#82...

[partybarty]

each team plays 82 games a season in the nba???????????? do they sleep ever??????

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of June 2024

[last month]

June was a ridiculously exciting month of releases--I'd been so looking forward to the new Sunmi single, plus albums from Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Kehlani, Raveena, and Red Velvet. And then I got surprised by comebacks from The Japanese House, Bol4, Nayeon, and Epik High! And apparently the Suho album is pretty good? And the cupcakKe one is, too? Naturally, though, I was overwhelmed by the excitement and didn't spend much time with those new releases, so this list consists of... none of the aforementioned comebacks. I'm still quite proud of my top 15, though, especially because I had a chance to catch up with some exciting releases from last month (which will be making an appearance here)!

I also got to see Lucy, an absolutely wonderful k-band I've been following since debut, in concert, and it left me with a post-concert high for like a week. (It made me super sensitive to sensory input for a week, too. Like, I couldn't listen to Repion for that whole week, because their harmonies were too powerful, they made my skin feel like it was exploding. I could also FEEL the collars of my t-shirts like ants on my neck oh my god I've never been like that before it was wild.) So what I'm saying was, it was a fantastic concert & left me with a lot of appreciation for how interesting music can be! (Which is probably why the list of five-star songs is so long this month...)

It doesn't make an appearance here, but if you're curious: my pride anthem this month was George Michael's "Freedom! '90". (This is my pride anthem every year, actually, but it just never gets old to me.) Honorable mention to Hayley Kiyoko + Kehlani's "What I Need", and I hope you had a great pride month!

1. 5D (Fifth Dimension) -- The Byrds

You know that U2 lyric that talks about "a song that made some sense out of the world"? Well, here's a song that made some sense out of my world. Like, is it super exciting? Not really. But it shifted something in my soul. It's a song about having enough, and it feels like having enough--that warm guitar, those high harmonies at the end... And the lyrics make me cry. It's a simple song, but it has the feeling of a warm shower on a snowy day stored somewhere inside it. "5D" is magical, and I don't regret a single one of the many times I replayed it this month. (Also, this completes another item on my music bucket list for 2024, which was to like a new Byrds song!)

2. S.O.S -- Taichu, Lali

Since "Top" and "Noche de Sateo" last year, I've been keeping an eye out for Taichu. They have so much charisma--if there's an 'it' factor to being a star, Taichu has it to the max. All this to say, I don't think I could stay away from "S.O.S" if I tried. I don't love it as much as "Noche de Sateo", but it's still fantastic--the beat is super aespacore, and Taichu's raspy "SOS / save your souls" is one of the most iconic lines of the year. (Spotify says they're saying save our souls, but I like my headcanon better, so...) I've been singing the chorus all month, too. I would 100% recommend checking this one out, if just for the spectacle of Taichu's first verse--they're such a skilled performer.

3. +82 -- Badvillain

I'm so happy to announce that I've finally connected with a fifth-gen group! Though I definitely enjoy "Super Shy" and "Melting Point" and a few other fifth-gen hits, I've been feeling a little like I'm missing out, since I just haven't gotten into any of the new groups everyone's been so excited about. But Badvillain? They're exactly my kind of group. They're a perfect amount of obnoxious, reminiscent of CLC, but with the sleek rapping of XG (another group I've been REALLY getting into lately) added on. I love the weirdness of this debut, the drama of it. (Purplekiss got my attention with "Ponzona", a similarly melodramatic dark-concept debut, and I stan them now, so...) I definitely don't think this debut will be for everyone, but I call it a victory for obnoxious girlpop. CLC may be gone, but Badvillain proves that their spirit is still with us!! "+82", a short b-side attached to Badvillain's debut single, was released with a performance video, and it's such a gem. And yes, it's super short--like, less than 2 minutes long--but it's so packed with explosive brass (think: Demi Lovato's "Confident" or "Tell Me You Love Me") and thundering bass that it feels much fuller than its runtime suggests. It's an instant shot of energy, like all the best girlpop is. Here's to hoping that I'll like their future comebacks, and maybe Badvillain will be the first fifth-gen group I stan!

4. Popper! -- Akrilla, Taichu

Yep, it's Taichu again! "S.O.S" was a little weird, a little industrial, but it definitely felt like a song; in contrast, I can't promise that "Popper!" is actually a song--it's more like ambient noise (ambient, if you live in a sci-fi dystopia) with a chorus that pops up occasionally. People say Itzy & Stray Kids make construction zone music, so I guess "Popper!" is kind of like POV: you're a brick in a building that is currently being destroyed with a wrecking ball. And to be clear, I love it--the layers of sound are absolutely captivating. I can appreciate that even though "Popper!" sounds like the sonic equivalent of throwing paint at the wall, it takes work to get production this pristine. I imagine that every detail had to be sooo carefully placed, all these strange, creative sounds carefully sculpted into a landscape with the appearance of chaos. The more I listen to this one, the more addicted I become--it's surprisingly listenable! (I think we can thank the ever-charismatic Taichu for that, but maybe that's just my bias talking.)

5. Cosmic Love -- Faux Paz

Here we have the sulking song of the month! I've loved this song for forever--it's actually one of the songs that got me into Faux Paz--but I was reminded of it when I heard the name of the new Red Velvet album. When I revisited "Cosmic Love", it kickstarted a craving that lasted well into July. This arrangement is Faux Paz at their strongest--the whole arrangement is dense and cushion-y, and the final chorus, in particular, makes use of the choir's wall of voices just so excellently. The soloist's voice is heart-wrenching, too. I have no idea where Faux Paz finds so many people who can belt the way their soloists do--or is it all one person? I have no idea, but they're fantastic. While we're talking about Faux Paz, I've also been obsessed with their cover of "Chandelier" this month!

6. New Me -- Flo Milli, Anycia

I wish I loved the new Flo Milli album more than I do--as someone who lives for her campy mean-girl aesthetic, I want to love all her music!! But as of now, I haven't really found much to latch onto from Fine Ho, Stay. (It's not bad at all, just nothing I've been obsessing over!) That being said, I have to give "New Me" some credit, because it has a lot going for it: a great beat, a great feature (WOMEN WITH DEEP VOICES APPRECIATION POST), and some great ad-libs (which are exactly as obnoxious as I expect from a Flo Milli song, of course). I can totally see someone else falling head-over-heels for this track, but I think I'll be going back to leaving "Not Friendly" and "Big Steppa" on repeat, instead. I'm definitely inspired to check out Anycia's new album, though--

7. Más Lejos -- Atalhos

The summer heat is really hitting now, so, as per my tradition, I'm bringing out the wistful indie rock. "Más Lejos" was one of my favorite releases last summer, and it's still just as infinitely listenable as it was last year. I was inspired to check out more stuff from Atalhos this month, too, and I'm really impressed! I'm SO hyped to listen to their album Em Busca Do Tempo Perdido, since I'm pretty sure it's a Proust reference?? That's so cool, I was not expecting Proust to show up on my Spotify.

8. you should see me in a crown -- Billie Eilish

My brother and I were talking about albums that we think would be on Best Albums of All Time lists fifty years from now, and I'm confident that a Billie Eilish album will be on there--whether it'll be When We All Fall Asleep or Happier Than Ever, I'm not sure, but definitely one of those! So anyway, that conversation inspired me to revisit When We All Fall Asleep, since I had only paid attention to its ballads before. And oh my GOD, "you should see me in a crown" is fantastic. I remember it being popular, but I don't think I ever gave it a proper listen back in 2019--I was missing out. That bass in the chorus, with those shuddering effects, feels like tectonic plates moving. This song has so much grandeur, and Billie Eilish's performance here makes me believe she's the earth itself, a natural disaster waiting to happen. This is even more impressive than I was expecting.

9. Virtual Angel -- ARTMS

This actually isn't my favorite song from the album, but I'm not surprised it's my most-listened. "Virtual Angel" has all the magic I expect from a Loona(ish) comeback--that fluttering instrumental, for one, doesn't feel like something a human could produce, so I'm quite convinced it's a gift from the angels.

10. Hide & Seek -- Pixy

After watching a video from Planet Minjae on YouTube, I was inspired to revisit some of my favorite fourth-gen discographies, and Pixy is one of those. These ladies have some fantastic b-sides, and the group as a whole is way too underrated. I love the Chosen Karma mini ("Falling" & "Whisper" oh my god oh my god oh my god), but I'd never fully appreciated "Hide & Seek" before this month. Pixy don't have the production budget to make this song as much of a masterpiece as it could be, but I can see the vision here--the tongue-in-cheek intro, the commitment to brass in the instrumental (chorus and verses?!!!?!?!!!), and that fantastic rap section. Everything about this song is ambitious, and it really should be a hit.

11. Ah Yeah -- EXID

I have a whole ramble in my journal about how this is the best girl crush song ever. (Yes, it's like technically the tail end of the sexy concept or whatever, but this is literally EXID doing Blackpink before Blackpink, so I'm calling it one of the mothers of girl crush. And it outdid them ALL. Just saying.) EXID has Mamamoo-level vocals + a 4minute attitude (I love you, LE); they're pure power, and "Ah Yeah" lets them give their all. And the way they control the song--those little moments of commanding the beat to a halt--is such a nice little touch that really elevates the girl power concept. This song isn't new to me, but I fell in love all over again this month!

12. The Killa -- TXT

When this album first came out, I listened to the first minute of "The Killa", was like oh look it's tinnitus again, and then I went and listened to "Tinnitus" instead. But I really underestimated this song! "The Killa" is hazy and distorted in a way that "Tinnitus" isn't--I find those weird, robot-y harmonies in the chorus so captivating. I love how the production here is so layered and creative, and I think this song will continue to age quite well.

13. Te Encontrei em SP -- Atalhos, Delfina Campos

Re: my Atalhos binge! This one isn't my favorite--it's so wispy and laid-back that it becomes kind of monotone--but that saxophone is wonderful. They really give the saxophone room to breathe in the instrumental, instead of relegating it to one short solo, and the fuzzed-out production is really interesting!

14. Armageddon -- Aespa

This chorus has been everywhere all month, and I'm more than happy to get caught up in the hype. Like, I can't stop craving the "imma get it dunnnnnnn" bit, and whenever I can finally get it out of my head, I hear a snippet of it on YouTube Shorts--and there, the craving is back. That crunchy production is exactly what I want in an Aespa song, too! I don't know if the Aespa ladies really do this song justice--their voices are gorgeous, don't get me wrong, I just think I would enjoy "Armageddon" more if their performances leaned more into its moodiness. So it's not my favorite Aespa song, but I'm happy to succumb to its popularity and spend a summer leaving it on repeat!

15. Boom -- Nmixx

Yeah fine I get it now. It's fantastic, whatever. Nmixx's album this year was super exciting and wonderful, whatever. (Look, Nmixx songs have a history of giving me headaches, headaches which I'm still a little bit bitter about. But I'll get over it eventually... the bitterness is hard to maintain, especially after "Passionfruit"...) "Boom" places a lot of pressure on its hooks--it's more like a highlight medley than a song--but that "tick tick tick tick boom boom" hook is surprisingly sturdy. The whole thing ends up feeling coherent in a way that is deeply confusing to me: how does it do that? What a masterpiece. Also, that glossy house section at the end is to die for!!

Five-Star Songs This Month

Butterfly Effect -- ARTMS

And here we have my favorite song from Dall. I've spent the month with the album, and this is the one that really sticks with me. That sonar-sounding vocal hook is just two notes, but it's ridiculously gorgeous.

Chokehold Cherry Python -- Ashnikko

Ashnikko has met her match with the aggressive guitar in this song. The combination of the two? It's like being struck by lightning. Also, their song "Deal With It" (with Kelis) probably isn't a five-star song, but it's SUCH a summer hit!! I've been listening to that one a bunch, too.

De Zombis -- Repion

Check out more of Repion's back catalog, they said. It'll be fun, they said. This song, the first track on Repion's first album, is such a way to debut. Like, it's painful how overwhelmingly beautiful it is. The vocals here are piercing--the front-and-center harmonies I love so much about Repion aren't something they grew into; apparently, this duo's vocals have been sending electric shocks through their music as long as they've been around. The roughness of this song's production brings a completely unique kind of intensity, too, something so different from their recent releases but in the same spirit--Repion knows how to make rock anthems that come straight for my heart.

Drug Free America -- Bleachers

A joke song with surprising longevity. Like, I appreciated the absurdity of this one right from the start, but I didn't expect to actually enjoy it as music. Here we are, though! The snappy comedy of the lyrics balances out the sonic soup of the vocal effects, and "Drug Free America" is full of fun lines that stay fun on repeat listens. Look, I've been obsessed with Bleachers for forever, now--I'm willing to indulge pretty much anything they put out, so this gets five stars and there's nothing you can do about it.

Mine -- Aespa

I think I tend to like Aespa most when they're ice-cold ("Illusion" is my favorite aespa song for a reason), and this song is right up my alley. I defer to @pocima's write-up on this one though, because she does "Mine" more justice than I could! [link]

Popper! -- Akriila, Taichu

S.O.S -- Taichu, Lali

Starburned and Unkissed -- Caroline Polachek

The I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack strikes again! After falling in love with yeule's "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" last month, I listened through the whole soundtrack album and zeroed in on this fascinating song. It's a hazy, ghostly scream, it's a ballad left out in the cold too long, iced over and sleeping in the snow and dreaming desperately of a home it may never see again. I don't know, it just hits. Both yeule & Caroline Polachek's contributions to this soundtrack are beautifully warped--I love how these songs find so much soul and emotion and life energy in decidedly unnatural sonic worlds.

[sheepsheeples]

Officially caught up on critical role campaign 3 💀💀

I'm starting on Campaign 2 today because Critical Role has just become what I listen to while I work. I tried to watch Campaign one and made it through the first episode, but the weird audio and video stuff kinda has me thinking I'll watch the animated series instead until i run out of campaign 2.

[dieno-tsuki]

absolutely fucking love getting people onto aot

[giratinazero]

everything here is from free chapters, but I've put it under a cut anyways in case someone isn't caught up, because I do discuss some season 2 stuff. screenshot-heavy, talking about Ada.

so we know that Ada, obviously, just wants to be loved. mainly she leans on the idea of romantic love, but she clearly just wants any kind of acceptance, given that her reaction to Morella cutting her off seems genuine before she starts blustering again.

I also think her attempt to connect with Lenore in 37 was genuine, because Ada seems to be a pretty bad liar, or at least bad at "being bad," so I don't think she's faking this conversation.

Ada also quite clearly seems to believe she has to earn love or be useful somehow. On a meta level this is reflected in her original life as a maid, and in-story still manifests as doing whatever Montresor says, even before Prospero rejected her. From the start she's been doing what she's told for no reason other than to "belong" somewhere.

in comparison to Montresor [eager as hell] and Will [at least neutral], Ada also doesn't seem down with walling up Duke, but she goes along without really complaining because it's what they want her to do.

Ada wants to be useful no matter what, because then she'll finally be loved this time, right? and what's the best way to be useful? to be strong.

Maybe it's because I reread the dreamland/amontillado chapters a lot, but it seems that Ada is incredibly quick to pull out her specter. We've seen her at least 3 times in a [relatively] short span; first manifesting in 69-71,

then reappearing again in 82-88,

and most recently in 110-111.

That seems fast, right? In comparison, Berenice and Eula have only manifested once, Pluto has only really used his specter once-- he didn't do anything with it in the maze, only in the tower-- and I believe we've only seen Montresor once as well, maybe twice if my memory's bad. Ada defaults to her specter as quickly as possible because it's the only way she feels confident in her usefulness.

So where am I going with all this? I think Ada's going to lose access to her specter for a long, long time.

the stag clearly overloaded her with power, right? it didn't seem to drain her at all-- it made her so strong, her body couldn't handle it anymore.

based on this, I think it can go in one of two directions, and I think they're equally likely. either 1: Ada can no longer manifest at all. this would put her at a massive disadvantage in comparison to other students, but it would put her on equal playing field with Lenore specifically, and could be an interesting way to actually develop a proper connection between the two. Especially given that there's a chance Lenore's group experiences some strain in their relationships, there's room to work Ada in. of course she'd regain her ability eventually, but it would probably require more #trauma along the way.

or 2: because of the stag's residual power, Ada's become so strong that she can no longer control it. she's a liability now. sure, she's powerful, but what good is that power if you can't use it properly? Annabel is running a tight ship, and I don't think she'd be interested in relying on a volatile transformation that might hurt her group on accident instead of Lenore's friends on purpose.

whatever ends up happening on that front, Ada is once again stripped of what she considers her only value. She was useless to everyone before she manifested, and after finally proving herself, she's been forcibly reverted back to step one. As far as she knows, Monty won't want her without her specter, but Morella has made it clear there's no room for friendship without an attitude adjustment. Ada is going to be alone again, even though for the briefest moment, she finally had what she wanted. it's a fantastic chance for character development, because if you can't be loved, be useful; if you can't be useful, what's after that?

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

If you're decorating for Halloween, you might want to invite a Darwin's bark spider! This species produces the largest orb webs, reaching up to 28,000 square centimetres (4,340 sq in) in total area, and the anchor lines can span up to 25 metres (82 ft)! The silk of these webs is also the toughest known biological material, with a tensile strength of 1.6 GPa; gram for gram, it is ten times stronger than Kevlar.

(Image: A Darwin's bark spider (Caerostris darwini) by Matjaz Gregoric)

[nightlyrequiem]

DIGEST

"Just the scattered remnants of a society frozen in its last moments."

Chapter 5. Safe Havens Are Only Temporary

AO3 Masterlist Previous Next

w/c- 3,348

Humanity has fallen, rotting monsters roam about freely, and you were bit. However, when the fever passes, you're alive and whole. For now. Soon the wound begins to fester, and you need to venture outside to get antibiotics or risk succumbing to an infection anyway. Though it turns out the dead aren't the only things you have to worry about.

A/N- Minecraft pocket edition isn't optimized for phones anymore. It took my battery health down from 84% to 82% in the span of a couple of DAYS :( I need to replace my phone's battery soon anyway. Furr sure in the next 4-5 months

Tags/Warnings: Tags Will Be Updated as Story Progresses, WLW, Dysfunctional Relationship, Gore, Apocalypse/Infection AU, No Use of The Word Zombie, Violence, Gore, Angst, Valeria is a Bad Person, Seizures, Mild-Body Horror, Horror, Thriller

Chuck hurries the both of you away. Down an alley. You're surprised to see light spilling out from a propped open door.

"Hurry, now." He says nervously, looking over your shoulder. Something cries out, and many voices answer. "Damn things are communicating." Valeria swiftly enters and Chuck grabs your arm - the bad one - and pulls you in, missing your pained wince. He shuts the door with a loud click.

"This place belongs to my buddy, Eric." He tells you. You nod politely, wishing he'd stop rambling in your ear. Telling you all about how long they've known each other and how many fish they've caught. You watch Valeria's back as she walks slightly ahead of you, and you envy how unapproachable she is.

Valeria stops abruptly and automatically goes for her gun.

"I hear people." She hisses. Contrary to Valeria, the idea of meeting other people raises your spirits. Maybe they can help you get away from her. Another thought strikes your hope down. Or, they'll discover the bite mark and shoot you on the spot without giving you a chance to explain yourself. Suddenly Valeria's trepidation seems very reasonable.

"Oh, that's my group." Chuck says. "Good folks, don't worry." 

His words don't seem to appease Valeria at all. She gives him an icy look that if, you were on the receiving end of, would probably make you shudder. Chuck seems unbothered by it though. That, or he didn't notice. He leaves your side to pull open the door and gestures for the two of you to enter. Valeria whisks by, head up and shoulders square. You follow behind her more cautiously, muttering a polite thanks to Chuck.

It's some kind of Cafe. The windows have been boarded up with cardboard and the tables and chairs are pushed against them for extra security. Bright fluorescent lights shine down on the people huddling inside. Valeria regards them judgmentally, gaze narrowed.

"Don't the lights attract them?" She asks, turning to Chuck.

"No. The boards do a good job of blocking any from leaking." He answers, coming up to stop next to a very tall, very rough looking man. You're not very confident in his answer. Cardboard doesn't block light very well. Neither would it provide much resistance should the infected break in. 

Underneath the sounds of infected outside and the muttering inside, you hear a low humming. Quiet enough to almost blend into the background. You decide it must be a generator of some kind. It would explain the lights.

"-And this one is..." 

You look up, realizing Chuck was introducing you and Valeria to his 'group'. Consisting of three men and a girl that looks your age, maybe younger.

You blurt your name after a few moments of hesitant silence. Something about their solemn faces rub you the wrong way. You're not sure you'll be finding any kind of help here. Your eyes drift towards the girl. A waifish looking thing with a little pink cardigan. She has her head lowered, long stringy hair hiding her face from sight.

The tall man steps forward, smiling.

"It's nice to see other people. Not many of those left nowadays." He sighs. There's a specific lilt to his voice that makes you think of hot weather and alligators.

"Right. Well, we're not going to be sticking around." Valeria replies curtly. Looking from the man to Chuck, challenging them to disagree. She crosses her arms. "We just need to wait out the night and then we'll be back on our way."

"Where're you going?" The man asks. Valeria doesn't answer.

"Don't bother them with questions right now, Eric." Chuck says, slapping a friendly hand onto the man's shoulder. "They're shaken up. Had to rescue them from a horde surrounding their little car."

You cast Valeria a sidelong glance. She's tense, but she doesn't seem particularly shaken from what transpired. And while you're still trembling, you find that you still have most your wits about you. Still, you don't contradict him. The less you speak to this man, the better.

"Come." Valeria mutters, grabbing your arm and dragging you away. You scowl and resist the urge to slap her hand away. You don't want to make a scene. But you're tired of being pulled around like a ragdoll.

Valeria brings you over to the furthest corner away from the others. The silence is only interrupted by the sounds outside, and the muttering inside. And that stupid humming. The sound is really starting to irritate you. Like a dog and a dog whistle. Occasionally, something will loudly bump into the covered glass and make you jump. You've gotten used to the naturally gloom that indoors has with the absence of lights. It feels unnatural now. It makes you feel exposed. And it almost feels like it's burning you.

Like it's a reflex, you gravitate towards one of the tables pushed up against the wall and crawl under it. You press yourself as close to the wall as you can. You realize that everyone is now staring at you. Looking confused and a little judgmental. You swallow awkwardly and look down.

Underneath the sleave of your shirt, you can feel your bite wound throbbing. Screaming for your attention. Valeria slowly crouches down, looking at you angrily.

"What are you doing?" She hisses quietly. 

"The lights hurt me." You whisper back, one eye kept on the rest of the group. Valeria's expression darkens.

"They shouldn't." She replies stiffly.

"Well they've been hurting me." You say irately. Glaring at her.

"What?" She asks, frown turning more serious. You look at her, wondering why that's such a big deal.

"Being in the sun makes me slow and sick. You didn't notice?" You ask incredulously. You throwing up and lagging behind wasn't obvious to her?

Valeria stares at you silently for a few minutes. You wish you could tell what she's thinking. She looks like she's about to say something but then thinks better of it and stands back up. The lights flicker. You hear one of the men whisper 'damn it!' under his breath. You look over at them. Seeing Chuck and Eric speaking to each other lowly. 

They discuss something intently, then walk off into the back. Going through a door and slipping out of view. None of the others seem concerned. Apart from Valeria. Her leg bounces impatiently. You look back over to the group. The man with the girl leans down to whisper something in her ear. She winces lightly and he leads her away to the bathrooms. You narrow your eyes. Apprehension crashes into you in waves. 

After a few long seconds, you crawl out from under the table. Valeria glances at you but doesn't say anything. You walk over to the bathrooms. That feeling of foreboding gets heavier. You walk in and peer around the wall. Seeing the man with his back to you. He almost blocks the girl from sight completely. Your heart lurches at the sight of her cardigan and a shirt folded up on the counter.

The man's gravelly voice startles you.

"It's getting worse." He says, sounding... worried. 

"They're going to find out. I'm getting worse." The girl responds. Her voice is thin and reedy.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Laura." The man grumbles.

"I'm scared." She responds, voice cracking. "I'm so hungry. I can smell you, Paul.  I'm scared I'm going to do something bad." 

You back away slowly. Alarmed. The man replies to her but you miss it. You leave the bathroom. Trying to ignore the stares of the other man. They must've known you were spying. But somehow that's not worse than what you suspect is going on. You make your way back to Valeria. You subconsciously raise your hand to rub your bitten arm. It's like her hunger has awoken yours. Your stomach growls its complaints. Feeling shrunken and hollow. 

Coming to a stand next to Valeria. She eyes you darkly.

"What are you doing?" She snaps. "Don't go drawing attention to yourself."

"Sorry." You mumble. Debating on if you should tell her about what you saw or not. The man and the girl emerge shortly after and you stiffen. Watching them walk back over to the other man. The one that saw you spy on them looks right at you then shuffles closer to Paul.

Your blood freezes as he says something to him too quiet to hear. You can make an educated guess as to what it was when his gaze snaps to yours in an instant. Panicked and angry. Valeria shifts behind you.

"Something I can help you with?" She asks loudly, noticing his attention. You tense.

"... No." Paul replies, finally looking away. He's no longer staring, but Laura is. You actually flinch away from the sight. She's so sickly pale that she has a grey hue to her skin. Her eyes look swollen and red, and there are what looks to be the beginnings of sores on her cheeks and forehead. You quickly avert your gaze.

The lights flicker again, then Eric and Chuck reemerge from the door.

"Just the generator bein' finicky." Eric tells everyone. "S'all good now."

"How long until we can leave?" You whisper to Valeria. You had hoped to find help here, but you don't think anyone here will be better than Valeria.

"When day breaks and all the sick bastards go back to their hiding holes." She replies unhappily.

You chance a look at the girl again. She's slumped in a chair, head hung low. She looks so stiff. Your heart begins to speed up.

"We should go now, I think." You murmur. The alley way looked clear when you came in. Valeria's not having it. She turns to you, impatient and unimpressed. 

"It's not day yet, pendeja." She growls. "I'm not walking out into an infested city."

"If we don't, we might be stuck in here with one of them." You say urgently, desperate for her to listen.

"What do you mean?" She asks sharply, looking at you closely. You try to discreetly jerk your head back towards the girl.

"I followed her and that guy with her to the bathroom because I thought... I thought something was going on." You start. "And it was, but not what I thought. I think she's bit."

Valeria glares at you then surveys the girl. Her eyes narrow at her clearly sick form.

"She said she was getting worse. That she was hungry. That she could smell him." You continue pressingly. Paul notices her staring.

"What?" He barks, drawing the attention of everyone else. Side conversations stop.

Even at the agitated voice of her friend, Laura still doesn't raise her head. You look at Valeria nervously. Hoping she deescalates the situation so that the two of you can form a plan and slip away. Valeria, it seems, has other ideas.

"What's wrong with her?" She asks bluntly, gesturing a hand at the girl. Paul goes rigid, eyes flaming with anger.

"She's tired." He says. Eric and Chuck watch silently. The other man you notice, takes a step away from Laura and Paul.

"Looks a little more than regular fatigue to me." Valeria retorts, fingers inching towards where she keeps her gun hidden in the waistband of her pants.

Paul steps forward, glaring at Valeria.

"What the fuck are you implying?" He asks loudly. "Who are you? Coming in here and stirring up trouble? We saved your sorry asses!" 

"Chuck saved us." Valeria replies. Paul and Valeria erupt into a heated argument. The sound of their raised, cursing voices garners the attention of the infected outside. More and more begin to pound at the window. More purposeful this time. The muttering and rambling of them covering the hum of the generator.

Movement rips your attention away from Valeria and Paul. Laura twitches again. Her head shakily raises, eyes reddened from irritation and squinted against the light. She bares her teeth, wet with foamed up saliva. 

"Stop!" You exclaim. Trying to break up the fight. 

Laura launches at the unnamed man, who was the closest to her. Chuck and Eric stumble away while Paul whips around in horror.

The man screams. High pitched and full of terror and pain as Laura rips his stomach open. Long, uncut nails pulling apart the skin and hauling out chunks of organ and flesh.

"Fuck! Kill it!" Eric yells.

"Help me! Help me!" The man shrieks. Paul raises his shotgun, and you quickly cover your ears. But before he can pull the trigger, Paul lunges at him and grabs the barrel, pushing it up as he fires. The shot blasts into the wall and blows a hole in it. Valeria flinches back.

"No!" Paul grunts.

"Paul, what the hell are you doing?" Chuck hisses. Eric reaches forward and tries to pry Paul's hands off of the gun.

"Let go, Paul." He says warningly.

The gunshot triggers the infected outside. Their muttering turns into excited shrieking. They're attacking the glass so hard that you expect it to shatter at any moment. Then the only thing between you and them is some flimsy cardboard covers and tables. Laura eats her fill of the man, who has gone still. His eyes are blank and sightless, fixed somewhere far away. She rises to her feet unsteadily, arms and face covered in gore.

The men writhe around. All trying to get the shotgun from one another. Laura stares straight at you and Valeria, chest heaving. She lurches forward, running at Valeria. She's not quick enough to draw her gun and when Laura crashes into her and sends her sprawling on the ground, the gun clatters out of her hand and skids away.

"You can't! She's all I have left!" Paul snarls.

"She's gone you crazy prick! You're going to get us all killed!" Eric answers. Laura snaps at Valeria, who's barely keeping her at bay with outstretched arms. 

"Help me!" She snaps at you. For a small, sickly girl, Laura has a surprising amount of strength.

You watch silently. Distressed and indecisive. If you let Laura maul Valeria, you'll be free of her. You can go back to the car after sunrise and get yours and her stuff. The food, the antibiotics. You could avoid the fate she has planned for you, whatever it is. But you're in an unfamiliar country, in an unfamiliar city. And besides, for as awful as Valeria has been, you're not sure you want to watch her be torn apart. What an awful way to go, you think.

You scoop up the gun and try to aim it. You've never shot a gun before. Its weight feels heavy and unfamiliar. You worry that you'll hit Valeria if you don't stop trembling. You do your best to steady yourself, then pull the trigger.

The recoil is stronger than you expected, and you drop the gun. Laura jerks backwards and falls still. 

"No!" 

Paul rushes towards the body and hovers over it. Not caring about the blood soaking into the fabric of his pants. "No." He says desperately. Brows pulled low into an anguished expression. Valeria sits up and wipes her face, lip curled in disgust. You stare on hollowly. Killing Laura felt different then killing the sewer monster. 

Maybe it's because you saw Laura when she was still lucid. Maybe it's because she didn't look monstrous yet. Eric and Chuck linger in the back, the shotgun gripped in Chuck's hands tightly. Paul sobs over Laura's body. Shoulder's twitching with each one. Valeria stands, not as sorry as you are. Outside, the infected sound like a storm. Thunderous caterwauling echoing into the building.

She scowls at the grieving man. Not giving him a break. 

"You brought in an infected person? Did you two know?" She looks at Chuck and Eric. Eric stares back at Valeria, face hard. You try not to wince. You were bit too. It feels unfair to you, that Laura was shot for a secret you have. Then again, Laura's body wasn't able to fight it off enough to keep her human.

"No. We didn't know. We only met them a few days ago." He says. Chuck doesn't look up. He's staring down at Paul and Laura, expression unreadable.

The pounding on the glass behind you is starting to make you anxious.

"Can we go into another room?" You speak up. "They might break through the windows." Eric continues to glare at Valeria. The overhead lights casting dark shadows over his face.

"Yes. We probably should." Chuck replies to you. "Come on." He turns and leads you back through the door you saw him leave through earlier.

It leads into a long hallway. A few doors placed sparsely on the side. At the very end of it, another door. You presume that one must lead outside. He brings you, Valeria, and Rick into a small backroom. The lights in here are less welcoming. A harsh, greenish white that induces heavy nausea. Spiny, metal shelves contain boxes and cleaning supplies. It's so cramped that it reminds you of the closet you slept in not long ago. It makes your skin crawl. You shut your eyes tightly and wish the time could pass by faster.

During the long night, like you predicted it would, the window shattered loudly. You heard infected crawl in and search for the people inside. Some ventured near the door but when they couldn't find anything, most moved on. Enough time had passed for Eric to feel comfortable enough to crack open the door. You wait with bated breath, expecting something to lunge in at him. But it's clear. Mostly. You peer past him and see some infected resting. Pressed against the walls with closed eyes.

The group silently sneaks past them. The cafe itself is no longer safe. The front window has been completely broken through. Bloody shards of glass lay all over the floor, the carboard shields pushed down and trampled. Eric curses and surveys the damage. He looks at you and Valeria hatefully. As if faulting the two of you for this disaster. He shakes his head and turns back to Chuck.

"We can't stay here now." He says. "Place is fucked. Gather anything useful."

"Let's go." Valeria tells you. She's quiet and slow today. Exhausted from the night's ordeals. She doesn't grab you and pull you along. You follow behind her, feeling just as sluggish.

The walk back to the beetle is silent. Luckily for you, the day is overcast. The brightness still feels oppressive but without the hot sun bearing down on you, it's easier to keep up with Valeria. You get to see the blockade in daylight now. Somehow, the tanks look more ominous in daylight. 

"Start clearing the bodies from behind it." Valeria orders. "I'm going to check to see if anything important was damaged. I don't want to waste time searching for another working vehicle."

"We could try the tanks." You suggest. The withering look Valeria sends you tells you that was a stupid idea.

You start on the tedious task of hauling the corpses out of the way. Revulsion overwhelms you at the spongy, wet feeling of their skin. Some of them stick to the pavement like dried worms. You struggle to pry them off, and when you do, they leave some parts of themselves behind. The engine growls to life. You walk over and take your spot in the passenger seat after carefully sweeping off the shattered glass on it.

"I have a bag of jerky in the front pocket of my bag." Valeria murmurs while she backs up. "Eat it."

Her generosity catches you off guard. Not long ago she was denying you food. You don't question it or argue with her.

Why would you when your stomach feels like it's been clawed out? You wait until she's done backing up to twist in your seat and rummage through the front pocket. Pulling out an unopened bag of jerky. Although you're hungry, you feel sick with every bite. Paul's heavy sobs echoing in your ears and heart. 

[orbularborbular]

He called my immigrant friends “vermin” and said they were “poisoning the blood” of this country. He bragged, on camera, about sexually assaulting women. He was found civilly liable for rape in NY and has nearly 30 sexual assault allegations pending against him, spanning 5 decades. He cheated on his wife with a porn star shortly after she gave birth, then committed election fraud to cover it up – leading him to be found guilty on 34 felony counts. He described prolific pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as a "terrific guy". He defrauded a children’s cancer charity, repeatedly lied on his taxes, cheated every business partner he ever had, and was consequently banned from doing business in the state of NY. His massive tax cuts for the wealthy ballooned our national debt by 1.9 TRILLION dollars. He sicced paramilitary thugs on protesters and journalists, quipping that he “wish he had Hitler’s generals”. He mocked POWs and called our veterans suckers and losers – having dodged the draft himself, of course. He ripped children away from their parents and locked them in cages. He suggested that we inject bleach into our veins to deal with Covid. He remarked to one of his relatives – a man with a disabled child – that we should just let disabled people die. He also asked why we couldn’t drop a nuclear bomb on a hurricane to prevent it making landfall. He said he “fell in love” with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and publicly declared that he trusted Vladimir Putin more than our own intelligence agencies. He abandoned our Kurdish allies to slaughter and invited the Taliban to Camp David. He tried to overturn a free and fair election with legal trickery, and when that failed, violence. He refused to call off the mob of his supporters as they trashed the capitol and beat police officers to death. He chuckled when one of his cultists bashed in the skull of 82-year-old Paul Pelosi. He stole state secrets – including nuclear secrets – and stored them in a bathroom at his public golf club. He obstructed the FBI’s attempts to retrieve the classified documents, leading to dozens of pending felony charges in multiple states.

And yet, somehow, all of this was preferable to a black woman.

I’ve learned my lesson, America. Truth means nothing. Laws means nothing. The only things that matter are money and power, and the worst man imaginable is better than the most qualified woman.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you think Azul and the Tweels have a longer/shorter lifespan than others since they’re seafolk?

While it's not totally clear how aging works for a half human-half fae like Sebek, I'm pretty certain that all full-blooded non-fae have the same general lifespan as a human. I think the expectation that merpeople in particular (but not beastmen or humans) have extended lifespans comes more from lore outside of Twisted Wonderland rather than pointing to any actual in-universe logic that would imply it. It's an idea I often see in fan works of the angst variety--but I in no way think it's canon. Remember, just because it's the fact in one interpretation of mythos doesn't mean it's true of another interpretation of mythos!

There's two big pieces of evidence that merpeople in TWST age the same as humans. For one, all the flashbacks we get pertaining to the Octatrio's childhood (which theoretically should have been "a long time ago", not a handful of years ago) doesn't imply that a large period of time has passed. There are no major attitude or cultural shifts in the world around them. They also all seemingly matured at roughly the same rate, which is not the case for fae. Malleus, for example, is still considered "a baby", but we've never heard the merfolk characters be referred to or treated in this sense of "still being babies" since they're all 17. The Octatrio also does not act in ways which would show us they’re “out of touch” with time, unlike Malleus (who struggles with technology and being punctual), or Lilia (who expresses surprise at how much countries have changed and has worldly wisdom from his long life).

The other piece of evidence is book 6, part 82. Following the events at Styx HQ, the students all have a tearful reunion at NRC. Malleus also restores an aged Vil (his life force had been drained by Tartarus) to his previous youth. After this, Malleus expresses confusion at how "humans" like Vil can wither and fade in less than a century. 100 years seems like the blink of an eye to a long-lived creature like him. Lilia then informs his prince, "It's true. Human lives are as ethereal as silk thread on a spinning wheel—and just as easily cut short. But their fragility can be a boon. Interweaving and layering those threads creates the strong, resilient tapestry of their history. Such is the creature called man—neighbor to we creatures of the night." What's important here are the characters that fade in and out on the screen as Lilia speaks these lines:

That's right, even though Lilia's dialogue uses terms like "humans" and "creature called man" while referring to them having short lives, beastmen, whatever the heck Grim is, AND merpeople characters are included in the visuals of the scene. To me, this means that all nonfae have roughly the same life expectancy and that fae are the only major exception to this. There's other circumstantial evidence that supports this as well; Sebek calls all nonfae "humans", Malleus refers to groups of nonfae as "children of man", etc. I think it would also just feel weirdly dissonant if like half the races we know of (merfolk, fae) have long lifespans and not just the one (fae). It works better narratively to single out the fae as being abnormal. Not only would that make sense historically (because it partly explains why others feared fae specifically and why fae get othered), but it would also heighten the drama for book 7, which features Malleus wanting to stop the flow of time. What is added here if merpeople also have extended life spans? Nothing is; I'd actually say it might distract from fae having the spotlight this book.

[girlsdressingrooms]

Iris Barrel Apfel, Decorator and Fashion Stylist

(August 29, 1921 – March 1, 2024) 

Ms. Apfel was one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design, she has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic.

Her originality was typically revealed in her mixing of high and low fashions—Dior haute couture with flea market finds, nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments with Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers.

With remarkable panache and discernment, she combines colors, textures, and patterns without regard to period, provenance, and, ultimately, aesthetic conventions. Paradoxically, her richly layered combinations—even at their most extreme and baroque—project a boldly graphic modernity.

Iris Barrel was born on Aug. 29, 1921, in Astoria, Queens, the only child of Samuel Barrel, who owned a glass and mirror business, and his Russian-born wife, Sadye, who owned a fashion boutique.

She studied art history at New York University, then qualified to teach and did so briefly in Wisconsin before fleeing back to New York to work on Women's Wear Daily, and for interior designer Elinor Johnson, decorating apartments for resale and honing her talent for sourcing rare items before opening her own design firm. She was also an assistant to illustrator Robert Goodman.

As a distinguished collector and authority on antique fabrics, Iris Apfel has consulted on numerous restoration projects that include work at the White House that spanned nine presidencies from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton.

Along with her husband, Carl, she founded Old World Weavers, an international textile manufacturing company and ran it until they retired in 1992. The Apfels specialized in the reproduction of fabrics from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and traveled to Europe twice a year in search of textiles they could not source in the United States.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute assembled 82 ensembles and 300 accessories from her personal collection in 2005 in a show about her called “Rara Avis”.

Almost overnight, Ms. Apfel became an international celebrity of pop fashion.

Ms. Apfel was seen in a television commercial for the French car DS 3, became the face of the Australian fashion brand Blue Illusion, and began a collaboration with the start-up WiseWear. A year later, Mattel created a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll in her image. Last year, she appeared in a beauty campaign for makeup with Ciaté London.

Six years after the Met show she started her fashion line "Rara Avis" with the Home Shopping Network.

She was cover girl of Dazed and Confused, among many other publications, window display artist at Bergdorf Goodman, designer and design consultant, then signed to IMG in 2019 as a model at age 97.

Ms. Iris Apfel became a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin in its Division of Textiles and Apparel, teaching about imagination, craft and tangible pleasures in a world of images.

 In 2018, she published “Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon,” an autobiographical collection of musings, anecdotes and observations on life and style. 

Ms. Apfel’s apartments in New York and Palm Beach were full of furnishings and tchotchkes that might have come from a Luis Buñuel film: porcelain cats, plush toys, statuary, ornate vases, gilt mirrors, fake fruit, stuffed parrots, paintings by Velázquez and Jean-Baptiste Greuze, a mannequin on an ostrich.

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Boynton Beach, Florida, is designing a building that will house a dedicated gallery of Ms. Apfel's clothes, accessories, and furnishings.

Ms. Apfel’s work had a universal quality, It’s was a trend.

Rest in Power !

[generallemarc]

The voice of Dromarch in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has passed away.

William Roberts has relatively few credits that I can find, but has a career in voice acting spanning back to the late 80s, with roles such as Briareos Hecatonchaires in the original 1988 anime of Appleseed(dubbed into English in 1994), the father of Rosy, the main human character in the animated movie Balto, General Braidwood in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Vesemir in The Witcher 3. He was 82 years old.

[annabelle--cane]

finally doing what I honestly should have done years ago and making a fancy graphic timeline of all the events from the start of the show onward, currently just doing live recorded episodes and will fill in with more later, and we all talk about jon's hell week of mag 89 to mag 92 but the end of s2 / beginning of s3 is not much better. basira gives her mag 73 statement about rescuing callum brodie on 11 feb 2017, and mag 81 and mag 82 are both recorded on the 18th. that's basira's live statement, two written ones, melanie's live statement, a gertude tape, another written one, the revelation of not-sasha, the table breaking and ensuing chase, tim and martin's adventures with michael, leitner's statement, leitner's murder, jon going to georgie's, and the left over archive gang getting questioned by daisy in the span of a week. and elias says that jon's normal statement pace was one written one per week because it took such a toll on him. our man was doing Badly.

[maxbegone]

how many times each cast member said "fuck" during smosh the sitcom live:

this includes the commercials

Amanda → 10 *Angela → 8 Anthony → 4 Arasha → 5 Chanse → 2 Courtney → 1 Damien → 5 Ian → 2 Keith → 12 **Noah → 6-7 Olivia → 3 Shayne → 11 Spencer → 1 Tommy → 1 Trevor → 12 TOTAL: 82-83

*Angela said all of these within the span of a minute **I couldn't quite make out if Noah said "what" or "fuck" at one point when he broke

[agendabymooner]

it’s time to go ! max v. x ofc (hearth sister!ofc)

“sometimes giving up is the strong thing.”

summary: sylvie edson ford hearth swore not to think about what had happened back in 2012, but max verstappen has a different plan with his absent childhood friend. OR lando norris has a bad habit of sharing things that he isn’t permitted to share— like her phone number.

content warning: written and text messages applied, frenemies to lovers (ish), hurt/comfort? or angst, use of explicit language, model!student!ofc (sylvie), mentions of anxiety, consciousness, childhood friendships

note: i had to listen to a lot of ts songs. thank you all for the 82 followers!!! i’m so glad you guys are enjoying the content i make. i honestly had been making them because i keep them in my notes but never wrote full narratives of them. if they are written down, they’re normally not published— aka they’re in my wattpad draft. so… i hope you guys enjoy this xx

masterlist

Everybody swore that the two would get together eventually. Too bad it didn’t work like that.

Christmas was what Sylvie considered the best time of the year. She loved the way Christmas lifted the spirits of everyone, no matter how difficult the year had been for them. She loved being one of the children who would chase each other down the halls while parents gathered around and talked about the last season. She loved being around people that knew her well.

The thing was, however, no one knew her anymore. Not as well as they used to.

For a supermodel-on-the-rise, she sure felt conscious about the amount of eyes that watched her as she stepped foot inside the ballroom of the estate. The tulles of her red skirt should have given her more space to breathe, but she felt her body hyperventilating as she nearly dove headfirst into the mini bar.

Looking down on her newly manicured nails had been a habit of hers that night. She pretended to admire the polished nails while she waited for the bartender to mix her strawberry daiquiri, not wanting to look up and meet anyone’s eyes.

The teenagers and the ones who recently left that phase wondered how… How did she change that much?

Her physique certainly matured more than anyone could expect. Her slightly rounded cheeks were replaced by the sharp jawline that could possibly kill. Her eyes that avoided any form of communication were foxy and just as sharp as her jaw. Her nose was just as sharp, as well. If you were to ask Lando, she didn’t have to wear heels to out-height him. Her body and face were no longer recognizable. She was ready to be a fan favourite and a well-paid supermodel.

Funnily enough, she prioritized racing first before she did her child modeling classes. How she managed to transition from one thing to another in the span of three years, nobody could answer. She was a jack of all trades, said by her mother, just like her siblings. She was one of the many sisters who had more options to pursue instead of just sticking to racing. So for her to continue with modeling and fashion… yeah, she already knew how to operate before she was even hired by an agency. At least now she didn’t have to struggle with finding work. She didn’t have to worry about getting hired by a team.

Her career now was clearly something that she couldn’t act on, though. She was always told to walk, don’t pay attention to what everyone’s talking about and get a move on.

But this party wasn’t a runway. The judging eyes didn’t want to pay attention to the details of the clothes, but rather, the figure who wore the dress herself.

“You’re a bit tense, lovie,” Tilly was a blessing in disguise, shaped in the form of a woman who carried a 20 weeks worth of a precious gift in her womb. She must’ve picked up on Sylvie’s discomfort that she decided to strut towards her sister’s direction as quickly as a pregnant woman could. “You could have stayed at home, as I said.”

“I’ve got to say hi to them at some point,” Sylvie murmured to her sister. “Especially Lando. That bloke wouldn’t let it go if I decided to avoid him, too.”

“Well, they should be around here,” Tilly quipped as she rubbed her stomach. Seeing the movement in her peripheral vision, Sylvie spontaneously reached out and got a feel of the bump. She tried to ease her mind by doing the most peaceful thing. “They’re not looking at you for the wrong reasons, Sylv. I promise.”

“If they are, then they’re going to have to face Maman and I’s wrath,” Tilly cheekily smiled. Tilly looked past Sylvie’s shoulder as she said, “Look. Here are the boys.”

Sylvie was glad that her glass was empty and already resting at the counter, otherwise she would have made a scene if she had dropped it after being attacked by a bear hug.

“Fucking Lando,” she swore beneath her breath, trying to pull him off as she turned feeling restrained. He wouldn’t let go. She would have sworn once more, preferably aloud this time, had it been for the other boys that stood excitedly with him. She couldn’t even look at them properly due to the hold that Lando had on her.

“I told you I was going to kidnap you,” Lando let out an evil laugh before waving enthusiastically at Tilly, “Thanks, Tils! I’ll return her to you later!”

“Good, you better,” Tilly called out.

Her poor feet would be dead by the end of the night and Sylvie knew that she was fucked if she didn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t like she could stop Lando from dragging her down to wherever he’s taking her to just so she could slip out of her Valentino. She couldn’t seem to stop him especially when they both passed by familiar faces. Especially one that she didn’t want to see.

Fucking Max Verstappen. She thought that God was laughing at her that night.

She couldn’t even look at him by the time that they formed some sort of circle around the lounge room.

The telly was on, but it had been playing nothing but the screen of the karaoke waiting to show its texts and tunes. None of them paid that much attention to it, especially her.

The boys seemed like they were craving for companionship of a woman as they surrounded her with curiosity and excitement. They tried to get her attention while she was still speaking to another person. She felt like she was what Fergie was talking about in Fergalicious.

She still couldn’t look him in the eyes, situating herself between Charles Leclerc— her favourite enemy in the track and George Russell— the boy that she once called “everyone’s crush”— to avoid sharing a conversation with Max. She made sure she sat next to the two, not looking at the Dutchman as she continued to catch up with Lando and the other people she was acquainted with.

Most of them knew who she was, of course. She had been friends with most of them for years, finding themselves in the same track as they trained. She competed with them, offering nothing to the boys but fun and friendly competition. She saw things differently from everyone else. No matter how much she wished to be an F1 driver, she didn’t push past her limits— not even when her father told her to.

She was dubbed “the Wild Mustang” at the age of 10 after she realized that she was able to reach the pedal and brake of her mother’s vehicle.

The boys had never seen someone do a donut in their own parking lot before. Let alone a 10-year-old girl—thank god for her Uncle Gilles for teaching her how to do that on TV. Despite their amazement and enthusiasm, Sylvie was no longer allowed to be in the vehicle on her own after she was caught doing another donut while the other kids watched and cheered. Sylvie clearly made everyone’s time because of her wildness and risky attitude. Oh, and her blunt mouth.

So for her to sit silently as she nodded to whatever it was that her acquaintances were talking about? It wasn’t her.

Ever since she left the academy, at the age of 14, she didn’t look back. She didn’t look back at her own friends, either. Lando was the only one persistent enough to barge inside her room only for him to find out that she was packing to go to university.

Extremely early advancement program, she said. She went to university and while she was there, Lando made sure that she’d call him at least once in a while. Otherwise the security would have a problem fighting with a 4 foot something boy who only wanted to see his friend.

Nobody truly saw her behaviour change besides from her family… and Lando. She seemed more reserved when she’s out and about, much to Lando’s dismay. He really hated it when he was the only one who would bring the energy into the room. As if she lacked the power. Lando was convinced that he annoyed her because of the lack of retorts she had passed to him.

He didn’t stop talking to her. He abruptly confronted her about her behaviour instead of trying to skirt his way around it. He was more than relieved that she wasn’t annoyed by his presence, yet he was curious to know what had her acting like this. She had been like that since she left the academy. Her silence could be interpreted as sourness and hatred.

Regardless, they saw each other every other six months whether it’s during the race weekend or an event hosted by a family. But she never went to any of his racing tournaments.

She had attended certain Formula One race weekends throughout the absence of her racing career. People only caught a glimpse of her whenever she went, wondering how fast she’d disappeared even when she visited each garage.

Her attitude remained the same to her family, though. That’s why Tilly and her sisters wondered how people could see Sylvie as an introvert or a bitch. She made fun of Tilly back when Toto was still a stranger to the family. She spoke to whichever Mercedes staff had brought her to the grandstand or hospitality. She was… still her.

She refused to speak to people her age— that weren’t her sisters, of course. Especially those who were familiar with the tracks and familiar with who she was. She never looked at them. She didn’t feel comfortable being in this room. Lando was just pushing her to speak as much as she could since his attention was everywhere. He was friends with everyone in the circle and that meant that she, too, had to speak.

Still, she couldn’t seem to reply to Max. She’d only have a passing comment if he asked something to her. He was clearly trying to get her attention, but her eyes were trained anywhere else but his own pair.

“I want some more Coke,” Lando complained, “you should have gotten more, Alex.”

“Eh? Why me? Why don’t you get up?” Alex Albon replied with a scoff, “You’re the one who’s drinking it.”

She took this as an opportunity to dip out for a moment as she said, “I’ll grab ‘em.”

“Thanks Mustang,” Lando’s boyish grin appeared on his face as she stood up from the carpet. Her skirt slightly wrinkled from sitting on the floor for too long, but her feet were thankful that the low heels that she wore were taken off. “You are the best.”

“Only when you need something, espèce de salaud paresseux.” you lazy bastard. Charles snorted, clearly understanding what she just called Lando as she walked down the hallway to find the little man cave that she once explored. The room was dark, the only thing that brightened was the mini fridge with cans of Coke in them.

She didn’t know why she tiptoed towards it, kneeling down to its level as her fingers touched the cold metal. She didn’t even realize she couldn’t carry that many cans. Lando, on a good day, would drink a dozen of the mini cans and Sylvie learned that you might as well get them all now before he bitches about running out of drink.

“D’you need help?”

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” She hit her head when she tried looking up to see who just spoke. But she didn’t need to look. She already knew who decided to corner her. In a dark room.

“Shit, shit, sorry schat,” Max swore as he reached out, “are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a hiss, “lost a fucking brain or two but I suppose I am.”

The last time that they spoke was at the paddock during the 2014 Silverstone race. That was when he shoulder checked her unintentionally, leaving her to bark at him in annoyance before stomping off. They didn’t even see each other’s faces.

“Here, do you need help?” He asked genuinely, gesturing with his empty hands as he offered some sort of support.

She didn’t bother hesitating, just shoving the cold cans of pop in his arms while she turned to grab more. She busied herself with the fridge before she groaned after hearing him clear his throat.

“So uh… How have you been, Sylvie?”

“Delightful,” she responded drily.

“How was your first and second term?”

“Busy.”

“How are you doing with the…modeling stuff then?” Oh he really wouldn’t leave without getting words out of her mouth.

“Great,” she muttered. He still wouldn’t catch onto the disinterest in her tone. Was he really this oblivious or did he lose a brain cell or two for the past few years?

“You look—“ he cleared his throat once more, feeling his face flush pink as he remembered the last picture that he saw of her. The holiday collection of Victoria’s Secret Pink. “You looked very beautiful at them.”

She paused, wondering what the fuck was he doing in the man cave with her. What was the reason for his intervention? Did he corner her just to compliment her latest project?

“Thank you,” she sighed before grabbing the last of the cans, kicking the fridge closed as she walked past him.

“I want to catch up with you,” he voiced out as they walked down the hallway. It remained empty, the ballroom was obviously occupied by loud music and loud guests and hosts. The lounge room, despite it being a few feet away, remained loud as well as the boys sung their hearts out. Poorly.

His voice echoed in the hallway, leaving her to pause and turn around. She remained standing there as he finally jogged towards her. They were both still cradling cans of pop as if those were their children.

“It’s just…” Max trailed off, wanting to scratch his head but couldn’t. “You stopped talking to all of us after you left. At least all of us but Lando.”

She wanted to scoff. She wanted to laugh at his face. There was no way he’d have this much audacity to assume that she’d even dare talk to him. Not after all of that fiasco.

“Some of us were wondering,” he rocked back and forth on his feet. “Especially with where you went after all of that. I was going to apologize to you.”

“Hm,” she hummed disinterestedly. She was itching to go back to the lounge room.

“For doing that,” Max spoke meekly.

She was infuriated for the first time in four years. She had never been angry about this. She downplayed her anger and acted as if she had only quit the academy when she was already on her way to become the first female F1 driver. She pretended that he didn’t exist, because God only knew what she could do at the thought of him.

Back in 2014, when she learned that he was a reserved driver, she begged her sister for something so silly. To fire Max. She didn’t really mean that. She only wanted to say his name with disdain to let it out of her system. But then she returned to her routine of being silent and keeping some shit to herself, not wanting to slag him off any further as an ounce of guilt filled her mind.

Then he said some shit like this. He wouldn’t even tell her what he did. She had never been so angry since now.

But she could only offer nothing but a cold tone. “For doing what?” She asked coolly, looking at him in the eyes as she challenged him.

Her coldness left him stammering, “F-for the uh…” then he was silent.

Watching his mouth clamp shut, she laughed humourlessly before shaking her head in disbelief. “If you’re going to apologize, you have to recognize what you’ve done first. Oh, Verstappen,” she tutted, “you are so silly.”

Walking back to the lounge room, she left him behind in the hallway. Maybe after today, she could cry herself to sleep this time. She hasn't been able to cry ever since she left. Maybe after letting that out, she’d be able to rest a little bit better.

Everyone thought that, after growing up with each other, they’d end up as something else that’ll last forever. But if anyone had seen this confrontation, they’d express how wrong they were. Because the first glimpse of her long lost lover turned into something like hate. It wasn’t the same as it was before 2012.

[graysoncritic]

A (Negative) Review of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

Things do not get any better when it comes to Dick’s relationship to Melinda.

As I believe it is important to own up to one’s biases, I’ll begin by admitting that I dislike secret-sibling tropes. However, the problem present in Melinda’s character does not revolve around the concept of her existence, but rather in the fact that her status as Dick’s sister adds nothing to the story. Taylor does not take advantage of her existence to add to Dick’s backstory, complicate his views of his parents, to add conflict to the plot, or to offer on-screen character and relationship development. In failing to have his original character live up to her full potential, Taylor reduces her to a deus-ex-machina who only appears to either save Dick at the right time, or to put him in danger at the right moment.

That is why in execution, Melinda’s existence is irrelevant. While I would never want John Grayson to be cheater and I do not want John and Mary's marriage to be tarnished, that route would have offered conflict, for it forces Dick to grapple with the reality that parents were not the infallible individuals he remembers.

Instead, Melinda is very conveniently conceived during the span of time between John and Mary becoming an acrobatic duo and them getting together. They were already in love, so Dick does not have to worry about Melinda's mom being John's long lost lover and Mary having been a rebound. Yet, because John and Mary were not yet together, John remains a good person as he was not unfaithful. Melinda's mom doesn't resent Mary for ending up with John while she was stuck in an abusive relationship. Melinda doesn’t resent Dick for having known their father while she lived with Zucco. Neither does she feel any love towards Zucco or seeks his approval — which would have been another interesting and understandable source of conflict. After all, though he was an awful man, husband, and father, for a good part of Melinda’s life, he was the only father figure she had, and it is very common for children who were raised by an abusive guardian to still desire their affection.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Five. Nightwing: Rebirth. 82, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 14)

The way in which Taylor quickly and neatly wraps up this story does little to add to either Melinda or Dick’s character. Furthermore, Dick readily believes Melinda and Meilin when he is told their story. He does not know them, yet he simply accepts their words without requiring any evidence, without asking many questions, and without following it up with an investigation. 

Neither do we see him experience denial or any other form of human emotions to such a monumental discovery. In #83, when Dick returns to his apartment, he tells Babs “You heard? I have a sister. And even better… There’s a chance she’s not evil,” to which she replies  “I hear. You need to talk about it?” Rather than replying, or, indeed, talking about how he feels about this revelation, Dick instead passes out. As readers we never get to see if said conversation happened (which would also develop Dick and Babs’ relations), and so we never get to see Dick grapple with this life changing revelation..

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 12)

Conveniently, Melinda’s morals and her approaches to solution also perfectly align with Dick’s own. Not only is she not the bad guy Dick originally thought she was, but she is actively working against those Dick wishes to stop. And, again, Dick takes her word for it without a second thought. Dick appears skeptical for a mere second before Melinda gives him an out by asking if he has “difficulty believing someone could have a double life.” 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 04)

This question misses the point of what should be Dick’s understandable suspicion. Just because Dick can believe someone can live a double life, it does not mean he should immediately accept the words of a woman he has never met before without any evidence. Neither should he just take her word for it when she says that she “brought down two crime bosses from within” and that she wishes “to do the same for Bludhaven.”

Just as baffling as the fact that Dick immediately believes is the fact that he is ready to include her in all of his plans to take down Blockbuster without even investigating whether she might have ulterior motives.

And this goes both ways. When Melinda claims to have the same goals as Dick, she does not question Dick’s motivations. Neither does she question the legality of having a vigilante in the city, working outside of the system. 

The problem is not just that they have the same objective — take down Blockbuster — but that their approach to said objective is the exact same, that their beliefs in what would be best for Bludhaven perfectly align, and so they trust each other with critical information almost instantaneously, denying the reader the opportunity to read them about them earning each other’s trust by trying to persuade the to their side.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 05)

fter meeting one another, Dick and Melinda work closely together, and soon they start to think of themselves as siblings. This, however, happens off-screen. Melinda and Dick hardly ever appear together on the page, and Dick only thinks of her when it is convenient to the plot.  

As such, we are left with a significant change to a character’s backstory without having any conflict or significance created by this new addition. Melinda is not evil, so there's no conflict to be added. Melinda and Dick's morals not only perfectly align, but their methodology does as well. Dick is also not suspicious of Melinda, and Melinda views vigilantism and Nightwing’s presence in Bludhaven as a positive. There are no secret identity issues where Melinda doesn't know Dick and Nightwing are the same person and has contradicting feelings for each persona. Since Dick immediately takes her word when she claims to be his sister and when she claims to “not be evil,”  there is no need for her to win him over. There is no need for Dick to get Melinda to trust him. In other words, there is no room for this relationship to develop in front of the readers’ eyes so that we can grow to care for their bond and become invested in their dynamic. Every potential conflict or development is resolved and achieved as soon as the idea of Dick having a secret sister is introduced to the reader, making so that the storyline goes from its beginning to its endpoint in just two issues. 

This further destroys Dick’s characterization. Rather than trusting, Dick comes across as gullible, as he will blindly take the words of others when they tell him they are not evil. Dick comes off as incompetent, as he was unmasked so quickly and so easily when trying to investigate Melinda. And Melinda becomes a plot device, not a character. She is a deus-ex-machina who is there to call Dick when Blockbuster is going to try to kill him so Dick can escape at last second

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Get Grayson Act Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 90, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 04)

Or to bring Dick to danger when the plot needs Dick to be in danger.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. The Battle for Bludhaven’s Heart Part Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 94, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 22)

A lot of this could have been avoided if Melinda just wasn't Dick's sister, and instead they were made into reluctant allies. There would be no reason for her and Dick to spend time together outside of Nightwing-business or develop a sibling-bond, and without the Grayson connection, there would be the tension of Dick not knowing whether she is a threat. Losing the Grayson connection would also allow Melinda to become her own person, with her own history and interiority outside of Dick, John Grayson, and Zucco. She, too, could have become a face of Bludhaven so that her relevance to the plot would be through the city rather than Dick’s past. 

But that would require Dick to have meaningful interactions with a woman who is not related to him and who is not Barbara Gordon, and there would have been the threat of any tension between Dick and Melinda to be seen as romantic or sexual. It would have also required Taylor to put in the work to make an otherwise everyday human into someone who can excel in her work despite her ordinariness. 

Instead of letting the audience witness Dick and Melinda grow closer to one another, their bond as allies, friends, and siblings is developed off-screen. Taylor opts to skip over the interesting and messy steps that it takes to create such a relationship by instead having them immediately like and trust one another. 

As I said in the beginning of this section, I was never personally going to like "Dick's secret sibling" concept, but I could have still liked Melinda for her own character. Or I could have fallen in love with the sibling relationship she would build with Dick, had I been allowed the chance to witness it grow for myself. But Taylor makes no effort to endear his readers to Melinda as a character or to her relationship with Dick. Instead, she becomes the perfect example of so many of Taylor’s weaknesses as a writer — his distaste for conflict;  his tendency to show and not tell; his wanting to create plot twists that look shocking in a social media post while having no desire to follow through the consequences of said plot point; his wanting to create emotional pay-offs without putting in the work beforehand; his complete lack of understanding or care for Dick's character. Melinda embodies all of these problems.

[onlyluxalo]

seeing those requests and i'm loving some of them so far! could you do something on welt finding out his s/o is a vampire?

Let’s hope me reading vampire fanfiction in the past and Character Ai bots pay off lmao 💀

Gn reader and older reader!

Welt Yang with a vampire S/O

I don’t think Welt would be that bothered when he finds out reader is vampire since he’s seen worse in the span his 82 year old life.

He’d let reader drink his blood if they wished to but would completely understand if they didn’t because they don’t want to hurt him.

I’d like to think they’d walk on ceil which results the Express members being terrified.

(Honorable mention to this on Tumblr)

Welt tries to not make reader insecure about their sharp teeth so he shows them his sharp canines as well to mark them feel better.

(Manga panels are my savior at this point)

I think he’d might sleep in the daytime with reader from time to time since if I remember Welt can’t canonically sleep and that man is either gaming or animating all night really.

Welt definitely giggles and lets out small laughs as reader playfully nibbles on his neck a bit (I feel like he’s not used to skin on skin contact which is why he could be sensitive a bit).

He oddly finds it attractive when he sees his blood around his lovers lips and teeth and he doesn’t know why (he isn’t telling anyone due to embarrassment).

I hope I did well for you anon 🫡

Edit: I forgot the tags I’m a dumbass 🫠