#Spacey's Book Club

[space-prophet]

UGH the poison wood bible is SO GOOD I feel like I’ve been emotionally wrecked like 30 times while listening to it and I still have like 4 hours left what the fuck else could happen? Ruining my heart so so good. Barbara Kingsolver is my writing hero she can so brilliantly write to the strugles people are facing even in places she’s never been. I wish I had a physical copy so I could have marked passaged that move me <3

[theprenderelliepalace]

Perception

part 2

Read part 1 and part 3 here:

Summary: Y/n heads over to the Salvatore residence to deliver some books, expecting to find trouble, being the odd one out and everything, she doesn't expect his name to be Damon Salvatore. What happens when things get a little more intense once she's caught red-handed?

Warnings: Swearing, alienating friends, traumatic experience, uhh self-doubting MC? Plot point Elena, mysterious supernatural stuff (so, the usual)

Word count: 2k

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I could curse Bonnie Bennet for her terrible timing. Finally, something interesting happens to me, Y/n, for a change and off he went, evaporating from the living room like hot steam in a sauna. God it was hot in here. Damon Salvatore had been drunk, he'd pinned me to the couch and kissed me, we'd fought like usual - I'd insulted him like usual- and then the inexplicable happened. I heard his thoughts. One thought to be specific, "I don't like lying, Y/n." What had that meant? Sure, the guy was attracted to me for some reason that was a cruel joke of fate, but he loved Elena! The girl I hated more than I cared to admit...

It was all so surreal. I was barely wrapping my head around it before I heard Bonnie bustle into the living room. I watched her absently, she came down the steps, threw a log onto the fire like she owned the place. Perfectly judgey, as Bonnie often was.

"Earth to y/n? I came in here five minutes ago, aren't I supposed to be the spacey one?" She smiled at me, it almost reached her eyes. Almost. "Did you bring the books?" She asked. And suddenly I was back on Earth.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." I sucked in a breath and sat up straighter on the couch. I could still feel the tingle in my lips, where he'd gripped onto my waist, where his lips had been against my ear... "So, these books. Prolly not the most legible. They've been tucked under some rock in the town library while my mom and I were traveling." Books. I was here to give Bonnie books, not think about whatever the hell let me read the leather-clad mosquitoe's thoughts. "Some of it's in Scandinavian I think. Mostly memoirs." Stop. Thinking. About. It.

I felt myself blush as Bonnie came over and sat next to me on the couch. She stared at me, almost like she was staring through me. I watched her grapple with something to say. I noticed the nervous clamp of her slender fingers in her lap. She wanted to talk to me about something important then, but didn't know how to say it. I groaned inwardly, in the last 6 months that I had been back in in this dogeball court of a town, where every second neighbour was something that could kill you, the main entourage that was the Mystic High popularity club always only looked like that when-

"Can I ask you something about Elena?" Bonnie tried. Her. That was the curse of having the enhanced ability of perception, I knew what was about to irritate me before it came out of the person's mouth.

"Sure. Shoot." I cringed. She sighed, straightening her shoulders.

"What happened between you two? One day,the four of us were best friends. The next.. you were off with your mom traveling the world. I know something happened, but neither of you will talk about it, so I just-" She was becoming breathless as I stopped her. The eagerness for answers tainting her rational sense of social courtesy.

"- Bonnie, I'm not ready to talk about it. If Elena isn't either then that's that. Besides, it's my business. It has nothing to do with anyone else besides Elena," I felt my throat clench," and me." I didn't remember standing, but I was. I had walked behind the two wingback chairs next to the fireplace and up the stairs. My feet were taking me to the front door, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. "I'll see you later Bon." I said her nickname like one of us still thought we were friends, I didn't believe that person was me.

"But we're your friends! We always have been, you and Elena shouldn't have been so secretive in the first place! We could've figured things out... Come on Y/N you've been back in town 6 months and we've barely said a word to each other. It's always about saving Elena. I know you aren't helping us because of her." I felt my jaw clench and my fists ball. I'd always been a 'fight kind of gal', I'd be loathe to hit Bonnie square in the face, but the thought crossed my mind.

"Bonnie, enough. I'm not your friend, I'm not a kid anymore. Don't treat me like one. I'm not on trial, I don't need to be. Especially with you." I looked at her, I saw her flinch, my gaze must've been harder and colder than I thought. "I'm helping Elena because it's important. I got mixed up with the Salvatores just as much as you did. Klaus is not a force to be reckoned with."

I put my hands in my pockets. Backing up to the hall, I had an airy look about my stride and my face was one of plastered lightheartedness, but I was shaking. "Enjoy your study session from hell. Call me if you need a translator. And tell Stefan whatever Caroline wanted me to tell him." She looked broken hearted as I turned and glanced over my shoulder. My heart twanged, but it was better this way. No one liked to be around the girl that could see everything. That's what I told myself.

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

I was wandering. A habit I had picked up in Italy. The streets were beautiful there, hours of aesthetic entertainment, for free. Mystic Falls wasn't as entertaining. There were trees, I sighed and glanced to my left, and trees. I shook my head and chuckled at the absurdity of it all. I was angry at Damon, how can he just kiss a girl like that and- and then speed off like a bloodsucking coward. Drunken bastard.

Truth be told, it was a good kiss a very good kiss. I felt disgusted with myself for enjoying it, he came onto me, but at the same time; there was this static tension between us. We bantered, he tried to eat me, I shot him in the foot. It wasn't very poetic as attractions went, but it was there. It was something I couldn't really explain, but it was almost as though it had been there ever since I met the guy.

I stopped walking. There was an old stump on the side of the road. It looked about as good as a chair in the woods can get. I heaved myself onto it. My legs were tired from all the fast paced walking. I'd probably have to turn around soon and head back to the boarding house for my car. It seemed like such a waste to let all these feelings cloud my judgement. Damon, Bonnie, Elena... It was more than I could handle today. I put my head into my hands, letting myself sink into my lap.

I'm 16 and I want to retire already. I laughed at the thought.

I shot up, there was a rustling in the thick underbrush. Footsteps, male, moving faster, heartbeat- wait, what?

I pinched the bridge of my nose, not again. "Hey speedy Gonzolez. Find your tail between your legs in the last half-hour?" I asked with a bitter twist to my voice. I picked up a pebble and threw it in his direction. I heard him catch it.

"Aren't you full of it today." He said it with a questioning lilt to his voice, I knew he meant it with a threat carved into his cadence. He walked around my stump and stood in front of me on the road. "Had to get sober." He shrugged at the statement, like he'd simply just said I was a girl and he was a guy.

I raised a brow at him. "Are you a clone or something? An alien trying to take over the stupid little town of Mystic Falls."

He smiled. "Not much to take over."

" All aliens need to start building their hybrid cloning nests somewhere."

"Ew." He grimaced.

"It's true. The TV done told me sir. I saws it wit' my own eyes." I imitated a southerner a little too well. Damon told me as much. I told him to shove it. He sat down cross-legged in front of me. He put his hands under his chin and stared up at me expectantly. I recoiled slightly. "Okay seriously, who are you and what have you done with duchebag Damon Salvatore?" He shrugged again.

"Dunno, but I feel like I should ask you something." He looked contemplative and very, un-Damon-like.

"Well ask away hot shot. And then go away." He was just staring at me, scrutinizing me. "Okay that's getting a bit creepy now" I felt like a frog jumping into the frying pan. I shifted and sat up straighter. "Okay I'll bite, what do you want to ask me?"

"That kiss..." He seemed lost in thought again. "What you heard me think, i felt it." I scoffed.

"Obviously bat-boy. You jumped away from me like I set you on fire." He cocked his head at me.

"You know I can't actually turn into a bat?" He was almost amused.

"Boo, reject bat-boy. What, you a Friday batch vampire? No love for the poor guy with the terrible fashion sense?"

"Hey!" Good, at least he changed his expression to something slightly normal, or whatever was 'normal Damon'. "Insult my style, I rip your throat out." I leaned forward on my knees.

"Why? It's not like you care what you look like." I looked away from him, "or what you do to other people." All of a sudden I felt heated. "You can't just kiss a girl and blame it on being drunk. Either pine for Elena or get a real girl, don't be a dick and then come out here and stare at me for some creepy fucking reason. And FOR GODS SAKE DAMON, stop staring at me..." His piercing blue gaze remained unwavering, passive and increasingly alarming.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked. I was confused.

"I- you- what? I- no, wait. What?" He sped over to me. His black hair feathered out across his face, his lashes were long and fluttering, even though he still stared at me with those swirling ice pools, there was something in his gaze. It was almost soft, something that made those icy eyes appear as blue as the open sky. It made me feel- free. "Yes."

He was on me in a second, the fire, the passion, that hot burning sensation pressing into my lips. His hands roamed my lower back, he gripped my waist so hard I thought be could snap me in two right there. He probed my lips apart with his tongue, asking permission for entry. I allowed it, God help me. Suddenly I was pinned against a tree, he brought my thigh up and pressed it against his hip. My stomach exploded into little butterflies, my heart felt like it might give out at any second. All of a sudden my arms were wrapped around his neck and I was pulling him closer. I moaned into his mouth as we moved around each other, matching our rhythms.

We shouldn't be doing this. It was a thought, just a simple passing thought as I allowed myself to give back into him. He pulled away from me, breathless as I was. He looked at me, eyes deep and intense. I recognized that look in his eye. "You heard that didn't you?" He only nodded.

Then he was off of me and 3 feet away. I felt him put up all his barriers, brush his jacket down with his hands and turn up his collar. Like nothing ever happened. He stared at me coldly, calculating. "We need to go."

I blinked. "Where?" I was still Damon-ed out. My brain wasn't working like it should've been.

"Georgia. I think I know what's happening to us, and if you have any sense you'll want to stop it." He looked like a pillar, tall and unwavering. I was going with him, it didn't matter what I said or how loud I screamed.

So all I said was, " What's happening Damon?" I could hear the exhaustion in my voice, I could feel the darkness spreading through my consciousness .

He walked over to me, letting me lean my weight into him and I began to see spots. He sighed, the same tiredness I was feeling weighing on his breath. "I think it's a vampire thing. We have to get a move on before the, uh, the coven moves on." He was fighting whatever this was better than i was.

I couldn't get words out. My body went limp. What vampire thing?

I think our souls might be bonding. I heard him reply in my mind. Then the darkness swallowed me.

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Hey!!! Thank you so much for reading.

This is a long one I know. But I felt like some regular screening for teenage drama needed to be added in. I know this is kind of filler, but oooo, what's Y/Ns secret end game? And why's Damon being so sketchy?

Requests are open!

Comment and let me know what you think of the story so far!

Masterlist

[sinful-lanterns]

Funny to think about how the calm women are the ones to see in compromising ideas. Gave me an idea (for the College!AU) of how one time Anne came by our dorm for notes for a class she shares with either us or Cinnabar and she ends up opening a door to either our room or bathroom (thinking it led to somewhere else) only to be met by the sight of you naked because you were in the middle of changing.

She's red faced and stuttering out an apology while throwing a book up to avert the sight of you while she stumbles with closing the door. Anne ends up taking the time to calm herself before you come out and apologize for the sight (which she quickly brushes away with her own much calmer apology). Safe to see she ends up returning to her dorm with the notes and the image of you naked.

Iron (her roommate) is very confused on why Anne is so spacey when she returns, seeming to be lost in her thoughts (she is, her thoughts all anout you right now).

LMAO POOR ANNE (though she’s pretty lucky imo for the fan club’s standards…)

The image of you naked and mid change is just permanently etched into both of her retinas. Her mind is just filled with thoughts of you and your naked body (even though she only saw it for a split second) and she had to take an entire ten minutes just to lay down and attempt to think of other things, cuz your perfect body just won’t leave her mind!

Ofc, Anne would never reveal the fact she saw you naked to any of the other women. She knows they’d go ballistic over it, so she keeps what she saw a secret and she’s one of the few, few women to have ever seen you completely naked in person <3

Bonus: Anne desperately tries to assure herself that she’s seen naked people all the time (through medical practices and anatomy books) but for some reason your body keeps popping up in her mind, and she’s somewhat addicted to it as shameful as it is 😅

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/23/2024

listen i got my last job through one of youse on here so weirder things have happened: i got fired bc the nonprofit wasn’t doing so hot. let me know if you have a weird data/database or market/tech research job. i promise my worksona is so so so nice and pleasant to work with. remote only, looking more in the $75k range but can be a bit flexible if it’s a cool enough job, i am in the central time zone of the USA and will not need sponsorship anywhere but DO need the cadillac of healthcare and dental plans. portfolio, publication list, and linkedin with my government name available on request!

listening

both of these are from my sister! this is another FULL ALBUM rec (good lord). The Offline’s album La couleur de la mer is a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist, inspired by his long walks in the fog on the French Atlantic coast. a little spacey, a little soul, very sixties/seventies neonoir. i am quite fond of the very first track, Thème de la couleur de la mer.

she’s also sent me a bunch of tiktoks with Perfect (Exceeder) by Mason and Princess Superstar. hell of a goddamn music video for this thing. mid-aughts clubbing music at its finest. stopped me from dissolving into a puddle of emotions on the way to and from the vet today bc it’s too goddamn bouncy to be sad around

reading

im reading a trilogy i want to discuss as a whole whenever the third one comes through as a library hold, and a book by a friend. i do not typically talk about books or fics by friends here bc none of them have ever asked for critique, and i dont want to play favorites or inadvertently miss someone’s work. so here’s a story about porn on Wikimedia, which is the kind of database drama and technical arguments that fascinate me.

given the number of articles from 404 Media i shout about here and elsewhere i really should sign up for their $5/mo subscription tier when i have a steady income again

watching

somehow missed Star Wars Visions 2, their second anthology of weird little shorts. i was not super impressed by the overall storytelling this time around, but it was fun to see them reach out to more global studios and see a wider range of styles. there’s some goddamn incredible stop motion in here.

i particularly enjoyed Journey to the Dark Head, which not only has some interesting fringe Force believers and beliefs but has one of the sickest anime bullshit lightsaber fights in this season. this one is by Studio Mir, most known for the Legend of Korra.

also really liked The Spy Dancer by Studio La Cachette, partly bc it’s incredibly beautiful and i like when Star Wars leans into art nouveau, and partly bc it felt the most like a complete short story. emotional arc and everything! strong beginning middle and end! this IS a really low bar, but a lot of the shorts this season did not have a coherent little story to tell or a strong emotional arc, or fumbled their arc partway through, and were just kind of vibes and animation showcases? nothing necessarily wrong with that, also how i felt about most of the last collection. my expectations are underground for any Star Wars media.

playing

as is tradition i dithered about this section the most. this is more of a What’s Next? planning ramble.

the laptop gets shipped back to my old job today so i will no longer have a working modern computer. i have to dig the switch out and see what’s up. maybe start a whole new run in breath of the wild or whatever the last pokemon game was. i think i also have the sword boyfriend game everyone was up in arms about two years ago? and i think i am somehow part of a switch family plan that lets me have some older games?

this section may look very different in the next ??? amount of time until i get a company laptop again. or finally replace the motherboard on my personal desktop but that sat in my car for several weeks during the heat wave this summer while i did not have an apartment and i am really REALLY afraid to open that box.

oh the free epic game this week is a platformer, a genre i have historically not cared about. godspeed to those of you who do

making

soup bc aldi had alphabet pasta and that jolted me out of myself for long enough i was briefly convinced making alphabet pasta soup would fix me. so i found this recipe while in aldi. despite this not being a very good soup or a very good recipe, i feel a little triumphant bc i now know enough to brown the tomato paste before putting it in the soup. unfortunately i overcooked the pasta. there’s kind of a lot of texture happening here, and i wish i had chopped things finer, but i will probably steal my best friend’s blender tomorrow and blitz some of it down.

it’s edible. im going to eat it all. it will not be going in the rotation

[absensia-archived]

the reason why charlotte's style has a vintage / retro edge to it isn't because she ever felt an infinity or preference for the look, but because over time, the more clothes she accumulated, the more the retro pattern emerged since she usually tried to take the clothes that seemed the most durable. fabrics like denim, corduroy, and flannel which are more durable are also naturally associated with vintage clothing. in getting her clothes for cheap from thrift stores, garage / estate sales, and community fundraisers, char inadvertently built a vintage flair for herself.

charlotte has a lot of phone numbers in her phone, but none of them are named or labelled. if you are someone she speaks to often or a friend ( or an enemy, for that matter), she will most likely have your number memorized.

char being an optimist is her finding herself in the most awful situations possible and still being like "it's not that bad it's really not that bad! it could totally be worse ok this is fine it's an adventure it's fine," even though she's probably taking in every single fucking detail around her, and her brain is steaming from her trying to devise a way out or through the situation, but it's still not really a lie to say she's still having a good time. as a reference, charlotte is always lying when she says "i'm sorry," and when she looks at you and tells you that "it's going to be okay," it's a fifty-fifty shot whether she's lying or being genuine, but when she tells you "i'll figure it out," that's always the truth.

if you were to empty char's pockets, you're most likely to find: a swiss army knife, a couple elastic bands, a hairtie (which is different than the elastic bands), spare change, a lemon drop or two, a bus or train ticket, a matchbook, loose pages of a notepad with various things written on the pages. these are what you usually find in her pockets. her bag is a different story.

charlotte has an average tolerance for alcohol. a rum and coke with lime is her go to drink, but charlotte, in fact, does not often imbibe. she never drinks when she is alone and she never drinks enough to pass a solid buzz. if you do find her drunk, you can blame it on the ladies down at the bingo hall or in her book club. that, or she's up to something and getting drunk on purpose, but this is a rarity. the closest of the typical "types" of drunks that describes an intoxicated charlotte is a mix between the "happy drunk" and the "spacey drunk." her spirits remain buoyed when drunk, she laughs just as easily but maybe a little harder, and she focuses on the light in the world. she also becomes a little...slow, for the lack of a better word. she'll be nodding along to what someone is saying only to realize she didn't understand any of it, she'll squint and blink her eyes in confusion, and she'll stare after people as it takes time for her register what someone might've said and how she'd like to react. charlotte doesn't enjoy getting drunk as it messes with her memory, and worsens her already warped sense of perception.

[hannahhook7744]

Stranger things ocs part 4;

Name:

Hayden Damon Brock

Born:

December 19th, 1966-1967

Age:

17/18 (season two)

18/19 (seasons three and four)

Aliases:

Nineteen

Den

Hadie

The Assassin

The Tiefling

The Tiefling assassin

Scotus

Scotus the Tiefling assassin

Scotus the menacing

H.B

H

The Shadow Demon

Hellspawn

Residence:

Hawkins National Laboratory (1966/1967-1979)

Forest Hills Trailer Park at Hawkins, Indiana (in Tiffany's cellar)(1984-)

Family:

Samson Brock (Adoptive Brother/fellow test subject)

Kali Prasad (Adoptive Sister/fellow test subject)

Jane Hopper (Adoptive Sister/fellow test subject)

Steve Harrington (Adoptive Cousin)

Friends:

Tiffany Hammond

Eden Bingham

Neptune Bingham

Sprightly Casanova

Yelena Franco

Argyle Franco

Carol Perkins

Tommy Hagan

Other:

Eddie Munson (rival)

Corrided Coffins (rivals)

Joyce Byers (acquaintance)

Jim Hopper (acquaintance)

The Party (acquaintances)

Nancy Wheeler (acquaintance)

Jonathan's Byers (acquaintance)

Ms. And Mr Harrington (false aunt and uncle)

Affiliation:

Hopper Family

Byers Family

The Party

Kali's Gang

Harrington Family

Hammond Family

The Hawkins High Musketeers

Hawkins National Labatory (formerly)

Benny's Burgers

The Reckless Dragons

Occupation:

Test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory (1966/1967-1979)

Bust Boy at Benny's Burgers (1984-)

Harmonica Player of The Reckless Dragons (1984-)

Gender:

Male

Height:

5"10

Weapon:

Blades taped to playing cards

Telekinesis

Umbrakinesis

Dreamkinesis

Hobbies:

Stealing

Making weapons

Setting off fire works

Playing with fire

Learning how to use different weapon

Pranking

Sparring

Learning different forms of martial arts

Sleeping

Jump Scarring people

Listening to music

Playing video games

Parkour

Wall/ceiling crawling

Vandalism

Graffiti

Playing card games

Playing board games

Playing/cheating at DND

Playing darts

Playing the harmonica

Reading

Purposely annoying people

Personality:

Playful

Spiteful

Sneaky

Street Smart

Multi-talented

Lazy when he wants to be

Protective

Secretly caring

Stoic

Takes no shit

Is a little shit

Button pusher

Fears:

Pupaphobia

Theme Song:

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Relationship status:

Dating but won't tell who

Story:

Stranger us

Name:

Neptune Lagoon Bingham

Born:

July 4th, 1968-1969

Age:

16/17 (season four)

Aliases:

Nep

Tune

N.B

Pizza Boy

Stoner Boy

Water Boy

Bingham

Sticky fingers Lagoon

Lagoon

The Dwarf

The Dwarfen thief

N.L.B

Residence:

Bingham House, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Family:

Mr. Bingham (Father)

Mrs. Bingham (Mother)

Eden Bingham

Suzie Bingham (Sister)

Tabitha Bingham (Sister)

Cornelius Bingham (Brother)

Sterling Bingham (Brother)

Tanner Bingham (Brother)

Tatum Bingham (Sister)

Peter Bingham (Brother)

Friends:

Yelena Franco

Argyle Franco

Jonathan Byers

Sprightly Casanova

Tiffany Hammond

Hayden Brock

Samson Brock

Steve Harrington

Tommy Hagan

Carol Perkins

Eddie Munson

Corrided Coffins

Other:

Nancy Wheeler (acquaintance)

The Party (acquaintances)

Jim Hopper (acquaintance)

Joyce Byers (acquaintance)

Affiliation:

The Hawkins High Musketeers

Hammond Family

Byers Family

Hopper Family

Surfer Boy Pizza

Lenora Hills Country Club

Lenora Hills High School (formerly)

Occupation:

Lenora Hills Country Club (1986-)

Surfer Boy Pizza (1986-)

Gender:

Male

Height:

5"4 ½

Weapon:

Golf club

Lighter

Cricket bat

Hobbies:

Swimming

Rolling skating

Playing video games

Reading comic books

Reading Manga books

Go-karting

Listening to music

Hanging out with his friends

Playing board games

Playing card games

Playing DND

Playing Party games

Going to parties

Pulling pranks

Personality:

Kind

Sweet

Spacey

Chill

Moody

Funny

Playful

Cool

Street smart

Anxious

Fears:

Trypanophobia

Claustrophobia

Algophobia

Anginophobia:

Theme Song:

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Relationship status:

Dating

Story:

Stranger us

[redheadedwhat]

See How We Shine Chpt 5: Hellfire at Minnies

So, I have forgotten to post here for the past few chapters! Sorry if anyone is still reading. I'm also on AO3 under the same name, but I will try to be better at posting on here.

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie x OFC (can be read as reader insert)

Warnings: Just some cursing for now.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Eddie Munson sat at the head of the lunch table waiting for all his little sheep to flock over. This week ended in a long weekend, meaning that their normal Friday Hellfire session would have to be moved. Most of the Hellfire Club knew the drill, but it was up to Eddie to inform the newbies. 

“Ok, fresh meat. Listen up.” The table fell silent, waiting for further command from their leader. “No school is this friday, so that means we have to find somewhere else to hold Hellfire.” 

The freshman immediately began talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out whose house could be used. The older members stayed silent, already knowing the plan, but letting Eddie continue with his dramatics.

“So, this friday,” Eddie spoke over the three youngest of the group. “Mouse has so graciously allowed us to use her house for our campaign.” 

“Your girlfriend that hangs out during Hellfire sometimes?” asked Mike. 

“Not my girlfriend.” Eddie pointed at him. “But, yes that is who I am referring to.” 

“She’s nice,” Dustin chimed in, earning a pleased grin from Eddie. 

“She’s allowing you degenerates into her home, so some ground rules” he began, “Do not bring up her parents. Don’t ask where they are, don’t ask what they do, just don’t mention them at all.” 

“Why not?” asked Lucas, genuinely confused. 

Eddie rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. Usually, people just agreed without asking questions, but this years group of freshmen were way too inquisitive for their own good. 

“Her mom’s dead and her dad isn’t around much.” He gritted out the explanation, “It’s a touchy subject, ok?” 

Suitably chastened, the three younger boys nodded their agreement. 

“Ok,” Eddie continued, “Don’t touch any weird art stuff you might see, don’t touch any of her books, if you see any alarm clocks don’t touch those either-”

“Why would we want to touch alarm clocks?” Mike blurted out.

“And why would it be bad to touch a book?” Lucas added.

Eddie sighed deeply, he knew this was going to be difficult. “Just don’t touch anything, ok? And no smoking inside. Cigarettes are ok outdoors, but no pot. She hates the smell.” 

“Really?” Mike asked, “But I thought she was high like all the time? I mean she’s really…” he gestured to his head to indicate he thought the girl wasn’t all there.

“She’s not high!” Eddie snapped. “She’s just a bit spacey.” The freshmen were giving him a headache. He rose from his seat, grabbing his lunchbox. “Just don’t embarrass me, alright? I’m stressed as hell now. I’m going for a smoke,” he muttered before taking off. 

The table sat in silence for a few minutes. It was strange to see Eddie get so aggravated so quickly. Dustin nervously played with a keychain he kept in his pocket and waited for someone else to start speaking. 

“I’ll let you guys know the real rules.” Gareth spoke up. “Basically, just treat Minnie like you would treat your buddies girlfriend and everything will be fine.” 

“But Eddie said-” Dustin tried to speak before getting cut off by Gareth.

“Yeah and Eddie is full of shit.” Gareth answered. “You ever cuddle with any of your friends? Those two are basically dating, they’re just missing out on the fun naked parts.” 

“He gets touchy when it involves that girl,” Jeff agreed, “so just focus on D&D and you won’t piss him off.”

“Unless you want to piss him off…” Grant said with a sly grin. “It’s kind of hilarious how hard he clenches his jaw whenever someone gives her too much attention.” 

Gareth laughed at that, “And he starts pulling on his hair. I thought he was gonna yank it all out when we went swimming at her house this summer.”

“He was so annoyed!” Jeff added and turned to the three younger boys. “She lives on the nicer side of Lovers Lake, so we decided to go swimming a few times.” He explained. “If anyone looked at her for too long while she was in her bathing suit he’d start getting pissed, but he couldn’t say anything because he was pretending he didn’t care.” 

“So, he would just pace and pull on his hair and eventually push someone into the lake or something.” Grant finished the story. “I’m not saying you guys have to fuck with him. I’m just saying that if you wanted to, this is the perfect opportunity.”

The lunch bell rang before they could respond, leaving the three freshmen with a lot to think about. Sure, they liked Eddie a lot, but they also liked the idea of getting under his skin. He seemed almost untouchable, never getting bothered by any jokes or playful insults they threw his way and always managing to get the better of the three youngest members. 

Would it be so wrong to fuck with him just this once?

—--

They were trying to fuck with him. 

Eddie couldn’t prove it, but he was almost sure that the freshmen were on a mission to piss him off. They seemed to be intentionally sabotaging the campaign, choosing the worst options and going far out of the way of their objective.

Not only that, they were focusing on Minnie almost too much. Thanking her for allowing them to come over, asking about her day, complimenting her clothes or her hair, and just generally giving her way more attention than they normally would. And the questions. It’s like they were physically incapable of keeping any question that popped into their heads from escaping their mouths. Why do you have so many dog toys and no dog? What’s with all the flashlights? Why is there an unlabeled bottle of pills on the counter? No, seriously are you hiding a dog somewhere? 

Minnie had answered some questions and ignored others, mostly staying out of the kitchen except to pass by for a drink or to see if they needed anything. She always seemed to appear whenever Eddie was on the brink of losing his cool. 

Like right now. He was currently pinching the bridge of his nose, trying not to yell at the group as Mike somehow turned a simple fact-finding mission in a tavern into a full-fledged bar fight when he felt Minnie’s comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“You want to order the pizza soon?” She asked, speaking as quietly as possible so she didn’t interrupt. “You look like you could use a break.” 

Eddie took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before nodding. “Sure, just give us a few minutes.”

“No problem, I’ll be right back.” Minnie patted him on the shoulder, sensing his tension. “I got paint all over me, so I should find a clean shirt.” 

Eddie watched her walk away for a moment before being sucked back into the argument currently taking place between the Hellfire members. The fight in the tavern had caused more damage than anticipated and everyone was trying to figure out where to assign the blame. It was very obviously Mikes fault, but as DM Eddie had to try to be unbiased.

“Let’s take a break here,” he suggested to the relief of everyone. “Jeff, can you order the pizza? I’m gonna go see what Mouse is up to.” 

“But she just said-” Dustin didn’t get to finish his sentence before being elbowed by Gareth who could tell that Eddie was just looking for an excuse to leave.

Eddie ignored them and went down the hall to Minnie’s room, knocking and waiting for the all clear before entering. 

Minnie stood in front of her closet dressed in a tight camisole tucked into a knee-length skirt. “You guys taking a break?” 

Eddie nodded, suddenly distracted by the amount of flesh he could see. 

“Everything ok?” She asked, noticing the dazed look in his eyes.

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded dumbly. “You just…um…you…” he gestured to his chest, “You look very…” He finally gave up trying to put together a coherent sentence and sighed, “boobs.” 

Minnie choked back a laugh and grabbed a slouchy sweater out of her closet, pulling it on over her top half. “How do you always forget that I have boobs? Just because most of the stuff I wear to school isn’t tight or low cut doesn’t mean they’re not there.” 

“Trust me,” Eddie shook himself out of his stupor. “I never forget that they’re there.” 

Minne rolled her eyes and pushed him out of her bedroom. “Come on, let’s go see what kind of trouble your little sheep are getting into.” 

Back in the kitchen Gareth, Grant, and Jeff were still sitting at the table, talking amongst themselves while waiting for the pizza to arrive. The younger members of Hellfire on the other hand were examining all the pictures and knick-knacks in Minnie’s house. They figured as long as they looked and didn’t touch it didn’t technically break any more of Eddies rules. 

"Hey," Dustin shouted from the living room. "Are these your brothers?" he asked, pointing to a picture that took a place of prominence on the mantle. 

The picture was from her cousins wedding a few years back. She and her brothers had been in the wedding party, her brothers dressed in tuxes while Minnie wore a royal blue bridesmaids dress with puffy sleeves and far too many ruffles. The three of them stood in the middle flanked by a well-dressed parent on either side. 

“That’s them,” she confirmed, pointing to the tall, dark-haired brother on her left. “That’s Dermot, he’s the oldest.” She then gestured to the even taller redheaded brother standing to her right, “And that’s Declan. He’s the one that had the little wrestling incident.” 

“They really are big and scary.” Dustin gaped, eyes still stuck on the men in the picture.

“Hey, who’s Margaret O’Malley?” Mike asked, plucking an award from the bookcase and looking it over, completely forgetting about the ‘don’t touch anything’ rule in the process. “Is that your real name?” 

Minnie moved over to Mike and glanced over his shoulder. “Oh yeah. I made many helpful advances to the field of medicine when I was thirteen.” She tapped on the date at the bottom of the award. “My first name is Amelia. Margaret was my mother.” 

“You look just like her.” Lucas added, now examining the picture that caught Dustins interest. 

Eddie shooed them back into the kitchen none too gently, grabbing the award from Mikes hand and putting it back where it came from. They’d been annoying him before, but now they were just blatantly breaking the rules. 

“She worked in medicine?” Mike inquired, ignoring the death stare Eddie was giving him. 

“She like made medicine or something, didn’t she?” asked Jeff from the table.

“No, that’s my dad.” Minnie shook her head and moved to the kitchen island to find some napkins for the pizza, completely oblivious to the anger radiating from Eddie as he glared at the rest of the boys, jaw clenched. “Dad does research and development into new medications. My mother was on the implementation side of things. Testing and clinical trials and stuff.” 

Dustin looked like he wanted to ask more, but the doorbell interrupted him. Eddie slapped a few bills into his hand and shoved him towards the front door. 

“Go get the pizza, Henderson.” 

He grabbed Minnie by the hand and dragged her back to her bedroom, ignoring the questions coming from the rest of the group. 

“I am so sorry, Mouse.” He groaned, closing the door over to give them a little privacy. “I told them not to ask a million stupid questions.”

“It’s ok.” Minnie pulled Eddies hands from where they were tugging at his hair and held them in her own. “They’re just being curious. It’s kind of nice that they want to get to know me.” 

“I just don’t want them to make you uncomfortable.” He grumbled, giving her hands a squeeze. “You’ll tell me if they’re taking it too far?” 

“Of course.” She promised. 

They stood there silently for a moment, just looking at one another. It should have been awkward, but it was actually kind of comforting. A little bit of a recharge from the stress of the day. Eddie leaned in slightly, his eyes lingering on her lips. 

“Guys!” Dustin burst into the room, causing Minnie and Eddie to quickly break apart. “You’re not gonna get any pizza if you don’t hurry up. Gareth is already on his third slice.” 

Eddie grabbed the boy by the shoulders and steered him out of the room, “Thanks, Henderson. Extremely helpful.” he muttered while Minnie followed in their wake. 

The scene in the kitchen wasn’t any better than when he left. The boys surrounded the pizza like vultures, eating directly from the boxes. 

“Jesus Christ, you guys know she owns plates right?” Eddie huffed, throwing some napkins at the group. “At least use napkins you heathens.”

It was mostly quiet after that, with everyone focused on eating rather than conversation. The pizzas were quickly devoured leaving the boys to go back to D&D and Minnie to wander off to continue whatever project she’d been working on. 

A few hours later Eddies ordeal was over. He’d called it quits for the night, hoping that everyone would be less annoying when they resumed next week. Whatever had gotten into the freshman would not go unpunished. He was already planning their fates in his head. 

“Thank you for letting these savages into your home.” Eddie bowed dramatically to Minnie as she came out to see everyone off. 

She smiled as she watched the boys bicker as they cleaned up after themselves (not without a few colorful threats from their DM). “It’s no problem. I enjoyed the chaos.” 

“Of course you did.” said Mike as he passed by. “If you’re dating Eddie you must love chaos.” 

“We’re not-” Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose and gritted his teeth before slapping the boy in the back of the head. “Just go get in the van, Wheeler.” 

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin laughed as they began making their way outside.

“Oh Dustin, wait a second.” Minnie called after him. “I think you lost this.” 

She pressed a rectangular, metal keychain into his palm, “Your girlfriend is very sweet.” She told him quietly. 

Dustin looked down at the keychain and then back at Minnie with confusion on his face. When he opened his mouth to speak a large ringed hand clamped over it.

“Nope, no more questions, no more talking.” Eddie wrapped his arm around the boy, keeping his hand firmly over his mouth. “Thanks again, Mouse. I’ll see you later.” 

Eddie finally let go once the door closed after them, pushing Dustin towards the back of his van. “Grants in the front, you three get the back.” He hopped into the drivers seat, waving at Gareth and Jeff as they passed by in Jeffs car. Once everyone was in he turned to the back and looked at them. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you guys were doing tonight.” Dustin, Lucas, and Mike tried to defend themselves, but were quickly cut off. “Nope, cut the shit, don’t care. Just keep it quiet back there or I’m driving us all off a cliff.” 

Mike and Lucas began a whispered conversation, wondering how far they had pushed their DM and what the consequences would be. Dustin, on the other hand, was unusually quiet. He turned the familiar metal keyring over in his hand, brushing his thumb over the numbers that were etched into the surface. He’d had his suspicions before, but now he was almost positive. There was something strange about Minnie.

----

Thanks to anyone reading! Here's a link to my AO3 profile I usually post there first!

[uncloseted]

Hii! i was wondering if you’d have any advice on my problem!

I’m worried that I can be a little dumb. I know ‘intelligence’ manifests itself in different areas and I think I’m quite creative and very imaginative, I’m also good when it comes to academia, understanding what the professors want to see and writing strong essays.

But I think my main thing is that I lack common sense, and I can come accross as very ditzy, airy fairy kinda thing. I can write decently but I struggle to express myself when speaking/ I’m also very emotionally driven so I feel like I’m terrible at any kind of debate or very intellectually stimulating conversation 😭

I feel like I physically cannot think before I speak and I always say the silliest things and it’s okay because my friends love me for it but I do feel a bit insecure about it all!

I feel like I’m that person who never gets the joke, who always gets lost and has no sense of direction, and I just overall lack common sense. Stuff that comes super naturally to others around me will simply not occur to me ever 😭 I also feel very easily confused and lost!

Also I’m a blonde girl and I’m soft spoken and have a high-pitched voice, and I feel like that adds more and more to the ditzy image (that’s a sexism problem and not a me problem, but it’s still a thing)

In conclusion I am confused and seeking ur advice! 🥰I hope you’re doing wonderful btw!

So, the first thing that comes to mind is, if you haven't already, it may be worth being evaluated for neurodevelopmental conditions or learning disabilities. The reason I mention this is because a lot of people (especially girls) grow up feeling dumb when in fact they're just struggling with something going on in their brain. Girls with ADHD often present as being "spacey" or "dreamy" or "ditzy", but that's actually due to difficulty with distractability and memory. People with ADHD in general often have difficulty in conversation because they have trouble with impulsivity and can't take a beat to let another person finish their thought or to think about what they want to say. People with dyslexia often also have a poor sense of direction, and people with autism often feel like they "don't get the joke" or that they lack common sense because they struggle to pick up on social cues. There are lots of different types of disorders that cause differences in how people understand and process information. Of course, that may not be the case for you, but I just wanted to bring it up because some people struggle with these types of issues their entire lives without knowing what they are.

In terms of what you can do to try and improve your intelligence and common sense, I think it's just about practicing those skills.

For becoming (or seeming) more traditionally intelligent:

Practice active listening: When you're having a conversation with someone else, try to make a conscious effort to listen carefully to what they're saying instead of waiting for your turn to talk. Before you respond, take a beat to process their words and think before responding. This will help you avoid saying something you wish you hadn't and give you time to figure out what the appropriate response would be.

Slow down when you talk: This kind of follows from the last piece of advice, but try to talk more slowly and give yourself time to process your thoughts as you're talking. It's okay to pause in the middle of an idea to make it clear to yourself before saying it out loud.

Start doing "intellectual things": Expose yourself to a wide range of topics and perspectives. Read books, listen to podcasts, and engage in discussions with people who are really good in this area. This will help you broaden your understanding, develop stronger critical thinking skills, and be able to be more present in conversations that are intellectually complicated.

Seek self-improvement: Take opportunities to learn and grow. Attend workshops, join clubs or organizations that align with your interests, and seek feedback on how you're doing in those environments. Putting effort into self-improvement can help you build confidence and expand your skills.

In terms of improving common sense:

Increase your general knowledge: This kind of goes along with what I was talking about before, but expanding the amount of stuff you know will give you a wider range of information to pick from when you're trying to make a decision or solve a problem. Often, what we think of as "common sense" is just someone knowing something that we don't.

Pay attention to your surroundings: Another big part of common sense is being observant and noticing environmental cues that point you in the right direction (literally or figuratively). People with "common sense" are good at noticing what the people around them are doing and making a guess on what's appropriate based on that, or noticing things like signs that are explicitly telling them what to do.

Observe and learn from others: Pay attention to the people around you who have strong common sense skills. Observe how they approach different situations, make decisions, and solve problems. Once you know how they act in certain situations, you can start to do the same in your own life.

Reflect on past experiences: Take the time to reflect on your past experiences and think about the decisions you made. Were there alternative paths that could have led to better results? This reflection can help you learn from your mistakes and make more informed choices in the future.

Engage in critical thinking: Develop your ability to analyze situations objectively. Ask yourself questions like "What are the possible consequences of this action?" or "What are the underlying causes of this problem?" Critical thinking helps you evaluate information, identify patterns, and make good judgments of the situations you're in.

Practice problem-solving: Engage in activities that require problem-solving skills, such as puzzles, riddles, or logic games. These exercises can strengthen your ability to think logically and find practical solutions.

All of that said, you don't have to be what people think of as intelligent and you don't have to have what people think of as common sense. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it's okay to just accept that there are some things we'll never be good at and to let those things go. You're creative and imaginative and good at academic writing, and your friends and family love you just the way you are. It's good to want to improve, but it's also okay to say, "this is just how I am and I accept that about myself."

[koschei-the-ginger]

2013-2022

and some of the worst movies I've ever seen

Hansel and Gretel get Baked (2013) - I..... am just so happy that he only had a cameo right at the beginning. Also, this is literally Macbeth from Wish You Were Dead.

Behaving Badly (2013) - so what your dad is cheating on your mum with a neighbour, he's living his best life

Armed response (2013) - can't find this one

A Bit of Bad Luck (2013) - this was supposed to be a comedy...

Reach me (2014) - I have no idea what this was supposed to be about, something something a self help book, Cary Elwes was a predator again

H8RZ (2015) - this was so predictable

Being Charlie (2015) - no this one was pretty good

A Haunting in Cawdor (2015) - the pacing was way too slow I was falling asleep the entire time

Lost & Found (2016) - hmm, decent for a kids movie ig

Sugar Mountain (2016) - incest? in an indie drama? more likely than you think

Indiscretion (2016) - his only crime was being in a closet why did she have to have him killed

The Queen of Spain (2016) - another homosexual caricature I should have made a list

We don't belong here (2017) - "it doesn't matter he's in his mid-50s and the character is supposed to be 20 years younger, nobody can play a convincing pedo than the guy from the princess bride"

Don't Sleep (2017) - what was that???

Billionaire Boys Club (2018) - Kevin Spacey AND Ansel Elgort? hard pass

Ghost light (2018) - whoever tried to market this as a horror movie must have lost their mind, it's a light hearted comedy at best and probably the only movie from this list that I'd watch again

Black Christmas (2019) - jesus fucking christ

Best sellers (2021) - another caricature of a homosexual man for comedic relief. Pity, this movie was nice.

The Unholy (2021) - props to them for finally making him play actual catholic character but the movie was simply boring

Burning at both ends (2021) - bad, bad, bad!!!!!!!!!!!!! in different ways than the others but still bad!! wait, was he supposed to be a danish protestant pastor?? bad!!

Last Train to Christmas (2021) - it's like they forgot midway through that the movie was supposed to be about Michael Sheen??

A Castle for Christmas (2021) - I'm sure so many people enjoyed this movie. But if you wanna tell a story about a Scottish duke you either cast a Scottish actor or literally anyone else but the guy who still struggles to hide his English accent 40 years into his career.

The Hyperions (2022) - this movie is wasted on the daily wire, it deserved better than that

[lady-ashfade]

Double sided worry.

Eddie Munson x female reader. (She/her)

Plot: Eddie has been distant to his girlfriend and she notices. She starts to worry about why he wouldn’t even look at her or act like he used to. Eddie is worried but for different reason.

Warning: Non.

Length: Short.

Eddie’s been acting weird all day since the moment he picked u put, from the moment school ended.

He acted nervous and he was more spacey then normal. He is usually all over you like hands around your waist, kissing you, pretty much anything he could do.

But today he just wouldn’t and the most he’s giving you was a pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek. This caused your insecure mind run with ideas.

Like what if he didn’t care for you anymore. Or what if he found someone else. Did you do something to upset him? Maybe you looked horrible today.

Your knees bounced with anxiety as you waited for him to come out the club door. You always wait for him since he was your ride, not liking to take the bus. But it gave you time to do your homework so you could have more free time at night.

The doors swung open and cheering and chatting could be heard from all the way do the hallway. You looked up from your book and saw your group of friends and boyfriend step out.

“Did you see that shit? A perfect twenty and I sang the dragon to sleep” the other group members rolled their eyes at Dustin’s bragging.

“It was so easy. I would have cut its head off and that would have been way cooler” Mike groaned. He clearly wasn’t happy about dustin having his moment.

You started to collect your things and put the back in your bag. “I think what you did was cool dustin” Eddie smiled at him and wrapped a arm around his shoulder.

“Thank you” Dustin cried out. You picked your bag up and stood up. “Hello guys” You called out and they all turned to you.

“Y/n, you’ll never believe what happened” He ran up to you and started to tell the entire story. Eddie only looked at you for a slit second and walked away while the rest of you guys followed.

You guys all road home in Eddie’s car. The guys telling you about the whole section while Eddie only popped in from time to time.

Once you finally said goodbye to the kid you nervously started to pick at your nails. It was dead silent in the car and you couldn’t take it.

“Have I done something” You asked so soft and worried. Eddie quickly jumped and looked at you.

“What? No, of course not. Why would you think that” He was so quick to deny, it almost made you feel better.

“You’ve been distant today. I haven’t even gotten a real kiss or hand holding. It’s like you don’t want me around” You averted your eyes back out the window trying not to cry.

“Baby.., it’s not like that. It’s just-” he put his other hand on the steering wheel and the other one through his hair while he was trying to find what to say.

“If you can wait until we get to my place I’ll explain everything” He sounds so nervous and serious. Like he was asking you to trust him.

“Yeah, I can wait Eddie” You looked back at him to see him staring back at you. He placed his hand over to yours and held onto it. You smiled softly at the feeling and waited till you got to his house. And it seemed like forever to get to the trailer park, more then it usually did.

“Wait there” He said while getting out his door. You watch him walk around to your car side confused but then he opens your door.

“My lady” You giggled. He hasn’t said that in a while. “Thank you, my king” you also haven’t used that nickname in a long time.

He smirked and took ahold of your hand and pulled you into the trailer. You stood in the middle of the room while he closed the door.

He stepped away from the locked door and up to you. Your breath hitched as he pulled you into a kiss like he hasn’t kissed you in days. His hands grabbed ahold of your chin and waist pulling you closer with force.

You hummed in delight while kissing him but also Confusion on why he kissed you all of a sudden.

“What’s that for?” You asked while he pulled away. And as you looked at him with those a sweet eyes of yours, he melted.

“Just wanted to do that before I probably do something stupid” you frown your brows at him. Do something stupid? What’s he talking about.

And before you could asked he puts his fingers to your lips and shh’s you. “Let me go get something, okay” and with that he leaves you alone.

You watch him walk away and disappear and your heart starts to beat. This whole situation was very confusing and it still had you convinced he was going to break up with you.

You play with your fingers while waiting for him and you could hear him talking to himself and throwing things around. You couldn’t make out what he was saying but you wished you could.

“Got it” he yelled as he can out of his room. You watch him run towards you with a hand behind his back.

“Got what?” You eyes run up and down but mostly at his arm behind his back. He just took a deep breath and swallowed.

“You’re probably going to hate it and realize you don’t want to be with me anymore. I have to say that i-” He started to stutter and the words just came out as blanks.

“Here” He pushed something into your chest. You looked down to see a cute red box, you grabbed ahold of it and looked up at him to ask permission to open it and he nodded.

You opened it and what you saw your heart turned into a million butterflies. You felt like crying. Looking back up at him but the look on your face made him worry.

“I know we’ve never said it before and now you just have it onto a necklaces. It’s probably to soon for you and you probably don’t love me back and that’s okay. But I love you with everything I have and I know it’s lot a lot but-” His sentence stops as soon as you throw yourself at him and wrap him in a hug.

“I love you too, Edie.” You said while into his shoulder holding him close. He smiled and wrapped his arm around you. His heart now filled with happiness and not worry.

“I can’t believe you thought I didn’t love you.” You pulled away. He just shrugged. “I was scared to tell you because I didn’t know where you stood” Eddie looked ashamed for a minute but you reached to pat his cheek.

“Well I guess I have to step up my game” You turned around and moved your hair out of the way. “Put it one me” He took the box from your hands and pulled the necklace out.

It was a golden heart with “I love you” written on it, and it was beautiful and simple. But you would never take it off.

“Of course my love” He put it around your neck carefully and clipped it together. He put a few kisses on your neck, sweetly. You couldn’t think of anywhere else you’d rather be.

You only wanted to be with him at the moment. And that’s where you stayed.

[simsinlowspace]

Freetime Posters - 12 Film & Literature Hobby Posters

Hi everyone! 120 posters later and the Freetime poster series is finally finished! Whooo!🍾 Today we wrap up with the last hobby, Film & Literature. Swatch, details and download below! 📚

So, for the last time...these are on @linacheries’ best-poster-mesh-in-the-whole-world 4t2 conversion of Simsza’s National Park Prints (mesh is included), and they feature another 12 designs made with Flaticon elements + lots of Simlish fonts. They’re all inspired by locations, items, Sims and features from the game.

Translations:

Werewolf Poster for one of the spooky movies

Subtext: A Lucien Hyde Film Title: Cat Lady Poster for the other spooky movie. I borrowed Lucien Hyde's name from TS3's Midnight Hollow; it seemed apropos

Weather Control Poster for one of the action movies

Top: Chickmate! Bottom: Chicken Poster for one of the comedy movies (y'all didn't think you were getting out of this without more bad puns I hope XD)

Top: Alan Stanley's Bubble Bath Quote: "This year's most dripping drama" -- Sim City Times Bottom: Emmy Starr Devin Ashton Tiara Angelista Poster for one of the drama movies, with more borrowed TS3 names (all from Bridgeport)

Fetch Poster for the other action movie

Desirable Discourse For the film and literature secret lot

Top: Discover the Magic of a Good Book Bottom: Bell Books Desiderata Valley Bookstore advertisement inspired by Issac Bell, Desiderata Valley film and literature enthusiast

Madeleine Mace's Book Club Named for Madeleine Mace, one of the film and literature hobby trainers

Voleskine Notebooks and Journals Since I couldn't find a name for the in-game journals, they're now Voleskine :D

Once Upon Whenever Felicity Joyeuse Poster for the in-game romance novel

Larry Owens' Writing Workshops Named for Larry Owens, another film and literature hobby trainer

A numbered swatch is included.

Icons are by Freepik, Chanut-is-industries, justicon, Smashicons, max.icons, Futuer, RaftelDesign, ultimatearm, mikan933, photo3idea_studio, iconixar, Victoruler and smalllikeart. Huge thanks to all the designers for their amazing resources!

And a huge thanks to everyone in the Simming community as well! I've so appreciated your wonderful feedback while working on these. It was a crazy project and sometimes I felt frustrated or overwhelmed, but then I'd read your kind comments or see one of these designs in your screenshots and it was always worthwhile. <3

DOWNLOAD (SFS) Recolors are ~350KB

I should be back to posting content more regularly this week. This post is scheduled to go out while I'm (hopefully) still sleeping, but I'll be getting caught up on everything I missed once I'm conscious again! 🤗 See you all very soon!

Lots of love, Spacey

UPDATE: Now that this series is complete, here is a master list of all the posts, plus a single download link for all the posters. All swatches are included, and files are sorted into folders so you can easily keep just what you like:

Tinkering Nature Arts & Crafts Fitness Science Cuisine Sports Games Music & Dance Film & Literature

DOWNLOAD ALL THE POSTERS (SFS) Recolors are ~8.5MB

You can now also get all the designs on BV's Travel Keeper!

[tmbgareok]

MORE SHOWS!

9/30/22 Asbury Park NJ - https://bit.ly/TMBG83022

9/31/22 Asbury Park NJ - https://bit.ly/TMBG83122

10/8/22 Leesburg, VA  https://bit.ly/TMBGshocktober

4/12/23 San Diego, CA - https://bit.ly/TMBG041223

4/15/23 San Francisco, CA - https://livemu.sc/3PnQWBT

5/20/23 Houston, TX - https://livemu.sc/3K3Uubr

Regarding this late breaking NJ Flood show news:

ASBURY LANES JUST GOT BIGGER

(They now have flooring to cover the bowling lanes, almost doubling the available floor space of the club.) So that means MORE ROOM. 

Same great vibe and more tickets available TODAY. These show have been SOLD OUT for some time, and there are only a limited number of new spots available, so click on that link soon!

AND YES THERE WILL BE HORNS!

BUT MAYBE YOU ALEADY HAVE TICKETS! Yes, 40,000+ of you already holding tickets to They Might Be Giants, and maybe you have questions about your upcoming shows… Know this: No action is required with rescheduled shows, except if we are playing multiple nights in your city –– you will need to go to the exact rescheduled show! Match your original ticket with the new date at 

www.theymightbegiants.com/shows

(Most of these shows are long SOLD OUT, so don’t expect flexibility from the folks at the box office!) TMBG MASK AND THEY CROWN UPDATE! Please remember to wear a mask when you come to our show. A quality mask (N95, KN95 or KF94) is a proven effective barrier to COVID transmission which is still VERY MUCH WITH US We have all waited a long time to perform these shows, and our team has worked tirelessly to keep these shows on the books. It would be super-unfortunate for it all to be leading to infections for anyone — you, the band, the crew — all of us. (And yes, we are feeling better-but we would be in bad shape if we got sick!) And if you really want to be of service for public health, bring a spare fresh one for your spacey friend or a spacey stranger. ___ At our NYC show in June we had THEY crowns to give away. An by your request, we will have a whole lot of them for these upcoming shows too.

[ackerfics]

May I request a thing? You can ignore this if you want 👍🏼 My little noodle is thinking about a scenario where reader confesses to Levi, but he rejects her a bit harshly. She starts to avoid any interaction with him from then on to not annoy him, but over that bit of time Levi starts developing feelings for her. He tries to get her to notice him again. He sees that she’s getting a bit too comfortable with someone else & Hanji has to force him into talking to her before it’s too late. Reader is a bit skeptical, but he successfully swoons them.

time to love — levi ackerman

— levi ackerman x female reader (modern au | high school au)

— warnings: just a teensy bit of angst, one-sided pining which turned into mutual bc i don't want to torture myself writing this ;>>

— summary: levi couldn't stop thinking about you after you got your heart broken.

— word count: 4.6k

— notes: ahhh, i'm so sorry i answered this request so late :<<< i started reminiscing what it feels like to be in high school and i chose the perfect time to write it (this is my classmates' fault for posting throwbacks on any social media platform i visit). when i first read this request, i was shocked for one second bc it was kinda similar to what i experienced when i was in high school, minus the harsh rejection, the getting together part, and the subtle touches (god forbid, my crush that time would do that) bdjwbwj for once in my boring life, there was drama and i don't know if i want to laugh or be sentimental bc junior year in high school was a wild academic year for me hhhhhh plus, my craving for korean food shows through this fic and i'm not ashamed of it

reblogs are greatly appreciated!!

“I don’t have time for fucking romance right now. This is such a waste of time. It’s like you called me out here for nothing.”

Every time you think of those words, you felt yourself shudder. The four walls of your room seemed to close in, with the book you chose becoming unattended on your duvet-covered lap. The scent of the hot chocolate sitting on your nightstand, thinking that it would help you focus on your novel, wafted through the air. It created tendrils that you can’t help but follow with your spacey gaze. Your half-lidded stare slowly went to the rays of sunlight drifting through the curtains of your window. It was even such a nice day but thinking of what transpired yesterday made your face scrunch in a multitude of expressions showing your demise. Embarrassment, melancholy, and regret. These three shriveled all the butterflies happily fluttering their wings against your ribs. It wasn’t a pretty sight. For the millionth time of the day, you sighed at one of the worst memories you had as a junior in high school so far.

You can’t help but think of when this love story started — sparkly ink and the image of strawberry skies accompanying it.

Levi Ackerman was the one who washed your world in everything pastel rose.

Some may call your affections for him infatuation or the infamous puppy love one always had during high school, but you know that what you felt for him was true. You couldn’t deny that this started because you think he’s the most appealing person in your grade, the only one who’s focused enough at school yet still held time for his club activities. You’re not the only one who looked his way. Onyx locks that perfectly cover one of his eyes when he ducked down to copy what the teacher relayed. Undercut that looked so cool the first time you saw it when he walked to his assigned seat. Silver eyes that seemed to pierce anyone who met his gaze. His graceful movements, from the way he stood down to maneuvering on the court in every sport during physical education. His attentive answers that sometimes awed your classmates because they were so articulate and well-thought-out. Everything about him mesmerized you. Not to mention that his aloof personality attracted girls rather than driving them away, them saying that Levi being mysterious added to the charm.

You didn’t know what compelled you to make your feelings known to him but if not for your friend cheering you on, you would’ve realized that such an amazing person will always be out of your grasp. It was only a matter of time that someone would reject your feelings. It was a gamble you recklessly chose to risk, knowing that the outcome will never be to your advantage. All of your pieces on the chessboard gradually disappeared and all that was left was a king amid a complete set of officials.

The rose pink washing over you turned into a monochrome of the grays that you swore you fell in love with.

It was a silly crush, now that you think about it.

Nothing lasted from trying to build a relationship in high school.

You didn’t even know if your convincing reached your stubborn heart. It told you Levi was still someone worthy of your affections but you held it back. You didn’t want to hurt anymore. You tried grinning at nothing inside your room, inhaling the tendrils of a mug of lukewarm hot chocolate until you decided that you should start leaving behind your feelings for Levi one step at a time. So, with a determined nod, you went back to your novel, letting the world of mages and tea parties with fairies surround you in a small bubble of comfort.

“[Name]?” Your mom poked her head after cracking the door to your room open. “Hey, sorry to disturb you.” You looked up from your book, confused since your parent never called for you at this hour. “Want to come with me to the grocery? We’re out of vegetables for dinner and you mentioned that you wanted some of those flavored milk you like.”

You looked up at the ceiling for a moment before flashing a smile at your mother. “Sure.” You planted your feet on the floor and stretched, walking towards your closet. “Let me just change into something decent and I’ll be downstairs.”

“Alright, kiddo!”

You carefully took out a pair of wide-leg jeans and an oversized cardigan that your uncle randomly gave you. A small smile tugged on your lips at the memory of your mom’s younger brother visiting with bags of clothes that can supply two families, all for you and your siblings was what he said. You later discovered that the cardigan you picked was something his girlfriend owned. You snickered when he told you he got an earful from your soon-to-be aunt but if it meant seeing you with new clothes other than the ones you usually wear, he’s willing to give it to you. Putting on the cardigan over your fitted top, you meet with your mother at the entryway of your house. With the promise of small talk and staring into the familiar scenery, the short drive to the supermarket ended with you staring into which flavored milk you should pick up for you and your sibling.

You didn’t notice that someone stopped in their tracks at the end of the huge supermarket refrigerator, their cart full of groceries squeaking against the tiles. Humming under your breath, you took three cartons of strawberry milk for yourself before deciding that chocolate is the most neutral flavor for your sibling. An uncomfortable feeling settled at the back of your neck. You turned your head slightly to the side with furrowed eyebrows. Great, just your luck.

Levi, in all his glory, was pretending on examining … a chilled bottle of coffee?

The sight was both hilarious and out of place to you. You never saw him drink a cup of coffee the majority of your time being his classmate. He even spat it once during lunch when Hange, one of his friends, tricked him into drinking one. Without seeming like you stared at him too long, you slowly went back on putting the drinks in your basket before stiffly walking without any direction in mind. You could only breathe a sigh of relief when you thought you were out of his sight, eager to be by your mother’s side for the rest of your grocery shopping. The plan on avoiding any means of interaction with the boy named Levi Ackerman was starting to take form in your mind at every step you take away from him, never knowing that his unreadable gaze was once again taking over his face. You didn’t hear his uncle sidling up next to him, asking what he was worrying over. You didn’t hear the man tease Levi for being in a trance because of a girl. You didn’t hear the onyx-haired boy of your dreams sigh in that tired manner of his.

That was the beginning of development for one-half of a pair to seek the other out.

It was annoying.

It’s been a week since that confession and Levi couldn’t get her out of his head. This wasn’t the case for the other girls who professed their love for him so why was this situation so different than the rest? Was it because he saw her in the supermarket by chance? Or was it because the afternoon Sun made her look pretty while making her confession, hair effortlessly shaping her face? Levi doesn’t know the answer. He buried his hand through his hair, his current dilemma so clear on his face that Erwin was even shooting concerned glances from across the room. He didn’t pay attention to those hauntingly cerulean eyes of his best friend nor at the teacher droning about how Caesar transformed Rome, but instead, Levi found himself staring at [Name]’s side profile, with the girl positioned at the seat adjacent from him.

He noticed that she softly bit her bottom lip when the teacher started to rant faster. He also took note that if a part of the lecture bored her, she will mindlessly sketch something at the corners of her notebook. Sometimes, her hair obscured Levi from staring at her but she pushed the lock of hair behind her ear, something that Levi wanted to do. What the fuck was he thinking? He shook his head and stared down at the empty page of his notebook. Great, now he’ll pester two of his friends for some notes in this class. Knowing Hange, their notes would look like a chicken wrote them so Erwin is the only resort, but when he turned to the blonde, Levi found him dozing off. That oddly ticked the silver-eyed boy off.

That wasn’t the only time Levi looked for her among the students.

It was almost as if the urge to search for her was a reflex embedded in him.

In their physical education class, their entire class chose to play basketball. This was something Levi never understood. Their high school curriculum for the semester decided on taking so many sports in one half of the academic year. Rather than teaching everybody the basics, their teacher decided to put the students into teams and make them execute a different sport every two weeks. Starting this week, it’s basketball. Levi was starting to feel tired just thinking about running from one point of the court to the other. However, he was slightly thankful that the teacher asked some volunteers from the girls to play. With Hange and Erwin sitting beside him, he was guaranteed to hear unnecessary gossip from the two of them for the duration of their physical education class. His bored demeanor didn’t deter his friends, though. With a sigh, he propped an elbow on his knee and placed his head on his hand.

Again, for the hundredth time this week, Levi unknowingly stared at [Name].

She was in the act of tying her hair in a ponytail. Levi’s lips parted at the sight. It looked great on her. Her head was slightly tilted down as she tied her hair with a scrunchie. There were strawberry prints on the piece of cloth and a small scoff of amused laughter came from him. A half-smile was now tugging on his lips as he continued staring at her adjusting her ponytail. Right when she flipped her hair over her shoulder, their gazes met from different points of the gymnasium. Her eyes slightly widened at the eye contact while Levi’s breath slightly hitched.

“Pretty.”

Levi murmured the word to no one. He wished she heard him. Even after the short eye contact halted when she turned to one of their classmates, Levi still gazed at her as if she was the only person existing with the gymnasium as her stage and he was merely a part of the audience. Even if nobody asked him to keep his eyes on her, he still did it, visibly smiling behind his hand when she scored a point in their little mock basketball game. There was a small flutter in his stomach that ignited his face to bloom with a certain shade of rose pink, something that he hoped his hand would hide from the prying eyes of his friends. And as they once again met gazes, Levi found himself looking away first, heart beating faster than normal and small flutters growing into bigger wings that started brushing against his chest. Thinking that she probably stopped looking at him, Levi glanced back at her.

The wings became a swarm of iridescent butterflies for the first time in Levi’s life. However, a glimpse of that dejected look he once saw quickly calmed them down.

Levi’s stomach churned.

“I don’t have time for fucking romance right now. This is such a waste of time. It’s like you called me out here for nothing.”

He was such a fucking asshole.

“Good morning.”

They were just simple greetings but why did it unsettle and shock you? Probably because the person saying them was someone you didn’t want to see first thing in the morning. Why did Levi have to look this perfect so early in the morning? He was already seated at his desk, back casually leaning on the back of his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. You looked around the classroom to see if the words were directed to someone else. So far, the only people occupying the room were some of the boys sitting at the back of the class, their heads draped over their desks in an attempt to get some sleep before the first class of the day started. His friends, Hange and Erwin, weren’t here yet, too.

You didn’t look at Levi the whole time you scoured your room for any person associated with Levi for him to say a casual ‘good morning’. You brushed your hand over your uniform before preparing to take a seat.

“Good morning,” Levi repeated, voice now fuller to make sure the person heard it. When you didn’t turn around, he slightly leaned forward and planted his elbows on his desk. Without leaving his eyes off you, he tried again, “Good morning, [Name].”

Now, that was your name spilling from his lips.

With pursed lips, you tilted your head to meet his silver gaze. His eyebrows were furrowed at the anticipation of your reply and you wondered if he sometimes eased the crease formed by his frown. The eye contact was making your head dizzy, three full weeks from the confession slipping by as if you jumped in a time slip. The silence spreading between you two was anything but comforting. You tried smiling at him. “Good morning.” Without another word, you straightened in your seat and took out your phone, thinking that the device could distract you from the scalding stare burning your back.

Those two words were starting to become a normal occurrence a month after the confession.

It was like a part of your schedule to respond to Levi every morning but you couldn’t help but feel that you should start painting a solid boundary to prevent your feelings from rising again. However, it was proving to be a difficult task when Levi made sure to make your presence known every single day. It was a surprise not just for you, but for the majority of your class. Levi never talked to anyone aside from those two friends of his who towered everybody. So, when he started going out of his way to bid you a ‘stay safe going home’ with a small wave after classes, your heart was in an uproar while your friends asked you on the way home why Levi spoke an entire sentence to you. With a wave, at that. You still chose to shut down any more questions coming from your friends, hopefully also shutting down the blossoming of hope in your chest.

The small greetings became a part of your day and like clockwork, those were the only words you exchanged with Levi. They didn’t stop, though. They went past the line of greetings. Only they were in the form of subtle touches and lingering stares filled with an emotion foreign to your image of Levi.

The smell of rain cast a shadow over the entire city, the harsh drizzle turning into a torrent until people retreated to the warmth of their homes. For students who started their classes before the promise of a storm happened, all of you were stuck staring out the curtain of water covering the windows. Your next period was supposed to be physical education and the gymnasium your teacher was using was situated to the other side of the campus, past the soccer and baseball field. You forgot your umbrella at home, regretting not paying attention to your mother who told you to bring the folding one she placed on the coffee table. For you to reach the gymnasium, the second protection the umbrella gave was needed. Almost all of your classmates were now on their way to the gym so you had no choice but to rely on your jacket to keep you dry.

Upon reaching the start of the tree-covered pathway, you saw a familiar figure standing with his hand inside the pocket of his jogger while the other one gripped a strawberry-printed umbrella over his head. At the sound of your footsteps, Levi turned around. Your heart started racing, heat rushing to your cheeks that wasn’t caused by the chill of the weather. He patiently waited for you to reach him before clearing his throat.

“Let’s go?”

It was a simple question yet it took your voice away. At your small nod, the two of you started walking down the pathway. The rain was the only thing resonating around you. At some point, your shoulder became wet from the rain but you didn’t scoot closer under the umbrella, thinking that Levi probably needed his personal space more. A gentle hand is placed on your arm, pulling you to a warm body without any word. You looked at Levi, who wrapped his arm around your back and murmured your thanks. You prayed that he wouldn’t hear the loud pounding of your chest.

Levi licked his bottom lip in nervousness. He leaned his head to your ear, his warm breath tickling the side of your neck. With a low voice, he whispered, “Is this okay?” He glanced at the hand he placed on the side of your arm before regarding you with his cool gray irises. His cheeks were becoming warm at the proximity and while staring at you up close, he slowly exhaled at how pretty you looked with his arm wrapped around you. “You’re not uncomfortable, right?”

“No,” you answered, your chest becoming warm when Levi rubs his thumb over your jacket-covered arm.

“I was waiting for you.”

He was staring straight ahead when you once again looked at him. You hummed as a response.

“I noticed you didn’t have your umbrella with you and your friends already have someone under their umbrellas. I didn’t want you to get sick walking with only your jacket to keep you dry.”

“… But my jacket has a hood.”

Levi clicked his tongue. He took his hand from your arm and patted your head. “Idiot. That doesn’t help.”

The touches were akin to flower petals and butterfly wings. They’re so soft that it ached your chest in that numbing clench Levi spurred in you. Sometimes, his fingers grazed over the small of your back when he enters the room after you. There were times when he stood beside you in the cafeteria line, his arm brushing against yours. Levi’s small smiles seeped through at times, though, they were only directed to you in the most mysterious of times, almost as if they were meant for you. All of them were fleeting yet they carry a power over you that you thought was gone. A part of you clung to those small actions — the star you once marveled at, shining in front of your eyes and your reach. He was dripping in starlight, reflecting every color on your figure rather than the rose-pink he made you see. He colored your world with him and you didn’t have the faintest clue on how you’d escape him.

The star was now sitting in front of you yet you didn’t make a move on encasing it with your warm fingers.

“A little birdy told me,” Hange started, plopping on the seat in front of Erwin and Levi. The three of them chose to spend the weekend in the city’s outdoor shopping center as a way to celebrate their exams for the semester. The two boys looked up at their friend who just got back from taking their order of a large bowl of ramyeon. “Somebody is showing interest in lover boy’s crush over here.” They pointed their chopsticks at Levi, who stopped in stuffing his face with his bibimbap. “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t like [Name]! we can see it so clearly because you’re so obvious.”

Levi placed his spoon on his bowl, eyes flickering back and forth between Hange and Erwin. “Am I really that obvious?”

Erwin lowly laughed after a spoonful of his budae jjigae (sausage stew). “When are you not obvious, Levi?”

“Yeah!” Hange exclaimed, slurping on their noodles. “We have been observing every time you think you’re so slick. I swear to God, you can kill her with those eyes of yours. They’re so soulless and painful at the same time. I was thinking it was either you find her cute or you’re trying to kill her in your mind, nothing in between.” They once slurped on their ramyeon, splattering soup on their face.

Levi scrunched his face in distaste. “You’re so disgusting. We’re eating in public, you know?”

“Hange’s right,” Erwin smiled, giving Hange some tissues from the rack available on their table. “I don’t know if [Name] thought this behavior of yours shows how much you like her but we’re not blind, Levi. You’re not paying attention to us most of the time but it became worse when she’s in the room. I’m not saying that with shade at all. It’s something we noticed. It’s quite new, too, so every time you go quiet when she’s around, we can tell something is going on. So,” he took a bite of his lunch, making sure that he wasn’t making a mess, “when did this start?”

The shorter boy chose not to answer, stuffing a spoonful of his food yet again. “Fuck, I did not know this can burn my tongue off.”

“Wait until you get a taste of this ramyeon,” Hange murmured. “And stop changing the subject, Shorty!”

Levi sighed. “I don’t even know when this started. One day, she confessed to me and the next, I can’t stop thinking about her.” He then winced at the memory of the confession. “I was a little bit harsh,” Hange snorted before choking on their ramyeon broth (Erwin immediately placed a tall glass of iced tea in front of them), “okay, scratch the little bit. I rejected her and I feel so bad when I realized the impact of my words. I mean, I called her a waste of time.”

“That’s pretty harsh, Levi.”

“I know, Erwin.”

“This is where the problem lies.” Hange wiped their mouth free from soup. “Do you know that handsome kid in our class who’s in the baseball club, right?” The two nodded. “Somebody told me, definitely not [Name], that he confessed to her. Saying some weird shit over text rather than telling her outright, how absurd is that? He left her clues on who this lucky girl he has an interest in and our resident pretty girl thought it was another one of our classmates when in fact, it’s her. How is [Name] a flash of lightning?” Hange blew a raspberry. “Weird and random, if you ask me. So, now, the handsome guy thought it will be fun if he pursues her.” Hange faced a stone-faced Levi. “You want that, Shorty? It’s your call if you tell her how you feel, there are no risks here because I can tell she hates your guts after rejecting her.”

“You don’t have to rub it on my face that she detests me, Four-eyes,” Levi drawled before mindlessly mixing his food. A long pause overtook their table, with two pairs of eyes anticipating their friend’s reaction. “… I kind of have a feeling that was the case after seeing them talk one time. I don’t know what to do, to be fucking honest. Might as well let these feelings take over my body until I’m a moping piece of shit. I deserve that after breaking her heart.” He recalled watching that guy talk her ear off with God knows what. He saw her laugh at something he said. That beautiful crinkle at the corners of her eyes and that warm trickle of her giggles cascading through Levi. It pierced his chest. He looked away before it can spread through the butterflies he carefully enclosed in his flower-infested ribs. “I just can’t force her to like me again. I already dealt too much damage on her, might as well inflict it on myself by seeing her being happy with fucking Mr. Baseball Guy.”

“No!”

Levi furrowed his eyebrows. “No?”

“Shorty, you have to talk to her!” Hange insisted.

“… Why would I do that? Why would I ruin another perfect chance of her finding happiness? I don’t want to be that asshole in her life, Shitty Four-eyes.”

“Just trust me. According to my source—”

“You can say that you talked to [Name], Hange,” Erwin interjected.

“Oh, alright!”

“You talked to her?” Levi asked, blinking in mild surprise.

“Who else did I get my intel from?” Hange scoffed. “I will never talk to the guys in our class. They give me bad vibes if you know what I mean. Remember that time last week when I didn’t go with you to eat what your mom made for you? I ate with [Name] at the cafeteria. She didn’t want to go with her friends because they were planning on ordering something outside and she was saving money. As a person with a heart full of compassion,” they placed a hand on their puffed-up chest, “I ate with her and even got her favorite drink. She spilled her troubles to me because I asked her what made her look conflicted and there we go, she told me that a dude confessed to her. She didn’t know what to act around the guy and was planning on rejecting him but he started courting her out of nowhere. Pretty fast, I know.”

“That sounds like something a con artist would do,” Erwin stated casually.

“Exactly!” Hange pointed at Erwin with their chopsticks. “Levi, think about it.”

All his thinking became a full month. It led him to call out her name right when she was about to step out of the school’s gates after an afternoon of club activities. He admitted that romance wasn’t something he wanted. He knew he wasn’t the type of person to dedicate some of his time to a single person. But one look at her with the pink skies beheld by the sunset as the background, Levi felt all his doubts vanish. He wanted romance, a love story that revolved around the girl standing expectantly in front of him with a wary expression. He wanted to erase that look on her face and replace it with something that garnered soft smiles and loving stares. The longer Levi stared at her, the more his heart pounded with the warning of being too late.

Glowing velvet skin, lips reflecting the setting sun, eyes that are shining like the Moon overlooking the two of them — it’s all beautiful.

She’s too beautiful.

“There’s an ice cream shop opening down the road, you want to go there together? We can get anything strawberry if you want.”

Levi loved the way she wrapped around his heart, filling him up in a sugar rush that he couldn’t control. He never experienced anything this natural in his entire life.

“Sure, Levi.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, opening them to the sight of her picturesque smile. Yeah, this wasn’t a dream.

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[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 5

Through a Glass, Darkly

Welcome back to the Temple of the Earth Defiant where the girls and their magical horses (and one pony!) have found refuge from the strange, twisted, fae creatures that have been chasing them. The statue of Asha Hammerheart that Ost animated last episode is still alive and wrecking house on the remaining harpies and beasts that are foolish enough to keep fighting and the rest soon get the hint and flee. 

Ost does some healing (boosted by the ambient Hallow effect of the temple which gives everyone a short rest) and then, seeing the damage to the temple caused by erosion, starts using Mending to fix things up. Her friends help out too with Sam and Yelle being most effective--Sam by repairing water damage and Yelle by creating tree cover and other druid-y tricks. But of course, we can’t overlook Katja’s crucial addition of carving “A Horse is a Home” into one of the walls of this sacred temple. 

Anyway, the girls are nesting super hard, the horses are having their scrapbooking reviewing club (an insane thing that was established last episode) and then Sam asks a question. Did y’all mention something about a photo of me going viral? Everyone’s like yeah, but don’t worry, you looked super hot. That’s not the part Sam was worried about. What she’s worried about and what all the girls except Zelda don’t really seem to know is that Sam doesn’t really have a social media presence. So like, 180k and climbing views (as decided by a dice roll) isn’t really what she wants. She scrolls through the comments really quick and sees that they’re not awful but one person is like, “Hey that girl looks a lot like that character from that old show”. Which Sam doesn’t love. She says that she’s fine but also that, even without an Insight check, she’s obviously not. 

Sam kind of looks to Zelda to bail her out and Zelda is like, “Hey, I’m gonna delete this video.” The other girls follow suit, even though they don’t quite know what’s happening. When they have to split up to investigate, Sam has Zelda kind of bail her out again and they split up to go check a nest outside--Zelda waving off Danielle when she wants to go with. Ant and Yelle decide to check out a cache of some treasure they saw earlier and Ost and Katja stay with the horses to keep fixing the temple up. Penny initially goes with Ant and Yelle but rushes back to be with Ost and Kat when Ost discovers a hidden lock while she’s fixing a wall.

So, the girls are split up, let’s run all these scenes.

Antiope and Yelle

Ant and Yelle go see the pile of treasure (near the statue of dwarven paladin Yvonna) which they learn is like a “take a penny leave a penny” situation for weapons and items. They were left by adventures who were similarly chased here and you can take what you need as long as you leave something to help others. Like, “Oh no I only have an ice sword and I need flaming arrows.” It doesn’t have to be equivalent exchange, you just need to leave something useful.

In this space, Yelle feels a weird melancholy and like they’re within the watch of something vast and powerful. She tries to check for TK’s presence but rolls low. Antiope leaves her Kalvaxus killing shortsword and takes some really nice, white feather fledged arrows with mirror tips and an ax Kat wants as a present for her dad. Danielle takes a bandolier of potions (3 healing and 2 mystery I believe) and leaves a bunch of mushrooms. Some of them are psychedelic and Ant takes one because this is probably a good time to be high, right?

It’s not messing with her competence obviously though because she rolls a 25 on Primeval Awareness and gets a weird sense, like something is closing in on this place. And like something very powerful is bleeding, which combined with the chaos of the mountains might explain the weird harpies and the cat/dogs. But she’s high so she explains this is a very spacey, stoner way. Probably a good thing she’s with Yelle.

Sam and Zelda

Sam can fly and Zelda can basically walk vertically with her goat legs so they check out the nest. Well, ostensibly that’s what they’re doing. Really they’re just having a heart to heart. Sam thanks Zelda for saving her ass and apologizes profusely for being so short with her. Zelda gives her a huge mid-air hug and says it’s not a big deal because she knows Sam is just lashing out because she’s hurting but Sam says it’s not a good enough excuse and she’s truly sorry. It’s been her coping mechanism for so long but she doesn’t want to be that way. She tells Zelda that the Everpetals are divorcing and that she’s living alone and Zelda says that any one of the girls would be happy to have her stay with them. Sam further explains that this is a big part of the reason she’s been so broken up about the possibility of their group splitting up and Zelda immediately takes out her crystal and texts her “I’m in” in the thread, breaking Sam again. 

Since they’re in heart to heart mode, Sam tells her that she talked to her bio-mom and an agent and she’s not sure what to do. Zelda says that she’s gonna be spectacular no matter what she does and she doesn’t have to do any of them but it’s cool doors are opening for her but also Antiope and Penny are gonna be PISSED that she’s out here making side plans after she gave them so much shit for theirs. Lol, well it’s a nice moment in the meantime and we cut to…

Penny, Ost, and Katja 

While Penny is lockpicking (and also trying to teach one of the horses to lockpick because sure) Katja and Ost go talk to the statue of Asha Hammerheart. It seems to be animated with at least some level of her true consciousness from beyond the grave and that she can kind of woge into her statue when she wants, which is cool. She’s been there for like 250 years so that’s a lot of history to see. 

Ost is maybe the most polite we’ve ever seen her talking to Asha (at least to begin with lol) and they ask her about TK. Asha says she saw TK show up 12 years ago but she never left, at least not through the front door. And then about 2 years ago (right around when they were in the crystals) that’s when the harpy queen showed up. At first they were normal and then they started mutating. Also, recently, Korra (one of the other statues/heroes) saw a woman in the mountains--not TK. 

Ost then takes a page from the book of one St. Kristen Applebees and asks, “Hey. What’s the deal with our god? He never talks to us, does he just suck?” Asha--who has never talked to him even though she’s a martyred hero and literally in dwarf heaven makes some excuses for the guy but Katja scoffs at them. “If people wanna take care of you, they do.” Ost then straight up asks if Logran Soulforger is even real which sets Asha off but Ost isn’t mad AT her, she’s mad FOR her. You go and do all this cool shit to the point where you have this cool ass statue, you fully DIE for him and he doesn’t even say hi? With a 21 Persuasion check, Asha admits that yeah, she would have liked some recognition. She decides she’s gonna go do some talking to some people and leaves after getting Ost’s number but before they can ask more about the woman Korra saw (who they think is Charity). 

OK, that’s all the small group stuff! Everyone comes back as Penny finishes up with the lock and they go down into this room that’s full of polished, precious stones. This is probably where people who were upkeeping the temple stayed. While everyone else is going down, Sam feels some powerful magical pull--much like her episode 1 Lightning Lure--calling her from the top of the stairs so she goes back up. We’ll get back to her in a bit. 

Penny rolls a high check to clock what’s going on down here. First off, she finds flintlock bullets and airship uniform scraps which makes it seem like there was a battle here involving some airship guys from the Baronies. Which is not just the place of origin of Riz’s imaginary Romance Partner. It’s a cluster of nations known for high rates of monarchical turnover and renaissance style intrigue. I’m picturing just a nation of [REDACTED]s from Crown of Candy. 

With all of this stuff, Penny finds an emblem of a billionaire airship mogul named Lord Talcidimir Tallbreeze who is a friend of her dad’s. Yelle is immediately like FUCK billionaires which isn’t plot relevant but it’s nice to know she’s always on brand. 

Oh also, Penny just casually finds the Legendarium so that’s neat. 

To be safe, Ost casts Protection from Energy on Ant (who is the one who knows how to use it) and brings out her Spirit Guardian (who is a combo of her mom, nona, and Asha, with her dad’s rings). Ant checks it out and sees that there are currently no A, B, or C quests in all of Spyre. While Penny cross references the bylaws to see if there’s a way to get around this, Yelle does some druid BS that I still do not understand to use the crystals in the cave to jailbreak this super powerful magical Artifact so they can just have copies on their crystals. While that’s happening, let’s check on Sam. 

Sam goes back up the staircase where she sees Ending who doesn’t look menacing at all, just extremely sad. She’s looking out the mouth of the cave and, when she turns, Sam can see she’s crying blood. 

“What’s wrong?” asks Sam, the acid-tongued but good-hearted. “Can I help you?”

With a 25 Persuasion check to get her to talk, Ending apologizes for scaring her and her friends before. She didn’t mean to. She sometimes forgets that her very nature can be frightening and dangerous to others. She says that when she escaped, she tried to rejoin her sisters but found their mirrors shattered and them gone. Sam thought they escaped but that doesn’t make sense to Ending. If they had, why wouldn’t they have freed her as well?

Sam asks who her sisters were and we finally get true names for Ending and her sisters:

Chrona, Terra, Pyrria, Nira, Zefira, Anima, and herself, Talura (which is what I’ll be calling her now that we know). Talura is the baby, the youngest. Sam realizes she’s talking about the Eidolons and Talura seems surprised and a bit pleased that Sam recognizes them. 

Sam asks if she can hug her and Talura hugs her tightly in a very cold embrace that doesn’t hurt. Downstairs, she hears her friends (Penny specifically) freaking about about the lack of quests but she doesn’t break the hug. 

“My own sisters are struggling right now but I’m gonna stay with you because you don’t know where yours are. But maybe we can find them.”

Talura clocks that the way that Sam is being is her true nature, not the bitchiness she often uses as a shield. Then she starts to talk about her history. That she and her sisters were sealed away when the gods were done with them (Sam can relate to being used and set aside) and the only way out was death. Talura has been crying and looking for her sisters to no avail. Her tears of blood leaking seems to be what caused the monsters to mutate which is in line with what Yelle and Ant were sensing. 

Talura doesn’t think anything could have destroyed her sisters so she’s very confused. Sam offers Talura her Mirror of the Past because it almost knocked out Sam to get god-tier information but Talura presumably won’t have that problem. Talura offers her a boon in exchange for this great kindness but Sam says she doesn’t need any quid pro quo. “This is just because you’re hurting.”

Talura is supremely touched and still wants to do something for her new...friend? Sam accepts the title and says that what she needs is some help on her GED quest. Once she explains what she means, Talura again recognizes Aguefort and is like, Oh, you need a quest? I can totally help with that! As we learned earlier, these guys are kinda genie connected so it’s not super surprising when Talura very happily goes full your wish is my command.

Downstairs, a Class A quest suddenly appears in Spyre on the screen. 

Back upstairs, Talura says that it’s been too long since she got to grant a wish and seems really happy about it. Sam gives her the mirror so she can check what happened to her sisters but when she does, she totally flips out and gets super angry--not at Sam, just at whatever she’s looking at. She can hardly believe it. Sam tries to figure out what’s wrong but she just gets super big and then disappears into a puff of smoke, leaving Sam's mirror on the ground, covered in frost. 

Downstairs, the Class A quest expands across the entire globe and then the Legendarium cracks. Ost’s spirit guardian disappears because of alarm bells ringing in the afterlife. And the girls learn that a Class A quest is a quest that affects the whole MULTIVERSE. Yikes!

So anyway, they girls go upstairs to check on Sam (on a bear that Penny makes because sure) and they see that something clearly just happened with Sam. Yelle asks if she’s good and Sam is like yeahhhh I don’t think ANYONE is good right now. Sam seems like she’s about to cry and Antiope instantly forgets all the petty bullshit going on between them and rushes to make sure she’s not hurt. 

Sam gives the girls a rundown of what happened and Yelle concretely puts together what I said earlier about Talura’s tears messing with nature. 

Sam wants to check her mirror to see what Talura saw and Brennan says she can do it the safe way with risk of failure of the surefire way with risk of personal harm. She, of course, picks door 2 and rolls a 13 on her con save which means she rises into the air like Storm from X-Men, eyes wide, and then instantly passes out and goes into shock. Antiope is there to catch her as she does. 

Also, she looks SUPER hot while falling on a 31. Honestly, it’s a shame she doesn’t allow herself a social media presence. 

Anyway, we’ll get to what she sees in a bit. Yelle and Ant make sure she’s OK (she is, but the has to be knocked out for this or she won’t be able to handle it). 

Penny tells them what she knows about each Eidolon from her earlier research which is what element each goes with:

Chrona: Time (Related to astral and elemental planes) 

Terra: Earth

Pyrria: Fire

Nira: Water

Zefira: Air

Anima: Life

Talura: Death 

They also talk about TK never leaving via the front door and all this airship stuff being around. Maybe she left out the top of the mountain on an airship? Katja has the hookup with this Tal guy (she’s met him when she was younger) so they decide they need to check it out once Sam is good. 

The girls fix the Legendarium and Ost, when she goes to pray for her spells for the night, doesn’t pray to her usual god. She prays to Asha. And not only does she get her spells, she also gets a new one--Commune. 

And now let’s get to what Sam is seeing in her Vision Coma. 

She was told by Talura that the only way out of the mirrors given to them by the gods was death. And what Talura saw that drove her to do whatever multiverse threatening thing that she did was every one of her sisters walking out of their mirrors and choosing death. I will specifically highlight that the oldest sister leaves almost immediately with a small, “Oh,” of realization and Anima, the closest sister to her seems terrified before coming to a joyful realization and leaving.

And that’s the end of the episode! Join us next week when apparently there is talk of a masquerade ball?????? Brennan, you shouldn’t have!   

Superlatives 

Sam: Most Likely to Accidently Snag a Brand Deal

Did you guys ever read the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche? Where Psyche was born so hot that it was basically a curse and she was miserable because she was so hot that Aphrodite hated her? That’s Sam. She is incapable of almost dying in a non-aesthetic way. It’s like a Pantene commercial every time. This is my favorite running gag.

Random Thoughts

Man, I have so many feelings about Sam. She’s such a BITCH in so many ways but it’s so obvious that she has a good heart. Every time she has an opportunity to be nice with no gain--helping Lola find her dog, magically turning the pages for the horses during book club, fully refusing a boon from Talura--she does. And I’m glad she gave Zelda such a sincere apology and didn’t let the extenuating circumstances absolve her because she said some pretty uncalled for things. But at her core she’s so kind and I want only good things for her. 

Also those of you who know me from my FH recaps know I’m a messy bitch for sister stuff so Talura and Sam both referring to the other maidens as her sister had me dead. You can tell when something in this show is f’ing me up when I just start directly quoting instead of paraphrasing. 

Katja being richer than Helio but having no idea what any of the brands Ost is mentioning are is peak comedy.  

As is Ant’s response to the take and penny leave a penny translation from Ost, “No, Penny didn’t come with us.”

Ost: I get service in the afterlife.

You could really tell which of the players watched Sophomore Year because the Baronies came up and all of them went into fight or flight immediately. 

Very Elsa vibes from Sam during the top of the scene with Talura. (Sam is, of course, a better sister but we simply do not have time to get into my feelings on Frozen 2 right now).

I was wondering why this season was called just “The Seven” when it dropped initially. Like, was it snappier? Did they not want to use the word “maiden”? But they still call themselves the Seven Maidens in the show so it’s probably not that. Now I’m wondering if it’s just to parallel the 7 of them w/ the 7 Eidolons. 

So it seems clear based on the reactions of the first and sixth sisters that they didn’t just “go gently into that good night” as Ant would say and ditch Talura. It seems like they figured something out. Also Brennan isn’t really a “and then they all died, the end” kind of DM, you know? Credit to my friend @camwritery for getting here before I did but the gods said the only way out was death and she is death so you know? Those def seem like puzzle pieces that go together. 

The only crit rolled this episode is a 1 by Penny which she gets to reroll as a halfling. 

[paul-yana]

Guys, I know, this is REALLY weird idea, but... Listen-

Potral Doki Doki Literature Club!AU (cores and Chell only)

(that I'm not gonna elaborate further than this post (at least, for now), but maybe someone could pick up the idea)

(just in case, be careful, that post contain some spoilers for DDLC)

(the background is taken from the game "Doki Doki Literature Club" and belongs to its developers)

Dunno why, but this crossover were in my head, like, for weeks, so I decided to draw something. Aaand I even made some characters' headcanons for it

Wheatley:

club president

has no friends in the school, so he thought that creating a new club could be a good idea to bring them to him

definitely not a good idea creating a literature club when you haven't read a single book in your entire life, but he believes that it will work

he choose literature because it was the only not-taken-yet club topic

as a club president, he discovers that his world is just a game (which makes him go through a painful existential crisis), and he gains access to the game code

when he tries to 'hack' game code, he doesn't always succeed, and often it either doesn't make any changes at all or do have changes, the creepy ones, that he hasn't planned

Rick (the Adventure Core)

vice president

came to the club just because Wheatley promised him that soon there would come pretty girls

and because he was the second person who came to the club, he became a vice president

as well as Wheatley, he doesn't into books, at all

thinks that without jacket he looks cooler, so he never wears it, and he's often getting rebukes from teachers

Craig (the Fact Core)

the single one who really do read literature in the literature club

however book genres that he interested in are limited to sci-fi and popular science

should be a president or at least vice president but he prefers to be a regular member

when he spend time in club class he tries to read in the farthest corner so nobody could distract him (everyone distract him anyway)

stays in the club just because he hopes that someday there will be much more book-reading people that he could talk with

Spacey (the Space Core)

older than he looks

came to the club because... uhh, because of some reasons, I guess?

the only reason others allows him stay in the club is because club needs more members

even if he reads something, it's always about space. Obviously

most of the club time he spend building spaceships from scrap materials on the desks or distrusting everyone or imagining how he would go to space

by strange coincidence most of the space in the club's closet is taken up by his books

Chell (the main character?)

still not much of a talker

depending on player choices could be either inretested or not interested in literature

I guess her entire character would depend on the player choices assuming all action takes place within the game

I admit that this crossover doesn't make any sense for portal setting (it just takes some characters from it and.... that's all). But if such a game really existed, I would really like to play it. It's, like, a dating simulator with cores from "Portal"! Pffff-

If you suddenly somehow want to develop this idea, feel free to do it, I don't mind XD

[britomart]

hiiii 💌 :)

angiee hiiiii i love youuuu but also it's probably easier to list the things i don't associate with you tbh, okay hold on i think this will be a long one but still not even the most extensive asjfsj alright here we go, ahem: the untamed, stray kids, wong kar wai films, led zeppelin, specifically the 2007 compilation album mothership for obvious reasons, lord of the rings, the silmarillion, finrod, maedhros, fingon, galadriel, eowyn, aragorn, [stops before i start naming all the lotr characters], home sweet home by motley crue, blue oyster cult, jimmy page, criminal by taemin, jiang cheng, moulin rouge (2001), darkish red, darkish purple, silver, strawberries, star wars, florence + the machine, nbc hannibal, my country: the new age, beyond evil and whatever those two guys have going on, the pros and cons of hitch-hiking by roger waters, tgcf, xie lian, rogue one (2016), those thrawn novels/comics, chungking express (1994), in the mood for love (2000), angie by the rolling stones, spirited away (2001), rafael nadal (throwing him in there randomly <3), tennis, howl jenkins pendragon surname moving castle, howl's moving castle (2004), t. rex + marc bolan, h is for hawk by helen macdonald, kind of vibrant spacey pastel colour palettes consisting of pink green blue purple pearl possibly colour picked from a wkw still - probably chungking express, tamino's cover of i bet you look good on the dancefloor, achilles come down by gang of youths, the iliad, murakami novels, rocketman (2019), troy (2004), brad pitt, oscar isaac, helena bonham carter, mads mikkelsen, pulp fiction (1994) + trainspotting (1996) + fight club (1999) + tarantino movies <- those ones all together and identify you as a filmbro sorry but<3, electric warrior by t. rex, star wars: the clone wars, ahsoka, omg i haven't said dragons yet....dragons, instagram graphic editing era, pre-raphaelite art, kay nielsen, art nouveau, project hail mary by andy weir, the martian by andy weir, bunch of various books actually, 60s 70s music + hippie stuff in general, america by bert sommer, that one taemin photoshoot where he's holding aragorn's sword, zuko, the few random hungarian words i have stored in the back of my brain, tbh hungarian things in general, black country as welll if i'm not mistaken ??, hair the musical, drumming song by florence + the machine, uhh hyunjin and felix from skz, cats, jefferson airplance, jimi hendrix, empire records (1995), criminal world by david bowie, eye in the sky by alan parsons project, velvet goldmine (1998), silver rings, game of thrones, tennant era who, elton john, innuendo by queen, various bits of blues rock, jim morrison even though you don't even really like the doors but you know why <3, space, hey hey my my (into the black) by neil young, tbh neil young music in general, astrology..... do we think that's enough or should i go on