#That was 2017 so I must've been

[mwagneto]

(the magneto anon back here again) ummm could you tell me... how did we independently picked up shadowhunters again at the same time.... tho I am reading the books (and it also means I'm never coming off anon because this is shameful) but still,this is very odd coincidence

HELP we got the shadowhunters curse at the same time lmaooo <3 but oh my GODDD the books😭😭 good luck to you genuinely....... I've only read them once all the way back in 2017 but they still haunt me💀 I'm lowkey curious what I'd think of them now that I'm 1) not a child 2) fluent in english but. i dont think i wanna do that to myself. i fr hope you have fun tho revisiting shit like this is always such an experience

[alex51324]

North American Total Solar Eclipse, 8 April 2024

This is your friendly heads-up that if you want to travel to see the total solar eclipse coming up in the spring, now* is a good time to start making your arrangements!

This one will be visible as at least a partial eclipse to most of North America, with the path of totality cutting a diagonal from Sinaloa, Mexico to Newfoundland, Canada, including 15 US states from Texas to Maine.

Although we just had one a few years ago in 2017, we won't have another solar eclipse visible in the continental US until 2045--and the path of totality for the 2024 one is within driving distance for a much larger proportion of the US population than either 2017 or 2045. The Northeastern US won't see another until the 2070's.

For millions of people, including me, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a total solar eclipse without getting on a plane. Hotels in major cities along the path of totality are already starting to fill up.

Last time, in 2017, I was able to see the partial eclipse from where I live, but it wasn't feasible to travel to see the totality. I heard from people who did see the totality that it's really quite something, so I decided back then that I was going to go to this one. (The one in 2079 might be a bit closer to where I currently live, but I'll be 101 by then, so I figure I'd better not wait.)

Erie, PA is the closest place for me to see it, and I figured I'd camp. I started looking into it last night, and pickings are pretty slim already. I lucked into a camping cottage at a park 20 minutes' drive outside the path of totality--I think someone must've cancelled recently, for me to get it, because out 87 spots, all they had left was 9 tent/trailer sites, and the one cottage.

So anyway, if you want to go, it's an overnight trip for you, and you don't want to end up sleeping in your car at a rest area, now's* the time!

(*Actually several months ago would have been the best time, but the second-best time is now.)

[darknight3904]

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦

𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵 𝘹 𝘍𝘦𝘮!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰. 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 (2017). 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘦𝘯 𝘝, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦.

𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦. 𝘕𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴.

𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 4.1𝘬

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 / 𝘔𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

Logan was always a mystery to you. His brooding nature and gruff voice reminded you of an old tomcat that used to live in the bushes of the school.

You remember the first time you met him, he had been smoking a cigar in his room unknowingly letting the smoke waft into your room across the hall. You had told him off, telling him he was a bad influence for the kids around him and he had shrugged you off and dismissed your worries for the youth.

"I don't see any kids around here right now."

"They're all over the place, Logan. This is a school."

Most of your relationship had been like that, friendly banter, the occasional fight over something stupid, but at the end of the day friends who could trust one another.

At some point, you had grown tired of your life at the school. Tired of teaching kids Geometry and running missions that grew staler each year. Eventually, you left, packed up your junky Chevy, and bid farewell to the aging Professor with a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug.

Logan hadn't said much to you that day. Only that you ought to stay, something about the team still needing you.

"Thought you hated being an X-Man, Logan."

"I'll hate it a lot less if you stick around."

You drove south and found yourself in rural Pennsylvania. Perhaps it wasn't entirely legal, taking up residence in some old cabin that time had forgotten. Not that it mattered much since three years after leaving the school, Logan showed up at your door, pounding on the wood of your front door like the world was ending. All it took was one look at the unconscious professor in the backseat of some car Logan must've stolen for you to start packing your bags.

Now, you were sitting in Mexico, sweating your ass off daily, hoping that Charles would be alright and not kill you and Caliban while Logan was at work.

"He's late."

"Yes, Caliban, I can read the clock you know." You sigh

Logan was getting slower by the day. When he had showed up at your door four years ago you had barely recognized him. Sure, he was has muscle-filled and imposing as ever, but his face and hair had changed so much. Wrinkles and scars filled his handsome face and there was more grey than brown hair on his face and head.

"I need you."

His words echoed in your mind even now, a year later.

"What if he-"

"He's fine. He's just slow." You sigh trying to focus on the book in your lap. Caliban was such a worry wart.

"He's not. And neither are you. Both of you, there's something wrong." Caliban said, motioning to your exposed arms where your veins were purple and swollen, making your skin look hideous, "We should go to a doctor. They can-"

"Can we not have twenty minutes of peace?! If Charles isn't driving me insane with his babbling about Taco Bell, it's you with all your questions." You groan, slamming the book in your lap shut, "I am fine."

Logan's grumpy attitude had rubbed off on you it seemed. You left Caliban and locked yourself in the little bathroom you all shared.

The pale-skinned mutant was right. Something was wrong. With you, with Logan. Logan's seemingly invincible healing was failing him. As for you, your entire body had been crisis-crossed with your veins appearing like horrible bruises on your skin. In some places, like your hands they were even raised, pulsing painfully at times. Your face had been spared so far. You guessed that was due to the slow aging process you had been given as a part of your mutation. It was only a matter of time before your face suffered though, you were sure of it.

Not that it mattered though. You had given up looking pretty months ago. After you got settled in Mexico, you found yourself plagued with thoughts of Logan. Never in your life had you found yourself attracted to him, sure you were aware that he was good-looking, everyone was. The older teen girls at the school in particular would often giggle and whisper when he'd enter the room, then again he was always wearing those boot-cut jeans that made his legs look fabulous. Yet you had always been immune to that pretty face, content with simple friendship.

The first month after you finally fell into a groove with Logan, Charles, and Caliban had been tough, but after that? It was like you were losing your mind. Logan was consuming your thoughts. Even when you were at work, cleaning some shitty local motel, you thought of him. Anything would remind you of him, from empty booze bottles in the motel trash cans to a forgotten leather jacket a guest left in the closet.

Even at night, you weren't safe from him invading your thoughts. Some nights you'd wish for him to be holding you close, big arms cuddling you, keeping you safe. Some nights were less family-friendly and you'd picture him on top of you, wringing multiple orgasms out of you while he grunted about how good you felt.

The result of those thoughts? Each day when he'd return from driving that damn limo, you'd wait at the door like a trained dog, happy and excited to see him. You'd try to get him to talk about his night, what clients he drove, which were the craziest, who was loudest. Other times you'd cook a nice meal for him with whatever was sitting in the janky fridge Caliban had gotten up and running. Every once in a while, he'd even lay his head in your lap on the couch and let you weave your hands through his graying hair.

It had gone like that for about three months until one day he snapped.

"Don't you ever shut your damn mouth? Fuck all you do is talk! Can't you see I'm tired!? I don't need you interrogating me every time I come back here!"

You had taken his words harder than you expected and before you knew it, your veins were bruising and rising. Your own powers were turning on you, just like his were.

You hadn't bothered trying to pursue anything more from Logan since that day. You didn't bother with your appearance in front of him, why should you? He wasn't interested in you after all. Not to mention if he wasn't interested in you before, why would be be when your own veins were making you look like Grimace from McDonald's.

Now, you primarily had short conversations with him. Usually, they were about Charles and what meds he needed, and how much they were going to cost. Occasionally, the two of you'd sit with a bottle of booze and reminiscence over what your lives once were, as X-Men.

The sound of tires screeching had you exiting the bathroom. He might've been an asshole but you still cared about him.

Logan slowly walked in, a bit of a limp in his step from some fight he had gotten in the other day. He went right for the fridge where cold beers sat, ignoring Caliban's squawking.

"Goin' away for a bit." He said as he slumped into a kitchen chair, looking at you

"Where?' You asked curiously

"Booked a long ride. When I get back we're buying the Sunseeker." Logan said

"Who's the ride for?" You asked, curious as to who would book the world's grumpiest driver for a cross-country road trip

"Some rich lady," Logan replied, sipping on his beer.

He was definitely lying. You wanted to get out of Mexico, perhaps it was better like this. Logan would get the remaining cash and you'd finally get out of here.

"Here." Logan said, tossing the pills for Charles on the table, "Don't let him miss any doses."

Logan shuffles towards you and stops when you look up at him. Tired eyes meet your own.

"I'll be gone a few days, just a few. Then we're leavin', bub" He whispers

You nod and decide to indulge yourself by gently resting your ugly-looking hands on his chest that's covered with a white dress shirt.

Your heart skips a beat when he presses a quick kiss to your forehead before walking off to put Charles to bed. Logan's never done that before, usually, he'd reject any physical contact from you, even back in the day he was never into physical touches.

You watch as the limo disappears down the road, carrying Logan off to whatever mystery client he had, if he even had one.

"He'll be back." Caliban's voice calls, trying to assure you

"I know." You sigh

"Don't you have work?" He asked as you lay down on the couch.

"Day off. My bitch of a boss doesn't want to pay to have more than one housekeeper at the motel each day." You say

"Cheap bastard," Caliban says, shaking his head

You let out a snort of laughter.

"You're telling me. The other day he told me to reuse the garbage bags in the rooms, just to dump the trash into the outside dumpster."

"They'll be roaches everywhere." Caliban laughs

"Can't wait to clean those up too." You sigh closing your eyes

The screeching of metal wakes you up from your dreamless sleep. You slowly sit up, groaning when your arm begins to tingle, it must've fallen asleep somehow.

"It's her, she's here!"

"Professor, back to the tank." You groan at the old man, not wanting to listen to his blabbing. The dementia got worse each day.

"It's Laura!" He exclaims

You huff and slump backward into the couch. You loved the Professor but he was exhausting sometimes.

You quickly stand up and stop him from wheeling himself outside. The sound of a car door slamming has a cold sweat running down your back. Logan was gone, who could be outside? Whoever it was you prayed they were weak, you weren't even sure that you could use your powers, let alone fight someone with them.

"Stay, put. If something goes wrong, get back to the tank and lock the door." You command

"Laura," Charles says again, listening to you and remaining still

You step out into the hot sun, not expecting Caliban to be standing next to Logan. A blonde man with a metal hand and aviator glasses stands and asks about Charles. You look at the newcomer, trying to figure out what his deal was. He was human, even with failing powers, you and Logan were stronger, did he have a death wish?

"Whoo, look at that. Not one X-Man but two? The Wolverine and....I'm sorry sweetie what was your name again?" The man suddenly smiles, looking at you.

"Get out of here, asshole," Logan says, placing a hand on the blonde man's chest, preventing him from taking another step towards you

"Tell me, sweetie, do you know where the girl is? Wolverine here seems to have misplaced her." He asks

"There's no girl here." You answer

A loud shout startles you and a metal pipe whizzes past you and Logan to strike the intruder on the head.

Laura is an interesting character. You watch from afar as she shoves cereal in her mouth.

"What the fuck is this?" You ask Logan who doesn't have an answer for you.

The rumble of the train goes by and Charles calms the girl who jumps from her seat.

"Look, we're leaving. That guy who she knocked out, he knows everything about us. Get your stuff together." Logan says, handing a bag to you

You groan but listen and scamper off to your room. Your "room" was really just a small double bed surrounded by sheets Logan had strung up on strings after you said you needed more privacy from him and Caliban.

You shove clothes into the bag along with a couple of dusty books to keep you busy on the road. As much as you'd like to, you doubted Logan was going to let you drive at all.

Logan's deep voice shouts your name and you dash out to the kitchen to see Laura eating her food, unbothered. Her eyes glance at the outside world where you can see Logan shoving Charles' wheelchair into the trunk.

"What's happening?" You ask frantically, dropping your bag into the dirt, forgetting its importance.

"Get in." Logan commands

You quickly jump into the passenger seat, shoving the empty bottles of Jack Daniels aside. You'll have to yell at Logan for that later on. Drinking himself into a hole wasn't going to help whatever was happening to him.

The blonde man must have to do with the amount of trucks that are surrounding you all. Logan curses as he tries to maneuver the limo out of the smelting plant. Much to your dismay, you're quickly surrounded with nowhere to go. Charles murmurs about Laura again as Logan tells him to shut up.

If it were twenty years ago, you'd be able to make a path. Your powers had never been pretty but they were effective. If only you were able to use them now on all these men who were exiting these vehicles, they'd be nothing but blood stains in the dirt. Head popping was never pretty but it was efficient.

The blonde man is back and shouting in Spanish. You wonder what has become of Caliban as you glance at Logan whose mind is certainly racing, trying to create an escape for you all.

"Hey there, Sweetie." The blonde says leaning his elbow on the windowsill and leaning into the car, "Charles Xavier, America's most wanted octogenarian."

"I'm a nonagenarian actually." Charles quips back, proud of his old age.

"Logan." You whisper looking at him.

You're certain you can still use some bit of your powers. If Logan could cut just one of these men open, you'd be able to carve a way out of this situation. It'd be painful but you could do it. Maybe.

Logan lets out a growl and shoves his door open into one brute who steps too close to the limo. You jump out of your own door, hot on his heels as the blonde man keeps his men from gunning you both down.

You let out a loud shout of Logan's name when the men begin to beat him. One man comes up from behind you and pins you arms behind your back, he's stronger than your weak body and slams you face-first onto the hood of the limo.

"Find the girl."

The men spread out as you struggle in his hold. Logan's pinned down by the threat of at least 6 guns aimed at his face.

"Careful, Williams. You're gonna break her nose." The blonde man says looking at the way your face is harshly pushed into the metal of the car

"She deserves it. Mutant freak." The man above you, Williams, scoffs spitting down at you

"This mutant freak controls blood, you idiot. I don't wanna find out what she can do with it, do you?"

Williams looks down at you and you feel his spit trickle down your temple. He loosens his hold and lets you stand up, keeping his gun pointed at you.

The sound of gunfire breaks the tense stare-down you were having and your jaw nearly drops when you see Laura approach, a man's head in her arms.

Your jaw does drop when two silver claws appear and she begins to cut down the men. Logan tackles you to the ground and keeps you safe from the rain of bullets two men send at you.

"Get in the back with Charles, stay down." He orders, gritting his teeth as you hear the bullets pushing their way out of his skin.

Laura's feral screaming fills your ears along with the sound of flesh being cut through. The metallic scent of blood fills your nose as Logan pushes you into the limo.

"Logan I can help!" You shout

His only response is slamming the door in your face.

The limo is surely a sight as Logan speeds down the road. Charles' voice fills the silence as he talks to Laura about the X-Men. You look at Logan who looks, if it's even possible, angrier than he normally does.

"If you want me to apologize, I'm not going to. So stop pouting like a kid." You say, looking down at your blood-stained hands.

"M' not pouting. And what you did was dangerous." Logan says

"And what you did wasn't? I'm not a delicate flower, Logan. I don't need you hovering to keep me safe." You huff

"Yeah well when your brain blows up from that blood manipulation of yours, don't come crying to me," Logan grumbles

"Please, when that happens I'll die. No way for me to complain then." You scoff

Logan shakes his head and keeps his gaze on the road.

You want to slap him for his attitude. That or kiss him, you really can't tell. The angry protector vibe he had going on was as aggravating as it was attractive.

He was mad for what? You had saved him from getting an AR-15 getting unloaded into his chest. Sure, now your head was throbbing from the effort it had taken to use your powers. It wasn't even your own blood you had used, just some from a man on the ground, fashioning it into a simple tendril and impaling Logan's assailant through the chest.

"They're not normally like this." Charles whispers to Laura, "They work very well together. Good friends, sometimes I think they're more than that.

You groan at Charles' words. Something tells you you and Logan were going to be fighting a lot more now that you were trapped in a beat-up limo together.

"Don't tell her that." Logan chastizes

"Tell her what?" Charles asks innocently

"Made up fantasy shit," Logan replies

The casino Logan picks is a buzz with noise. You haven't been around this many people in years. It had a cold sweat breaking out on your skin. You wondered what was going through Charles' mind as he suddenly reached for your hand for assurance.

"You'll be alright. " You whisper to the old man who nods

A mannequin catches Laura's eye and Charles points out their lack of clothes.

You can't quite tell what's going through Logan's mind as he sits beside you on a soft sofa, waiting for Laura to come out of the dressing room. You can tell he's still upset from earlier when you used your powers to help him. You decide to throw him a bone as he taps his right foot with impatience.

"Sorry." You mumble

"What?" He asks

"I'm sorry." You say again quietly

"I can't hear you," Logan says turning your face to look at his, most likely so he can read your lips. What an old man.

"I said I was sorry. For earlier." You say, louder this time.

Behind Logan, you can see Charles inch his chair closer, hoping to eavesdrop on you and Logan.

Logan lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head. Your heart leaps to your throat when you hear the next words

"Don't worry bout' it, bub."

His big hand drops to your thigh and gently pats it assuringly.

"I would've done the same for you."

You place your own hand onto his and gently squeeze. His eyes meet yours and you swear they jump to your lips for a split second. You watch mesmerized as his tongue quickly appears to wet his lips before disappearing back into his mouth.

"Listen-"

Laura emerging from the dressing room breaks the trance he has on you and you jump up, fully flustered.

"Oh very nice." Charles coos at the little girl who is now in a unicorn shirt.

"Let's go." Logan gruffly says, brushing past you and towards the cash register.

You follow on Logan's heels as he limps to stand in line behind a little old lady. Laura and Charles are attempting to win at a claw machine that sits in the store a few feet behind you. Did Charles not see that the prize was poker chips? Laura wouldn't be able to do anything with the prize if they won. Whispers distract you from stopping the old man as he inserts money into the machine. Where did he even get the cash?

You glance to your right where three women stand. They're stylish, sleek, and vixenish with their tall heels, bodycon dresses, and sharp-winged eyeliner. You follow their pointed gaze to your own body and realize what they're giggling at. Your bruised arms, something you hadn't worried too much about before were drawing attention.

It wasn't just the women either, an older couple on your left are whispering as well.

"Oh my, what's happened to her?"

You feel a scowl pulling on your face, chasing away the good feeling Logan had left you with back in the dressing room.

You stomp over to a clothing rack filled with oversized hoodies. You snatch one off the hangers and walk back to Logan and shove it in his arms. He stumbles back a bit, not expecting you to be so harsh.

"I want this too." You demand before spinning on your heel to go find the nearest restroom.

Splashing cold water on your face is a luxury you had forgotten. Back in Mexico, the water in the pipes was always just a bit warm. Great for showers, but shitty for everything else.

You emerge from the bathroom to find your companions waiting for you. Logan tosses you your sweatshirt that stupidly says " I survived Oklahoma City Casino!".

If only you had picked out a plain one.

Logan hands you a key card to one room and then goes to open his own.

"Got a conjoining bathroom." He explains, "You and Laura can share that one."

You push the door open and are welcomed by the sight of an oversized king bed.

Laura immediately goes to the bathroom to open the doors that connect you to the Professor and Logan.

"Sit. Watch TV."

You hear Logan's stern voice speak to her. You can imagine his face as he says it. Stern, unmoving.

Logan limps into your room, shutting the bathroom door and sitting on the bed you're to share with the slightly feral child you've picked up.

Silence falls over you as you pretend to observe the ugly painting on the wall. You strained your ears trying to hear the TV next door. They'd done a good job soundproofing the rooms.

"What's wrong?" He huffs

"Nothing." You say, crossing the room to flop down on the big bed

"You've had a pissy look on your face since we left the dressing room." He points out, "More pissy than usual."

You roll your eyes but he can't see it since you've buried your face in the soft pillows.

You can tell Logan is still there, waiting for you to speak. You've got the feeling he's not going to leave you alone either, stubbornness was always a strong suit of his.

You flip yourself around and prop your head up on a pillow to look at him.

"Those women in the dresses and heels, they pissed me off." You admit

"What women?" Logan asks his face screwing up as he tries to recall who you were talking about, "There weren't any women."

"The one's in the tight dresses and heels." You say looking at him, not believing he hadn't noticed

Logan shakes his head again.

"It's my arms." You sigh, "I got comfortable in Mexico, you and Caliban never said anything about them. Not to mention Charles doesn't seem to care either."

You fiddle with a stray string that sticks out of the sleeve of your new sweatshirt. Machine-made stitching was always poor quality.

"I don't know what women you were seeing," Logan says, suddenly scooting up the bed and laying down beside you, "But I don't give a shit about what your arms look like."

"It's not just my arms, Logan." You softly breathe, thinking of the rest of you, marked with ugly bruises.

"Doesn't matter to me." He sighs with a wave of his hand

You feel tears pricking at your waterline and you willed them away. There wasn't even a reason to cry. He was just being nice, being a good friend.

"Are you crying?" Logan asks

"No." You lie

A warm tear slips down the side of your face and then all of a sudden they won't stop. You turn on your side and curl up into a fetal position. Maybe Logan will leave you alone now, he never liked dealing with his own feelings, let alone another person.

"Hey." He says, "Quit blubbering like some baby."

You're surprised when he suddenly scoops you up and places you in his lap. Big hands wipe at your tears and he hands you a tissue from the nightstand for your nose.

"Sorry." You sigh taking a deep breath to calm your nerves

Logan lets out a deep grunt and he lets his actions do his talking. One big hand rubs up and down your back to soothe you while the other is drawing circles on your knee.

"You shouldn't get so worked up about random people. Before you know it we'll be out on the Sunseeker, fishing and eating crab for dinner." Logan says

"Promise?" You ask

"Promise."

Part Two

[lemoncrushh]

Sweat

Summary: Some post-workout sex

Warnings: Smut obviously. 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 1020

A/N: This was a little blurb written in 2017 inspired by some white leggings Harry had been seen wearing. Really it was just an excuse to write some smut. Written in first person, but no name given.

Harry had gone for a run. I wasn't much of a runner myself, so on days that he decided to do that, I opted for a walk on the treadmill that we kept in our sunroom. I was content with the sounds 80s and 90s heavy metal pumping through the bluetooth speakers and my water bottle in its holder as I looked out into our backyard.

Halfway through an Iron Maiden song, I thought I heard the sound of the front door slamming shut and the beep of the alarm, followed by footsteps into the kitchen as Harry's trainers squeaked across the tile.

"Is that you, baby?" I called out, mostly as acknowledgement since I knew the answer.

"Yeah!" he replied, his voice exhausted from exertion.

"I'll be done in a few," I said as I began to slow my pace.

I continued to walk through one more song before coming to a stop and stepping off the treadmill. My heart rate was still up, my face and chest glistening with sweat as I reached for my water and drank the rest in one large gulp. Then reaching for my towel, I turned off the music and headed toward the doorway that led to the den. I stopped in my tracks when I saw him.

He was sat on the large leather sofa, his head back, his arms and legs open in a spread eagle. He had stripped himself of his clothing - hoodie, t-shirt, shorts, shoes and socks, even his beanie - all except a pair of tight white leggings that he'd worn underneath his shorts. His naked yet wet chest rose and fell with each heavy breath that puffed out between his lips, and his eyes were closed.

"Holy shit," I muttered, now weak in the knees, and not from my workout.

Suddenly his eyelids fluttered open, and he saw me gawking at him.

"Hi." I wasn't sure exactly how, but he managed to make one tiny word sound so sexy, and so smug at the same time.

"That must've been some run," I remarked, my heartbeat racing again.

"Yeah."

I stepped closer to him, patting my chest with my towel.

"Do you wanna shower first, or..." I started to ask, my speech faltering when I finally got a good look at what was before me.

His leggings were drenched, nearly transparent. The muscles in his thighs fought for release from the confines of the stretchy fabric. But it was what was in between that had my mouth watering. I could see everything. The outline of his erection was obvious, and it threatened to pop out of the waistband that sat low on his hips. The line of hair beneath his belly button was wet with sweat as it trailed seductively down to meet his thick thatch, also moist with perspiration that dampened the crotch of his leggings.

Catching me staring at him, Harry held out his hand to me.

"C'mere, love," he breathed, his voice still broken and raspy.

I lifted my eyes to his, an easy smirk rising from the corner of his mouth. I accepted his hand, taking two steps closer so that I was standing between his legs. Harry sat up, releasing my hand to graze his up the back of my thigh, his other hand mimicking the first until both crept up my jogging shorts and slid back down.

"I like these," he murmured as he repeated the action with both hands.

I blinked slowly, a hard breath releasing from my lungs. I watched his face for a moment more until returning my gaze to his leggings. I didn't reckon Harry would wear pants underneath something so confining, but Jesus Christ, did they have to be white?

"You want it?" Harry suddenly asked.

My eyes wide, I stared at him incredulously. "Sorry?"

Taking my hand once more, he guided it to his crotch.

"This," he said. "You want it?"

A sound rose from my throat then, and I'm not sure if it was a moan or a protest or sound of confusion. But luckily Harry copied it, grabbing me by the waist. He pulled my shorts down so quickly I didn't have time to think. Stepping out of them, I watched as he dipped his hands in his leggings and released himself. This time I knew I moaned, as I straddled him, my knees hitting the cool leather of the couch.

Our tongues met with a vengeance, the hunger overtaking any need to fully de-clothe ourselves.

"'m so fucking hard, baby," he groaned against my mouth.

I merely nodded as I sat up, allowing him to aim his cock at my entrance. I needed no extra lubrication. I usually worked up a good one of my own when I exercised, but regardless, I was so turned on by his insatiable desire.

I rode him slowly at first, but only for a bit. He wasn't having it.

"Fuck me," he demanded, grasping at my waist like his life depended on it, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

I nodded, biting my lip as I rode him faster. His eyelids got heavy as his mouth twitched. Finally, he threw his head back, moaning my name as I felt him hit me deeper. My own breaths quickened, my hands gripping the back of the sofa. Harry's hips lifted up to meet mine as we both cried out.

I tried to catch my breath as I rested my head on his shoulder, taking in his scent. I felt him rake his fingers up my back, and back down again, soothing me in his gentle way.

"I love you," I whispered, words we'd exchanged many times already, but for some reason I wasn't sure if it was too sweet, too real to follow such an animalistic situation.

"I love you, too," he echoed before kissing me in the soft spot below my ear.

I sat up, studying his face. He raised a brow.

"You're incredibly sexy," he declared. "And amazing."

I smiled at him, my hands grazing his chest, my fingers tracing his tattoos.

"Now, about that shower..." he smirked.

If you enjoyed, please like, comment, reblog or send me a msg!

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

[valyrfia]

We are way too spoiled of lestappen these days (except for today 😭😭😭) because why did everyone move on from Max saying that he ALWAYS thought that when he makes it to F1 he saw Charles there too…. what Is wrong with Him.

Also my personal favorite: Max sayinf that he hopes him and Charles could be like the new generation version of Seb and Lewis…. Mind you he said this in 2018 I’m pretty sure so Charles was a ROOKIE (a very talented one but still)

Yep, we should NOT forget how absolutely batshit insane the last quarter of the 2023 season was. Max's little speech about knowing that because he made it, Charles was bound to make it too....most romantic thing I've heard in a while I have no idea how Charles stayed with a straight face in that press conference.

Max has always been a little insane about Charles, like you said lest we forget that 2018 quote about saying that him and Charles were going to be like Seb and Lewis (noticeably, choosing a rivalry that is remembered as more friendly than not–bearing in mind that Charles for all we know was still very much in the middle of his Max Verstappen Murder Agenda at this point).

While we're talking about early days of F1 Lestappen as well, I'm going to bring this picture back.

Now as @gaslightgirlsummer educated me on a little bit ago, this was 2017. To set the scene, Charles is doing FP1 for Haas and is also having the most jaw-dropping F2 stint of all time. Max is in the middle of fighting with Danny Ric for the n1 spot at Red Bull. I'm absolutely obsessed with their body language in this image, because they must've not crossed paths a lot since karting, and Charles isn't even an F1 driver, yet Max's entire body is angled towards him, a patented Charles Leclerc soft smile on his face. Charles similarly, is twisted towards Max, his arm outstretched behind him and looks genuinely a bit giddy at seeing Max. This is the crux of Lestappen–they've always been a bit weird and obsessive about each other even when they haven't been in the same space for a while and by the timeline, they aren't even truly friendly yet.

[phantomrose96]

ok im sorry I have been following you for years but I think I still somehow missed you being blamed for a shooting??? what???

Yeah that one was weird as fuck and mostly flew under the radar because I wasn't gonna give the anon the attention or time of day and ended up blocking them by like the third time they tried to accuse me but that sure as fuck happened.

So this 2017 shooting was carried out by a guy who, among other things, had an extreme obsession with some kind of OC multi-verse version of Ember McClain (Danny Phantom villain) that he invented through his Deviantart.

So anon's accusation toward ME seemed to be (checks notes) that in 2014, I wrote a not-containment-breaching DP fic where Ember was the villain, and was causing people to commit suicide (*Edit: btw, this wasn't an original idea of mine. It was popular creepy fanon that the Ember song was about suicide. Literally not even my idea.) So clearly (checks notes more) this guy who had no tumblr presence at all, and was independently obsessed with his own multiverse fan version of Ember, and only used DeviantArt and Youtube for all of this, must've clearly dug up my 3-years-buried Tumblr fic and went "that's a great idea" and killed a bunch of people. Him being a fan of Columbine was clearly unrelated.

But it was a fucking hell of an evening to receive the anon (which was vague and creepy, just blanket-accusing me of being the cause) and I had to go research all this bullshit myself.

[slamdunktheories]

Slam Dunk: So Who Won the IH after Sannoh Lost?

There are a lot of theories out there as to who actually clinched the Inter-High championship after Sannoh took a shock loss to Shohoku. What we do know is that Inoue 1) has a specific school/winner in mind and 2) most likely had decided who it was by the time he drew the IH bracket in the manga (he's shared this in another interview that I'll post about another day). Let’s look at who might’ve won the IH today :)

The biggest hints come from a 2017 interview, where Inoue was asked who won the IH and he stated that it was a team that was never depicted in Slam Dunk.

Clip of the interview here; question starts around the 5:10 mark. No English subtitles there but I've transcribed the interview:

Q: By the way, who won the national championship? A: Ah, about that... Q: Oh, should I not have asked that? A: Well, it's not that. It's just... (hesitates) Q: Kainan was #2, right? A: Kainan was #2. Q: So my guess is that maybe Meihou won the championship? A: Oh no, that's not the case. Q: Oh so there is a champion [in your mind]. A: Yes, in my mind there's a specific winner. Q: Mm... A: But the winning team is not one that has ever been described or appeared. Q: A team that has never appeared? A: (nods) It's a team that has never appeared. And if Meihou won the championship, that would be pretty annoying. Q: Yes. A: They have the talent and capability, but I think to let such a team win would really be pretty annoying. Q: I seem to have gotten the best answer, no?

Someone from Hong Kong then did a hyper detailed analysis in Chinese to get to the bottom of it, and deduced that the eventual champion was...

.

.

.

Hakata.

I read the essay in the native format (see essay here) and loved it because it made a ton of sense, then I tried to do a Google translate to see if the English was ok. Answer: IT WAS NOT. It came out completely garbled. But if you want to try reading the article, I'd recommend using ChatGPT; both the free and Pro versions translate a lot more smoothly and accurately than DeepL, which in turn is a cut above Google Translate.

For a super simplified/condensed version of the article, the main logic for a Hakata win goes as follows:

According to the IH bracket, there're 5 seeds for this year's tournament and we know the seeding reflects the performance of the previous year's IH tournament. The top 4 seeds this year are the top 4 teams of the previous year and those seeds can be easily identified in the bracket as they got to skip the first round matches this year.

The bracket shows the top 4 seeds being: Sannoh (top left quadrant of bracket), Kainan (bottom left), Hakata (top right; but in the English translation there's a weird typo showing "Hakuta"), and Meihou (bottom right). Note: Meihou wasn't a top 4 team last year; Aiwa was, according to Maki. So presumably, since Meihou beat Aiwa this year to take the #1 position in their prefecture tournament, Meihou took their place in the IH seeding too.

The 5th seed who also got to skip the first round match was Rakuen, somewhere in the middle on the left side bracket. They were probably the best performing team amongst the Top 8 last year so got the 5th seed this year as a result.

We also know that last year Sannoh was the champion and Kainan lost to them in the semi finals. And since Aiwa was #4 last year, Kainan must have been #3 as it's impossible to lose to Sannoh in the semis and be any higher than #3. That means the one team remaining (Hakata) must've been #2 last year, after facing Sannoh in the finals but had clearly lost.

With Sannoh out of the way this year, it’s entirely feasible for a strong team that already has the experience of playing deep into the IH tournament to actually win the championship this year. There may have also been sentimental reasons as to why Inoue picked Hakata as the winner - Inoue is a Kyushu native (having been born and bred there) and Hakata is also in Kyushu.

IMO not depicting the eventual champion is a really great approach and is a testament to Inoue's storytelling skills. In the minds of many SD fans, the national champions that year ought to be a team that's more impressive than Sannoh and Shohoku because even with Sannoh out of the way they'll still need to beat plenty of strong teams en route.

How would/should such a team look like? It'll be impossible to convey the power of such a team with just a few manga panels - especially since every SD reader will have their own expectations of what such a team would/should look like.

So Inoue goes for the opposite approach: offer nothing. Without depicting the winning team at all, he preserves the reader's ability to imagine everything and anything they want to about the team. The canvas stays empty, and we have the paint.

[coochiequeens]

If Trans people are upset that a woman was impersonating one of them they do some soul searching and stop doing bad impersonations of women.

Outrage after Goldsmith University academic claimed to be transgender for four years and asked students to call her ‘Mx Tippy Rampage’ before admitting it was a satirical character for a book

EXCLUSIVE: Dawn Mellor invented the non-binary alter-ego Mx Tippy Rampage

Goldsmiths tutor used satirical character on social media for an academic study

An abstract to the study referred to the 'invented persona Mx Tippy Rampage' 

Mellor was blasted by LGBT+ students for treating trans lives as a 'performance'

By ROD ARDEHALI FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 08:18 EST, 7 November 2019 | UPDATED: 05:58 EST, 8 November 2019 

A university academic has sparked outrage after claiming to be transgender and asking students to call her 'Mx Tippy Rampage' before admitting it was a satirical character for a study. 

Dawn Mellor, who was 'the preferred tutor for transgender and non-binary students' at Goldsmiths University in south-east London, inhabited the 'toxic and unpleasant' character online for several years.

Mellor, who demanded the use of gender neutral pronouns, has now been blasted by the LGBTQ+ community for 'treating transgender lives as a... performance piece.'  The furore emerged on Saturday but Mellor, 49, whose art focuses on sexuality and violence, is understood to have been using the alter-ego for up for four years.

In

an email appearing to be from her colleague Professor Michael Archer, students are asked to address Mellor as 'Mx Tippy Rampage' and only use non-binary terms such as they/them/their.

But in an interview, Mellor said the alter-ego was made up and evolved out of her experiences using social media.

'I was very suspicious of social media before I started using these accounts, due to these platforms contributing to the poor mental health of young people.

'Dawn Mellor was the echo-chamber character that emerged, who started as one person, then 'transformed' to Tippy Rampage,' she told Studio International.

Mellor acknowledged the character was unpleasant and misleading, adding: 'I understood it could be distressing and hurtful for others as both characters were extremely irritating.'

She said Mx Tippy Rampage eventually became a collective of 69 other people, but she was branded 'unethical' and 'shameful' when the multiple identities emerged. 

An LGBT+ officer at fellow London university Queen Mary blasted Mellor on Twitter. 

Florence, of QMUL Labour Society, said: 'A lecturer at Goldsmiths has been pretending to be non binary for four years for a f****** book she's been writing... Dawn Mellor you should be ashamed.'

The university officer added: 'Dawn Mellor has been going by "Tippy Rampage", who has presented as non-binary with they/them pronouns for YEARS, and had become the preferred tutor choice for trans/nb students, and it's all turned out to be writing material.'

Another said: 'This is such a disgusting breach of trust and I'm offended and so hurt on behalf of the trans/nb community who must've trusted her.' 

Sarah Kerton said: 'I'm chilled by the disconnect between how its written up and how it's enacted in real life. I've seen a number of dubious practices towards students framed as "artistic practice" at Goldsmiths now.'

Adding in another tweet: 'I don't know them personally - but I've come across them before in knowing of them as a trans academic than trans and queer students had engaged with/trusted with approaching for institutional change etc.'

Another Twitter account said: 'Someone has been PRETENDING TO BE NON-BINARY. What a blow to the actual, real non-binary people.'

Mellor, who is referred to in the 2017 interview as 'her/she', said the reason behind her study was to explore social media as an 'echo chamber'.

She said: 'I began to see how the accounts could become a site of discovery during my own attempts at resistance to this echo chamber.'

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths, University of London said: 'Goldsmiths values its diverse and inclusive community and we take our duty of care to our students and staff very seriously. 

'We are fully committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech within the law.'

[pendragaryen]

Merry christmas, my dear friends, mutuals and followers and all the best wishes for the upcoming new year! 🧡🫶🏻🧡🫶🏻🧡🫶🏻🧡

The last bit of 2022 and the whole of 2023 have not been very kind to my family - and so I'm standing here today, looking back at the past 13 months and finding myself almost back and stuck in the emotional state that I had been in after the separation from my long time boyfriend/life partner in 2009... That was a very dark time. I was trying to live and breathe with a constant black hole in my chest and soul for a couple of years then... I felt so empty and lost. I had a very similar feeling for the span of a couple of months after I had been kicked out of my job in 2017. But nothing, and I mean it, nothing has the rug under my feet pulled away and made me hit rock bottom like the cancer illness of my sister, the death of my grandma and now the fact that my mum is diagnosed with a tumor in her spine, all in the span of just 13 months... Please, we all need some rest in my family so desperately. But now we're all very anxious bc of the surgery my mum has to go through at the 12th of january. It's a difficult surgery. No-one knows for sure at this point what kind of a tumor it is. It causes her legs getting more and more numb and if they don't do anything, the risk of her ending up using a wheelchair rather sooner than later seems very likely. If the tumor should be malignant (please, god, no, NO!) the consequences would be even worse bc it could've spread already... But the fact that the doctors pushed for a fast surgery likely speaks for the possibility that the tumor is benign and seated in just one place... Well you see, this really keeps me busy... We all hope desperately that she will get better after the surgery, and not worse... We have plans! We want to travel together again! To the Netherlands next! Or to Danmark!

Don't get me wrong, there HAD been good things that happened in the last year, not at least the fact that my sister is now considered as cured. We're all so relieved and thankful, I have no words for it! But then... the death of our grandma... and now the tumor and surgery of my mother... I feel like i'm trapped in a constant state of emotional stress, like standing in the dark and screaming into the void with nobody being able to hear me... I can't even begin to imagine how my sister must've felt or how my mum is feeling now. Sometimes I think I'm too empathetic, the way I suffer with and for my beloved ones... that can't be healthy. I'm so tired.

Sorry to bother you with all this. I'm not around here that often anymore. Sadly I have to say I lost joy in many things I once loved or loved to do over the course of the last years. I'm unmotivated most of the time. But now... I have to function, I have to be there for my mum. It'll take half a year at least for her to recover from her surgery (if everything goes well - fingers crossed please!!!) and so I have to be strong - and I WILL be strong! For her! For my family! I hope my sister will support me then... The relationship of her and our mom is a little difficult... Sadly. But she's working on it..

I said I lost the joy in many things I loved once, but one thing I'll never get tired of is, on the rare occasions I visit this site, to read you all at our weekly BFSN, to see the 100 fam still being so creative and devoted, so that our favorite show never really gets forgotten. Thank you so much for that! And please keep tagging me in things! I read you, look at your photos, and I smile, even though I may not answer. This little corner of our fandom is so dear to me, it's almost a little like homecoming when I log in here. A comfort place.

Thank you all for your kind, empathetic, couraging, and motivational words at the last BFSN. I appreciate each and every one of it.

I hope the year has been kind to y'all and that these christmas holidays and the new year will be filled with tons of health, luck and love for you and all of us! Here's to a well deserved rest for us all!

And may we meet again. Here and in words. Maybe one day in person? Who knows?

Always.

Anne

@sunflowerkru: @togetherkru @carrieeve @ninappon @roguetwelve @bellamyblake @jeanie205 @geekyogicheese @natassakar @heartbellamy @okmcintyre @immortalpramheda @igotbellarkeforthat @infp-with-all-the-feelings @isweartobreathe @kizo2703 @travllingbunny @bookwormforalways @lee-em-dee @julibernardo @broashwhat @its-tea-time-darling @delicatebluebirdruins (and each and everyone else I maybe forgot, please excuse me)

[yoongissatinkink]

Okay so i'm looking for a very old GTOP fanfic and I literally don't know where to look (or even what i'm looking for) so i'll just write down what i can remember and hopefully some gtop shipper still active on here will remember reading it.

I remember three scenes but i'm not even sure they're from the same story:

so in this story Jiyong must've been an alcoholic because there's a scene where someone (prob Seunghyun but could be anyone atp) goes to his home and finds his alcohol stash and pours everything down the sink

i think this scene is connected to the previous one so they could be from the same ff. Jiyong has a breakdown due to either alcohol or drugs and i think he breaks something made of glass? and accidentally cuts himself? and he realizes he needs help so he calls youngbae (could be someone else tho maybe his sister) and asks them to get him in rehab

this was definitely a gtop ff because i only read this pairing but at some point there's a sex scene between jiyong and a girl, i think he doesn't want to take her to his house so he uses someone else's apartment but i'm pretty sure there's no cheating and seunghyun and him are temporarily broken up or something

i still don't know if it's the same ff but there's one where at the end they go public. it's definitely canon au, i don't remember if they retire or something, only that they make their relationship public [found this one, it's "the rise and fall" by ruinwyn]

if you could help, if you remember even just the tiniest detail i'll be extremely grateful. i'm going through a gtop phase again and i'm trying to re-read all my favourite fanfics but i read all of them in 2017 on asianfanfics and i didn't save most of them :(

[blorbocedes]

i'd like to know if you could time travel to any f1 race to watch it in person which one would it be?

I would bawl my body weight out if I got to watch Abu Dhabi 2016 live. even with what I know now, and maybe especially so because it's his last race ever

sometimes when I'm going through old f1 blogs from 2016 I wonder what it must've been like in that period being a nico fan when he won the championship and right up to the few days before he announced his retirement. where everybody was talking about 2017 and how he'd be the defending champion 🥹

from here if you wanna join in

[skylarbee]

What really happened between Alex and Miles in 2017? I discovered their story and events that year are often mentioned, I heard about depression about Alex and it's true that he changed a lot (physically too) from this period...

I love your blog ;)

aw thank you so much! <3🥰

tbh i don't read too much about what might've happened between them, it just makes me really depressed lmao. no one really knows, except them, and if you know the main things, then your guess is as good as mine, and i probably won't be saying anything new.

you might know already, but the general idea is that everything seemed to go wrong in the summer of 2018, specifically july, when alex and taylor break up and he gets a new gf. now, i think it's pretty clear that LV and miles don't really... get along/like each other? not sure what the right words would be. there might've been more going on, but i think that miles must've known/found out that alex was cheating, and we all know that miles and taylor were really good friends. so, maybe miles didn't really like what alex had done to taylor, and also didn't like LV? the question is whether they (alex and miles) had a fight about this, did miles call alex out and tell him he's a prick (it's what i would've done), or was there something more going on on top of all this, something between them that had nothing or little to do with any gf. i don't think we'll ever know. there could be a chance that the eycte tour had certain aftermaths that they didn't thing it would have, and maybe they messed around too much and thought that they could get away with it and it wouldn't change anything between them, when in fact it did.

this twitter thread from 2019 sums everything up pretty nicely: them performing 505 together for the last time (where everything seems to be okay still), miles saying that tlsp3 will come "very soon" in september 2018 (which it didn't, so something had to happen - covid, but maybe other things too...), new gf alert (things are wrong), la cigale (thing are very wrong), miles opening for am but not doing 505 with them, them being at the same fashion shows and apparently not meeting up, some of miles' lyrics that he could've written about them from coup de grace, and then them eventually being seen together again finally towards the end of 2019 (things seem to be okay-ish again?), and then in 2020 and 2021. it's in spanish but google translate should do the job: https://x.com/drunkkatemoss/status/1150079970951094272?s=20

if someone knows more though, feel free to tell us. it looks like they weren't on the best of terms for about one year, from july 2018 to september 2019, but again, we don't know. things sure are different than before, but i think their love is still strong, or at least it's what i hope it to be. they're definitely okay compared to a couple of years ago lmao

[batsplat]

Just popping in to tell you how great your work for this (relatively) small fandom is. It must've taken so long to go through all those races make all those pointers and observations and compile a list thank you. If batsplat has no fans then I am no longer in this world etc etc

that's so sweet... honestly the compiling bit didn't take that long; this is all based on notes that have been sitting in a google doc for aeons (a lot of them were a product of the pandemic lol). it's nice to share them for a change, and I'm glad people have enjoyed the write-ups!

anyway, as a bonus feature, here are some race notes that I was tempted to integrate into my summaries but did not make the cut:

welkom 2004

sepang 2010

mugello 2012

catalunya 2014

phillip island 2015

argentina 2016

valencia 2017

assen 2018

brno 2018

misano 2019

thailand 2019

[paintbrushnebula]

I'm researching some stuff about apothecaries and the history of the pharmacy, trying to find inspiration wherever. Chuck Jones always said to just read whatever you can to find ideas for your fiction making and stuff, so I'm just getting in on reading a bunch of history so I can come up with something to write

It's because I've been thinking about what life post-tower must've been like for Rapunzel. She's fresh off the heels of an abusive environment, now finding herself in a completely different place that she's unfamiliar with. She's only had a few hours to vibe with Corona's people, and that was when they didn't know she was the lost princess with magical healing powers. So here she is, having returned to them at last. And I find this idea interesting: what if many of them were kinda... disappointed? I don't know if I've expressed this idea before that I think Corona would really have to prove itself as an actually good environment for Rapunzel to grow in, and I think the answer would really be no, at first. There'll probably be this superficial way that the citizens of Corona all will see her. Imagine if Rapunzel had been sort of deified by the people in those 18 years? Imagine what that kidnapping had looked like to the average citizen? Your king and queen gives birth to a young girl who is now your princess, and oh my goodness! The princess has the power to heal the sick and injured! It's a literal miracle! The kingdom rejoices. Frederic and Arianna probably assume that they're celebrating the Queen's recovery and Rapunzel's birth, but it's more than that for some. They're celebrating their miracle. Plagues and illness and suffering and death will be no more. Then before a single soul can see this healing power, that miracle gets stolen from them. The kingdom is sent into despair. All the sick who were given the hope of being healed are now left to suffer fate's design. Plagues will come and death is here to stay.

In those 18 years, I bet there was a lot of praying for the lost princess to return, but not for her to be reunited with her family safe and sound, but for her to heal them and their own families. That hope for her return builds in the people's hearts, to the point where Rapunzel is now something of a messianic figure rather than a literal abducted child.

So now that miracle finally returns, except... it's not a miracle anymore. It's just a girl. And the kingdom's last hope that once grew from her head was now short and wilted (those aren't my words, I just feel like a particularly disgruntled Coronan would say that about Rapunzel).

Now imagine how that makes Rapunzel feel? That the kingdom shes supposed to call home is pretty much objectifying her similarly to how she's used to? And when you've only known one way of earning love your whole life, you're gonna stick to what you're used to if no one helps you actually learn different. Only now, Rapunzel can't offer herself the same way she did with Gothel, because she doesn't have her hair anymore. Now she has no way to give people what they want.

hnggggggg I gotta write this story someday

where was I? Oh yeah! So the apothecary thing. Yeah I was reading this article by Rachel Ewing for Penn Medicine, https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2017/may/then-and-now-the-healing-power-of-an-urban-garden. One of the lines in the second paragraph says "The plants themselves were therapies to be eaten or brewed into tea." What's being discussed is the history of herbs and plants being used for medicinal purposes, and that line in particular made my jaw drop for a moment because it made me think of Rapunzel, and how her being objectified by people into something of a medicine, or in the context of Tangled; a healing flower, rather than a person, is something she'll have to break past even after she's left Gothel's captivity.

[9w1ft]

In TGW Taylor describes how she navigated what she thought was a betrayal from her lover and how they found their way back to each other. Since you said you don't really believe they broke up back then, how do you view this song? I kinda think there must've been a conflict where Taylor thought K betrayed her with something to write it, even if it wasn't the masters.

i guess in a word i listen to it as taylor reflecting on a period of time spanning the 2016 election up until either 2020 or early 2021 when biden took office. i think that during this period of time where they had torn their banners down—the love blackout— the fog of war (the haze) preyed on taylor’s worst tendencies for paranoia and, hurt people hurt people.

i think the masters is so recent in the minds of the community at large, and a lot of people tend to forget Afterglow and how we have the line “put you in jail for something you didn’t do” on a song from the album Lover. so we have i-thought-you-betrayed-me-but-i-was-wrong-im-sorry theming before the masters sale ever occured. and taylor is very forthcoming, i think, with the anti-hero music video, where she admits that she has conditioned herself to be untrusting of everyone. in other words, we know there’s been conflict already, that taylor is aware of this part of her, and she is remorseful.

i also think that regardless of what the great war is about, it can still carry the utility of guiding swifties or gaylors to an understanding that taylor incorrectly vilified karlie in 2017 and again after the masters were sold and that she recognizes her bad behavior, and she feels bad about her actions (and hopefully it might have served as a point of reflection for her fans)

i also think that, like she described in her explanation of hoax on lpss, it’s possible she felt betrayed by and angered by several people for something or some related things and she was having a hard time pinning down her feelings of hurt and which belonged to who for what.

what i do know is that the song depicts (to me) a specific group of situations circumstances miscommunications and i …find parallels in the song to so many songs related to this group of meaning, and so i’ve just been letting the haze surrounding the correct interpretation recede of its own accord without fretting the details so so much, and just enjoying the connections that i find to similar songs.

[tananansad]

my favourite dusun puns from last week

1. Iso-pod (by yours truly)

If one isopod is iso-pod, then many would be ogumu-pod!

the joke is that iso is one in dusun and ogumu is the adjective for many. yes that's literally it my humor is pretty lowbrow if you can't tell

2. Dogo do sada (by mom)

ok this one is basically a pun on the confiteor in kadazan and at one part it goes like this:

dogo do hasa (through my fault) dogo do hasa (through my fault) dogo do hasa tagazo (through my most grievous fault)

but literally it just means "my fault, my fault, my big fault" (weirdly enough my 2017 missal has a different version that matches the english (and latin) better but that's besides the point). additionally in her dialect it would've been rendered as "doho do sala... tagayo" so she must've converted hasa in particular mentally for the pun to work

so one day in the maternal extended family group chat some of her siblings posted pics of the fishes they caught and in an attempt to claim one as hers she sent

dogo do sada, dogo do sada, dogo do sada tagazo... 🙏

ie. "my fish, my fish, my big fish." and i really thought that was the funniest she's been for as long as i've known her