#Like that's not rocket science??? To me that's just common sense?????

[therantingsage]

Got very sad at work yesterday because I'm a very open bug enthusiast and I was sharing the experience of befriending the wasps in my yard last summer and was hit with the "um actually wasps are pure evil and I go out of my way to kill them". By three different people

And I'm scared of confrontation so all I could manage was "my bug-loving heart is wasted on you haters" spoken comedically

Guess I can't infodump at work anymore :(

[thewulf]

Not Just Pals || Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Summary: Request - Hello darling! I have a request for you if you don't mind... It's a hangman x fem! Reader pen pals to friends to lovers kind of thing. Like maybe when he was in the academy someone put his name in this program to write to college students but joke on them because he got paired with reader and they hit it off almost instantly... Read Rest Here

A/N: Whew! This one was for whatever reason really tough to write! I changed it up a little bit but I hope you guys still enjoy it. :)

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.9k +

T/W : Self-doubt

October 9th, 2014

Hi There Y/N,

I’m not sure how you’re really supposed to start one of these things? How are you supposed to go about talking to somebody you’ve literally never met before? Although the Navy/Army pen pal thing could be interesting. I’ll be honest, my buddy signed me up and I didn’t think I’d actually write anything down but then I got the email with your name on it, Cadet Y/N Y/L/N. Consider myself intrigued.

What’s it like up in New York? Is it cold? Do you get a lot of snow? It gets awfully cold down here in Maryland, so I have to imagine how cold it gets up there. I’m from Texas so I’m still adjusting to this weather… four years later. It’s not easy. I think it’s the hardest part of living in the northeast. I’d rather run a marathon with a thirty-pound pack on than sit outside in the snow for more than twenty minutes. I hope to get stationed somewhere warm when this is all set and done.

Your ‘about me’ says you’re going into the Air Defense Artillery after West Point… which is the exact opposite of what I’m doing. Consider myself doubly intrigued Cadet. What do you do? Fire missiles and rockets at jets? That can’t possibly be as much fun as firing them when you’re in the air. It’s cool just not nearly as cool as what I do, know what I mean? Maybe a close second though.

Have you even been in a jet before? I bet you’d like it. I obviously don’t know you, but I haven’t met many people who didn’t like it. There’s something so freeing about flying 1,000 miles per hour in a tiny silver tube. You should try it sometime. If this whole thing works out maybe I’ll even take you up one day, who knows?

I guess that was my attempt at 20 questions. Hopefully you didn’t find it too annoying. Hope to hear back from you soon!

Jake Seresin

November 23rd ,2014

Hello Future Lieutenant Jake Seresin,

I’m thrilled you actually decided to write. I’m glad my name was all you needed to pick up that pen. I have to admit you made me giggle a few times. You seem effortlessly funny Mr. Seresin. Even for a soon-to-be Pilot.

I find it comical you’re asking me about the weather of all things, Midshipmen. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do on an awkward first date? But to answer your question, yes it’s cold as all get out up here. But I’m from Indiana so I’m used to it. Doesn’t mean I didn’t wish West Point wasn’t in Georgia or something. Why’d they have to put all the Military schools in the north?

What was it like growing up in Texas? Did you ever see snow? One of my favorite memories from this place is watching my roommate (who’s from Florida) see and play in snow for the first time. She froze her ass off but had the day of her life. She also hates snow now. So, it looks like you warm people have that in common.

To sum it up I guess you can say we fire rockets and missiles. My professors always say, ‘If it sounds like rocket science, it is’. Basically, we need to protect the ground troops from the flying bastards aka you. Although we do love our American flying bastards. So, I guess that doesn’t knock you down too many pegs in my book. Do you think they matched us up because our jobs are the antithesis of the other? If so, somebody had a hilarious sense of humor.

I’ve never been in a jet, and I have no plans to either. I don’t think I’d enjoy it if we’re being honest. You’re talking to the girl who gets sea-sick on cruises and had to take a motion pill if we’re going to an amusement park. My lil brain can’t handle the motion. A character flaw as they say. I also have a sense that you wouldn’t go to easy on me, being Army and all. I’ll stick to my calculations and rockets.

Don’t tell anybody I wrote this, but I do think what you guys do is so badass. I work with a bunch of jealous Cadets who couldn’t make it into the Army Aviation division, they’re just bitter. When I was little my dad used to take me to the Blue Angels shows in Chicago whenever they made their way across the States. Kind of the reason why I wanted to be in the military in the first place. But only my dad knows that. And well, I guess you now too. So, keep my secret safe Mr. Seresin.

I know the weather is less than desirable, but I do hope you’re finding things you love in Annapolis! There are some of the best crab cakes I’ve ever had there.

Thanks for the smiles after a long week!

Your New Friend,

Y/N Y/L/N

February 16th, 2015

Future Second Lieutenant Y/N Y/L/N,

That has a right to it doesn’t it? Your name sounds good with a Second Lieutenant in front of it. Sorry it’s been so long since I wrote. Getting busy with graduation coming up and practical’s and all. It’s a lame excuse I know, but it’s all I got. I hope you know how big I smiled reading your letter to me. I read it about fifty times before I could write a decent response to you. You have a way with words that I haven’t read in a long, long time.

Was your father in the military? None of my family was. I also loved the Blue Angels when they came down to Houston for the air shows. I’d always beg and plead and finally my mom or sister would give in and take me. They’re also the reason I’m here. So, I guess we should thank them that we got to meet. Neither you nor I would be in these academies without them. Your secret is locked away in the drawer and safe in my head too. It’s super safe with me.

I’ll be honest, the food here is so damn good. I sure do miss my Texas barbeque, but the spread is better up over here. Plus, the snacks? I didn’t know there was different brands sold across the states and you guys have better girl scout cookies! That’s just not fair. I could’ve gone my whole life knowing that there were two versions of girl scout cookies and I got the worse version. I’ve enjoyed the move far more than I’ve regretted it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It doesn’t guarantee I’ll be a pilot, but it means I’m one step closer to getting there.

What all schooling do you have to do after you graduate this spring? Are you up for deployment soon? I’ve got a lot left to go. If I get picked after I’ve got a few years of flight school ahead of me. Then I’ll really be off. Wish me luck I make it!

With Love,

Jake

March 13th, 2015

Mr. Seresin,

I was getting worried! I thought it was something I had wrote. I’m glad it’s your negligence and not mine for the lack of communication. I forgive you though. It’s been stressful up here in New York as well. I luckily don’t have any practical’s I need to worry about. Just a few nuclear engineering classes are standing in between me and graduation.

I just have a year of Officer School (if I get selected that is) after this is all set and done come June. We have to apply this April so I’m getting a little anxious about the whole thing. I don’t really have a backup plan that I’d actually like to do so I really, really hope I get selected. Enough about me though, let’s talk about you. You’re going to get picked! Don’t let any bad thoughts get in between you and your goal. I think you’ll make a fine pilot Jake. You seem to have your wits about you which is the first step a lot of people miss.

My dad was in the Navy, like you. Don’t gloat though, it’ll ruin the finely crafted image I have of you. He was a deck hand or something like that. I wish I could ask him some more about it, but he passed when I was just thirteen. I just remember he loved being in the Navy. He loved everything about it. He made it seem like anything was possible with a passion.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the food and the girl scout cookies. It took me by surprise when I got Peanut Butter Patties instead of Tagalongs when I was down south for a winter. I’m so glad I grew up where the real GSC are sold.

I hope this letter brought you as much joy as yours brought me.

With the Same Love,

Y/N

(P.S. – Here’s my number if you’d like to text instead of write. No pressure!)

It had only been a week since you sent the last letter. Sure, you hadn’t really known the guy all too well but there was something so exciting about sending written mail. You felt like a little kid on Christmas waiting for a response from him. Who knew throwing your name in something so silly for your class would bring you so much joy.

You sat down on your desk setting your computer out front of you to study. Jake was right. It was an awfully busy time of the year. Applying for your future. Studying for you exams. When you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket you truly didn’t think much of it. It was only hours later when you finally closed the laptop shut that you went to check it that your face scrunched in confusion. You didn’t recognize the area code. It was then that it clicked that it could be him.

No pressure at all text! Hi there (it’s Jake).

You grinned reading it over and over again. That was quick! Maybe you made an impression? You sure hoped so. You hardly even knew what the guy looked like. You might’ve gone digging a little when you got his name. He was cute. Handsome even. But he seemed like that type. That arrogant pilot type. But even in just the two letters you received from him you got the hint that he wasn’t that type of guy at all.

I didn’t think you’d actually text me. It’s good to hear from you.

The messages between the two of you were infrequent at best as the semester ended. But he never failed to put a smile on your face. When you needed a pick me up you went through and read the messages that popped up.

On your graduation day you sent him a picture of you and a few friends in a cap and gown with the text: Beat you! You’re also looking at your newest Officer Candidate too!

You didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Your face only grew with glee seeing his response: Congrats Second Lieutenant. And future Captain. Knew you’d do it. You look beautiful as always.

Typing a quick reply, you hid your smile away just knowing your friends would make a stupid comment about the mystery man that always had you so smiley: You’re making me blush all the way up here in New York. I better get a picture next weekend when you do the same, future Lieutenant.

He came through on your request. When you got the text you could only smile. You spotted him in the picture immediately, your eyes drawn to him. He was so damned handsome. How lucky were you to get paired with a guy like that? Your smile grew further when you read the message: Lieutenant (and future pilot) Jake Seresin reporting for picture duty.

The messages occurred naturally between through the years as you were deployed, and he was in school. Some months you texted more and some you didn’t hear from him at all. It never bothered you. The silly little thing called life happened for both of you.

Still, the two of you often made time for phone calls when the time was right. The first time you talked on the phone you thought you were going to quite literally throw up you were so nervous. But in typical Jake Seresin fashion he made you feel cool as a cucumber. You talked and talked and talked into the morning. It felt so normal. Like you were catching up with an old friend. Jake Seresin. Who was this man that was making it hard to date? He was quite literally everything you wanted and needed in a partner. The universe had a funny way of working sometimes.

It had been six long years since you received that first letter from him. He was off on a mission now. A dangerous one he couldn’t tell you much about. But he wanted you at his arrival back home in San Diego and you promised him you’d be there. Assured him. That’s how you ended up in here pacing in the hotel room contemplating whether you should really go or not. It felt too intimate, like you were intruding. But he did say none of his family would be there, they had other things going on as the mission was a bit of a surprise to everybody. The pilots were all instructed to keep it as quiet as possible.

Your hands were shaking as you parked your car in the overcrowded lot. Gripping the steering wheel, you took a long breath in. You could do this. You had to do this. For him, for you. You stepped out of the car and made you way to the dock. The aircraft carrier was already docked by the time you got to the meeting site. You stood back and waited. Watched and waited. It felt like an eternity then finally the men and women started pouring out in their Navy Whites. You’d always thought they looked the sharpest of the bunch, but you’d never tell Jake that. He’d make fun of your Army uniforms or something like that.

It felt like both an eternity and seconds later that you spotted him amongst the crowd of sailors exiting the ship searching high and low for you. You promised you’d be there. And here you were. He either felt your eyes on him or had an uncanny sense of timing as his eyes locked with your own. His smile had melted you right there on the spot. You felt helpless as you willed your brain to move but it wouldn’t. You only began to panic a little as he moved with ease through the crowd making his way right to you.

He stood in front of you. Jake Seresin stood in front of you, much taller than you thought, “I knew I recognized you. First Lieutenant Y/L/N.” His eyebrows raised as you gaped at him with wide eyes as if he wasn’t really there. Closing your mouth, you knew you needed to pull it together but that sounded much easier said than done. Jake freaking Seresin, your pen pal was really standing in front of you in real life. He was more of enigma in your mind at this point. Somebody you could have deep life conversations with so easily but never having actually met the man it was hard for you to grasp he was really real. And standing in front of you.

“Jake.” You smiled hoping it sounded somewhat normal. He was so much more handsome than the photos he sent through the years. How was that possible? Wasn’t it supposed to go the other way? You continued once your head finally could form coherent sentences, “Well it’s actually Captain now. Got promoted a couple weeks ago.”

He turned his head to the side just slightly, “You didn’t tell me that.” Almost looking offended you hadn’t told him.

“Never felt like the right time to divulge. With this mission and all. Had to keep you locked in.” You looked up to him now studying his face as you gained more courage talking to him. He was something your dreams couldn’t make up.

He nodded not daring to take his eyes off you. He too thought you were even prettier than he could have envisioned. You’d sent pictures and he’d followed your social media, but nothing could’ve prepared him. Especially in your civilian clothes, he was a sucker already. Deep down Jake knew you were the reason he was so non-committal before. He was looking for somebody just like you and couldn’t find her. Yet here you stood in front of him. You were so funny and witty and smart, and yet he couldn’t put it all into words. You are the whole package and so much more.

“You still could’ve told me. We talked enough before I left.” He grinned seeing that the tension was already easing from your shoulders.

You shook your head, “Wasn’t about me Seresin. I just wanted you to stay focused and safe. And thank goodness you did.” You admitted a little more than you wanted, but he just made you feel so gushy. Like you were a sweeter version of yourself you could hardly recognize. And the words just kept flowing out when he gave you that look with those green eyes.

“Oh yeah?” He challenged you a bit sensing that you were starting to feel a bit more comfortable with him already, “Didn’t think you’d be so relieved darlin’.”

Ignoring the sweet term of endearment you shook your head, “And waste six years of my life on nothing? Jake that’s so inefficient. Of course, I want you safe.” The words came fast, and they were snarkier than you intended. But you truly couldn’t help it.  He had you relaxed within the first five minutes of talking to him. You felt like you could just be you.

He threw his head back in laughter. That same weight had lifted right off his shoulders when you snapped back at him like he was waiting on it, “There she is. My favorite mouthy girl.”

He said it so nonchalantly you thought your heart was going to combust on the spot. Your cheeks surely gave way to your reaction to his words. His favorite mouthy girl? Christ. He was trying to send you into a coma or something! Your brain quite literally short circuited as it failed to form any coherent sentence. He only chuckled in response seeing your cheeks heat up in a blazing blush.

“It’s so nice to actually see you in person. You know I’ve always told you this, but it rings even truer even now. You’re quite a stunner, Captain.” His eyes met yours before you looked away quickly feeling as though you were going to faint at those words. You weren’t sure how this interaction was going to go initially. But you really didn’t think he’d come right out and say that he found you stunning. The occasional letter and texts in between had grown flirtier the longer you had known him, but it never crossed your mind he’d be so outright with it.

You turned away out of sheer bashfulness. Never had a man been so bold with you before. It was foreign. Not uncomfortable, no. Nothing could be with him. He made it easier than seemed possible.

“You flatter me Jake.” You grinned up at him hoping your makeup would hide the darkening of your cheeks, “I should say the same for you. Handsome as ever.”

“Now you’re making me blush, Cap.” Sure as hell the faintest pink dusted his cheek, but he seemed much stronger than you. He kept the eye contact going.

You shook your head trying to bite back the big smile you had on your face, but it showed through anyway. How was he doing this? Making you feel so giddy just by looking at him. You knew this man but for the first time it actually felt like you might actually love him. You’d had the deepest conversations with him. When you needed a laugh you texted him. When you craved advice you called him. He was the guy you turned to. And it dawned on you that he never failed to answer you. He wanted to take your calls and answer your texts. He looked forward to it. He too had fallen for a woman he’d never met before.

You needed the change the subject and fast or more words would be tumbling out, “How was the mission? Everyone make it out okay?” You asked having no idea what you were getting yourself into. Jake hadn’t told you much about what they were doing, couldn’t tell you much. But now that it was over he couldn’t wait to tell you every nitty gritty little detail.

“I’ll tell you if you let me buy you a drink?” He gave you a smirk that sent nerves racing throughout your body. Jesus. This man was something else.

Giving him a curious once over you nodded, “Shouldn’t I be the one buying you a drink sailor? You coming home and all?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll never let you buy me a drink darlin’.”

Gosh, Jake was actually going to be the death of you. He was so good making his words come off so easily. You felt terribly high strung next to him, “And why not?”

“Because I’m trying to woo you sweetheart. When I get you to go on a date with me I have to impress you. Inevitably that’ll work and you’ll become my girlfriend. And I can’t have my girlfriend paying for my drinks, no. And it’ll only get worse when I get the pleasure of marrying you. If my wife thinks she’ll pay for a thing she had another thing coming.” He gleamed at you as if he didn’t just say all of that.

You gulped before a stupid smile grew on your face. Of course, you knew he was forward but again, he just took you on an entirely new adventure with that statement, “That’s quite a bold statement Jake.”

He shrugged, “I thought I should make my intentions perfectly clear. I think you’re one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. And you’re perfectly you. Sharp as tack. Funnier than ever. You’re you. And I really like you.”

You let out a breath not sure if you really believed all of that, “So not just pals, huh?” It was all you could think of quickly but that did it for him. Sealed the deal. He knew he was going to marry you right then and there. You’d complete him in every way he needed you and vice versa.

He shook his head taking his arm in yours, “Not just pals.” Leaning into his gentle embrace you led him to your car where he would not let you drive. He insisted that it was a gentleman’s job even if he was only running off four hours of sleep. You’d appeased the man who was on his very best behavior. Not that you minded. Nope, not at all. You were thrilled that Jake was exactly who he seemed to be. Your Jake. Not just pals indeed.

Jake Seresin/Top Gun: Permanent Taglist (If you'd like to be added to any or all works please fill out the form here: Taglist Sign Up) @loving-and-dreaming @kmc1989 @memeorydotcom @matisse556 @buckylov3r @taygrls @ah-blossom @mamachasesmayhem @hardballoonlove @rosiahills22 @djs8891 @illisea @jessicab1991 @guacam011y @dempy

[engie-ivy]

(Trying something new. Love to hear if you like🙂)

1021 words

High School Conversations

Edgar Bones

“So, how about it, Lupin?”

“... Come again?”

“You. Me. Drinks. It ain't rocket science.”

“No, I actually understand rocket science. You're not making any sense.”

“I want to take you on a date, Lupin.”

“But…why?”

“Why not?”

“For starters, I'm a loner who likes to spend his free time reading a book, while you're a star athlete who's almost the most popular guy at school.”

“Almost?”

“Well, there's-”

“Okay, okay, I know. Don't mention him.”

“So, it's ridiculous for you to want to go on a date with me.”

“It's ridiculous for someone like you to say no to someone like me.”

“‘Someone like me’ might not want to date someone he has so little in common with.”

“Don't be difficult, Loopy.”

"Calling me that won't increase your chances.”

“You should be grateful I'm even willing to spend my time on you.”

“You know what, Bones? Here's my answer: Fuck. You.”

Marlene McKinnon

“Hi there, Loopy Lupin.”

“Good god, what's going on today?”

“Why, that's not a very kind greeting.”

“Why are you talking to me, McKinnon?”

“I heard Edgar Bones asked you out.”

“And I said no, so don't worry, he's all yours.”

"The fact that you'd think I'd be interested in Bones is even more insulting than that rude greeting of yours.”

“I just don't understand what's going on today. First the school's jock, now the head cheerleader. Honestly, is it Talk to a Geek Day or something?”

“No, I think that's in March.”

“What is it, McKinnon?”

“I just want to ask you some questions.”

“I'm really not in the mood for-”

“Question Number One. Who is the most popular guy in school?”

“Sirius Black, of course. With his bad boy-image and that leather jacket of his, but his still perfect grades, that effortless charisma that lets him get away with anything, his guitar playing and that voice, his impossibly attractive smile, and that always-perfect-hair…”

“...”

“Or, ehm, at least that's what all those girls pining after him would say.”

“Of course. Your cheeks have turned a bit red there, Loopy.”

“So is your next question going to be who the most popular girl in school is? If you're just fishing for compliments you could've just said so.”

“Cute how you think I'd need your confirmation. But no, my next question is who is the second-most popular guy in school.”

“Edgar Bones.”

“What, no raving monologue for Bones?”

“Shut it, McKinnon.”

“And how would you describe the relationship between Black and Bones?”

“What is this, Twenty Questions?”

“I hope I won't need twenty, no. Answer this one please.”

“A rivalry. Or, well, a one-sided rivalry, that is. I don't think Black ever wastes much of his time on Bones, but Bones is obsessed with outdoing Black.”

“Like how?”

“Well, when Black wants a motorcycle, Bones wants a motorcycle, when Black gets his ears pierced, Bones gets his ears pierced, when Black starts a band, Bones starts a band. Basically, Bones wants everything Black wants.”

“Exactly. Now, how would a clever boy such as yourself combine this information with Bones asking you out?”

“... I don't know.”

“Oh, I think you do, Loopy. I think you do.”

“No, because the logical inference of the information you're presenting would be that Black wants… me, and there's no logic to be found in that.”

“Black fancies you, Lupin.”

“No. Just… No.”

“Yes. Just yes.”

“McKinnon, maybe for a head cheerleader the most popular guy in school fancying you is within the realm of possibility, but not for us geeky bookworms.”

“Ask Black out, then you'll see.”

“Is this a prank?”

“I'm wounded, Loopy. You think me so cruel?”

“The head cheerleader playing a prank on me is more likely than the high school heartthrob fancying me.”

“Well, since you're so obsessed with the head cheerleader-thing, let me put it this way.

Hey, Hey, Hear Me Cheer,

Hey, Hey, Hear Me Shout,

Lupin Should Ask Black Out!”

“Oh, for god sakes, please stop!”

“Lupin Might Be Geeky As Hell,

Black Just Thinks He's Swell!”

“Please get off the table!”

“Hey, Hey, Lupin Boy,

I've Got News You Might Enjoy!”

“I'll do it, okay? Just stop! Stop, and I'll ask him out.”

“Thank you.”

“You're a nightmare. I don't know why Dorcas likes you so much.”

“Wait, what?”

Sirius Black

“Oh, hello, Lupin.”

“Ehm, hi. So, ehm, a little birdie told me…”

“Mmm, was it a cheering birdie named Marlene?”

“Yup. Look, I know that a guy like me should drop to his knees and praise the lord if a guy like you would even breathe in his direction…”

“What are you talking about?”

“That you're probably expecting me to be grateful for any bit of attention you're willing to pay me, but…”

“Wait, what? Lupin, if anything, you are out of my league.”

“Excuse me?”

“Gods, you're so smart, and you read so many books, while I hardly ever read, and you have such an amazing dry sense of humour, with all those sharp, sarcastic remarks, you make my pranks seem juvenile, and I wear leather jackets and band tees, sure, but you can just wear cardigans and sweater vests and still look so unique and cool, and you have this calming presence over you, like when you're reading and you're chewing your lip in that way that you do…”

“You… you've noticed me.”

“Of course I have. You think I would fancy you without knowing anything about you?”

“Well, yeah. I thought… I didn't think… I don't know, I thought maybe you were bored or something?”

“This is not about me being bored, or about me wanting to shock people, or about me trying to stir the pot, or anything about me really. This is about you. You as a person.”

“You actually…”

“Yeah, I actually.”

“I… I promised that I would… No, screw that. I want to ask you out.”

“I think it's clear by now I would very much be okay with that.”

“Good god, I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth, but Sirius Black, will you go out with me?”

“I'd love to, Remus Lupin.”

[doyouevenshipbr0]

borderline illiterate gruvia think piece.

happy gruvia day i guess!

so like…… im a grown woman. so believe me when i say at this point i rly couldnt care to be genuinely bothered by antis. like i will literally just block them lmao. ok yes i did write a whole fic revolving around a comment by an anti KFHDKSJWJEDK but i rly wasnt mad i was just genuinely inspired by what they said.

ANYWAYS! nonsensical 294820381002 word rant incoming from the “unbothered” grown woman.

seeing people say how gray is out of character in 100 yq/has stockholm syndrome are literally missing the entireeeee point of his and juvia’s relationship and its crazy!!

*side note, i think for the sake of helping gray’s character and development, they sacrificed a lot of cool things about juvia and a lot of her individuality which i do not like. but thats a rant for another time. btw do notttt even come for me bc she is literally still by far my fav character lmao*

im probably gonna go on for too long about this but gray’s whole fucking character throughout the whole story from beginning to end is centered around the fact that hes cold and closed off and grumpy and “too cool” and listen im not saying this is fucking rocket science or any type of transcendent literature by any means but i HAVE to point out that hes a fucking ice wizard. like. duh. im sure his character/personality was meant to go along with abilities i mean look at literally EVERYONE else in fairy tail.

ANYWAYS the reason he is this way is because he’s so used to losing all of the people he loves and even worse, hes used to so many people sacrificing themselves for him.

and it traumatizes him!! so many people hes been close to have died and he ultimately always thinks its his fault! lord knows im rusty with ft knowledge but his parents died (cant remember if it was in any type of sacrificial way teehee), Ur sacrifices herself for gray, ultear sacrifices herself for gray, and his dad dies AGAIN (once again, not sure if this was in a sacrificial manner lmao. i kindaaa think it was? maybe? shrug.). but POINT IS! theres a common theme of loved ones dying and/or sacrificing themselves for him. there might even be more people lmao idfk.

so what happens when he meets a girl who has an overwhelming and unwavering and infinite love for him?! he is freaked the fuck out!!! for a couple reasons! 1. he is so used to losing the people that love him and 2. he doesn’t even think hes deserving of any love to this degree!

then what happens? he PUSHES HER AWAY! KEEPS HER AT A DISTANCE!!!! because THATS ALL HE KNOWS!!!!!!!!! yes he has his friends who love him but no one has ever loved him in the way and abundance that JUVIA DOES! so he has to react appropriately! lots of love = lots of keeping her at an arms length!

so when he thinks he loses juvia in their fight with invel, and she comes back, dont we think it would make sense that he finally realizes he should accept his feelings for her? i mean remember when he said he promised her an answer AFTER the war? once again, like gray, pushing things off. and then he almost LOSES HER without ever telling her how he feels! so gray realizes life is short! theres no use in trying to deny ur feelings! these are common themes in like 85% of my gruvia drabbles lmao.

im not even saying that it was love at first sight for him and that gray liked her from the jump. bc i dont think thats true. i think we can finally see outward romantic feelings for juvia right after the tartaros arc, when juvia visits gray at his parents’ grave. but before that, i think juvia was a friend (wellll i feel like after the tenrou island arc he liked her more than a friend, but he didnt really realize how much more) who he cared about, and truly didnt know what to make of her because like i said, hes never known a person to love him so much and actually not die LMAO.

but my point is, juvia is the perfect person to be gray’s romantic partner. she is a person so full of love and so happy to love and she doesnt care who knows it. she is unequivocally herself and she wears her heart on her sleeve to the upmost extent.

it literally only makes sense for his character to end up with her!

u could argue gray doesnt need to end up with anyone at all bc he has his friendsssss and likeeee. sureee. fine. but what fun is that? i personally want to see the scared-of-love grump to find his person. i think, again, thats kind of the point of gray’s character- learning u are worthy of love, accepting love, and learning to love openly.

im sorry but literally what better happy ending for him than to be with juvia?

so fast forward to 100 yq, where he is just sooooo out of character apparently. dont we think that may actually be…. character development?

the boy who probably couldn’t even fathom a romantic relationship is now finally accepting he’s in love. he’s done pushing it off, he’s done denying, he’s done depriving himself of feeling love. thats a step in the right direction! now what? in true gray fashion, he thinks hes still not good enough! and that’s where we are now. he’s not confident, he thinks he’s weak, and he thinks he cant protect her. why? he knows she loves him. he knows he’s objectively a strong wizard. so why does he feel inadequate? CIRCLE BACK!!! TO WHO GRAY IS AS A PERSON!!!! SINCE DAY ONE!!! constantly in fear of losing his loved ones! thinking he can’t protect them! SCARED TO LOVE!

like im sorry the proof is soooo in the pudding and i totally understand if gruvia isn’t ur cup of tea but to say things arent making sense is silly to me! they actually make perfect sense!

and yknow what. im gonna go from a romantic standpoint to a realist standpoint. years ago, mashima said he likes gray and juvias dynamic and didnt have anything serious in mind for them anytime soon. so he kept that going for literally the entire series. well. he ended fairy tail alluding to the fact that gray and juvia were kinda together at that point. or he at least ended it with the pretty obvious conclusion that gray does in fact have feelings for juvia. so then when ft 100 yq starts what was he supposed to do? act like all of their development in the last arc never happened? that would be kinda hard to do!

whatever i just hope at least like 3 of these sentences were coherent lmao u guys get my point

[parachutingkitten]

Jay = High Intelligence, Low Wisdom

Kai = Low Intelligence, High Wisdom

Essay about this concept below the cut

Now these are all just my interpretations of the characters, I don't necessarily have hard evidence on hand to back all this up, but here we go:

I've been trying to put my finger on the Kai smart/dumb duality, and I think I can finally somewhat make out my thoughts. Kai is not smart. Book smarts don't come easily to him, he's not great at math, he's not great at overly complex stratagizing- but he's got a LOT of great knowledge in him.

Take the dragon healing in DR. He might not intuitively know how different medicines work or why, but he's got injured enough that he knows that type of information is important to know, and so he's forced it into his head. He couldn't tell you why the blue goop helpped the dragon, but he knew that it would, and that it would be important to remember that it would.

He's pretty good at navigating complex social situations, because he's good at reading people. Having had a history with extreme emotions, he knows how to take them into account, and knows how important it is to do so, even if it's not necessarily logical. I hate to say this, but he's very emotionally intelligent, which sounds kinda like an insult but is actually insanely valuable, because humans are inherently emotional creatures.

He's got a solid basis of common sense, and is constantly looking at the bigger picture. That's why he can come up with the best outline for a plan, because he can not think through the details. Now, if he tries to implement a plan of his without consulting others, he's probably going to miss some very important details, and screw himself over. But, he's most likely to have the best basic premise for an effective plan. This is why his intuition is usually correct. He's not logically thinking through the most likely scenario given all available factors, he's looking at every problem from the birds eye view, and is easily able to fill in the blanks, because he sees the whole picture. You can not tell me this kid knew Lloyd was the Green Ninja because he used logical deduction to eliminate all other possibilities, he had a gut feeling based on realizing the value of human life.

Now, sometimes you need details. And Kai is not good at those. He sucks at those. Big time. But he's self aware enough to know when those times are (most of the time, sometimes he wastes all his lives in a video game before talking to anyone else).

The thing all of these points have in common is that he's lived a very full life while making very many mistakes, and he's learned from all of them. He learns from his dumb mistakes, and is wise enough to know which lessons are worth holding on to.

Jay on the other hand... does not learn from his mistakes. He's got a real thick skull.

Inside that skull is a really smart guy who intuitively latches on to engineering and science concepts. He's got a whole heck of a lot of information that his brain is holding onto simply because it can. This man is all about the details. He gets hyperfixated on details to the point where it's a problem. He's the most likely to solve the intricate problem facing the team, forget that they need to stay hidden, and yell "I did it!". Good at details, bad at big picture. This is also why he usually gives up hope so easily compared to the rest of the team. He can not think long term, he can not see the bigger picture like Kai can, so road blocks in the current plan seem insurmountable.

Sure, he might have rigged an old sailing ship with rocket boosters, but he couldn't unscramble "darnagom" his logical problem solving skills are not what's carrying him.

My standby for the Jay dumb/smart duality is that he should have a significant amount of William Osman energy to him. He's very smart, and can work out how to solve intricate problems and make insane builds, but if making said things is a dangerous or dumb idea has never once crossed his mind, and if it has, he has actively chosen to ignore it. Jay's intelligence is much more creativity based than I think a lot of people like to think. Engineering is about slapping crazy ideas together which barely hold together at first- and that's Jay's brand of smarts.

If you compare this to Zane, that's the vital component that his intelligence is missing- the creativity. He is VERY good at assessing options, but not so great at coming up with new solutions himself. He's running on pure logic and tested successes. He's also missing that social intelligence that Kai has. I'd venture to say that Zane is, by far the most gullible member of the team. If there is not a solid logical reason to doubt something, he is absolutely going to take it at face value. Point being, all the ninja have different smarts, and stupidities, let's not try to conflate them too much.

[inkykeiji]

ok wild concept but hear me out. i have been obsessed with your touya-nii fics for. i literally sprouted on sunday but ive been a dabi seedling for a while now. but the point is that im a frequent flyer. now i say all this to talk about how i recently re-read the keigo addition to that series and this could honestly be a product of his newest imagery BUT I DIGRESS the important thing is hear me out again

so keigo naturally knows that touya is involved with his sister but touya also doesnt share outside of natsu. but ive been thinking right? what if its not always just touya’s sister as an individual that he’s attracted to? like yes he thinks she’s pretty and when he can get a round in, he finds her incredibly hot. but WHAT IF its more about the taboo dynamic and he’s projecting??? like WHAT IF keigo has his own little sister? raised beside him at the orphanage and the two of them are close but depending on your take of modern keigo, id imagine the first few years before they settled were rough. and like kei loves them, like so so much. thats his everything, like if it would only be them at the end of the world he’d be satisfied

but deep down he feels like guilty about it? like thats his sibling yknow and he knows the stigma would weigh the two of you down and he’s never wanted anything more than to see her fly high on her own aspirations. and tbh he was getting over all that. he truly was growing out of that stage. but then he met touya’s sister and all that ‘get yourself right’ shit just went out of the window. bc he’s just there witnessing in 4K while touya and his sister are just like together?? the way they share each other’s space, the way touya responds to her coos. and like he knows it doesnt take rocket science for anyone to figure out that the two of them are so obviously fucking on the side but he’s just like yo no one cares??

and i think that just like makes him spiral and he just starts craving what touya has literally bc he thinks he can never have it. bc when he catches her in the moment all fuckout out in the head, just sometimes she’ll whimper out kei-nii and he just blows his whole load

and yeah, sorry for the rambling. i just think that kei is just like why cant i have that too? and low key i think dabi knows

and yeah with that im back on to my sunday agenda. and i would your latest reply so delicious that it refueled my week and im looking forward to what comes next!! hope you’re having a great week 🌱

oooh okay so!!! this keigo actually reminds me a lot of my tag you’re it keigo, because he kind of feels the same way about his (flesh n blood) lil sister.

but anyway i digress!!! this is a really interesting idea and it is RIPE for keigo angst. i definitely do think that keigo being around touya + his lil sister with such frequency possibly would wear down his desire to be a Good Big Brother and foster a hunger to finally act on his impulses. it’s a slow erosion of his barely existent morals, but it’s constant, and envy is one hell of a monster. envy gnaws on his conscience, envy devours his common sense, envy hollows out the pit of his already empty stomach with jade claws and gnashing teeth, making room for his compulsion to fester, rot, grow.

and touya 100% knows, because touya can read almost everyone around him like a children’s storybook. and touya loves it. because touya loves flaunting what he has, what others don’t; touya loves knowing that people wish they were him. so touya turns up the PDA to fucking eleven, just to make keigo’s blood itch with want, just to watch keigo shift and squirm and avert his eyes only to bounce back and stare brazenly merely half a second later.

this really only rubs salt in the wound, nurtures the disgusting desire tangling in keigo’s tummy and ensures that it thrives.

[ven0moir]

The Duffers use many storytelling techniques to clue an inquisitive audience in on important plot points and character fates. One of them is the use of specific words and/or phrases to subliminally encourage the audience to draw parallels & patterns and uncover the TRUTH. Here’s an example of them sending this message to the audience:

In this specific scene, Joyce and Murray represent the inquisitive and skeptical audience respectively. The usage of the word ENZO leads her to the CONCLUSION that Hopper is alive because of the CONTEXT in which it was used between the two. They planned a date at that restaurant even if it took a lot of back and forth initially. This small hint is enough for her to draw a simple conclusion: Hopper is alive, and that’s worth looking into. Following her gut leads her to the truth. 

Meanwhile, Murray’s explanation makes logical sense outside of the context of the show (well, yeah the KGB could’ve taken him, it’s realistic for him to think this). But within the context the show has given us, there is no evidence supporting Murray’s theory nor discrediting it at this point. But we find out that the KGB didn’t force the word ‘Enzo’ out of Hopper. We learn he’s working alongside Dmitri to get himself out. We learn that Joyce is right. We are subliminally told to be like Joyce. To do what she did. 

Essentially, the Duffers are telling us to trust our gut and follow the signs and patterns they leave for us viewers within their writing and discuss it with each other, it’s not rocket science. 

Back to the use of specific words, you may be thinking ‘that’s ridiculous, of course some words are bound to repeat and be used by different characters, wtf?’

Hear me out … 

Be like Joyce. We can infer from her the following formula:

Word or phrase / Who said it? / What’s the context of the scenes and usage of the word? / What’s our conclusion?

If the repeated or SINGULAR usage of certain words makes you squint, it might be worth looking into, follow the pattern and see where it leads you! Speaking of … 

(Shout out to that YELLOW WINDOW behind Will the Wise and the word BOY behind Mike)

Rewatching S3 it hit me that, as far as I could find, the only two times the word ‘Destiny’ has been used in ST has been between Mike and Will, and even though they are surrounded by others in the scene, they said it to each other - Mike with uncertain connotations due to his insecurities and Will with positive ones. Now, let’s apply the formula we learnt from Joyce to these scenes. 

Will the Wise brings up the word ‘Destiny’ in S3EP3 and declares that ‘he’s seen into the future and today is a day free of girls.’

In S4EP8, Mike tells Will that meeting El was ‘not fate, not Destiny, just simple dumb luck’, and it doesn’t seem he believes romance is in the cards for the two of them anymore at this moment - he tells Will he doesn’t believe El will need him anymore after everything is over aka in the near future.

Mike’s comment was prompted after Will says to him that if they went to Vegas with El, she could make them rich and ‘they could just play D&D and Nintendo for the rest of their lives’. Mike agrees to it, though he seems unsure, likely because something's still unresolved within him and between him and El. But Will was not the first one to bring that up. This parallels what happened later in S3EP3. Mike and Will get into a fight, prompting Mike to first bring up the concept of them playing games in his basement for the rest of their lives. Based on his reaction to Will answering with an affirmative ‘I guess I really did’, it seems he expected Will’s answer to be ‘no’ and seems sad/regretful. So now we found three common points in these scenes that lead into each other. a)    They used the word ‘Destiny’  b)    They both implied there’d be no girls/girlfriend in the near future. c)    They both said the phrase ‘playing games together for the rest of their lives.’

(Shoutout to that YELLOW WINDOW behind Mike and that BLUE PHONE behind Will. I’m coming for you next.) Will is certain, while Mike implies his desires as a question and expecting to be let down, to be told the opposite of what he wishes.  “Did you think we were going to play games for the rest of our lives?” Expected answer: “obviously not.” and “What if you want to join another party?” Expected answer: “oh, right. Nevermind, I’ll play with others.” The way these scenes are framed makes it feel like we are meant to associate them together in the long run. As endgame, especially because there seems to be an unspoken MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING between them. Y’all … this immediately made me think of Finn and David giggling as they spoke about how Will wants to be in the basement with Mike playing D&D for the rest of their lives ... it’s been in plain sight all along.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Yours was one of the first blogs I came across on Tumblr. You led me to Jikook 😂 when I was this close to becoming a Taekooker (thanks to their dominance on YouTube). You are also the reason why my bias switched from Namjoon to Jimin. I read your posts on Jimin and started paying closer attention to him. And well here we are. And I love Namjoon but thank you. I remember one of your posts where you explained Jimin rest periods and how when he comes back, he practically eats everyone up (those weren’t your words). And now, now when he looks like proper snack, looking so mature and confident (I cannot explain this, he always was not somehow he seems more confident than before), has his album coming out in a month, a dance one at that - how do you feel being one of the sane voices…one of the few who knew what the bejeesus this guy could be up to and how he would shake our worlds despite being the tiniest member of the largest group in the world?

***

Hi Anon,

Thanks for the kind words, but frankly, I’m not sure how to answer this in a way that doesn’t seem modest, because I’m not really a modest person.

I don’t think there’s anything I’m saying here that’s rocket science or gleaned from special insight or anything like that. Far as I’m concerned, all of this is common sense. As I said in that Jimin post about his rest periods, I’m just a fan of BTS who had my wits about me over the last 10 years to know what’s going on with other members besides my biases. It’s not everything about Jimin’s character that I’m a fan of or that I like, obviously, same as for the other six, but I don’t spend my time going on about it based on my subjective perception, and a long while back I decided to put aside my preconceived notions about all seven of them and try to look at their actions and words as neutrally as possible. Doing that, it’s impossible to not see and respect Jimin’s strength of character, his awareness of his role in the group, as well as his weaknesses which he handles with as much dignity as someone in his position can have.

I like and respect Jimin, sometimes even connect with him, but it’s also a fact that I connect more with Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok.

Jimin has the smallest body frame in BTS, but that’s where any allusions to him being “tiny” ends. He has always shown his assertive character, his intelligence and cunning, his resilience and grit, his kindness and social awareness. Like it’s never made sense to me when people underestimated him because that man has always been a force to be reckoned with. Since Day 1. And what cemented that view for me is that it’s also always been just as obvious, that his character and choices have come at a cost for him. I suspect that in FACE, we’ll get a better glimpse of this cost for Jimin. I’m fully assured in his ability to communicate what he needs to those who need to hear it.

FACE will be beautiful because Jimin himself is beautiful, on the inside and out.

[babyspacebatclone]

Ok, I know this is bizarre, but I’m trying to get a perspective check.

I’m one of those “former gifted kid Adult Autistic” people, so my idea of what’s “common sense” or “average intelligence” is really skewed and can’t be trusted.

I’ll give details below the cut if they’re important, but the TL;DR is that I’m a daycare teacher who works in one of the baby rooms.

My coworker was complaining about how one of the babies [I’m say Alice] was having trouble drinking today, and somehow her bottle nipple had been changed.

And I was just, “Does the too big nipple have stripes or bumps?”

CW: “Bumps.”

Me: “Yeah, that’s from [Bruce]’s brand of nipples.”

CW: “Well, then Bruce has lost a bottle!”

Me:

CW: “All his bottles have nipples!”

Me: “Because…. Someone put an Alice nipple on a Bruce bottle?”

Me: *goes to bottles, immediately finds the size 1 nipple from Alice’s brand*

CW: *ranting about how she’d been searching through the spare bottles*

Me:

Like… That was obvious, right? Not rocket science????

I’m not crazy?????

What really, really gets me in this instance was - the two nipple brands are obviously different???? If you bother to look???

They’re very similarly shaped, yes, the “Bruce” ones on the left I got from an Allibaba listing so I’m assuming it’s based off the (very brand name) Dr. Brown “Alice” nipples on the left.

But at the same time - the knock off nipples have dimensional bumps! It’s something you can feel!!

As well…

Ok, this sticks out because this is the coworker that specifically picks out everyone else’s mistakes. As well as other “I’m the most important person in the world, you are all out to get me!!” behaviors.

Our daycare has parents provide bottles for their formula fed babies. Largely because bottle type is a personal preference for most babies, and it’s easier to use the one of the dozen brands/types out there they’re already using at home.

We have spare stuff that was donated in pinches, but it’s easier on us to keep track of stuff the parents purchase.

Now, of two babies do happen to use the same bottle type/brand - well, there are issues, obviously, and we do our best to compensate.

The bottles themselves are all labeled as required by state regs, but there’s no feasible way to label the nipples. We do our best by using dishwasher bottle baskets to sort nipples and bottle tops.

We label a pair of the holes on the top, and a specific baby’s nipples are supposed to go there only. Each basket is part of a pair, and we technically have 6 overall (although one sucks, and if we can get away with using 2 pairs we do).

As you can imaginatively, this is one of the things my coworker loves to bitch about.

As the cynical among you may also imagine, I a non-zero amount of times a month have to use my mental database of “Characteristics of Brand nipples and size each baby uses” to resort things.

Off of times this coworker was alone in the room. 🙃

Not to mention the fact I have to find the exact right time to suggest to this coworker (the room lead) to reorganize which baby’s bottle stuff goes into what basket based on “advanced” metrics like…

“Don’t put two bottle types with inserts in the same basket, it fills up fast, try to separate those between the three pairs of baskets we rotate…”

And, you know, “These two bottle brands have very different bottles, but similar nipples, and we only label one of those…”

[kayhi808]

The Assassin - Pt 2

Previous

For the rest of the day, he couldn't get Keiko Luciano out of his mind. He ended up going for a run to distract himself. He just returned to his loft when he gets a call from an Unknown number, "Russo."

"It's Keiko." Speak of the Devil. "You sound out of breath. Were you in the middle of getting to know your hand better?" Billy can hear a smile in her voice.

"I just got back from a run. I'm about to take a shower."

"Perfect, let's video chat!"

"Maybe another time," she makes him smile. "How'd you get my number?"

"Bill Russo. You paid with a company card at my club. Your people at ANVIL forwarded my call. It's not rocket science."

"Why are you calling? To change plans? Or are you canceling?" Bill's voice turn low and velvety, "Darlin' you know my heart can't handle that." There's silence from Keiko's end. Quietly, "Wait…are you canceling?"

"I need to change the location & time. Saka Mai at 7? Lower East side, on Ludlow."

"I thought you didn't want to do dinner? Something about it being too much of a committment." Bill laughs, "Our relationship seems to be progressing fast. Should I propose? Should I get a ring?"

She practically purrs, "You're free to gift me diamonds. I won't stop you." She clears her throat, "Look, are you available tomorrow night or not?"

"I'd meet you at 5 in the morning if you asked me to."

Sighs, "Men are always willing to jump through hoops for sex. If you think i'm going to spread my legs because you're paying for a plate of food, then you're mistaken."

"Who said I was paying?" He hears her laugh. "Look, Keiko, I'm not trying to have sex with you. Its just dinner. I promise."

"Fine. See you at seven. And Bill…"

"I know. I won't be late."

*****

Bill gets to the restaurant 5 minutes to 7p. It's a nice place. It's the first time he's been here. Looking around there are a lot of men in black suits, tattoos...missing fingertips. He did a background check on Keiko. She's the child of two very prominent crime families. Her grandfather was a 2nd Lieutenant "shateigashira" with Inagawa-Kai. The first Yakuza family to move their business outside of Japan. Her father is a Capo with the Genovese, the largest Family in the Italian Mafia. Now, she brought him into a sushi bar filled with gangsters.

He sees her talking to a man across the room, her hand resting on his arm. She's in a deep maroon dress and matching heels. Her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun, showcasing her elegant neck that Bill's already thinking about kissing.

He makes his way towards her, "You're on time. This is my friend, Tanner, he owns the restaurant."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Russo," escorting them to their table. Catching the attention of a waiter, "You look like a whiskey man. Timothy, bring this table a bottle of Yamazaki 18. Compliments of the house. A friend of Keiko's is a friend of mine. Now if you excuse me. I'm going to greet some acquaintances of mine. I hope you two enjoy dinner."

Bill hold her seat out for her, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, I'm happy to please," smiling up at him.

"That makes the 2 of us," winking. "See, we already have one thing in common. You seem to have a lot of connections."

"It's all about connections. You should know…being a business man and all." Tanner walks by with his aquaintences who nod at Keiko, which she in turn, gives them a sweet smile.

"Who are those 2 men?" Bill eyeing them up.

"Why? Jealous?" She arches an eyebrow at him and picks up her menu.

"Maybe," cringing at the surliness he hears in his voice.

Putting her menu down & leaning forward, "They are Hector & Marco Ramirez. They're brothers. They belong to the Yamauchi-gumi. Yakuza loves this place."

Three heavy-set men walk into the restaurant & sit at the bar. Your senses go on alert &. Billy's too damn observant, "Don't tell me you know them too."

"No," focusing on Billy.

"What exactly is it that you do for a living? I know you own the 11:11 Club. I have a feeling you're involved in other endeavors."

The waiter came back with the Whiskey. "Thank you, Timothy." A look passes between Keiko and the waiter, or is Bill just reading into things because he's actually kind of jealous. She proceeds to pour a tumbler for Billy. "Have you tried Japanese Whiskey? It's very good...so I'm told," placing the glass in front of him. "Do you think I'm a Yakuza princess? I'm a business woman."

"What kind of business?" taking a sip of whiskey.

"I own 11:11, a cafe & a funeral home."

Chokes on his whiskey, "A funeral home. Interesting choice."

Keiko smiles, "Are you ok??" Sighs, "Everyone dies. Why not profit from it? Besides, there's something fascinating about death. We spend our life rotting away until one day our bodies cease to function. Unless the person is murdered."

"That's an interesting take on things. You talk about murder like its nothing." Billy's interest is definitely piqued even more so now.

"We kill animals all the time. If people slaughter one another at the same rate we slaughter animals, we'd be extinct in 17 days. Human's are natural killers. Why is taking a human life different from taking an animals."

"You cant be serious."

Tilts her head to look at him, "Would you walk out the door if I was?"

"No, I'd stay."

"Why?" She tilts her head the way a panther would right before they ripped out your throat.

"Because I'm pretty damn hungry." Calls the waiter over to order.

"All right, let's eat," giving Billy a bright smile.

*****

Dinner is easy & enjoyable. Billy Russo is so much more entertaining than she thought he'd be which was a very bad thing. Her head needed to stay in the game. She's here to do a job and needed an alibi.

"Why did you choose this restaurant?" he asked, taking a bite of the wagyu steak.

"What do you mean?" Enjoying her vegetable tempura.

"Most entrees have beef, pork or chicken. I thought you were giving up meat. You said it was unsatisfying."

Brushing her leg against his, "I like to tempt myself."

Lust surfaces in his eyes, "Are we talking about food or something else?

"I'm here with you, aren't I? She traces the inseam of his pants with her foot, halting at his crotch. The sole of her shoe pressed firmly against him. She feels him harden immediately. Carnal desire surges through her. He's resisting the urge to rub himself against her foot.

His hand grasps her ankle and move it away from him. Gritting his teeth, "I'm 3 seconds away from bending you over this table." It looks like he's forcing himself to continue eating. "But I want more."

"More?" arching an eyebrow. "I had no idea you were so kinky. We have another thing in common. What's your favorite kink? Mine is when people watch." Tracing the line of her cleavage, "Do you like to watch, Billy?"

He inhales a sharp breath & tries to get himself under control. She's killing him here. He licks his lips, "I do have a kink," giving Keiko a slow sexy grin, that she can't help but mirror. "Let me get inside that pretty little head of yours."

Slouching back in her chair with a pout, "I'd rather you bend me over." Billy laughs.

@idaofinfinity @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @e-dubbc11

Next

[waterbottlqueen]

ive never met anyone who had a genuinely good reason to FULLY HATE gerita

like i get being indifferent about the ship or not being fully obsessed w it, but straight up bashing someone for shipping it and very strongly saying that you hate it???

there are good reasons to dislike it ofc, ive already considered all of them and choose not to anything about it but i feel like it's common sense to not say that you hate a ship in front of people who ship it

and its also common sense to not bash or send threats to people just in general??? its not rocket science to be a decent person on the internet dude.

i think that publicly expressing distaste in a ship is perfectly fine but to go out of your way to direct that hate from the ship to the shippers??? thats a completely different thing girly

don't pick fights on the internet and especially not with me because if you do you'll never hear the end of it and i will be forever talking behind ur back like a mean girl in elementary school

[abyssmalice]

(hmmmmmm having some thonkies :V

nothing bad, just something ive been thinking on for a bit today and also i am Sweepy so its not gonna sound coherent. anyway point is its nothing bad just Sweepy Thonky ft. interactions)

(i have mentioned this absolutely nowhere bc its utterly irrelevant to mention and also havent ever really been in a situation where i had to mention it BUT ANYWAY i identify as quoiromantic

which if you dont know what that is: its a label on the aro spectrum, and has a couple of different definitions tbh, but the most common one is that a person can't tell the difference between platonic and romantic feelings. in general, all definitions of quoiromantic have some aspect of "can't identify romance/romantic feelings/romantic relationships".

for me, the definition of quoiromantic i subscribe to is a person who can't identify romance, in the sense that the Concept of romance is inapplicable or non-understandable

which is a very elaborate way of saying: i don't get it. you ask me to describe what a romance is or what romantic feelings should feel like or what a romantic relationship should look like and i wouldnt know!!!!!!! i have no answers for that bc its like asking me to explain literal rocket science or quantum physics!!!!!!! i have NO understanding of it, its outright 100% incomprehensible, i would even say its illogical to me if a majority of people ive ever seen werent on the aro spectrum and thus can have romantic relationships which Should Mean romance and the process of experiencing it is like, a thing, with steps, and a logic to it. or Something. i dont know.

"ok but what does this have to do with rp" so like i had a passing thought while preparing to snork mimimimi myself into bed and it was along the lines of "ok what if my preferences for character development - not even ships, just pure chara dev - is rooted in how i dont know how romance works at all so i dont really pursue ship interactions from the get-go + want to start at a platonic stage bc From What I Have Read, the best romances have a strong platonic foundation + apparently a romance is..... life changing? character-changing? so a character changing/developing from interacting with someone is........ Potentially able to reach a romantic status? maybe ill figure out the romance that way??????"

or something. i think? idk it was a passing thonky and unfortunately i do not Know and at the end of the day, i do like holding up my muses like little dolls just to go "look!!!!!!!! are they fun??? play with them??" like im overall just here to write my little intricate dolls for pure funsies over any deeper reasoning, but eh. its a thonkie)

[quicksilversquared]

Today’s flight decided to pack everyone who hadn’t selected a seat (aka paid to pick a seat) in the back 8 rows for no apparent reason while the rest of the plane was sparsely filled in and this lady one row behind me kept coughing every so often and it was just like. Lady. If you have a cough, put a fucking mask on if you must travel. It’s not rocket science, and yet....

Also there was a desk attendant nearby in the airport who kept making announcements and I couldn’t figure out the destination name for the life of me and it turns out she was supposed to be saying “Minneapolis” but instead decided for some cursed reason to pronounce it “Minndeanapolis” like she was hybridizing it with Indianapolis and it. Just. Ugh.

And! And! I swear that a ton of people on today’s flight must have never traveled before/have no common sense. So the desk lady, ~15 minutes before boarding started, announced that there were ~15 minutes until boarding and that “this is a good time to use the facilities!” which I thought was kind of an odd thing to announce? Like obviously use the bathroom before boarding, that’s just common sense. But clearly no one actually listened, because probably a solid third of the passengers came back to use the bathroom (the only bathrooms were, of course, in back, so this meant a ton of people going past me). And it started immediately, like we hadn’t even left the gate yet when people were like “oops I’m gonna go back to the bathroom!”

It was only a two hour flight. I just- I can’t understand it. Absolute insanity.

[sage-nebula]

Now I have no evidence of this. But it feels possible that people with no idea of Sonic the Hedgehog lore could think Shadow’s some evil twin of Sonic. Which is wild to me because they have like nothing to do with each other in terms of origin. The only thing they have in common is being “A Hedgehog that goes fast”. And Shadow doesn’t even have superspeed! He just has Rocket shoes. Shadow’s a top secret science experiment that was put in stasis for 50 years and Sonic’s a blue speedster dude.

Hmm . . . it's been a very long time since I've played SA2 (which is tragic since it's in my top 3 favorite Sonic games, if not my actual top favorite one), but didn't Gerald decide to make Shadow a hedgehog because of the mural depicting Super Sonic in Hidden Palace? Like the reason for Project Shadow was because the government wanted a weapon / Gerald wanted to create the Ultimate Life Form as a way of curing any and all diseases (and specifically the illness that his granddaughter Maria had). But although earlier prototypes of the Ultimate Life Form were very decidedly not hedgehogs (see: Biolizard), they were also considered failed prototypes. The prototype that succeeded, with the help of Black Doom's DNA, was Shadow. And Shadow's a hedgehog because of the Hidden Palace mural depicting Super Sonic.

. . . or that's what I thought, anyway. Looking it up now it seems that's more popular fanon than canon. But either way, I think it makes a lot of sense if that's the case, rather than it just being a coincidence that Gerald made the Ultimate Life Form a hedgehog, of all creatures. Plus, no other hedgehogs are mistaken for Sonic in-universe, but in SA2 a running joke is that numerous characters (G.U.N soldiers, Eggman, Amy) all mistake Shadow for Sonic at first. Which is really funny because imo they don't look much alike at all . . . but if Shadow was designed after Super Sonic in-universe, it would add a bit more credence to the idea that, in-universe, they're meant to resemble each other a little.

But yeah, it's Shadow's rocket shoes and Chaos Emerald that give him speed boosts, as we see in the Metal Virus arc in the comics. I still think his skating just looks so cool, though. Ngl, if I were Sonic I'd invest. Shadow's skating just looks so smooth, why wouldn't you want to get in on that?

[dinosaurwithablog]

Note to Aaron Boone....

Put Anthony Volpe back at the top of the order

Put Ben Rice batting clean up

Take DJ Lemahieu out

Put Oswaldo Cabrera back in the game at third

Please, do this, Mr Boone. That will perfect our team, once again. It's not rocket science. It's common sense. I don't need a computer analysis to tell me this. I know this is in my heart. I pray that you do this. At least, you've stopped changing things like a madman. Just saying 😊

LET'S GO YANKEES!!!!!

[catonablog-blog-blog]

Puptastrophe: Rufus T. Sounds the Alarm on 'Poo-nami' Descending Upon Our Streets Howdy folks, Rufus T. Flywheel here, your friendly neighborhood canine crusader coming to you with a bark of warning about a disaster of titanic proportions that is looming on our horizon - the dreaded 'Poo-nami'! That's right, you heard me correctly. It's a catastrophe of epic proportions that threatens to overwhelm our streets, parks, and sidewalks if we don't take action now. Now, you might be wondering, what in the world is a 'Poo-nami' and how did Rufus T. come to uncover this impending disaster? Well, my dear friends, let me enlighten you on this pressing matter. You see, as a seasoned streetwise dog-about-town, I have an acute sense of smell and a keen eye for trouble. Lately, I've been noticing a disturbing trend in our community - a proliferation of unattended dog waste left behind by irresponsible pet owners. It's a sad sight to behold, I tell you. Piles of poo dotting the landscape like landmines waiting to be stepped on. It's not only unsightly but also poses a health hazard to humans and animals alike. As a conscientious canine citizen, it is my duty to raise awareness about this issue and urge my fellow dog owners to be more responsible in cleaning up after their furry companions. I mean, come on, it's not rocket science. A simple plastic bag and a sense of decency are all it takes to prevent the 'Poo-nami' from engulfing our community. But alas, it seems that some folks are blissfully ignorant or downright negligent when it comes to poop patrol. They let their dogs do their business wherever they please and then walk away as if nothing happened. It's a total lack of respect for our shared spaces and a blatant disregard for common courtesy. So, what can we do to stem the tide of the 'Poo-nami' and ensure that our streets remain clean and safe for everyone to enjoy? Here are a few tips that I, Rufus T. Flywheel, propose: 1. Carry poop bags at all times: Make it a habit to always have a supply of poop bags whenever you take your dog out for a walk. Be prepared to clean up after them no matter where nature calls. 2. Dispose of poop properly: Once you've bagged the poop, don't just leave it lying around. Look for designated trash cans or disposal bins to toss the bag in. Let's keep our environment clean and free of poop piles. 3. Educate fellow dog owners: If you see someone not picking up after their dog, kindly remind them of their responsibility. A friendly nudge in the right direction can go a long way in preventing the 'Poo-nami' from spreading. 4. Be a role model: Lead by example and show others how it's done. Be a responsible pet owner and others will follow suit. Together, we can make a difference and keep our streets poop-free. Remember, folks, the 'Poo-nami' is no laughing matter. It's a serious issue that demands our immediate attention and action. Let's work together to nip this stinky problem in the bud and create a cleaner, healthier environment for all to enjoy. Until next time, this is Rufus T. Flywheel signing off. Stay vigilant, stay clean, and let's keep the 'Poo-nami' at bay! Woof woof and clean streets to all!