eyes you, like he's fascinated by seeing you in a completely different environment.

"Anyway!" Paimon claps once. "What were you guys doing? Not to be weird, but, Yoimiya, you smell so different!"

Yoimiya waves her hand dismissively, appearing coy. "Oh, please."

"No, seriously, you smell like Liyue," Paimon says. "Like you rolled around Silk Flowers. It smells really good, though!"

Ayaka giggles. "Y/N brought home a box of perfume handmade by Miss Ying'er from Liyue, that must be why. We were trying them out."

"Really?" Aether pipes up, not even bothering to address Ayaka directly.

It feels as though your face erupts in flames as Aether angles close enough to dip his head close to the side of your neck.

Your brain seems to have melted out of your ears, warmed his proximity. "Hey—"

"Smells good to me," Aether says, the words holding the same warmth one would give to a five-star meal. Like Ying'er was awaiting his approval.

Yoimiya shares a confused glance with Ayaka. "Y/N's... not wearing any perfume."

Aether doesn't appear deterred by that, unashamed and virtually all over you the same way he was when he found you bored, eating alone at one of Liyue's outdoor stalls.

"Aether is acting weird again," Paimon sighs, like it's an everyday occurrence. "Paimon swears he acted like that last time, too—like giving a dog a bone. Can't snap him out of it."

Yoimiya and Ayaka conceal their laughter behind their palms, though fruitless by the curve of their eyes.

"Must be an alien thing," Yoimiya says, not sounding pitying in the slightest. "Poor thing."

a/n hi guys i swear i didn't get weird while i was gone this has always been my niche </3 i haven't played since natlan update but i still adore these characters, so i thought why not ease back into it with the sixosix favorite: aether

[dreamyblossommwrites]

Almost human

Paired: Mark x alien reader

Warnings: None (maybe bad grammar - I'm writing this at night shgdhendh)

Note: User is mentioned to have inhuman characteristics, also made user pink themed cuz yes :3

Being a curious creature at heart, you couldn't help but fly away from your planet and explore a bit. I mean, space is so big - it's hard to stay in one place for so long!

You've been to so many places, met so many races and languages.... you can't believe how many amazing places are still waiting for you! How many amazing things are waiting to be discovered! After each visit, you brought some souvenirs to your family - your people, explaining to them the culture of each planet you just came back from.

But they didn't appreciate it, honestly, they were terrified by the thought of what could happen to you in space. What could happen to all of them if you ran into someone not so friendly. (Which happened before, but the situation has been resolved. So you don't know why they keep bringing it up!)

After a long and - and in your opinion unnecessary conversation - you have been given an ultimatum; Stay home and stop attracting attention from other races, or be banished.

.......well, now you can explore as much as you want....yaaay...??..

Either way, you ended up wandering close to earth. You've heard about this planet before - The people here are.... Timid. too scared and weak to explore beyond their planet

Still, something drew you to this place, the color palette of this planet itself is fascinating, its aura drawing you to it. So many new places waiting to be explored, making your muscles throb with curiosity..... Maybe it wont be as bad as they say it is?

Mark can't remember the last time he had a night off. Being invincible and a student at the same time takes up all his free time. When he's not dealing with constant invasions and monsters, he's busy catching up on schoolwork. So today, on this warm Friday evening, after completing his patrol and preventing a few small crimes from happening, Mark can finally sit down comfortably and read the comic book that has been sitting on his desk for three weeks now-

But as soon as he settled comfortably on the bed, letting out a exhausted huff of air, he heard a quick "Grayson, we need you here" coming from the earbug Cecil had given him.

Well, that's it for his quiet evening.

Barely a minute had passed and he was already on his way, adjusting his costume as he listened attentively to the information constantly coming from the earpiece.

'an unidentified figure has been flying above the ground for several minutes, appears humanoid, intentions unknown' - wow, very helpful.

He was looking around, searching for that humanoid thing,even though it's hard to find something if you don't even know what it looks like. Until you practically flew in front of his face,cutting him of, leaving nothing but a pink trail behind you.

He quickly recovered and started a chase that ended on top of one of the tall city buildings. He landed carefully, keeping a safe distance, still not knowing what your intentions are, staring at your back for a moment while you knelt and leaned forward, staring at the street with your pink eyes glowing with admiration.

You couldn't get over all the flashing colors and strange vehicles that the locals drove. Their behavior and life so different from life on your planet. The humans looked completely different from what you thought they would look like, they didn't look scared or aggressive.......They looked..... Happy, busy with their lives. Nothing like humans from the stories you heard on other planets.

"um.... Hello?-" You stood up quickly, turning towards the unknown voice that scared you. Behind you stood.... A man. Dressed differently than the rest of the people below. He raised his hands, almost as if he was trying to show you that he didn't want to hurt you. "Wait, wait wait- sorry, didnt mean to scare you, please-" he smiled lightly at you, trying to calm you down.

Your antennae quivered, sensing something strange from this human man. He wasn't like the rest. His heart beat was off, he smelled different than other humans........ Wait, can all humans fly like him?

While he started talking to you again in that strange, foreign language. You still wondered where you heard that heartbeat before.....and then, you remembered.

Viltrumite.

That's not one of the humans you were so fascinated by.

This is a Viltrumite. A a cruel, indifferent creature.

You bounced off the roof and flew away before he could finish his sentence. Disappearing from his field of vision.

reblogs appreciated!!

Masterlist

[aziraphales-library]

Hi! Is there any longfics that have lots of plot but also a Crowley/ Aziraphale happy ending? I’m kind of looking for a substitute for Season 3 right now to be honest🙃

Hey! We have #good omens s3 speculation and #long fic tags, so jump in for loads of fics! Here are more to add to both tags...

Good Outcomes by Thimster (T)

Unsurprisingly, Aziraphale runs into problems in his new job: the Second Coming will be a massacre, and only Crowley can help him prevent it. But Crowley has his own reasons, and his own issues: Hell gives him an ultimatum, and he must choose. But it seems neither angels nor demons can make choices very well. And stopping the Second Coming will have major consequences for everyone.

What If I'm Happier Now by guessimdemoms (G)

After Aziraphale stepped on that elevator and chose Heaven, Crowley wallowed in a haze of alcohol and sleep and somehow found his way to America where he got a teaching job. Turns out he's good at it, and the kids adore him, so he decides to see it out until the end figuring he never has to return to London. But then his after school club has a chance to compete in a contest in London, and soon he finds himself heading back to the place that brought him so much pain. He figures he'll be safe since Aziraphale is still in Heaven, but there are surprises in store as soon as he steps foot back on English soil.

i will make it better, if only for us by davethefish (T)

With Aziraphale in Heaven, everything that Crowley loved has left the earth. He doesn't know what to do, so he starts small. Maybe someday he'll love the earth as much as he loved Aziraphale. It's time for him to remember why he chose to stay in the first place.

Among the Stacks by MeinirRhos (NR)

Nearly a year after Aziraphale returns to Heaven, he vanishes from existence, leaving Crowley bereft on Earth. Just when the demon has finally started to heal and move on with his life, he finds his angel by chance in a library. But Aziraphale has no memory of his life as an angel, or of Crowley. How will our hero cope?

And I Did by Di_42 (E)

This is a story about faith. This is a story about love. This is a story about loss. This is a story about being apart and about being reunited. This is a story about fighting. This is a story about choices. Where do we choose to place our faith? Will a god we have faith in come and save us? Will a friend? A loved one? When do we start doubting our faith? How long before we snap, before we raise our head? How far can we go before we crumble under the weight of our own misplaced faith? Under the weight of our choices? What does it take to make us feel betrayed, abandoned, left behind? What does it take for us to turn our back on what in which we had faith? Who are we loyal to, and who is loyal to us? Who do we trust, and who trusts us? What are we ready to risk in the name of faith? What are we ready to lose in the name of loyalty? When are we going to take our lives into our own hands? What are we going to fight for? This is a story about unbreakable faith. This is, after all, a work of fiction. OR: Yet another Good Omens post season 2 fiction, featuring Supreme Archangel Aziraphale and Grand Duke Of Hell Crowley.

Epistolary by imposterssyndrome (E)

“Dear Diary, Today I encountered that most interesting phenomenon that is pornographic cinematography." Or Crowley discovers Aziraphale's personal diaries. What starts as a curious investigation about the angel's 'pornographic cinematography' experiences leads to Crowley wanting to find out about what he missed during his 14th century nap...and lots more. He discovers just how much miscommunication they had between them and how it led to so many misunderstandings. He finds out about how Aziraphale felt about him over the centuries and tries to reconcile that with his own feelings, especially now that Aziraphale is up in Heaven and not allowed to return to Earth...

- Mod D

[ladyhoneydarlinglove]

one piece fic | zosan | pride kisses 2025 challenge

{REMEMBERED KISS}

(CONTEXT BEFORE READING: so i was going back through WCI while working on this prompt and discovered this particular panel of sanji telling reiju "i thought i could just sacrifice myself and everything else would be fine! what kind of fantasy world was i living in?" and thought 'oh hell yes, i can TOTALLY make this moment that has objectively nothing to do with zoro into a zosan thing about thriller bark' :)c )

It’s funny, Sanji thinks as he trudges back to his room through the pouring rain. Ever since he arrived on Whole Cake Island, every time he thinks he’s finally hit rock bottom, the ground goes out from under him again to swallow him whole. He wonders briefly what could possibly be the next thing that’s going to go catastrophically wrong, and then decides that it doesn’t really matter.

He’s going to die tomorrow. Nothing matters anymore.

His jaw clenches, tears dripping slowly down his cheeks as he grapples with this new reality in which everything he’d tried to do—for his crew, for Zeff, even for himself—has ultimately served no purpose. Sanji really, truly thought that if he just sacrificed himself, if he was the only one suffering, then everything else would be fine. He knows that his life has never been worth much, but he had hoped that it at least had enough value to buy some safety for the people he loves. To realize he can’t even achieve that much…

It sort of feels like Thriller Bark all over again, with Sanji offering himself belly-up upon the altar only for Zoro to say in everything but words that no, that isn’t good enough, you’re not good enough—

What kind of fucking fantasy world are you living in? 

Sanji stops, tears welling up hot and heavy as they begin to pour down his face in earnest while a pitiful sob forces its way out of his throat. No, he thinks to himself. That’s not fair to Zoro. Sanji was the only one on Thriller Bark who thought that even if his life didn’t mean much, at least his death could. Who naively believed that if only he could sacrifice himself, then everything else would be fine. It stings something fierce to realize how much he apparently didn’t learn his lesson.

Why the fuck didn’t you let me take your place, asshole! This crew needs you!

Oh what, and they don’t need you?

You could always find another cook, shithead! But a first mate—

Oh, bull fucking shit, twirly-brow! You really think we could just go out there and find another cook capable of even half of what you do on a regular basis? What kind of fucking fantasy world are you living in?

This is nothing like Thriller Bark, and Sanji knows it. Zoro didn’t stop him from offering himself up to Kuma because he thought Sanji wasn’t good enough; he’d stopped him because he thought Sanji’s life was too valuable to simply throw away. 

Zoro has…

Zoro has always been good at that. Seeing the inherent value in people that they can’t see themselves and reassuring them of it in his own awkwardly blunt way. Sanji has always admired that about him.

Sanji has always admired a lot of things about Zoro.

He slumps against the nearest wall, uncaring of the rough scrap of stone against his back as he slides down, or the wetness that begins seeping into his pants the moment his bottom hits the ground. Sanji buries his face in his hands and then cries like he hasn’t cried since the day his mother died—with all of his body, heart, and soul.

And in the midst of all that crying, remembers something that happened what feels like an entire lifetime ago.

Sanji.

Thanks for being there when I woke up.

Sanji slides one hand down his face until the tips of his fingers rest against his lips as he recalls the soft, barely there brush of Zoro’s kiss that night in the galley, a mirror of the one he’d left at the corner of the swordsman’s mouth three days prior, when Sanji sat by his beside and quietly begged him to wake up because he couldn’t imagine a life that didn’t have Zoro in it. 

Zoro in front of him, heads butting together in another heated argument. Zoro by his side, helping in the kitchen and doing dishes after meals whenever Sanji asked him to, no matter how much he might grumble and complain about it. Zoro at his back during a fight, in perfect sync with each other without either of them ever having to say a word, because that’s just how it’s always been between them. A push-and-pull, a back-and-forth, a song-and-dance that no matter how at odds they might find themselves, has always ended in a perfect balance, a perfect harmony.

Sanji wanted so badly to believe that he could find that somewhere else too. That maybe Pudding—dear, sweet Pudding, the one silver lining he thought he had in this whole fucked up mess—could fill the Zoro-shaped void in his chest. That even if all his other dreams were shattered, this one—a life spent with a wonderful, loving wife, the kind of wife Sanji’s always thought that he should want—might be able to survive intact.

What kind of fucking fantasy world are you living in?

Sanji lets both his hands drop into his lap, tipping his head back against the wall and staring blankly up at the dark clouds and pouring rain above.

He’s going to die tomorrow. Pudding said herself that she plans to put a bullet between his eyes. Nothing matters anymore.

And if nothing matters anymore, then maybe…

Maybe Sanji can stop lying to himself. Just for a little while. 

He’s been doing it for so long, after all. Since the day they got separated at Sabaody, since the aftermath of Thriller Bark, since riding the sea train from Water 7 to Enies Lobby, since the Davy Back Fight, since that first messy, violent kiss in Alabasta.

Since Arlong fucking Park, when Zoro yelled at him—

Thirty seconds! I won’t last more than that!

And Sanji had yelled back—

That’s plenty!

It was the trust, he thinks. Trust is something that has never come easily to Sanji; usually it has to be painstakingly earned with blood and sweat, tears and time. He knows Zoro is the same way; has seen it in the sharpness of his gaze whenever they enter a new place and meet new people, always watching, always waiting for the next threat to the crew.

And yet, even though they barely knew each other back then, Zoro gave Sanji his trust at Arlong Park without a second thought. 

What was Sanji supposed to do, except try and return it in kind?

What was he supposed to do, except start falling in love?

Sanji could never admit it to himself before now—too scared, too stubborn, too in his own head about what he should want versus what he actually wants. But he’s going to die tomorrow and nothing matters anymore and Sanji loves Roronoa Zoro. He loves him so fucking much. He has for a long, long time.

And it doesn’t fucking matter because unless there’s a goddamn miracle waiting in the wings for him, Sanji is going to die tomorrow.

Fuck.

(optional reading: bsky thread feat. my thoughts on why i think this particular moment is the one where sanji can no longer hide from his feelings for zoro (click the second post to get the whole thing, i fucked up the thread somehow).)

[ometochtli2rabbit]

BREAKING: The gangs of L.A. brokered a truce and just did more for injustice against innocent immigrants than the entire U.S. Senate has done since they discovered C-SPAN doesn’t have commercials.

Yeah, you heard me. Street crews… yes, those same folks your racist uncle thinks are the final boss in a Fox News fever dream… are now escorting immigrants to court like chivalrous vigilantes in Nike tech fleece. Because when the state decides the Constitution is optional and ICE turns into a roaming death squad with a mask and a clipboard, sometimes the only due process you get is five dudes in matching hoodies telling the feds, “Nah, bro. Not today.”

And guess what? It works. Because ICE agents will happily snatch a grandma from a church picnic if she makes a good deportation stat… but put them near anyone who doesn’t say “yes, sir” with a trembling voice and suddenly they remember they have “other priorities.” These federalized cosplay commandos without badges (but definitely daddy issues) don’t go after the dangerous… they go after the docile. Why? Because they’re not enforcers of law… they’re mall cops with militarized toys and the moral compass of a broken Etch A Sketch.

So of course ICE targets “assimilated immigrants with families.” Because God forbid we deport a white-collar CEO laundering cartel money in Miami… nah, better to rip a kid from his dad in front of the school, then call it “border security.” These aren’t agents… they’re cowards in windbreakers playing hide-and-seek with the American Dream.

And meanwhile, the gangs… yes, gangs… have done what Congress won’t: form a coalition to protect vulnerable people from a government that thinks “compassion” is a foreign threat. These guys just unionized against fascism faster than the Democratic Party could agree on brunch.

So let’s be real. If you’re more outraged that gang members are helping immigrants than you are that the government is hunting them like they’re Pokémon with poor English, you’re not patriotic… you’re complicit. You’re the spiritual lovechild of George Wallace and a Ring doorbell, screaming “law and order” while your empathy dies in 4K.

ICE isn’t about safety. It’s about optics. It’s about keeping middle America scared shitless so they don’t realize who’s actually robbing them blind: it’s not José from Oaxaca, it’s Jeff from JPMorgan.

So props to the homies rolling deep to immigration court. Because while Congress filibusters itself into irrelevance and ICE roleplays as apartheid cosplay, someone’s actually showing up for justice.

You call it gang violence. I call it community defense.

And if that scares you? That’s not fear. That’s your conscience trying to escape the prison you built out of denial. Let it out. Or stay silent… and history will remember you the same way it remembers the cowards: not at all.

If your biggest concern is how uncomfortable this rant made you, congrats… you’re officially less useful than a wet napkin at a house fire. But hey, keep scrolling. I’m sure there’s a cat video somewhere that’ll let you pretend the world isn’t burning.

Wake the hell up.

[dasenergi]

I wanted to share the Author’s Notes from the end of Lost Among the Stars. They explore why I felt called to write about Fred Noonan, the history that shaped the book, and the spiritual practices that guided its creation.

Author's Notes:

A book about Fred Noonan has lingered in the back of my mind for most of my life. I have memories from my 1970s childhood of watching an episode of "In Search Of," hosted by Leonard Nimoy, about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. But her navigator, Fred Noonan, was barely mentioned, overshadowed by Amelia’s immense publicity machine. (Her husband and public relations manager was the publisher G.P. Putnam.)

Yet Amelia didn’t make the journey alone. Fred Noonan was by her side every step of the way. As her navigator, he charted the course for their attempt to circumnavigate the globe. In many ways, I believe his job was even more difficult.

Working in the cramped rear cabin of the Lockheed Electra 10E, stripped down for extra fuel, Fred’s station was uncomfortable and loud. Verbal communication with Earhart was nearly impossible. They passed handwritten notes and relied on hand signals.

To my knowledge, no biography has ever been written about Fred Noonan. His lack of recognition is, in my opinion, a disservice to his legacy. I cannot claim this book does him justice, but perhaps it is a first step toward shining a light on an aviation pioneer whose skill and bravery deserve to be remembered.

Fred’s early life, marked by the death of his mother and a childhood of instability, is drawn from historical record. His time aboard the Crompton, his service during World War I, and his pioneering aviation work are all grounded in fact. His two marriages are also part of the historical record, and I have aimed to portray both wives with care and respect. Although I have taken some fictional liberties, such as the creation of Captain Henshaw, these were included to help illuminate Fred’s story while remaining true to the essence of his life.

Even Amelia and Fred’s final flight follows the known facts. The U.S. Navy did search Gardner Island (now called Nikumaroro), but found no trace of wreckage. While I depicted the island as small, it is actually 3.7 miles long and 1.2 miles wide. The lagoon entrances are narrow and blocked by a reef at low tide.

Later, the island was briefly colonized by the British. Skeletal remains were discovered but never conclusively linked to Earhart or Noonan. In 2019, ocean explorer Robert Ballard (who found the Titanic) led an expedition to the island. But no wreckage was found.

Coconut crabs are very real. Weighing up to 9 pounds and spanning over 3 feet. They are the largest land crabs on Earth. They are opportunistic, powerful, and likely a vivid presence for anyone stranded on that island. Also, the island's lagoon serves as a nursery for blacktip reef sharks. There are currently even more sharks around Nikumaroro than I depicted.

Water’s arrival on Earth is one of the great mysteries of science, but the leading theory suggests much of it came from space. Around four billion years ago, during the Late Heavy Bombardment, Earth was struck by countless asteroids, many carrying water and organic molecules. These cosmic collisions may have delivered the water that now fills our oceans and with it, the seeds of life.

Between September 2023 and May 2024, I was honored to be one of the founding students in Rebecca Campbell’s Inner Temple Mystery School. Over nine transformative months, I learned to deepen my relationship with the unseen world. One of the practices I found most profound was Kything, from the Scottish word kythe, meaning “to make visible.” It is the art of entering into a conscious connection with the soul of another, such as a rose, a tree, or a drop of water.

Parts of this book were received through Kything with water, flowers, trees, and other living presences. This practice has forever changed how I see the world. It is alive with voice and presence, if we are willing to listen.

David Scott Coleman June 21, 2025

More information can be found at: https://about.me/dasenergi

[norriszn]

with The Nortrell Primer coming up soon (it's coming up soon i prommy), i wanted to start sharing a few things i've pieced together, a few things that didn't quite add up at the time, especially during that twitch stream from about 3 years ago, when lando was live answering some questions from subs/viewers with max, cause i didn't know all the stuff i know now ofc.

and when i say "a few things" i really mean a lot of things but they all lead back to the same thing: the day max saw his best friend for the first time. which, for the record, wasn't the first time they spoke and it wasn't the first time they officially met.

it was just the first time max saw lando like really saw him and, for some reason, remembered.

LANDO'S TWITCH STREAM | lando and max talking about karting days

april 14th 2022

as many as you know, they both began karting early, on separate countries but with the same goal. they didn't end up on the same team (ricky flynn motorsport) until 2012, and it wasn't until 2013 that they finally competed against each other in the same class (kf-junior) during the WSK euro series.

in this clip, they talk about how they got started in karting, which eventually leads to max sharing the story of the first time he saw lando on track.

full transcript:

max: "what made you get into karting?" erm, i went to the singapore f1 race in 2008. loved it, loved the sound. and then i tried karting after school once and just fell in love with it... lando: awww max... and kept going back every day. and then i just started racing. i'm not going to go into that story really. it's take ages. i just liked it when i tried it. and then i kept doing it. lando: i did mine... we went to a car race after school on friday, mate. max: yeah? lando: and then my dad went round asking different people if they have any spare suits and boots. and i think we've still got the suits and boots that i got. it was like a blue suit and i mean, at the time, right, i must, it's 2007. so i must have had like a kids 13 size shoe, mate. kids 12, maybe not even that. max: kids 12. lando: kids 12 or something, and these are like size 3, size 4 shoes, which are way too big for me. imagine me in a bambino, right? (the bambino karting class is for kids aged 6–8, using smaller, lighter karts made just for them) how small i was within a size 4 shoe! max: i first saw you -we didn't know each other at this point- but i remember watching, i don't know why i was at pfi (as in pf international circuit). you were just driving around in this little comer (as in comer cadet), like tiny, mate. and i just remember watching for a few laps. lando: yeah, you're watching me, yeah? max: yeah, someone said "that kid... he's just won or something" so i was like oh. lando: oh, really? max: yeah, it was... you had the...that... your first helmet with that black and orange one on. lando: i'm not going to lie i never won a race in cadets. max: i don't know, they said you've... i don't know... you were first(?) [inaudible for me] lando: i think they just said i was goated. max: yeah, probably chatting to the team boss, picking you up. lando: i was probably like 5 years old. max: you were erm... lando: i must have been what? max: you had the black and orange lid on. lando: yeah, so i must have been 8, 9. max: yeah. lando: but i mean, i was freaking tiny at 9 years old. max: you're whizzing round, mate. you're so small. their friend: max, you've been following borris around since he was 9. max: yeah. lando: he's just an absolute fanboy, really. max: i'm day one fan, mate. their friend: watch his fanboy. he's a hidden fan girl. he's a double agent in disguise. max: (to his friend) you're the fan girl, mate. you've recently discovered discord and gets in every day. lando: he's freaking every day waiting on discord for us to join, mate.

okay, now let's set aside how they got into karting for a second and just focus on what max said. because it's kind of wild. he knew lando before even really knowing him. max didn't know who he was, but he remembered him. remembered the way he drove. remembered the way someone told him that lando won and remembered how tiny he was.

max remembered him long before they became anything to each other.

and of course, lando, being very lando, laughed it off and said "you were watching me, yeah?" in that confident way he does when he's just trying to wind max up... but because he's also so lando, you could practically hear his brain gears turning mid stream, and, as always, once his brain starts going, his mouth doesn't exactly wait for permission to follow.

that's when he said two things that stuck with me:

first, that he never won a race in cadets, as in comer cadets class.

and second, that he was probably around nine years old at the time.

and that's what made me revisit all of this. i remember watching that stream and thinking: there's no way max is making that up. no way someone just randomly told him a random kid (lando was random kid abck then) had won when he hadn't. like… who lies to a kid's face like that? (who would lie to this face? not me)

so i went back. i started digging because earlier this year (big 2025), when the 2019 rookies (george, lando, alex) started "closing up" in the formula (n)one standings again, i remembered they used to race in the same karting series: the super one series (s1 to f1). and that little spark sent me down the rabbit hole, and eventually, i ended up writing a big post about it in april but i finally posted like a week ago (this one right here).

and here's what i realised: lando norris is an unreliable narrator.

i don't blame him tho... memories from that age blur, results get mixed up, wins feel smaller in hindsight. but still. lando... let me hold your hands (The Big Paws) when i say this... you were the comer cadet 'o' plate winner in 2010.

there is literal footage. there is photo evidence.

lando norris wins comer cadet 'o' plate 2010

via tvkc on fb reposting 4motor yt vid

earlier this year, adam norris posted what looked like a karting memory (note)book on ig and the front cover was a photo of little lando norris, small enough to look like he barely fit in the frame, holding a massive trophy. that pic as far as i can tell, was taken the day he won the comer cadet ‘o’ plate, at none other than pf international circuit, the very same place max said he saw lando for the first time.

age 10, "karting is what i love doing an my ambition is to win the formula 1 world championship" via adam_norris_pure_electric on ig (this pic is not part of adam ig feed anymore btw :/)

so far, everything lines up pretty well... that race lando won was in june 6th 2010, which means both he and max would've been 10 years old, not 9 like lando said in the stream.

so… was it that exact date, that exact circuit, where max first saw lando? ermmm, well, max said lando was wearing a black and orange helmet. and while lando was wearing a helmet that looked similar, it wasn't exactly black and orange on that day.

he did have a black and orange lid back in 2009 when he was racing in comer cadets (yes, he raced in comer cadets back in 2008, 2009 and 2010).

and how do i know lando did wear that black and orange helmet? because there’s a book — published over fifteen years ago by none other than jane eyes and steve illott, callum illott’s parents.

now, if you're reading this (and i'm not just screaming into the void), you might be asking: why would callum’s parents publish a book? well, simple — callum was also racing in the comer cadet class in 2009.

jane and steve put together that book — and a few others — filled with photos from every round of the championship, each with little captions underneath.

and this particular book was focused on lando and his older brother, oliver. and in those photos (which i'll include below), you can clearly see lando in 2009, wearing — you guessed it — a black and orange helmet.

comer cadet season 2009 by jane eyes and steveilott via blurb books uk

if you're wondering how i even found this book: i stumbled across it years ago just by googling “lando norris karting 2009 cadets” but it came back to me this year when adam posted a pic of a page of it back in february.

@.lando @.olivernorris1 Good photo jane_eyes_ilott via adam_norris_pure_electric on threads

(adam's name is a recurrent name in this post. lando might joke that max was his og fan but truthfully? one of his biggest fans has always been his dad. kudos to adam.)

in that post, adam tagged callum's mum, which makes it pretty likely that he was flipping through that exact same book.

let's keep going.

lando that year he didn't win a single race, didn't take the 'o' plate, and finished 14th in the championship standings.

and here's the key part: in 2009, max was still living in malaysia. we know this because on november 22nd, 2009, max raced in the red white sangari invitational kart prix, where he finished 5th. so he couldn’t have seen lando racing in the uk that year.

so... is max an unreliable narrator too? maybe. or maybe he just remembered the helmet a little differently. it's far more likely he saw the chrome and orange helmet lando wore in 2010 and remembered it as black and orange. they were similar enough, especially in motion. it happens.

taking all that into account: the dates, the location, the helmet, the timelines... i feel pretty confident saying NOW that in june 6th in 2010, at pf international circuit, max saw a tiny little boy who would eventually become his best friend :') smol frens !!!!

that was the moment. that was the origin story.

and lando doesn't even remember it lmao.

incredible.

oh, and if you want to make all of this even more insane, check the 2010 MSA drivers entry list. you'll find norris siblings names, and yes callum illott (he raced that year too!)but keep scrolling and you'll spot a slighthy familiar name: edward jones.

super one msa series 2010 entries (26.2.10) via super one british kart series news

now, if you're asking yourself who's edward jones???? just click here (that's ed's ig carrousel from last year, you can see lando, max and tom as well <3 because those are his friends and ed is a racing driver now btw)

it's actually insane to think about that maybe max didn't just see lando for the first time that day. he might've seen ed too, one of his closest friends.

alexa, play invisible string by t swift!

that's all. bye.

WAIT. one more thing:

please don’t take this to twitter. i've done my best to stick to what's public: things max has said himself, karting pages pdfs and published books. nothing way too personal.

the last thing i want is for anyone to make max/lando/ed uncomfortable or start harassing them with questions.

if i see this out of context on that hellsite i will cry and i will delete everything and then i will relocate to the moon. bye <3

[lieutenant-lithuania]

Demons have been getting less and less business ever since people discovered technology. Todays computers educate people and prevent them into joining cults in the name of the devil— or make up new ones that have nothing to do with demons! How cruel!

Which is why the demons adapted and integrated into modern tech.

That MacBook your friends sweet grandma bought him? Well every time he send an email to his professor the demon inside adds a personalized insult randomly in the middle of his text directed towards the poor teacher. The phone that your other friend swore was normal the night before? It now sends you horror videos 3:00 to 3:33 AM.

Was this weird? Yes. Was this scary? Of course. Was this annoying? Absolutely. You've gotten so used to the buzzing of your phone in the dead of night that you've started to sleep through it. And every single time your friend shows up to class with an embarrassed frown on his face you already know some teacher chewed him out for "telling" them their face looks like a horse when they get into the flow of the lesson.

It was normal life now. So when a professor comes to class and admits shamefully that the entire lesson of the day was wiped clean off of your computer, most of the class just sighs.

No one knows why this was happening to almost everyone, and you sure as hell have wasted energy trying to find an answer. So, what's left?

You remembered that you haven't ever opened the strange and edgy videos sent to you, and with boredom clouding your judgement— you clicked on one of the videos. It immediately showed you distorted faces and edited blood. Cryptic and haunting words flashed onto the screen and whispered in a voice only a devil could muster. It wasn't scary. Maybe it's because you watched it in the middle of the day, or maybe because you've watched too many arg's filled with very similar type of imagery. Nonetheless, you weren't disturbed and threw your phone to the side. Homework was awaiting you with open arms.

Unbeknownst to you, you have just made a gateway from your friends phone to yours, successfully migrating over to your device. And it is not pleased. Don't you know how much it worked to make that video?! Modern day horror is exactly like this! And learning photo-editing as an ancient entity isn't easy! A little bit of appreciation would have been nice!

It put blood sweat and tears into making something even more toe-curling and vomit inducing and popped it onto your screen one day as you attempted to pick out a song for your walk to campus. You stopped in your tracks, gazed upon the first couple seconds of the video and sighed, pocketing your phone and continuing your venture in silence. HOW RUDE.

But the demon couldn't lie, it was intrigued. Did nothing he do give you even the smallest of frights? Is the modern generation already desensitized to such things? It could only find out by watching you even closer.

Whenever you put your phone out on the table, it observed you. Whenever you texted it memorized each and every letter. It secretly accompanied you when you watched youtube. At first it told itself that it was just doing this to make falling asleep unbearable for you and to make sure his videos are imprinted into your mind forever.

But then it couldn't stop. Its day wouldn't be complete nor good if it didn't hear you speak or see your face. It wanted you to smile, to scream, to cry and to kiss its face. Dear underworld, it knew what was happening and nothing could stop it. It was obsessed. It was in love. With a mortal.

Would you like it if the demon knew you to your core? Would you be creeped out if it correctly listed off all of your search history? Don't worry, it doesn't judge! In fact, it searched up everything you did to make sure it knows what you know. You're perfect together! You must see it! You must see your fated!

The phone buzzed as you brushed your teeth, and you picked it up. There was only one notification on the screen.

UNKNOWN "Hi, Y/N. Mind if we chat?"

[wardenbloom]

Zayne: Within Grasp (Part 5)

Reader x Zayne

Self-aware; ongoing (Here's the link to the first part if you haven't started it yet!)

Part 5: How much did it cost him? Probably his life savings

Its been weeks since Zayne arrived in your world but he still hasn't landed any stable job, rather, he'd been doing odd jobs from tutoring kids, to changing the neighbor's tires, to even doing art commissions.

At first he thought that it was embarrassing to do such work without a stable income when he was a renowned doctor in Linkon City which gave him stability. But eventually, he realized the importance of such work and came to understand the nuances that comes from having different jobs. While he was earning well enough to pay some of the bills at home, he thought that he could do more.

Today, Zayne decided to fetch you from your office after his tutoring gig. On the way, he passed by a pastry shop and bought you some bread and sweets -- he thought you were eating less but in all honesty, you were just watching your weight.

As he walked towards the building, a shadow was seemingly following him. An odd shape of a human without the actual human to make such shadow. It had a blue green glitch-like light on top of the shadow and it 'spoke' in a vexing but playful voice.

"How is job hunting, ferryman? hehehe" It said.

That voice...

Zayne stopped in his tracks and stood still as his heart pounded. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

"...What are you doing here?" Zayne asked.

"Oh! What an intimidating voice! Look, sweetie, I am sorry for the miscalculation. I really didn't mean to! haha!" It replied and the shadow suddenly had a grin on its 'face'.

"... You charged me twice for a mistake you made. You thought it was her in the game and placed me inside that." Zayne replied. "You charged me once for putting myself in this form in game and another of the same price to get me out of the game to meet her personally." Zayne spoke as if he was venting out a problem that's been piling up for a while now.

"Now, now. Calm yourself, ferryman." The shadow nervously laughed. "It was an accident! I really thought her and the empty vessel were the same person! This is why I didn't charge you more for giving you time until her lifetime! It is to make amends to my most loyal customer!"

"All I want is a peaceful life until then. Now scram." Zayne's eyes were sharp and raging as he remembered how he felt when he discovered that he was talking to an empty vessel all along.

If he hadn't figured it out, he would still be in game and still talking to the vessel with repetitive questions and answers.

"Yes, yes. But, I'll visit once in a while just to check up on you. After all, you are an important client of mine." The shadow laughed as it vanished.

...I... I'd do anything for you... It doesn't matter how... As long as I get to be in your life.

He thought of you as he walked to the lobby of the building where your office was located.

At exactly 5pm, you decided to go home and found Zayne waiting at the lobby with food and sweets on his hands. You approached him and smiled at him but noticed that he looked weary. But as soon as he saw you in front of him, his eyes perked up and he gave you a gentle smile.

"How was your day?" He asked then stood up.

"It was alright. I didn't do much except for contacting various people for the upcoming event." You replied and he gently held your bag and carried it for you. "Thank you." You smiled.

"Of course," He replied. "I bought you some sweets. You might want to eat some of them going home."

"Thank you again, Zayne. You always manage to make me happy." You childishly smiled as you rummaged through the paper bag full of pastries.

"By the way, are you alright? You look tired..." You asked but he nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine." He briefly replied.

"I see... Oh right, our company will have a medical mission in marginalized areas in the province next month and they're looking for volunteers even not working in our company. You wanna join?" You asked and thought that it would be good for him to join since he is a doctor.

"That would be great." Zayne replied and held your hand. "I still do want to work in the medical field."

"Say, you can still study again and practice. I'm sure getting the scholarship is no problem for you." You suggested but he shook his head.

"They'll be needing my pre-med course and I have to go all through the process of studying again... which would cause us to spend less time together." He uttered. "I'd rather just do these menial jobs than focus on studying... again."

"I see. Point taken, doctor Zayne." You nodded. "I just hope that you're enjoying yourself with the various jobs you've been picking up! You're such a workaholic." You giggled.

"I... I just want to give you a comfortable life, if possible." He smiled and squeezed your hand.

Hearing that, you suddenly felt flustered and your cheeks turned red.

Oh... the provider mindset it just... too attractive...

"Thank you for thinking of me, Zayne." You smiled. "I've... never felt more seen than now. And you're a big part of why I am happy now. I hope this lasts for a very long time."

"It will. I'll be here for you for a very long time." He assured you and kissed your hand.

<< Part 4

>> Part 6

[unwavering-devotion]

You should def rant about something— anything

I was never much of a religious man.

The belief of God, of course, was ingrained into me when I was young. As a child, I had no issues with it. Why would I? Everyone around me was faithful, and therefore it would be odd if I wasn't.

I do not remember when I stopped believing in God. I did not want to give up on Him, but He seemed to have given up on me already. I searched passionately for the thing that brought the people around me comfort and purpose, and found nobody and nothing.

That is, until He called out to me.

Not the God that I was taught to believe in, not the deity that had abandoned me. He was real. He was real and I could hear Him, there in my cell. I was instantly converted. His words were low and smooth, a pleasant change from the yelling in the asylum. He spoke of such wonderful promises, of rewards that I would be guaranteed with if only I followed Him.

That day I discovered what I was destined for. I was not some common loon, to be locked away and forgotten about. See, my madness has a method! I am not "insane" for what I do, I have a very good reason. It is not my fault that my doctor believes that very reason to be rooted in delusions.

He is no mere figment of my imagination. I know He is real. I know very well. My knees are not red for nothing, I pray to somebody who can hear me. God, or the Devil, whatever people may call Him…

I was never a man of much faith until that night, and He was now my devoted place of worship.

[tellingoldstories]

WIP Wednesday

This week's is from chapter 2 of and flowers, stronger than cement which I am hoping to have finished before next week's WIP Wednesday rolls around:

Most people's first call, upon discovering that they have a three-year-old child, wouldn't be to their ex-wife. But then again, Jack Abbot is not most people, and Emery Walsh is not most people's ex-wives.

“Christ, Jack,” she says, after he’s told her the whole story; after she’s stopped laughing at him, “things that would only happen to you.”

He’s holding his phone tightly in both hands, Emery’s voice echoing through the tinny speakers as he tries to remember that he’s supposed to breathe - legs planted wide apart, head hung low as if it will stave off the buzzing in his mind.

“You handled it well though,” she continues, and it must be the truth because she doesn’t lie to him; never has and wouldn’t start now. Demands nothing but unfailing honesty in return and, really, he supposes, that’s probably why they didn’t even make it to their second wedding anniversary.

“You think?” He rasps

“I think.” Emery responds firmly. He can hear her rustling about - she doesn’t like to stand still, is probably doing her laundry as they talk, is probably balancing her phone between her ear and the crook of her neck. “Listen,” she adds, “you’ve made an appointment with your therapist, right?”

He nods, realises she can’t actually see him, and then answer in the affirmative. He’d texted Dr Pullman before he’d even pulled out of the hospital parking lot, hands shaking. Invoked the emergency appointment procedure for the first time in nearly a year and has a session scheduled for a couple of hours’ time. The older man has been treating Jack for the best part of a decade now, knows him as well as anyone save perhaps the woman on the other end of the phone, but Jack has the feeling that even he is going to have a hard time helping him rationalise this particular kick from the universe. If Jack was Dr Pullman, Jack would demand a raise.

He's about to express this to Emery when his phone buzzes, lighting up with a with an incoming text message,

Samira Mohan (9:26 AM):

I know earlier must have been kind of lot and I understand if you need more time

But Anika and I will be in the playpark near the hospital after your shift tomorrow

If you wanted to get coffee?

Underneath she has attached a photo. Anika is wearing a yellow raincoat and holding a stick, has a smudge of mud on her face and a feral, delighted grin that makes his heart clench in his chest; the breath punching right out of him. Thinks about every time in the last three years he’s thrown himself between a colleague and punch, stood on the wrong side of the hospital railings after a bad shift and not cared, not really, if he’d lived through the rest of the night. Thinks shit. Thinks he could have lost all of this so easily, before he’d even realised he had it at all.

Distantly, he can hear Emery’s voice through the ringing in his ears. “Jack?” she asks, and he has no way of knowing if it’s the first or the fifth time she’s said his name. Thinks it must be nearer the latter because she follows it up with, “Fuck it. I’m coming over. I’ll drive you to that dumb ass office your therapist thinks creates a nice environment or whatever, but I swear to God I will not be held responsible for what I’ll do if you don’t buy me a coffee on the way.”

She has started up her engine by the time he has the presence of mind to thank her. Thinks wryly, rapturously and not for the first time, that twenty-eight-year-old Jack Abbot had impeccable taste in women.  

[autumnsup]

Impressions from Chapter Three

Several points jumped out at me from reading today's chapter:

Mentions of war. I have next to no prior knowledge of either the Boer Wars or the Balkan Wars, but according to The Canadian Encyclopedia; "the South African War (1899–1902) was Canada's first foreign war. Also known as the Boer War, it was fought between Britain (with help from its colonies and Dominions such as Canada) and the Afrikaner republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State.... The war was significant because it marked the first time Canadian troops distinguished themselves in battle overseas. At home, it fuelled a sense that Canada could stand apart from the British Empire, and it highlighted the French-English divide over Canada's role in world affairs — two factors that would soon appear again in the First World War." That Rilla was too young to remember this particular war probably explains why we get such a brief mention of it. Jem's harrowing description of a doctor administering to a soldier in the 1912-13 Balkan Wars, however, speaks of a much more recent conflict, and one that would only contribute to the unrest that gave rise to WWI.

2. What is it about ministers' daughters not dancing? Faith's reaction to participating in the taffy pull is hilarious--guess that's not what the cool kids were doing in those days. I'm genuinely curious about the not-dancing thing though--was it just considered irreverent and inappropriate for people in religious families to dance?

3. I love Rilla's kimono and bedroom shoes nightmare (interesting that Asian influence was already creeping into fashion at the time too). The later description of showing herself off to Susan before going to the dance is also lovely:

She wore her green dress with its little pink daisy garlands, her silk stockings and silver slippers. She had golden pansies in her hair and at her creamy throat. 

I picture her dress to look something between this:

and this:

The silver slippers don't have enough descriptors for me to really envision them but I'm curious to see what other people think they look like.

4. Sheesh, Miss Oliver! She's really not holding back on leaning into the bitter, pessimistic side of things, to counter Rilla's sweetness in this chapter. In my personal opinion, going to a dance with an awkward boy isn't the end of the world (I did it myself around that age and it was perfectly fine). On the other hand, Miss Oliver's dream is chilling and all too prescient, not unlike Walter's earlier vision of the Piper. I find it Interesting that she also uses Walter's nickname for Rilla--perhaps there are some further parallels between these two characters that are yet to be discovered.

5. Speaking of pipers... Jem whistling the 100 Pipers song makes a lot more sense to me after finishing the chapter. (If you click on the link it takes you to a delightful instrumental version of the song, although there are plenty of sung versions on YouTube as well.)

6. I wonder what symbolism can be gleaned from this passage:

Rilla was leaning out of her room window, dressed for the dance. A yellow pansy slipped from her hair and fell out over the sill like a falling star of gold. She caught at it vainly—but there were enough left. Miss Oliver had woven a little wreath of them for her pet's hair.

According to Flowermeaning.com:

"In Victorian England, the pansy flower was used for secret courting.  Any display of love or passion was severely frowned upon and in order to communicate to potential romantic partners the  pansy was employed.... The pansy flower was also the symbol adopted by the Free Thinkers Society, a group of people who decided to adopt a mode of thought that was free from societal constraints, expectations, emotions or religious dogma. In its highest form it is based on pure logic and reason. They adopted the pansy as its symbol because the word pansy is from the verb penser in French, meaning to think."

I am probably reading way too much into this, but it seems to me that it could mean Rilla's current way of thinking--or not thinking--is about to be shaken up. Not a complete loss of innocence, given that she still has a crown of pansies to fall back on, but some loss, certainly.

7. On Rainbow Valley's current use:

Jem and Faith trysted there considerably; Jerry and Nan went there to pursue uninterruptedly the ceaseless wrangles and arguments on profound subjects that seemed to be their preferred method of sweethearting. 

I love this? "Trysting" could mean any number of things, I suppose, none of them mentionable by 1900s standards. 🤭 Honestly I would be much more likely to fall into the the Jerry-Nan dynamic myself, preferring to engage in discussions with people I'm close to rather than making out or what-have-you.

8. Cousin Sophia Crawford's views on hair and consumption are interesting to me, as I'm not sure where they came from. I think Aunt Elizabeth said something similar to Emily before "shingling" her hair for the summer in Emily of New Moon. Was this just a commonly held (and probably misguided) belief in the time of TB?

9. We have an orb! I don't recall ever coming across an actual description of someone's eyes as orb-like, yet here I stand corrected before the description of Whiskers-on-the-moon's daughter Miranda: "her eyes were big china blue orbs." I guess this means they were a bit prominent as well as being wide and blue?

10. I've written too much already but couldn't end without mentioning the relationship dynamics that have been established in this chapter, namely Una's pining for Walter, Rilla's secret crush on Kenneth, and her disdain for Mary Vance's classist comments about Ethel Reese and Kenneth. All of them paint a picture for me that shows Rilla to have more depth and understanding than the rest of the chapter might indicate.

[bullet-prooflove]

Could you tell us a little bit more about Charlie’s nightmares?

Babe… There are a few of them.

See below the cut:

His Father – Charlie has a recurring nightmare of the time he found his father hanging. He remembers the quietness of the house, the stillness, the sound of his own footsteps as he took the stairs one at a time searching for his father. He checks every room in the with an apprehension growing in his chest with every one he finds vacant. Eventually he steps outside into the yard… And that’s when he sees the shoes, white Adidas sneakers just swinging to and fro in the breeze as the leaves rustle in the tree his dad has tied the rope too.

I think it’s important to mention here that Charlie’s dad did not intend Charlie to find him. The neighbour was supposed to come over to discuss chopping the tree down because it was blocking the sunlight getting into his garden. That tree was one that his mother had planted when she first got the house. His father had carved their initials and when Charlie was born, Charlie’s into it.  The neighbour flaked on the whole thing and Charlie came home from school to find his dad dead.

This one usually crops up around significant occasions, - birthdays, anniversary of his mom’s death as this was when it took place.

PTSD – Charlie’s entire career has been based in violence. He’s seen some horrible, atrocious shit during his time with organised crime which is why he takes such a hard stance on it.

Here’s the highlights:

His colleague beheaded, he didn’t find the body but he was one of the first on the scene after his wife did. He will never forget her screams as his Lieutenant tried to draw her away from the mess that was left.

AJ Jackson – An 8 year soccer star caught in the crossfire during a drive by. Charlie was in the area conducting interviews on the initial hit when he heard the gunshots. He tried to render first aid but the kid ended up bleeding out in his arms. Charlie still dreams he can’t get the blood off.

Camilla Anderson – An 80 year old woman who was accidently run down during another drive by. She was pinned between a wall and the car after the driver lost control from his own injury when the gang returned fire. She suffered severe crush injuries and Charlie held her hand and kept her calm by talking to her about her grandchildren as the paramedics/firefighters evaluated their course of action. Unfortunately it was discovered the only thing keeping her alive was the car pinning her. Charlie was the one who held her hand when they did remove the car because she was terrified of dying alone.

Bradon Jenkins – A toddler who ODed after getting into his father’s stash. He’d been dead three days when they found him, the dad was so strung out he hadn’t noticed.

These are the ones that keep him up at night and the reason he insists his teams have regular department psych evals.