#And also Ness's wonky hand?

[commandernachos]

[truegoist]

What do you think about spending halloween night with blue lock characters?

Halloween is a big deal here so I may have went a bit overboard but idc. Happy Halloween !! (excuse me if this is wonky I just woke up)

WARNINGS : gn reader(no prns mentioned) , could be interpreted as romantic or platonic , general halloween themes

when halloween comes there’s three types of people you can find around ;;

THE CLASSICS ;; they’re the embodiment of halloween spirit and do all the traditions but most importantly, they’re never “too big” for trick or treat , after all what’s better than walking hand to hand with you, pockets full of candy?

BACHIRA ; he was so excited for for this !! You two wore matching costumes and practically went to every house in 10 km radius . When you went to home you were exhausted so just ended up having a sleepover in his place ! just don’t let him have a sugar rush the next day

KUNIGAMI ; kids LOVE him so he ended up babysitting a bunch of them going trick or treat(so there’s no bombs in their lollipops) and he was so glad that you agreed to come along too. At the end he’s carrying sleeping kids to their homes and even if how much you may protest, he is carrying you back home too

SHIDOU ; he drags you EVERYWHERE it doesn’t matters if the house’s lights are off and you start to suspect he’s here more for the trick part than treat. Even so he makes sure you’re entertained and have a bunch of candy, he also tries to scare you using the decorations

OTHERS ;; aryuu , NANASE , hiori , ness

THE PARTY ANIMAL ;; every holiday is a chance for a part for them and halloween is no exception to that , enter the probably over decorated house and if you’re lucky you’ll have some good food and a dj with a good music taste , even if not they will make sure you will stay entertained for the whole night

REO ; it’s the most fancy party you’ve ever seen , there’s even zombie waiters around, carrying halloween themed snacks and to admit, it’s kinda too much . But you know how much Reo worked on this and who are you to ruin his fun? Just grab his hands and dance all night !!

SAE ; it’s hosted by a sponsor he said, im only here because I have to and you’ve never seen someone try as hard as him to hide that he’s having fun . Like chill boy nobody will figure out you have a heart deep inside. He has the classic itoshi resting bitch face but you can see the shine in his eyes as you two chatted

YUKIMIYA ; unlike the guy above, he genuinely doesn’t wants to be here; some lameass “party” full of boasting business man and agencies trying to make contracts with him, only thing that’s making this tolerable is you next to him, talking shit about everyone around behind their backs. After a hour you two can’t stand it and went to hide in the balcony instead

OTHERS ;; aiku , OTOYA , karasu , kaiser

THE SHUT-IN ;; these guys…they would rather be in house than outside in halloween, it’s either that they hate it or just don’t have any spirits. Well you can still have fun I guess (IM SORRY I just love halloween and hate just ins okay)

NAGI ; halloween? Isn’t that the holiday where you go around to get candy? You can’t believe him. This guy says he forgot today was halloween, and all the costume ideas you sent him were just your weird fashion sense…or so he says but you can see the little cape and paper fangs he put on Choki and the games he picked for the two of you suspiciously revolve around monster and horror themes…maybe he has spiritus after all

RIN ; for halloween he invited you over to his house for a horror movie marathon. even if you might’ve said you don’t like horror movies his judgmental look(and words) made you come. And you’ve never seen someone watch a horror with a face as straight as his, the only emotion he shows is the small smile he has when he turns around to see you all snuggled up against him.

BAROU ; he…dislikes halloween to put simply. so when he invited you over he was just thinking about hogging you all to himself what he didn’t expect was for you to come over with a bunch of costumes and candy. So now he is sitting there, letting you add to his new halloween look. No he doesn’t enjoys this. He is just being forced to this…by invisible forces and the smile you have

OTHERS ;; chigiri , kurona , GAGAMARU , NIKO

[kendrixtermina]

Giving Doctor Who a New Chance, Part 2: Wild Blue Yonder

While the idea of Donna not being able to restrain herself from making a pun is great, I kinda don't like the cheap pun in the prologue, its just making everything too light & silly

It just doesn't work if you know the historic Newton was pretty cranky, not cheerful & like other things about him that could've been better used, also this ignores the whole latin roots of the word gravity

i dunno was the show always this un-serious and it's just a while since I've seen it? like there was some silly-ass shit but not in this immersion-breaking manner

I do appreciate Donna's concern for the poor, poor TARDIS

haha they're snapping right back into doing the investigation routine

I think with "I say things like that now" the Doctor means he's more open & honest but Donna of course took it as meaning that he also likes dudes.

David Tennant can still communicate a whole lot with his expressions

It's a nice scene of them panicking together but still comforting each other in their panic

and of course Donna wants to speak to the manager

hm, liking this one so far. it has a couple of mysteries & nice creepy ambiance

it's a nice parallel in the differently lit room, Donna wondering what will happen to her family & the Doctor wondering what will happen to the TARDIS, this low-level fear of the world going on without them - the Doctor saying how much he likes Wilfred & lamenting that the TARDIS is all he's got left etc. It's an eerie little dialogue I like it.

The shapeshifters are having an "AI can't draw hands" problem. Worry not, humans too struggle to draw hands. In this we are alike

I wonder if they are repeating stuff or talking to ach other. Is it two entitites or just one?

It was bound to happen and just ignoring it would be wonky in its own way but just having some of Chibnall's decisions mentioned reminds me of how he was SUCh. a BAD. WRITER like making big destruction happen without weight or stakes. With the past writers when something major went poof you "heard" it the next few seasons, but Chibnall torched the whole backstory, Galligrey AND a big chunk of the universe without any real narrative weight

Like it just happened and there wasn't really - like, the characters didn't react to it, it wasn't given meaning. It's not just that he made changes I disagreed with but that the execution was So! Bad!

Still, I have often been fond of saying "there are no shitty ideas, only shitty executions" or " a competent writer can make any idea work" - so, like, no matter how shitty the idea, a better execution can salvage something. in this short time RTD managed to make this character express some actual feelings & attach a personal meaning to the event- so the backstory reveal means Gallifrey "got complicated", the widespread destruction of the flux is another thing to feel guilty of... see, see? It isn't so hard! Character! Having! Emotions! I don't envy RTD for having to try his best to salvage this mess while being respectful /professional/ non-petty.

The average 15 year old fanfiction writer is a better writer than Chibnall! Ok. enough ranting now.

I like these quiet episodes that just let the characters marinate in their feelings a bit in a closed loop environment. another thing I've messed: atmosphere! the bland, nondescript settings for so long

The Doctor's response here is probably a mix of caring alot about Donna specifocally & just general done-ness

I like the creepy atmo of this thing & the concept of the creatures not quite understanding how existing works & gradually figuring it out

Pouring one out for the long-dead spaceship captain

it was an interesting twist how the actual Donna couldn't actually make sense of the information from the metacrisis, but still gets a sense that a lot of heavy stuff has happened from the way he's asking. I think he kinda wish she knew so he could get a hug from somebody who knows.

that was a good one, overall, pretty creepy.

They're really going with this idea of the world being in constant wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey flux, hm... like it was always there as a sort of excuse but they're kinda making it a more explicit part of things.

I love how the Doctor & Wilfred are SO glad to see each other & it rly calls back that bond they had at what, for the Doctor, was a pretty difficult time. I got feelsy.

OK that was a good one. I always like the creepy, abstract ones.

And of COURSE the earth has been hit by some misfortune while they were away. OF COURSE.

[silvermuffins]

POKEMON SCARLET LIVEBLOG!!!! part 1

Dear Amber: Do not open until Christmas!!!

That said fuck yeah here I am let's go. I'm about half an hour into the game so let's go over my initial impressions quickly!

Spent a loooong time just dicking around in character creation. Pretty happy with how Fani came out, sad that I didn't like any of the freckles on her.

THAT OPENING CUTSCENE AAAA?????

already delighted at the sheer house-ness of the house

Mom has her own room!!!

SKWOVET

oh man mom is pretty this time

Fridge upon move, Skwovet, stickers on my dresser are 2/3 Galar pokemon, mom says "Off you pop!" did we move here from Galar? Are we not native Paldean???

i am SO cute

Don't really trust Clavell but he's still kinda endearing

wanders around for a while

OH THANK GOD I CAN RUN

i just got a pokeball before choosing my starter

I am no longer secure in choosing Quaxly. Fuecoco is just SO endearing.

Also Nemona is here. We haven't met before, more evidence I moved here recently. Just not like, literally yesterday, like happens in Hoenn, Kalos, and Alola.

god i am TORN

we DID move here just recently!

oh yeah ftr Fani is sorta a tomboy, grass stained knees, sense of adventure, would rather be out rolling in the dirt than doing makeup. Impatient and driven.

I am stalling while trying to choose between Quaxly and Fuecoco ftr

oh snap Nemona is "Champion-ranked" guess I know who the final boss is now. Student council president, though, nice.

How do the classes work at this school???

Nemona looks notably older than me and is Champion-ranked but she'll be in my class????

AH SNAP THE TIME HAS COME HELP I DON'T KNOW other than not Sprigatito. It's cute but it's a tad generic.

After genuinely 10+ minutes of agonizing. I eventually default to what's IC.

In my heart of hearts, Fani chooses Quaxly.

Okay Daya the Quaxly is my starter and that IS a very roundabout reference to the good boy--

Nemona's probably gonna wanna fight me even though???? She's Champion rank and I legit just got my VERY FIRST pokemon? How is that fair!!!

okay but you still have way more battle experience if we don't count my 20+years of history beyond the fourth wall

huh she takes the disadvantage

oh snap nemona's house is FANCY

!!! I spotted a gimmighoul!

OKAY time for the classic starter bashing. my duck can EAT your croc.

man nemona is SO gung ho.....lady please im like 12

The chatter about filling out a paper pokedex by hand.....i see what you did there

oh we're back to forced catching tutorials, are we? well the reprieve was nice while it lasted

there seems to be some wonkiness to the controls. Why does pulling out the pokedex also toggle crouching?

ooooh i get to stay in the dorms huh....PLEASE tell me that's gonna be a space I can decorate. Like a secret base. PLEASE.

oh I see B is crouch

namonaaaaaa i already KNOW how to catch a pokemon

oh well at least I'M actually the one catching a pokemon. Lechonk get!

yeah its official i love this game

So far we'v caught Charlie the Lechonk, Sirea the Hoppip, and Havva the Scatterbug!

??? There is a pokemon in that tree and it SAID i could knock it down by throwing a Pokeball but that's not working?

GOTCHA LITTLE SPIDER DUDE

Scolio the Tarountula

i keep trying to do the throw the pokeball thing and accidentaslly battling lechonk

tried googling to see if im doing something wrong and of course it's not helpful, giving me answers to a million things i DIDN'T ask

i know there's fletchling here i want a fletchling!

FOUND YOU

Scoots the Fletchling has joined the team

PAWMI!!! its name is Jupe now

i can TAKE PHOTOS

holy shit a houndour get on my team little guy!

Vani the Houndour c:

oh that's a monster

a kinda unsafe cave to steer clear of, huh. no way that's gonna be where i need to go or anything, huh.

no really you tell Fani it's unsafe and she WILL go looking for it

wow koraidon is being threatened by two small dogs

WAS I SAVED FROM FALLING OFF THE CLIFF BECAUSE I HAVE A HOVERPHONE?

oh i bet he wants my sandwich

Fani: *sees a big intimidating dinosaur thing* Fani: i know what you need! lunch!

awww is he gonna lead me back up to the top of the cliff?

EYO THIS IS SO COOL

oh theres pokemon to catch in here, hello Ankles the Yungoos and Nibblet the Diglett

oh I hope this cave is fully explorable this is SO COOL

Nemona can you stop being a battle freak for two seconds I'm having a semi-mystical experience over here

oh i nearly got eaten

glad to know im adopted by a lizard now

nemona i am begging you stop thinking about pokemon battles for TWO SECONDS

can't wait to get out of intro land and just, explore freely

wow, rude, my guy. thats MY lizard buddy, YOU can shove off!

oh Sada is his mom

man i wasn't expecting him to be angy

man i thought he'd be a soft boy

dude are you like. okay. do you need me to track down a therapist.

why are you so mean

are you hungry

okay bye

Los Platos...god I should know that. It's been a decade since I took Spanish, though...

wait are all trainer battles at your own initiation this time? no "Our eyes met, and so we must do battle!"???

holy shit no more of that....thats gonna be SO weird

Hembo the Psyduck!

Azurill! Call you Orb because that's what you are

Buizel! I'll call you Mermert. Oop, and here's a Deerling, you can be Rosy

Runs around fields just picking stuff up

my mappiny says there's Happiny....

getting some brief freezes....better save rq in case of crash

WINGULL, GET OVER HERE-- YOU'RE HUMPHREY I DON'T CARE oops i keep killing humphrey

oho i found some ruins!

wait wasnt i supposed to be going somewhere

w/e i have freedom

and Drowzee. Eh....Hosenose.

FLAMINGO?! FLAMIGO I AM NAMING YOU PINKLE

there are SO MANY pokemon before the first actual town oh my god

i have seen five on the radar so far that i haven't yet caught and i keep seeing more

aaaaa i need to heal my pokemon at some point

my guy found a weird door now i gotta see it for myself

aaaaaa im gone, Nemona, I'm not making it to class today

oh yeah thats a weird door or lid alright

ruinous tablets? sealed??? immediately i think of the regis

HAPPINY you will be my Sunny

Ah! Havva evolved! !!! AND THERE a new Humphrey!

Daya is getting too strong to help me catch stuff here

anyway this is Teach the Wooper

y'all they have given me FAR too much freedom im never gonna get anywhere

COMBEE it's a boy but eh might still be of use eventually. Bread. Or, Beqd because im too lazy to fix my typo

i am getting low on pokeballs

sir are you the strongest martial artist here by virtue of being the only one?

I FOUND WIGLETT now how to GET one okay got into battle. Your nape will henceforth be Alfredo.

okay i think i will Stop hunting for new pokemon out on the plains and maybe continue the game

Found more Pokeballs! There is so much stuff just lying on the ground in Paldea

Igglybuff! You'll be Mallow. And Fidough! You can be Teeny. S'posed to be Ralts here somewhere but I ain't seen any.

i like how if you just stand in one place for a bit local wild pokemon will come stare at you

I finally arrive in Los Platos

I am summarily taught how to use a Pokemon Center

the Pokemart takes payment in LP and my first thought was oh no it's pokecrypto

Nemona venmos me some bitcoin

There's an ice cream shop! With....teriyaki ice cream?

are these buildings able to be goinsideable?

they look like they should be able to be goinsideable :c

i found an influencer

tumblr is struggling to type sotime to make a part 2

[yelenasdog]

moving out, moving on (mitch rapp x fem reader)

genre: fluff

summary: mitch and reader are taking another step towards mitch moving on, and it’s bittersweet.

words: 2.2k

warnings: drinking wine, kinda suggestive at times, talks abt katrina, mitch being emotional, my writing being melodramatic LOL

a/n: so. this was written during an all nighter that went to 7 am where i was listening to nicki minaj and eminem (???) for a good duration of it so. i’m very sorry if this is wonky at times! i hope u enjoy either way! mwah 

🥍🥍🥍

The early morning rays streamed through thin fabric, draped above the assassin's window. Dust particles floated about, becoming visible within the section of light cast from the sun. The birds perched outside the small apartment tweeted happily from their branch, their songs beautiful. 

Though, they were quite pesterous to the pair that lay together, wrapped in gray sheets. They reveled in the heat provided by the soft blanket, but even more so by the warmth from their joint bodies.

A mop of dark brown hair stirred, bringing one hand up to softly rub his eyes with his knuckle, the other hand snaking around the waist of the woman peacefully sleeping beside him. He watched with fond eyes as she lightly groaned, rolling to face away from the invasion of bright, turning towards her love. 

Mitch smiled down at her sleepy behavior, reaching out and brushing stray hairs from her forehead. He reluctantly retracted it only moments later, forcing himself out of bed to go and prepare the two of them for their big day as best he knew how: Coffee.

His sock clad feet dragged across the hardwood as he went, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips and groggy-ness (a word Y/n had donned as her own, and Mitch had caught on to) still very prevalent in his entire system. 

The Rhode Island air was frigid this time of year, Mitch allowing a grin to break out on his face upon remembrance of two nights previous, just how cold Y/n had been in the arena of the Providence Bruins hockey team. Nose pink, donned in a beanie proudly showing the team's logo, well, he had found himself a new lockscreen.

He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of said groggy-ness, his body on autopilot as it made the beverages. He picked out her favorite mug from the cupboard (AKA a souvenir from Dubai he had picked up long ago) that she had adopted as her own, drinking out of it every time she would spend the night, almost like clockwork. He waited for his coffee beans to brew, scratching his stubble along his jaw. He flinched, though, when he felt two arms wrap around his middle. He quickly relaxed into the embrace upon realization of who the supposed assailant was, her head finding its way to rest on his bare shoulder.

“You scared me, there.” Mitch muttered, his larger hand inching towards her’s on his waist. He closed his eyes in content and she hummed in acknowledgment. Mitch allowed her to turn his figure to face her, still residing in her arms, seeing a bright smile plastered across her face.

“Only for a minute though, right?”

She laughed to which he chuckled in response, nodding in false surrender. “You’ve got me there, Y/n/n.” He mused, his eyes lighting up at the sound of the coffee machine beeping. He looked back to her, shrugging.

“I made you coffee, was gonna bring it to you in bed but, y’know.” He gestured to where she had now climbed up to sit on top of his counter, his sweatshirt around her that read “Brown University” across the front in large lettering pooling around her thighs.

“It’s alright, I need to get a move on anyway.” She smiled, hopping down to retrieve the mug, taking the warm ceramic from Mitch’s hands and sighing at the wondrous feeling that had spread through her whole body. She lifted it to her lips and drank, not surprised that her boyfriend had made it just the way she liked, to perfection. 

“Thank you, baby.” She commented, reaching up to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. Her lip curled as she pulled away, Mitch already knowing what she was going to say, a laugh bubbling up in his throat.

“Mitch! Go brush your teeth, for the love of God!” She whined, watching as he scampered off towards the bathroom, snickering all the way. She rolled her eyes, downing the rest of her beverage before following where Mitch had gone.

Once in the bathroom after rinsing her and Mitch’s mugs, she tied her hair up, undressing and turning on the water (practically scalding hot, of course). Mitch had no objections to the temperature, though, seeing as it was his last time showering with her in that apartment, and in that apartment, period. 

The whole thing felt very symbolic to Y/n, at least, seeing it as washing themselves clean for the next phase of their lives together, a sort of preparation. (Maybe not so much for Mitch, who really was just pleased for any excuse to see his girlfriend naked.)

They used generous amounts of soap, as not only were most of them nearly empty (in fact, a few were and if it weren’t for Y/n, they probably all would be), but also that they had decided to simply just buy new toiletries as a whole for their new place.

They giggled at the sight of each other, all lathered in bubbles and suds. Mitch reached a finger forward, wiping it from above her eyebrows and preventing it from falling into her eyes. Y/n brought her arms around his neck, her lips connecting with his. “Much better.” She regarded with a smirk, before leaning back in.

Nearly 40 minutes later, they both emerged from the shower, fresh faced and ready for the day ahead. He didn’t have a lot that needed to be packed up, given that his place came fully furnished, so it took all but 2 hours and 5 boxes to pack up Mitch Rapp’s life. It honestly might have taken even longer than originally would have been needed, as Y/n would stop every time she found something interesting, allowing Mitch to tell her all about whatever stories had been connected to the item.

It had started with the ridiculous bird lamp that sat on his bedside table, once belonging to Mr. Nazir, and ended with his lacrosse stick. (And, a promise that one day, he’d show her how to play. He swore he’d never seen her smile that big.)

They also threw away and donated a lot, some of Kat’s old stuff bringing a pained smile to his face as he would place it in a box simply labeled “Kat” in messy, thick letters. He wasn’t sure if the box would end up in his new closet, covered in dust and unopened, or back with her family. But either way, he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to her completely, which Y/n was able to understand.

“Mitch? Did you pack away your coats already?” Y/n called out, opening up the closet near the front door. Her breath slightly hitched in her throat upon seeing all of the photos of Mansur, still pasted to the painted wood, the edges curling up. 

“Nah, not yet, I was gonna handle that while you worked on the cupboards” He responded, busying himself with a text from Irene on his phone wishing him good luck. He looked up and saw what she had been asking about, his phone quickly sliding into his pocket as he made his way over to where she stood, visibly distressed. 

“How long have these been here?” She questioned, feeling Mitch’s arms wrap around her shoulders. She brought her hands up to grasp onto his wrists, leaning backwards into him and biting into her lip.

“Since the beach, when I decided to go after Mansur. When everything happened with the CIA, it was kind of a whirlwind, I didn’t really have enough time to even think about taking it down when I was only even here for hours at a time.” He lightly chuckled, watching as she stepped forward and began to take the pictures down, crumbling them up in her hands. 

She ran her fingertips over the indents left in the door, feeling the splinters against them. She turned back to Mitch, quipping how “Mr. Nazir won’t be too pleased about that.” 

He smiled, joining her in taking all of the images down, ripping them or balling them up in his fists. All of them ended up in one of the old Target bags they had been using for trash, filling up an entire bag (minus a few Dunkin cups sitting at the bottom).

Mitch trailed a few tender kisses down the left side of her next, and though it sounds cheesy, a feeling of hopefulness flooded himself out of most of the bitterness that had been stuck inside for so long. 

She turned her head to catch his lips with her own, and smiled into the kiss, her hand finding the back of his head. She lightly tugged on the chocolate colored strands and he groaned in content, to which her grin only widened. She pulled back, ruffling the top of his head before beginning to pack away the remnants of what was left in the closet. He rolled his eyes, following suit.

They had piled all of the boxes into the back of Mitch’s old decommissioned CIA vehicle (which was obvious that is was such, given that the side was littered with bullet holes and metallic scratches), returned the key to Mr. Nazir (who was glad to see Mitch go), and with that, they were off.

The new place wasn’t too far away, the pair taking a page out of Stan’s book and opting for a wonderful sense of privacy. It was nestled in a rural corner of Massachusetts, where Mitch would be able to come home to a sense of serenity. Y/n had already moved in her possessions, Mitch’s items being the last step. They’d also furnished the cozy cabin, trips to IKEA and Urban Outfitters (along with several other over-priced boutiques) making the place feel like a perfect fit for the couple.

Mitch’s strange and varied knick knacks made the house feel like a home, his lacrosse stick finding a new home by the front door, right under a hanging potted plant that Y/n and Mitch had decided to affectionately name “Charles” after a drunken night watching the X-Men movies. The house was littered in plants such as Charles, in fact, with Mitch’s first response to seeing all of them being “Wow, looks like a greenhouse in here.”

(Still, he’d grown to love the plant babies. Trust me.)

Two tired smiles made their ways to their faces as they both sat on their new sofa, admiring a job well done. Though several boxes still lay on the hardwood, unopened, they felt accomplished enough to pull out a bottle of wine that they had been saving for the occasion. It was an early housewarming gift from Stan, to which they were unprepared to take advantage of, it seemed.

“Baby, did we unpack the wine glasses earlier?” Mitch questioned, his mind slightly foggy of the day's events and early start.

“No, I think they’re still packed up.” She replied, to which Mitch’s eyes lit up, an idea forming and an imaginary lightbulb popping up over his head. He got up from his seat, a wide smile spreading across his face. Her expression mirrored his own, with an added quirked brow at his antics.

“I’ve got a solution, wait here.” Mitch responded, padding over to where he had remembered the new home of the mugs to be. Upon realization of what he was doing, Y/n smiled, rolling her eyes and bringing a hand up to run through her roots.

He shuffled back over moments later, his girlfriend recognizing one of the mugs in his hands as her favorite. He sat down next to her, with the bare skin of her thighs touching his own, jean clad. He bumped his knee to hers with a giggle, pouring out the Pinot Grigio into the mugs. 

She gratefully accepted it as it was handed to her, smiling as she took a sip. Mitch did the same, the two of them leaning back into the soft sofa. Y/n brought her legs up, cuddling into his side and absorbing his warmth. He brought his free hand to her side, a strong hold giving them both a strong sense of comfort as she lay her head on his shoulder.

The box labeled “Kat” remained unpacked along with the others on the floor, dust already beginning to gather. Mitch had come across it a few times that day, each time more thoughtful than the last as he struggled to decide what it was exactly he was feeling towards the objects; or perhaps towards the memory of Katrina.

He had come to realize that it was acceptance he felt, deep in his stomach, settling down. It had been brought upon him in totality over time, today’s events being the final step. A soft smile spread across Mitch’s face, a single tear falling from his eye. Y/n looked up, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

“Mitch, are you alright?”

He leaned down, connecting their lips in a watery yet nectarous kiss, his hand beginning to rub small circles on her shoulder. 

“Yeah, Y/n/n.” 

The fire they had built earlier was roaring, now, casting a warm glow across the pair’s features. The damp trail down his cheek was highlighted, nearly glistening on his skin like an amber. 

“I’m doin’ just fine.”

🥍🥍🥍

ok btw ik that wine in mugs would be a horrible idea but this is fiction so SHUSH

anyway i hope yall enjoyed! i love writing for mitch and i have lots of future fics for him, so if u liked this, please reblog and follow if ya wanna. mwah, go drink water and have some protein <333

 xx hj

[vulcanhugsclub]

spirk headcanons

Hey y'all! I just got 100 followers, so that's awesome! I wanted to celebrate with some of my spirk(mostly spock) headcanons

-

Socks - Spock used to wear boring starfleet issue socks until Jim gives him these really wonky, dorky looking socks. Spock doesn't love them at first, but he wears them for Jim's sake because he just looks so excited to give him something. Spock wears them and actually loves them(because they were Jim's first gift to him and wearing them is like being with Jim) and doesn't take them off for a week. Jim buys him fifty other pairs of dorky unique socks and now Spock wears them every day and Jim buys him a new pair every time he finds a wonky pair.

Shaving - Spock has to shave every day because his hair grows like a beast whereas Jim can barely pull off stubble after like a month. Jim convinces Spock to grow a shortish beard and he does. Suddenly everybody is like hitting on Spock because he looks extra hot with the beard and Jim gets super jealous. He doesn't let Spock grow a beard again, except on shore leaves when it's just them.

Reading - Spock is not a big speech person. Some days he comes home from a long double shift and he's overstimulated and doesn't want to think and he finds Jim reading on the couch. He lays down with his head on Jim's lap and doesn't even have to ask because Jim knows. In the quiet of their shared quarters, Jim reads to Spock in his deep soothing voice while brushing a hand through his hair.

Nightmares - Jim sometimes has nightmares. Well, more often than not. He didn't sleep well and was restless until Spock started sharing a bed with him. At first, Jim would let Spock fall asleep and then slip out of bed because he was so scared that he would freak Spock out if he had a nightmare. Eventually, Spock started picking up on this and one night, Jim was so tired he fell asleep next to Spock and had a nightmare. He woke up screaming, coaxed out of the nightmare by Spock's soothing voice and warm hands around him and Jim is crying but Spock just tells him it's okay and from now on, they sleep together and often in a mind-meld so their dreams are always sweet. Jim has never slept better since.

Sweatshirts - Spock steals Jim's sweatshirts when it gets a lil cold(which is always because Spock is ALWAYS cold) and the sleeves are like three inches too short. Jim starts noticing this and watches Spock unintentionally pull at the too-short sleeves. Jim starts buying oversize sweatshirts so when Spock wears them, they're too big and Spock secretly loves it.

Hugs - Spock maybe tears up the first time Jim hugs him, just a little bit. He's definitely a little touch starved and Jim makes an effort to hug him when they're in private. When they first kiss, Spock cries and Jim asks him what's wrong but Spock just wants to kiss him more and then they lay on the bed and just hold each other for hours after. Spock continues to tear up when Jim praises him or shows him any affection for a while because he grew up on an affectionless planet where he was ostracized and excluded from everything, bullied, and told he was not worthy of love or affection. Here Jim was telling him he was beautiful and clever and sweet and worthy of everything and he couldn't help but cry and he was ashamed and embarrassed for that too but Jim just held him and kissed his tears away, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Brags - Jim thinks Spock is so hot, in every outfit, at any time, at any moment. There was one time they came back from a mission covered in mud, drenched in rainwater and Spock looked like the Loch ness monster and Jim just shouted "THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND - HE'S MINE SO KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF". That was the moment Spock also knew that Jim was the love of his life and he would have no one else. Jim, of course, knew that the moment he set eyes on Spock.

[old-hyper-super-clover]

For the requests‚ what about a family trip to the beach with Purgatory Hall + the royals and MC? Like Simeon and Barbatos setting up a picnic table meanwhile MC and Luke play around in the sand searching for shiny or strange things to building a sand castle (everything also keeping Solomon and Diavolo far from the preparations for the picnic)‚ playing with water guns or swimming. And after eating maybe playing a match of volleyball sand, admiring the sunset till it's nigth time and before going back‚ playing with fireworks, do a little stargazing or something--

Feel free to ignore this and thanks in advance anyway~

FINALLY I've come to write something for this lovely request. It's packed with so many fun ideas that I kinda went overboard with it xD this means the story is so big I'll have to split it into two posts!

To Bisshitu: I wanted to thank you for your continuous support! I see you in my notifs a lot and I really appreciate it!! (ALSO I AM SO SORRY YOU'VE WAITED SO LONG I HOPE YOU WILL STILL ENJOY THIS CHAOS)

Literally just 13 idiots on a beach trip~

Part 1

MC was leaning against one of the walls in the giant entrance halls of the House of Lamentation. Standing next to them, Solomon handed MC an opened bag of spicy newt chips. "Want some?" He asked and MC gladly took a few while constantly watching the commotion that was going on in the rest of the hallway.

Who would've guessed that going on a vacation with the seven rulers of hell would involve the most panicked, loud and chaotic packing of bags to have ever existed?

Well, let's be real, MC did expect it, but maybe not to the degree that they were in amusement about now.

The oldest brother had called the others for a "luggage check" as he had been sceptical of his brothers' talents in packing reasonable items in an, likewise reasonable, amount of suitcases and bags.

And of course, the first one to show up had to present his luggage in the form of... nothing.

Yes, Beelzebub came up to Lucifer, only the remains of a sandwich in his hand (which didn't last longer than three more seconds), confused when Lucifer mustered him with an angered glance.

"Where's your luggage?" Lucifer asked, to which Beel only gave a shrug.

"We're going to the beach, right? Which means I'll only need my swimming trunks, and I wear those underneath my pants."

Now the confusion has wandered over to rest on Lucifer's face. "But... Won't you need clothes to change into, or at least pyjamas for the night?"

"Hm..." Beel scratched the back of his head while thinking about Lucifer's words. "Nah, I don't need those. I'm planning to stay at the beach all the time, so..." Then suddenly, he gasped as he remembered something. "Wait, I do have something else prepared to bring along!"

Beel reached into his pocket, and when he pulled out a hand-written list that unrolled itself, plonking onto the carpet and rolling all the way to Lucifer's feet, the avatar of Pride knew exactly what said list was going to be.

"There are a few food stands that I'd like to try out..." Beel announced, eyeing the paper. "First of all, there's one selling shaved ice, which I want to compare to the ice-cream from this other stand, but who's also selling parfaits of which I kind of want to try all twenty-five flavours... Also then there's of course-"

"Beel" Lucifer interrupted the avatar of Gluttony in a strict tone. "Go pack a proper bag."

"But-"

"Now."

Letting out a sigh, Lucifer watched as Beel left.

But little did he know, this had only been the beginning of the chaos...

Moments later, Lucifer has found himself explaining to Satan why taking 70 different books with him would be ridiculously much. Also Mammon had taken this opportunity to "lend" some of his brothers possessions, arguing that he "needed those for the beach". This had worked until his swift fingers touched Levi's limited edition Ruri-chan sunscreen.

So, as Lucifer was spam-calling Belphie to wake him up and finally have him start packing, a sudden argument could be heard from upstairs:

"... How dare you steal my precious Hana Ruri 'magical sun ray protective lotion for all blooming heroes of justice'?! This very sunscreen is an homage to the legendary beach episode where Azuki-tan got a sunburn and couldn't help Ruri-chan in the intense battle against the evil kelp-army that was threatening to overgrow the local reef-"

"OKAY OKAY, HERE'S YOUR STUPID CREAM NOW LEAVE ME ALONE"

"S-STUPID CREAM?!?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PRECIOUS THIS ITEM IS TO A FAN LIKE-"

That was all Lucifer could understand as an awfully annoyed scream Mammon let out was drowning Levi's gibberish. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Lucifer knew this vacation was going to be one intense experience...

An hour later, the group found itself where this little story had started off. The Purgatory Hall crew had already arrived long ago, enjoying the chaos together with MC -- who, btw, had been the only one to pass Lucifer's vibe luggage check right away.

Slowly it felt like most of the brothers were ready to go, only Asmodeus was left in the judgemental glare of the avatar of Pride.

But Lucifer noticed they already were way behind the time they were supposed to meet Diavolo at his castle. So, to Asmo's luck, he let off of trying to see what's inside the pretty boy's suitcase and announced the group's departure.

In enthusiasm shared by almost everyone, they let out a big cheer:

"Off to the beach we go!"

Some of the demons had whined about wanting to visit the human world beach. But as those idiot boys literally couldn't be trusted to act responsibly (which is okay, we love them regardless), Diavolo offered to stay at the beach resort he created in the Devildom.

Looking over the endless ocean, surrounded by the equally large beach and glistening in an artificial sun's light, MC was wondering just how powerful the demon prince must be to have created all this. But they were left only little time to be in awe over the location, as their friends demanded their attention shortly after having arrived.

Without going into much detail -- the day was packed with lots and lots of fun. MC was running around the beach, playing and goofing around with their friends, only to take a collective rest and then go do something silly again. Only a few other demons were to be found at the resort, but those were some acquaintances of Diavolo's family, and the group seemed to have scared them off of the beach after, like, an hour or so. Hence, the whole beach served as their playground for whatever activity they wanted to do, until in the afternoon, most of them were about to collapse from exhaustion and hunger.

"That's right, we didn't really have a proper meal since coming here" Asmo noticed as several tummy grumbles undermined his statement.

"We DID bring a picnic basket..." Satan mumbled. "But some genius had to let Beel carry it."

The culprit gave an immediate pout. "I had to hurry, 'kay?!" Mammon huffed. "MC was already at the beach and I--" he stopped. "... U-uh... I mean..."

Gaining a round of sighs and shaking heads, his brothers however decided to let Mammon's... mammon-ness slide for once. Mostly because, approaching from the distance, Barbatos and Solomon were getting closer, their hands full with bags that seemed to be stuffed with food.

"Y-yoU BroUGhT S-nAcKs?!" Beelzebub was already on his feet running towards them but Barbatos' stare was actually enough to make him stop.

"Not before the dishes are prepared, Beelzebub" Barbatos explained calmly, but with this very weird hidden tone in his voice that gave everyone chills despite the scorching summer heat.

"We figured everyone must be starving by now, so Barbatos suggested we'd make a little picnic party with everyone" Solomon cheered, presenting the bags in his hands.

"That sounds lovely" Simeon could be heard among the general noise of approval. "Let me help you prepare everything, Barbatos."

The demon butler beamed him a smile, thanking the angel for his help.

Then, Solomon spoke up again, and every bit of joy vanished from all their faces: "Thank you, Simeon! With the three of us working together the food will be ready in no time!"

--------------

Barbatos was putting all kinds of spices into a bowl to create a delicious sauce. Right next to him, Simeon prepared mouth-watering sandwiches.

And behind their back, there was this chopping sound. Chop reaching their chop ears in an chop never- chop ending thread, over and chop over again...

Swallowing his tension, Simeon was fighting a frown. "He's only cutting the fruits..." He whispered. "You shouldn't be able to mess up a fruit salad..."

"I know" Barbatos mumbled back. "However I cannot fight this unease that urges me to check if he's really-" He was interrupted by a very unsettling "oops" coming from that certain sorcerer at the cutting board.

In honestly quicker than the blink of an eye Simeon and Barbatos were at Solomon's side, frantically scanning the table for whatever Solomon must've messed up. When all they found were slices of fruit that, well, might have been chopped a bit wonky, they gave Solomon a confused stare.

"I cut off too much of this poor Hellberry's pull" Solomon explained. "Oh well, I'll just cut around the stem and add it to the fruit salad like this."

Both Barbatos and Simeon couldn't help but stare for a moment longer, their brains not really comprehending NOT finding an abomination in Solomon's cooking.

"Can I help you two with anything?" The sorcerer then asked.

"U-uhm, no..." Simeon mumbled. "It's all fine, we just..."

"We wanted to see if there's anything we can help you with" Barbatos jumped in to continue.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Actually I'm almost finished, so maybe I can help one of you afterw-"

"Nononononono...!" Simeon almost whined. "I-its fine! We're actually almost finished ourselves, so..."

Solomon looked back, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't look like it to me..."

Suddenly, another voice joined the group.

"I agree! You two are likely just being humble again" Diavolo had walked up to their working station a moment ago, but neither of them seemed to have noticed in their stress. The prince continued: "That's why I decided to lend you a hand as well. This is a vacation for all of us, so I should not burden my loyal butler with all the work."

"That's a commendable attitude for royalty like yourself" Solomon cheered. "Well then, I think Simeon and Barbatos could use a hand."

Diavolo was already squeezing his quite broad body into the tiny cooking space, this certain over-excited sparkle in his eyes as he mustered the food.

Barbatos and Simeon on the other hand were exchanging glances, so immensely stressed that their thoughts were almost audible:

'Barbatos I don't think I can handle any more of this stress' Simeon stared.

'We shouldn't have let Solomon help in the first place, our kindness was foolish' Barbatos stared back.

'What do we do now Barbatos this is the only food we have left, they cannot ruin it'

Thankfully, the perfect butler was not planning to let their "help" threaten the food for any longer. "Young master, I highly appreciate that you thought of my well-being. Which is why I indeed have a request for you and Solomon."

Simeon almost barged in on a frightened impulse, but Barbatos continued before anyone could raise their voice. "There is dessert stored in our hotel's main storage. Would you be so kind and bring enough for our whole group?"

A little surprised, Diavolo agreed. He waited for Solomon to finish cutting the fruits, then they went off to the hotel.

Finally able to catch a breath, Simeon shot Barbatos a last glance. "That was easier than expected. Why didn't we let Solomon bring the desserts earlier?"

Back to mixing spices, Barbatos didn't look up at the question. "What desserts?" He simply asked.

"... Uhm..." Simeon was quite startled. "Are there... Are there no desserts in the storage room...?"

"Oh, I sure hope there are" Barbatos said. "Otherwise I will have some explaining to do..."

-------------

(To be continued...)

Find my summer event Masterlist and Rules for the requests here <3

[dameronology]

home {poe dameron x reader}

summary: poe made a promise to always come home, and it’s one he’s determined to keep

warnings: swearing, mentions of injuries 

more hurt/comfort fluff?? i almost sent myself off to sleep writing this bc of the ending and bc i am shattered. anyhoo, enjoy!

- jazz

p.s i skimmed this, but it has not been properly proof read haha oops pls bare with me, i will do it in the morning 

It had only been five days. 

You’d been apart from Poe for far longer than that; sometimes weeks, sometimes months. It was just part of being in the Resistance, and something you both knew you had to do, but it didn’t make it any easier. You must have had some pretty foul luck to have met the love of your life during a time in which the galaxy insisted on keeping you apart - but one look at the pilot, and all that faded away. He always made it home to you, no matter what. He’d made that promise to you pretty early in the relationship, and you knew it to be true. You could never doubt Poe. 

The Blue Squadron was due back to base at midday; the mission had been pretty secretive, so the comms lines had been shut most the time. Even after begging Leia to let you man the singular one that connected you to Poe, she’d refused, knowing it would only make things worst. The General only ever spoke from experience, and she had plenty in waiting around for cocky pilots. Whilst Poe was arguably a little less reckless than Han, she knew that you would both act as a distraction to one another’s work. You were equally important to the Resistance, and she couldn’t have you moping about on a commslink for hours a day. The joke was on her for that one, because you still moped, even when you weren’t trying to reach your guy. 

 ‘What time is it?’ You asked Finn. 

‘11.56.’ He glanced over at you, eyebrows raised. ‘So the same time as when you asked thirty seconds ago.’ 

‘I’m just anxious.’ You grumbled. ‘I’ve been so lonely the last five days.’

‘You mean the last five days that you’ve spent with me?’

‘Hey, it’s nothing personal!’ You nudged him in the ribs. ‘You miss him too.’

‘I do.’ Finn nodded. ‘We really are just a pair of simps.’

‘Friends who simp together, stay together.’ You grinned. ‘And if me and Poe ever break up, you have first dibs.’

‘Same for you, if Rey and I ever break up-’

‘- that would require you getting together in the first place.’ You reminded him. Finn could only scowl in response. 

‘I’m trying!’ He held his hands up in defense. ‘It’s just complicated.’

‘Nothing’s complicat - they’re here!’ 

You leapt off the crate you’d been sat on, sprinting across the hangar to where a fleet of X-Wings were grouping. Jess came in first, followed by Snap, and then Kare. Poe’s jet was the last to come in, which was unusual for him. He almost always lead the squad - aside from the time he’d managed to blow an engine and had to call you out to tow him back (it’s how you’d met, actually). Bar a few new dents and scratches, his jet looked to be in decent condition, with BB-8 whirring away from where he was perched in the back. You took that to be a good sign, even if he’d been the last to get in. 

A crowd of mechanics reached the fleet before you, tools in hand and ready to repair whatever damage the First Order had thrown at them. You gave Jess a smile and a high five as you passed, but your line of sight was dead set on finding the curly-haired pilot. You had to elbow your way through the crowd, heartbeat picking up as you did. Man, you’d missed him. The last few weeks had been rough for you both and being constantly pulled apart only made it worst. All you wanted to do was to see him, to hug him and-

- You hit Poe with a thud, chests colliding. He immediately wrapped you up in his arms, pulling you tightly against his chest and burying his head against yours. He smelt faintly of jet fuel and smoke, which was fitting. 

His lips were on yours the minute he’d let you go, hands tightly gripping your cheeks as he kissed you with all his might. Yeah, he’d missed you too.

‘Hey, baby.’ You couldn’t help but smile, eyes finally meeting - it didn’t last long though, not when you saw the state of his face. ‘Oh my god. Your eye! And your lip! And-’

‘- I missed you.’ Poe brushed it aside, pressing another exhausted kiss to your lips.   

‘I missed you too.’ You softly sighed. ‘The fuck happened to your face, though?’

‘Just...First Order stuff.’ He bit his lip, brown eyes falling to the floor. 

You sighed. ‘Shit, Poe.’ 

‘I know. He gently nodded. ‘I’m okay though. I’m here with you. That’s the important thing.’

‘You’re right.’ You agreed. ‘C’mon, I’ll take you to medical-’

He cut you off with a groan. ‘Let’s just go back to my room. Please?’ 

‘But your face.’ You gently ghosted a thumb across his bruised cheek, flinching when he shuddered slightly. ‘I mean...I have a first aid kit. I can always take a crack at it.’

‘That sounds a lot nicer than those nurse droids.’ He smiled. 

‘But you have to promise to get checked over tomorrow, okay?’

‘I promise.’

Poe flung his arm across your shoulders, pulling you into his side as you headed out the hangar. His own room was actually in the opposite direction, but he practically lived with you in yours. It always felt so much nicer. You’d managed to make it a lot homier, with photos of the two of you and fairy lights strung up. The scent of your perfume always lingered in the air and sleeping in your bed was the closest he could get to you when you were away on missions. In return, he left his jumpers and hoodies laying around for you to have free reign of. It was a weak form of paying rent, but he hadn’t heard any arguments. 

You could tell that Poe was tired from the way he walked. He usually had a swagger in his step, smiling at everyone who passed. Now, he was leaning on you for support, dark eyes staring dead ahead with exhaustion, his brain working at a thousand miles an hour to process what he’d witnessed over the last few days. You’d been on his mind the entire time.

‘Here we go.’ You gently lead him to the bed, helping him shrug off his charred flight suit. He caught your lips in a chaste kiss as you moved it off his shoulders, hands suddenly grabbing yours. 

‘You know I love you, right?’

‘Of course. I love you too.’ You murmured. ‘Is something up?’

Poe pulled you down onto the bed beside him, eyes finally meeting yours. ‘I just...I got captured on the mission. Very briefly, but still. It was scary, and there was a moment when I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it back.’

‘Poe.’ Your breath caught in your throat. ‘Is that why your face is all...’

‘Like this?’ He chuckled slightly. ‘Yeah. I’m sorry.’

‘Hey, don’t be.’ You squeezed his hands. ‘It’s not your fault, and like you said earlier, the important thing is that you here now.’

‘I know, but I promised you, didn’t I? That I’d always come home?’

‘And you did.’ You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. ‘Now c’mon, I gotta stitch you up before this scars.’

‘I reckon I’d look hot with a couple battle scars, y’know.’

‘You would, but I’d rather you not bleed out all over my sheets for the sake of vanity.’ You smiled. 

Digging out your first aid kit, you grabbed a few cotton swabs and some bacta spray. You weren’t a nurse, but your medical skills weren’t terrible either. After a few too many injuries and close calls out in the field, you’d learnt the basics. Half of the scars on Poe’s body had been from your handiwork after he’d been injured -- some of them were a little wonky, but he hadn’t died yet, so you figured you’d done a decent job. The ones he’d done for you were much neater but in your defense, he was reckless as fuck and had a ton more experience in dealing with injuries. 

On the bright side, Poe’s torso seemed fine and relatively uninjured. The white shirt he was wearing was only smeared with soot from the blaster fire, and his bare arms were broad and uninjured, save for one scrape on his left bicep. Okay, maybe the broad part wasn’t relevant to the context, but it was definitely relevant on the whole. He did have good arms. You only ever truly felt safe when they were wrapped around you.

‘This might sting a little bit.’ You crouched between his legs, pouring a little bit of bacta spray onto the cotton swab. You gently wiped it across his forehead, doing a double take when he let out a hiss of pain. ‘You okay, baby?’

‘Yeah, I’m good.’ Poe’s eyes met yours, and he gave you a half smile. ‘Better now that you’re here.’

It didn’t take too long to clean up the rest of his cuts and bruises; they were relatively minor given what he’d been through. The last time he’d been caught by the First Order on Jakku, he’d come home ten times worse than this. You’d spent days by his side in the medical room, mostly chiding him for how funny he looked in the bactasuit, but also to offer emotional support. The duality of love. 

You finished up by wrapping a bandage around the cut on his left arm, gently tying it in place with a safety pin. It was enough to keep it clean and safe until tomorrow, when you’d hopefully be able to convince him to see an actual nurse. You knew that for now, he was tired and probably just wanted to rest. His eyes were sunken with tiredness, and his body had become more and more slumped as you’d gone about cleaning him up. Poe never slept well on missions; a mixture of anxiety and your absence always made for a bad night’s sleep. 

‘That should keep you in one piece for now.’ You said, running a hand through his hair. Poe leant into your touch, pressing a kiss to your wrist. ‘You should get some sleep.’

‘Mmm.’ He murmured. ‘You’re staying, right?’

'Absolutely.’ You offered him a soft smile. ‘Gotta lose the boots though. These are clean sheets.’

‘Can you do it for me?’ He asked, flopping back against the mattress. 

You rolled your eyes at his...Poe-ness, before leaning down and unzipping his shoes, tossing them in a pile across the room. Yours joined them, followed by your jacket and the crumpled flight suit. That was something else to worry about tomorrow. For now, your main focus was him. 

Poe climbed under the covers, shuffling across to make room for you. He reached out to you as you joined him, naturally wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into his side. The tiredness really hit him then, and you could feel his body untense as you pressed a kiss to his jaw. His body was warm against yours, which was a welcome contrast after sleeping alone for the last few nights. 

‘I love you.’ Poe murmured quietly. 

‘I love you too.’ You peered up at him with a smile. 

‘And I’ll always come home to you.’ He gave your shoulders a light squeeze. ‘You know that, right?’

‘I do.’

‘I’ll never break a promise to you.’

‘I know.’ You softly sighed, trying to move closer to him (as though it were even possible).

It was hard for him to fight the exhaustion now that he was laying with you -- after a few moments, his breathing became a little deeper, and his grip on you a little looser. You pressed one last kiss to his cheek, before settling back against his side and letting sleep over take you. 

[strikerandoverachiever]

Chapter 168 Image Spoilers

Ok, so first things first, chapter 168 of Blue Lock is available in Korean here: https://manatoki125.net/comic/11765055?artist=%EB%85%B8%EB%AC%B4%EB%9D%BC+%EC%9C%A0%EC%8A%A4%EC%BC%80&artist=%EB%85%B8%EB%AC%B4%EB%9D%BC+%EC%9C%A0%EC%8A%A4%EC%BC%80&spage=1

And now, let’s get to it!

First of all, we get Kunigami asking Isagi why he passed to him, saying he never asked him for a favour and Isagi replying with “Not really... I just wanted a result that could be understood as a number... It's not for you, Illusion Hero, (but) for me.”

Then, it goes on with Isagi saying neither her nor Kunigami could score alone and when Kunigami asks him “Was the answer an assist”, there’s actually a close up of Kunigami’s eye and personally… I think he looks sad, telling Isagi that he’s dead as a striker now.

But then, Bachira shows up and I believe he says “That was a nice goal!”, down, at the bottom left.

Then, we get the Isagi-Bachira interactions that I adore, because they’re just so positive!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Continuing Bachira’s line from above, Google Translate says “Isn't this what the guy who got the pass would say... “ which I think is supposed to mean Bachira was expecting that kind of commentary from Kunigami; it’s obvious he’s been playing for the other team…

He also says “I don't blame you very much. This is the goal Isagi made.” Then, he too asks Isagi why he passed to Kunigami instead of Kaiser, to which Isagi replies that he didn’t want to be Kaiser’s… “horse”?? (I think the translation is a bit wonky here…😅😂) Then, he adds that Kunigami’s left foot was the only element on the team that he knew and that… he took on the challenge of focusing on it?? I think this is about Flow.

After this, when Bachira reaches out his hand to Isagi, he goes “Let's meet as a goal-seeking egoist, Isagi”, to which his friend replies with “I'll catch up with you soon..” and then, they shake hands upon it!

And the Ness drops in like a shark out of nightmares, to wreck it all.

Ness: “Ignoring Kaiser and passing to Orange Macho Man with a low probability... A selfish play that lacks even the slightest amount of rationality.”

Him and Isagi almost have a go at it, as you can see; and Bachira’s right there, all confused in the middle of it, I feel sorry for him!😂😅😂

After Ness asks Isagi to explain himself, I think Isagi answer by saying “But it was mine and Kunigami's goal that won. The numbers prove that.. That's the team's philosophy, isn't it?” Not sure what Bachira is saying at this point, but Ness replies with “This team belongs to Kaiser. Don't you know?”

To all of this, Isagi replies with “Then I'll make this team mine, sucker shark.”

HA, what did I just say?! 😂😂

ON 👌🏻 POINT 👌🏻 ISAGI 👌🏻!!!

Then, Kaiser intervenes, in order to get his lapdog back under control: “You can't, Ness. If you make a mistake, you should definitely say "I'm sorry". Sorry Yoichi, I was looking down on you.

…Something tells me that’s NOT a sincere excuse from that overbearing wannabe Emperor…

On the next page, still Kaiser: “Pierrot is ridiculous. Let's do a better role!” (Bachira, in the background: “No fighting!”; like I said before, Bachira should just let them have at it!)

Then, I think Kaiser says Isagi is a “goal stealing thief” and dubs him “Kunigami’s minion”, I think?? This part is a bit unclear, but what is not unclear is that expression on Bachira’s face whose finally realising that Kaiser and Ness are both nasty and just looking for trouble (and there’s a valid reason for the tension between Isagi and them; he’s properly seeing what his friend has to deal with for the first time, poor guy!😂)

In reply Isagi goes: “Then… I'll give you a part too... How about the Naked King who lost everything to me?”

And Kaiser, as you can see, looks delighted: “What is that? I'm very excited♪”

Who deigns to grace them with his presence now?

Ego.

“” 1st match, good job, New Heroes. How are you? What is the taste of the walls of the world? "

As you can see, his lines are as EPIC as ever: “What is the taste of the walls of the world?” Who even talks like that?? You can tell somebody here worked on Attack on Titan!!😂😂

Then, Ego calls the world of pros “a chair grabbing game”; maybe he’s talking about musical chairs?

I guess so..🤔

Moving on, he adds: “In each organization, there is a water called “philosophy”; reason, freedom, discipline, there is more than one way to survive in that water. Complaining that the water doesn't fit, and dying from suffering…Did you adapt to survive or dye it in your own colour?”

-On a side note, I love this page with the fish in the background and I’ll elaborate on why in a separate post, so I can rant about it fully, cuz this blog is already too long!-

The next page reads: “First of all, running away is also one of the options. If it doesn't work out, running away is sometimes the best way.” There is some more text on it, regarding the new rankings, I believe, though I’m not sure.

One key aspect to note here is that Ego refers to that lump of money assigned to a player as their “salary”, according to Google Translate; now, I don’t know whether that same term will be used or not in the official translation, but if it’s accurate, that changes the game plan, in my view, because I’ve been treating those 17,000,000 ¥ as if they were Isagi’s transfer fee or at most, his market value, but for that to be his salary… that’s a different game, isn’t it?

“It is under the supervision of football club owners around the world and all your plays are checked.[…] Prove your worth with the highest bid among them! This is the new ranking system!”

Talk about PRESSURE!

They really must be meaning to turn them “unpolished gems” into diamonds with how much of it they’re applying!!

At least this has given me ideas for two more separate blogs, minimum, so look forward to those!😉😄❤️

[nintendroid]

The N64 controller you’ve dreamed of is here...Well almost

(Revision 4-18-21)

Journalistic integrity - it’s a big deal and a responsibility to your reading audience. When I initially typed out this review, I gave glowing praise and highly recommended the Brawler64 from Retro Fighters after only testing it with a handful of games. Since this review, I’ve spent much more time with the controller and it’s flaws became more apparent throughout my lengthy play sessions with it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still whole-heartedly recommend picking this product up if you’re an N64 fanatic and I still stick by my rating. That said, I felt the need to illustrate a couple of negatives that may determine if you want to for sure pick this item up or not.

I’ve learned that this controller does not support a Transfer Pak. So if you’re a fan of the Pokemon Stadium games, you’ll have to stick to your original N64 controller. It may not be a big deal to some, but it may be for others looking to fully replace their original controllers. 

Another problem I’ve had is the D-pad. Any time I had to use it frequently, I felt like I had to push fairly hard to get it to work. It was responsive enough, but there’s a “springy-ness” missing that made me second-guess my presses, wondering if the game registered my input. Since most games use the joystick, it’s not a huge deal but as mentioned above it’s something to consider if you’re looking to replace your original N64 controllers. 

I’ll take a moment to also highlight another feature I didn’t use in the initial review -The turbo button and it functions great. I used it in combination with a cheat-code for Earthworm Jim 3D that allowed me to nuke the first-level boss into oblivion. It’s also great if you’re buying something in bulk on Mega Man 64 and you don’t want to have to press a button a hundred times to confirm your sale.

As great at the Brawler64 is, it’s not going to entirely replace the original controllers - yet. Retro Fighters are still producing these products and I hope down the line, they can give us the perfect N64 controller. 

Continue on for the original review.

(This will probably read like a paid ad, but I assure you it’s not. I don’t have that kind of clout. I just really like this controller. On with the review...)

Maybe it’s me but it seems as if the Nintendo 64 is getting a lot of love these days. For one, the modding community is as strong as it’s ever been, the Smash Bros 64 competitive scene is on it’s way up and thanks to releases of long-lost titles like 40 Winks and groundbreaking prototype drops like Dinosaur Planet, there’s been plenty to talk about. 

With all this new interest, people are dusting off their old N64s, armed with fond childhood memories of good times and rediscovering their love of Nintendo’s first 3D console. Problem is, the N64 is a *little* dated and our modern sensibilities have somewhat crippled us to the ways of the past. That old awkward controller with the squeaky joystick doesn’t quite feel like it used to but fear not, company “Retro Fighters” offers a solution: The Brawler64!

I don’t own any third-party clones or reproduction controllers - mostly because I’m cheap and most of the time, they’re expensive. I was playing my N64 a week ago and my controller was showing it’s age - lag problems, unresponsive movements, and awkwardly trying to hold it kept me from enjoying myself. 

I went to a local hobby shop and seen the Brawler64 for sale for 34 bucks - a reasonable price and I figured I had nothing to lose so I grabbed it and brought it home. Before I discuss my experience, this is what the Brawler64 promises on the box. 

Like anything I pick up without any prior knowledge, I was skeptical but I popped in Super Smash Bros and let me tell you - Retro Fighters nailed it. Not only does it handle well with super-responsive controls, but the way it feels in your hands is unrivaled. It makes the original N64 controller obsolete in every way.

I love everything about the Brawler64 and could kick myself for not getting one sooner. It plays good, feels good and aesthetically pleases me in the same way the old see-through purple controller did when I first laid eyes on it all those years ago. 

I tested a number of games with it and had no issues whatsoever, minus one game. The efficient button placement gave me an unstrained and smooth experience that made me feel connected to whatever I was playing, 100%. I even played through more than one level of Turok and I can’t say I’ve ever done that because of how badly I hate how that game used to control. 

The only game I had an issue with was Sinistar on Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits. For whatever reason my ship would jitter at times, but truthfully, I’m not going to be playing Sinistar all that much anyways. Also, I didn’t get to test the turbo feature, since none of my games would really utilize it properly. 

I couldn’t test Brawler64 with a Rumble Pak because I don’t own one, however it did work with my old memory card with no issues. 

I’ve seen other N64 repro pads in the past but never took the plunge to buy them for one reason or the other. Either the shape and size of the controller was off, or the button-placement looked wonky. For my money, however The Brawler64 controller got everything right and reconnected me with my N64. 

It’s definitely worth going out of your way to pick up. You can visit Retro Fighter’s website and pick up a wired or wireless controller in a variety of different colors. Ditch that old trident and bring your N64 into the future. 

[salty-stories]

Hello Salty!! As an aro person obsessed with everything Regency, I have to ask: Is Hugh aromantic? I’m looking forward to playing the other romances, but I’m also definitely creating an MC to go the marriage of convenience path with Hugh and have a lasting friendship with him! I’m sorry if this comes off as insensitive, I don’t mean it to come off that way, I just don’t see aro characters in Regency media and I’m a bit excited aha 😅 Feel free to ignore this for any reason! And have a good day!!

Hi!! Dw, this isn’t insensitive at all!! And I totally feel you on the lack of aro rep in regency media! It was really important for me to try to include characters and ros of different sexualities, instead of going the cliche, everyone is bisexual(which is still totally valid and chill!) or player!sexual. This one is gonna be long! So under the cut! Also cw: lots of sexuality talk and some mentions of colonialism!

I was going to wait until the prologue was out to explain some of the things I changed about the regency setting to make the game more poc and queer-friendly, while preserving the social and economic conventions that make the period so interesting. But I think this is a good time to explain my thought process!( also sorry for the ramble-ness of this and for anything I say that’s wonky) I’m hand-waving most of the British imperialism which is how the aristocracy paid for all that silk, muslin, gold filigree, and high-flung landed life-style. The hand wave is mostly so I can write characters from different parts of the world, especially the places Britain would/had colonized, without resorting to the usual ways they are depicted in regency stories(which are sometimes valid and sometimes not!)....but that should probably get its own post! The other reason is personal. As an Indian woman, it can be difficult for me to write about British imperialism and colonialism so close to my own personal family history(but again! that’s for another post!) I’m also changing some of the attitude of the period towards queer relationships. Of course, LGBTQIA+ people existed and had meaningful lives within the framework of regency society and I’ve reached out to some of my Austen scholar friends for insight on how those identities manifested or didn’t in both literature and the period(so I might tweak this a bit and again, I’m sorry for the ramble!) This will be in the game and hopefully less clumsy, but queer relationships aren’t illegal or even really frowned upon. One is free to pursue or not pursue relationships--romantic, platonic, sexual--as they wish. But the pretense is very important. An unmarried person’s movements and relationship are heavily scrutinized and judged. After marriage, it’s assumed, and sometimes even encouraged to do as you wish, as long as all parties are in agreement. Hence the popularity of marriages of convenience. And while the society operates with these assumptions, you are expected to uphold the pretense of hetero-normativity. TLDR: Marriage is an economic/land/family name convention, but you gotta keep up appearances and the landed Gentry isn’t entirely English. 

And for full disclosure, I don’t identify as aromantic, though I used to and my knowledge isn’t perfect. So, I’m open to talking about this further and changing things! And that goes for any of the characters in LaF! 

Now with all that set-up, to your actual question! Hugh is definitely on the aro spectrum. Romantic relationships have never been a priority for him, which can make the social aspect of regency a bit irritating as you can imagine. His friendships, his family relationships have always come first. That said, he is in a relationship with another gentleman. You’ll get to meet Hugh’s partner in the latter half of chapter 1 and get to have a nice conversation with both Hugh and his partner about their relationship if you aren’t a dick lmao. Hugh has known his partner since childhood and their relationship isn’t all too romantic. It’s more a best friends with benefits, although I’m not sure how I feel about calling it that. 

I tried to do some research into queer identities and specifically aro and ace identities in the regency but I couldn’t find anything conclusive on how people in the period would refer to themselves if they were aro/ace. But in modern terms, Hugh would say the label demiromantic fits him best. But like even then, he is not a fan of romance. His partner is a special case. Now if we’re talking sexual preference, Hugh is gay.  

So, Hugh is very down to have a marriage of convenience with a MC who is chill. If we’re being completely honest, Hugh would down for that kind of deal, even if MC doesn’t want to be friends. The marriage would be an end to all the pestering he gets from the tiger moms in society. 

I’m so glad you are excited for his route! I was very scared people wouldn’t respond well to my son because of the platonic nature of his route but like you said, there just aren’t many kinds of relationships like this in regency media. And it’s a damn shame considering how well it fits the aesthetic and conventions of the time. 

Thank you for the question!! And I hope my answer made sense, even with the rambling!! <3 <3 <3 <3

[thedenimdentist]

Flame Panda: worth the hype?

Introduction

For those of you who are pretty invested in handmade, hand welted, MTM boots, Flame Panda needs no introduction. In fact, if you aren’t already familiar with this small boot making family out of a small village in China, then maybe you aren’t actually the boot enthusiast you believe yourself to be. lol just kidding. But really, for anyone interested in high quality, beautifully built boots, Flame Panda is a brand worth looking into. Their main source of advertising and business is through their instagram @flamepanda11, which is run by their Peng. They're still a relatively small family owned business, but they’re following is growing exponentially (and for good reason). 

I would go more into the background of their business and what they have to offer, but nothing I could write would compare to the information covered by Jake @almostvintagestyle on his blog: his review of his beautiful chunky monkey boots and an interview with Peng himself. So, if you’d like more background information on what Peng and Flame Panda have to offer, head over to his blog. Otherwise, on with the unboxing/review!

Ordering Process

As with most boot brands out of Asia lately, Flame Panda boots can be ordered via DM through his Instagram @flamepanda11. Unfortunately, there is no website or catalog listing all the patterns, leathers, or customization options he has available. Luckily Peng is very helpful and open to discussion regarding your MTO boots. He takes an active role in creating you the best boots possible, giving constructive input and suggestions rather than just mindlessly giving you whatever you ask for. Peng knows his materials and abilities best, and has a solid grasp on how to combine the two to create a quality product that meets both yours and his satisfaction.

The following are the exact details I requested regarding these black boots:

Model: 6 inch boots

Last: 181 last

Upper leather: black Maryam horsebutt

Upper stitching: black

Hardware: 5 copper eyelets, 2 quick hooks, 1 eyelet

Toe design: brogued cap toe, unstructured

Welt construction: 270° 2 row stitchdown (beige)

Lining: kangaroo

Midsole: single leather midsole

Edge finish: natural edge

Sole: black Dr. Sole half sole/heel

Heel design: incline curved

Sizing

For those of you who haven’t read my reviews before, my feet are stricken with large bunions on the pinky sides of my feet. As a result, picking shoe sizes have always been extremely difficult. (See my previous reviews for details). Below I’ve listed my sizes for all the other boot brands I own.

Thursdays - 10.5

Onderhoud - 45E

Benzein - 45E

Red Wing, Iron Ranger - 9.5EE

Truman Boot Company - 11EE

Viberg (1035 last) - 10.5

In trying to determine what size I would be in his boots, I sent Peng all the following images/information:

As many helpful measurements I could think, with images of how I took those measurements.

I also informed him that I wear this thick, memory foam orthotic in all my footwear.

And lastly, I provided him with a photo and the dimensions of the removable insole of another pair of boots that fit perfectly (in this case, my Onderhoud derbies). I also took photo of how my orthotic relates to these insoles, as well as a photo with my ugly foot. (TMI? Possibly. But I’d rather provide too much information than not enough, and it definitely paid off.)

Now that I think about it, I don't even know what size Peng ended up making for me. Regardless, these boots ended up fitting perfectly. This goes to show that Peng really knows what he’s doing, and can size you appropriately if given enough information. 

Price & Shipping

For this particular boot in black Maryam horsebutt, Peng charged $685 USD including global shipping. I purchased these boots on 6/29/2020, and was quoted an unusually specific 95 day wait time. However, I didn't end up receiving these until 12/29/2020. While this is significantly longer than expected, Peng kept me up to date in his progress via Instagram DMs, so I never felt forgotten. (He told me that he and his family were moving locations during this time and production was running behind schedule. I didn’t mind, as I COVID was keeping me home majority of the time and didn’t have any reason to wear these boots anyway.) These days, I believe his wait time is closer to six months (which still really isn’t too bad for MTM boots).

Unboxing

Securely packaged, with tape as no object.

A box inside a box. A nice touch, actually. A lot of other boot companies simply ship the single boot box wrapped in butcher paper and tape, which often results in some minor box damage. In this case, the outer protective box took all the beating during transit, leaving the actual boot box in pristine condition. While this doesn’t have any affect on the quality of the boots themselves, it’s a good demonstration of the care and thought that Peng puts into all aspects of his products. He really holds himself to a higher standard, and I appreciate it.

Another reason to love Peng. He typically includes a small gift with every boot order! In this case, this nice little wallet. 

In addition to the complementary thinner, cheaper single boot bags that most boot companies provide, Peng also included a larger canvas drawstring boot bag with a screen printed logo.

These boots came with three sets of laces. They were pre-laced with some standard width, flat, waxed cotton laces. Included in the box were two additional sets of laces: a pair of wider flat waxed cotton laces, and some round waxed cotton laces. 

360 Degree View

Left boot:

Right boot:

Sole:

The Leather

The black Maryam horsebutt Peng used on these boots is absolutely gorgeous. The leather feels very substantial and hefty, and has a very nice sheen. The horsebutt also has a very subtle marbling and grain that shines through from certain angles. It’s a little difficult to capture in photos due to the deep black coloring of the leather, but you can take my word for it. These are incredible.

From what I’ve seen, I believe Peng is one of the best in the business when it comes to hide selection and clicking. He is extremely picky when determining what portions of each hide he actually uses on his boots. For instance, here is an example of him picking apart a hide, circling all the imperfections that he plans on excluding during clicking for boots.

This critical eye for detail increases Peng’s overhead considerably, as a significant portion of his leather is filtered out as unusable and unfit for boots. While this does increase the cost of his boots relative to other smaller boot brands coming out of Asia, it is also a big reason why the leather on his boots consistently break in and age so well. I have yet to see a pair of Flame Panda boots that have any unsightly creasing or loose grain, and I’m sure my pair will be no exception.

The 181 Last

Here’s a closer look at the tope shape of the 181 last. It’s got a nice almond toe shape without going overboard with pointy-ness. The outer sweep of the toe box has a more gradual, soft curve than the Onderhoud last, and even more so the Benzein Kujang last. It’s a clean and strong shape, with more of a sophisticated vibe than your typical work boot.

Outsole

Nice and clean outsole stitching by hand, with no overly wonky stitches.

The Liner

I chose to have this pair fully lined with a warm brown kangaroo leather. This makes the upper feel even more robust and structured (especially noticeable around the ankle/shaft of the boot), and gives them a bit more of a luxurious feel when on foot. (Also, note the half gusseted tongue. I highly prefer gusseted tongues over the standard floppy tongue. I specified during my order that I wanted a gusseted tongue, so I’m not 100% sure this tongue would come standard. Might be worth asking when/if you do order a pair for yourself.)

The Brogued Cap Toe

This is my first boot with a brogued cap toe. While I still think I prefer plain toes on my boots, I do like how this brogued cap looks here.

270 Degree Stitchdown Construction

Peng is probably most known for his 360° storm + embedded eversion welt. However, it is on the chunkier side, and I felt it would take away from the clean, sleeker look of this boot. Thus, I opted for double row stitchdown construction, which I think turned out quite nicely.

Peng’s welt stitching is very tight, parallel, and uniform, with a higher stitch count. Esthetically, I think it looks pretty similar to the 270° veldschoen stitching on my derbies from @renavgoodsco (seen at the 12 o’clock position below).

12 o’clock: Renav 270° veldschoen

2 o’clock: Truman 270° stitchdown

4 o’clock: Ostmo boots 270° custom welt stitching

6 o’clock: Benzein 270° veldschoen

8 o’clock: Role Club 270° flat welt

10 o’clock: Onderhoud 270° veldschoen

Inclined Curved Heel

If you haven’t been able to tell already, these are not the inclined curved heels (aka woodsman heels) that I had initially requested. While this is a pretty significant misstep on Peng’s end, I actually don’t mind too much. For low block heels, these appear to have been executed very cleanly, and it does complement the rest of the boot pattern quite nicely. If I had been dead set on having woodsman heels on these boots, I could see this being more of a dealbreaker. 

Upper Stitching

Overall, the stitching on the upper is clean and tight, with a very uniform stitch count. There are a few spots where there are a few mis-stitches, which I will point out later. For now, here are a few macro shots to appreciate Peng’s stitch work.

One area on the upper where the stitching isn’t exactly perfect is along the left cap toe. As you can see below, there is one spot in the broguing pattern where it gets a little too close to the double row of stitches, and the thread actually tore into the brogue hole. Functional issue? No. But just something small I noticed.

A second spot that might be considered less than perfect is this stitching on the right boot, where the quarters meet the vamp. It looks like there may be an extra stitch in the vertical line extending beyond the horizontal stitch. This is seen on both the inside and outside quarters, and only on the right boot. (I included a pic of the stitching on the left boot a few photos back, where you can see the stitch lines come to a perfect T.) Again, this is being extremely nit-picky, and has no real bearing on the durability or quality of the boot itself.

A third and possibly the (relatively) biggest stitching imperfection was this loose thread on the front corner of the inside right quarter. It appears as though the end of the thread came out of the stitch hole. I later trimmed the loose thread and singed it with a lighter to prevent it from progressing, but there is still an empty stitch hole in the leather where the thread once was.

While we’re on the topic of imperfections, there is also a little bit of what appears to be black polish smeared along the brown welt of the right boot. Not a big issue, nor is it even a stitching or construction issue. Again, just thought I’d point it out to be thorough.

On Foot

First off, I would just like to praise Peng for absolutely nailing the fit of these boots. My feet are ugly and stupid, and sizing any footwear has always been a nightmare. However, using just the measurements and information I provided above (since getting measured in person was not an option), he still managed to build a perfectly fitting boot for my imperfectly shaped feet. I’ve worn them a few times now, and I’ve had zero pain whatsoever.

That being said, these boots are by far some of the stiffest boots I’ve ever worn—in a good way. I can tell these will require a good amount of wear to really break them in and have them relax and shape to my foot, but I’m looking forward to it. (Note, I’m in no way saying that this extended break in period will be at all painful; rather, just that it’ll take some time for the upper leather and sole to soften up.) These boots feel like tanks, and lacing these up make my feet feel invincible. I felt like Steph Curry wearing double ankle braces when I first tried walking in these, but the shafts are slowly starting to break in and roll with wear. The soles were also initially very rigid (like I was walking on planks of wood), but are beginning to flex more as I continue to wear these. Also note that I had these built on single leather midsoles! I can’t even imagine how stiff these would be if they had 1.5 or double layer midsoles (which are a quite popular request, from what I’ve seen on Peng’s Instagram).

Conclusions

I know it’s still early, but I can confidently say that these Flame Panda boots are one of the highest quality boots in my collection. They are definitely the most robust, and despite a few minor finishing issues, the level of cleanliness and finishing by Peng and his family is unmatched by the majority of boot makers worldwide (at least from what I’ve seen on Instagram). Other than maybe Goto-San of White Kloud (@show_goto), Peng is one of the best at not only sourcing beautiful leathers, but clicking as well. I have yet to see a pair of his boots with any unsightly creasing or grain, which gives me the confidence to recommend him to anyone who may be interested in purchasing a pair of these, or any of his other boot patterns. 

I apologize if this has started to sound like a sponsored or endorsed advertisement, but I genuinely love these boots, and I believe Peng is a great dude who deserves the recognition he has been receiving lately. He is super generous and genuine, easy to talk to (albeit sometimes slow to respond, with the sheer volume of DMs he now receives), and is constantly striving to improve his materials and skills. And with a personality and passion like that, how could anyone not want to support him? These may have been my first pair of Flame Pandas, but they definitely aren't the last. (In fact, they’re already not. lol)

Anyway, hit me up via Instagram if you have any questions about Peng, Flame Panda, or anything else denim/boots related. Also, follow along over there to see how these stunning black Maryam horsebutt boots age with wear. I’m excited to see how they break in, and so should you. Ttfn!

[tsarisfanfiction]

WIP #48

(Send me a number 1-60 [or a fandom/character I guess] for the corresponding wip) because I’m bored and brain-fried and have too many wips that’ll otherwise never see the light of day.

For @rachfielden-xo who asked for “Number 3 - Thunderbirds Are Go x”.  As number 3 isn’t TAG, I grabbed the third TAG fic instead!

Okay, so this is a reject that I started writing for irrelief, but it just got too ooc for my liking, so I scrapped it and rewrote it from the beginning, which became Grape Juice or Wine.  So yes, this one is pretty ooc and little terrible, but it’s in the folder so here it comes...  A sneak peak at the stuff I usually never let see the light of day!

Alan was fairly sure there were rules against this.  As an unfortunate soul with four older brothers, and one adopted older sister, he was well-versed in the many, many ways older siblings could torment a younger. Various methods of hazing, abandoning him to play with kids while they did the cool stuff, and calling ‘older brother privilege’ whenever there was anything fun and exciting with a limited amount of spaces.

(Of course, there were also many good things about five older siblings, but Alan was sulking and choosing to ignore those for the moment.)

This, however, had to take the cake.  There was nothing more humiliating as a younger brother than being forced to stay and watch your older sibling do something utterly cringe-worthy, and this time it wasn’t one of them.  It was all four brothers.  Kayo had escaped using her general sneaky Kayo-ness, which left one, desolate, teenage boy lurking at the edge of a high function party that was technically adults only.  It was being hosted by Penelope, and in what he had thought was an admission that he was not the immature teenager his brothers claimed, but rather a responsible, grown up member of society she had waived the age limit in his case.

At the time, that had been amazing.  Now, he was wishing he’d followed Kayo’s lead and escaped while he had the chance.

Gordon, an adult by British standards, was mooning over the British aristocrat.  By itself, that was nothing unusual, but the shy, stilted awkwardness Alan had grown used to seeing whenever Penelope was in the vicinity (no matter how Gordon denied being anything other than “utterly cool and suave”) was gone.  An adult function had adult drinks, and someone had let Gordon near them. Red-faced and slurring, any elegance Gordon might have exhibited at the start of the event, some three hours previously in a sharp suit with gaudy yellow tie and pale pink rose in his pocket that just happened to match the dress Penelope had selected for the evening, had fled with no return in sight.

Alan looked away and pretended he didn’t know him as he tripped over his own feet for the nth time, managing to tear his expensive trousers at the knee and splash whatever cocktail he’d had in his hand over the bottom of Penelope’s dress.  It didn’t stop him from hearing Parker’s outraged cry, and Penelope’s calm and measured assertion that perhaps he’d had quite enough to drink and should have a glass of water and sit down.  It certainly didn’t stop him hearing Gordon’s negative response – apparently being drunk just made Gordon louder.

The corner of the room held the opposite problem.  John, ever responsible, and ever despairing of social situations, had secreted himself away behind the lavish curtains of the ballroom they were stuck in. Unfortunately, British aristocrats had an uncanny sense for nerves – wasn’t that supposed to be a horse thing – and what had supposed to be a hideaway for the evening with a good book had ended up a prison cell for his brother.  Gaggles of women, none so obviously inebriated as Gordon but with a rosy flush to their cheeks Alan didn’t think was makeup alone, had cornered the astronaut and were plying him with drink after drink while forcing conversation upon him.

Normally, Alan would stick with his brother.  He’d struck out earlier, full of excitement at being classified as an ‘adult’, determined to mingle.  By the time he’d realised that no-one except Penelope had any intention of treating him as such, several elderly ladies going so far as to aww him and pinch his cheeks when he tried to make conversation, his safe haven in the form of John had been compromised.  Shattered glass littered the floor by his feet, white suit splattered with crimson wine stains, but any and all attempts John made to clear it up were fouled by the women determined to catch his attention.

While not as worthy of disownment as Gordon, Alan was still trying to pretend he didn’t know the ginger for the time being.

Virgil was also making a spectacle of himself, and not in the usual way his musical brother did at parties.  A grand piano in the corner was occupied by another pianist, and Virgil’s early offers to play had been dismissed by the Brit.  Alan thought the man was an idiot, especially as Virgil could play better than him, but good, kind Virgil with a heart of gold had taken the cold shoulder with easy grace, and gone to find other pastures.

Sadly, those other pastures included wine, and while Virgil could hold his liquor reasonably well (unlike Gordon, who was now trying to screech some sort of… something at Penelope which was far less enchanting than he believed), he was still drunk and currently attempting to fit as many cookies in his mouth as possible, whilst holding a conversation with an equally drunk young man Alan didn’t know and spraying both their suits with crumbles and spittle.  The disapproving looks they were getting from the very same women that had been calling him adorable and pinching his cheeks minutes earlier prompted Alan to disown him, too.

This was his first grand, adult, party, and he’d wanted to make a good impression.  That could not be done if it was known that the drunkard in the middle of the room, harassing the hostess, was his immediate older brother, or that the one with no table manners at all was the next one up, or even that the recluse in the corner with wine stains and a habit of dropping glasses was related to him.  Nor could it be done as long as his eldest brother alternated between flirting with anything on two legs – female, male, or performing dog – with increasing cheesiness as his own glass emptied and refilled over and over again, and clucking all over him like a concerned mother hen.

“Alan, are you enjoying yourself?  Alan, don’t touch the alcohol.  Alan, that had better be fruit juice you’re drinking.  Alan, you’ve got a crumb on your cheek.  Alan your tie is wonky.  Alan. Alan.  Alan.”

He wasn’t lurking by the wall, pretending to be ornamentation instead of a guest, just to avoid old women and their pinches.  All of his brothers were being an embarrassment, but none more so than Scott – who pipped Gordon purely by virtue of not leaving him alone long enough to be socially disownable.  He was fairly certain that was at least half the reason the women were cooing over him.

Somewhere near Gordon, who had found his feet again and was clinging to Penelope’s arm like the squid he was as he talked a mile a minute at the top of his lungs about utter nonsense, and Virgil, who seemed to be on his second platter of cookies, and not quite blocking his view of John now on his knees amongst fancy ballgown skirts, Scott was flirting with the oldest woman in the room, and Alan seriously considered fleeing the event entirely.

“I’m way too sober for this,” he bemoaned.  He’d never been drunk in his life, didn’t know if alcohol really numbed things like embarrassment or if his brothers were just capable of being that humiliating without it and just chose not to most of the time, but tales dragged out from past parties implied that it would help.  The punch bowl was looking mighty tempting.

He settled for grabbing another, dutifully non-alcoholic, drink from a waiter as he wandered past and throwing it back in one go.

“That ‘ad better not ‘ave been h’alcohol, Master h’Alan, sir,” Parker’s disapproving voice drawled, and Alan groaned, turning to face the chauffeur/butler/whatever Penelope needed-er.

“It was orange juice.”

Parker held out a hand expectantly and, rolling his eyes, Alan handed the glass over for inspection. The man sniffed the glass suspiciously for several moments before straightening again.

“h’Orange juice it was,” he agreed, slipping the empty glass onto a passing waiter’s tray with a sleight of hand Alan wished he could emulate.  “Sorry, Master h’Alan, sir.  Master Scott h’asked me to keep h’an eye on you.”

“As well as the eye he’s keeping on me?” Alan grumbled, knowing without looking that his eldest brother had switched to hover mode again and was making a beeline for him.

“h’Well, you h’are h’under eighteen,” Parker reminded him.  “’er Ladyship wasn’t supposed to h’invite you in the first place.”

“Alan!” Scott greeted, again, slinging an arm around his shoulders.  His suit was still immaculate – the only one of Alan’s brothers to not somehow spill something on himself so far despite the glass of wine clutched in his hand.  “Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding,” Alan protested.  “I was talking with Parker.”

“Your brother is behaving ‘imself remarkably, Master Scott, sir,” Parker obligingly interjected. “Per’aps you should be focusing on the h’other one.”  He sent a dark look towards the centre of the room.

“Gordon’s not doing any harm,” Scott dismissed with a wave of the wineglass.  The liquid barely sloshed and Alan was reminded that Scott did, supposedly, know what he was doing at high function events.

“h’I beg to disagree, sir,” Parker muttered.  “h’If you gentlemen will h’excuse me.”  Alan didn’t want to excuse the only reasonable conversationalist in the room, but Parker didn’t wait for a complaint before making purposeful strides towards where Gordon had started attempting to serenade Penelope in a terrible, out of tune rendition of Drunken Sailor.  Normally, Gordon could sing.  Drunk, he was apparently tone deaf.

The song choice seemed appropriate, and he said as much to Scott, who grinned before scowling at his tie, straightening it again even though no-one had touched it since the last time Scott had been over to “smarten him up”.  Alan suspected he was just as drunk as Virgil as he batted him away ineffectually and diverted his attention towards where Penelope had finally disentangled herself from Gordon with some assistance from Parker and was heading their way.

As soon as Scott turned, he scarpered, and dutifully hid in the toilets with a good game – adulting be damned – until Parker came to drag him out several hours later to an almost empty ballroom and a pile of drunk and exhausted (or just exhausted, in the case of John) brothers in the middle.

“h’I’m afraid getting them ‘ome h’is your job, Master h’Alan,” the butler said.  He at least sounded apologetic, even if he was glaring daggers at Gordon.  “’er Ladyship ‘as h’another h’appointment in the morning h’and needs to return ‘ome h’immediately.”

The Lady in question was talking quietly to the last few non-Tracy guests as they left the ballroom. Alan groaned.  Tracy One was parked on the helipad at the top of the building, and he was starting to realise why Scott had allowed Penelope to invite him.

Next time, one of them could be the designated pilot.  He was never attending any ‘adult party’ again.

[smokeybrand]

Breaking the Rules

So the Snyder Cut finally dropped. Four hours of Snyderisms like slow-mo, dumb kinetic camera work, and relentless edge. Now, I'm a card-carrying Marvel shill. Been real transparent about it for years. Marvel is my sh*t and Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. That said, i do like DC. I always give them a fair shake. Hell, my favorite capeflick is The Dark Knight. I even like Watchmen and that was a slog to get through. I’ve seen every film in the DCEU and they have left me wanting. A lot of DC heads write off my opinion because of my Marvel bias but let’s be serious; The DCEU is inferior to the MCU in almost every way. As it is, the DCEU needs to be better. It needs better storytellers. It needs a better plan. It needs a Feige. Snyder is not that dude and i don’t think Wan is either. I think WB and ATT have to figure out a way to coalesce this sh*t because it’s all wonky, especially now that we have this Snyder Cut. I’ve already reviewed a Justice League before so all of the observations i made about performances in that, stand. This is more what i think this version does better and worse.

The Better

This opening is much better and makes more sense. That Super Death Wail as the principal genesis of Steppenwolf’s conflict, the thing that wakes that first Motherbox, makes way more sense that whatever the f*ck Whedon did.

This thing definitely looks so much more gorgeous that that first run. Zack Snyder can’t plot a story to save his life but this motherf*cker can compose a shot, for real. Snyder is an idea man, a cat that just wants to make cool looking sh*t, but this ain’t the medium for that. You can have all the beautiful shots in the world but if they are tied together by a shoestring of a narrative, then it’s just polished sh*t, you know?

The extended Aquaman intro was outstanding. Whedon didn’t let this scene breath and, seeing it as it was intended, that was a mistake. Seeing this version of Justice League kind of makes Josstice League in it’s entirety, a mistake. It’s weird that this was cut because it’s so good and shows so much more of Arthur.

Jeremy Iron’s Alfred continues to be my second favorite Alfred after Michael Caine. Sorry, Michael Gough...

Wonder Woman’s first scene in this, the one with the terrorists, is ridiculous. This one scene is a perfect example of the difference between the two versions of this film. Snyder’s is better, if way more brutal than it needed to be. Still, i love the warrior version of Diana so I'm good with this.

Speaking of Amazons, Snyder, apparently, put them in more clothes this time around? I couldn’t really see for sure because of the color correction but it didn’t seem like they weren’t rocking those iron bikinis like in the Whedon cut. I think Joss Whedon might be a bit more problematic than we think. Between the half naked chicks, the way he kept sexualizing Diana, the fact that there are no people of color in his version or the way he shortchanged the entirety of Cyborg’s plot... Breh.

Steppenwolf is SO much more menacing in this version of the movie. Dude feels like a force, like a proper threat an not just some stop-gap for something better. Ol’ Wolfie was a decent antagonist for an initial run at an Avengers-esque team up for the DCEU. Definitely more Loki this time around and less Ultron like the first time.

Also, the Parademons look much more dope. The first time, they looked like fodder. This time, they actual felt like a force, like a horde.

Hey, we got an Atom sighting!

Not a ton of Iris West but enough to wet my appetite. Anytime i get to see Kiersey Clemons in stuff, I'm happy. Having it tied to an outstanding sequence demonstrating Flash’s powers was just icing on the cake. Seriously, Snyder did a great job visualizing Barry’s abilities. That scene where he saved everyone from the debris and then the subtle reversing of time; All of it was dope to see.

Are those Starros that Steppenwolf is using to “interrogate” the cats with Motherbox stink on them? They look like little mechanical Starros. I hope they’re Starros.

Lots of Cyborg stuff. Like, intricate Cyborg stuff. The sh*t Whedon cut of Vic was instrumental to the coherency of this story and dude was just like, “Nah.” It’s no wonder that version of the movie doesn’t make any f*cking sense.

Hey, we got a Spectre sighting! Nice.

The explanation for the Motherboxes and their mcguffin-ness goes a long way to soothing the whole “resurrecting Superman” thing. Snyder basically tells the audience they’re magic boxes that can do anything because of magic-technology. It’s a little ridiculous considering what Motherboxes actually do in the comics but whatever. It makes sense in this universe i guess.

All of the action scenes are better. All of them. Snyder is nothing if not a cat that can actualize a dope punch-out. Dude can’t get out of his own way when telling a story but if you need a fight scene, Snyder is definitely your guy.

Speaking of, that climax was WAY better. It carried far more weight and there were times when the heroes felt like they could lose. There’s an unrelenting tension that grips you hard and doesn’t let up until it finally does. I appreciated this way more than the first one, even if it’s dumb edgy for no reason.

The Worst

Zack still doesn’t understand these characters, man. It’s very apparent to me that a lot of this is just window dressing for kind of a Zack Snyder fan fic version of DC and that’s fine i guess? Sh*t’s not my cup of tea but a great many people seem to like it. Dude’s writing can definitely be tighter and he can skew a little more toward the heart of these characters but i mean, it’s called Zack Snyder’s Justice league for a reason.

The Snyderisms, man, they are all over this thing. Look, i just don’t like how Zack makes movies. Too much style, not enough substance, or rather, not enough focus. He has a ton of great ideas but gets too bogged down in how sh*t looks, or tumbles down his rabbit hole of concept but never expresses any of them clearly enough. Outside of 300 or Dawn of the Dead, this film is probably the most focused I've ever seen Snyder and it’s still kind of all over the place yet, never where it needs to be.

So many plot holes, man. Less than before, but so many threads left untied.

This thing didn’t need to be four hours long. Not even close. There were several shots that i thought could have been cut. Like, that three hour version which got the standing ovation was probably the best version of Justice League and we’ll never see it. This version is definitely better than the theatrical run but f*ck is it long. You really feel that sh*t, too.

Cyborg still looks gross to look at. You’d think they’d try and make his weird, angular, body look a bit better upon the redo but nope. This what we get i guess.

Also, why the f*ck the Atlanteans sound British? Why they make Amber Heard do that accent? She can’t do that accent, man. You’re actually asking a chick who’s professionally pretty to act and she can’t act. She’s just pretty. That actually brings up an interesting question; Is Aquaman canon to this universe because Mera in that doesn’t have an accent and her Pops is still alive. This one has an accent and her parents are dead. Or maybe the accent makes it easier to recast Heard later with a British actress? Maybe the Mother of Dragons really is about to be the Queen of the Seas?

Why is this Knightmare sequence in here? Sure, it was awesome to see, pure fan service, but this is the blue balls of blue balls because we don’t have a movie to follow this one. This is it. This is all the Justice League we’re getting. There is no part two or whatever. Why even hint at something more?

The Verdict

There’s a lot to like about this version of Justice League. It is, hands down, better than Josstice League in almost every way. Sh*t is a better film, man, and should have been what we got to begin with. WB did Snyder a disservice by letting him go and then letting Whedon butcher his movie. I don’t like Snyder’s take on DC. I think it’s try-hard, edgelord, nonsense but it is it’s own thing and i commend him for that. Dude has a vision and I'll never take away from from a creative’s inspiration. That said, this thing was a slog to get through. It’s definitely better than what we got before but it’s still not that great and it’s way too long. Three hours is more than enough to tell this story if you make prudent cuts. Still, I’m glad it exists and, if you’re a fan of this world, a fan of Snyder’s work, you’ll love it. For me, as a cat who has no skin in this game, I'm not all that impressed. Per usual, Snyder has too many ideas and that leaves the plot unfocused and meandering at times. In a genre that is predicated on storytelling, you can’t be a bad storyteller like that and just gloss over it with spectacle. That’s disingenuous. At the end of the day, it was entertaining. It was pretty to see. It was a Snyder film.

[lihikainanea]

You've done a couple of asks about Tiger being insecure with her mind and body but what about Bill? What if Bill got so into his head that he thought Tiger was going to leave him and/or that she didn't want him anymore. -💜

Anonymous said: That drabble about Tiger getting insecure about her stretch marks, when Bill thinks that she might have changed her mind about them - you almost killed me. Could you make some angst about this? Like, Bill getting into his head, feeling insecure about his place in her life, also feeling dumb because he knows she loves him, but he can help it

You know what I love about you guys? I love how sometimes I am so black or white--like, thinking tiger is the only one who can be insecure about her body because it’s Bill and have you seen Bill what the fuck would Bill have to be insecure about? But then here you guys come with your 10,000 shades of grey that you throw at me and I go...oh. Oh. Because you bring things to my attention that my simple little brain never thought of.

Let’s be all extra here and say that you know what? Bill starts to feel a little unworthy, starts to doubt himself, whenever he feels like he let tiger down in his role in their relationship...like say, that awful time that he pushed her too far and she said her safe word. Or how about the time when she was really far gone, and he actually scared her? (also, le babie anon--I haven’t seen you in awhile. Are you okay? Where ya at?) The Tumblr search function is trash and the second part of that drabble isn’t coming up, but here let me just throw this one at you too--some insights into his occasional dom drop(s).

Because here’s the thing, right? Bill still can’t believe just half the shit that tiger lets him do to her. The amount of trust in him, just the way she is this big badass but she will let him spank her and reduce her to a blubbering mess of begging and pleading submissiveness....Bill is beside himself every time. He just can’t believe that she lets him--nay, begs him--to do that to her. But he also feels this incredible responsibility, feels the weight of that trust and knows the magnitude of it, and it’s something he takes very, very seriously.

So when he screws up sometimes--which is normal, because this dynamic is not without its hiccups--he gets really, really hard on himself. Because a tiny screw up for him is fine, but that tiny screw up could have devastating impacts on tiger and he doesn’t ever want that. And when he does screw up, he starts to think that maybe...maybe tiger should be with someone who can fulfill her needs more. Someone who knows more about this sort of thing. Somebody who won’t make nearly as many mistakes as he’s made. Somebody who will only ever make her feel incredible, without the horrendous drops of his fuck ups.

Because at the end of the day, he loves her. She means the world to him, and he wants nothing other than for her to be in the best hands--whether or not they’re his own. He wants what’s best for her--he just doesn’t always think he’s, you know, it.

She deserves someone who is around more. Someone who doesn’t have a spotlight on them, so that she can fade into the wallpaper like she’d much prefer to do. She deserves someone she can be affectionate with in public, without any associated risk or attention. Someone that maybe she can be small with all the time, if that’s what she wants. Bill internalizes just...all of this. And he beats himself up over it--and it’s totally ridiculous, because all tiger ever wants is just...him. He’s the only person who has ever made her feel safe, and because she feels so safe with him, she’s able to be her true self in their dynamic. She’s able to show a vulnerable side to herself that she never shows anyone, she’s able to be needy and whiney and to beg shamelessly for what she wants because she knows that she’s safe and that he’ll give it to her. She’s able to get fussy, to show her discomfort to him, and to trust wholeheartedly in the fact that if she does, he will make it disappear. He’ll make it go away, for her.

And I’ll bet, too--if we want an added layer of angst--I’ll bet Bill is indeed a little self-conscious about the way he looks. Because he’s just....like, he’s tall as fuck you know? And yes I think he’s very handsome, and yes most of us in this fandom do, but there is no denying that he’s freaky looking. In fact, the very first time I saw a picture of him I almost...recoiled. And I know that sounds harsh but his facial features are just incredibly striking, and VERY unusual when you first see them. I’ll bet he’s a little self-conscious about his big wonky eyes. About his height. About his clumsy, oaf-ness. Maybe every once in awhile those huge hands of his are such a nuisance--if he’s trying oh so carefully to clasp one of tiger’s necklaces for her, and he accidentally breaks it. He can’t do up buttons on her dress, because his huge ass fingers just can’t wrap around something that small and manoeuvre it. His extremities are always cold because there’s just not enough blood pumping through his gigantic body to keep him both alive and keep him warm. He speaks English fine but when he’s tired his accent comes back, and it is that stereotypical musical Swedish one that people love to make fun of. He’s too skinny. Sometimes if his clothes are too loose it makes him look straight up gaunt. Winter is hard, and he gets so pale that he looks like a fucking vampire. He can get really, really caught up in his head with these things and every now and then when he meets a new colleague or new friend of tiger’s and the person inevitably goes “holy shit you’re tall” or “holy shit your eyeballs” then it all just comes bubbling to the surface.

And for tiger’s part, if you were to ask her? All those things he hates are the exact things that get her so fucking wet for him, every time. Watching those huge, gentle hands try to manipulate something they are clearly too big for? Wet. Hearing him whack his head on a doorframe and cuss loudly? Wet. That little Swedish lilt and the way he forgets some English words when he’s exhausted? Wet. Those big eyes, and how they widen and just watch her every move sometimes? Wettttttttttt.

But I want to go back to the first point here, because god I’m just so weak for it. Bill being the only thing that tiger has ever needed, being so good to her, but also just berating himself when he fucks up. Berating himself to the point where he really does convince himself that he's just....he’s not good for her. She deserves more. Deserves better. And Bill sitting there quietly in bed, his arm wrapped loosely around her, spinning himself into a horrendous place in thinking that she just...she deserves more.

Does he leave? MY SOFF GIANT. I’ll bet he leaves. Runs off to his family’s lake house for a few days. And you know what? GOD IT’S A FUCKING MESS. Because maybe something in their dynamic went wrong--he scared her or something happened--and tiger needs him. She needs him, his safety, his comfort. And Bill thinking he needs to get away because all he ever does is hurt her or scare her, and she deserves more than that--so he leaves. And tiger is in shambles, and so is he, and IT’S JUST A FUCKING MESS AHHHHHHH.

[saltine-kakyoin]

OH SHIT!!!! my clown ass never saw that u rb'd those ask posts, i was Looking at my notifs to see if u would so i could send u some but SOMEHOW I MISSED IT??? clown hours.... ANyways for the emoji one have 🤗💙💘🍀😇 and 👍 (tried to not do repeats from your ask 2 me cause they all apply anyways but, Regardless) and for the questions post, maybe 5, 11, 12, 17, 20, 23 and 25? ;__;/ ily so much and i hope u have a rlly lovely night!!! and that this coming week is kinder 2 u!!!! 💖💖💖💖

ahhh, it’s no worries!!! idk about you but for me, tumblr has been having the Time of Its LIFE lately wrt notifications and most disconcertingly, unfollowing people! D: so i completely get it, it’s no worries!!! ;w;/ i already know for a Fact i’m going to write so so much, so i’m gonna put this under a readmore >w< ruth 🤝 sarah respectful lesbian moments

edit: so I finished writing it and it’s Insanely Long- just in case you don’t make it to the bottom, thank you mein broth-er!!!! ; O; i hope you have a wonderful night too!! writing all of this out made me reminisce on some really nice times, and I’m having an a1 night! ^^ ilysm! it’ll probably be daytime when you read this, so i hope you have a great day! <3

🤗 given the chance I would gladly hug you

on god!!!! ;___; i think i would frfr dissolve if a got a Ruth-Certified hug, things have been so overwhelming lately

💙 you are my closest friend

the feeling is mutual!! <3 we don’t always get to talk often, but fhdhshg when we do we talk about like All of the Madness in Sarah’s Mind^tm, and you are so patient + tolerant of my incoherent ramblings which is something i don’t think i’ve ever fully experienced? anyhow, after a year (more than a year?) of having these kinds of convos and going through the general madness of life together, I totally agree ;w;

💘 I love you so much

i love you too!!! so so much!!! 💃🕺 i don’t think words will ever be able to express how much i love and appreciate you! 💜💛

🍀 i’m lucky to have met you

i know we talk about this often, but seriously i feel the same way! it’s a little crazy that we met, technically, because Joseph Joestar tm deserved more than to be a cheater... there is something hilarious about this wild friendship rooting from him!! of all jojos!! 🤢 but i’m so grateful that we met, it’s been such a wonderful ride ;w; <3

😇 you’re a sweet cinnamon bun

🥺🥺🥺🥺 bro i- fhdhghdhgh thank you!!! ;o;

👍 you are fun to be around

ahhh, thank you!!! i am glad you feel this way bc whoo boy, i think some other people would look at the madness i tell you about and go 👁️👁️ that’s a no for me, luvs. remember last year when i was losing it tryna prepare for ren faire + i cut my palm on that one glass bottle? bc a- i barely do and b- i feel like that moment encapsulates the nicki minaj roman holiday-ness of my life XD i’m really grateful you’ve stuck around through it all 🤗💕💖

now buckle in bro!!!! the essays are incoming!!!

5. Name a movie that makes you genuinely laugh.

i swear on my life the Mortal Kombat movie from 1995 is a national treasure, it is SUCH a solid movie and has so many funny moments. Robin Shou makes such a 🥺🥺 Liu Kang, and jesus fuck he can be so savage when the script calls for it!! there’s one part where he takes Johnny Cage’s luggage and straight up fucking chucks it into the ocean + then bullies him about it later! honestly the Ballad of Johnny Cage and His Luggage is one of my favorite parts from the movie <3 if you haven’t seen it + you like cheesy, old school movies, i really recommend it!!!

11. Describe the memory of the last time you felt true happiness.

So I can’t remember the last time I did, bc my memory is horrifically terrible + probably getting worse as time goes on?? but i will tell you about one of the more recent times I remember! :D There is one crucial expository note for this memory- my brother-in-law makes THE best chili in the entire world. my brother and I were trying to recreate it because it’s such a simple but delicious + filling meal- I think this was our first time trying to create it? and it was SO chaotic, the tomato sauce and stuff kept popping and burning me and we weren’t 100% certain that we’d gathered the right ratios for the ingredients and it was just. madness lmao. Chance’s chili is one that you leave alone for multiple hours at a time (I think this is the case for all chili but i don’t cook often enough to know ;__;), and we were kinda 👀👀👀 because we weren’t sure it’d turn out right? But it did!!!! I vividly remember when it was finished and we taste-tested it + went oOOH FUCK! it wasn’t quite the same as chance’s but ohhh my god it was so good 🥰🥰🥰 but yeah!! we ate it all up and I think this was around the time I started my playthrough of Esteban for Dragon Age 2? which was one of my favorite playthroughs for the entire franchise... he’s just a simple ig beard model mage ;w; i wanted to show you what he looked like in this post but the formatting went wonky so ig i’ll just post him separately?? it’s 1000% in-character for him to infiltrate my jojo blog 😔

12. Name a song that makes you feel ethereal.

hm...I’d say it’s between Forget About or Feet of Clay! They’re both such light and tenderhearted songs, and when I listen to them I feel like I’m in an apartment kitchen slow-dancing with a love, and it’s so dark except for the slowly rising sun. I don’t know if that feeling could be described as ethereal? but it’s close enough for me

17. What is something you own that is important to you? What makes it so important?

I have a small collection of scripts from the shows I’ve been in, and two of the most important ones are from the plays my high school put on during my sophomore and junior years, The Nit-Wits and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, respectively! The Nit-Wits has a ton of sentimental value to me because it was the last show I genuinely acted in, and it was a show we had to pull together in 2 or 3 weeks!! We were originally going to do a murder mystery play for the fall, but none of the cast was feeling it and it just wasn’t going to come to life in time (honestly this speaks volumes for how much we weren’t vibing with it, because all of our shows came together at like.. the final dress rehearsals if not opening night lmao). I vividly remember we took a vote during rehearsals about whether or not to switch the show, and then we did and it was SO fun + chaotic!! My character was one of the only regular characters in the show, but I think everyone else had a lot of fun acting as actors who were hired to be maniacal, and that made acting off of them so fun! I remember there was also a night my friend Adonis almost tore the entire set down because he ran through a door and tripped over a set brace in his haste!! The Nit-Wits is hugely important because it was a really fresh acting experience for me, and again, my last time genuinely on the stage and not behind the scenes!

MCM is important to me because it was the first play I ever stage managed! I’d stage managed our musical the spring prior, but that was a huge undertaking and involved many different people and moving parts. Stage managing a play, at least at my high school, was a calmer and more intimate experience, and one I really enjoyed! Another huge reason I treasure MCM’s script is because it is one of the last shows I had with my friend I told you about- he was a senior. I have little notes and doodles from the cast and crew scattered throughout my book for this show, and I remember being so irritated by this because it meant I was losing space for stage directions, cues, and notes. Now, I’m super grateful to have these scribbles- it’s one of the only things I have left of him. 

On that note, relating to him, MCM is also the show which birthed my most horrific theater horror story!! During one of the performances, I guess he forgot his line?? idk. But he ended up jumping six pages ahead of where the current scene was (I knew this bc I was following along in my book backstage + was frantically trying to figure out where he’d gone), which threw the entire cast, who were all tragically onstage, way off-track. This resulted in the most frightening game of script ping-pong I’ve ever seen: he’d skipped six pages ahead, so Adonis ended up saying a line from two pages after the six-page skip, and somehow someone else went!! oh I have a response to that line! And then said something like 9 pages back! I think the lead actress tried to ground everyone back to the lines they were supposed to be saying, but she ended up just saying a lot of their lines? And one of those lines that was supposed to be said by someone else was supposed to cue a black-out that someone got murdered in, but my lighting techie was SO fucking lost (we were both huddled over the script next to the breaker trying to figure out WHERE the hell we were! i think i had a flashlight in my mouth so I could flip through the book with both hands and thus faster??), so ofc the lights stayed up! I remember getting through this scene being the most painstaking endeavor of my entire life, but thankfully intermission was right after it! We actually extended intermission because the cast needed a hot second to fuckign RESET for Act 2 bc sweet jesus that was so bizarre...Needless to say, after that show we never messed that scene up again + everyone who acted in the show became super anal about knowing their lines as the years went on. The Six Page Skip became a legendary part of our hs theater Canon (like biblical canon ;w; although I don’t think anyone’s talked about it since my class graduated) alongside the times one of our ensemble dudes had to break through the roof of the girl’s dressing room to retrieve the keys to the theater + i got stuck on stage!

20. What’s the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

I really had to wrack my brain to answer this one, as I’m generally not the person people do things for, you know? This answer goes wayyy back, to 8th grade :O but so! there is mild exposition for this- when I started middle school, I lived in North Carolina, but we moved to Florida right before 7th grade bc my grandma is ill. We lived with my uncle while we were looking for a house, so I went to the local middle school bc why wouldn’t I? but in November, we finally found a house + my mom was like....So... are you going to switch schools or...I’d struck up some really solid friendships in this time, so i was like Mom I’d Rather Die OAO. So, we struck up a deal that I’d get to stay at that school on a zone waiver + that she’d drive me to school everyday. Sometime closer to the end of eighth grade she was like, yeah so.. I can’t do this for high school, it’s too much gas- which was valid! I was really sad about it, but I sucked it up.

Anyhow, fast forward to the last day of eighth grade, which was perhaps the saddest day I’d lived up until that point, mostly bc I knew I was probably never going to see all my friends again. My best friend, who I was like hardcore v close to + the person I shared all my wacky AUs and OC’s and headcanons with, was waiting with me for my mom to come pick me up, and then!!! When my mom pulled into the school she suddenly whipped out this lengthy letter she’d written to me about how much she enjoyed my friendship and how grateful she was that we were able to have lunch together (lunch was.. tragically ;__; the only time we really saw each other that year), and that she would never forget me! And she’d drawn me a ton of fanart from all the things I was obsessed with back then!! it was so much so fast, but then my mom was yelling at me to get in the car and I had to go :(

We kept in touch through email freshman year + fake-dated bc a senior was stalking me? ;J; and then we went to Megacon together! but I became really heavily involved in choir and theater after that, and we just kind of drifted apart :( we do follow each other on ig tho! It’s insane to think about her and that letter because on GOD ruth, that was a thinly veiled love letter and I never like... wrote her anything back that was as worthy as what she wrote me. But, she’s doing really well in uni now, so I guess it’s all okay? idk! ; o ;

23. What’s your zodiac sign? Do you think you fit the general characteristics of that sign?

I’m a Cancer!! and also a metal dragon by the Chinese Zodiac, which I’ve always thought was pretty sick! :3 I am 10000% your stereotypical Cancer, super emotional and introspective + often prone to tears ;u; My mom always said that dragons are steadfast and loyal people, and I think this also applies to me, to a fault. I checked around some websites to see what characteristics were often applied to metal dragons specifically, and it seems they are pretty strong-willed, ambitious, and generous? I don’t know if you could call me strong-willed or ambitious, but it’s all good ig.

25. What’s a song that gives off good vibes anytime you listen to it?

Ohh man, I went in on this question for Shannon, but bc I was digging around my library for Jules, I actually found an old fave! This song is from one of my all-time favorite musicals, Once on This Island- it’s The Human Heart! This song is so sweet, and god between the writing for the orchestra + the writing for the ensemble, this song is a straight masterpiece <3 I love love love the line, “Through your love you’ll live forever”, and although I am Hardcore Terrified of getting a tattoo, I really want that line tattooed on my body. if you have time, I recommend giving Once on This Island a listen!! I’ve never heard a show that uses its instruments and singers the way OoTI does (and holy FUCK it is so breathtaking live!!! I got to see it on Broadway and bro.... 🥺🥺 it was transcendental..)