#froze thoughts

[frozen-fountain]

Thank you @my-smial for tagging me!

Last song: I Will Find You by Whitechapel for real upbeat, happy go lucky, summer fun listening.

Last film: I rewatched The Death of Stalin last night because we kept quoting it on the way back from a family thing that wasn't as awful as I feared it could've been. Still one of my favourite comedies.

Last book: Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin. I came away being most impressed, as usual, by the depth and breadth Baldwin gives the inner lives of his characters and the very intimate way he portrays the effects of oppressive forces on their being (the concept of sin seems to seep into the very walls). It's been quite a year for ending up drawn to stories concerning faith, which wasn't a conscious choice at all or particularly reflective of anything going on with me. Next up is Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell. It's the last of hers I have to read aside from the new novel, but I tink she really excels in the short story format, so I'm looking forward to it.

Last TV show: I've been watching What We Do in the Shadows, which I never got around to while it was still airing. It's a great choice for something to put on before bed that isn't too demanding. The last show I finished was a rewatch of the original Madoka Magica series, which hits different but just as hard when you have the scope of what's going on.

Sweet/Savoury/Spicy: Most of what I make and enjoy eating involves balancing the three and throwing in some sourness too, and as prev said, it depends on the foodstuff as well. But I ate a lot of cake yesterday, so now I want savoury.

Last googleDuckDuckGo search: "university lecturer example interview", for an exercise I'm putting together for my no-longer-voluntary work.

Current obsession: I've spent so much of this year creating a little personal map of countries that boast at least one band fusing their folk music traditions with metal. The fictional thing I'm currently most excited to see updates on is The War of the Roses, which is my friend's ongoing Utena fic that I highly recommend (if you know canon and all the Akio-typical content warnings aren't too much for you). Also, fitness! I've never been much use at anything besides very long walks but for whatever reason this is the year I really wanted to see how far I can push myself physically just for the fun of it. I had a twinge in my knee last week that worried me, but after taking it easy for a couple of days I'm pretty relieved that I most likely just slept with it at an odd angle or something.

Looking forward to: A few things. There are various Pride-related events going on in my town this month that I want to show up for, the Miners' Gala isn't too long after that, and I'll have a bit more money coming in soon and can't wait for the day life overall gets slightly easier and freer. Other than that I'm also looking forward to all the little mundane ongoing joys, like time with my son and all the books I have to read and days wandering about in all the green.

I'm calling this one an open tag!

[purplepuggy]

pj hesitating on the best answer for the 'who would you rather date' question in order to get dan as a result... crazy

the video's now up on their side channel if you want to see the full segment!

[lovelylittlegrim]

Eddie thinks Steve Harrington is cool. This is a new revelation for him during their shared senior year. And Eddie hates it. So much.

People like Eddie are not supposed to find people like Steve Harrington cool. But he does and it’s honestly so embarrassing and Jeff won’t stop making fun of him - which Eddie gets, he deserves to be made fun of. Steve is just a guy with a lot of hair and droopy eyes and - and he wears polos and ironed jeans without any tears in them. Eddie’s heard the music filtering out of Steve’s car and it’s all mainstream palatable garbage. He’s straightlaced and iron pressed and it’s so damn embarrassing to think Steve is cool that sometimes eddie wants to curl up and die of shame.

BUT Even with the curl of shame in his gut, the pleasant little swooping of his stomach doesn’t go away. Nor does the weird giddiness after their brief interactions in classes or the hall - or one very strange moment in the woods at Eddie’s drug dealing table in which they were both startled by one another…

It all only gets infinitely worse when (after a particularly embarrassing incident in which Steve handed Eddie back the pen that Eddie had accidentally launched across the classroom) Jeff leaned over and whispered, “are you sure you just think he’s cool ? Because it’s starting to look more like a crush.”

And THAT… that is so so so much worse.

[whimzycle]

you wanna know the fun thing that I noticed about Jack when I was rewatching rotg?

On both instances that Pitch was about to attack him, he froze up.

[sunflowerpieivan]

It’s time for some winter sketches

[xxstickittwomexx]

[frozen-fountain]

I'm not sure at what point we decided "show, don't tell" was synonymous with over-describing to the point of tedium and melodrama. That isn't the meaning I took from it, and I'm not surprised it's become as memed as it has if that's the case.

To me, showing doesn't preclude using the simple and serviceable statement that she opened the door. As OP states, there's occasions where lingering on a very mundane motion might hint at something going on under the surface of the action - and that, rather than the awkward way of acting everything out the TikTok advocates, is what the maxim is supposed to be about.

What it means, at least to me, is to be careful of writing in a way that denies a reader their role in the story's construction. It's about knowing what to keep in the subtext to create a more immersive and involving story.

A work is then "telling" when it explains instead of demonstrating; it's "She opened the door, because she was foolhardy and never thought before she acted" instead of demonstrating those traits through the character's behaviour and thoughts. "She opened the door and burst into a lengthy monologue about why curating and performing a personal identity will never be as satisfying as living it moment to moment" instead of allowing the reader to see that theme and that revelation playing out through the characters and their relationships to one another. "She opened the door, hesitantly, because she was so immured in the feeling of being trapped due to the suffocating influence of her wealthy helicopter parents", like a therapist's notes, instead of giving the reader the context cues they need to piece that together for themselves, to feel that liberating moment instead of having it painstakingly relayed to them at a distance.

Of course, there's room for just about everything in fiction (and it's all somewhat subjective anyway). A character inwardly affirming a trait they've cultivated (or believe they have), putting together the pieces of how their past experiences are affecting them today, or getting up on the soapbox for a minute to say something beautiful and true about the story's theme - but these moments can be most effective and cathartic when they're deployed closer to the end after the reader has already worked it out and was merely waiting for the characters to catch up. Not when they're relayed from the outset and there's no puzzle left to put together.

i just saw a tiktok (<- cursed cursed site) that started out good, talking about how "show don't tell" is something you should keep in mind. It used the example of "instead of saying 'she opened the door', try 'her shaking hand twisted the doorknob, letting out a loud creak'".

And, yeah, if you're trying to convey the hesitance, fear, and eventual sucking-it-up that seems to be going on in the scene, that's great.

But.

The tiktok ended with, "see? Showing is ALWAYS better." And I just...

Friends & enemies, that's how you end up with that insufferable always-showing always-active YA writing style that does not know when to just shut up and say "she opened the door".

Because, yeah, I'll say it. Sometimes "she opened the door" IS better. Sometimes, the act of opening the door is literally just announcing a setting change, and you don't need to focus on it.

Show don't tell is about conveying important or relevant information, not about literally everything you're writing. You're allowed to say "she opened the door" & similar, and in fact, I encourage it in many scenarios.

[lost-in-fandoms]

Max finds out about Josh's announcement from the gossip channel in the server he has with the redline boys.

He doesn't often go there, he doesn't really care, but he's on holiday and he's already bored, so he spends more time than usual fucking around on his phone and he ends up there.

The announcement is simple, cute, and normally Max would just move on, he doesn't care about Josh or his life, but...

But this makes his fingers tingle with the need to text Daniel. To ask how he is, how it happened, when the last thing Max knew was that Daniel was the one in Josh's bed.

He doesn't, both because it's none of his business and because he doesn't want to open their text thread just to see the last three messages he sent gone unanswered, Daniel leaving him on read, not even congratulating him on his championship.

And even worse, the ones above that, the picture Max had sent, baring himself in every sense of the word, offering his body and heart to Daniel, just for Daniel to say no. No, it's not right. No, it's too much. No, I don't want this.

Two days later, Max had seen the pictures, sent by Gianni with a question mark, of two men kissing at a party, not blurry enough to not be recognisable, Josh's big hand cradling Daniel's jaw.

And now Josh is engaged. The hurt curdles into anger in his stomach, making him feel vaguely sick.

He had always known Josh was stupid, but now he has the proof, because who, given the chance, would choose anyone over Daniel?

Or maybe he's still fucking Daniel, behind his pretty girlfriend's back.

Or maybe with her.

Max stands up, leaving the phone on the couch, and heads straight for the sim. He had promised not to get on it for a while, to call Victoria later, to just relax for a while, but he needs to shut his brain off right now, before it veers into too dangerous thoughts and he ends up doing something embarrassing, like crying.

When he emerges, nürburgring probably forever imprinted on his retinas, the house is dark and the cats are asking for his attention, hungry and disgruntled. He stumbles to the kitchen, feeling slightly dizzy and dehydrated, blurry around the edges, but no longer on edge as before.

He feeds the cats, grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, and then goes to look for his phone again, ready to face Victoria's wrath for missing their call.

He finds a bunch of notifications waiting for him, including two missed calls from Victoria, followed by several threats to his life if she finds out he was on the sim, but his eyes stop on two different messages which make the water feel like acid in his throat.

Hey Maxy, sorry I've been MIA you know how things go!

Is the offer still on the table?

[frozen-fountain]

My brother and I are both semi-convinced we've each had a premonition.

I remember being three, maybe four years old, prior to starting school at least, and having a very vivid recurring dream. In it I was at some sort of pre-school social group with a bunch of other toddlers having a merry old time, but I was gripped with a complete and consuming sense of dread when time came to leave. I had to walk home alone and the way grew increasingly isolated until I was on a dirt track in the dark and came to a fork in the road. There I saw a signpost I couldn't read and knew beyond a doubt that something unspeakably terrible was going to happen, and then I woke up.

The imagery is pretty on-the-nose coming from a thirtysomething, but I have no idea why I would've felt I was at a crossroads in my life when I was so young and generally unaware.

Fast forward to when I'm nineteen and in the middle of an existential crisis about turning twenty (and about, well, pretty much everything). The summer is coming to an end and autumn moving in, and while I'm out on a long walk, it starts to get dark much earlier than I anticipated. I hurry home, and power myself up a steep hill, and coming down on the other side I swear to God I saw the exact signpost and fork in the road I saw in that dream.

In the next year, my desperation to be accepted and loved and the sense of failure at not having found it yet at the ripe old age of twenty would have me making some very silly and ill-advised decisions that had a pretty profound knock-on effect over the rest of my life. And when I told my brother this story some time later, he told me about a similar incidence of dreaming about a hillside covered in flowers, and seeing the exact same thing many years later from the window of a train that was carrying him away to make his own very silly choices.

I know, realistically, this is probably brains doing what brains do and finding pattern and connection. And if we did experience premonitions, it's not like that actually led to us making better choices - though I wouldn't take any of mine back when I look at everything I have now, and as a father of two I imagine he feels the same. But it's still weird that it happened and that it happened to both of us.

In turn, I will also ask you a thing, Tumblr:

Tell me about a supernatural experience you have had.

[thebramblewood]

Who wants to kiss Miko Ojo in the vaporwave CAS room? ✋🏻

[aasshleyyyyyy]

You talk to everyone but me.

[bibookdemon]

So, I know I've introduced my werebnnuy Wei Wuxian au to yall, at least the art, but I'm craving some fluff rn so. Here yall go:

Lan Sizhui found himself drifting, sleepy, but not enough to actually close his eyes fully. They were drooping, begging to succumb to sleep, but they just wouldn't. His hands idly played with the soft toebeans on one large, monstrous paw of the creature currently cleaning him. The beans were not rough, despite the fact that they were walked on almost every day over long distances. They were not solid either, an almost jelly-like thickness making it possible for him to jiggle the masses of pawpad. It was quite the satisfying thing, really, and judging by the way the creature's chest and throat rumbled happily, it was for him, as well.

A tongue began to work at his messy hair, tangled from an impromptu night hunt just an hour or so prior. His father, Wei Wuxian, had seen him, glanced to his other father, Lan Wangji, nervously, than hurried him off to a nearby field to get clean. He'd shifted into his wererabbit form, scooped Lan Sizhui against his chest with his paws resting carefully in front of him to make a sort of nest, and set to work.

Lan Sizhui enjoyed the warmth of his father being close by, the way he could move the giant paws with little effort, pulling them into his lap and making a sort of security blanket. He wasn't so fond of Wei Wuxian's rough tongue working out the tangles in his hair, but at least he tried his best not to cause pain.

His hair was soon sorted out. Wei Wuxian dropped his head to snuffle at his neck playfully, tickling the skin with his fur. Lan Sizhui giggled at his father's antics. His heart warmed at the fact that he was finally getting this experience with his other father. There was so much time to be made up for, and he knew Wei Wuxian was doing his absolute best to do just that. He spent any time he could with Lan Sizhui, stealing him away to play in the fields or help Lan Wangji feed the bunnies (the regular ones, that was) or race through the mountains in his wererabbit form with Lan Sizhui clinging to his back. Occasionally they'd even sneak out of the Cloud Recesses to explore the town below. Even though Lan Sizhui was sure he'd tasted and seen everything there by now, it was always a new adventure when it was with his father.

As Wei Wuxian settled himself and pulled Lan Sizhui closer to curl up around him for a nap, Lan Sizhui couldn't help but sigh contentedly.

The past had caused him a great deal of grief, but the present had gently wiped his tears and cradled him.

He was at peace.

...

Please talk to me about werebnnuy au I will love you forever and ever 👉👈

[ingravinoveritas]

(CW: Child abuse.) Leaving the grocery store this afternoon, there was a woman walking ahead of me with her daughter, probably 8 or 9 years old, who was holding two packages of bread. The mother was on the phone, with Airpods in her ears, and loudly, nastily complaining about the little girl to the person on the phone, as if she wasn't even there. "She keeps swinging my bread!" she spat, and the little girl looked back at me. At one point, she accidentally dropped one of the packages and picked it up, to which her mother responded by snapping "Give me my damn bread!" and snatching the package out of her hands.

As we walked to the parking lot, the girl kept looking back at me with so much sadness in her eyes, and I kept looking at her. I desperately wanted to say something, but all I could do was wave to her. To let her know that I saw her. And I sat in my car before I left and just cried. I don't understand how anyone can ever think it's okay to talk to a child like that, and if you're someone who does, you should probably not have children, ever...

[clownboymcchucklefuck]

Does a theory of Sol being immortal sound a bit too far fetched and insane-?

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Bath

Hello!

Direct continuation from the prev Drabble 'Mud'! Taking place almost directly after.

First Drabble (original prompt by @spotaus ) Prev drabble Next Drabble

So we take off almost right were we left off, only like a small hour later.

*---------------------*

Nighmtare can't stop the purr as warm water goes over his shoulders to clean some of the worst mud away from the cravices.

Dust hums "Yeah I figured it would feel nice. feeling warmer?"

Nightmare nods and leans back against the hand on his spine. Dust had been supporting his spine ever since they got back and told him what happened. They went straight to the bathroom.

"Hah! Dusty using his magic hands?"

Dust shoots Killer and annoyed look from where Killer is sitting with his boxers on in the bathtub with Ngihtmare. Grinning widely.

"What? I also needed to get cleaned up!" Killer looks very smug.

Dust shoots Nightmare a look "How is it that you are 6 yet he is more childish?"

Ngihtamre grins and just leans more into the hold. The touch is gentle as Dust removes mud from the sensitive and painful spots. It hurts a little but not nearly as much as it used to hurt when getting cleaned, and no were near as much hurt as with the mud in it.

Dust continues cleanign his spine and ribcage slowly "It didn't get too far in. Seems like your sweater protected you from that."

Ngihtmare pushes closer to Dust's touch "Sorry for getting it dirty..."

Dust hums "No need. You didn't mean to get it dirty and even fi you meant to. It is just a sweater. Even so Cross is already working on cleaning it. It will be fine." He uses a small bucket to let some water wash away the soap.

Killer grins as he leans agianst the tub edge "Me next dusty?"

Dust doesn't even look up as he keeps washing Nihgtmare's shoulders "You can wash yourself."

Killer whines "But dusty~ Stuff may have gotten between my joints! Same like nighty!"

Nightmare rolls his eye lights but purrs when Dust starts washing his skull and neck. It is so nice and familiar by now. They always do this even if Nightmare knows that Dust knows Nightmare can wash that himself. Dust always takes time to carefully wash his skull and neck for him.

Dust hums "And Nightmare is six. which you are not." Dust taps his shoulder carefully "close your sockets nightmare. I am going to wash off the soap."

Nightmare nods and closes his sockets before feeling the warm water wash over his skull and shoulders. It feels amazing!

Dust smiles "there is the happy purring. much better." then softer "Can I wash your sockets?"

Nightmare considers it for a moment. He never likes seeing the others when he baths, he should be able to wash himself and it make sit easier to accept their help when he can't see them... But Killer is also in the bath and that is fine... Maybe he will be fine with it?

Dust is silent and waits patiently as Nightmare thinks it over. Ngihtmare ends up nodding and turning around in the tub to be facing Dust instead.

Dust gives a small smile before focussing on his face as he looks at his sockets from different angles. as Dust stares at him Nightmare just looks back at Dust. Unlike Killer, who is mostly naked and with just his boxers on, Dust is still mostly dressed. Dust had only taken off his hoody, scarf and gloves. So Dust just sits by them in loose sweats and a shirt. Dust gives a quiet hum "Yeah I can see some mud in there. I am going to try and get it out okay?" he looks at their basket of bathstuff and takes out some soft cotton swabs. Dust soaps them up before holdign hsi skull steady with a gentle hand by his skull.

Dust looks at him "Still okay?"

Nightmare frowns as he thinks it over. This should feel bad or dangerous. people near his sockets or skull is very bad news. But no panic or fear. He hums and mutters "it is fine."

Dust looks a bit surprised before grinning "Brave babybones." ngihtamre knows he is glaring at Dust but Dust just chuckles "okay. No eye lights."

Nightmare huffs but does as told. he turns his eye lights off and with them goes his side.

The darkness does make him nervous but he still feels the steadying hand of Dust on his skull. He hears Killer whine and mumble about unfairness and that he wants the spa treatment as well. And that Dust is so unfair to not give him one as well!

the cotton swab touching the inside of his skull and near his sockets is weird. It doesn't hurt but it is still weird. His hands shoot up and he grabs Dust's arms.

Dust freezes "too much?"

Nightmare shallows and forces the words out "It is okay..." he just.. needs this... just a reminder. it is okay.

Dust mutters softly "I will be careful."

And as he said he would. He is. careful and slow movements. with purpose. And It does feel better! discomfort and itchiness he hadn't been fully aware of just disappears with each gentle movement.

"That was it. You can turn on your eye lights again."

NIghtmare needs a moment to get his magic to respond and get his eye lights to return. It is brihgt for a moment but even his sight seems better than before!

Dust grins "There. Almost all clean."

Killer grins and leans over the side of the tub "Which means it is mine turn!" causing a big wave to splash over and for Dust to now have wet pants.

Dust looks down before shooting him a glare "You did that on purpose."

Killer gasps and puts a hand above his soul "me?! I would never! I am sooooo sorry for your pants!" he grins and winks "You could just lose them." and he wiggles his eye brows.

Dust looks very unimpressed and Ngihtmare agrees. Not one of Killer's best tries at flirting.

Dust just looks at Nightmare again "do you want me to clean your arms or do you want to do it yourself today?"

Nightmare frowns and thinks it over. He did his own pelvis and legs as always but it was harder than he remembers to get dirt and mud out of those spots. He just looks at Dust "Can you do it?"

Dust nods and starts getting the shower floof ready again. Nightmare holds out his arms and lets Dust do his magic to get the stubborn dirt out off his joints. Dust just seems to know how to do it as the dirt and mud easily disappears.

Dust nods and looks very happy with himself "There he is. All clean." he puts the bathstuff to the side and goes to grab the towel.

Killer whines again "come on dusty~ Please?" Killer grins as he turns around until his spine is against the tub and he looks over backwards over the edge with his skull upsidedown to look at Dust. It can't be comfortable. Killer grins "Please~ What if some of the stuff stays behind? What if I can't clean myself right?"

Dust rolls hsi sockets as he gets the towel and with an easy motions nightmare is out of the bathtub and wrapped in the towel. Dust pats him down carefully as he ignroes the whining of the adult behind him. Killer bemoans about this unfair fate and how he needs help from his friend and teammate yet Dust is cruel to not help him.

Nightmare is dry and Dust dresses him in his PJs. Dust lifts him up and shoots Killer a look "Don't destroy our bathroom whiel I am gone." and Dust leaves the bathroom.

They exit into their downstairs bedroom and Dust goes straight to their pillow and blanket nest.

Dust sits down and grabs a blanket and wraps it around him "comfy?"

Nightmar enods "yeah." Dust hands over his plushy and NIghtmare is quick to put her right by his side. Batsie is her name... Like the cow name Bessie because they are on a farm but with bat because... bat.

Not that it matters because Nightmare isn't going to admit he named his plushy.

Dust smiles at him "I need to go clean the bathroom and make sure Killer doens't drown and kill himself with his stupidity. Horror is-"

"right here." and Horror joins him. Horror smiles at Dust "Good luck with Killer. I got this."

Dust nods and leaves to return to the bathroom.

Nightmare moves his plushy around until he can use the wings to blanket him as well. trying to keep his hands free. horror hands him a plate and fork as he sits with him. Asking him how his day had been at his appointment.

nightmare eats and calmly talks about his day and all that happened. his soul calm and content after his bath.

--

Killer chuckles as Dust leaves wiht Nightmare. He should have actually cleaned up but come on! It was too much fun to hoke around with Dusty! Especially the tiny blush he had managed to cause!

Killer chuckles as he kicks the water up before leaning back to lay in the tub. Ah, baths are very nice. Maybe he should take more of them.

He just lays there to enjoy the water.

"Dont'drown yourself. Water and dust together make a mess."

Killer opens his sockets and grins at Dust who looks very unimpressed "I don't know. YOu seem fine with bathtime."

Dust rolls his eye lights "You know what i mean. Also get dressed weirdo. Have some modesty."

Killer grins and winks "oh? Is the most powerful monster shy about bare bones?"

Dust shoots him a look "Just clean yourself."

Killer leans dramatically over the edge of the tub "I can't~ What if i miss a spot? And how am I suposed to wash myself if i have to fully dress myself? I can't do both at the same time dusty~"

Dust crosses his arms as he glares at him. "YOu seriously still on about this?"

Killer grins "Sorry. can't." he leans forwards and shrugs his shoulders.

Dust lets out a long annoyed sigh "fine."

Killer blinks and looks abck at Dust as Dust calmly cleans the shower fluff of dirty water and puts new soap on it. "euh?"

Dust moves in his blind spot and a hand touches his shoulders and Killer just freezes.

He hand pushes him a bit forover and oh fuck. fuck... that.. that is that seem shower fluff on his spine and it feels so good and how are dust's hand so secure?!

He doens't know what to think. What does he do?! Why?! Why is dust washing him? Oh fuck it feels so nice? No wonder Nightmare always purrs up a storm after bathtime. Fuck keep in the purring. You are making this weird. it is just your homie giving you a bath that you have been asking him for! Don't make it weird!

He... hadn't realised how nice this was. this touch. Normally Killer is the one that hangs all over the others and starts contact. This is technically stuff that Dust started and it feels so nice is this what it is suposed to feel like?! Is it normal that Killer just wants to melt into the touch and wnats it to never stop?!

how is this so nice?!

Killer straight up had one night stands with others across the multiverse and that is NOTHING compared to how nice this is.

The fluff disappears and some warm, almost scolding hot how does Nightmare deal with this heat every bath and whyt does he like it so much? Goes over his back and spine.

Dust snorts and speaks "There. your spine and ribcage are clean now."

Killer glances back and Dust looks highly amused and smug as he collects the shower stuff. He puts it on the side of the bath before he gets up. He shoots him a look "The rest you should be able to manage yourself." and he leaves the bathroom.

okay while Killer is sad the contact ended he is also thankful that Dust left because there is a very very very obvious reaction to the touch and his boxers are not doing a great job hiding it.

What the fuck is wrong with him!?

*---------------------*

Killer having a bit of a gay panic. It was his turn. Also I have so little drabbles from his POV?! It is criminal

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[r0semultiverse]

tfw the LA gangs do drive-by shootings