#also i will get to any asks and threads..later maybe-/shot

[herenvibing]

cr3 is gonna end and the pc’s still feel like the same people to me :|

(crcritical content in the tags feel free to skip)

[canmom]

Where do you read and find web comics?

that's a great question!

these days the scene is kinda dominated by platforms like webtoon and tapas, which heavily favour vertical-scrolling infinite canvas formats. these environments are aggressively competitive, and getting to the top of the popularity pile requires a pace of work that makes even the manga industry look downright reasonable. I wrote a little about one such comic back in 2022. the 'portal' format applies similar pressures as webnovel sites - somehow that's come down to favouring high-concept premises which can be spelled out in a title, and a fairly homogeneous art style. in general you'll see a lot of romance and isekai.

that said, traditional page-formatted webcomics are absolutely still around. usually I read them on their websites - you can use an RSS reader to keep up with updates for most comics, but I fell out of the habit of that years ago.

as far as finding them, there's not really any centralised place to find them, but often webcomics will promote other authors, and there's organisations like hiveworks which serve to cross-promote members of their network. most webcomics have a 'links' page. it's rhizomatic or some shit.

if you are coming back to webcomics, 'I used to read this comic, is it still going' can also lead to a lot of pleasant surprises - you wouldn't believe the number of webcomic authors who turn out to have transed their gender when you come back a few years later (or maybe you would). 'spend years writing a comic instead of transitioning' is a strangely common pitfall [edit: though I'm not sure 'spend years transitioning instead of making a big creative project' is like. a better strategy lmao. they're both big expressions of agency, it doesn't really matter what order you do em.]

some authors tend to stay on a single perpetual epic that will likely last until they die, but others like to write multiple projects, and usually if you enjoy one thing by a person you'll enjoy the others. for example, @bigbigtruck wrote the excellent The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal back in the day, and is presently writing a story about stormchasers with a very similar vibe. Evan Dahm of Rice Boy went on to write some rather cool comics like Vattu.

webcomics review blogs can also be a good place to pick up recs. yes homo, now defunct, put a few things on my radar (I disagree with many of their opinions but that's part of the fun of it lol), as has thewebcomicsreview.

along similar lines, forums can be a good place to look - back in the old old days, I used to be a big fan of a D&D comic called The Order of the Stick and hang out on its forums a lot, and they had a pretty active board for talking about other webcomics (a large part of which was devoted to literally hundreds of threads for the club of posters making fun of a really mid comic called Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire - don't ask me to explain that...) these days I bet there are webcomics discords that function similarly, though I couldn't tell you which ones off the top of my head.

if you're willing to part with a little bit of money, events like the Shortbox Comics Fair are a good way to gather a huge stack of one-shots. I picked up a bunch in the last one of those, I should really write about them.

honestly I should really just draw up a list of comics I've liked, catch up on the ones that I fell off the update schedule on, and put that list on my website somewhere. writing full reviews is fun but time-consuming and I don't want to make promises with how incredibly ADHD I am (the 'comics comints' series lasted a mighty three posts, and of all the writing-about-stuff projects, the main ones I'm trying to get going again are the tftbn and umineko liveblogs), but it is happy-making to spread the word about good shit I've read. I used to liveblog webcomics quite a bit, you can see some of them over here. (I never got around to migrating the Homestuck sideblog.)

ultimately, word of mouth is queen here. all these suggestions are just different flavours of "find people who like the sorts of things you like and read the stuff they like" in the end!

[pinksilvace]

If cats the musical ever have an animated tv show and or movie what do u think it will be like ? specially on how they write the characters, setting etc.

YAY HOORAY YIPPEE I LOVE THIS QUESTION

In an animated context, I'm very much a fan of aristocats-esque anthro designs; @/etchif and @/oggysonart have both made really fantastic ones in the past. I highly recommend checking their stuff out if you haven't already.

Anyway, this ask strikes me as two separate questions, so I'll answer it in two parts.

Movie

I'd picture this being more or less what Disney wanted to do with the original poems: it would be more or less a 1:1 run-through of the show and serve as an introduction to the music, story, etc. for a younger generation.

The stage format inherently presents a challenge when it comes to a central focus, especially in a production with so many characters, while films tend to highlight character moments very effectively; because of this, I think an animated adaptation of Cats could be quite a bit plottier than the stage show, even without changing any details. (This would also address the common concern that an adaptation would cut down on the appeal of live dance.) I imagine it primarily following Munkustrap, Demeter, and Victoria, as they each more or less represent different plot threads: the Ball/Choice, Grizabella/Macavity, and Community, respectively.

At the same time, there are small moments with other throughout the show that could benefit from the range of sceneries available.

I'll say this for Cats 2019: seeing Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in their element is a must. I've actually thought about this specific scene a lot with regard to this prompt. When the junkyard scatters before this number, the camera follows Quaxo/Misto down a few alleys and to M&R's nice house, where he watches them through the windows and narrates their actions a la original production. Maybe he messes with them; either way, it'd give viewers a reason to keep his character in mind for later. Maybe the song ends when they show up tardy to the Ball.

Another scene that would benefit greatly from an adaptation is Gus', obviously. I'd love to see flashes of his life or, optimistically, a dreamlike sequence of GLS, which I have too many Thoughts about to include on this post.

The big one, though - the killer - is how Macavity could be adapted. If Demeter's segment of the song had some abstract recollections as visuals... Good Lord

It'd be nice to see the characters be visually distinct (at least, more so than that are onstage). I love the idea of the camera cutting over to Pounce and Tumble (who'd Very Obviously be kittens) fooling around and getting into trouble every now and again. All of the character dynamics would be more obvious, for that matter, because in film, every shot and camera angle is a choice. When Alonzo sticks around at the Macavity scare, the audience would get it. When Plato changes his attitude from how he is around the kittens to how he is with Victoria, the audience would notice. When Munkustrap waves his arms and tries desperately to get everyone into place for PP, the audience wouldn't have to work to spot him doing so amidst all of the everything else happening at the same time. Like, I adore Cats as a stage production, but an animated adaptation would 100% be able to add visual clarity.

TV Show

Stylistically, I imagine this the same as everything described above, but I wouldn't want it to cover the course of the show. Instead, I think this universe would be really charming as a series of animated shorts that focus on just a handful of characters apiece, slife-of-life style. Episode ideas include:

Gus attempts to teach the kittens a performance so they can impress Munkustrap later; they don't do well, but it still makes Munkustrap happy

Plato tries really really hard to be romantic and impress Victoria for Some Special Event coming up, ft. Pounce and Tumble as wingmen

Munkustrap is busy/sick and Alonzo has to take over for a day; he learns about the power of asking for help

Origin story of how Tugger and Misto met

Electra, Etcetera, and Rumpleteaser do their darndest to figure out how the Jellicle Choice is actually chosen

This would give some leeway in regard to the musical aspects of the IP, which I imagine are difficult to replicate. These shorts would also be enjoyable for a very broad audience in a way that the stage production and its usual adaptations are not.

[thetruthisoutthereandbeyond]

Looking into Plagiarism: Reunification and MrsFizzle-a case of Boy Meets World Plagiarism or not? Part 6

And I wasn’t the only one who noticed the similarities. A reader left a comment just a couple of chapters later on Autumn in Philadelphia. During a discussion with the author, the reader noted that they knew who the plagiarist was and that it was pretty obvious. The reader noted that Autumn in Philadelphia was the inspiration and giving credit where due was a simple, correct solution. MA agreed but then went on to say that MrsFizzle’s befriending her and subsequent harassment was the biggest issue. On chapter 72, MA says this:

They already publicly stated they were not in any way inspired by AiP and that the OCs had to be the same because they are written for the same character. They made it sound as though AiP was not good enough for them to bother with. That comment was deleted by AO3 staff as it was a guest comment where they identified themselves and acknowledged they were blocked. I reported it and a suspension was given for harassment. The screen shot is a part of the report. They've known about the case for a long time. When I posted my no update for the month post, they rushed their ending and immediately started trying to get the link (it was a hell of a couple of months after that post was made). Because of the lengths they went to get that link I'm often tempted to give it to them...and everyone else at the same time. I won't, of course. I won't stoop to that level. All I can do is leave the comments they left on my stories: on this one, Flashbacks, some of the short stories. Leave how they gushed over Audrey and her family with Jon and Shawn, the storyline. I know most readers don't read comments, but for the ones that do, those comments will be there. And maybe they'll remember them if they also read the other story and know where chunks of that story came from.

In another reply in the same thread, MA says:

What’s more upsetting is this was planned. They befriended me, used me, then used my mental health struggles against me. They were also the one who tried to get me to quit writing by saying the story was too long, it wasn't healing, no one would read it, etc. That was them. So not only can I not read their work because of the content but because of who I know them to be. It just kind of makes me sick.

And another:

I was gone from the fanfic community for a long time, and I'd heard of things like this happening in large fandoms, but I never dreamed it would happen in BMW and that it would be done by someone new to the fandom who is twice teen Shawn's age in AiP. I was dealing with a serious bout of depression and anxiety at the time and was too trusting. They seemed intense but also very sweet, so the issues had to be with me, right? I ignored all the red flags. I didn't know about the plagiarism until November of last year and this began in October of 2022. But thankfully I was also building friendships with writers outside my fandom who are the reason I continued writing. I asked for their help with the report because I knew they'd help me sort through the emotional carnage to get the necessary information. Putting the timeline together was the first time I saw everything done across four platforms. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was, it was so much worse. I hope it is truly over and they find something better to do with their time.

There is so much to unpack here. I plan to look more into this, if for nothing other than my own curiosity. I wish I could talk to the authors. However, I would need to contact both writers and give them an equal chance to share their side. I hesitate because if what MA says is even partially true, I don’t want to get involved with MrsFizzle.

What is available publicly is fascinating enough.

I’ll end this for now by repeating the previously mentioned quote because it fits this situation so aptly. If nothing else both points happened to Mercedes Aria and MrsFizzle is guilty of “*the close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as her own original work. That is, both imitation and failure to be truthful about that imitation are necessary attributes to call it plagiarism. It is the lie of omission about sourcing that makes it plagiarism.

A simple “inspired by link” could have avoided all of this.

----

The rest of the article is my opinion on what happened between the two authors and why based on their online behavior. You can read the Author's Note on how I reached these conclusions.

My conclusions:

I do believe MA was plagiarized according to the Fanlore definition. I believe there was something unpleasant that went on between her and MrsFizzle privately that hurt her deeply. I believe she has screenshots and documentation that she believes proves this. I do not know if things were as severe as she claims.

At best, this is a personal matter that got out of hand and the harassment isn’t as bad as she perceives it to be. At worst, everything she says is true...

...I think at best MrsFizzle went through a hard time a few years back and was seeking a place to belong and be validated. In doing so, she embellished her personal stories and “borrowed” scenes from a popular story to bolster hers. She crushed the toes of those who should have been her fandom friends and support. She let jealousy get the best of her in this situation. At worst, she tried to present herself as the authority on fandom favorite characters and the most loved/known writer for them by stealing the work of a long-established fandom writer and trying to bully her out of the fandom to reach that status. She panicked and tried to cover her tracks when her target refused to go away. She let jealousy consume her and did things to another author that are unconscionable.

I do very much believe that the battle to make Ashley the iconic fanon Mrs. Turner has to do with a desire to leave an indelible mark on a very small fandom. Why she went about it the way she did will likely never be known.

There’s a lot of this story left, but I’m not sure the full truth will ever be known. Just remember:

The truth is out there, Mulder, but so are lies.

-Agent Scully, X-Files

[cervidame]

hey! i looove the way you write theo in genesis (that entire fic is GOLD) and was wondering if you had an analysis or any headcanons for theo's character?

(also, feel free to ignore this ask if i'm asking for too much 😅)

*cracks knuckles* In short: - The role of printer's apprentice sparks a lot of thought around the politics of the time and the process of wanting to raise awareness/give a voice to issues that don't normally get attention. - If he didn't inherit a barony, he'd publish & edit periodicals, probably publishing a novel after some time. - His lack of having a voice/vote as a working class man makes him relate to Eloise. - Theo would be sympathetic to first wave feminism and Chartism. - Staffordshire was at the heart of industrial revolution and thus suffered its worse effects, resulting in riots & strikes from the 1830s - 40s, making it the perfect stage for a fic focusing on these issues before they explode. - Theo "closes the door" on his emotions and walks away when he can't handle things. - Eloise is better at recognizing her emotions and communicating them because of her family. - is a coffee fiend OK hi anon so! Theo's role as a printer's apprentice is actually important. On completion, this can be a lucrative trade and many apprentices went on to make their own news pamphlets and politicals. You can imagine sort of political newsletters, Twitter threads, and newspaper opinion pieces and book reviews of the day as the equivalent to give a voice to various issues. They'd include some essays (I guess today we'd call them opinion pieces) from various people. A notable example has been mentioned in the fic - The Monthly Review - which started in 1749. Just from seeing how well read Theo is, the fact he appears to regularly attend assemblies, and from his work I've developed his character to be politically engaged and radical (for the time). Outside of Genesis, I imagine Theo's ambitions would be to be the editor of his own periodical in the style of The Monthly Review with a strong emphasis on politics.

Theo would be a strong sympathizer of the Chartism movement. This movement of the working class boomed from the 1830s. The charter included 6 things including giving all working men the right to vote. The system in England at the time focused on landowners then. It's not just the poverty of his (and others like him) in England that bothers him in the show. It's the lack of having a voice, which also makes him sympathetic to the women's movement and Eloise's plight is relatable in that sense, even if their backgrounds are very different. Chartism resulted in many riots including the Pottery Riots of 1842. In Burslem, near where I grew up, a young man (just 19) was shot dead by police during a strike march. In retaliation, the strikers burned down the house of the magistrate who'd ordered the police to shoot at the rioters. While my fic Genesis takes place before this movement boomed, issues had long since begun and Theo is well aware of them. He wants to help and use his voice for good. Theo buries his emotions. We see this in the last interaction of Theo & Eloise where he walks away and shuts the literal door in his workplace. My headcanon, and what we explore in Genesis, is what happens when that door starts to burst open. That's why little thoughts of Eloise creep through. You can't hold back your emotions forever. Eventually it bursts out. We also see this in how he's dealing with the news of being presented to the Queen and becoming the official heir to the Barony. Lock it away. Deal with it maybe later (or preferably never!!). This is why Eloise, who took the first step in stating her emotions to Theo (also because of their difference in station) is a good balance for him. I do think she's better at communication and has a better awareness of her feelings, helped by her interactions with Benedict who's very open and supportive! Vs Theo who I see as an orphan with a very limited support system. He hasn't developed this type of communication / emotional intelligence quite as much. Uhhhh I guess finally he loves coffee more than tea and probably liked going to coffee houses on occasion - actually more for the coffee than all the political discussions which he also loved.

[ronaldono-sense]

Doubts 'bout Cyclonopedia: does these mean anything?

Reza Negarestani's most famous book, Cyclonopedia (2008), is a hard one to get through. Far from impossible, though. Even if you're not following its threads closely, the main theme isn't all that missable—not by a long shot.

Perhaps I'm too invested in the book's world to be able to surmise it neatly; perhaps to do so is against its core message(s). If you have read it already, you can skip this paragraph, but if you're reading this post because you're interested in it, just give it a shot. If the preface (named 'incognitum hactenus') doesn't hook you in, maybe leave it for now. Alas, if you'd still like to be given something to chew on, its premise is that the Middle East, as a geopolitical entity, is alive; its petroil is not only sentient but also the lubrificant that gets the deleuzoguattarian Body without Organs all lubbed up and smooth so the chains flying out of these Lament Configurations called war-machines can have a good time channeling us to the Insurrectionary Other.

If you're familiar with SF at all, you'll excuse Cyclonopedia habit of presenting its terminology and lingo first, with explanations later. But you also can have it as a philosophical treatise, and a serious one at that. It has a credible bibliography, and the book's reinterpretations of its source materials are not unprecedented, either. For example, when it says the Middle East is alive, and all that jazz about oil, it is getting that off of a certain Dr. Parsani, so heavily quoted, matter of fact, you'd think he's not real, but a Theory-Fiction fabrication. But that's just not the case.

I absented myself from doing any 'behind the scenes' research on Cyclonopedia, though. At least, for now. I finished it some weeks ago and am currently past the 200-page mark of Fanged Noumena. But it still has its little mysteries, and I still wonder what these Plot Holes are yet successfully withholding from me. And that's what I need help with.

Assuming you have read it, you know Cyclonopedia doesn't tell you everything. Quick example: 'incognitum hactenus' gives the reader two links, but it doesn't tell what they're for. It matters little, nonetheless: one is a time zone converter and the other is a Not Found page (unless you erase part of it so you're directed to a 'Computer Science student web server'?).

But, of course, there's more. There's the '2th 3St', 2 and S being character's names, but still, it doesn't come up again in this equation form, so what's up with that?

Following, I give the ones that really stuck with me along these weeks I thought I put it to rest. Needless to say, this is a cry for help.

I. This footnote:

II. This other footnote, which might be Persian:

III. Also this one:

IV. On page 39 (and the previous one), you see these strings of 'random' bracketed numbers (the footnote talks about PGPs):

V. And finally, there's a footnote on page 37 where someone (Reza?) is at the hotel room 302, bothered by someone (the preface's author) wearing a DFA 1979 shirt. But if we go back to the preface, it is she who is at the 302 room. There, you read:

// SSS ['S' is the same person Reza? is adressing in the 37 footnote] Try to change my room as 302 is really getting to me. There is someone [Reza?] in the window across the way who keeps looking at me.

//

I'm wondering if this is an overlook (it seems that way), or a time-space shenanigans scenario, since the preface gives us this graph:

I'm sure other minor things could also be adressed, and even these ones shouldn't make too much of a difference, if at all, but—at the same time I don't want to sign up a reddit account to ask this, and will therefore shout into the tumblr void—engaging in a community manner with Cyclonopedia, CCRU or CCRU-adjacent material is, probably, the better way to do it and proceed.

[askbensolo]

Wow man, a novel?! Despite the sucky job that's still super cool. Any chance we could get an excerpt, or a premise? (I'm stuck writing job applications, so we're *both* bored as hell, please, I'd welcome the distraction!) Also I'm good, thanks for asking :)

Heh. Well. I'm a little hesitant to share a whole lot about it right now—both because it's kinda personal to me, and also...because I'm super terrified I'll never actually finish it.

But, it's an autobiographical narrative, and I'm kinda just writing it as I go. It's about me...but I'm still not too sure what it's really about.

...And whether I'm the hero. Or the villain.

Maybe both.

...Sorry. I've been, uh...kind of...in my own head, lately. That's been another function of this project, for me. Processing...things...

...Anyway.

It's, well—also about my girlfriend. We're visiting each other's families this month—you know, like—announcing officially that we're dating (!!!), now—

But...that part hasn't happened, yet, in real life. So...I started out just kinda...writing about how she and I met. And it's really funny, because, what we initially bonded over was not wanting to kiss people.

So—sure, I'll share an excerpt, haha. But...you gotta remember I'm still workin' on it. And it's a little rough around the edges. And it ain't all polished up nice and pretty, just yet.

Maybe...a little bit like me.

---

Most of Luke’s students were teenagers, then. You get a bunch of teens together—stuff happens, you know? And sometimes that “stuff” is weird kissing games. And so, it was a game of spin-the-saber that brought Fannie and I together—not because we were both in attendance, but rather, exactly the opposite. 

I told you: I was homeschooled. I didn’t know what that was. And when I found out, I ran away as fast as I could, and I saw there was a light on in Fannie’s hut, so I knocked on her door, and she let me in.

“My, you look a mess,” she said, looking me over, probably seeing all the trauma on my face. “Are you alright?”

“I…yeah, I just…” I gestured vaguely behind me. “The others were…”

A look of concern crossed Fannie’s face. “Were they being mean to you?”

I shook my head. “No. Not exactly. Kind of the opposite, to be honest. One might say things were getting a little too friendly back there.”

Fannie sighed, and rolled her eyes a little, and stood up on tiptoe and let her heels fall back down abruptly. “What was it this time? ‘Never have I ever?’ ‘Seven minutes in Force heaven?’ ‘Spin-the-saber?’”

“That one. The last one. I mean, I didn’t know what spin-the-saber was! I haven’t been able to practice with a saber all this time—I thought we’d be sparring, and doing cool spinny-tricks, or somethin’—”

Fannie giggled, then, and I looked at her, shuffling my feet a little. I was afraid she was laughing at me.

“You’re not like other boys, are you?” she asked with gentle amusement, her brown eyes sparkling a little.

I interpreted this remark offensively, of course, because I’m great at that. I shot her a nasty little look. “Well, I don’t see you over there.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant; it’s not bad at all to be different,” Fannie assured me. “You’re right; I’m not over there. Why don’t you sit down? I can make us some tea.”

“Thanks. Um…I actually forgot your name.”

Fannie giggled. “I’m Fannie.”

“Oh. Right. Fannie. I’m Ben. Nice to meet you.”

And then I cringed because, well, we had already met, and she already knew my name, and oooooh owie I’m so awkward.

But she didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you,” she smiled.

The tea was made. The tea was drunk. A half-hour later I was sitting on her bed while she sat on the floor and knitted (Fannie loves knitting and crocheting and other forms of making stuff out of yarn and thread).

“I’ve never liked anyone before. Is that weird?”

“Perhaps you haven’t found the right person.”

“You sound like my mom,” I groaned. “No—it’s not that. It’s not that at all. I just don’t want to be with someone, like that.”

“Ah, I see,” Fannie said. “Well—there’s nothing wrong with that. The old Jedi used to take vows of celibacy. Did you know that?”

“Yeah…I knew that,” I said, tapping my fingers rapidly against the clay mug. “But…this isn’t something I chose. I’m just…like this. I’ve always been. I don’t know why.”

Fannie was quiet for a moment. And I began to worry again that she thought I was weird.

“…I sense that this has been difficult for you,” she said finally, her voice heavy with sympathy. “To feel like you’re different from other people.”

I looked up at her. She was gazing at me with such compassion. My heart kind of…filled up. With something warm, and sweet, and achy.

“…Yeah,” I said. “Yeah…exactly.”

“Hm.” Fannie took my empty mug and set it on the little table by the door. “Well…I can’t presume to know what you’ve experienced or what you’ve gone through, Ben. But, I’ve felt different from other people, too, so I know a little of how it feels. I’m sixteen and I’ve never dated anyone, or kissed, or been kissed.”

I didn’t really know what I was supposed to say. What normal people who weren’t me usually said. That’s okay? You’ll find someone? That’s too bad?

“…Well, I’m seventeen and I’ve never done any of those things, either,” I said finally. Then I grinned. “Maybe Uncle Luke should reinstitute the celibacy rule. Then, everyone would have to be just like you and me.”

Fannie giggled. “I wouldn’t like that. I do want to be married someday.”

“Oh. You do?”

She nodded, and then after a bit I nodded back.

“Yeah, I guess can see that. I s’pose you do kinda seem like you’d end up married someday.”

“What do you mean?”

I shrugged, embarrassed, wondering if I was about to say something offensive. “I dunno. You just seem—kind of—like a mom.” I paused. “I mean it in a good way, this time.”

Fannie beamed. “I have become rather known as the ‘mom friend’ around here.”

I looked at her, the knitting in her hands, the mugs on the table, the kindness in her smile.

“Yeah, I can see that, too.”

“Thank you.”

“Well…I’m glad you don’t like kissing, either,” I said. “I felt like I was the only one. I don’t know. It always seemed gross to me.”

Fannie was quiet.

“What? You don’t think so?” I asked.

“…I’d…I’d like to kiss someone someday,” Fannie admitted, turning a little pink. “But…not while playing spin-the-saber.”

“Really? Why?” I asked—because I was starting to feel comfortable with her, and I’d always wanted to ask, but never felt like I could. “I just—don’t get it. It’s like—your mouths—touching each other—and germs—and spit—”

“Well, when you phrase it that way, Ben Solo, of course it sounds revolting.”

“It is revolting,” I told her, “and I’m just saying it like it is! Well, okay. Okay, okay. Would you—would you do it with tongue and stuff? ‘Cause—that’s nasty.”

Fannie turned even redder.

“Oh, my Force. You’re about to say yes.”

“It…it might be nice,” she confessed. “If…if I liked him very much, and we were very close, and—if we were married.”

“Ewwww!” I threw a pillow at her, playfully—and then I realized we didn’t know each other that well, and I didn’t know if she and I were close enough for me to throw things at her—but she only laughed.

“Goodness, let’s talk about something else now,” she said, then. “My face is burning.”

“Oh my Force, yes. Team No Kissing?” I offered her a high-five.

“Team No Kissing,” she agreed, laughing.

We high-fived. And from that moment on, we were friends.

And—we still are. I don’t think it makes us not friends just because we’re also dating now.

In fact, she was such a good friend to me, that when the thing I call my “mental health crisis” began to spiral out of control, she was the first one I went to for help...

[bradshawsbaby]

Happy Anniversary!!!!

You are one of the first if not the first top gun blog I followed last summer. I literally can’t watch the movie without telling all my friends about hangman and Phoenix!!

With that being said I’ll requested a little Drabble of my favorite family the hannix family!! Maybe a little older hannix when James and Ellie are FINALLY official. But honestly I’d take any hannix content so do whatever!!

Happy One Year!! 💖💖

Yay, thank you, love! It’s been so fun to watch our little Hannix fandom grow! 🥰 Here’s a little Older!Hannix, plus some James & Ellie!

Rolling his shoulders back with a tired sigh, Jake unlocked the back door to the house he’d been sharing with his family for nearly three decades. It was a good decision because as he stepped into the kitchen, he was instantly met with the mouthwatering aroma of his wife’s chicken and rice.

“Hi, Minx,” he greeted her, dropping his things on the small kitchen table and stepping up behind her to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Hey, babe,” Natasha replied, turning her head to smile up at him.

His beautiful Minx. She had more lines and wrinkles now than the day he’d first met her, and her dark hair was threaded liberally with streaks of silvery gray, but she was still the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Grinning, he cupped her chin in his hand and dropped a kiss on her lips, still desperate for her even after all these years.

“You’re home just in time,” she murmured, nudging him away playfully as she put the finishing touches on the meal she’d been preparing. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Mmm, and it smells good, too,” Jake sighed happily, leaning over the pot of rice and taking a deep sniff. To this day, he still had no idea how she seasoned it to make it taste so delicious.

“How was the debrief?” Nat asked, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes as she sliced vegetables.

Jake had been forced to stay later at work today to hold a meeting with the newest TOPGUN recruits. He enjoyed getting to work with the younger pilots, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t exhausted.

“It was alright,” he told her, snatching a carrot off the cutting board despite her protestations. “But my God, Minx, you’ve never seen such a cocky crew before. They think they know everything.”

“Trust me, I know cocky,” Natasha teased, turning to look up at him with a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, yeah. But I actually am the best,” he shot back with a smirk, earning him a swat on the arm.

“Shut up, Bagman, and go get cleaned up for dinner,” she laughed, shaking her head.

“Is Ellie home?” Jake asked as he went to grab his stuff off the table.

He and Natasha were getting used to no longer being empty nesters. The boys had long moved out, but Ellie had just moved back home after graduating from college last month. Jake was more than happy with the arrangement, feeling much better knowing that his baby girl was safe under his roof again.

“Mhm, she and James are watching a movie in the living room,” Nat explained, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

Jake froze at that. “Watching a movie, huh?” he asked suspiciously.

Natasha sighed and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yes, a movie. Do you really think James Bradshaw, who has been in our house practically every day since he was born, is going to jump our daughter’s bones in the middle of the living room?”

Frowning, Jake placed his hands on his hips and scowled. He certainly didn’t need that visual in his head, especially with his daughter and Baby Bradshaw’s relationship still being so new.

“Bagman, they’re both grown adults,” Nat laughed, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

“Not while they’re under my roof!” Jake huffed, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive.

“It’s our roof, and I have no problem with our daughter and her boyfriend—who also happens to be our best friends’ son—watching a movie in our living room,” she retorted, trying to show him how ridiculous he was being.

He just grumbled in response, muttering under his breath as he walked out of the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, when everything was ready, Natasha walked into the living room to let the kids know that dinner was ready. To her surprise, she found her husband there as well.

Sitting right in the middle of a mortified Ellie and a sheepish James.

“Bagman!” Natasha scolded, frowning at him.

“It’s a good movie, Minx,” Jake smirked, leaning back comfortably on the couch. “You should join us.”

Join my “TOP ONE” Anniversary Celebration! 🥳

[yusuke-of-valla]

From the perspective of Persona 5 Royal as a standalone story I'm not necessarily against the ambiguity of what exactly happened with Akechi. I actually like it, there's lots of room for interpretation! The Third Semester had a sort of dream logic to it which fit well with how the cognitive world was bleeding into reality. I like the idea of Akechi being a sort of Schrödinger's cat. Is that actually Akechi or just Joker's mind playing tricks on him? If he survived, how? Was that Akechi or was it not? Will Joker and Akechi ever meet again or will they simply remain individuals who changed each other forever only for their paths never to cross again, with Joker forever unsure of Akechi's survival or even what happened to the boy he cared about enough to change reality? The open-endedness of Akechi's story as it relates to Joker isn't bad to me.

However it does cause a lot of problems for any Persona 5 game that happens afterward the 3rd semester which by its nature needs to have a canon answer to all of this if they want to bring back popular character Akechi (which is probably why Strikers apparently takes place in the timeline of the OG Persona 5 and not Royale). And the similarly "are they actually brought back to life or merely mental constructs?" question that the other back-from-the-dead loved ones in the 3rd semester raise are far easier to brush aside since their status as dead is never in question with incentive to bring them back for a later instalment of the series. I personally don't have much faith in Atlus explaining it in a compelling way that makes sense though.

Honestly, if you ask me everyone acts like Akechi is dead because Joker believes it. His wish is predicated on the belief that Akechi IS dead which is the information Maruki is acting on and the world then shapes itself to accommodate and with his memories so fuzzy, why should Akechi believe any different? Not to mention how Akechi's cognition of himself and the world might also have an impact on the evidence, Maruki's own perception, and his conclusions. But the choice still matters because Joker and Akechi were willing to make that choice even if it resulted in Akechi being dead, not necessarily that it ends with Akechi dead.

Yeah, basically. As a stand-alone story it's fine, and my issue with Akechi's death being a cop out is more along the lines of "by the fucking FOURTH fake out death (fifth if you count Joker's), it starts getting really annoying" than it being bad conceptually

But the problem is it's part of a series that has Spin-off games that continue the story, and like they should have known people would expect a follow up come Royal.

So really they shot themselves in the foot with that final cutscene because while I do find it annoying that people will go "where's Akechi?!" At every new thing, I don't think it's unreasonable for people to, you know, expect the very deliberate dangling plot thread to get addressed? From a very deliberate standpoint, why would you show him the way you did if it isn't supposed to be a sequel hook (because yeah the blocking of that shot is very deliberate "hey look at this")

It's not like this was originally gonna be stand alone story and then it got unexpectedly popular so you made a sequel, and now have to answer a question so plot can happen

Idk maybe it annoys me so much because to me at least it's SO blatantly stringing fans along I'm kind of offended on principle. Like you made your bed fucking lie in it, don't dance around it like cowards

[mygainyear2024]

Day 80 Sahara

Exciting day, not only because our destination is the great Sahara Desert, but the other experiences were also wonderful. First to clarify with Mustafa we can change the camel ride to tomorrow morning, as Rose is not feeling great and the camel ride was pretty much the only reason she came on this trip! And we checked the weather, it's supposed to be less windy tomorrow. Our request is possible.

First stop a view over somewhere spectacular that I will get the name of tomorrow!

Then we go to Toudra Gorges. Moustafa drops us off at one end and we walk through to meet him at the other. It's school holidays and I loved seeing how the locals made use of this oasis in the heat. Cafe tables in the middle of the stream, drinks in large plastic containers sitting in the water, people are allowed to camp and they've set up blankets and cooking equipment.

Next stop a visit to a Berber co-op to learn about the art of traditional carpet making. I have measurements for a carpet for our hallway. I have been to a few carpet demonstrations in other countries and the technique of dying the wool and the sources of the colour are similar. The carpets are made from sheep (the coat taken once per year), camel (the coat taken once every three years) and silk (later research revealed that much of this might be false, except the bit about the sheep!). We are shown several beautiful pieces. One particularly captures our attention but it's too big. None of the ones the right size were as beautiful as the one we liked. There was no obligation to buy.

I enquired about the price for a carpet that would fit and then I enquired about the price of the carpet I really liked. Numbers were written on paper, backward and forwards, sold, for less than $1000 AUD. And it weighs 4.5kgs which I think I can manage. A camel hair and silk carpet, that I was informed was 25 years old and made by a woman in the mountains. Maybe the camel was 25 years old, I should have clarified if it was the camel or the age of the carpet! There is no space in our current apartment, but as the man said, we will find the right space and if not we can sell the carpet!

Mustafa asked us yesterday if we wanted alcohol and we said we'd like to try some local products. Nothing was open. Today he found a restaurant that hadn't opened but was selling supplies from a side shed. Several locals were in there with us. It felt contrabandish, but Mustafa said it was totally legit. I settled on a bottle of rosé for 100 dirham (from the winery that I tried to book a wine tasting at for Saturday, near Meknes, but they are fully booked - Volubilia-Domaine de la Zouina) and the local beer at 25 dirhams each. We drink the beer in the car and keep the wine for later.

Lunch was quite late, but it was delicious and this time Rose and I shared a set menu, as yesterday Rose ate hardly any of her lunch! She had the salad and chips and I had the roast chicken, rice and vegetables which had a delicious green pepper sauce. Only a few metres up the road we stop to buy a head scarf for the camel ride and have the welcoming henna experience with our names written in Arabic.

One last stop before the drop off point, a popular market to look at the spices. Again no obligation, but I was keen to buy some saffron threads, at €7 per gram I did not need their minimum 5 grams, so my negotiation power felt consumed by asking for 2 grams! Along with some cumin, coriander and sweet paprika, I paid way too much at 360 dirham.

As we get closer the sand is blowing across the desert impacting visibility. Mustafa said it's on the more windy side today.

Now for the excitement, our luggage is swapped into a 4WD ute and we head for the desert camp. We are staying in the sane dunes of Erg Chebbi Merzouga. The driver pauses a couple of times which was great as I could wind the window down and take some shots. The pictures don't represent the height of the dunes. Hopefully the perspective will be captured tomorrow from the camel ride. It was a thrilling ride in.

[artemismoorea03]

It wasn't uncommon for people to comment about the "Bruce Wayne Adoption Bait's" around the world, some adding their own jokes into it or saying how they wished Bruce would adopt them so they could have access to the money Bruce had and some even mentioned more devious plots. They annoyed Bruce and he hardly paid attention, but some people seemed a bit too serious about some of the devious plots they mentioned, so he had Oracle keep an eye on it.

Things were quiet for years until one day Oracle mentioned it to him one day out of the blue.

"Hey, B. I know you told me to keep an eye on this 'adoption bait' trend to make sure nobody was going to hurt you or the others but... I found something else."

Bruce had been confused until she sent him the links all from one specific poster under the user name; "Space Case".

Sometimes when I hear my parents talk I wonder if maybe my friends are right and that I should reach out to Bruce Wayne about being adopted.

That was one of the first posts, nothing serious, but it quickly grew concerning.

Do you think the Wayne's would still adopt somebody if they were radioactive? Asking for a friend.

White hair is still part of the Wayne theme, right? Also asking for a friend.

Another one of my parents weapons locked onto me today, I bet Dick Grayson never had to worry about getting shot by a gun hidden in the kitchen cupboard while just trying to get breakfast.

Do you think Bruce Wayne punishes his kids for not being Geniuses? Actually... dumb question I'm pretty sure all of the kids have like badass talents so they don't need to be smart. I need to get me a talent because at this point my 'Genius Family' is going to end up locking me in the Iron Maiden downstairs until I grow a brain cell - and no, I'm not kidding... are Iron Maidens even legal?

Are Wayne Adoptions like kidnappings? Because after today I don't think I want to be adopted. Being kidnapped by one millionaire is enough for one lifetime, thanks.

Do the Meta-Protection Acts still work if a person is dead? Probably not, right?

My sister says it's probably not smart to post this stuff online but like - nobody reads this anyways, right? If so half of the people on this website would be on some kind of watchlist. So, might as well keep going. I mean... it's not like I have anywhere else to turn anymore. The only people I can trust are 'kids' like me or are willing to strap me down and rip me apart "Molecule By Molecule" just for breathing. I'll delete all this shit eventually but for now I just need to rant. Even if people think I'm making it up at least it's not building. Anyway, weird question - if somebody get's brainwashed and commits bank robbery but returns the stolen items later are they still a criminal?

"Are these all of them?" Bruce asked.

"No. This kid started posting in this thread just before Christmas last year but in the past few months it's drastically changed. Specifically in May. I have more posts but they just get more extreme from there."

Bruce hummed, "Any luck identifying the kid?"

"Not yet. Whoever this kid is they either know how to hack or have somebody to do it for them. Whatever the case I haven't been able to crack the inscription and I'm honestly impressed. I- wait, they just posted something. Sending it now."

If a friend hurts you to force you to give them information but then realizes that you're telling the truth and helps you fix the problem they helped start do you forgive them? Cuz like... on one hand they were tricked by a really bad guy into hurting somebody innocent but they went after me specifically. But they also didn't know it was me because they didn't recognize me but it was still me... I'm fine, just a couple bruises and burns but I'm fine... I wonder if any of the Wayne's have to go through this shit. I hope not. Nobody needs that... it sucks.

Bruce frowned, "Get Tim to help you. Find this kid and see what else you can discover. If any of this is true then we need to do something."

"Like adopt them?"

"Like get them some help... some of what they're saying has me concerned they're a meta in trouble. Plus, if we're seeing a pattern it's possible that others are too and can be looking for this kid. They could be in more danger than they know."

"On it, B. I'll also send you all the chats from Space Case and let you know if any more come through."

---

For a week there was nothing from Space Case, giving Bruce plenty of time to go through the different chats and post. From what he was getting from the information in front of him he was getting more and more convinced that this kid was some kind of meta. But one of the posts specifically mentioned that even the Meta-Protection Act wouldn't keep them safe.

Some posts also suggested that Space Case was losing hope in the Justice League, the Government, and a lot of people in general. They had been reaching out for help, yet nobody answered which hurt. The Justice League got thousands of requests a day from all over the world and their computer system was meant to filter out any liable threat which meant that whatever was happening was something they hadn't accounted for.

It wasn't until he saw a specific post from Space Case that gave Bruce a clue.

Shouldn't Government agencies take a second look if there's even a shadow of a doubt? I mean, how much does it take for them to step back and realize they're wrong? The Government, my parents - everybody is wrong and not a single person will stop long enough to look at this damn Anti-Ecto law and realize that they're trying to kill living creatures. Maybe one day I'll be able to get through to the Justice League but I doubt it... at this rate I should just try to contact Mr. Wayne. What would I say though? 'Hey, sorry to bug you and also don't call the cops on me because if you do I'll be hunted down, captured, then destroyed for the sake of science'? I think I'd rather take my chances with the League... at least being ignored is better than the little hope I have left being destroyed.

A clue.

Bruce began researching the Anti-Ecto Law's and even went so far as to call Constantine when he didn't understand some of what was in front of him. Needless to say neither were impressed with the "Anti-Ecto Control Act" or the fact that their computer had somehow missed it. (Something they realized later was because they had been hacked by somebody in Metropolis but that was issues for another day).

"The Anti-Ecto Control Act is a law that allows the United States Government or anybody with a Ghost Hunting License to hunt down, contain, and destroy anything possessing a certain level of Ectoplasm. Ectoplasm - from what I understand - is essentially what the Lazarus Pit's are made up of. Which would mean that Red Hood, Robin, Orphan - and countless other members of my team, our League, and our alliances would be hunted down and it would be illegal for us to step in. Oracle is still working on finding out who 'Space Case' is but this law is most active in one place throughout the entire United States. Amity Park, Illinois." Batman said, pointing to a spot on the map. "Constantine, Superman, Wonder Woman, and I will be going to Amity Park to check this out in person. I want the rest of you finding out whatever you can about these laws, who implemented them, who supports them, and who the hell hacked into our system. We will not let this happen again."

The League all nodded as they split up to do their tasks as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Constantine made their way to the Zeta Tubes.

"So what we gonna say when we arrive, eh? 'Sorry 'bout ignorin' you for the past few months, but turns out we didn't have a single idea that you lot even needed help!' That's bound to go over well." Constantine grumbled.

"We tell them the truth. Our systems were hacked, blinding us to the fact that you needed help. We're here now, tell us what's going on." Wonder Woman said.

"And let the entire population of the lil' town know that the League can be hacked? Are you determined to start a panic?"

Superman sighed, "We'll figure it out when we get there. Bats-"

"We gather all information before we jump to a conclusion. If I'm right and 'Space Case' is there, then they might be the only one who can give us full insight. If we jump to conclusions based on the opinion of civilians we could miss something." Batman said, "Otherwise we're just there to observe."

Batman had no idea who he was looking for or what they were about to walk into but he could only hope that 'Space Case' wouldn't be absolutely terrified when they saw the four of them.

(I've never really written anything with Constantine so he might be out of character but I did my best.)

Short DPXDC Prompts #1000

Balls.

[changedxhearts]

//Oh hey this blog exists lol-

I just suddenly wanted to add / make a muse / blog... but should i..

[havemybackanyday]

I started thinking about Buck texting Bobby every time he woke up, and my hand slipped.

---

Bobby is just beginning to prep breakfast at the station when his phone pings.

7:26am hey everything ok

It doesn't click right away—Bobby’s first assumption being that Buck is missing the job, maybe feeling a little left out. 

7:27am Yeah, everything’s fine here. Shift just started, you’re not missing much. Are you ok?

He watches as the three dots pop up and then disappear a couple times, and then puts his phone down to stir the eggs. He’s almost forgotten about it by the time the response comes in.

7:34am just checking

It’s then that the penny drops, and the realization breaks Bobby’s heart a little. He opens his camera and flips it around, taking a surreptitious selfie with A shift seated at the table in the background. Chim is gesturing animatedly, and Eddie is chuckling into a coffee mug while Hen rolls her eyes. In the foreground is half of Bobby’s own face, forgetting to smile as he concentrates on framing the shot. 

He sends the picture off to Buck.

7:36am We’re all here, all safe. We miss you. thanks bobby. miss you guys too

The next one comes in the following morning, just as Bobby is pulling into his driveway.

7:31am hey Hey, kid. All good here. ok, great sorry thanks No need, Buck.

Bobby knows there’s something Buck isn’t telling him about the coma dream and his place in it. When Bobby had asked him about it at the hospital, he’d been cagey, and since Buck got home, Bobby feels like he’s being tracked—like if Buck doesn’t know where Bobby is at any given moment, Bobby might vanish into thin air… or Buck might.

Bobby can be an anchor. He’s had practice.

2:12pm all good? All good.

They fall into a routine, where Buck will text “hey” whenever he wakes up and Bobby will reply with a checkmark emoji. It’s soothing for Bobby, too—this way, he knows Buck is sleeping, and gets a rough idea of when and how much. There’s always a text in the morning, and more often than not, a message also comes through in the afternoon. 

A couple days in, the afternoon text arrives while the 118 is on a call. Nothing serious, but several cars are involved, and Bobby is flitting around the scene, directing his people back and forth to where they’re needed. By the time he wraps up, Eddie is sitting half inside the truck and holding his phone, a concerned look on his face.

“Cap?”

Bobby pulls his own phone out of his turnouts.

3:42pm hey

3:48pm hey, bobby?

3:52pm i know it’s fine and i know you’re probably on a call but lmk if you’re ok when you can

3:54pm please sorry

Bobby takes a quick selfie with Eddie. Neither of them is smiling, but it’s not annoyance—it’s the same way they’d be looking at Buck if he were here, handling the call with them. No performing, just an ordinary moment in time. 

He sends it over.

4:09pm Sorry to make you wait. We’re good.

He looks up from his phone, and Eddie is watching him with pinched eyebrows. Wordlessly, he flips his phone around to show Bobby his own string of texts from Buck. Bobby sees his own name in the thread several times.

“How’s he doing?” Bobby asks.

Eddie blows out a breath and settles his elbows on his knees. “He’s… working through some stuff,” Eddie says, looking back at the text thread. He’s silent for a long moment, and then huffs a rueful laugh. “He seems rattled, which is pretty understandable. But beyond that, I don’t think he knows what he needs yet.”

“Well, until he tells us differently, the best thing we can do for him is to be here, and be us.”

Eddie nods, and they both swing into the engine.

That night, the ping of Bobby’s phone wakes him from a deep sleep in the station house bunks.

2:20am hey you awake

Bobby rubs a hand across his face. I am now. You ok? sorry i woke you No, don’t be. I’d rather you reach out.

Buck doesn’t respond; the three dots don’t even appear.

2:22am Did something happen? You alright?

2:24am just a nightmare You want to tell me about it? nah maybe later glad you’re ok, get some sleep

Bobby locks his phone and stares at the ceiling in the dark. He isn’t sure how much time passes, but at some point he resigns himself to the fact that his swirling worries won’t resolve themselves into anything legible right now. He swings his legs out of bed and heads upstairs to the kitchen.

Five hours later, he pulls into a parking spot outside of Buck’s apartment complex, a pan of cinnamon rolls in the passenger seat.

“Hey, Bobby.” Buck looks tired when he swings open the door, circles under his eyes, smile a little faded. 

“Hey, kid. Brought you something.” Bobby peels back a corner of the foil covering the cinnamon rolls, and watches as Buck’s eyes brighten.

He laughs and gestures to the piles of food on the kitchen island. “I don’t know if I’ve even got space for those, but I’ll move some of this out to the balcony if I have to.”

Bobby hands the pan over, and Buck lifts out a roll immediately, taking a huge bite that leaves icing on his lip. “Mmmmh. God. Thank you.”

He can’t help a smile at Buck’s enthusiasm. “Anytime.”

There’s a moment of quiet while Buck wedges the pan onto the overloaded island and finishes his roll. He’s licking his fingers and avoiding Bobby’s eyes when he says, “Sorry again for waking you up.”

“Buck.” Bobby waits for him to look up. “Don’t be. We’re all here for you—and not just because you got hurt. We’re here whenever you need us.”

Buck pauses, index finger still in his mouth. He pulls it out and says in a rush, as if racing his own hesitation: “You were dead. In my coma dream, you were dead. Because Hen and I never came to your apartment that day.”

“Okay,” Bobby says, nodding neutrally as the memories wash over him. The shame of waking in the shower. The helplessness of placing his pain in his coworkers’ hands. The rock-steady warmth of Buck and Hen on either side of him.

A vise tightens around his heart.

“Is that why you’ve been checking on me?”

Buck has the gall to sound ashamed of himself when he says, “Yeah.”

“Buck, you know—hey. Look at me, this is important.” Buck, who has shifted his gaze to someplace over Bobby’s right shoulder, drags his eyes back. “You know that my sobriety isn’t your responsibility, right?”

Buck nods. “I know, and I’m not trying to… fix things, or control things I can’t. I just…” He trails off, and his eyes are shining. “I don’t want to wake up again in a world that doesn’t have you in it. This version of you, I mean.”

“Oh, kid, c’mere.” Bobby steps forward and wraps Buck in a hug. 

God damn anyone who ever told this kid that his heart was a problem. 

When they finally let go of each other, Bobby holds on to Buck’s shoulders. Buck sniffs, and swats a tear off his cheek with the palm of his hand. 

“You’ve been through a lot, and I know you’re still sorting it out. But I also know how stubborn you are when you’re chewing on a problem,” Bobby says, drawing a wet laugh out of Buck. “I know you’ll find your way through it. And we will all be here for you. Every step, however long it takes.”

Buck nods, and breaks into a hesitant smile.

“And in the meantime, let us spoil you a little.” Bobby gives Buck’s shoulder a light jab with his fist. “We don’t want to wake up in a world without you, either.”

[scenetocause]

Idk about you but I would sure like Norris / Fewtrell / Kodric to be given the emptyhalf words.

ok i guess

"You're unbelievable," Lando's laughing but he's like - it's the thing he does when he's actually kind of serious but he's playing it down, not his real laugh and it unnerves Max a lot.

"What do you mean?" He honestly doesn't know what he's done. Something, clearly; it's not bad enough that Lando isn't curled right up against him in Max's bed, Max's fingers threading through his hair and Lando's stupid palm tree necklace digging into Max's breastbone.

"You were flirting with Martin so much, oh my god."

Oh.

Well, guilty as charged.

"If my boyfriend didn't leave me at home all the time then maybe I wouldn't have to look at hot, uhm. Hunks." He's got past the word 'boyfriend' in his list of mental blocks but it's very hard for Max to sort of think of himself as gay beyond Lando. He's not really sure he is but then, Martin is pretty hot and so tall, too. Like Jake, who's also pretty hot and ok maybe he just... has some sort of very specific type. He should try checking out Marcus next time they're in the gym to see if it's all drivers or just specifically the idiot ones.

Lando pouts, curling more round Max. "If you'd actually ask instead of, like - you know I always want you there. Anyway, I guess Martin's kinda hot."

Oh. Oh, Lando isn't complaining, he's fantasising.

Except Max's self-esteem isn't as secure as Lando's, clearly and so what he says is. "Hotter than me?" And his voice sounds pathetically small.

"No." It's not possible to actually hear someone rolling their eyes but Max thinks he can. "You're - and mine. But y'know, for someone else he kind of is."

Lando presses an unusually tender kiss under Max's ear. "You're still my big boy."

"Jesus-" Max ineffectively swats at Lando, who's already successfully limpeted onto him and just holds Max tighter, peppering him with kisses. "Fuck off. God."

Max mumbles "I love you, Bob" into the bumps of Lando's spine when they've rearranged to big and little spoon, a few minutes later.

-

Nothing happens because why would anything happen. Martin's straight and if Max and Lando sometimes work it into their dirty talk, the idea of one of them getting fucked by Martin while the other one's watching then, well. Look. They've said that about, like - Lando has a weird crush on Niall from One Direction and sometimes it comes up, it's just a fantasy, it's fine.

Until Tom opens his stupid mouth and Max is gonna edit him for Insta again, he swears to god.

"Who'd you have in a threesome, if you could have anyone?"

"Martin," Lando says, without even looking up from his phone while he's posting some jpgs.

It's at the same time as Connor says "Dua Lipa" and Jenny hits him with a cushion but someone definitely heard because several people follow it up with what?

Lando glances round the table, unfazed. "It's be Martin, we've talked about it."

Max can feel himself turning blotchy crimson. "Mate, you can't just say things like-"

"Really?" It's only fair that Martin, himself, asks.

"Yeah," Lando is totally unbothered, tucking himself back against Max's shoulder and taking a sip of his drink, the only tell that he knows what he's doing the way he's suddenly glowing with that weird, malicious energy he gives off sometimes. "It'd be hot. Y'know, you could fuck Max or-"

Collective shouting around the table manages to preserve Max's honour and stop him having to find a way to murder the man he loves the most of anyone in the world. And that's kind of the end of it because they get into fuck, marry, kill with the characters from Friends but none of them can remember what half of them are called and shots dissolve the rest of the conversation.

Until Max is wobbling to the bathroom, a little while later and wondering where Lando's gone. He probably might have noticed Martin was gone, too, except that he's been studiously trying not to make any kind of eye contact with the bloke for several hours, so it's easier not to think.

Except that Martin is suddenly right up in his space and Max nearly trips over his own feet. "Uh - hello, what Lando said, like, just, ignore him it's-"

He's shocked by Martin shushing him. Realises Martin's shirt is unbuttoned all the way down, tries not to fixate on the trail of hair down from his belly button but looking up from that means he's staring into Martin's eyes.

"I didn't mind," Martin's accent makes it soft, voice deliberately gentle. "It's kind of cute."

Max doesn't have time to squirm, before Martin's hand is on his jaw and his sweaty palms are on Martin's chest to steady himself and the main thing he registers, when Martin kisses him, is Lando's shrieky laugh of glee much too close by.

"I knew it," there's the sound of a shutter closing, a photo that better not make it to the internet. "It is really hot."

[owkse]

Obi Wan Kenobi ~ Moving On

Chapter 30

Chapter 29

You wondered the halls, the lightness of the force making the urge to skip through the halls harder to ignore. Things had been... interesting, after Anakin’s trial, which thankfully ended with him being exiled to Naboo, the Jedi Council had decided upon a all order vote in changing the code. The ideology was still the same, but the idea of no attachments changed. Even with the change and the turmoil that has come from the war that ended two years ago, the temple was just humming with life. 

‘Y/N, a word with you I want, time have you?’ asked Yoda from the classroom, he was now vacating. 

‘Of course Master, I was just walking around anyway’ you smiled as the Master floated next to you. 

‘Happy are you? Now the war had ended?’ asked Yoda as you continued to walk. 

‘Very happy, I’ve not felt any force loss for weeks now’ you smiled, Yoda chuckling at the bounce you now had in your step. 

‘Happy now I am for you Padawan, excited to see where you go next I am’ Yoda commented. 

‘I think I’ve pushed the council enough for now’ you chuckled. 

‘You have, pushed us, but the force has also, helping us it is’ nodded Yoda. 

‘Hmm, I’m pleased for Anakin, he can live a peaceful life now, Padme deserves the chance to still serve as a senator’ you commented. 

‘Hmm, a brother Obi Wan still has, happy for him you are?’ asked Yoda. 

‘I am, apparently he’s been getting the children to call him Uncle Obi Wan’ you smiled happy for your partner. 

‘Childlike, Obi Wan is, a perfect match you make’ smiled Yoda, as you shot him a mock glare. 

‘Are you saying we are immature?’ you asked earning chuckles. 

‘Childlike, happiness it brings, to the force and to other Jedi, happy I am for you’ said Yoda. 

‘Thank you Master’ you blushed.

‘Forever you think you’ll stay?’ asked Yoda. 

‘I think you’ve been around the younglings for too long Master’ you commented raising an eyebrow. 

‘Maybe, the force is full of mischief tonight’ said Yoda now no longer making any sense. 

‘Master... what? Ok, what’s going on? Obi Wan told me he was seeing Anakin and now he’s in the garden...’ you said reaching out into the force. 

‘Go see him you should’ urged Yoda. 

‘Master will you just tell me’ you whined only for Yoda to use his stick to lightly smack your head. 

‘Go, have fun you should’ said Yoda using the force to lightly push you away. 

‘We’ll talk about this later’ you called over your shoulder, making your way through the garden. 

Entering the garden you found floating candle’s, lighting up the path in the late evening, the sun setting putting a soft glow around the peaceful garden. Walking you followed the candles to the willow tree, finding Obi Wan stood underneath. 

‘Hello darling’ grinned Obi Wan. 

‘I thought you went to see Anakin, I watched you fly out’ you said surprised joining the man standing under the tree. 

‘I wasn’t on that ship darling, Master Yoda helped me hide’ grinned Obi Wan, curling some hair behind your ear.

‘I knew he was up to something… but why did you lie?’ you asked curiously.

‘He was helping me, I didn’t lie I just… omitted the truth’ Obi Wan continued to beam.

‘Obi Wan’ you whined, as the man, wrapped an arm around your waist, pulled by you to him.

‘Shh, I stop whining’ said Obi Wan softly pressing his lips to yours.

‘Ok what’s going on?’ you asked your hand going to the back of his head, threading your fingers through his hair.

‘I wanted to talk to you… I remember the day we first met under this tree, you helped me in more ways than you can imagine, you’ve always had this ability to make everything… wrong or painful just disappear… I love you, I’ll always love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me young one?’ asked Obi Wan.

‘Yes Obi’ you whispered a tear escaping your cheek.

Moving away from you, Obi Wan pulled out a ring from his belt, and it was perfect. It was simple, yet elegant, and it brought more tears to your eyes. Placing it on your finger, Obi Wan then cupped your face kissing you firmly, you responding equally.

‘Obi Wan, I love you’ you said your hand on the side of his face, stroking his skin softly.

‘I love you young one’

[demonboyhalo]

The Technoblade Conspiracy

Even before Dream claimed there was a traitor in Pogtopia, there's been a lot of...suspicious activities happening in Techno’s streams. Others on the SMP are already distrustful of him, and the fans are as well, but I believe that we’re focusing on the wrong thing here. This thread isn’t quite a traitor theory, but rather a dive into what Techno has been hiding at large. I can say with utter confidence that the extent of what Technoblade has accomplished on the Dream SMP is being greatly underestimated.

I recommend looking at the sus Techno moments thread by @piggytechnobarb on Twitter for some of the stream clips I'll be discussing.

This is going to be fairly in depth, so the rest is under the cut!

1. There is another room under what Techno calls his "secret base"

I won't talk too much on how strange his choice of "secret base" is for now, but please do keep in mind how out of character it is for man-who-tracked-down-Squid's-college to settle for a home base so unprotected and close to Pogtopia's very well known location.

So, for some reason, there is Polished Blackstone Brick under the floor of Techno’s wall. He accidentally reveals this when a donation asks him to mine the exposed redstone in his wall, acts a bit strange for a good 15 seconds, and then never mentions it again. Sight of the brick prompts him to silently zoom in, fill the hole with stone (not cobble), and say "Don't ask questions".

This is only so strange because there's no real reason for him to have stone at the ready, or any blackstone brick at all. Techno is NOT a builder, and if a creeper blew up down there, he'd fill it with cobble and not give a shit about aesthetics. He doesn't use smooth stone in his base, and has never built with blackstone on stream. Not only are they unusual items for him to have, it's unusual for him to make a point to not have the viewers question it. Yes, it could just be Techno being dramatic, but why did he go silent for a straight 5 seconds at the sight of the blackstone?

Considering who he is as a player, it is completely in character for Techno to build a second base. The lake he lives under is incredibly near Wilbur and Tommy, and he's well aware that all an enemy has to do is watch his stream to infiltrate his base. Techno goes to the extremes when they aren't even required (Ex. His insane skill in party games, beating Skeppy in as niche of a game as Grinch Simulator, etc.) So I don't think it's a stretch for him to go the extra mile, and hide a bunker/resources/extra armour and what have you from even his own viewers.

2. The overpowered illegal villager farm

For those of you who don't watch Ponk, he recently stumbled across an area that is supposedly banned on the Dream SMP - a villager farm. In the clip, his voice is astonished and his confusion is palpable, and he goes so far as to say "It's a full scale arms race" because of how many good trades there are. The location is laced with traps, though he doesn't mention what exactly he had to get past to find the farm. Ponk's reaction is far too genuine for the farm to be his, but then that begs the question, whose farm is it?

...Who is willing to risk Dream's wrath by breaking his rules? Or, alternatively, who is capable of making a secret pact with the server owner to allow such a farm? The answer could only be Technoblade.

Ponk says it himself in the video, he does not have the time to build this. Whoever made this had to have carved out a hidden cavern, lead at least 14 villagers down there, breed them until only the ones with the best trades were left - all off stream, and without another player catching them. Whoever made this had to spend hours of work with no content to show for it, and who do we know has been grinding for DAYS on the server? Technoblade. Not to mention, all the villagers are numbered, and all but one are fletchers.

The signs above each stall are so important, because going so far back as SMP Earth, Techno has a history of dispassionately breeding mobs to his benefit, and then killing any mob not performing well enough. For example, his horse farm: where the horses stay in numbered rooms rather than all being named. The villagers in the screenshot above are numbered rather than named.

Wanna hear a fun fact about Fletchers? They're well known for accepting sticks for emeralds, but will also take string for that trade as well! And guess who has been seen waiting at the spider spawner collecting string by Sapnap, Awesamdude, Quackity, and multiple other players? Technoblade.

Technoblade also has every reason to be breeding villagers for special arrows and crossbows, because he's said on stream that he wants to try spamming multi-shot crossbows in combat to take out huge groups of enemies. He said at a later point that he had run into trouble with getting multiple crossbows with the enchantment multi-shot, and implied it wasn't going to happen. But has he ever been the kind of person to be stopped by something being challenging? Absolutely not.

Think of literally anything Techno has done - his Bedwars win streak, beating MC with a steering wheel, the Potato Wars - what I believe is really happening, is that Techno is lying about how equipped he is so that no matter what side he ends up fighting for, his enemies will have no true way of knowing how powerful he is.

3. Dream might be his secret ally (AKA The Glowstone Incident)

This brings us to a...confusing moment in Techno's stream that sparked a lot of questions. It pointed me towards 2 different, but not necessarily exclusive, theories.

The Glowstone Incident precedes as follows: Techno needs glowstone but can't find any in his chests, so he puts on his BRB screen. He says that he is "hacking" and asking Dream to use game mode to give him the glowstone. Typing can be heard, and then multiple chests are opened. Techno takes off the BRB screen and he now has three stacks of glowstone dust. This was absolutely bewildering to watch live, and was one of the most blatantly suspicious things he has done in front of his viewers. (You can find the exact clip on the thread I mentioned, it is...so weird)

Theory A: Though unlikely, Techno could be Dream's secret ally, and Dream really did use creative to give him the stacks. Or, he potentially gave Techno OP permissions so that he could get the glow stone (and any other materials he’d want) himself.

We all remember their meet up on that ocean hill, where Dream gives Techno golden apples, diamonds, and other such materials for the battle against Schlatt. It seemed to be a one-off gift that was more for Wilbur's benefit than Techno's, but there's potentially the chance that Dream saw an alliance to Techno to be more beneficial than working only with Wilbur, and contacted him off screen to make deals.

Going back to the Village Farm - for a player to get the exact enchantment they want for a reasonable price, breeding them is the most logical option. It's the route Techno would take regardless of Dream's rules on the SMP too, as he tends to show little regard for what the creators want (Ex. Taking over SMP Earth, exploiting Hypixel Skyblock, etc.) However, it could also be possible that Dream gave Techno permission to do this, and so the reason Techno is keeping the farm secret is so that the viewers don't know of their alliance.

Theory B: Techno has hidden resources in his base that he doesn't want anyone to have even the chance to see. Whether it is to hide from enemies watching (or to hide from Dream in particular because Techno knows he's breaking the server's rules) there are secret chests that Techno has with extra resources that can be heard loud and clear in the video.

They could be simple ones hidden in the walls...or in the blackstone brick base hidden under his floors. Saying he’s “hacking” rather than the reality of him just checking all his chests again is on par for Techno’s usual dramatics - yet we can clearly see that there’s no glowstone in any of his chests. This is why I believe he got the glowstone from some unseen resource. With the BRB screen on, Techno prevents his viewers from actually seeing how he got the 3 stacks of powder, and it keeps the location of his hidden materials safe.

Personally, I feel theory B is more likely, but there have been moments where Dream has acted Sus so...be on the lookout y'all.

4. Techno not participating in MCC

For those of you who watched Techno during the Potato War, many will remember that MCC 6 had a stressful undertone. Because of how much effort and time Techno had been putting into farming on Skyblock, taking a break to compete in another event was distracting. It ultimately led to him losing time that, from his perspective, would have been better off spent farming.

Techno might not be as blatantly grinding on the Dream SMP as he did with the Potato War, but it's undeniable that other streamers have seen him online for stretches of 10 hours and more. When asked about why he wasn't participating in the next MCC, Techno didn't say he was taking a break - something that'd be entirely reasonable and honestly well earned - he said "I don't want to."

It could be awkward phrasing by virtue of Techno's personality, but what I think is more likely is that Techno has learned from his past mistakes. Rather than "waste" time competing in MCC, Techno might be planning to use the time everyone on the SMP is gone to his advantage. He could sneak into enemy territory, set traps in certain areas, or maybe even perform some illegal acts that Dream would never allow. Either way, I suspect Techno has something planned for the 14th.

Honorable Mentions:

Dream poking fun, or blatantly covering for Techno?

This clip of Techno's secret Something??? next to the spider spawner, undeniably suspicious

Techno had around 5 stacks of wool in his inventory at one point - he absolutely could be bed mining the nether not only so that he has multiple sets of OP netherite, but possibly because he's preparing the gear for another person (cough cough Philza) or people

Techno's collection of ghast tears. He's studied Crystal PvP and made plenty of 2b2t references in the past (Look up FitMC for more info on those things) So it could be possible that Techno is hiding stacks of end crystals so that he can decimate multiple players in an instant

All in all, I'm 100% convinced that Techno has some serious plans hidden behind the scenes that he's not going to share until it's time for him to unleash utter chaos. We know he's keeping secrets, we know he's had the time, and we know he's capable.

I hope you all enjoyed my research and feel terrified of what Techno could possibly have done off camera :D

If anyone else has different theories, corrections to what I wrote, or other moments where Pink was Sus, feel free to comment!