#clark and belmont

[razorsadness]

Many years ago, lost in the suburbs of Chicago with a friend of mine, while driving around trying to find the road that would lead us back to Chicago, we started talking about ghosts. Not of the supernatural variety, but rather the kind that are memory-based. The memories of past events and places and people you once knew, which tattoo themselves on the landscapes in which you’ve lived or spent a lot of time. We talked of the places which were the most ghost-full for us. I mentioned the intersection of Clark and Belmont, and the area surrounding it. I told him it surprised me that I could still hang out there, because every corner, every bus stop, every building was haunted by my own personal specters. “But they are friendly ghosts, for the most part, and friendly ghosts are okay.” “Yes,” he said, “unless you’re already depressed.” “Right,” I replied, “because then you get even more depressed, wondering why the friendly things are ghosts now, and no longer real people and places.” That’s the rub. When recalling the bad old days, you can say: “Thank g-d that’s over.” But when it’s a memory of good times, you wonder why that person/place/moment/emotion couldn’t have stuck around just a little bit longer.

—Jessie Lynn McMains, from “One Long Longing” (November 2021)

[audhdnight]

Praise be to the dynamic that always fucking gets me:

(Image descriptions in alt text)

[imagines--galore]

||Masterlist||

Please read rules before sending requests.

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED FOR THE MOMENT.

(Always Uploading new Fics)

Avatar The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko x Orora

The Thread of Fate - Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

It Was Nothing

Theatrics

I’m Here Beside You

Big Hero 6

Pairing: Tadashi Hamada x Sakura Kamiya

Light 'em Up -  Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, 

Criminal Minds

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Evelyn Richardson

Mind Over Matter - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen,

(Companion piece to Mind Over Matter)

A Slight Frustration

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Hold Me Closer

First Kiss

Don’t Go!

Crossover - Frozen x Rise of the Guardians

Pairing: Jack Frost x Elsa (Jelsa)

One Step Closer - Part One, Part Two (InProgress)

Digimon

Pairing: Taichi Yagami x Hidemi Senshi

The Next Adventure

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Pairing: Alphonse Elric x Willow Hawkeye(OC)

The Ties That Bind - Prologue, Part One,

Pairing: Edward Elric x Reader

Homecoming

The Language of Flowers

Pairing: Roy Mustang x Reader

I Will Always Choose You

Harry Potter

Pairing: Severus Snape x Reader

Reluctant Friendship

Justice League DC Universe

Pairing: Superman x Lucky Penny aka Clark Kent x Penelope Pennyworth

Lucky Break

Pairing: Superman aka Clark Kent x Reader

Part One - Convince Me, Part Two - I’m Convinced

Wedding Drama

Pairing: (Platonic) Superman aka Clark Kent x 12-year-old reader

A New Life

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Rachel

Kiss It Away

Stolen Kisses, Stolen Moments - Part One, Part Two

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Confessions

Last Night

Empowering

Distraction

Pairing: Dr. Stephen Strange x Clea

Love, A Kind of Magic - Part One, Part Two

Pairing: Dr. Stephen Strange x Reader

Bleeding Love - Part One & Part Two

Perfection

A Surprising Twist

Sleep Deprived

What the Wife Says Goes

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Nothing But a Burden

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

A Pact Renewed

Because You’re Mine

Not a Waste of Space

Just Hold Me

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Never Leave Me

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pairing: Will Turner x Reader

My Heart Calls Your Name

Tavern Brawls

Rise of the Guardians

Pairing: Jack Frost x Evening Star aka The Blue Fairy

Two Spirits Meet - Wishing on a Snowflake I,

Sherlock (BBC)

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader

Serendipity

The Consulting Detective and the Serial Killer

His Love for Her

Your Hand in Mine

Drunken Comfort

Its All Been Arranged

An Unconventional Love Story (Victorian Era AU)

Star Trek(2009)

Pairing: Spock x Kealoha

The Roommate Experiment - Prologue, Part One

Pairing: Spock x Reader

The Little Green Monster

Chasing Away The Darkness

Here For You (InProgress)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Pairing: Leonardo x Amal

Heaven’s Light

A Comforting Embrace

The Amazing Spiderman

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

A Nonverbal Confession

Falling For Him

Heal Together

Drunk on Pheromones

Take All The Time You Need

Falling for the Enemy

The Chronicles of Narnia

Pairing: Peter Pevensie x Reader

An Unexpected Turn

We Face It Together

Pairing: Edmund Pevensie x Reader

The King and the Commoner

The Hobbit

Creepy Crawlies (No Pairing)

Pairing: Kili x Reader

You Are Safe

The Lord of the Rings

Pairing: Legolas x Annúneth

Love Happens(Coming Soon)

Pairing: Legolas x Reader

We Meet Again A Confession Years In The Making

My Prayer, My Light, My Fëa

A Little Introduction to Rock Music

A Promise

Written In The Stars

Treasure Planet

Pairing: Jim Hawkins x Reader

A Little Competition Goes a Long Way

[whatever-color-of-the-rainbow]

[kaitlinj16]

May Challenge

Animal Kingdom Characters as Me!

🖤🖤🖤

[aircushionedsoles]

hehe i added björk debut and best o' boingo to my CD collection >:3 grand total 126 CDs now

[behold-the-brave-battalion-17]

*in the afterlife*

Clark: Do you have any regrets?

Chess: Do I have any regrets? *pulls out extremely long list* Do you want me to go alphabetically, or-?

[kindheartedgummybears]

!!HEAVY WATT SPOILERS!!

I love how I can accept that Clark and Chess are dead in canon like: "oh yeah Chess and Clark are dead so sad rip I will miss you fly high🕊️😔" but Farrah? Canonically? Dead???? No!! I don't know what you're talking about! she's alive! in fact, she's living her best life!! What do you mean she died in a shower??? Nope didn't happen!! She's not dead she is veRY ALIVE AND I DONT CARE WHAT CANON SAYS REJECT CANON EMBRACE FARRAH IS ALIVE!!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[suffernotindoubt]

Two Doors* more

S'more doors... edifices in Harlem

Two Doors* headshop (or one akin) - owned and operated by queer men of colour and, formerly, located at 3178-ish North Clark Street, Chi IL 60657... an intersection integral to generating revenue for queer and trans sex workers in 1990's Chicago... Я тоже

"Headshop" is obsolete term for vendor of paraphanelia, incenses, and accoutrements associated with illicit consumption.

*Not pictured; if you have documentation, please post here.

[xxprincessciaraxx]

Fictional animated men I am in love with pt1

[artistmacposts]

Old #cta Northside Track Structure Removal

[razorsadness]

Transfer to Red & Brown Line trains at Belmont.

III. Filia and I were at Clarke’s for two reasons. One being that it was air-conditioned, and my apartment wasn’t, and Chicago was in the middle of the sort of heatwave that sends the whole city feral with madness and crime. The other being that there was nowhere else to go. And as much as I bitched about it (all the Belmont kids did), if you went to Clarke’s, odds were you’d run into someone you knew, or meet someone new, and your night would end up being more interesting than it would’ve been otherwise. So Filia and I were there, worn-out and hungover, fortifying ourselves with caffeine and over-salted fries before we headed back to my place to begin another night of booze and no- sleep. We were half-working on our comic, half-looking out the window at the hot night, summer in the city, all the drunks and punks and drag queens stumbling or strutting by. And then someone I knew walked past the window, and waved at me. Schuyler. I turned to Filia and made a face, sort of a grimace mixed with a roll of my eyes. Schuyler and I had a complicated friendship. On one hand, I thought she was so fucking cool—her sloppy DIY haircuts and stick and poke tattoos, the badass fanzine she wrote, and her ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude. How she drank in public, even when underage, not caring about getting caught. How, in the Kokomo days, she was just as likely to do whip-its in front of everyone as she was to stand in the middle of the cafe, belting out a David Bowie tune. Despite my admiration, or maybe because of it, I didn’t know how to act around her. I was always trying to think of conversation topics she’d find interesting, but when we got into a conversation she’d often come out with some bizarre opinion that—while never anything reprehensible—was usually one I disagreed with. But I felt like I couldn’t come back with a rebuttal, or she’d think I was a dork. Or, I’d be telling her about something I’d done, seen, experienced, and she’d come back at me with her own, even cooler experience, in a way that seemed, to me, like an attempt at oneupmanship.

That night, Schuyler sat herself at the booth backing up to ours, and stuck her head over the partition. “Hey Jess,” she said. “Hey.” “Oh, you’re working on a comic?” “Yeah,” I said. “I’m writing it and Filia’s drawing it. It’s gonna go in the next issue of my zine.” Schuyler sat back down in her booth. A few minutes later, she popped back up. “I just drew this,” she said, and handed me a page torn from her notebook, on which she’d drawn an evil pig-man. “You should put it in your zine.” “Oh, uh... thanks. If I have room, I will,” I said, though I had no intention of doing so. Then the waitress came by and took Schuyler’s order, and for a while after that she seemed engaged in doing her own thing, so I thought Filia and I were in the clear. We started talking about a Chicago band we both liked, and how hot the lead singer, Andy, was. I told Filia that I hadn’t even met him properly, but he’d kissed me once, sorta, much to my boyfriend’s chagrin. “Yeah,” I said, “we were leaving the show that night and Andy was hanging out near the door, drinking and chatting with folks. As we passed by, I said ‘Great set!’ or something like that. He grabbed my hand like he was gonna shake it, but instead he pulled me closer to him and planted a kiss on my cheek, right near the side of my mouth. And of course I giggled about it the rest of the night, and of course Ben was pissed.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Anyway. I’ve decided that next time I see Andy, I’m gonna grab him and kiss him. For real, this time.” Schuyler stuck her head over the partition again. She’d heard our entire conversation. “You should totally do that. Andy’s a slut. He’ll make out with anyone, especially when he’s wasted...and he’s always wasted. I’ve made out with him a couple times!” There she went again, with that oneupmanship. I rolled my eyes at Filia. A little while later, we paid our check, and headed out into the sticky-hot Stinking Onions night. I said ‘bye’ to Schuyler as we left, and hoped I wouldn’t see her again for a while.

Years later, I came to see Schuyler in a different light. Some people who’d known me back then told me that they’d found me intimidating. “I never knew how to talk to you, or how to act around you,” these people said. “I thought you were too cool for me. You were such a badass punk, I could never hope to compare.” And I told them that any cool, tough exterior I’d put on was a cover for the dorky, fucked-up mess I was inside. And then I thought: Shit. Maybe that was Schuyler’s deal, too. Maybe she put on a tough, cool exterior to hide her own inner fucked-up dork. Maybe all her batshit opinions and ‘guess what I did!’ interjections weren’t her being an egotistical asshole, but were her attempts to impress me. And then I got sad thinking we could’ve been great friends, if we’d been able to admit all that to each other at the time.

As for Andy? The night I finally met him for real, half a year or so after that night at Clarke’s, was also the night I met the rest of his band and crew. And I didn’t make out with him—I fell in love with his brother, instead.

—Jessie Lynn McMains, from “Belmont Vignettes” (Reckless Chants #27, 2023)

[copperbadge]

Mr. Badge, I don't know if I'm more impressed or horrified at the very CONCEPT of spending that long on trains and buses and swapping between them all, never mind doing it. But! With that said, congratulations on your achievement! If you do end up doing a spreadsheet - or just recommendations on what lines to definitely use/don't use for folks planning trips to chicago - I'd be delighted to see it (please don't feel pressured to though!)

I was a bit worried about spending that much time on transit, I admit, but the time more or less flew by. I brought a book and a few other things to do, but mostly I just wrote up my experience and then was in transfers and stuff. It didn't feel like eleven hours, although the half hour on the Belmont platform did feel like eleven years.

I did pull all my posts out of tumblr and into a google document, and the spreadsheet is at the end!

You can read my routing journal and check out the timing spreadsheet here.

What train or bus lines you use really heavily depends on why you're in Chicago and what you want to see while you're there. Like, I can tell you not to take the Red Line north on a Cubs game day unless you're going to the game, but that's not helpful otherwise. There's no line that's especially dangerous or less pleasant than the others, at least in my opinion. Generally when I warn people what not to take in Chicago, I say don't take the Metra, because you will be tempted, but the Metra is evil. Few heed my warnings in time. :D

I will say if you just want to get on an El train and ride it because you like riding trains, doing a circuit around the loop is pretty fun, takes 15-20 minutes usually, and you get to see a lot of good architecture. Catch the Pink Line at Clark, the Orange Line at Harold Washington Library, or the Brown Line at Quincy (I'd say Washington/Wells but Quincy has old-timey signage and looks cooler) and just get off at the stop before the one you got on at, you'll be like 2-3 blocks from where you started. I'd do Orange, that way you get to see the big downtown library and step off near the Art Institute.

[drdemonprince]

do u know of any good thrift stores in Chicago

Elliott Consignment on Broadway in Lakeview is fantastic for fancier pieces -- good shoes, button-up shirts you can wear to a job interview, a nice peacoat, a fisherman's sweater, leather pieces, etc.

Just down the street one block is The Xchange, which is the radical opposite: super-cheap t-shirts and sneakers, tank tops, windbreakers, sporty comfy stuff in a lot of colors and truly affordable.

Brown Elephant on Belmont is a treasure trove of gorgeous furniture and some really interesting, trendy clothing finds. Here you can get a desk, a couch, a chain bracelet, a funky vintage t-shirt, and maybe some sunglasses.

Salvation Army Family Store on Clyborn is truly massive, filled to the gills with all kinds of clothing, accessories, media, and home goods and is deliciously easy to steal from. Take the second fitting room from the front window and shove your tags in the hole in the wall. Wearing some cute denim shorts and a snakeskin print belt I stole from them right now.

Buffalo Exchange on Clark in Andersonville has your cool reliable pieces: colorful Chuck Taylors, white Doc Martens, bags, accessories, joggers, eternally youthful stuff.

Brown Elephant on Clark (two blocks up from Buffalo Exchange) is your place for picture frames, pots and pans, art supplies, and it has a room of selected fancier clothing and jewelry pieces that can be a great deal too.

Salvation Army on Broadway and Montrose is the spot for home appliances (I got a $250 stick vaccuum there for $40!) and simple staples: flannels, jeans, sweatshirts, your everyday basics. They have no fitting room so just steal.

[whatever-color-of-the-rainbow]

Songs I really like that remind me of WATT characters/ships

Riley: Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift) and Are You Satisfied? (MARINA)

Cairo: To Be Loved (Melissa Etheridge) and You’re On Your Own, Kid (Taylor Swift)

Kate: Boite En Argent (Indila) and Bigmouth Strikes Again (The Smiths)

Annleigh: I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (Taylor Swift) and Joy of the Lord (Hands on a Hardbody)

Reese: Company (Melissa Etheridge) and jealousy, jealousy (Olivia Rodrigo)

Eva: Inertia (AJR) and Comme Un Bateau (Indila)

Mattie: ballad of a homeschooled girl (Olivia Rodrigo) and Pretender (AJR)

Chess: crying by myself (yannick mirko) and Humpty Dumpty (AJR)

Farrah: Yes I’m A Mess (AJR) and Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now (The Smiths)

Clark: Lay All Your Love on Me (ABBA) and Love You Forever (HSMTMTS)

Kateva: Electric Touch (Taylor Swift) and Slow Burn (J Maya)

Caileigh: Nervous (Melissa Etheridge) and Need (Taylor Swift)

Checkate: Bud Like You (AJR) and she (dodie)

Cheerwives: Please Please Me (The Beatles) and Back to The Old House (The Smiths)

Clarkleigh: I Can See You (Taylor Swift) and Infinity (AJR)

Mattasha: Drag Me Down (One Direction) Today Was a Fairytale (Taylor Swift)

[crowclubkaz]

if characters from opla were books!

looking for more book recs? check out my bookstagram @hauntedstacks

book list with age range under the cut!

Monkey D. Luffy: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Mid-Grade) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Mid-Grade)

Roronoa Zoro: A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee (YA) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus (YA)

Nami: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (YA) The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe (YA)

Usopp: Big Fish by Daniel Wallace (Mid-Grade) The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke (YA)

Vinsmoke Sanji: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (Adult) Bloom by Kevin Panetta (YA)

Koby: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (YA) The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (YA)

Red-Haired Shanks: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Adult) Vicious by V.E. Schwab (Adult)

Buggy the Clown: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare (YA) Joyland by Stephen King (Adult)

Dracule Mihawk: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (Adult) Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy by Marc Andreyko (Adult)