#all this for 36 bucks wow

[rand0mfangurlstuff]

I'll Look After You - Part 6 - Bucky & Y/N

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read this, it means so much to me. As always every like, comment, feedback etc is always appreciated x

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

It was but a mere 36 hours till their date and Bucky was still fucked. Nothing he came up with seemed good enough. He could take her to dinner sure, but somehow that didn't seem to be enough? Other options weren't thrilling him either.

'How about a picnic? Girls like picnics.' offered Curt.

'A picnic? Wouldn't a fancy restaurant be better than sitting on the ground?' Bucky wasn't sure how Y/N would feel about that.

'A picnic sounds nice. Theres a nice park in town, got a little pond with ducks in it.' Gale gave him his usual 'it will be fine' smile. 'Just make her feel special.' he then offered.

But how on earth was Bucky to show her just how special she was? Nothing seemed good enough. But he was running out of time. A picnic would have to do. 'Okay, a picnic. Got any idea what you bring to a picnic?'

After Gale kindly helped him assemble the required necessities for his picnic; a blanket and some cushions, a basket, some sandwiches and some cupcakes he had begged the chefs in the mess hall for, and a bottle of wine he wasnt sure how Curt got a hold of, Bucky felt a little more at ease about his date. He had done this countless times. Take a pretty girl out on the town, show her a good time. But this felt different. He felt like a schoolboy again. When he arrived at the door of Y/Ns living quarters, it took him almost a full five minutes to knock on the door. When he did, she answered almost immediatly. Wow. She's so beautiful. He already knew she was beautiful of course, but something about seeing her outside of the infirmary, seeing the sunlight hit her face, she was an angel. He handed her the flowers he had picked for her. 'Hi. You look, wow you look pretty.' I'm such an idiot. He thought. She laughed, 'Why thank you. You look pretty good yourself. I'll put these in some water and then we can go.' she turned back into her quarters. Bucky was glad of the few moments alone to compose himself. Get it together Major.

When she returned, he offered her the crook of his elbow and escorted her to his jeep. 'Are you going to tell me where we're going? I wasnt sure what to wear. Am I dressed appropriately?'

'It's a suprise. You look magnificent and yes your choice of clothing is wonderful.' He gave her a wink as he started the jeep and drove them to the town park.

Once they had parked the jeep it was only a short walk to the pond in the centre of the park. It was Summer-time, the air was warm, sun shining in the sky. It was one of the few days in England that would honestly say the weather was perfect. Bucky layed down the blanket and cushions and got his supplies from the basket. 'I hope this is okay, i wasnt sure but Buck said-' 'This is wonderful.' she smiled. 'I've never been on a picnic before.'

Bucky couldn't help the words that came out next. 'Well, I am truly honoured to pop your picnic cherry.' He said with a wink.

The laughter that errupted from Y/N was enormous. Her whole body shook with the force of it. 'Oh wow. Major Egan, You really know how to make a lady blush.' 'That's not all I know how to do.' another mischievous wink. Y/N laughed again. Bucky's mood quickly turned sour when he opened his picnic basket. The wine was now warm, and the cupcakes had gotten tossed around and were smushed. 'Fuck.' Bucky muttered under his breath. 'What'a wrong?' 'The food, it's all smushed. I'm sorry Y/N-' She peered into the basket while cutting him off. 'The sandwiches are fine. And those cupcakes still look pretty edible to me.' She opened the wine and poured it into the glasses Bucky brought, passing one to him and taking a sip. 'Tastes lovely.'

Some time had passed as they sat talking, eating sandwiches and cupcakes and drinking warm wine. While it wasnt the best meal Bucky had ever had, he quickly realised he would gladly eat Meatballs food if she was sitting next to him. They talked about life before the war, their hometowns, things they enjoy. It was wonderful. The sun was starting to set, giving everything a beautiful golden glow. She looked even more like an angel from heaven. He was drawn to her, he felt himself move closer and closer. She had stopped talking to him, instead looking from his eyes to his lips. She wants me to kiss her. He slowly inched his face closer to hers when suddenly *drip*. A drop of rain right on the tip of his nose. He chose to ignore it, moving even closer to the pair of beautiful soft lips infront of him.

The skys opened. It rained harder than Bucky had ever seen before. He had forgotten how unpredictible the English weather could be. 'Fuck!' he yelled as they both jumped up from the ground and started throwing things back into the basket. There was a small pub just across the street from the park. 'This way!' Bucky yelled while grabbing her hand, the two running for cover.

They entered the small pub, soaking from head to toe. Y/N's hear now clung to her in soaking wet tendrils, her eye makeup sliding down her face. Yet somehow, she was still smiling up at him. He spotted a lit fireplace in the corner. 'Come here Y/N, I'm so sorry! You're soaked you're going to catch a cold.' 'Bucky I'm fine its just a little rain.' 'No no, sit here, close to the fire.' At that moment an elderly woman, presumably someone who worked in the pub, Came to them with two towels. 'These should help.' Bucky quickly wrapped a towel around Y/N. 'Yes! Thank you, can we get a drink too? Whiskey? Hot whiskey! Thats good for colds right? Oh god I'm sorry Y/N I -' 'Bucky! Calm down!' She cut him off. It was the most stern he had ever heard her. 'We will take two hot whiskeys please, with honey and sugar. Bucky sit down and dry yourself off.' Bucky did as he was told and the barwoman left to go make their drinks.

'Last I checked you don't control the weather, so why are you appologizing?' Bucky couldnt even look at her, instead looking into the warm flames of the fire. 'This date. I wanted it to be perfect for you, but it has quite literally been a washout.' She placed her hand on his chin, turning him to look at her. His expression was that of an abandoned puppy. She almost laughed, but knew that would be cruel. 'I'm sorry you haven't been enjoying our date, I thought it was lovely.' 'You did? But the rain and the food it-' 'It was all wonderful. Yes the wine was warm, but it still tasted nice, and the cupcakes were a little smushed but they just become smushed in your mouth when you eat them anyway. The sandwiches were lovely. And now look at us. Were in this lovely little pub, sitting by the fire, and by the looks of it a band is going to be starting soon.' Bucky looked behind him to were some men were setting up instruments. 'I cant think of a better way to end the evening, can you?' She truly is the most wonderful woman. What did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as her? 'You're right doll, this is perfect.'

Several hot whiskeys later and Y/N and Bucky were more than a little tipsy. The band was playing and many of the pub patrons were dancing on the makeshift dancefloor. 'Come on doll, how about a dance?' Bucky said as he pulled Y/N to the dancefloor. 'I'm not much of a dancer Major.' 'It's okay, neither am I.' He spun her around and they danced like nobody was watching, often bumping into other dancers near by. But neither one cared. They laughed and laughed as they tripped over each others feet, holding eachother closer to steady themselves. Y/N realised this was the most fun she had had with anyone in a long time, maybe even ever.

They danced until they were physically kicked out of the pub. They walked hand in hand, swaying side to side, laughing and giggling the whole way back to Thorpp Abbotts. When they reached Y/N quarters, both suddenly felt sad. Neither one of them wanted the night to end. Y/N turned to Bucky, her back against the door. 'Bucky, thank you. I had the most wonderful time today.' 'The pleasure was all mine doll.' They looked into eachothers eyes, the moonlight illuminating their faces. Bucky wanted so badly to bend down and kiss her. But he was worried the moment had passed. He didnt want her to presume he expected anything of her. Although he would take anything and everything she had to offer him. He was broken out of his thoughts by her voice. 'Bucky?' 'Yeah doll?' 'Can you please stop thinking about kissing me and actually do it?' He had never fulfilled a request faster.

[muskmelon-enjoyer-199x]

found my old douk-douk from many years ago! that carbon steel is looking a little rough. gonna give him a little TLC.

when I bought him, these were like 25 bucks. Now they're 36 bucks.

ramble under the cut

Douk-Douks have an interesting history. A French dude named Gaspard Cognet wanted to capture the pocket knife market in the French Pacific colonies (specifically in Melanesia). He needed a marketing draw that would boost brand recognition and catch local eyes, though. This was in 1929, so he went to the library and found this in an illustrated dictionary:

...and he was like "wow, this is a thing from an island in Melanesia so obviously all of Melanesia will love my knife if I put it on there. It must be important if it's one of the only Melanesian things in the dictionary, right? Even though my target market is mainly in New Caledonia, im sure they will will all recognize this niche figure from one culture from one peninsula on one island on the opposite end of Melanesia and that this isn't going to come off weird or cause misunderstandings--"

except he totally didn't say that. The dictionary probably just said "fierce melanesian spirit thing" and had a cool drawing, and that was good enough for Gaspard. He was, after all, a white guy trying to market products to black people he had never met who lived as his country's colonial subjects on the other side of the planet. I doubt he considered the differences in their respective experiences and cultures at all. If he did, he probably would've made some different choices.

Anyways, the product flopped. It did, however, succeed in French possessions in Africa. People seemed to like them as work knives, and apparently they were sharpened into razors as well.

One promotional photo shows hunters from an unspecified "pygmy" culture kneeling around a bongo carcass with knives and a sign reading "The Douk-Douk Among the Pygmies." Most of the men look a bit disinterested. They are all wearing the same shorts and t-shirts, and the knives are shiny and new. It's honestly a very strange and contrived picture. There's a lot going on here.

During the Algerian War of Independence, the FLN supposedly would hammer the lips of the handles together to convert them into fixed-blade knives. Some French guys online say that they would cut informers' noses off and stabbed soldiers in the Casbah with them. I'm sure the war was brutal, but I don't know if this story about the douk-douks is actually true. It gets repeated a lot online (especially by sellers), but the only actual source I can find is an untranslated memoir by a French guy.

(The title of this memoir is "Il était une fois mon Algérie à moi: Biographie," which translates to "Once Upon a Time There Was My Own Algeria: A Biography." It seems to be self-published. We are clearly dealing with some reliable stuff here!)

This is a consumer product that was made to sell to lower-income people in overseas colonies. How do you even tell where the history ends and the marketing and weird colonial mythology begin? I don't know what is really true except that people bought it and used it. I wonder if there are things written about it in languages I can't read or even struggle through. That would be the really interesting stuff!

It's a neat little knife, regardless.

[kitteneddiediaz]

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

WOW ANON 36 SENTENCES FOR KITTY EDDIE!!!!! MWAH! Just for you <3

‘Yeah. All good.’ Eddie responds. And then, ‘My collar came in the mail. I opened the package. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what it was before I tore it open.’

The little grey 3-dotted text bubble of Buck’s response appears, disappears, appears again, and disappears once more as Eddie watches him type out a reply in real time. Finally, ‘Okay. Thank you for telling me. Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. We can chat about rules tonight if you want or later this week if it’s easier. For now, I want you to place it on top of the box we keep mine in until yours gets its own special box. You have permission to touch it, but not to put it on.’

Eddie breathes a little easier as he registers Buck’s text. The clear instructions and guidelines giving him a bit of peace of mind. ‘Okay. Thank you. And yeah, let’s figure everything out tonight. I don’t want to wait.’

‘Of course.’ Buck replies. ‘Good boy. For telling me. I’ll be home later. I love and miss you!’

Eddie chuckles to himself, heart bursting from Buck’s ability to soothe Eddie’s anxiety and somehow be dorky at the same time. He slides his phone back into his pocket after sending Buck a few hearts back, but, there is a little sliver of nervousness that returns when he looks back down towards the dining table. He has permission - instructions, in fact - to pick up his collar, to touch it. But, it’s still nerve-wracking. He leather is soft and supple under his hands, and Eddie is suddenly struck with the thought of what it’s going to feel like around his neck. Fuck he wants to put it on. He won’t - he knows he won’t. He won’t take that away from Buck, being the first person to buckle the collar around the back of Eddie’s neck. If he closes his eyes, he can practically feel it. The leather sliding over the sensitive skin of his neck, Buck’s fingers gliding over the back of his neck as he buckles the clasp, hands coming forward to slide his finger into the o-ring at the front, using it to tilt Eddie’s head up to look up at him.

[lemotmo]

20 Questions for fic writers

Tagged by @warpedpuppeteer. Thank you for the tag and the challenge! :)

1-How many works do you have on ao3?

- 36 works in total. 6 for my current fav ship: Buddie

2-What’s your total Ao3 word count?

- 332,354 words written.

3-What fandoms do you write for?

These days only for 911, Buddie fics. But I used to write for SGA (McShep), Without a Trace (Danny/Martin) and The West Wing (Josh/Donna).

4-Top 5 fics by kudos?

All of them Buddie fics! :)

Three years (180 kudos)

Too Little Too Late (226 kudos)

To Boldly Go (256 kudos)

The Comfort of a Home (408 kudos)

Stuck (on you) (885 kudos)

5-Do you respond to comments?

I do, but sometimes it takes a long time to get to them. I have so little time in my daily life that it's a struggle to find time to reply. But I do get to them... in time. So be patient please if you are someone who has commented and you haven't heard back from me yet. Know that I appreciate each and every comment. I read them, but I just don't always have time to reply on the spot.

6-What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oooh, well there's four fics that come to mind here:

You Only Disappear (Without a Trace, Danny/Martin)

It ('Without a Trace' set in the 'Stargate Atlantis' universe, Danny/Martin, TW body horror)

Experiment (Stargate Atlantis, McShep, TW murder/suicide)

Buck is Here (911, Buddie, TW MCD)

7-What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Well, I have a lot of fics that end happy, but three fics come to mind here:

The Road to Nowhere (Stargate Atlantis, McShep, Cowboy AU)

The Sound of Science (Stargate Atlantis, McShep, The Sound of Music AU)

To Boldly Go (911, Buddie, Star Trek AU)

8-Do you get hate on your fics?

Not so far no. Never had any hate.

9-Do you write smut?

Well, yeah if the story asks for it. But only when it fits the narrative. I don't go into too much details though. I like to keep things 'light' and 'fluffy'. :D

10-Craziest crossover?

Well, I would say:

The Sound of Science: a fusion between 'Stargate Atlantis' and 'The Sound of Music'. XD LOL!

To Boldly Go: a fusion between 911 and Star Trek. Basically it's a Buddie story set in the Star Trek universe, but Star Trek characters don't really show up.

11-Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know off. I don't know if my writing is good enough to steal though. It's important to stay humble. :D

12-Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13-Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, when I was in 'The West Wing' fandom (in the beginning of the 2000's) I wrote about three longer Josh/Donna fics together with a fandom friend. I have lost contact with her since, but I will never forget about her.

14-All time favorite ship?

Oh wow, it's very hard to pick one, because all of my ships hold a special place in my heart.

Josh/Donna from 'The West Wing' was my first online ship. I made fanart, wrote fanfic, met great people. In those days fandom was mostly found on the Yahoo-groups. They eventually went canon in season 7, but I had moved on from the show by then because of how bad the writing got in later seasons. So, I missed the big reveal as they went canon. I'll never not regret it.

Danny/Martin from 'Without a Trace' was a magical ship. My second online ship. I met so many great fellow fans and friends back then. We even met up in Rome and London with a whole bunch of us. Great times on LiveJournal as well.

McShep from 'Stargate Atlantis' was my most prolific ship. I wrote so much fic and made oodles of fanart for those men. Those were the heydays of LiveJournal fandom.

Buddie in '911' is so special to me. I've been in this fandom since season 1, online since season 2. I have met so many great people in this fandom. The best thing of all is that this is the first ship that actually has a great chance of going canon, while I'm still actively watching and enjoying the show. YAY!

15-What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have this dystopian Without a Trace fic half written in my documents. It has been sitting there for years now. It has the possibility of being so great, but I don't have the will to finish it anymore, because the fandom is mostly non-existant these days. Maybe I'll turn it into an original work of fiction one day. Who knows?

16-What are your writing strengths?

Writing dialogue. I actually hear the characters talking in my head. I just write down what they are saying and it always works out.

17-What are your writing weaknesses?

Finding the time to write! But mostly the grammar, especially the tenses. As a non-native speaker it is a struggle to keep on writing in the correct tense and it's very difficult sometimes to know when to switich to another tense if it's appropriate. It's highly frustrating. I reread and edit my stories up to 10 times sometimes to catch all the grammatical errors. And even then there are still a few that I miss.

18-Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

For some reason I can't read/write non-English fics. I hate fics in my own language. Since the shows I love are English speaking shows, I need to read/write English fics.

19-First fandom you wrote in?

The West Wing.

20-Favorite fic you’ve written?

That's a hard question, because they are all my babies. I can definitely see that my writing has improved over the years though. So I tend to like my last works better than my first works, even when I do still appreciate them for what they are.

I guess the fic I'm most proud of writing is 'To Boldly Go'. It took blood, sweat and a lot of tears, but I got through all 16 chapters in the end. It took a couple of years to finish though. :D

Tagging: I'm not tagging anyone in particular. Anyone who sees this, feel free to do it for yourself. Tag me so that I can read it. 🫶🏽

[wytfut]

Scooter Cannonball

Most of you reading along most likely know about this upcoming event, but I have an “urge” to write a bit about it.

A week from tomorrow (june 15, 2023), I leave for a once in a lifetime adventure, that this old blue hair is going to totally enjoy.

The Scooter Cannonball.  Here’s their website scootercannonball.com  .. 

Its a coast to coast event, starting in San Clemente California, and ends at Hilton Head North Carolina.... 7 days later. I know I’ve probably told some of you the wrong dates, but thats just me... I can’t remember dates/numbers for the life of me. My personal hell. 

This event is a race against the clock. With several classes of “scooters” competing. 

The classes are broke down to engine size, vingtage, etc. Some scooter are known historically to well in this event, while others not so good. 

I got asked into this hilarious idea by good friend Dennis Bennett in Huron South Dakota (a Excelsior Henderson Pal).

He witness last year the scooter cannonball up close, as the event went thru and stopped for the night in Huron. 

Dennis, Ken Bretz (the 3rd member of our team), and myself are all Excelsior Henderson buddies that make big efforts to attend the “ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE CANNONBALL” when its within reasonable distance every 2 years that it runs.   motorcyclecannonball.com

Our last one we attended was September of 2020 in Sturgis.  Being we live in mostly the midwest, when the antique cannonball runs east to west, they have a “day of rest”, where they stop for 36 hours to work on their motorcycles, and take a break. This “day of rest” is always the midway point (midwest). This creates the most opportune time for us to show up and get to see all of the “action”.   The teams are generally very friendly and don’t mind answering questions, etc. 

With us attending the antique cannonball, we all 3 had envisioned “someday” we’d be able to be part of this event. Each time we attended, it was becoming more and more clear,.... “someday” wasn’t going to happen. These folks have really deep pockets. Have huge backgrounds in restoration of these bikes, and although very friendly, don’t really care about folks like us. Other than we have the Excelsior Henderson sickness, we have no notoriety to antique motorcyles. No matter how much we love them.

Once the scooter cannonball came into town of Huron.... Dennis  noticed immediately the family feel of the competitors. Much like the antique cannonball, AND us Excelsior Henderson owners.   Needless to say..... Dennis was hooked.

He emailed me how much fun he had that short night, and meeting everyone. I stated that if he were to create a team, I’d be part of it. Within a day or 2, ... “you are now on the team”...    Then Ken also got on board.     All of this to me was tongue in cheek, but I was truly interested, and Dennis was serious. 

Dennis presented to me, that he did not need a pit crew/team/help. As a large portion of the competitors do not have any back up other than the event chase vehicle.  There are teams with chase vehicles, but most do not. His point was, I’m going whether anyone else comes along or not.

He also stated that he was going to put the whole trip on a credit card (well it is once in a life time). With Dennis having the rooms already paid for, all we had to do was pay for our food. 

This was wonderful, but I got to thinking that He didn’t need a huge credit card bill. We figured it was going to cost between $6500-$9000, no including scooter purchase. This bothered me....

Thus the gofundme page. Gofundme.com   search Bruce Whitefoot or Dennis Bennett, or “low buck scooter cannonball team” or team fat Jesus. If you want to help with the money. Sales pitch: $15 free sticker. $30 free tshirt and sticker. Be sure to leave your information (address and size) in the “notes”. 

I started that, without Dennis knowledge initially. And its been a blessing. We haven’t hit our lofty goal, but wow the response has been very humbling. 

Dennis got a hold of his local promotional shop, and has created our Tshirts and Stickers.  If you haven’t seen them.... they are pretty cool.

As grumpy and disappointed as I get with us humans....   this has been a crazy ride. I’ll be honest, I have asked friends for donations, which can be very awkward. I try hard with no pressure. But folks that I have not made the “sell” with... are tossing some very generous amounts our way. 

SO HUMBLING..... WOW. Reminds me of when our house burned. 

Yup.. I’m excited. We will be seeing large portions of the country I’ve never seen. 

Rules state that we can follow along right behind Dennis with the chase vehicle. But we don’t feel that it would be practical. The route (mostly a secret daily) will be out of the way. Dennis will be wearing a transponder, so we’ll know exactly where he is. Plus this years entrances has been the highest number yet. Over 300. And I’ve heard rumor that the entire trip there will be roughly 150 miles of dirt roads. 

We will most likely follow AFTER the last scooter leaves the daily starting point. And then mosey along to the next hotel, roughly 250-370 mile daily. 

We’ve had a ton of requests for daily reports. Dennis and I think his facebook page maybe the answer. But a lot of folks don’t know Dennis but know me or Ken. I’m thinking I may do a daily report here on tumblr. They will be simple with maybe something noted that was exciting that day. Been also contemplating maybe using my youtube channel for dailys instead. Youtube though isn’t exactly convenient to use... really time consuming. Maybe do a live launch on yourtube?? just thought of that idea. 

I’ll be honest, this will be a huge learning curve. We don’t know if we will be extremely busy late into the night, or taking long afternoon naps. We just don’t know. Will our scoot break blow up 5 miles out on the very first day.... or blow up 5 miles from the finish line. 

I think I’m a pretty good wrench with no training, but working on scooters is a brand new world for me. Dennis did give me a good look when it was here. Looks very simple. Will be some getting used to metric wrenches again.

Dennis made a maiden voyage to my house a few weeks ago (344 miles one way) with no real issues, and back home the next day. That crazy machine will do 79/mph, but feels really good at 60. At the whopping HP of 19. Its a single with DOHC, carbureted, and snow mobile drive (vary ratio pulley). 

Our scoot if you want to google it....   its a 1984 Honda Helix with 20000 miles on it. Not real pretty, but has some great bones. Runs like a top. When Dennis pulled in at my place, I thought he was coasting in.... but it was running, so quiet.  For those questioning Dennis purchase.... historically with the cannonball, Helix’s have done very well.

Just in simple conversation, EVERY SINGLE TIME, laughter and smiles break out. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

I keep laughing to myself, wondering what I got myself into. Gonna be a cool notch in my life experiences. 

Wish us luck!! Don’t worry about the fun, that’s a promise to happen. 

[the-rewatch-rewind]

New episode! Script below the break.

Hello and welcome back to the Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most rewatched movies. Today I will be discussing #36 on my list: Disney’s 2013 animated musical Frozen, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, written by Jennifer Lee, from a story by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Shane Morris inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen”, and featuring the voice talents of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana.

Frozen is the story of two royal sisters. The older, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), has ice powers that she doesn’t know how to control. As a child, she accidentally injured her younger sister, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), who was healed by trolls but has no memory of Elsa’s powers. On Elsa’s coronation day, the palace gates are opened for the first time in years, and Anna meets Prince Hans of the Southern Isles (Santino Fontana) and is immediately smitten. But asking for Elsa’s blessing of their marriage leads to a fight that causes Elsa to unintentionally unleash her powers. Terrified, Elsa runs away, leaving the whole kingdom frozen. Anna goes after her and teams up with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer Sven, and a magical snowman created by Elsa named Olaf (Josh Gad) to bring back summer, and her sister.

I remember seeing teasers for this movie that made it look like it was about a snowman and a reindeer chasing each other around an ice rink, which seemed very boring. But my sister and I decided to give it a chance and see it in theaters. It had only been out for a couple of days, so we had vaguely heard that people seemed to be liking it, but we still didn’t really know what it was about, let alone how popular it would become. And I know I’m about 10 years too late with this advice, but I highly recommend experiencing Frozen for the first time in a crowded theater, before the hype, with no expectations, next to your sister with whom you have a close relationship. Truly one of my top 5 best cinematic experiences ever. I think I probably would still love this movie even if I’d been introduced to it in a less powerful way, but that first viewing has certainly impacted the way I feel about the movie to this day.

I still remember exactly how I felt when I heard and saw Let It Go for the first time. The song started and it was like, yes, good, an Idina Menzel number, I love Wicked, I’m here for this. And then that first “The cold never bothered me anyway” when she throws off her cloak gave me chills. My brain went, “Oh wow. This isn’t just a song, it’s a FEELING.” And it just. kept. escalating. as Elsa’s confidence grew and she could finally be herself for the very first time. By the end of the number, I was either in tears or too overwhelmed with emotion to even cry, I can’t remember which. Some kid a few rows behind us murmured, “Wow, she’s…way prettier than I thought.” And maybe I was just projecting the way I felt, but to me it sounded like the kid was really saying, “Something needs to be said here, but I can’t find the words.” It’s not that I’d never been moved by a musical number before, but this took it to the next level. And all of this is almost embarrassing for me to admit now, because Let It Go then became one of the most overplayed songs of all time and everyone got sick of it, but listen. It was overplayed for a reason. It’s an epic song, and Idina Menzel frickin kills it. I still stand by this.

Looking back on my other thoughts as I watched Frozen unfold for the first time shows me just how much amatonormativity – the idea that everyone wants and needs a long-term monogamous romantic partner – had affected me. I still thought I was straight, although my standard justification of “I’m not into dating yet but I’m sure I will be when I’m older” was feeling less and less valid, as I was then 23 years old. Anyway, I distinctly remember, during Love Is an Open Door, which is the song that Hans and Anna sing to each other soon after they meet, that my sister and I turned to each other and whispered, “I ship it.” And then Kristoff got thrown into the story, and I was conflicted, because I really liked Anna with him, too. I started thinking maybe Elsa would end up with Hans. And then Elsa wounded Anna’s heart with her ice, which only an act of true love could heal, and it did not even occur to me that that could be anything other than a romantic kiss. I thought Kristoff would bring her back to Hans, she would kiss him but it wouldn’t do anything, and that’s when she’d realize her true love was actually Kristoff. But while I was expecting things to not work out between Anna and Hans, I was NOT expecting Hans to be cruel, so his “Oh Anna, if only there was someone out there who loved you” was shocking and devastating. I thought the scene when Olaf rescues her and explains that “some people are worth melting for” was beautiful – the snowman was far less obnoxious than I’d been anticipating – but even then it never occurred to me that Anna would be cured by anything other than kissing Kristoff. And then. Fighting the blizzard and the ice spreading through her body, almost reunited with her romantic true love, Anna sees Hans draw a sword against Elsa. I’m sure if I’d been able to think clearly in that moment, I would have finally figured out what was coming, but all I could do was gape at the screen as Anna changed course and saved her sister instead. And with hindsight, duh, that was the act of true love, but for a second or two I legitimately thought she was now permanently frozen. And, like, here’s the thing. I’ve loved Disney movies as long as I can remember, so I’m not trying to insult them. But the studio that made Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and Enchanted had so thoroughly convinced me that when you need love to break a spell, it must be romantic and almost always involves a kiss, that I couldn’t even imagine that a Disney film would ever treat saving a family member’s life as powerful enough for that. But Frozen did. Frozen went there. While I was sitting next to my wonderful sister, one of the most important people to me, this movie showed me that it’s okay for sisterly love to be the most powerful thing in your life. So at that point I definitely cried.

As far back as I can remember, the overemphasis on romance in movies has bothered me, but until then I thought I just had to accept it. Falling in romantic love was a universal human experience, so everyone said; naturally people wanted to tell stories about it. Obviously I’d seen movies, even Disney movies like Mary Poppins and Emperor’s New Groove, that didn’t have love stories before. But a Disney PRINCESS movie, that HAD romantic love, but showed a character actively CHOOSING a non-romantic loved one over a romantic one, and saving herself in the process??? That was mind-blowing. Even though I didn’t know I was aroace at the time, I knew I loved that message. So as my sister and I left the theater, we could not praise this movie enough, and for weeks and months afterward, I couldn’t get this story out of my head, and I didn’t want to. I saw it two more times in theaters, for a total of 3 views in 2013, and then bought the DVD as soon as it was released. The following Halloween I dressed as Elsa, along with thousands of girls 15 to 20 years younger than me. I ended up watching Frozen eight times in 2014. But then…I stopped watching it for a while.

Part of that was just because watching a movie 11 times in a little over a year is a lot, even for me, so I needed a break. But another part of it was people started really hating on this movie, and it got to me. Some of the criticism was legitimate – like, no, we really didn’t need another animated musical about white royalty, and yes, there are several plot holes – but a lot of it boiled down to: this thing is overwhelmingly popular and therefore it’s cool and edgy to say it’s bad. But I bought it. I felt embarrassed by my initial enthusiasm. I was way too old to be obsessing over a movie like this the way I had done in my early teens. Normally I don’t have much trouble loving the movies I love unapologetically, but normally the movies I love are old or obscure enough that the internet isn’t filled with hot takes about why it’s bad to love them. I still enjoyed listening to the songs, and I still defended it when I heard it disparaged in person, but after my 8 viewings in 2014 I didn’t watch Frozen again until 2019. And I only watched it then because Frozen II was coming out and I wanted to refresh myself on the first one before I saw the sequel. I was kind of expecting that viewing to convince me once and for all that I had gotten over it, but I had the complete opposite experience. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of that rewatch. I was reminded that I really do genuinely love and enjoy this movie, and I wished I hadn’t let the haters convince me otherwise. So I watched it once each in 2020, 2021, and 2022, which was partly because of the Disney watching project I did with my brother – we watched through all the animated Disney movies in order in 2020, and then we re-watched the ones we’d ranked in the top 10 in 2022 – yes, we decided Frozen is a top 10 Disney animated film, and no I will not apologize for that.

I think a big reason why I let myself get temporarily talked out of loving Frozen is because I couldn’t articulate what I really loved about it at the time, so I thought that meant I didn’t actually love it. But now that I know I’m aroace, it makes perfect sense. As I mentioned before, even at the time, I knew that seeing a character choose familial love over romantic love in a matter of life and death meant a lot to me, though I didn’t know the extent of it. And I related to Elsa and Let It Go spoke to me, but it took me a long time to recognize the extent of that too. As someone who has struggled with depression, I initially saw Elsa’s self-imposed isolation to try to protect people that ended up hurting them as an allegory for that disease, which I still think it is to a certain extent. Depression dulls all emotions and tricks one’s brain into thinking others would be better off without them, and that describes some of what Elsa is going through. But there’s also the aspect of hiding a part of herself that she knew she wouldn’t be accepted for, and finally breaking away from that to live as her true self, that a lot of LGBTQIA+ people relate to, which I didn’t recognize in myself at the time – and now I wonder if another reason I stepped away from the movie for a while was a subconscious fear of facing my own queerness. I know a lot of people see Elsa as a lesbian, which seemed to be confirmed by a couple of brief moments in Frozen II. While I would argue that it’s not quite canon yet, I wouldn’t mind if Frozen III makes it so – provided the story of Frozen III actually makes sense, unlike whatever the heck Frozen II is supposed to be about. What I’m trying to say is I don’t want to dismiss the Elsa is a lesbian theory, but to me she feels very aroace. She doesn’t seem at all interested in finding a partner, she just wants to hang out in her mountain ice palace by herself, which sounds pretty awesome even though I still don’t understand how she was going to be able to feed herself up there. Also, at the end of the first movie, she seems very surprised to learn that she has the capacity to thaw what she’s frozen by allowing herself to feel love. Elsa has been suppressing all of her emotions because she knows that her ice powers are harder to control when she feels things, which is again similar to depression. But seeing this through an aroace lens of constantly feeling like you’re incapable of the “correct” kind of love, I could see an aroace Elsa being aware of love as a thawing force, but thinking it had to be romantic love and that she was therefore doomed. So seeing Anna using their sisterly love to heal her frozen heart showed Elsa that the type of love she could feel was powerful enough, and that was all she needed to bring back summer. Like most of my aroace headcanons, I’m pretty sure this wasn’t quite what the filmmakers actually intended, but it works and it’s beautiful.

 Whether Elsa is intentional queer representation or not, even the straight romantic relationship in Frozen is unusual for a Disney movie. Anna and Kristoff’s rocky start leading to eventual feelings is nothing new, of course, but the way they leave it (at least at the end of the first movie, which I like to pretend is the end of the story because, again, the sequel makes no sense) is very sweet. They’re not officially dating, let alone engaged or married, but Anna presents Kristoff with a new sled, and he’s so excited that he exclaims, “I could kiss you!” And then he backs off and asks her permission and they only kiss after they both agree that they want to. This may not seem like much, but in a culture that tends to romanticize spontaneity and persistent pursuit at the expense of consent, especially in fairytales, it’s so wonderful to see asking for consent encouraged in such an adorable way here.

I think a big part of what makes Frozen work is that it’s all about subverting expectations. Before the movie came out, they set expectations that the snowman and the reindeer would be annoying, and then Olaf and Sven both turned out to be sweet and genuinely funny. Then at the beginning it makes you think it’s going to be a typical fairytale romance, but it turns out the prince is the actual villain. Plot twist villains are pretty common in this Disney era, and I’m not sure even I would consider Hans the best instance of that trope, but I do love the way the Duke of Weselton is established as a decoy villain, and that he’s voiced by Alan Tudyk, who had just voiced the plot twist villain in Wreck-It Ralph. At first I felt like the Hans reveal was a little too out of nowhere, but there are a few delightfully subtle clues that I completely missed initially, like how he sings about “finding his own place” when he’s pretending to be singing about Anna, or how he’s clearly calculating a way to incapacitate Elsa while making it look like he’s saving her. I would have liked a few more clues, but I also think it’s good to portray that red flags can be hard to spot. And then on top of that there’s the unexpected challenge to the amatonormative idea that romance is the most important and powerful form of love. It was all so completely different from what I was expecting, in the best possible way.

Clearly this movie appeals to people who are not aroace, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the most popular children’s movie of the decade is so focused on platonic love. A lot more kids can relate to familial love than to romantic love. And Frozen proves that you don’t have to eliminate romance from a story entirely to emphasize other types of love. When Anna falls in love with Kristoff, that doesn’t make her relationship with him the only one that matters, or even the one that matters the most, and that’s a message that we don’t get from nearly enough stories. A big fear that many aromantic people share is that all of our friends will eventually abandon us for romantic partners, due to the prevalence of the message that one’s romantic partner should be one’s number one focus at all times. Personally I’ve been fortunate enough to find people who value friendship as much as I do, and therefore want to maintain close platonic relationships whether they’re in romantic relationships or not, and I’m very grateful for all of them. But I know not all aros are as fortunate in that respect. So that’s why I keep emphasizing how awesome it is that in Frozen not only is one of the main characters potentially aroace, but the other main character who is not still chooses to save herself with platonic love instead of romantic love. Encouraging people to cultivate non-romantic relationships benefits everyone, not just aros, because putting too much pressure on one relationship to fulfill all or even most of one’s social needs is unsustainable, and often dangerous. When Hans meets Anna, he correctly observes that she’s lonely and desperate for love, and he hopes to manipulate her by filling that entire void himself. But he ultimately fails because, while Anna does desire romance, she wants to reconnect with her sister even more. Even though Elsa has shut her out for years, as soon as she reveals her powers Anna understands that her sister has been in just as much pain as she has. Instead of festering resentment, Anna is filled with empathy and compassion, which allows her to save herself, her sister, and the kingdom. We need more heroes like Anna. And while it may be overrated, overhyped, and a little underdeveloped, in terms of emphasizing the power of non-romantic love, we need more stories like Frozen.

Thank you for listening to me attempt to express my love for this movie. I still don’t feel like I’ve done it justice, which I suspect will become more and more of a problem as I continue to work my way up this list. If you want to hear about more movies that I love enthusiastically, remember to follow or subscribe on your podcast platform of choice, and leave a rating or review if you feel like it. This episode is coming out during Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, so I hope any of you out there who are or think you might be on the aromantic spectrum are feeling particularly appreciated and accepted. And if you’re not aro-spec yourself, maybe reach out to any aromantic friends you have and tell them you value them. And if you don’t know of any aros in your life, just reach out to any friend and tell them you care about them. Let’s spread lots of good non-romantic feelings this week! And the next time you get the urge to tell a single friend they need a romantic partner: don’t.

Next week I’ll be talking about another movie musical that I’ve watched 15 times, although that one is not animated and is decidedly not geared toward children. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “And then he ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times.”

[lapanachestyle]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Bella Dahl Navy Lt. Blue Tie Dye 100% Cotton Tensel Blouse XS.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

August 29, 2023

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AND THE GOP FEELS FINE

“You don't need a weathervane to know which way the wind blows.” So said Bob Dylan. Folks have been talking about the weather forever. But these days Republicans need more than a weathervane, so they get their forecasts from conservative pundits and politicians. And the good news is the icecaps are not melting and the heatwaves and wildfires are just flukes of nature. Rising sea levels? Nah. Then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott barred officials in Florida from using the phrases “climate change” and “global warming.” Problem solved. Of course, this has nothing to do with Big Oil and other extractive industries pouring billions into conservative think tanks and the campaign coffers of right-wing lawmakers. Their efforts paid off: Only 35 percent of Republicans say climate change is a major factor in extremely hot days compared to 85 percent of Democrats, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. Similar results were found for severe storms, flooding, droughts and wildfires. That's a pretty good bang for their buck. In fact, the House GOP Energy, Climate, & Conservation Task Force has unofficially adopted for it's theme song R.E.M.'s standard, “It's the End of the World as We Know It, and We Feel Fine.”

PRAISE BE TO THE HOBERMAN!

The resurrection is here. We are, of course, talking about the magical centerpiece of the medals plaza from 2002 Salt Lake City's Winter Games — the Hoberman Arch. Like the Phoenix, it has risen — not from ashes but a mysterious dark place where icons and legacies go to die. (Cue the Biblical music, Wilson.) Remember the glory days in February 2002 when the world's eyes were trained on Salt Lake City and the 31,000-pound aluminum web — 36 feet high and 72 feet wide — that opens and closes like the iris of an eye; even more dazzling when colored lights play across it at night. But alas, in 2003 it was planted at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where it could not be opened and stood as an a disconcerting symbol of our so-called Olympic legacy. Then in August, 2015, it was schlepped down to Salt Lake City's impound lot at 2150 W. 500 South, where it sat like so much scrap until some of its 4,000 pieces were stolen. Embarrassed city officials hauled the rest of it to a secret location — out of sight, out of mind. Why after all these years is it reappearing at Salt Lake City International Airport, no less, where visitors can't miss it's wonderment. It couldn't have anything to do with the new push to bring the Games back to Utah. That's just cynical thinking. Our Olympic boosters just aren't like that — unless they have to be.

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU SUPPORT FASCISM

Wow, did you see Nikki Haley in the Republican debate. So smart. And that dude Vivek Ramaswamy was quick on his feet and cool. Mike Pence stood his ground and actually looked presidential. Seriously? The moderator ask them to raise their hands if they would support Donald Trump if he were the party's nominee. Six of the eight did. Only Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson wouldn't go with the guy indicted on felonies in four jurisdictions. Looks like those spoiled sports aren't good Republicans, after all. Just because Trump has been charged in both federal and state courts with attempting to thwart the 2020 election, stop the peaceful transfer of power — effectively throwing democracy out the window — is no excuse not to back him. Those good patriots, Haley, Ramaswamy, Pence, Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis and Doug Burgum would vote for Trump anyway, because... he's honest, trustworthy, never sexually assaults women and always pays his lawyers. This Republican Party is dedicated to Monseigneur Trump, the mob boss who would be king. It sounds like a twisted take on a Greta Gerwig dark comedy — sans the comedy. Alas, Nikki Haley ain't no Barbie and Vivek Ramaswamy ain't no Ken, although he probably looks good in pink.

Post script — That's gunna to do it for another thrilling week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of driverless cars so you don't have to. WATCH OUT! Life is even more dicey in San Francisco since the California Public Utilities Commission approved driverless taxis in that city. The day after the vote, 10 autonomous taxis jammed up traffic on a busy street in a North Beach neighborhood when they simply stopped functioning. TILT! Those vehicles are owned by Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors. A couple of days later a Cruise taxi drove into a paving project and got stuck in newly poured concrete. One also collided with a firetruck. The hits just keep on coming. Welcome to the future — it's only a matter of time before driverless cars are everywhere. Imagine an autonomous taxi attempting to get through Sugar House. No way — unless it had wings. YIKES! According to experts, AI will soon make your bed, brush your teeth and have sex for you. Well, yes, Wilson, it could also have sex with you. And yes, he or she will probably have a Kama Sutra setting. Like it or not, the future is coming and there's not a damn thing we can do about it, except maybe hide where there is no cell service — someplace like Wyoming, where they've passed a law banning anything new.

Well, here we are in familiar territory, going to hell in a hand basket. The term comes from the French Revolution when severed heads from the guillotine were caught in a wicker container. But we digress. We're sailing into an environmental black hole — say nothing of AI — and the conservatives keep saying, let them eat cake. So wake up the band, Wilson, and take us out with something for our insightful climate-denying friends:

That's great! It starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, an aeroplane and Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs, don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no strength The ladder starts to clatter with fear of height, down height Wire in a fire, representing seven games In a government for hire and a combat site Left of west and coming in a hurry With the furies breathing down your neck

It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered crop Look at that low plane! Fine, then Uh oh, overflow, population, Common Food But it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right, right You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light Feeling pretty psyched It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

(It's The End Of The World — R.E.M.)

[stoptellinglieslois]

Principal of pleasure part 36

Lois, Clark and Dick continue their heated discussion at the farm.

Superman x Nightwing pairing

Clark

"You can't be serious Lois this is crazy shit I thought you came here to talk." Dick said his hands in the air exasperated.

"Call them Dick one or the other I don't care pick your poison." Lois said her chin was up in the air in defiance. she held up her cell phone waving it in front of us and made a show of it in a menacing way.

"Why don't you call Lois both of them." I didn't want to play this game with her and got serious with her.

"Excuse me."

"You heard me call them both."

"No you call them."

"Tell them what you know about us tell Bruce everything and I swear you'll damage more than what you anticipated. it would be you who hurried and delivered this type of pain to them and when you are done that drink would grow sour in your mouth and you would feel like trash in the morning." I didn't care how I sounded to her she was being difficult at this moment and it looked like the conversation went sideways so I wanted her to make the choice to shoot herself first before we did.

"It can't be me it has to be one of you." Lois said as she gulped down her liquor and slammed the glass cup on the small wooden stand beside her.

"Clark is right you want to ruin us you do it, But remember me and Clark won't leave each other for this to get you that Lois." Dick replies to her in a more calm tone.

"I do get that."

"I don't think you do I think you just want to hurt us and punish Clark for cheating on you Lois Clark left you a long time ago." Dick stepped one step closer to Lois where she was sitting.

"No we are a team he loves me." I wanted her to stop drink but even if I tried it would make this conversation even more toxic.

"Maybe at one point but it didn't go well he cheated on you with Queen." Dick took another step towards her.

"And then with you.... You're just a kid he's older then you huh this is crazy Bruce boy who was buck tooth who couldn't swear properly for the life of him." She poured more sambuca in the glass.

"Well I am not a kid anymore I am a man now and he loves me and yes he is older than me, And that's ok because he's a good man." Dick watched her drink. "Me and you can't confront anyone right now cause you're drinking like a fish, And calling Bruce or Babs neither one of us is prepared for that right now." Dick didn't want to pity her but he didn't want to insult her either it was a combination of both.

Lois ruffled her wavy hair and just stayed there staring at Dick. "Come here." Dick looked at her puzzled his blue eyes went wide and watched her finger beckoning him closer.

Dick came closer and she got up and a sharp slap as Dick head whip to the one side.

"Don't you ever tell me about how much I am drinking or not you came in between me and my husband you presumptuous little peacock. I hope that hurts kid I hope you're seeing stars right now." She pointed an accusing finger at him she was nothing but angry.

I got up as Dick held his cheek and I put my arm around him comforting him.

I kissed the cheek where Lois slapped him.

She watched us a look of total hate on her face as she watched me and Dick in an embrace. "Wow just wow god Clark you look gross right now and you are gross."Lois put her hands on her hips and shrugged her shoulders.

I knew she hated me and right now I don't care. "You can be gross out all you want but what gives you the right to hit him." I interjected I was not going to let her get away with this.

"I have the right to be whatever I want right now and you know what." Lois raised her hand and tried to slap me and I caught her wrist before she could do it.

Dick was in between us his cheek still red as a beet. "Come on Lois for fuck sake you're a mother don't..." She didn't want to hear the rest of whatever Dick had to say pulled on his shirt.

"You slept with my husband ok so you could just fuck off with that hot dribbling mess that's coming out of your mouth or whatever you like to call it gee willikers you fucked my husband." Lois mocked Dick.

"Lois we can't talk come Dick let's go."

"Oh no you don't you're staying right here and you will have to deal with me." Lois is blocking us from leaving the living room.

I held Dicks hand as she stood there I didn't want to push her aside and run off it would be stupid but I didn't her abuse.

"Lois we can't talk to if you hit or attempt to hit us get out of my way Lois. Or we will make you move." I told her sternly.

"You bitches can't take the heat well it's going to be much later on, I swear to you Clark Kent it's just me for now but they'll be Barbara and then the rest and they will hate you and your career as hero working with them will dissolve and your little young thing to." She said her words are crisp and it stung pointing at us.

"If this breaks us as super heroes then we really didn't need to be super heroes in the first place at all we could do this on our own we worked together in the beginning me and Kal and we will work together till the end." Dick said crossing his arms but not trying to engage her into more aggression.

"We came here as two people who wanted to talk to someone who said she wanted to hear the worst of the worst even if it made you feel horrible and your reaction is the total opposite." I told her pointing a finger at her now I was accusing her of not controlling her temper.

"Ok fine then let's talk then let's all sit down." She stomped back to the sofa.

And both of us walked back to the sofa and that's when my cell phone rang in my pocket and I pulled it out and it was Bruce.

I didn't know what to do. "Take it Kal." Dick said as he leaned over and saw his number.

I put it on speaker. "Bruce this is not the time right now to call can I call you back." I told him but that's when Lois made herself known.

"You love my HUSBAND and you pretend to be my friend how could you." She yelled.

"Lois."

"Yes Bruce Wayne I know you love Clark."

End of part 36 next is part 37

Thank you for reading.

[spotsandsocks]

Heyyyyyyyyyyy Spotty 🙈

8, 16, 34 and 36 for the fic writer asks!

Oooh thank you

8 favourite fic from another author- oooh meanie!!! Tough one to start with, also I am a forgetful soul so things drift away from my poor little brain… however I read curl up in my heart and let me keep you by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels the other day about witch!buck turning into a cat to be with Eddie and it was magnificent.

16 a fic Im proud off - rae just asked this too so here’s what I said

Dragonrider fic for sure it’s proper book length and it’s hard for me to believe I actually wrote it.

But that’s always my answer so next proudest one is the most recent A Boy Like That. My OC Ray did a lot of work in that one so had to make him feel real and I think I did ok.

Also like the one where bucks a cat!

Don’t tell anyone I cheated and choose three

34 favourite comment! Yikes!!

again the memory issue kicks in and every comment is precious to me but one particular person sticks in my mind it was from a short fic ‘too tired to think’ and someone commented that it was their comfort fic in fact I’ve just looked it up- they said I’ve come back to it again and again for a moment of solace - how lovely is that!

only 1274 words in the fic and 8 comments on it (2 from the same person even ) but it made a difference to someone somewhere which is what they tell you to remember when you send your words into the void and sometimes that’s hard to believe but sometimes it true! (Wow that got long bet you’re dirty yiu sdjed! 😉)

36 when do I write - all the time! Far too late into the night, i. the morning when I wake up early and there’s no one to bother me! ( I clearly don’t sleep much it seems!) in the evening in front of tv and even occasionally on my lunch breaks. Sometimes a few lines pop into my head and I gotta get them down before they disappear.

Thank you meegs @the-likesofus this was fun 🥰

[its-sheepe]

Escape From Snaxburg: With Lyrics

Cyan text: Filbo

Pink text: Gramble

Orange text: Wiggle

Red text: Cromdo

Green text: Triffany

Purple text: Floofty

Everyone else has to have a name in front of it sorryyyyy

For reference, I used this video, and time marks will be added accordingly in case anybody wants to sing to it using these lyrics (just try and match the words to the tune, sorry I’m not really a musical writer). If you do try a crack at this, please let me know, I’d love to hear!

0:00 to 0:11

(Spoken) We’ve got to get back to Snaxburg as fast as we can buddy! We can’t let the others eat any more Bugsnax! If they transform all the way then who KNOWS what’ll happen?!

0:12 to 0:37

Snak Chorus: (hungrily) Oh welcome, all to the buffet!

See all the creatures on display!

Feed someone, and soon you’ll see!

They are what they eat!

0:38 to 1:03

Come on bud! Come on pal!

We’ll make it! We’ll make it, somehow!

Through this, through this, through this, through this all together.

I know this! You know this! They know this (least I hope so)!

There’s still a light of hope!

1:04 to 1:09

(Spoken) Buddy, you’ve got to get down there and help the others! I’ll handle the balloon!

1:10 to 1:37

Floofty and Shelda: Oh! Aversion quelled!

Shelda: My lies, metaphors metafake…

My hypotheses were false but…

Floofty and Shelda: Together we’ll make it right!

1:38 to 2:01

Shelda: Dodge on the left, hit from the right!

For an elder, you sure have lots of spite…

Shelda: Pacifist aside, toxins must die

For the safety of you and I!

2:02 to 2:26

(Spoken) Let’s abscond while the swarm has subsided.

(Spoken) Shelda: You must continue however. The others still need your help!

2:27 to 3:19

Chandlo: My heart pounds! I’m so proud

Of my Snorp-dawg!

He’s so strong…wow!

Snorpy: He’s ok…he’ll be ok.

We’ll get through this

Together the whole way!

Chandlo and Snorpy: Improving, improving, it takes time

Mistakes were made…we’ll fix this you and I!

We may die…but if you’re by my side

Death seems ok…but that’s not happening tonight!

3:20 to 3:43

(Spoken) Chandlo: We crushed it dawg! Imma give you the HUG OF YOUR LIFE!

(Spoken) Snorpy: Don’t celebrate too soon. We’re not safe until we’re off this horrid rock. To the balloon!

3:44 to 4:36

Beffica: I’m a squeeb.

I’m a crook.

Beffica and Cromdo: Ya winkle your face at us but hey, just take a look inside

And you’ll see, we’re just like you

Grumpuses with fears and dreams

Beffica: (At least I hope you do 😅)

Beffica and Cromdo: Once this all, blows over

I’ll take control of ma life, and start things over

Beffica: I’ll learn to make some new friends, and not ruin it for myself again

4:37 to 5:00

(Spoken) Beffica: It looked pretty nasty for a second, but I knew you’d pull through bestie!

(Spoken) We made it! That means Snorpy owes me five bucks! Let’s blow this popsicle stand eh?

5:01 to 5:27

Whoa-oh, the snax on attack!

I though the lil’ ones loved me back…but that’s ok! We’re still a family anyway! (Directed at the grumps not the snax)

5:28 to 5:51

A false muse, how cliche! But still I sing…for me.

Platinum may mean something but so do I and it’s about time I gave it a try to sing for those who still listen!

Can’t wait to hear!

5:52 to 6:16

(Spoken) Oh, thank grump that’s over…ma heart can’t handle much violence…

(Spoken) No time for an encore, Gramble dear. We’d better boogie.

(Spoken) Wambus: GIT, GIT YA VARMITS!

(Spoken) No use Wamby, these bugs musta learned a few things since the Stone Age…

(Spoken) Wambus: Well I’m not lettin these pests ruin all ma hard work! Look, I still got ma specially spliced Special Sauce!

(Spoken) That’ll work nicely!

(Spoken) Wambus: Wait, no-

6:20 to 6:42 (Snaxburg Melody)

Wambus and Triffany: We won’t run away!

Wambus: You can’t split us up today!

Together! We are whole, forever!

6:17 to 6:42 (Under Snaxburg Melody)

Eggabell: Come on Liz!

Lizbert: Come on Bell!

Eggabell and Lizbert: They’ll make it! They’ll make it, huzzow

Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it all together

We know this, they know this, we got this

So let’s do this, for them, this island will not fall!

6:43 to 7:10 (the video I’m using fades the last part so use the original soundtrack video for the ending

You’ll make it! (You’ll make it!)

You’ll make it! (You’ll make it!)

You’ll make it! (Chandlo: You’ll make it!)

You’ll make it! (You’ll make it!)

Oh please just make it (You’ll make it!)

Please bud (Snorpy: You’ll make it!)

Please bud (Wambus: You’ll make it!)

Please bud please make it (Beffica: You’ll make it!)

Oh please bud (Shelda: You’ll make it!)

Oh please bud (You’ll make it!)

Oh please bud (Journalist: I’ll make it)

Everyone: Because the truth is, the truth is, we’d be gone without you!

[batattta]

destiel fic recs pt.4

heeeeeere we go again

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

part 4/?

new testament 'verse (15 works, 47k, g-m) the most underrated work imho. i have no words to describe this one. it makes me FEEL. sad cas, sweet caring dean, singer salvage, domesticity. one of my all time favorites

rivers and roads (3k, g) cas hitchhiking his way home after the fall. they are the sweetest boys

entertaining strangers (9k, e) cas tells dean about his threesome. just. wow. OCs in this one are the best.

the walk series (196k, e, AU) dean turns tricks and one day he meets cas. who is religious and sad and married. i loved how all their found family came together in this one. 

seek to know you better (27k, e) they are on a road trip and play “36 questions to fall in love”. cute

some boys are sleeping alone (4k, m) dean and his sexuality. very very sad

command me to be well (28k, e) not an obvious one of 15.18 fix-its

after a storm (10k, m) where dean doesn't tell cas to leave bunker in season 9 (as it should have been)

there’s only one sure thing that i know (20k, e) dean and cas get stuck in ohio. very old one. beautifully written 

elemental (600, g) “the man who would be king” coda

the best bang for your buck (6k, m) cas finds dean’s profile on sex toys website. this is so funny

the gambler (4k, t) dean retires. with cas. sam is oblivious. the fluffiest fluff

i saw the heavens and the earth cry over you (3k, m, mcd) why do i do this to myself? hah. i don't even want to recommend this one, but i have to, i’m sorry. read at you own risk. cas becomes human. his body starts to slowly shut down. incredibly sad.

things dean winchester loves (3k, m) so cute. cas makes a list. 

story time (1k, g) dean and cas retire. they tell stories to local kids.

string lights (2k, g) christmas fic. i love the atmosphere 

you and me in the war of the end times (5k, e) remember i told about shotgunning? yeah.

the face at the end of the hall (3k, t) psychological horror. short and sad. 

things happen (they do, they do, and they do) (28k, e) my favorite one of 15.18 fix-its. dean is a repressed bean.

flowers in the backyard (34k, e, AU) awwwww. love this one. dean inherits bobby’s cabin, cas is homeless and made the cabin into his home.

prosopagnosia (32k, t, AU) dean is a firefighter, cas works in gas-n-sip and can’t recognize and memorize faces. 

on vessels (2k, g) cas tells dean that he wanted him to be his vessel

holding this in mind (13k, e) yeah, well um this one is 13k words about fisting. but it’s such a tender fic. more like character study, than smut, truly. 

death of the author (7k, e) post-15.18, first time fic. soooooo cute. 

special mention, aileenrose’s little AUs. they are so special and unique and writing is *chefs kiss*. my favorites:

every dog has its day (12k, m) dean meets homeless cas, they rescue a puppy.

a case for evolution (9k, m) plumber dean, anthropologist cas. they are nerds. nerds in love.

love, take your toll (9k, t) this one owns my heart. lonely toll collector cas and motorist dean. unbelievably tender fic. i wanted to hug cas so much

all that is gold does not glitter (8k, m) jeweler cas, dean comes to collect sam’s wedding rings. cas thinks it's dean who’s getting married. dumbies.

an exploration of habitat (11k, m) cas is a protester who lives in a tree. dean is afraid of heights. last lines made me weep. this fic made me feel so happy, oh god watch and learn, cw

[boredfanwrites]

Infinitesimal Shift

Am I jumping on the Buddie stuck in an elevator bandwagon during the blackout? Absolutely I am.

- Buck is walking Eddie down to his truck from the apartment when the blackout happens.

- They're two hours out of a 36-hour shift and Eddie wanted to shower before picking Chris up from his Abuela's.

- Buck's apartment was closer to the station - not to mention Eddie had met Buck before their shift and carpooled in the Jeep.

- Either way, they're stuck between the second and third floor when the blackout strikes.

- The elevator lurches loudly, metal grinds and the boys plaster themselves against the wall as it jolts to a stop.

- They're both on their phones in an instant, no signal and the electronic alarm obviously isn't working.

- 'I think my landlord said there was a failsafe alarm built into these that works off its own battery,' Buck says, trying to pull off the panel.

- Eddie hums, sitting down with his back against the wall of the elevator, watching the blonde finally manage to get behind the panel.

- Buck's right, of course. They hear a ringing bell.

- 'Hopefully, landlord hears that and calls dispatch.'

- 'Dispatch? Who also probably have no power?'

- 'I did not think that far ahead.'

- Buck takes a seat next to Eddie and they sit in silence for a few minutes.

- Buck keeps looking at Eddie, making sure he isn't panicking. They've both had their share of small spaces, but he knows Eddie isn't quite over the well.

- Eddie can feel Buck's staring and makes a point to not look at him. If he looks at Buck then he'll smile and Eddie will smile back and all the feelings he's been ignoring dealing with will come out.

- He fails.

- In less than 30 seconds after thinking it.

- 'What?'

- 'Just making sure you're ok.'

- Because of course Buck's first concern is Eddie's well-being.

- 'Are you?'

- 'Coping,' he laughs weakly. 'Did you know we're more likely to die in a shark attack than an elevator?'

- 'Surely that's the other way around?'

- 'Yeah, I think it might be. I was just trying to lighten the mood.'

- And wow, Eddie thinks, I'm such a jerk.

- He'd gotten used to bantering around with Buck. Sarcasm disguising his endless fondness for the younger man.

- Now isn't the time.

- 'I'm glad I decided to walk you down, so you're not in the elevator alone,' Buck starts rambling. 'Not that I wouldn't have come to check up on you if you had gone alone. I would've run out the second everything went dark. Maybe we should've taken the stairs. I mean I know it was a joke 'cause that was your first shift back and you're not quite in the same shape you were a couple months ago and...'

- It's adorable. It is. It's all Eddie can think and focus on.

- He knows Buck is doing it as a distraction from their situation but right now it's making him fall more in love with the man.

- He has to do something. Say something.

- 'Ana and I broke up.'

- Buck stops short. He stares at Eddie for a bit and the older man shrinks under his gaze.

- Neither say anything for a while and Buck tries the failsafe alarm again.

- Eddie stares at Buck's back, straining his eyes at the height. He's trying to telepathically get Buck to speak because he doesn't want to have to explain.

- He doesn't know how to.

- It was an inevitable event.

- 'Not long after I was shot, actually. Maybe two weeks?'

- Buck spins on his heel and stares at him.

- 'You have been single for a month and a half? And you didn't think to tell me until we got stuck in here?'

- 'You were with Taylor?' Eddie knows it's a weak defense.

- 'Why does that matter?!' And Buck sees right through it.

- 'I don't know. I just thought that maybe you'd want to focus on your own love life for once, instead of getting dragged in to the end of mine. Again.'

- Buck is silent again, judging Eddie from the corner. Feeling out what he should say next.

- Except he doesn't.

- Silence again.

- Eddie complains a lot about needing peace and quiet, but now that he has it, he's not sure he wants it.

- He'd give anything for one of Buck's signature smiles right now.

- That hasn't happened since the elevator first stopped and god how long has it even been.

- Eddie checks his phone. An hour. It's been an hour.

- His background of Chris and Buck smiling and building Lego together mocks him.

- He realizes he would never have made Ana his background and isn't that what couples do?

- 'Hey Buck? What's your cell background?'

- 'You and Chris tackling that pancake stack at Ellie's your last birthday?'

- 'Not Taylor?'

- 'Why would it be Taylor?'

- 'Because she's your girlfriend?'

- 'She's not.'

- Buck sounds exasperated. Like he's had to explain multiple times.

- Eddie guesses he has, back before they were a thing. But he told Eddie she kissed him after he was shot and that the two were going to try dating.

- 'I thought...'

- 'You thought wrong. I couldn't. Don't like her like that anymore.'

- 'Wow you sound like one of Chris' friends with a crush,' it comes out before Eddie can stop it.

- Hurt fills Buck's eyes and Eddie has to look away. He can't deal with being the reason for it.

- 'And if I told you there's someone I'm in love with but can't have? There's someone who actually thinks I'm worthy and deserving of love? But for two months I thought they were taken and I couldn't keep hurting myself anymore so I thought I would move on?'

- Eddie gulps. He can't. He can't be talking about Eddie. Life doesn't work that way. Not for him.

- 'Except I couldn't. It's too soon. I still love him and I can't imagine life without him and now that I know he's single it's all I can think about. Us. How well we work together. How beautiful we could be. Do I sound like an adult again?'

- Buck's glaring but it doesn't have as big of an effect when there are tears in his eyes.

- 'Evan.'

- His face softens. He's smiling at Eddie again.

- Granted, Eddie may have taken some liberties with calling Buck by his first name.

- It was only reserved for serious conversations. Times when Buck needs to listen and believe what was coming out of Eddie's mouth.

- 'I love you, too.'

- 'You do?'

- 'How could I not? I broke up with Ana because I was trying to deal with my feelings for you. I wasn't sure, you know? You're such a big part of my and Chris' life and I was trying to rationalize it as appreciation for you. You do so much for us and never ask for anything in return. But I was wrong. It's love. It's been love for at least a year and I was just too afraid to accept it.'

- Buck just smiles, reaching out a hand.

- Eddie takes it easily.

- He leans into Buck's side, pulling the other's arm around him.

- He knows that Buck is feeling for a heartbeat, Eddie's listening for Buck's too.

- They stay like that until the doors creak open and Albert's face pops between the gap.

- 'Hey, they're not dead!'

- The team gets them out pretty easily and they both agree to come in on shift to help with the fall out of the blackout. It's mostly going to be driving around in the rig, trying to spot problems as they occur.

- Buck walks Eddie to his truck and grabs the extra LAFD hoodie he keeps in there for emergencies.

- The same hoodie that Eddie has stolen on some of the harder nights when he was alone.

- He realizes just how entangled Buck had become in the Diaz's lives. Buck keeps a change of clothes in the truck, Eddie keeps a set of his own in the Jeep.

- Buck has his own drawer at Eddie's house, but Eddie doesn't have anything at Buck's.

- Buck spends more time living on Eddie's couch than either of them spends in the apartment.

- Buck belongs at home. With Chris. With Eddie.

- 'You know, if you moved in with me, you wouldn't get caught in an elevator in a blackout again,' Eddie tries.

- 'Yeah?'

- 'Yeah.'

- Buck moving into the Diaz residence was an inevitable event.

- Eddie was right - the next blackout, Buck didn't get stuck in an elevator. He was surrounded by candles and blankets, cuddled up with his boyfriend and son.

https://ko-fi.com/boredfanwrites

[littlespoonevan]

Brief 5.13 thoughts: - Madney taking a break is a good/healthy thing. - Jonah is the Villain this season for sure. - Eddie/Buck/Chris are a family, which we knew, but omg 💕. - How long has Eddie been functionally depressed? 💔 - BT is being dragged out an Entire Season because???? We get Buck clings, but this is belaboring the point by A Lot. - Chimney is back!! - Buckley siblings back together!!

ooh lots of points here but i p much agree all round!

ofc i'm sad for maddie and chimney right now but ultimately i don't think anyone (even them) believe this break is going to be something long-term. it'll be good for them to learn how to become co-parents again and focus on jee before they turn their attention to their own romantic relationship, y'know?

as for jonah, i've only looked at my dash in quick bursts over the past 36 hours but i've seen some very good theories about him potentially being the season villain - especially re: him possibly making that one victim code so he could save the day. i'm interested in seeing it play out!!

the eddie/buck/buddie/buckley-diaz family of it all is still just TOO MUCH. i honestly haven't fully processed it and absolutely need to rewatch but i'm 100% intending on screaming in the tags of every post i'm about to reblog so sorry in advance askdf i'll come back to them when my thoughts are more coherent but Wow

re: BT, i'm not sure why they're dragging it out - particularly when this was the perfect opportunity to end it. however, i will say i rewatched 5a just before 5b started and tbh, with that as added context, 5x13 does feel very Soon for them to break up???? like, i know we've pointed out lots of little things that show their relationship is off and we've joked about the christmas presents etc but they do leave 5x10 in a good place??? i guess all i can think of right now is that with maddie back and buck also dedicating a significant amount of time to eddie and his recovery he might realise just how much he's clinging to taylor for no reason when his "life is full of meaningful relationships" but i guess we'll see!

finally the buckley sibling reunion and the hen/chimney reunion soothed my soul i'm sO GLAD everyone's home 💗

[plutosmut]

[9:36 pm]

warning: oral (female receiving), not being able to finish, bakugou walking in.

"you want to what?" you asked as you put your phone down and looked at the beet red male that stood in front of you. his hands to his sides as you made him repeat himself. "i-i want to eat you out!" he squeeked out, "izu we havent even had sex yet." you smiled at him as he hung his head low.

you would never force izuku to do something he didnt want to, which is why you both had not yet had sex. you just thought he wasnt ready. the males confidence was at an all time high when he had walked into the room, ready to finally have his blonde companion stop teasing him about never having eaten pussy like it was the last supper.

"i-i know! but whats wrong with oral? i mean you've given me head before, its not that mich different." he twiddled his thumbs as he looked at the floor now. his eyes never met yours when asking for anything sexual, which was always the most adorable thing to you.

"fine, if thats what you want than what kind of girlfriend am i to deny my beautiful hero." you smiled and proceeded to take off your panties. izuku watched as the pink lace slid down you s/c thighs, his obsession with your thighs had began when you both started dating back in highschool, when you would wrap them around him to restrain him during training, draped them over his thighs, or the way your hero costume fit you like an absolute glove.

when you sat back head on the bed, head towards the head board, his eyes followed your every quiver. he hesitated, he had never seen your cunt up close before, pictures yes, not in real life though. your scent was intoxicating, his mind dazed as his scarred hands pulled you closer to his face. "izu, please, youve been staring for a while." you chimed from above. "o-oh shit, sorry." deciding to get on with it his readied his finger, licking it before sliding it down your entrance.

"wow~" you breathed, your voice was nothing but music to his ears, his motivation. sucking in courage he dove in. he started sucking on your clit, his teeth continuously running over it. your back arched, the pleasure too emance. "please izuku, im so close" you pulled on his hair bringing him closer to your begging pussy. izuku steadied himself, once again regaining the confidence he had when he walked in. he was determined to make you cum, it was his lifes mission.

you weren't one to cum quickly, but the feeling of the mans scarred fingers moving in and out of you, the feeling of his tongue piercing rolling over your clit and the way he sucked your clit- your mind was pulling blanks. you chased your high, the warm feeling coming on as you signaled izuku with a buck of the hips.

"so close, oh fuck~ im so close..." you moaned, you couldnt take the way his fingers curled. as you were about to let go, finally release the pent up energy you had been holding back, the door opened, a thunderous voice ringing through the apartment. "deku, where the fuck are you?!" the explosive male yelled, izukus head popped up from in between your thighs, eyes wide. "shit! get dressed" he three your panties at you and pulled off his wet stained black shirt.

the door to your bedroom opened as you both just tried to act natural. the blondes angry expression came into view. "you fucking ass! i told you to meet me at fucking restaurant for a fucking reason! i stood there for over an hour!!" he yelled his hand making small explosions. "wow katsuki, sounds like you got stood up." you giggled, midoriya following suit. "haha, ill kill you." bakugou stated, his eyes serious. "im sorry kacchan, i kinda...got wrapped up in something." the green haired boy smiled, he was being genuine. "tch. whatever, it smells like fucking pussy in here anyways. ill be in the car, hurry the literal fuck up."

he left, slamming the door behind him. "ive got to go, but when i come back ill make you cum ,okay?" izuku kissed your lips, before pulling on a random shirt from the dresser and putting it on. "o-okay izu. i love you!" you smiled hands grabbing his. "i love you too." and with that he was out of the door.

[sugar-petals]

Tarot Reading Practice: Why Using Lenormand Cards Is Amazing

they’re originally from france and gorgeously vintage — what more does a card reader want?

it’s like tarot’s major arcana, but simplified and with cottagecore imagery. the nostalgia factor is off the charts, too.

the cards have an even longer tradition than the rider-waite tarot, going back to the 18th century. that means: plenty of material out there.

it is excellent to predict timing. each card is numbered and has a specific set time range, even season. you can pinpoint your prediction down to the day.

lenormand’s accuracy even has a historical anecdote. all of napoleon’s battle victories and losses were correctly predicted by madame lenormand, the inventor of the deck herself. who was looking fly as hell by the way.👌

there are only 36 cards to learn. if you buy oracle cards, it’s usually 44 cards or more to study, with tarot it’s 78 cards plus reversals. especially if you’ve already learned the tarot, this is peanuts.

and yes, no reversals in lenormand. god bless.

some decks have the meanings printed as little poems onto the cards themselves. that’s classy, that’s clever, and extremely handy for beginners. it’s brilliantly written and still open-ended enough to allow a different interpretation each session. it changes depending on what other cards it comes with, you’ll never be bored.

in other decks, they also have classic playing cards on them. 

buying lenormand cards is incredibly inexpensive. five bucks and you’re good to go, whereas other decks cost you 20 or more. and even if the price is low and the cards are a bit smaller (e.g. mine are 9 x 5.5 cm), the value you get out of those is... wow. i’ve even seen quality decks as cheap as two euros. 

there’s only one thing going on at a time on the card. no complicated symbolism, it can speak to you more instantly. the downside: with tarot, you can draw a story out of one card already. with lenormand, you need say a 2-card spread and benefit from knowing more about what card means what. 

which again is an advantage though. lenormand needs less intuition, you can squarely, shamelessly learn it by the book. whereas tarot, you know how it is. the card wants to tell you something specific that might not be the standard definition. while lenormand is like haha boom, you will travel next month! you will move in with your partner! you have beef with a colleague if you write email XYZ!

astrological signs and houses are associated with specific cards. i repeat, lenormand and the zodiac go hand in hand just like the tarot. do i even have to go on?!

the cards are petite but sturdy. you can carry them anywhere or create gigantic spreads. shuffling and storing will never be a problem. 

nothing is wishy-washy. the card is either positive, negative, or neutral. you can get a clear yes or no.

the querent has their own set card to symbolize them. let that sink in! if you have clients, they will love this. and it’s so easy for you to create spreads with that, too. if you read for yourself, same thing, the querent cards are one of lenormand’s coolest features. the ‘gentleman’ or ‘lady’ can stand in for the person who’s asking, two friends, or a couple. lenormand is THE deck for love questions. PS: not to worry, you can use it for non-heterosexual couples with ease. the querent cards can be whoever you want, the reading results will not be impacted.

because of their simple imagery, card names are easy to memorize. tarot has spreads like ‘THE HANGED MAN in reverse + THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE + THE HIGH PRIESTESS in reverse + TEN OF WANDS in reverse’. meanwhile, lenormand spreads are like ‘ship - dog - fox - fish - whip’ and that’s it. you don’t even have to know the card’s name, it’s so self-explanatory. you can learn this in one day.

the deck is not the most wide-spread among popular readers, but there are still a lot of websites with information online. simply because it’s such a strong tradition. 

solid, quick lenormand skills are the sign of a seasoned tarotist. you can recognize a trustworthy pro by it. if someone claims they are a veteran but they haven’t heard of lenormand... especially if your tarot reader is european, this is the go-to branch of cartomancy they should have heard about.

similarly, it’s a sign your cartomancy knowledge is about to climb to the next level if you got these pretty french cards on your hands and become naturally invested. it’s one of those cases where the deck finds you at the right time.

niche bonus: lenormand will be the #1 ace up your sleeve.

they’re so decorative and available for any visual taste you can think of. steampunk lenormand, fantasy lenormand, history lenormand, romantic lenormand, the list goes on. you will find whatever style is precious to you very fast. all while the classic vintage cards are a staple you can purchase very easily.

levelling up is possible to no end. you can use one, two, three, five, nine, or even all cards at once. customized spreads on top of that. you can have fast success with the helpful 9-card layout, or really get into it going big. 

lenormand’s 36-card ‘grand tableau’ (great table) reading is infamous and the one and only final boss. not one card will be redundant, their interconnection is what the interpretation is built on in the first place.

once you have the card meanings down, you learn the grand tableau principle faster than you assumed. you will be able to expound your answer by looking at the distances between cards, that’s the whole idea.

example. if the ring card is far away from the querent card, that means to wedding in sight. if the ring is next to the querent card, that means marriage. pretty simple. if the ring is surrounded by positive cards, even better. you can tell how easily you can answer a question this way.

or: if the dog (=card for friendship) is next to the child which is next to the heart, that means: possibility of falling in love with your childhood friend. it’s literally that straightforward. lenormand can’t leave you hanging, it never plays games. it gives you every concise warning (with concrete ways to prevent the outcome) and chance for a blessing.

the grand tableau is as powerful as tarot’s classic spread, the celtic cross. you have something to work towards/work on and get an impressive, highly informative spread that will leave not one question unanswered. this shit is amazing. lenormand is one of the most worthwhile essentials for card readers, i did not once regret learning about it.