#freshers 2019

[imogenkol]

FLUFFTOBER — DAY 8 PROMPT: RAINY DAY

words: 2.4k rating: m warnings: light intimacy, mentions of sex

Nadya was woken up by a gentle shake of her shoulder. Groaning at whoever dared to disturb her, she blindly reached up to bat the hand away in refusal. Sleep was the only priority on her mind. Her body still teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, she could easily allow herself to slip back into precious slumber. The person who attempted to rouse her was persistent, though.

“Nadya,” Jayde called softly. She shifted closer from where she lay behind the tired human. This time her hand went to the girl’s waist, squeezing her and placing a kiss to the back of her shoulder. “Babe, wake up.” There was a hint of excitement in her voice that Nadya tried to ignore.

“No,” Nadya mumbled into her pillow and buried herself deeper in the blankets.

That only succeeded in making Jayde quietly laugh. “It’s raining,” she whispered with a smile in her voice.

That got Nadya’s attention. The past summer had been long and dry. She didn’t hate sunshine, but her heart yearned for an overcast sky and the joys of rainfall. It felt like ages since the last storm, so at Jayde’s words, Nadya went still and listened for it. The soft patter of eager raindrops against the window confirmed her claim. A smile came across her face as she finally opened her eyes.

A warm contentment settled in the human’s chest and she turned around in Jayde’s arms to face her. Jayde propped herself up on one elbow, watching her girlfriend struggle through drowsiness with adoration in her midnight eyes. Jayde didn’t look sleepy at all, which made Nadya wonder.

“When did you wake up?” she asked through a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

“About an hour ago,” Jayde answered. Her hand brushed through Nadya’s messy hair, moving it out of her face. When her thumb caressed her cheek, the human happily curled into her more to savor the supernatural heat of her body with the sound of the rain in their ears.

“Why so long?” Nadya felt slightly concerned that bad dreams may have haunted her again.

“I sensed the storm before it came,” she explained, her rough voice adding to the soothing warmth she emitted. “I wanted to wait until it really hit to wake you. And maybe I just wanted to stay in bed with you a while longer.”

Smiling again, Nadya placed a kiss to her collarbone. “Okay, fifteen more minutes in bed. Then coffee. Then we can go play in the rain.”

“Or,” Jayde countered with a soft chuckle, “We go play in it now, then coffee and curling up by the fire.”

Nadya let out a half-hearted grumble. “You drive a hard bargain. Five more minutes, then we go.”

“Deal,” she agreed.

Jayde lasted about thirty seconds before she became too restless to let either of them stay still. Her hand started to wander in an effort to rouse her girlfriend. For the most part, it worked. Her touch always stirred Nadya’s senses no matter how out of she was, but then Jayde started to inch closer to the most ticklish spot on her side.

“Don’t even think about it,” Nadya warned.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Nadya scolded, wise to her intentions.

“You’re so grumpy in the morning, I’m just trying to lighten you up,” Jayde teased.

Nadya leaned back to glare at her sarcastically. “Oh, really? I’ll show you grumpy.”

Before she could reply with another retort, Nadya snatched both of the werewolf’s wrists and used her weight to put Jayde on her back. Nadya pinned her hands up by her shoulders to prevent her from retaliating and leaned in to place her mouth on her neck. Jayde sucked in a sharp breath as Nadya took her flesh between her teeth, giving her a hard nip. 

Jayde’s exhale turned into another amused chuckle. “Aren’t I the werewolf? I thought biting was supposed to be my thing.”

The human let go long enough to say, “Some of your bad habits rub off on me.” Her teeth grazed the pulse point again to discourage any vengeful tickling once she released her wrists. Jayde hummed and the vibration of her voice against Nadya’s lips made her hesitate to release her for a moment longer. She placed gentle kisses where she had bitten, soothing any potential red marks.

Her grip finally loosened and Jayde’s hands immediately shot down to her waist. Her thumb went underneath Nadya’s shirt and brushed over her skin, making the butterflies in the girl’s stomach flutter like mad. If it weren’t for the rain, she would’ve let them stay in bed. But they both craved the freshness of a storm on their skin. So, they indulged in a minute of sweet morning kisses before they got up and out of bed.

After she pulled a thick sweater over her head, Nadya caught a glimmer of something mischievous in the wolf’s eyes. “What’s that for,” she asked, reaching out to poke the subtle upturn at the corner of her girlfriend’s mouth.

Jayde leaned in and kissed her with more of a fervor. The familiar sensations overtook Nadya just as it had so many times before. Their lips moved together in tandem and Jayde’s hands squeezed her hips to encourage the temptation to get lost in each other. Nadya loved that she could just let herself go and get drunk on these remarkable feelings. She forgot whatever she had just said or thought. Especially when she felt the barest brush of Jayde’s hot tongue against hers.

Suddenly, Jayde gripped the bottom of Nadya’s sweater and pulled it off of her in one smooth motion. Nadya blinked a few times after she broke away from the kiss, trying to recover from her utterly flustered state. She saw Jayde turn the sweater right side out, which she thought was more considerate of her than usual, but otherwise dismissed the unusual action. Jayde flashed her a crooked grin and just when Nadya expected them to crash together once more, Jayde proceeded to put the sweater on herself.

Nadya laughed in disbelief. “Did you just steal the clothes right off my back?”

“You steal my clothes all the time,” Jayde pointed out with a shrug. “I want to wear something of yours for a change.”

“I haven’t stolen your clothes when you're wearing them!”

Jayde looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You totally have.”

Nadya narrowed her eyes at the implication in her stare. “Sex doesn’t count. If it touches the floor, it doesn’t count.”

Jayde gave her best sure eye-roll. “Look at you, making up the rules.”

“You better watch yourself before I steal that back.” Nadya said, pointing a finger at her chest. “I really like that one.”

“I bet you like this more.” Jayde pecked the tip of her nose and walked over to the closet where she pulled out Nadya’s favorite flannel – Jayde’s flannel that was a mixture of earthly browns and greens – and handed it to her with a smile. “The rain awaits us, my love.”

The rainfall had gotten heavier since Nadya woke up. As soon as they stepped outside the Lodge, they were pelted by large drops of water and quickly drenched. Nadya couldn’t hide the massive grin that appeared on her face. She eagerly ran out into the driveway, making sure there were no roofs or trees to separate her from the sky. With arms stretched out, she tilted her head upwards to the clouds that hung above them. Mist trickled through the edges of the forest and the air was freezing. Nadya could see every breath she exhaled. Soon the rain would make her colder, but she didn’t care.

“Oh, it’s perfect!” Nadya exclaimed, taking in a deep breath of wet pines and soil. Everything about it made her feel alive. It rejuvenated her. It was worth getting up early for. And the best part of it all was the werewolf at her side.

She turned and realized that Jayde watched her with a look that Nadya had grown so familiar with. She remembered the very first time she ever saw that look. Before they were together, Nayda caught her staring with a soft intensity in her eyes that made her wonder what she could have possibly done to garner such an expression. Jayde had given her that look countless times since, growing less shy about the human noticing as time went on. Now, she did it shamelessly. It took a while, but Nadya eventually understood. It was a look of immeasurable love.

Though Nadya didn’t know what her version of that expression looked like, she always knew she bore it when she felt warmth flood through my chest. Jayde looked gorgeous in the rain. So carefree and happy as damp wisps of blonde hair clung to her wet cheeks. She was the kind of person that belonged in all kinds of nature. Just like Nadya. The sky sent down her love and it made them both glow.

Nadya’s legs carried her towards Jayde, but after a couple steps her foot found a puddle deep enough for a considerable amount of water to seep into her shoe and dampen her sock. She looked down and shook her head with an amused sigh, realizing she had been in too much of a rush to remember her rain boots. At least the Den had a fireplace that she could dry her shoes by.

Jayde noticed and scoffed. “You should really watch where you’re going.”

Nadya fixed her with a playful scowl. As she noted that Jayde only stood a few inches away from the puddle, an idea formed. “You should really watch where you’re standing,” Nadya shot back and jumped.

The splash got her as much as it did Jayde, but the look of shock and mock offense on Jayde’s face made it worth it. Her eyes flashed mischievously and she tried to snatch Nadya’s arms to hold her in place. Even through uncontrollable giggles, Nadya managed to escape her grasp and skipped back out of her reach. Jayde resorted to kicking the puddle at her. It sent the water flying all the way up to Nadya’s face, causing her to flinch away, and Jayde laughed triumphantly.

The werewolf came after her with a rare and unabashed grin – a smile Nadya would do anything for. She avoided her advance and circled back to the puddle, making sure she didn’t run too far ahead of her. The next splash she made had a little bit more volume thanks to her momentum and she was rewarded with a gasp of displeasure from behind her.

When Nadya turned around, prepared to stomp in the puddle again, Jayde’s strong arms wrapped around her waist. Nadya barely had a moment to react before she effortlessly threw her over her shoulder, making her cry out in surprised delight. Her laughter turned to hysterics when Jayde started to spin them around. The world flew by in a dizzying blur.

“You better not drop me!” Nadya shouted in between giggles.

“You barely weigh anything to me. Werewolf strength, remember?” Jayde replied, slowing to a stop and jumping in the puddle to prove her point. The splash caught Nadya in the face again and she laughed, smacking Jayde’s thigh for the offense. “I won’t drop you,” she promised.

“Well, if I’m ever dangling over a pit of lava, I know who to call.”

“Nobody’s dangling you over a pit of lava. Now, a deeper puddle that someone just spotted, maybe,” Jayde said and started towards a new direction.

Nadya strained to get a look, wiggling in her grip and causing Jayde to tighten her hold. Then she saw the puddle. It would be more accurate to call it a lake. She started to squirm more desperately. “Jay!”

“Stay still,” Jayde laughed.

When they got to the large puddle, Jayde plopped her down in it and the water easily went up to her calves. Nadya couldn’t even be mildly annoyed because the splash had been the most satisfying one thus far. She giggled gleefully and jumped a second time. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the slick mud at the bottom. All it took was a slightly awkward landing to take her off balance. Nadya’s foot slipped in the mud and swept her right off her feet. Jayde reached out to catch her, but the sudden downward momentum caught her off guard and it just brought them both down right in the middle of the muddy water with a chaotic splash.

Jayde tried her best not to land too hard on top of her human and Nadya did her best to cushion the werewolf’s fall. It wasn’t graceful by any means. They were both completely drenched and muddy. Yet all they could do was half laugh, half groan in pain at their own clumsiness.

“You okay?” Jayde chuckled, wiping some mud off Nadya’s cheek.

Nadya grimaced a bit as she leaned up on her elbows. There might be a bruise or two later. “I think I’ll live,” she answered with a grin, now shivering in the cold.

“Sorry about that.” Their faces were inches apart. Jayde kept glancing down at Nadya’s lips, a hint of hunger in her eyes.

Nadya wanted to kiss her, too. So, she did. Closing the distance between them, she pressed her lips to Jayde’s. They kissed long enough to taste a mixture of sweetness and rainwater on the softness of the other’s lips — the perfect combination of earth and sky. Nadya loved how gentle and sure Jayde was with her, the heat from her proximity already chasing away the chill that shook her spine. Jayde heard their heartbeats fall into the same rhythm as she deepened the cadence of their kiss and her senses bloomed to take in every single detail of the girl in her arms.

“I forgive you,” Nadya muttered against her lips with a smile.

She felt Jayde smile as well and took the opportunity to playfully reach out to her side and splash water at her. Jayde flinched as brown flecks dotted half her face. Even though Nadya took her by surprise, she saw her eyes flash with retribution. Jayde sat up and used both her hands to create an even bigger wave of muddy puddle water directed right at her.

Soon, they were in a full-blown water fight on the side of the driveway, laughing like children as the rain continued to pour down on them. A few people going to and from the Lodge gave the two young women odd looks when they noticed the display, but neither of them cared about how ridiculous they looked in the slightest.

[naukrisambad]

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[sanest-ultrakill-fan]

REJOICE D2 COMMUNITY

because someone finally uploaded all of his screenshots on a google drive for convenient acess and where he's not going to lose them for good once his PC decides to give out for the 8th time in the past 4 years

Anyway, a preamble for those inclined:

Most of these are pretty old, furthest dating back to about July 2019, so expect a number of them to be...lesser than others, and possibly compressed to shit/poorly cropped - i didn't know what i was doing at the time. BUT the good news is that the fresher they are by the date the better they get, so expect higher quality the further you go down the list

This at large is meant to document and immortalize the content that since had long been removed from the game, but it also includes stuff and destinations that are still available. Downloading and use is encouraged, do whatever you want

I hope this is a trip down memory lane for any community oldies - it definitely was for me while i was sifting through them lmao

And the last note. I have not had acess to any new content beyond the Witch Queen expansion and the seasons that followed it since it is currently region blocked in my fuckass terrorist country, hence why the latest of these are dated back to 2022. I miss this game immensely, my days for the past 3 years had not been the same without it; i will always keep it and the memories made in it close to my heart. This is as much an archive as it is a lover letter to this flawed but wonderful game. I hope you enjoy these as much as i do

What to expect:

[hotpockets-pdf]

Id like to talk about the dunmeshi anime;

Ive been watching anime for over half my lifetime, which admittedly isn't very long, but id like to think Ive watched enough to know what Im talking about.

Ive been a strict sub-only watcher for new animes since around 2018-2019. Because the dubs were just 𝙗𝙖𝙙. nearly unwatchable for me. I couldn't handle any of the popular animes. MHA, Demon Slayer, AoT, etc.

And the reason is not that the voice actors are bad, they are incredible, it's that these American/ English men just do not sound like teenagers. And I feel that this is only a more recent development? I don't have this problem with any anime from before the early 2010s. Maybe a few here and there but not nearly as many as nowadays.

Thats why I was so impressed with dunmeshi. Not only do you have new, fresher voices, they sound NATURAL. Damien Haas, who I've watched on Smosh for years, fucking KILLED IT. Not to mention Emily Rudd as Marcille, i was so surprised when I found out it was her voice I was hearing!

And all because it's a story about ADULTS. not a ragtag group of 14-16 year old kids like so many shows are now.

This is the first anime I've watched in awhile. I usually just rewatch my favorites... I've been burnt out on watching new stuff for years. But I had heard so many good things about dunmeshi, plus I wanted to see Damien's acting chops outside of Smosh. I'm so glad I picked it up. It really gave me a glimpse of possibility for the next wave of voices. It's so nice to be able to put a show on in the background without having to read lmfaooo.

Beyond that, however, I can't think of another anime that is about adults, but full of so much whimsy. Part of the problem for me is that I cant find any fun anime that isn't centered around romance or slice of life. Or it just isnt nearly as well written. I think Fairytail is a great example of an anime that's super fun... but not the best in terms of plot and writing. It's very good, just a little too long and juvenile after 150+ episodes.

I want to watch more of these shows, that don't take themselves too seriously, but craft a beautiful and heartwarming story that leaves you happier than when you started. (and maybe with more appreciation for food).

Anyway, in conclusion, I'm so happy I decided to watch dunmeshi. I hope that more of these type of projects will appear, or that I'll find more of them from the past. In the meantime, I'll be avoiding dubbed shounen like the plague. I'm so impressed, (and proud, I love seeing people succeed at their craft), with the dub cast of dunmeshi. Everyone on that team is incredible, and I hope they get many more roles and projects.

If you read all of this, thank you for listening to my rant! if you have any recommendations or thoughts, Id love to hear them :)

[yayroos]

ok ok ok MCR people i have had a thought. i was going through the NA NA NA video to look for the issue of murder magazine kobra has to compare against the one gerard was reading on stage in seattle lltbp. and like. we've always assumed that danger days is set in 2019 because like the license plate and stuff. but nobody is going to keep issuing car registration after the apocalypse. whatever's out in the zones is likely to be old old. We know it's at least 2019, and we know battery city was called that in 2019, because of the maps:

but i don't think there's anything the requires the joys to be in 2019 specifically. that map book is old and torn up and yeah that can happen pretty quick but it doesn't mean it's 2019 here.

meanwhile, there's the black parade jacket

out in zone 6. and, importantly, there's also one there in 'a summoning', a different one. right at the end.

To me, that one looks a lot fresher - the jacket is less dusty and damaged. we don't see any other evidence of danger days era people in that bit of a summoning, the dracs follow him from the start so they're not necessarily from the exact time period we see here either. the trans am is there playing na na na but party isn't driving it. nobody is as far as i can tell.

people have been struggling to make the math - mexico 2007 + seventeen years (per the lltbp tour announcement) = 2024 makes now (close enough) but there's implications that we are pre or alongside danger days. but we know The Black Parade died the first time/were sent to the MOAT/whatever 17 years ago, and that everything has gone to shit in the meantime in wherever DRAAG is. there were maps in the background during seattle which were not north america.

i don't have a confident answer as to where that actually is, but given the cyrillic ish font on the language, and a little bit of creative liberty, that map has more than a passing resemblance to the eastern tip of russia, but mapped backwards - east to west. which is weird but

certainly if you did some Things to it like 'be in a nuclear war' and 'majorly fuck the climate' you could get that shape

we are pre or parallel to danger days here. danger days music videos didnt happen in 2019, i dont think anything we have actually stated or requires that outright.

anyway back to where i started, here's murder magazine from na na na

and here's murder magazine from seattle

neither of those are super detailed - if someone has better images/screenshots of either please let me know - but they're clearly different. the danger days one has white text near the spine, the seattle one has white text on the outside edge. so this is two different issues of the same magazine. if i could see them clearer maybe we could see a date or issue number. also, it's in english! the only on stage item or graphic as far as i know to be so during the actual concert. it's from elsewhere. it's not printed in DRAAG.

i don't know what all the pieces mean, but i do know it's all tied together.

this has been a pinboard and red string moment, brought to you by i didn't eat lunch today.

[beardedmrbean]

Over the past decade, vegan and plant-based burgers have significantly risen in popularity, allowing average diners to enjoy a guilt-free, far more healthy sandwich option when it comes to their favorite fast food restaurants.

Unfortunately for the relatively new restaurant chain Neat Burger, the novelty of vegan burgers haven't entirely paid off. As the company experiences dire financial earnings, Neat has officially announced that it will close all of its locations in the United Kingdom.

According to The Sun, a spokesperson for Neat Burger spoke about the abrupt move, saying, "We have no further comment at this time, other than to confirm that the business has taken the difficult decision to close its UK restaurants."

The move comes less than one year after the restaurant similarly announced the closure of its New York location, effectively cutting them out of the US restaurant market.

In the past, Neat Burger has experienced various challenges in its overall operations. Founded in 2019 by racing legend Sir Lewis Hamilton and Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, the restaurant's main goal was to offer a healthy alternative to famously meat-heavy fast food menus boasted at McDonald's, Burger King, or KFC.

"Neat represents a new era of eating with brighter, healthier, fresher fast-food," Neat explained on their website. "Our mission is to feed a positive change in global eating habits by offering consciously harvested, plant-based food."

As admirable as the restaurant's goals were, Neat Burger faced a slew of obstacles by the start of the 2020s, with the company ultimately deciding to close its New York location in 2023 after significant financial losses.

"We are concentrating our efforts on our best performing restaurants — we believe that sometimes taking a step back is necessary to make a bigger leap forward," the company remarked at the time.

With its UK locations now shuttered, the last remaining Neat Burger still in operation can be found in the streets of Milan.

[otterandterrierwrites]

happy female orgasm day, y'all!

here are most of my fics were Leia is getting some, if you need inspiration to get it on ;)

hanleia

What it takes to come alive Pre-ESB - Han and Leia decide to take a last chance while trapped and surrounded by hungry monsters. [wc 4,884, 2020]

keep with me forward (all through the night) Pre-ESB - After kissing during an undercover mission, Han and Leia struggle to ignore their feelings as they infiltrate a masquerade gala [wc 19,716, 2019]

All work and no play Pre-ESB - Secretly showering together in the communal 'fresher on base. [wc 2,924, 2021]

Night at the Grand Regent Hotel Sex pollen fic! [wc 7,854, 2022]

A lesson ESB - Leia shows Han what she likes on the trip to Bespin. [wc 710, 2017]

Not quite dirty talk ESB - During the trip to Bespin, Leia accidentally shuts Han out. Luckily, he knows how to draw her out of her shell again. [wc 2,354, 2023]

Dreamscape ESB - Last night together in Cloud City. [wc 986, 2018]

the static of your arms, it is the catalyst RotJ - Reunion sex and feelings after Han is released from the medcenter [wc 3,995, 2020]

Alone time Post-RotJ - Han and Leia find some alone time in a ‘fresher (again) [wc 1,792, 2018]

Something's electric in your blood Post-RotJ - A walk on the beach is interrupted by a storm, and Han and Leia wait it out in a cave. [wc 3,529, 2017]

The best right in a million wrongs Smutty follow-up to the book “Last Shot”. [wc 4,479, 2022]

honey don't feed me (I will come back) vampire AU! [wc 36,000, 2024]

Courting Princess Leia COPL fix-it! [wc 6,940, 2023]

leia/evaan

Hold me tight ‘cause I’m just holding on for tonight Leia deals with her grief and finds comfort in the arms of a fellow Alderaanian woman.[wc 8,406, 2020]

Here comes the spark before the dark Evaan and Leia dress up fancy, and have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. [wc 1,023, 2021]

[mousemannation]

demon is such an incredible amazing player that i have to believe theres something else going on with that match-up from hell because HOW did you lose to that ginger twink 10 times without beating him once

JSJSJSJSJSN he IS !!!!!! but okay now im not an expert on this stuff so u know dont take my word as gospel but i think it really is just their styles of play r matched in a way thats very bad for alex 😭😭 he’s a counterpuncher through and through and it wasnt until the last year or so that hes really been aggressive in his play. A lot of his game plan is still just.. outlast the opponent. Use his speed to keep the ball in play until the opponent makes a mistake.

There was a quote from someone, a commentator or maybe even darren?? that said that jannik is able to hit winners off of any ball. Jannik doesn’t make mistakes, he’s like the best at outlasting his opponents. So like.. rip alex 😭😭

Even earlier on right, like the first time they played at NextGen 2019, they were both a lot fresher on the circuit but these styles of play were already evident. And back then Alex still looked like a ten year old KEKSKSKSJ he didn’t have anywhere near the power to outhit jannik, and as long as Jannik could keep the ball at the baseline he was always gonna have the advantage.

[recklessabandon2019]

FOREWARD

Allow me to set the scene … in 2019, almost a year after the release of WARMTH, I got the urge to craft another project. I was working retail at my first job on the insistence of my parents, who had all but disowned me for deciding not to go to college. My decision to opt out of higher education added more tension to my already-strained relationship with my mother, who had lost all trust in me after I got caught drinking at a party my senior year. Still living with my parents and having no real living expenses, I allocated the bulk of my earnings to herb and wax. I used tree to cope with the isolation of my home life and the loneliness of being the only one of my friends in pursuit of something other than a degree. When I wasn’t alone, I was with my friends having a college experience by proxy, having all kinds of troublesome fun.

Once upon a bloody nose, I took a photo that looked like the perfect cover for a project that could speak to the highs and lows of my latter teen years. I started with the cover and conceptualized the album from there. Sonically, I was inspired by IDLSIDGO (“Grief” in particular), [sLUms], and a plethora of indie rock artists. In stark contrast to the bar-heavy writing on WARMTH, I took a more minimalist approach and rapped in a slow, monotone cadence representative of the hazy state I found myself in most of those days. I experimented with new production and mixing approaches, but I was still largely unstudied in engineering and just a fresher, less-seasoned artist. I have nothing to say about the quality of this project other than, welp, it’s old. It is what it is, and I’m not going to take the time to remix it at this point. There’s too much new shit to focus on. It’s bad enough that I held onto this for so long. I don’t remember exactly why I didn’t drop this, but I think I was either too much of a perfectionist or, more likely, too scared of how it would be received. That being said, I’m still proud of this project, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I love the production on this project. If nothing else, the beats have aged well. I was reminded of this project now as I find myself at the end of a 7 year sobriety cycle that (I hope) I’ve gone through enough times to commit to breaking. It’s kind of scary looking back in my mid-20s realizing I was pretty much just a kid having the experience documented on this album. If I could interact with that younger version of myself now, I’d give him a big hug and some words of affirmation. I think that’s all he really needed. Now, as I Humpty Dumpty myself back together again, I present to you RECKLESS ABANDON.

Your friend, confidant, co-conspirator,

Clyde

[boxboxblog]

In Depth: Undercut and Overcut

Alright, this post is a response to an ask about overcuts and undercuts. Enjoy!

So, many of you have probably heard a these two words before. They are a major part of pit stop strategy, and can make or break a race. But how do they work exactly and why are they used?

Undercut:

An undercut happens when a driver pits before their rival, most often when they are behind them on track. Usually, they are hoping that getting fresher tires on first will allow them to build up speed throughout the next couple of laps, and then when their rival does eventually pit, they have created enough of a net gap to be in front upon their pit exit. Teams choose this strategy in order to take the advantage of fresher tires for a few laps, gain more positions, and use the rivals tire wear to their advantage. The best way to perform an undercut is to time it perfectly. They want to do this when they know their rival will have to pit soon, but not quite yet, so that they can chase them down on fresh tires, but not wear their new ones out too much before the rival is on fresh ones. While this strategy often works, they must keep tire management post pit in mind and not pit too early, because late in the race their rival will have fresher tires, and possibly more speed.

Successful vs Unsuccessful:

Successful: At the 2019 Chinese GP Sebastain Vettel undercut teammate Charles Leclerc with an early pit, and so when Leclerc finally came in, he had built up enough time to pass him during the outlap. This was a good undercut because Vettel picked the exactly correct time based on his knowledge of Leclerc's tire deg and when he would eventually need to pit.

Unsuccessful: During the 2021 French GP Lewis Hamilton attempted to undercut Max Verstappen. Although he did gain track position upon pit exit, Verstappen's late pit allowed him to have much fresher tires later in the race, and overtake Hamilton eventually.

Overcut:

Overcuts are the exact opposite of an undercut. With this strategy, drivers stay out longer than their rival in order to take the highest advantage from track positioning. They usually do this when their tires are still relatively solid, so they can keep up pace. This strategy works best when track position is more important than tire life or if the competitor is struggling on their new tires. Teams will use this strategy most when their driver has clean air, when they know their rival has particularly poor tire management, or when their driver is very good at managing tires. Often times even if they do not get position immediately, they use the fresher tires for advantage later in the race. The best way to deliver on this strategy is to have a flawless pit stop, push on laps as much as possible before pitting, and keep tire deg low pre pit.

Successful vs Unsuccessful

Successful: At the 2018 Monaco GP Daniel Riccardo overcut several cars by staying on track longer and using the clean air. He maintained his tires and was still putting in fantastic lap times, which allowed him to get ahead of multiple drivers even after he finally pit.

Unsuccessful: At the 2022 Hungarian GP Carlos Sainz attempted to overcut by staying out longer, but poor tire management meant he lost more time than gained. When he eventually did pit, his rivals had already started setting faster times on fresh tires, and he lost any advantage.

But why one over the other? Well, it mostly has to do with track conditions and weather. For track conditions, when overtaking is difficult many teams will prioritize track position (an overcut) over tire management (an undercut). Street circuits like Monaco are where we see a lot of overcuts due to lack of overtaking opportunities. In a classic circuit like COTA, overtaking is easiar and tire deg is high so they go for undercuts more. The speed of circuits also has an effect, and a quick track like Monza usually sees higher tire deg, so more undercuts, but a slow track like the Hungaroring, with it's many twists and turns, sees more overcuts. Finally, weather has a big effect, as higher temperature means higher tire deg. Circuits like Bahrain, where the heat is extreme, lead most teams to choose an undercut due to the high tire deg. On the other hand, tracks like the ones in Montreal or Spa often have colder weather, so they put less stress on tires and lead teams to do overcuts.

I hope I explained everything clearly so you have a better understanding of this strategy move. Every decision made by a team is complex, but these are basics of what they are and why they are chosen.

Cheers,

-B

[hysterical-cats]

🎷and 🐾 for Cats ask

🎷 Have you ever seen Cats live? If more than once, which was your favorite?

I've seen it live twice!!! Both the 6th US Tour, but the first time was with the second cast and the second time was with the third cast. I would say that my second time seeing it was my favorite just because that cast had SO many standouts (not to say the second cast didnt!!! they were also WONDERFUL!!) and it probably also helps that it's a little fresher in my memory. Nora Degreen Demeter you will ALWAYS be famous

🐾 How did you 'discover' Cats?

siggghhh I got into cats because I watched Lindsey Ellis' video essay about Cats 2019 and the bits she showed of the 1998 film had me like i NEED to watch this. and then it was all downhill from there

[kmixon]

All good things must come to an end, but sometimes it feels like a show ended before its time. Star vs. the Forces of Evil is a Disney animated series that ran for four seasons and was lucky enough to choose its ending. In other words, this show wasn’t canceled, yet fans want more. Star vs. the Forces of Evil ended in 2019, but fans still have so many questions about this world and what happens next. This might explain why a few books and graphic novels were thrown into the mix—people can’t get enough. We would love to see the story come back to the forefront, ideally with an aged-up twist.Star vs. the Forces of Evil follows the titular character, Star Butterfly, as she travels through dimensions, makes friends, and battles an ever-growing list of enemies. Starring Eden Sher (Star) and Adam McArthur (Marco Diaz), the show had a delightfully bright air to it before throwing viewers into the deep end, as the real stakes came out of left field. Her enemies had the potential to end the world, forcing Star to learn about magic and fantasy politics at breakneck speeds. It was the sort of adventure that drew people in and never let go. A Freddy Krueger PREQUEL?! - Robert Englund & Heather Langenkamp...

Star vs. the Forces of Evil follows the titular character, Star Butterfly, as she travels through dimensions, makes friends, and battles an ever-growing list of enemies. Starring Eden Sher (Star) and Adam McArthur (Marco Diaz), the show had a delightfully bright air to it before throwing viewers into the deep end, as the real stakes came out of left field. Her enemies had the potential to end the world, forcing Star to learn about magic and fantasy politics at breakneck speeds. It was the sort of adventure that drew people in and never let go.

Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of Magical Girl stories, and okay, that genre is still pretty awesome, but it was fun seeing a fresher take on the concept. Star vs. the Forces of Evil applied a more Western cartoon style of humor to the tale, which certainly made the whole thing feel more chaotic, but in an intentional way. Likewise, the story allowed Star to feel big emotions about everyday (for her) events, merging teenage drama with that classic slice-of-life feel. A Freddy Krueger PREQUEL?! - Robert Englund & Heather Langenkamp...

Star vs. the Forces of Evil follows the titular character, Star Butterfly, as she travels through dimensions, makes friends, and battles an ever-growing list of enemies. Starring Eden Sher (Star) and Adam McArthur (Marco Diaz), the show had a delightfully bright air to it before throwing viewers into the deep end, as the real stakes came out of left field. Her enemies had the potential to end the world, forcing Star to learn about magic and fantasy politics at breakneck speeds. It was the sort of adventure that drew people in and never let go.

Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of Magical Girl stories, and okay, that genre is still pretty awesome, but it was fun seeing a fresher take on the concept. Star vs. the Forces of Evil applied a more Western cartoon style of humor to the tale, which certainly made the whole thing feel more chaotic, but in an intentional way. Likewise, the story allowed Star to feel big emotions about everyday (for her) events, merging teenage drama with that classic slice-of-life feel. A Freddy Krueger PREQUEL?! - Robert Englund & Heather Langenkamp...

Star vs. the Forces of Evil follows the titular character, Star Butterfly, as she travels through dimensions, makes friends, and battles an ever-growing list of enemies. Starring Eden Sher (Star) and Adam McArthur (Marco Diaz), the show had a delightfully bright air to it before throwing viewers into the deep end, as the real stakes came out of left field. Her enemies had the potential to end the world, forcing Star to learn about magic and fantasy politics at breakneck speeds. It was the sort of adventure that drew people in and never let go.

[RELATED: Star vs. the Forces of Evil Star Would “100%” Return for Revival (Exclusive)]

A Fresh & Chaotic Take on the Magical Girl Theme

Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of Magical Girl stories, and okay, that genre is still pretty awesome, but it was fun seeing a fresher take on the concept. Star vs. the Forces of Evil applied a more Western cartoon style of humor to the tale, which certainly made the whole thing feel more chaotic, but in an intentional way. Likewise, the story allowed Star to feel big emotions about everyday (for her) events, merging teenage drama with that classic slice-of-life feel.Star Butterfly may have access to magic, but the show did an excellent job of highlighting how much she had to learn. Her story starts with Star needing to travel to Earth as a means of learning and gaining more control over her magic. In her own way, Star brought magic to Earth, as her love of Narwhal blasts became almost commonplace for her fellow students.Enter Marco Diaz, Star’s human best friend. He’s a grounding feature of the entire series. Marco is more than the best friend (or potential love interest), as he is a rebellious princess, dimension-hopping warrior, and royal squire of Mewni. Together, Star and Marco grow up remarkably fast by the time the series concludes.

[RELATED: Star vs. the Forces of Evil Creator Breaks Silence on Revival: “Let’s Do More”]

Fans Need More of Star vs. the Forces of Evil

The conclusion to Star vs. the Forces of Evil was dramatic and world-changing—literally. Their actions took magic out of the hands of Mewmans (Star’s people), but in doing so, they also merged Mewni with Earth. That sounds pretty wild, right? Yet that is where the series ends, with the two best friends (who become something more) finding each other on this new and strange combination of planets. It goes without saying that there’s still an immense amount of storytelling potential here. Frankly, fans want to know what happens next. How did the Mewmans and Humans integrate? What about the monsters? And most importantly: did Marco and Star make it work? In the grand scheme of things, that may sound like the smallest concern, but viewers are invested in their story.

If the series were to return (please, make it so), we would love to see Star vs. the Forces of Evil acknowledge the growth its characters went through. To put it another way, we want to see the same cast, but slightly older. Not only has the cast gone through a lot of growth and changes, but the core audience has had time to grow up, too. While this does mean that we’ll miss out on some of the transitory time, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Better yet, this formula has been previously tested, as Naruto did something similar between the end of the original series and the beginning of Naruto: Shippuden.

Here’s the best part: there’s a reason for fans to hold out hope! Two reasons, actually. First, Adam McArthur (the voice of Marco Diaz) has made it clear that he’s on board with coming back. Second, recent news has come out, making it clear that one very important person is interested in continuing the story. Daron Nefcy, the creator behind Star, has been talking about a return. It sounds like the only thing stopping us from getting more Star vs. the Forces of Evil is…Disney. So now is the time to let Disney know that fans want more of this show, and we want it now.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil is available to stream on Disney+.

Tagged:

Daron Nefcy, Disney, Regular Feature, Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Peacemaker Season 2 Behind-the-Scenes Video Reveals New Characters Joining DC Universe

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Controversial Disney Animated Series Ends After Only One Season

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[baiuzensenn]

Source: Ins @ alpinef1team / @ lilianspotting. Shaved Sebastian Vettel at Imola GP 2024 vs shaved Charles Leclerc spotted in Monaco on July 1st.

There must be someone telling Charlie you’ll become fresher you’ll look 10 years younger if you shaved like me so Charlie decided to get back to his beardless sugar baby version in 2019😌

[ediblesnek]

NEW PINNED POST

okay, so, i’m posting stuff on tumblr and it’s getting recognised, much to my disbelief, so i’m gonna edit the hell out of the old pinned post so i look less depressed

under cut as to not clog my account everytime someone comes on:

WHAT I DO

i draw and write, like, way too often for my own good. i think i need to cool down with that. oh well

i feel like calling myself an artist or writer isn’t the right thing compared to genuine artists and authors out there LMAOOO 🗿

FANDOMS

- regular show

- gorillaz

yes i am aware of that thing btw.

- alien (mainly 1979 to 1992)

- spongebob

- does a clockwork orange have a fandom?? whatever i’m really into the movie & book. i’m open to talk about it to whoever

- terraria

- adventure time

- pokemon

last two are old hyperfixations of mine and i don’t really do stuff for them anymore, but i can do things if i must

terraria is also an old hyperfixation of mine (everyone seems to focus on the NPCs but god. i love the bosses. the bosses are the best) but i’ve started playing it again recently sooo it’s in my orbit once more

BLOG

this blog is from 2019 so it’s old as hell. i hope i’ve managed to clear away all the cringe stuff from those years so i feel fresher.

if you happen to stumble across on old post where i reply to it in a completely different way than i would now… no you didn’t ❤️

(/j but please ignore it LOL i’ve changed so much it kinda hurts to see old stuff 💀)

REQUESTS & ETC

my drawing requests ARE open but ermmm i do have limits on what stuff i wanna draw, just like everyone else out there. i won’t make a list but if you do request something and i say i don’t wanna draw it then please leave it as that, thank you

requests sent through inbox rather than replies to posts or etc is much preferred (me acting like people will actually say something 🗿)

maybe one day i’ll open commissions but it will be a LONG WHILE from now… but one day… one day i’m hoping to

okay thank you for reading all that yapping goodbye now

[gloism]

Current Regimen for Hyperpigmentation

Tretinoin 0.025% Cream (prescribed)

Used to treat dull skin while treating major skin conditions such as acne of many types, breakouts, uneven skin tone, melasma, and other common forms of hyperpigmentation. I love tretinoin and she is a major staple in my skincare routine.

When users claim a product made their skin actually feel like skin, I assumed it was some sort of filler talk or just a way to make a product seem hype. Whatever the truth is, I can honestly say that tretinoin has transformed my skin for the better.

Before using tretinoin all I could focus on was the bumpy, dry, rough texture my skin suffered through. My skin feels like skin much, I feel a little naked (blush). A must-try if you haven't already.

Naturium Azelaic Acid 10% Used to help exfoliate skin to help reveal fresh, supple, and softer skin all while delivering a more youthful and even skin tone. I just started using this product and so far, I am getting some tingling.

Innbeauty 1% Retinol Serum

Used to help repair damaged skin, revealing a fresher appearance. The before and after pictures found of Sephora influenced me to purchase this product. Within 8 weeks a user's skin hyperpigmentation was noticeably brighter and faded.

I've had this for over a year now and I can't say I've seen much of a difference but I'm putting her back in the ring to see if some trusty allies (my other skincare items) could help her a bit.

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7%

Exfoliant ideal for minimizing dead, leftover skin cells. You know the saying, "clean as you go" any time you're in the kitchen preparing food. Glycolic acid cleans the surface of your skin as you go to help reveal fresher skin! I have purchased this toner more than 3 times now. A true skincare staple!

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% EGCG

I used this to help treat my puffy eyes. I used this back in 2019 and the results were amazing. It did a really good job making my eyes look more refreshed and alive, even after just waking up from a long slumber.

Glow Recipe Watermelon PHA Toner

Toner with exfoliating qualities. I'm not certain what the main benefit of this toner is for my skin however I love the added fragrance and how soft it glides against my skin. I often wake up with a more evened complexion after using this the night before.

[writingontheclouds]

Chapter 4: How To Finally Get the Girl

The finale of my fic "How You Get The Girl" that I started in 2019 when I was a wee fresher in college. It is finally over. *phew* I hope this story stops haunting me now.

Read it on AO3.

...

The clock in her room read 7:39pm when Lily watched Isis disappear into the horizon, soaring higher and higher above the identical houses of Cokeworth.

She wasn't sure which part of her brain was working overtime when she thought of sending a letter through Isis. Or when she thought of the idea. She just remembers Sirius holding her by her shoulders and shaking with excitement at the idea as he exited her room and her house and disapparated from her front yard with a distinct pop.

She should have checked around if anyone saw him disappear. She should have berated him for being so careless in a muggle neighbourhood, *her* neighbourhood, as he apparated back at the same position exactly 12 minutes later with a grey owl sitting gleefully on her shoulder, playing with his black hair. But words suddenly seemed foreign to her.

Despite her newly found resolve and the shadow of a black haired boy peaking behind her shoulder, she had hesitated. Multiple times. Her quill broke twice. Isis fluttered around her room from her bed to the shelves. Sirius paced the small length of her bedroom muttering, "Good god woman, you don't have be Shakespeare."

She couldn't shake the guilt looming in her stomach, making her nauseous. *What if he truly has moved on?*

Sirius had been ecstatic, almost jumping off the walls of her bedroom as Isis flew out her window. "He's going to come as soon as he gets it, I promise."

Lily knew Isis was pretty fast, even for a magical owl. And after conveying her urgency in getting the letter delivered as soon as possible, Lily was almost sure she saw Isis' eyes become determined. She loved a challenge, that feisty little thing. Lily promised her an entire box of her favourite treats and off she flew, feathers fluttering to an inch of her face.

Her mother came in announcing dinner just 10 minutes later, asking Sirius to join them. 30 minutes and multiple pointless conversations later, she was ready to stab herself in the thigh with a fork.

"So there is actually a magical giant squid that lives in the lake at Hogwarts?" Her mother asked, absolutely aghast.

"Oh yes, my mate James and I arm wrestled one of his tentacles last year," Sirius responded as-a-matter-of-fact. Even Petunia, whose usual response to any time Hogwarts came up on the dinner table was a scowl, looked shocked.

"You what?" Her mother asked, looking at her for confirmation.

"They did," Lily told her mother nonchalantly, moving the contents of her plate from one corner to another, "Though they mostly just annoyed it. It got bored and dumped them on the shore and went back inside."

Almost an hour later, she couldn't take it anymore and went outside for fresh air. Surely Isis must have reached James by now? He was in the middle of London, not a cave up in the mountains.

It was 10pm when Sirius joined her outside on the front yard, after relaying some more Hogwarts stories to her mother.

"Maybe Isis is having a hard time finding him," He said softly, sitting down next to her on the grass. She just hummed in response, her heart hammering against her chest.

By 11pm, even Sirius seemed to have ran out of reasons. Isis should have reached James by now. Hell, she would have reached London by now if she had taken the train. And she was a witch. If only she knew where to go IN London. She could have just run around Leicester Square screaming his name like a deranged pelican.

At 11:58pm, a sudden movement caught the corner of her eye and before she knew it, a grey feathered blob landed directly in front of them. Isis looked ecstatic and proud. And as happy as Lily was to see her, her excitement lasted for 2 seconds exactly until she noticed the empty talon.

Her heart sank into her stomach. The answer was staring right in her face.

"Lily, maybe he got stuck-"

"Don't." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and her vision started to blur. Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she hid her face in his shoulder. “Don’t."

"I'm sorry."

---

It took a very long time to convince Sirius that she was fine. Or, it took a very long time to tell a convincing lie to Sirius that she was fine. But he finally departed around 1am, with a promise to take her out for ice cream the next day to cheer her up.

She had already planned not to leave her bed for the next 3 days, to sleep as much as she could and to be awake as less as she could help it. But unfortunately, the world seemed adamant to not let her have her way, because despite her plans to be unconscious, but she was still wide awake at 2:30am.

Lily rolled over for the hundredth time, facing the pink wall of her bedroom and closed her eyes. She tried to go to her happy place, back to Hogwarts and its hallways and her friends, when a light tap sounded behind her. At first, she thought she had imagined it, the silence of the night deafening her and playing tricks on her mind. But the tap happened again, and again, and that's when her heart sank and her mind took a much darker turn.

She had heard of the rumours of muggle borns and the news of the 'disappearances', and suddenly, each name she had read in the newspapers flashed at the back of her head as she grabbed her wand, remembering every hex in the books. Tomorrow, she was sure, her name would be added to that never ending list. She slowly pulled the curtain above her desk to peak out at the offending noise.

But there, floating right outside the window in the middle of the night, was a boy holding a lit wand with a goofy grin. A grin she unfortunately knew way too well.

"POTTER!" she whispered angrily, half on instinct, but the sound wouldn't reach him. She put her wand aside and slid the window open.

"Potter! What in Merlin's pants are you doing?" she hissed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice barely audible over the wind.

"You are floating outside my window," she stated, still processing the sight before her.

"Yes, I'm on my broom," he replied nonchalantly.

"You are floating outside my window on a broom," she repeated, her tone incredulous.

"Great observation skills, Evans," he remarked, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips.

"You are FLOATING outside my window IN A MUGGLE NEIGHBOURHOOD on a BROOM.”

"Oh. Yes. That. Uhh," he stuttered, looking around nervously, "Can I come in?"

"Can it not wait till tomorrow?"

"I would highly prefer today.”

"Today, right now? As opposed to today noon at Diagon Alley with butterbeer?"

"Today, right now.”

She sighed impatiently, backing up and gesturing him to come inside. While James was ambling his frame into her very small window, knocking down books and pencil stands as he came inside, alarm bells were ringing in her head.

"SHHH!" She shushed him, and he stopped for a second before continuing to get his other leg inside the window and pas her study table.

Bollocks. He was here. The reality of the situation was settling in now. What did he want to talk about? Did he want to apologise? Tell her thank you, but no thank you?

She glanced down at her worn out blue pyjama set, deciding she didn't care how she looked. Even if it wasn't, she wasn't going to change to be let down. How pathetic would that be?

"Cute room, Evans." He said once he had manoeuvred his broom inside her room and started inspecting everything.

"You better have a very good reason for this, Potter."

He just looked at her bemused, eyebrows raised, reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"Oh, I have a very very good reason, Evans."

"Look-"

"Oh no, here is where I will talk and you will listen." That shut her up real quick.

"So, I was sitting in this quaint little restaurant in the middle of muggle London, on a date with this wonderful girl. She's pretty, funny and she loves Quidditch- and guess what?- she supports Puddlemere, I was sold by then and the date had hardly started. She's a splendid conversationalist, did you know? We didn't have any of those awful awkward silences, those are always a deal breaker for me. So we laughed all through the main course-"

"-I'm going to toss you out the window if you've come here to tell me about your new girlfriend-"

"-I swear the manager wanted to throw us out of there-"

"-You have Sirius to discuss the nitty gritties about your dates-"

"-and we were waiting for desert, when I look out the window and to my surprise, I see Isis there."

He looked right in her eyes, and Lily was sure he could see the blush colouring her cheeks despite the low light in the room. Hell, he could have spotted it from a mile away on his broom at this point.

He took a step in her direction, and she instinctively look a step back.

"Yes, Isis with a letter. She singlehandedly unleashed havoc in the restaurant, you should have been there, there was spaghetti flying around and people were slipping on spilled pasta sauce, all for a letter. Clearly, someone asked her to deliver it urgently.”

"Now, you must know how that scared the living daylights out of me, because what could be so important that couldn't till the end of the night? It's a difficult time in our world, you know," James Potter continued babbling animately, his usual self, but Lily's heart was threatening to beat out of her chest, matching James steps, as he continued to step closer to her and she continued to backtrack.

"So, we ran out the restaurant before we were arrested, though what for I still have no idea, but I must be completely pale and speaking gibberish because Emily said she couldn't understand what I said, and frankly neither could I."

"So, with trembling hands, I opened the letter, a million different worse case scenarios playing in my head, and can you guess what it said?" He asked, holding open the parchment and Lily could make out her hasty scrawl.

"Uhh.." Lily's back hit the door to her room and she realised she had nowhere to go now.

"It was from this rather infuriating bird, with bright red hair and a temper to level the entire city of London, who does not lose a single chance to wound my ego, who has spent the last 6 years hating me and my guts, and if that was not enough, for some weird reason I've fancied all that time?"

"Now, I had imagined this particular scenario many times in my head. My personal favorite ending in passionate and wild lovemaking, but never had I imagined this happening on a letter that I thought was the worst news I'll ever receive, when I was on a date with another girl I was about to ask to be my girlfriend. Now do you understand my anger?" James had closed the distance between the two, and Lily could smell broom polish on him. And his cologne. She was pointedly trying not to think about his cologne. She was sure she was hallucinating at this point.

"Well, if you put it that way.."

"..yes?" He put the parchment back into his pocket, and rested his right arm by her head, boxing her in.

"..I might have not have thought this through." She whispered, looking into his hazel eyes, forcing herself to not glance at his lips.

"Of course you didn't," He whispered back.

Lily cleared her throat and looked down, arms folding around her chest defensively. She couldn't look him in the eye while saying this. "Look, James, if you flew all the way here just to say this, you needn't have come. I got your message, loud and clear."

"Message? What message?"

"It's fine, I'm happy for you."

"Happy for me?"

"Yes, I promise I will keep my distance at Hogwarts. She need not worry, neither do you."

"You know, for a brilliant witch, you can be so dense sometimes." Lily's face contorted, taking offence, and ready to spew out some witty come back that would be weirdly accurate, but he put both his hands on either side of her face, and tilted her head up slightly, ensuring their eyes met.

"Lily, why do you think I am here?" There was a tender intensity in his hazel eyes, a silent promise.

Lily's eyes widened, one hand subconsciously coming to rest on his arm, holding it there, holding her.

"I.." She stumbled, staring into his eyes, unable to come up with any response, much less a rational explanation of his presence here.

He waited patiently for Lily to reply, his thumb softly brushing her cheeks.

"You didn't reply." She whispered finally.

"This is something I wanted to tell you in person," he said, nudging her nose with his. "I also had to escort Emily back to her place."

"Out of all the times, this was the one you chose to be a gentleman," Lily replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm always a gentleman," he retorted with a playful smirk.

Lily actually snorted. "SURE."

"I could always go back, you know, if I'm not wanted here. I'm sure Emily would love a good night stroll-" James teased, backing away and turning towards the window. But Lily grabbed him and pulled him towards her, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist.

"Just shut up and kiss me," she whispered, her lips a hair's breadth from his. James grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief and affection. He closed the gap between them, his lips brushing softly against hers at first. The gentle touch sent a shiver down Lily's spine, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt impatient, and deepened the kiss and her heart actually skipped a beat when James responded equally enthusiastically. She forgot that she was in her tiny bedroom, that she was wearing her old battered night suit, that 5 minutes ago she wasn’t sure how her last year at Hogwarts would pass.

But he was here. It felt impossible, but he was here and he was kissing her, and by Merlin, it felt more glorious than she could ever have imagined. James's hands slid up her back, pulling her closer, while Lily's fingers tangled in his hair, those black locks that she had dreamed of running her fingers through.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, their foreheads resting against each other. Lily's cheeks were flushed, and James’s grin had softened into a tender smile.

"I’m getting this letter framed.” He murmured into her lips and Lily chuckled.

"I'm going to buy Isis the whole store."