#I am clearly not a photographer lol

[amri-and-art]

Omg guess who went outside??

[fuckyeahtomblyth]

Tom Blyth for some fashion thing. I gotta be honest, y'all. The sunglasses-indoors thing is giving me full douchebag vibes. lol

[ham1lton]

HE SAYS TO BE COOL (I DON’T KNOW HOW YET)

pairings: jenson button x maneater!reader.

warnings: large age gap - around twenty years. a lot of judgement and criticism as there is scrutiny of your relationship.

summary: after a party at a mutual friend’s, you and jenson are photographed leaving together. the large age gap causes concern especially after your admission that you had a crush on him as a young driver.

author’s note: so this is NOT a part of the main maneater storyline. this is just a what if scenario. just something indulgent for the maneaters out there who go for dilfs! last time i checked the friendship group poll, it was practically 50/50 so until that’s decided, there is a big group of all them. also as per usual, there is a poll at the end so please vote <3

— a part of the maneater series ꕤ

liked by messybitch1, landonorris and 1,728,838 others.

ham1ltonshaderoom: after the release of lewis hamilton’s newest almave drink, formula one driver y/n l/n, better known as maneater, was seen outside of the event looking quite cozy with former formula one driver and forty-four year old jenson button. how are we feeling about this new power couple, ham1ltons?

user1: poor lewis. his drink release has been completely overshadowed by this news 😭

user3: age gap couples never last long lol. good luck but he’ll move on to the next twenty something as soon as she shows one sign of aging.

user34: SHUT UP HES SO FINE 😭 i’d do the same as you y/n girl.

-> user51: LIKE 😭😭😭 bffr. most of the ppl here would fold for their older celeb crush.

user7: idk who’s benefiting more from this relationship? but it’s definitely not love.

user9: Y/N!!!! I’LL SAVE YOU!!!

user2: not jenson going through his mid-life crisis post-divorce. girl u can do better.

user8: maneater… pls say this is a publicity stunt.

-> user73: no cause this genuinely might be her ticking off her childhood crush list. which is real but idk if it’s good for her?

user6: is she fucking all the aging drivers? or is jenson the only one stupid enough to say yes?

user25: i support it. i met my husband when i was 21 and he was 37 and we have been together almost twenty years this may. not all age gap relationships are inherently bad.

-> user4: you’re a victim 😕

user12: y’all are gross. any of us would jump at a chance to date our celeb crush. jenson is hot and y/n is a consenting adult. she’s not a child anymore. she didn’t even know him as a child. bffr.

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liked by bestie2, georgerussell63 and 3,828,782 others.

yourusername: what do you do when you haven’t seen your besties for ages? do a photoshoot in the middle of the street. how did you spend your weekend?

bestie1: we look so good!!! it was soo good to catch up babe. we missed u!!!

-> bestie2: we’ve all been so busy it’s insane how we’ve not been able to see each other more. i was going insane without my girls!!!

user1: is she not even gonna address it?!

-> user6: big ass elephant in the room.

user4: we knew how you spent your weekend ms l/n.

landonorris: am i not your bestie? why wasn’t i included?

-> georgerussell63: or me?!

-> alex_albon: or me? 🤨

-> logansargeant: or me?? 😕

-> oscarpiastri: i get why i wasn’t included tbf.

user10: u think posting pretty girls will make us forget ur weekend escapades? … maybe. keep posting.

user2: can you guys not make everything about a man? who cares if she’s dating jenson? what does that have to do with her ability to do her job or advocate for causes?! i feel sorry for her because you guys clearly dislike her for stupid reasons and are twisting this into a way to jump her ‘ethically’ which doesn’t even make sense. the only problematic thing she’s done is date a man older than her. grow up, my god.

*liked by landonorris, bestie1, bestie2, georgerussell63, oscarpiastri, alex_albon, logansargeant and 45,728 others. *

————————————————————————

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liked by charles_leclerc, bestie1 and 1,092,728 others.

yourusername: italy, i love you ♥︎

user3: get you a man that flies u out whenever ur sad.

-> user7: why are we not assuming she flew HIM out?

-> bestie2: he definitely flew her out. lmao.

user89: feels like a disaster waiting to happen lol.

-> logansargeant: not every relationship is like your parents. get therapy instead of projecting onto strangers.

user6: still a whore. i can’t stand this bitch.

-> oscarpiastri: stay mad! she’s young, successful and has many people who love and support her while you’re cursed to just scroll through her posts and seethe in your head. this one sided beef is crazy 🤣🤣!

user9: they’re cute!! idk how i’m the only one who thinks this.

user67: she’s still ugly.

-> alex_albon: looked at your pictures mate and cheers, my nan just vomited.

user12: when he leaves her >>>>

-> georgerussell63: 6.220.183.12

-> user3: NOT THE IP ADDRESS HELP?2&/&

user8: jenson. call me when you need a real woman.

-> bestie1: where is the real woman you speak of? she’s definitely NOT you.

user21: honestly? i just can’t get on board with this ship.

-> landonorris: you can’t even afford a ticket 🤣 delete this.

user10: i’m not saying shit cause why the y/n defense squad dragging people in the comments 😭

liked by oscar.priv, alex.priv and 21 others.

maneater.priv: NEED HIM CARNALLY <3

bestie1priv: thank god he doesn’t know about ur priv account. i think he’d combust.

-> maneater.priv: nah he giggles. he thinks its funny.

oscar.priv: everyone on a campaign to save you from jenson when they should be saving jenson from YOU!

bestie2priv: LOVE U BOTH <333 cutest couple!

lando.priv: dare you to post this on ur main 😏🤣😁😝

-> george.priv: 43.0.109.12

-> lando.priv: MAN COME ON 😭

don’t want to miss out on my next post? join my taglist! if you enjoyed this, check out my masterlist or buy me a coffee! no pressure ! <3

[alexturner2005]

i trust you to know this. what is the context behind that photo where alex has his head on top miles's? it's clearly an open reference to the john and paul photo, but for what? why does it look like it was in the middle of the humbug era? was it for a magazine, an award show, like what is the story there

x

tbh i never questioned why there’s a professional photoshoot of them from 2010 when they obviously weren’t promoting tlsp or anything…good question lol. i went digging for the answer, but mostly found a lot of broken links :/

what i do know is that the photo is by the designer and photographer adrien sauvage. his instagram is private now and his website doesn’t work anymore, which makes things difficult lol. he seems to be friends with am and miles tho. he’s photographed them multiple times, and he’s been photographed with alex and miles (separately) at events throughout the years. so maybe it’s from some event he met them at? it also seems possible that it could’ve been part of his 2010 project ‘this is not a suit,’ “an ongoing series of portraits shot by Adrien himself, where individuals select garments from A. Sauvage’s first collection, and are free to express themselves with little directorial guidance.” i’m not sure tho, because the website for that project is, of course, also broken lmao. if it is from that project, it’s funny that they chose to express their individuality by copying john and paul lol

[sitp-recs]

Hello heart ! I love your rescs and was thinking of ordering something! Currently I have already finished reading your 4 voolumenes (possibly have a session for this couple) the fact is that I am looking for something specific. I adore dramatic declrations! I was wondering if you had any fanfic in mind with anything related! I love it when Darry surprises everyone! It also works if they are declarations of marriage or even declarations of change of sides in the war! Anything drarry that surprises the world!

Hello hello! Oh that’s a really interesting ask, I love that concept! I have a reclist for dramatic love confessions here, but I think you might also enjoy these fics. This reclist clearly got a bit out of hand (as per lol) so I’ve shortened the summaries to keep it clean, hope that’s ok!

I, Ferret by curiouslyfic (T, 2k)

Draco's embraced his inner Ferret. Now it's Harry's turn. Starring Veela!Draco, mpreg, an old wives' tale, and a Weddiwizard.

Game On by @pennygalleon (T, 5k)

Draco blows Harry a kiss and the press goes nuts. Harry suggests they use this to their advantage.

(Un)Calculated Risk by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (E, 7k)

He thought about the way Harry looked at him, smiled at him; about the way Draco’s head was nearly always full of him, all day every day, and about the way Draco sometimes deliberately went to bed still smelling of him, refusing to acknowledge what it meant.

Gravity Centered by carpemermaid (E, 7k)

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are two of the best flyers in the International Professional Broom Racing League.

Silence series by RurouniHime (E, 10k)

It was his battle, yet he never hurt me, and he could have.

A Song, Incomplete by RurouniHime (E, 11k)

Draco’s photograph took up the entire top half of the Prophet’s front page. Below the photo: DRACO MALFOY DEFENDS SON OF FORMER LOVER. As if that were breaking news.

I'll never be your chosen one by @andithiel (E, 15k)

Draco doesn't know what exactly he’s doing with Potter, he doesn't know how their unspoken agreement even started, and doesn't know where it will end. The only thing he knows is: he's not in love.

Two Zinnias and the Scent of Lemon by @the-starryknight (M, 16k)

Between covert Legilimency links and Polyjuice disguises and running and running and running, Draco has forgotten what it is like to have a safe harbor that isn’t a person.

Reparatio by astolat (E, 17k)

Draco snorted. “I’m not reduced to penury. I want something considerably beyond money, and I rather think you’re the only one can give it to me.”

Touch Me Fall by @lqtraintracks (E, 23k)

Malfoy was such a ponce. And he was a complete snob. And he was so fucking fit Harry wanted to jump him where he sat. It would be too easy to forget his objective tonight: to really, really, really get Malfoy out of his system.

Expecto Patronum by @writcraft (E, 35k)

As Draco Malfoy negotiates his feelings for the wizarding world's brightest star, he becomes increasingly attached to Harry and unravels the secrets he keeps hidden from the rest of the world.

The Wand Slipped by @unmistakablyoatmeal (E, 35k)

After a messy, public divorce and a disgraceful exit from the Auror Department, Harry is trying to rebuild his life as a private investigator.

Rush (For A Gap That Exists) by @sleepstxtic (E, 42k)

A story of love and loss that grew amidst the most infamous rivalry in Formula One history: the story of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

The Greatest Game by @sleepstxtic (E, 45k)

The Greatest Game is something more. The drama, the tension, the narrative that the other games lack. There is a story here. Two rivals with a history spanning years; the oldest, most illustrious prize to be won.

Knockturn Soulmates series by @xanthippe74 (M, 60k)

Fate brought them together. Now the real work begins, as Harry and Draco try to merge their starkly different lives without being torn away from everything they hold dear.

The Compact by astolat (E, 64k)

Hermione frowned. “The real question is why the magic of Britain would be failing now, in fact.”. “That is not the real question!” Ron said loudly. “The real question is, how do we fix it?”

A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki (M, 104k)

Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.

Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

When Times are Dire by @aibidil (E, 130k)

Magical Britain is screwed, and it's once again up to Harry to save it. This time, by marrying Draco Malfoy.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 139k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Things Worth Knowing by Femme and noeon (E, 164k)

After the Battle, Harry thinks he's left Hogwarts for good, but Minerva insists that all students return for an Eighth Year if they wish to sit for NEWTs in the spring, and Harry needs those NEWTs to go into the Aurors.

[nyxronomicon]

Nyx, my beloved - I am here to share some more thots regarding assassin choso x reader. (ps. I love, love, love a black turtleneck on a man so let's go with that and also, I pictured the yakuza boss being sukuna too!!)

choso starts second guessing if he should continue his work with sukuna. the man is one of the most violent, deranged criminal lords in the country but choso has been nothing but loyal towards him. he's been in this game since he was nineteen years old, trading his life into protect his younger brother, itadori, who ran with the wrong crowd.

itadori's mistake costed choso his freedom. all he's ever done is sacrifice but if it meant protecting his loved ones then he had no qualms. but now, with you in the picture, he can't but think if this life makes sense to him anymore.

I picture him standing in sukuna's office, his mind wandering to other places. maybe he can just work as a waiter, or bartender until he can figure out what kind of career he can build. he'll take any honest work at this point, as long as it means coming home to you with no shadows following behind.

the two of you can simply build a life together. maybe even have some kids. his throat tightens. he would love to see you as a mom. he saw you interacting with your friend's toddler recently and it nearly drove him wild. but it's not something you've both discussed yet and he won't push anything that you don't want either - but the possibility makes his heart flutter.

just wondering how a life with you can foster and grow.

he loses himself for a moment while speaking to sukuna, and his boss notices.

"choso" the man sternly calls out, snapping his attention back into place. "something on your mind?"

choso shakes his head, "no, sir.."

sukuna furrows his brows, his index finger tapping lightly against the surface of his wooden desk. "you've been distracted as of late. you know I don't like repeating myself."

choso straightens his back, two hands slipping into the pockets of his charcoal slacks. "I apologize," he expresses regretfully, "it won't happen again."

but he can't stop thinking of you even after sukuna repeats his assignment. can't stop picturing you in a white dress at the alter as he steps out of his office. can't stop thinking about how your honeymoon would be as he hops on his motorcycle to track his next target.

all the while sukuna sits at his desk, moves to open one of the drawers before sifting through the cabinet. he pulls out a file, flips through the stack of documents and photographs. he pulls out one where you're sitting right across from choso, the two of you at a coffee shop. his arm is draped over your shoulder, your cheek resting comfortably on his shoulder.

there are only a handful of people who sukuna trusts, and choso is one of them. he didn't join sukuna's gang on his own accord, but he turned out to be an exceptional asset. the king of the underworld narrows his eyes at the sight of your pretty face.

he can't have anyone coming in between his deadliest weapon. your lover is bound to sukuna for life, and he won't let choso go that easily.

FIRST OF ALL WHAT A BLESSING IN MY INBOX ugh i love him i love him I LOVE HIMMMM

also cannot forget that i love YOU too bb <3 <3 ok more under the cut heh...

!! dark content ahead !!

was i picturing toji as the kidnapper that disappears? no not at all why would i do that i would never....

cw: murder (you literally watch choso kill some guys lol), reader is kidnapped, BLOOD, reader wears a skirt, mentions of rough handling

Your struggle against your restraints as you come to. You're not dead, that's good. In fact, you don't feel any serious pain, maybe some bruising from rough handling but nothing major. You take in a deep breath. The air is cold, a little musty. You're blindfolded, sat in some cheap metal chair.

"Awake, sweetheart?" A man's voice bounced off the walls in the room. It was clearly empty. "You'll want to see this." The blindfold fell from your eyes but the man had disappeared just as quickly. You couldn't catch a glance at him, but you were sure this was the man that kidnapped you last night. Was it last night? How long have you been out?

"Hey, wait!" You shouted. "Let me go!" You struggled more, now able to see, though the only lights were spilling in from the hallway. Other than the chair, there was a little table. Your kidnapper had carelessly left the door open, and you saw a few men who looked like yakuza milling around in the other room.

Fuck. Yakuza? This shit doesn't happen to normal people. You struggled against your restraints again before seeing one of the men collapse with a hole in his skull. Shot with a silenced gun. Standing right behind where the man once stood was unmistakable. His twin pigtails and that tattoo across the bridge of his nose... it was Choso.

You watched as the other guys attacked him, and just like a trained assassin, he dodged and counter-attacked both men simultaneously. He now wielded twin daggers, the same kind yakuza are known to keep. In just a couple of minutes, the two men were gasping for air as their lungs filled with blood.

Was that your boyfriend? You couldn't even imagine him doing something like this before seeing it with your own eyes. He was too sweet and kind. He'd never hurt a fly. This had to be someone else. And this someone else just brutally murdered three men like it was child's play.

The stranger looked through the open door, seeing your eyes wide and filled with fear. He started to rush towards you and half of you wanted to scream, but something inside you held it back. The very small piece of you that knew this was Choso, despite your adamant denial.

"Babe, fuck, I didn't mean for this to happen." As he entered the room, it was undeniable. It really was Choso. Or some cruel, sick joke from the universe.

"Choso?" You could feel the tears forming.

Without answering, he pressed his lips to yours, the feel of his mouth, the passion. He was warm and comfortable. He was home. Tears sfell from your cheeks, but it was from relief knowing it was him.

"Let me get you outta here, ok, love?" He looked into your eyes, worry set deep in his features before he moved behind the chair to untie you.

"Did... did you kill them?" You asked, letting your limbs drop as the rope fell to the floor.

Choso was silent. He stopped moving, he even stopped breathing. This was his fear. You'd find out about him and then...

"Yeah." He ripped off the band-aid. "I needed to protect you. Sorry, this was all my fault." You could reject him, you could leave him, but he'd die before letting you rot in this place.

"Your fault?" You turned to look at him, massaging the dents left behind from where the rope dug into your skin. He was covered in blood, but it was still him. Even if it was his fault, he risked his life to rescue you.

"I..." Choso was still frozen, adrenaline pumping. He needed to save you first, that was all he could think. "Let's talk later. Please. We gotta get out of here. Can you run?"

Choso helped you to your feet. You felt a little wobbly, but you could manage. "I think so."

He frowned. He hated seeing you in this state. He hated the thought of another man grabbing you. Your short skirt showed off the bruises on your thighs from getting manhandled. Bruises in places only he should get access to. He could kill everyone on this building for even considering laying a hand on you. He needed to find the kidnapper and slaughter him senseless. It's what he deserved.

"It's ok, Cho." You touched his cheek, pulling him out of his vengeful thoughts. "I'm ok."

He didn't think twice before pressing his lips to yours again, kissing you even deeper as you tasted someone else's blood on his lips. Had he not been holding you so tightly against him, you might have fallen over from the force.

"Fuck," he whispered, worry still decorating his features as he pulled away. "I'm so sorry. C'mon." He grabbed your wrist, thinking about you in that white dress with your beautiful smile for the hundredth time. But this time, he was determined to make that vision a reality.

[sgiandubh]

Cait’s latest IG follow (latelier3030ibiza)… There are barely any followers and it seems interesting considering Cait apparently is involved in something that’s coming out soon (re: “more details to follow” from that one photographer who posted a portrait of her). Also “Ibiza” seemed funny lol

Maybe this is that new project and FMN actually isn’t coming back? What do you think? I wonder why Cait would be the 26th follower for a brand that’s not even released yet.

Dear Follow Anon,

Thank you for the info: it's latelier303ibiza, if you are looking for it and want to have a chance of finding something.

Just look at her, Our Lady of the Rings. Actively following IG accounts based in New York, as we speak:

The wonderful PEN Club America (the folks at PEN Greece are personal friends of this blogger). For the Mordor ignoramuses, this is world's most prestigious writers' network. Funnily enough, I will soon co-host a book launch with the PEN Greece people (I wrote the Foreword, because I am damn stupid and a nutcase). It is a wonderful interbellum Romanian novel, probably the most beautiful ever written in my native language. And is was translated to Greek by one of our best family friends. /self-promo moment

An art studio in the Meatpacking district. Her taste, not necessarily mine, but duly noted.

And then the Ibiza thing, which looks like... well.. a fashion something. Very clearly a new brand. Looks youthful, funny and uhm... very Eighties?

On verra, Anon. We shall see. As for FMN, I already gave you my sentiment: anything goes.

Just don't hold your breath yet, ok? :)

[drill-teeth-art]

Heyo, you probably know already but just in case you don’t, Tumblr is going to start selling account info to AI companies! You can opt out of this (supposedly) in browser settings, but it is also a good idea to use Anti-AI systems like Glaze to protect your art! Stay safe!

I hate this goddamn website. I am aware of this, yes. As of right now, I was actually unable to find the opt out setting on desktop, but I found already it on mobile.

But Tumblr clearly has such little respect for the artists, writers, editors, photographers, etc. on here to even partner with AI scraping in the first place seeing as how before this partnership some of the most popular non-meme posts on my dash were tutorials teaching me how to use Glaze to protect my art lol. So time to really put the Glaze tutorial info to use on here.

And thank you for caring and reaching out to inform me !

[poopwons]

ok now im gonna need u to write photographer armin pls & thank you!! him giving u a photo album of his fav photos when he confesses? yes 100%

CHLOE MY DEAREST. omg I'm sorry I left you in drafts for so long. I had two panic inducing pet incidents happen within like two days of each other. Everyone's okay, I just freak out when things happen to my babies. **I've also never written for Armin, so this was a bit of a challenge for me. I hope this is okay💖 It's probably my own insecurities about the way I look but I literally fantasize about seeing myself through other peoples eyes, so literally any opportunity to write about that, I'm gonna take it LOL**

You love when it's like this. Just you and Armin laying out on the hood of his car, music playing softly through the open windows, while you talk about anything and everything under the sun.

You loved everyone in the friend group, but you and Armin just seemed to have a special connection. It was easy to talk to him about everything, and he was always bringing little fun facts for you when you needed some cheering up or even just a change of subject when things got too heavy.

So, here you were, chattering on and on about a movie you’d watched recently, telling him about every theory you’d thought up and all the different characters. You can’t help but notice Armin seems to be looking at you differently this time, more attentive, but also not. Like he’s making more eye contact but he’s not actually hearing you.

“Armin?…you okay?” You ask, face etched with concern.

“Hm?” He seems to shake himself out of his head to answer you. “Y-yeah. I’m fine, sorry. Just a lot of my mind, I guess.”

Well, that was different. He’s usually really up front with you when something was bothering him. The two of you confiding in each other and offering advice where you could.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You sit up, propping yourself up on your elbows to look at him more clearly. He seems…you don’t know, nervous maybe?

He pauses, like he’s trying to decide if he really wants to talk to you about this specific thing or not. He sighs, turning to face you.

"Do you ever wonder if it's better to enjoy something the way it is, taking what you can get, rather than risking ruining everything by asking for more?"

"I guess that depends on what the thing is," you say, trying not to pry. "I think, if it's something important to you, what's the harm in asking for more and trying to get the most out of it?"

Armin makes a face, it's almost a pained expression. You scoot a little closer to him, taking his hand in yours, trying to comfort him.

"It would help if I knew exactly what we were referring to." You say gently, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. You just want him to know that you're here for him, just like he's always been there for you.

He takes a deep breath, looking into your eyes, you hope he can see the genuine concern there,

"You know, every time I talk to everyone else about this, they always tell me just to man up and say something. That everything will end up okay, and I'm sure if it was anyone else, that would be true. But, I'm not anyone else, I'm me and..and.."

He does this when he's nervous or anxious about something. Ranting and going on and on, not realizing that all the extra words don't do anything to soothe his nerves. You give his hand another squeeze.

"Armin," You say gently, "I still don't have any idea what you're talking about."

He gives you an apologetic look, then lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry, you're right. I'm not being very clear, am I?" He shakes his head again and goes to move off the hood. "Hang on, maybe this will help."

You wait for him as he goes into the trunk of the car, searching for something before slamming the trunk back down and holding out a book to you. You take it hesitantly, unsure if it's really meant for you or not despite him handing it to you.

"Open it," He's still standing at the hood of the car, fiddling with his nails.

You take the book, holding it upright and opening it, surprised to see a bunch of photos, and you seem to be at the center of all of them. There are photos where you were all obviously with the group, but despite there being so many other potential subjects, Armin had focused on you. There were some photos that he took when it was just the two of you, late at night when he'd take you on a drive after complaining that you couldn't sleep, photos of the two of you at breakfast together.

"I um.. I was saving that for your birthday, but Jean and Connie said I should just give it to you now. It's all my favorite pictures of us, a-and some of my favorites of you." He runs his hand through his hair, sighing before he continues. "Look, I know we're really good friends, and I don't want to mess up anything we have.. I just.." Another sigh, and you can't help but stare at him now, album still clutched in your hands. "You're so... special, an-and smart, and funny, and beautiful, it..god, it drives me crazy sometimes. I...like you..like, really, really like you."

You just sit there, hands clutching the album, staring at him. You can't believe what you just heard. Your heart is hammering in your chest, the blood rushing in your ears. He keeps going while you process everything he's said.

"and I... totally get it if you don't feel the same. Our friendship is so important to me and I don't want this to make things weird.."

"Armin," You start, setting the book to the side, before sitting up on your knees to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into you. "I like you too, a lot."

"You do?" He asks like he's genuinely surprised.

"Yes, you dummy." You chuckle, cupping his face in your hands. "Do you see me calling anyone else at 3am when I can't sleep?"

"I..I mean, no but I thought you just liked riding in my car the best."

"I like being with you the best."

"Oh," He lets that process for a minute, while you just look at him with that same lovey-dovey look you've always given him, wondering how in the hell he could have missed it. "So, do..do you want to be with me?"

"Obviously," You giggle again, before pressing your lips to his, content to spend your whole summer just like this, with your boyfriend.

[dearweirdme]

(warning, this got way longer than anticipated sorry)

ik this is probably a dead topic to you and i apologize for bringing it up again but i was just rewatching the leaked jk videos of him in his apartment with that girl bc i saw some discourse abt it in another tkk blog’s comments. some jk stan who’s convinced he’s straight, that he was sleeping arnd/had a girlfriend, and that we’re all delusional came in the comments and basically started stirring shit lol. they mentioned they believed he was dating that tattoo artist girl who he was photographed w his arms arnd as well. but i thought she had a bf at the time of that pic being released? idk fs tho and that pic def gave off close friend vibes to me?

anyways, seeing the discourse made me go back and watch the video again and the more i watch it the more conflicted i get. like he is rlly all over her. arms wrapped all around her and walking holding her from behind like that. ofc it’s POSSIBLE that they’re just friends especially if he is gay/queer (ik that kind of physical affection is more typically acceptable between queer men and straight women than when both parties are straight). but to me for some reason it seems improbable and like that’s just an excuse to keep myself believing in tkk ? like really…we’re convincing ourselves him and the girl he had at his apartment at night alone w him are just friends when almost everyone and their mother would see that as clearly romantic and crossing platonic boundaries ? he’s THAT close, comfortable, and affectionate w a girl he’s just friends with ?

lol subconsciously i feel like im probably submitting this to ur account hoping ur response will give me reassurance that the interaction was not romantic even when it’s likely that it was. to me the video is clearly real and it is actually jungkook so that’s not at all the part that im debating about, but just the nature of the interaction ig ? like how long am i going to convince myself he’s queer and w taehyung when theres a lot that implies otherwise…

but then i think back on the reasons why i believe in tkk and that makes me even more confused lol. bc if i tell myself to just accept that jk is straight/not romantically involved w taehyung then idk how to make sense of many of tkk’s interactions either. like the kappa sweethearts tshirt is the one that rlly gets me for some reason. bc there’s no shot it was a coincidence they were wearing such a specific niche tshirt on the same day at the same time too. and why would friends wear matching literal “sweethearts” tshirts? they wouldn’t right? ik other ppl value the dream premiere and other moments more but those tshirts are so unarguable that it’s something i always circle back to. like to me saying their clothes at the dream premiere were intentionally queer coded is not something that is necessarily factually true. it’s more so an assumption after extensively digging into the background of their clothes which they may or may not have even noticed/intended. that to me could be argued as a coincidence but the kappa shirts are 100% the same specific tshirt and it was 100% the same day. that being a coincidence is less likely to me.

the other thing is the way they keep their friendship/relationship so much more under wraps than the others. but maybe that’s something we’ve just convinced ourselves of when maybe they haven’t rlly been that private/secretive abt it? idk i just go round and round in circles. i’ll come to a point where i feel SO sure that tkk are romantically together (especially with how explicit tae is w his support of the queer community) but then i’ll see some shit like that video of jk in his apartment w a girl and the whole thing gets derailed.

sorry i’ve just talked in circles atp and i could probably go back and forth w more examples for forever but yeah idk just wanted to hear your thoughts bc idk how you’re able to stay so secure in believing they are together. and i don’t think u seem like the type to just continuously convince urself of something that is delusional through confirmation bias and disregard of opposing evidence.

Hi anon!

Yeah, you probably ar submitting this because you want me to reassure you 😊 and that’s totally fine honestly. I mean, we are invested in Tae and Jk and stuff can really become complicated and confusing at times. Being confused is never a great feeling and you just want to not feel confused.

I need things to be realistic myself as well. I don’t need Jk and Tae to be together, I basically just think they are. I’m not afraid to step away from them if I feel they’re no longer together (or.. if they never were). And I will definitely let everyone know if/when I ever feel like something is off (and right after that I will hide because Jkkrs and anti’s will come for my head 😂).

To me it is all about the things I know for sure. Like Tae wearing that t-shirt for instance.. on the same day as Jk when he shot that mv. To me that is something strong and real talking in favor of them being together. Same goes for other situations: Tae and Jk at that hotel after/before Dubai, Jk singing that song to Tae, BH acting weird about them (and them alone), the way Tae constantly mentions Jk… and I could go on for a while probably. Those are actual things we have witnessed.. things that are real and when you look at the whole of it.. things that are consistent and that we have witnessed for a prolonged duration of time.

When I look at the footage of supposedly Jk with that girl, I see a person backhugging a girl for a real short amount of time. I have no context, I have no clue about there being more people or not. I can also clearly see that the footage is manipulated. I know it was released at a shady timing, with the purpose of harming him. I know that there’s an actual platform where people who hate him gather and plan stuff like this.

So when I put what I know is true about Jk and Tae next to what I know of that footage… the scale just tips over. I do not trust shady footage more than I trust what I know of Jk and Tae. And I might be wrong.. absolutely. But I just don’t think I am.

If I had no knowledge about Tae and Jk before seeing that footage.. maybe I wouldn’t have secondguessed it as well. But, I do have that other knowledge and therefore if I see something that goes against that.. I look at what’s fed to me more critically.

I don’t know if this has settled your mind anon. Personally I always feel fine with not having all the answers, but I can also understand that can be real unsettling. Maybe try and land in the ‘I don’t know for now’ zone for a bit?

[jetblkhotelmirror]

frank stans, how are we feeling?

i dont want to start anything but i would like to here peoples input on this- so, if youre gonna comment, be nice to each other please lol

im assuming that even though i havent seen much on it, the people here know about the ls dunes issues and related frank issues, but, to give a very short summary- ls dunes released an ai music video and when fans (rightfully) voiced their concern about the ethical implications of this, they doubled down, got defensive, and ended up saying some really harsh, hurtful things to fans. additionally, they have allowed "ai bros" to take over their fanbase and effectively bully original fans out of online spaces using homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic rhetoric. in the aftermath, frank made an antisemetic joke (seemingly accidentally) and fans tried to (very calmy and respectfully for the most part) inform him that it was offensive, but instead of simply apologizing and taking it down, or doing anything productive whatsoever, he got mad and started insulting fans and insisted that it was not antisemetic and that he had done nothing wrong/people couldnt "take a joke." i might be forgetting some things but, lastly, a friend and frequent photographer of ls dunes showed up to a party dressed as an ls dunes fan. his outfit consisted of a bright orange wig, and ls dunes beanie, fingerless skeleton gloves, and the ls dunes shirt with wolves on it that was designed by a fan. it was clearly an attempt to laugh at and make fun of fans, specifically girls and women in the fanbase, and, though it wasnt one of the band members wearing it, the fact that he felt that it was not only okay but also funny means that fans are likely a common , or at least not an uncommon, subject of jokes or ridicule in that circle. a lot of people are justifiably upset that a band who was initially so vocal about loving and supporting the fanbase that has loved and supported them for so many years would let this happen, especially after all of the shitty things that have done/allowed to be done to fans in the last few months

im 100% done with ls dunes at this point for a number of reasons (ai, the toxicity in the new fanbase, the bashing of the fans for expressing their concerns, this costume, etc), but im not sure how to feel about frank in all this. i know that he has had a part in all of the dunes shit, so im definitely not his number 1 fan anymore, but the other stuff like the doubling down on the antisemetic joke is still rubbing me the wrong way.

i am kind of having a hard time being objective about this because i have loved him and his music for so many years, so i was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts or input as to what theyre thinking about frank after this whole situation. i certainly dont think he is flawless, and i never have, but at this point, after everything that has happened, i feel uncomfortable continuing to "stan" him in the way that i have been, and i definitely dont feel comfortable going on as if nothing has happened. like.. ive had a frank profile picture since i got a twitter account, and same on here, but i changed it bc i dont want people to think i support some of the shit thats been going on, so i really dont know what to do here

thoughts, anyone?

[literaticat]

Most (not all but most) writers seem to hate or strongly dislike phone calls, video calls, author photographs, putting up videos, etc. etc. You can clearly see this just based on the questions you often get asked on here or probably on forums like Absolute Write, etc. Why do you think this is? Is it that writers tend to be anxious/socially awkward, reclusive, tend to overthink - a combo of all of the above? It's so different from YouTubers or influencers/Tiktok/Insta stars, actors and actresses, etc. It's like writers would rather crawl under a rock than speak to someone on the phone, even face-to-face, or have their photo taken! (And I say all of this not to judge my fellow writers because I'm someone who pretty much feels the same way, at least most of the time! LOL)

Writing is kind of a solitary pursuit, as opposed to Social Media Influencer or Actor, which are both examples of jobs that literally depend on engaging with an audience or it isn't happening.

Like, if you are doing improv with your cat, fantastic for you -- but if you aren't filming it for TikTok, you aren't being a TikTok comedian, you are being a weirdo cat mom, and Fluffy is probably going to hiss at you at some point. If you are reciting monologues to yourself, you aren't acting in a play, you're acting like the Unabomber. If you are by yourself writing a book, you are a writer.

So, yes, I think it's safe to say that people who are drawn to things like Influencing or Acting probably enjoy "putting themselves out there", at least to a certain extent, while people who are drawn to writing are probably fairly comfortable being quiet and spending time in their own heads.

Still, I feel like you're painting with a pretty broad brush here. Sure, some authors are shy / introverted / "socially awkward" -- but plenty are gregarious and outgoing. And lots are a little bit of both! (I am!) -- I'd say all these personality types are well-represented amongst my writerly clients and friends.

I just think that people who are naturally shy / introverted / anxious tend to be... well, ANXIOUS, and thus you see them asking questions like this all the time. Whereas people who aren't don't have as many worries about things like "having a normal conversation on the phone" -- so they are asking DIFFERENT questions.

[yellowocaballero]

I think Go Straight at the Cul-de-Sac was my actual real first yellowocaballero fic so I'm pretty interested in Untitled Document number scarvio dlc! Got any tidbits?

Yes! It's actually a fic I've tried several times to write lol. There's a very scrappy ScarVio fic with my ScarVio protaganist, and honestly the pla fic sequel became a vehicle to depict the scarvio protaganist.

But, come on. Adaman's descendent showing up in the ScarVio DLC? How could I NOT?

I don't know if this'll ever fully get written, or written as it is now, so most of what I have under the cut.

Perrin was waiting for me at the airport, fiddling anxiously with a camera and scanning the crowd for somebody else. The airport itself was nostalgic. All rural Sinnoh airports boasted two landing strips, a polite and peeling building, and a tattered stack of brochures welcoming you to our humble abode. Kitakimi was legally a Johto territory, liberated from Sinnoh in some war fifty years ago, but I didn’t have the impression anybody here remembered being a territory of anybody. That was rural life: your problems were your own. And your neighbor’s, if they were interesting enough.

There were only twenty other passengers on the plane, so I shouldn’t have been hard to find. We were unceremoniously shuttled straight from the plane to the ground, showcasing the great efficacy of rural life. Perrin was sitting on the hood of her rinky little car, scanning the disembarking group for somebody who probably looked very old and important. Maybe she walked with a withered cane and carried an air of great gravitas. I was at the advantage, knowing perfectly well what she looked like - her grandmother had assailed me with roughly two dozen family photographs - and I began walking towards her immediately. 

She noticed me, and I saw her mental journey clearly. Was she walking towards me? Am I meeting a secret second person, who I hadn’t known about? Was this the person I was meeting? Granny didn’t say anything about - wait, no, shit, she totally did.

I waved. Perrin probably thought she did a great job hiding her shock. She really didn’t.

“Elder - uh, Warden!” Perrin quickly hopped off the car as I approached, holding out her hand for a handshake. I stared at the hand for an embarrassing few confused seconds before I remembered the concept of handshakes. Perrin interpreted the silence as a shameful faux-pas and quickly bowed at the waist instead. “Thank you for coming!”

“I’m not a Warden.” I bowed back at a shallow angle. Perrin visually wondered if she was supposed to call a woman probably six or seven years her junior ‘Elder’. It was maybe the most accurate term but we would simultaneously die of embarrassment if she did. Unfortunately, her grandmother would hit her on the head with a stick if she used my name. “But you can call me that. Thank you for hosting me.”

“Thank Kitakami,” Perrin said wryly. “They’re the ones providing our rooms. Here, let me take your bag. I hope you aren’t already motion sick from the plane - these roads are pretty bumpy.”

Nothing was as bad as carts. Seriously, nothing. “How long’s the ride?”

“Only thirty minutes, so buckle in.” Perrin accepted my bag and opened the sedan door. She whistled, waving the bag around and ushering an expectant and eagerly barking Pokemon further into the car. “C’mon, bud, leave space for our guest. And no chewing! Do not bring eternal shame unto my family!”

I poked my head around Perrin’s shoulder and saw a fluffy Sinnoh Forme Growlithe wagging his tail so hard his entire body was swaying. He barked again, shuffling backwards as Perrin wedged my bag underneath the seat, and promptly began sniffing the bag for drugs and/or Growlithe treats. 

I couldn’t help but smile. I moved forward and crouched in front of the Growlithe, holding out my hand and letting him sniff my wrist. He barely needed the introduction - he immediately began barking even louder in exorbitant delight, facing down the prospect of a new friend. 

“The shade of his ruff is light,” I remarked. Lighter than I was accustomed to, anyway. It took ages to even grow accustomed to the sight of these things in cars. And, you know, not trying to maul me. “He’s bred well. Did the breeder select for the light ruff?”

“Ah, yeah! His breeder’s an old friend of the family. Apparently they’ve been specialized purebred Sinnoh Growlithe breeders for, like, a hundred years. They said that lighter fur helps prevent them from overheating in hotter climates. I spend most of my time in hotter climates than Sinnoh, so I asked for that trait specifically.” Conscientious and thoughtful. Somebody who looked after her Pokemon well. “Sinnoh Forme Growlithes are supposed to be lucky. Is that true?”

I scratched the Growlithe’s ruff, and his tail beat heavy thumps against the scratched seat. “Their luck’s changed for the better.”

“That’s…pretty cryptic.” Perrin just sounded impressed. “Grandma was on the money about you.”

I looked back and squinted at Perrin. “What else did she say about me?”

“Wow, look at the time, let’s get going!”

Fair. I wouldn’t really want to meet me either. 

*

Believe it or not, Perrin had actually asked for help. 

I know. Hold the shock. I gave Kai heart attacks every time I walked into the room for four straight months, and I still made her nervous. A Slakoth could give Kai a heart attack and I liked to think we were friends these days, but I knew that I was socially your great-great-great grandmother at best and the fastidious clan kids were perpetually on their best behavior around me. I was used to people being afraid of me for my impressive ability to use their bones as toothpicks for my Garchomp, but a young person’s fear of disappointing their family was arguably more powerful. When you had family like Kai and Perrin had family, the fear was absolutely crippling. 

Personally, I lived in a state of constant embarrassment. A few months ago I tried to blow out a flashlight. Seriously. 

According to the world’s most trusted source, Perrin was the pride of the new generation of their family. They had a strong artistic tradition, and Perrin’s photography had won national awards and hefty grants since she was a child. Her favorite subjects had always been her culture and traditions, and her work had been frequently praised for its spiritual gravity and respect for ancient tradition. As an adult she had shifted to nature photography. Then the conversation diverged to bragging about Perrin’s cousins (veterinarian, miko, miko, successful traditional painter, Can You Believe He Moved To Hoenn!, miko-who-just-had-a-baby, Potter Who Married A Woman Good For Her!, trainer-with-five-badges-and-counting) before eventually circling back around to Perrin’s greatest flaws as a human being. Namely, that she never came home and had missed New Year’s two years in a row. And She Never Called Either!

Perrin had called the clan (For The First Time In Months Can You Believe It!) two weeks ago excitedly spilling an entire tale of a cursed Ursaluna roaming the thick forests of a small island that hadn’t belonged to Sinnoh for years. It wasn’t idle gossip: Ursalunas were sacred Pokemon, and a cursed Ursaluna was dangerously bad luck. Cursed sacred Pokemon could wither nature, starve local Pokemon, bring monsoons and thunderstorms, and shame the clans for neglecting their duties as caretakers. I wasn’t so sure about all of that, but I knew from long experience that a cursed sacred Pokemon basically amounted to a very powerful rabid Pokemon that endangered everything and everyone around it. These days there were probably people other than me who could put that Pokemon down, but - well, traditions were meaningful. 

A certain somebody was ludicrously famous for her talents in subduing cursed Pokemon. They had given me a lot of medicinal bags, which had somehow become traditional. I hadn’t known how to break it to them that I was just going to beat the curse out of the Pokemon. Always worked. 

Apparently all of Perrin’s cousins called her and harassed her about bringing cryptid stories to Grandmother and sending the clan into a tizzy. Her miko cousins threatened to strangle her if she had dragged the Hero of Hisui out to the middle of nowhere to vanquish a hoax. Perrin obviously hadn’t expected her clan to send the Hero of Hisui out into the middle of nowhere to vanquish what may-or-may-not be a hoax. She probably hadn’t intended to turn a little problem into an entire religious and legendary production, but that was the way rocks slid. 

“I hadn’t expected them to send you, obviously.” Perrin hadn’t been exaggerating about the bumpy road. My necklace thumped against my sternum as I fought the urge to grip the sides of the seats. Perrin was happily chatting away with one hand on the wheel, which didn’t ease my anxiety. “I honestly just thought Grandma was going to mail me some medicine and tell me to purify it myself. Like, I had full miko training before I was twelve, I could have done it just fine. But now you’re here, and - well, it could be an opportunity! I mean, it’s obviously an honor. It’s an honor first. I’m very honored.”

The Growlithe barked agreement regarding the importance of my august spiritual presence. “I’ll tell your grandmother you said that first.”

“Thank you so much. I was just wondering if I could interview you, or something like that? Maybe we can pray together. Religion used to be such a source of inspiration for me, and I’ve been thinking about going back to those basics. Start from the ground up. And if you can’t connect me with my heritage - like, who could?”

Artists. Changed a lot and yet never changed. “Returning home to Celestic City sounds like the first step.”

“Home’s not the right vibe,” Perrin said. And she said I was cryptic. “I need something new. But old. I need the right vibe. Maybe this will - like, realign my energies.”

Was I purifying a cursed sacred Pokemon or was I playing sidekick to a photographer’s artistic journey? I felt as if I should say something disapproving about how this was serious business. If the Bloodmoon Beast was actually real, then the entire forest could be cursed. It could have been cursed by a legendary Pokemon - and I had just finished kicking Darkrai out of Hearthome City yet again. This wasn’t a field trip.

Adaman would be laughing his ass off. He had always wanted to fight the man and ignore work. Probably would have, if he wasn’t ‘the man’ and work hadn’t involved protecting his people from extinction. He would have approved of this - all of it.

“Hope I can help,” I said diplomatically. “Is that a bus stop?”

“The bus smells terrible, be glad I saved you from it.” Perrin gestured grandly at the rising swell of homes and packed dirt streets rising before us. Growlithe poked his head out of the window, panting excitedly. “Welcome to Kitakami! Home of a lot of past and not a lot of present.”

“I’m pretty used to that.”

Maybe this trip would be nostalgic after all - no, that was certain. The only thing up for debate was whether it would be my nostalgia, Perrin’s, or Sinnoh’s itself.

I closed my eyes and grasped the Pokeball swinging from my necklace. May this journey end in only the typical amount of disaster. 

Maybe I’d even get lucky this time.

*

 Mossui Town. Population: small. Inn: none, but we have a community center with rooms! Store: one, but it sells handmade wool socks! Mood: very honored to meet you! 

“I am truly sorry for the humble welcome.” The Town Head Mr. Kobayashi was very distraught by this. If he had given me a non-humble welcome I would have shot myself. “Every hand is on deck preparing for the festival. You should have seen my face when the Diamond Clan Head called me herself about your arrival - I must have looked like the ogre itself! And about the Bloodmoon Beast, too! I thought that was merely a child’s rumor.” Obviously realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, “We are honored to host you, of course. Your arrival during our very own festival week - it must be the hand of our ancestors. Why, my own clan had close ties to the Pearl clan for hundreds of years.”

I could tell. Mr. Kobayashi had already given us a quick tour of the village, which had taken a pleasant fifteen minutes. The only building constructed in the last thirty years was the community center, and it was Mr. Kobayashi’s current pride and joy. The village had obviously been built by Johto immigrants to Sinnoh - the unique cultural blend was distinctive. Probably why Johto and Sinnoh had been in a lukewarm tug-of-war over it for a few decades. 

Perrin and I glanced at each other. She grimaced in a slight apology. I twitched an eyebrow. This meant nothing to her. 

I had to do this way too often. “Don’t worry about it.” I gave Mr. Kobayashi my best polite smile. I had been reliably told that it was utterly inscrutable, but that was their problem. “We’ll be unobtrusive. You…seem to have enough on your plate.”

A child ran past us, pursued by a waddling Sentret, screaming. We watched him pass. Another child and a Ninetails pursued the Sentret, also screaming.

“We’re quite busy, yes.”

Perrin leaned towards me, stage whispering. “There’s a school trip.”

That explained the surprising quantity of children. Normally places like this had ten kids max. I had counted at least fifteen already, and most of which were wearing some dorky uniform. The school uniform kids seemed distinctly overwhelmed.

Mr. Kobayashi smiled, about as authentically as a Mr. Mime. “It’s our honor to teach a new generation of…very foreign children about our sacred traditions.”

“Paladeans are weird and rude,” Perrin whispered, even louder.

Mr. Kobayashi’s eye twitched. “Boisterous.”

“One of them doesn’t blink.”

“Please let one of us know if our children bother you,” Mr. Kobayashi said. “It’s quite unacceptable behavior to interrupt you in your important work. When - if a child does so, please send them towards me or their teacher Ms. Briar.”

“I think they’re funny,” Perrin confided in me. “They all have lisps. Apparently they’re walking into the houses with their shoes on. Baby criminals.”

“In my day we executed rude children,” I agreed.

Nobody who knew me as a child was around to contradict me. Such freedom.

Mr. Kobayashi muttered something that may have been ‘if only’. Perrin snickered.

Westerners. Fantastic.

I deposited my suitcase and bag in the obviously hastily cleaned and emptied room on the top floor of the community center. I could already hear the sound of children laughing and running through the halls. Perrin was staying to my right, but the rest of the visiting schoolchildren must be living on the other side and across the hall. I had to sympathize with Mr. Kobayashi - nobody wanted to expose my august personage to children left unsupervised on a field trip in a foreign country they’re probably already interpreting as their playground. Judging from the sight of a Pokemon battle in the courtyard already visible from my window, they were from a training academy too. Training academy kids these days were the worst. My students had been so much politer. Granted, teaching back then had involved a lot more whacking with sticks then teaching these days. And training under me had been a bit of a ‘best of the best’, ‘send our top child from our small clan to do us proud’ type of thing. 

The community center had a small cafeteria, and Perrin and I descended upon the food like ravenous Luxrays. I only had to remind myself every five minutes to use table manners. This was a fantastic improvement from last year, where I had to remind myself every five seconds. Diamond and Pearl ate with their hands or straight from the bowl. The Jubilife crew hadn’t, but I had relatively few memories of ever sharing a meal with my friends in Jubilife.

After an embarrassingly short period of time I stood up and pushed my chair in, taking my tray. “I need to go exercise my Pokemon and survey the area. Let’s meet up again this evening during the festival. Are any of the Pokemon species on this island endangered?”

Perrin stared at me, mouth full of fruit salad. “I’m pretty sure not. Why?”

“Just double checking.”

Two hours of being escorted around a new area was two hours more than I was used to. I was itching to explore this place myself. I was definitely a hypocrite - I was here for a holy mission, but most of my mind was on having fun too. Maybe that was just human nature. We always found a way to have fun no matter the difficulties. Anything that mitigated the damage.

There was civilization to explore, but that always came last. I bought a map from The Shop and consulted the nice lady on the most isolated part of the island, which was apparently a thicket of woods that was too dangerous for most people to enter. I headed straight there, obviously. 

When I entered the wild area I withdrew the first Pokeball on my belt and tossed it onto the ground. The ball flared white and a bolt of light struck the ground, coalescing into an adorable and petite Leafeon. She immediately sat down and meowed politely at me.

“Just exploring today,” I told her. She rose immediately, bright green tail waving excitedly. “Which makes this a good opportunity to work on your form. Remember: the Leaf Blade should dazzle.”

Leafeon meowed in a specific timbre that I knew she had picked up from everybody else. It was an extremely distinctive ‘yes, sir!’ sound. The new learned it from the old. A Pokemon composed of sentient rocks could make that sound. 

The first thing I noticed about the island was the impeccable biodiversity. The conservation laws passed two hundred years ago and strengthened fifty years later must have been well-enforced and respected. I had been wondering how an Ursaluna had ended up here, of all places, but the answer was quickly obvious: the island had Pokemon far, far outside of the Sinnoh ‘dex. Even the Johto ‘dex. It had Pokemon from everywhere. It was absolutely fascinating. 

They were also ridiculously strong. I had to pull Leafeon back and substitute in Rampardos or Milotic several times. Staraptor escaped its ball and tried to chase down likely looking prey about three different times, again, and the entire trip ground to a halt when I found a waterfall and began practicing light refraction with Milotic. We had gotten second place in our last contest, which was frankly embarrassing. We had to step up our game. 

I did contests now. It was a long story. Byron asked me if this meant I would be more ladylike now and I almost bit his head off. 

With power came precision, and I trained my contest Pokemon in battling for strength and show. This was an unexpectedly great training ground. This team had recently reached the level where most wild Pokemon didn’t pose a big challenge. Leafeon was already sweating up a storm, leaf flexing in the humid forest air.

The strength of these Pokemon meant that this was probably the kind of town where people didn’t venture far into nature too often. I noticed two Ace Rangers immediately, which tracked - the province government usually stationed a few eight-badge trainers in high-danger areas like these as protection for the populace. In towns like this the people and Pokemon had learned to co-exist a long time ago, and they rarely bothered each other, but there was always some idiot kid or tourist that triggered a fatal stampede. Or a Bloodmoon Beast. 

Around inhabited areas, Pokemon tended to attack Pokemon of a similar level. A kid running around Hearthome City with a level five could reliably find other pests and bugs to battle. I was willing to bet that the local kids ran around and battled around the center of the island. At the top of that mountain and the depths of these woods, however - anything went.

I had expected to be completely alone. I definitely wasn’t expecting any of the schoolkids to wander out here. But when I finally reached the mouth of the forest, bypassing five different warning signs without a glance, I saw a small group of kids already clustered at the end of the path. They were fervently arguing about something. Alright, time to walk away and hop a fence. 

“ - go with you!”

“Why are you stalking us? We aren’t even doing anything! Go home and help Gramps chop wood or something.”

“But I’m supposed to be the one showing her around!”

“Yeah, and you did! Great job!” The older girl’s tone was incredibly sarcastic. She had to be the younger boy’s older sister. Only a sister cut to the bone like that. “Now we’re going to have fun bonding time for two beautiful and powerful women in these dangerous woods. You can have fun kiddo bonding time tomorrow. Okay? Now shoo, we’re busy.”

As I approached, I got a better look at the kids. One of them was an older teenage girl - who, actually, was probably only a few years younger than me. In Hisui she’d probably be married by now. In Hisui her auntie would tell her that her sharp tongue and unkind face would mean she would never marry. The recipient of her sharp tongue and unkind face was a mousy boy hunched over in a defensive slouch, who was probably fourteen or fifteen. Standing with them was a pale girl with white hair, who watched the proceedings stoically. She was small and thin, and was probably fourteen at best. A Gardevoir hovered behind her, eyes flashing softly in the dim lighting. Leafeon, trotting at my feet, meowed curiously. 

The two siblings jumped, whirling around to see me standing on the path in front of them. The pale girl saw them move and turned to face me too. The siblings scowled, but the pale girl just looked at the Gardevoir. The Gardevoir hummed, and the girl nodded back.

“More outsiders?” the sister cried, enraged. “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Another visitor?” the boy said, flinching back in pure shock. “What’s with all of the visitors lately…?”

The pale girl squinted at Leafeon. Leafeon tilted her head. The pale girl tilted her head back.

“Yeah, we normally get, like, one a year.” the girl folded her arms, previously high levels of aggression jumped towards unprecedented heights. “Now we got a billion! This dumb school trip! Some crazy important million year old Warden from Sinnoh curing our bad juju! Gramps said he’ll chop our heads off if we’re rude to him? And now you!”

This really wasn’t any of my business, but the well-being of village children was everybody’s business. There was nothing kids loved more than pulling off dangerous stunts and almost getting gored on a Rhyhorn horn ten times in a row, and near-death experiences were important for childhood development, but surviving was important for childhood development too. I wasn’t about to escort them anywhere, but I should at least baby gate this thing.

“That forest is supposed to be pretty dangerous.” I nodded at the high fence and the three different ‘abandon all hope etc’ signs plastered around it. The girl stared at the Gardevoir, whose horns glowed lightly. “Are your Pokemon capable of defending you?”

That incensed the girl. She practically growled, stamping her foot. “Who the hell are you to tell me where to go on my own island? Of course my Pokemon are strong enough! Are you my mom?”

The boy hunched his shoulders, staring miserably at his sister. “Mom did tell us never to go in there…”

“Yeah, Kieran, when we were babies. We’re plenty strong enough now.”

“I dunno, Carmine…”

I looked at the pale girl. Her belt was half Ultra balls. She might be fine. But the two siblings had only Poke balls on their belt, and I wasn’t so sure. 

Ugh. Time to do the responsible adult thing. I reached around my belt, unhooking a miniature Apricorn ball from the back and expanding it. Hisuian balls were fragile, and I had recaptured everybody in the ‘modern’ Apricorn balls before leaving. They were still antiques, but they held up well enough. “For safety reasons, I’ll have to ask that one of you battle me before going inside.”

“What are you, a cop!” Carmine grabbed a Pokeball off her belt, expanding it immediately. “You’re so on, you wanna-be adult!”

Kieren blanched. “You left your main team back at the Academy, Carmine!”

“Yeah, and I don’t need my award winning team to fight this narc.” Carmine halted for the first time, glancing to her right and looking at the pale girl. “Unless you wanna go for it, I guess.”

The pale girl blinked at her.

“Oh, right.” Carmine cleared her throat, turning to face her completely. Then she spoke way, way too loudly, almost yelling. I instinctively flinched and scanned the area for lurking predator pokemon. “Do you want to fight this lady?”

The pale girl’s eyes narrowed, and she finally spoke. Her accent was strange, her mouth forming the sounds clunkily, but she did have a bizarre lisp. Despite her jinbei, she must be one of the exchange students. “I told you not to shout.”

“Ah, sorry.” Carmine briefly looked a little embarrassed. “You - uh, picked up on all of that?” Gardevoir hummed, horns glowing. “Right! Thanks, Gardevoir! Anyway, do you want to fight her? I want to fight her, so don’t say yes.”

The pale girl turned her head towards me, and for the first time I saw a large white hearing aid on one ear. That explained a bit. She narrowed her eyes and stared at me. I allowed myself to be stared at. She checked out my Pokeballs - all Pokeballs, since my team now was raised from scratch. She glanced at the polite Leafeon. Then she turned back to Carmine, visibly dismissing me. 

“She doesn’t look strong, so I don’t want to bother. Go ahead.”

[skippyv20]

A few thoughts about Mean Women

Hi Skippy & Friends-Pilgrim here mulling over what the sad anon said about her friends telling her she had no right to discuss the care of children…because she did not procreate!!? Wellllll…I am here to list a few things for her to consider and hopefully help her feel more empowered. For the record, I too did not have children for many good reasons-emotional and physical. I was a schoolteacher, professional photographer, store owner, PR Medical Marketing Executive for a global skin care line for infants and children, and now an artist. In all of these arenas, when I was doing well, I had a bullseye on my back.

I would ask our anon to think about all the male doctors and especially pediatricians who are not capable of birthing even if some deluded brain washed woke kids think they can. Yet, they become experts on the best care of children, and I bet those friends of yours would never think less of their male MD. Can you imagine one of them telling their doctor since he didn’t birth a child, he can’t talk about them? LOL

I would ask our anon to think about all the millions and millions of male and female educators who have not had their own offspring but who teach and guide children into productive adult lives. Can you imagine one of those lady “friends” of yours telling them they have no right to say what would help their child best in school? LOL

I would ask our anon to think clearly about where this diatribe came from because it sounds to me like someone is a tad jealous and stirred the turd pot! They see a professional lady, happily joining a group of “friends” looking fashionable and exuding independence. Just possibly they were furious they were not like you!! In a moment of exhaustion or desperation or feeling unwell, they lashed out. Many of us have felt this out of the blue irrational anger, and reeling with hurt at first, question our own actions. Usually, after the emotions cool off, I have figured out that the person(s) was not doing well themselves. That does not mean their behavior is acceptable.

Of course, that kind of rude, untrustworthy behavior was registered by me, and I made sure to stay away from future negative situations. Their immaturity was just not up to my level, and I learned how to respect and defend myself. Better opportunities with like-minded people will open up, where well-mannered friends actually ask what YOU are up to and what info you have to share…even if it is about children. I often imagine swimming up, towards that brilliant soft green light, breaking the surface, and grabbing a big gulp of fresh air. Keep moving!

Thank you!  What a great post dear Pilgrim.  I am sure she will appreciate it….❤️

[makingspiritualityreal]

Firstly, I love your posts soo much!!

Maybe it is the effect of pluto and sun transiting the Aquarius!! that I have an idea..just hear me out.

I wish there were some free open astrology forums that helped people by telling them one positive life event that individual can look forward to based on their charts.

In fact, it would be so nice if the predictive astrology could start offering predictions about more positive events to look forward to such that it becomes slightly easy to bear with what's happening at the present.

Just saying...

💛

Are Predictions Important in Astrology?

I appreciate your message, and it is an excellent time to talk about my perspective on the subject.

I am not a fan of predictive Astrology. I say this as a person who completely understands how it is to feel such despair that you feel like you can't go on another second without having the assurance that your life will get better soon. That's also why people turn to more abstract means of divination, such as tarot.

However, these tools should be used to understand the flow of your life and what your current growth path is about. They're not a take out menu that you pick from. Insistence on predictions has caused many astrologers to be treated very instrumentally. Some people think a psychic is someone who's supposed to just deliver the version of the future that the client is going to like to hear. "you will get married in a year and it will be a June wedding" yeah right lol.

I know many good astrologers. I have yet to see even the best ones I know make a single accurate prediction. When events such as death, loss or illnesses in my family were happening, it was always a surprise. We're not supposed to know such things. Fun fact, my psychic abilities were tingling, up to a year ahead even, but I always ignored them in key moments.

I will explain it to you through an example. My mother died prematurely when I was barely out of high school. She was a single mother, and her death put me on the outs with the rest of my family, that showed their true colours in a difficult situation. It was a shock to everyone because she was very physically healthy and fit, and way too young to die and yet it happened.

A year before her death, she left me alone for the summer in the condo where I grew up with her. I was working in my hometown at that time, in between college semesters, and she found an extra paid summer job with some of our family members that live abroad. It was the first time in my life, that I was without her for that long, and to be frank, I loved the independence, like any very young person does when you let them "off the leash". I remember very clearly the day she left. We used to have family pictures taped to a glass door on a living room cabinet. My grandfather was an avid photographer and we always had plenty of photos with him around. One of the pictures was a close up of my eyes. Because the glass cabinet was positioned close to the living room window, the sun was always streaming in on it. That can cause discoloration in printed photos. On that day, the picture of my eyes had the sun leave long marks on it in such a way, that they looked like tears.

I believe this to be the strongest psychic experience I've ever had, even though I still had years of spiritual learning ahead of me at that point. Because upon seeing that picture, I knew my mom was going to die, and that it was going to cause grief in my life, even though it took over a year for that prediction to come true. I never told anyone about it, and never took that feeling seriously.

Why? Because it was so unbelievable. Because logic was against it. Because I had my own personal feelings and egoic consciousness, that had completely different feelings and desires about my life circumstances. And because it wasn't yet the time of my life when I was mature enough to treat my spiritual journey seriously.

And that is how it was meant to be at the time. Looking back on it now, I remember the feeling of prediction more as a moment of awareness. It was like seeing an inevitable chain of events unfold. Something in my consciousness was smart enough to be able to see so far ahead. Spiritually, I believe it was a warning from my spirit guides, and in a way a friendly one. "Get used to being alone and handling life alone for more than one summer vacation because it's soon gonna become your reality". But I couldn't take it seriously, because my mom and I were fighting a lot at that time, so missing her was not what I had in mind at all. I craved independence, and that feeling was my reality, which I took more seriously than some abstract premonition. In a way, knowing didn't really help me at all in the moment.

And that situation shows perfectly what the problem is with predictions. Human beings are limited by their egos and their flaws and their lack of perspective. That makes them reject whatever doesn't currently fit into their narrative. People don't want a real prediction. They want to hear they're going to get the cookie they're craving. Then they want it over and over and over again.

I understand my journey now, so many years after all these events. But it took so much growing up, that no prediction would ever fix.

There is always something to look forward to in life. Don't try to control it, and let it come to you. When the Universe wants to put you through a certain experience, it will, and there is nothing you can do about it.

[michellemisfit]

A few months ago I casually said that the @gallacrafts Cinnamon Stargazer Lilies must be in my Top 10 Most Ridiculous Bakes I’ve ever done, which led to @tsuga-of-mars asking what else is on that list… oooooh, dangerous request my dude! hahahaha

It’s taken a while because I had to get together the photographs and make decision (wow am I bad at making decisions!!! haha) but here you are…

My Top 10 Most Ridiculous/Favourite Bakes

So when I first started baking in like… 2010? I figured that if I bake cake batter directly in the mixing bowl I could make ball cakes… so that led to some exciting ball shaped fun. This was also at the same time as I realised that if you bring people ridiculously over the top cakes for their birthday, it makes them really happy… who knew?

Ball cakes led on to foot and a half tall cakes consisting of stacked round cakes, ball cakes, and half ball cakes. For that is how you assemble a droid…. This is all very early in my cake making journey, before I’d really learnt about how important it is to fully cool cakes before stacking and decorating them. y’know, that stuff that keeps them from melting and sliding lol

And then for a minute I got really into chocolate, and clearly developed a dislike for crockery, deciding to make chocolate doilies and chocolate bowls, to serve my chocolate mousse in and on. Fuck plates! LOL This was also when I made Ruth the most indulgent chocolate cake covered in all manners of chocolate decorations, including spelling her name in chocolate lol

And then our friends got married and asked me whether I would make their wedding cake, because they loved my baking. Hell, yeah! Both their sets of parents are quite traditional, so while they did come to the wedding and the party afterwards, they said from the start they would only stick around for about an hour. So I thought it would be fun to have a traditional looking three tier wedding cake, for when the parents were at the party. And then when they left and it got cut, each tier turned out to be rainbow coloured! Oh, and the cake toppers are the brides made out of FIMO, in their wedding outfits, which I sourced for them, so I had the inside knowledge on that. Those little FIMO ladies have lived on their mantel piece for 11 years, which is how long they’ve been married <3

Most of my cakes have been inspired by Ruth’s birthday, and wanting to create something new and exciting every year! Ruth loves Afternoon Tea, and I thought it would be fun to create a traditional tea… entirely out of cake! Think this was the first time where the baking started with a full page of notes beforehand. Always a good sign… lol those cucumber sandwiches are cake, by the way. The clotted cream, jam, and sugar bowl, lid, and spoon are made of icing. The jam cookies… are just cookies haha

Then for about a minute and a half I got into mirror glaze. I watched too many YouTube video and thought it looked really cool. However I veeery quickly got over it due to a) it not actually being very difficult at all, so the challenge went out of it pretty quick, and b) how insanely wasteful it is. Not a big fan. What I was a big fan of was that 30th birthday surprise I did for my work colleague. Got into work at 6am to set it all up. Those balloons are sewn to her chair, by the way. And I’m pretty sure she still found confetti in her desk phone and drawers a week later hahaha

And then the farm tradition of Sorry You’re Leaving cakes started, two of which will be on every Top Mys Baking list, always. I learned how to make sugar glass so we could have a greenhouse in the middle of the vegetable beds with a cat on it, a sugar glass pond with ducks, and a sugar glass “stone” path. I free hand made a goat out of icing (with sugar glass horns) and an alpaca, a pig in mud, some bees to go on some flowers, a ton of vegetables, a growing frame… there was a LOT of stuff on this cake, and it was all awesome!

And then a year later another dear friend left the farm and I wasn’t sure how to top the previous cake… But hey! What’s better than one cake? Yes! TWO cakes lol So we have the large animal yard on one cake and the duck pond with its double fenced vegetation boarder on the other cake. This time a lot of work went into finding shop bought candy that would have the right look and texture, such as waver biscuits for animal stables, Daim bars for bark planks (for goat mountain), mikado for pond fences, twirls for wooden sleepers for raised beds, fudge for brick walls and so on, and so forth. I also free hand made cats, ducks, a turkey, goats, and marshmallow sheep FROM HELL!!! Sorry, those didn’t come out right… hahaha

In 2017 I was diagnosed with MS, like four days before my birthday party. And I didn’t really want to celebrate, I didn’t want to spend an entire day having to tell people about my diagnosis and answering questions about MS and listening to platitudes. And then Ruth asked me if there was anything I would like? We were both massively into All the Other Ghosts at the time (a Glee AU and one of the best stories I’ve ever read) and I said that what I wanted as a AtoG party and to not tell anyone about my diagnosis until after. So that’s what happened. And it was amazing! Which then started the annual tradition of over the top themed birthday parties I threw for myself and all my friends. We had a Shadowhunters one. We had a BBC Merlin one. However the Dragon one is still one of my favourites, as it was the first time I managed to make even the sandwiches themed!!! Hahaha Also those brownies are well up there with the best stuff I’ve ever come up with. Look how cute they are!!!! And my darling friend Sonja couldn’t make it to the party, but send me the Toothless cardboard pop up in her absence <3

And then, as I think many of you know, I got really into cookie decorating and sending decorated parcels of cookies to my friends and family during the pandemic. And that has definitely continued. Every birthday now has decorated cookies. I sent a huge bunch to my friend when she got engaged. I sent a box to my niece in Switzerland for her birthday. @f-f-podcast sent cookies out to our patrons for Christmas last year. Below is just a small selection of a truly insane number of cookies I have iced over the years!!

Wow. If you made it all the way to the bottom of this post… congrats! Hope you enjoyed the baking madness. If you’ve not had enough yet you can see more by hitting the ‘Mys in the Kitchen’ tag. Enjoy!