#edited: 8/12/2021

[exactlycleverpirate]

Timeline from Xavier's Perspective Part 2

EDIT: Updated with some new information and some adjustments.

(Includes spoilers for basically everything, including all myths.)

This is an update of my earlier post. See Part 1 here.

Timeline from Xavier's perspective (Part 2/Earth):

Timejump.

?1248 (“It’s been 800 years!”)? Sometime in a past life, Rafayel and MC were lovers. (Is this when MC was trapped on the Island of Songs in a hut by herself, doomed to someday drown and Rafayel comes, gives her his heart and saves her?) Then she is cursed and turned into a Sea Witch in the Abyssal Rift. She has no memory of Rafayel or being human. Rafayel exchanges his scale, eternal blood, and a shell with his voice in order to turn MC human and restore her memories. Then he turns to sea foam. (Fragrant Dream.) (This could all be an actual dream or allusion that never happen or hasn't happened yet. However, this could be when Rafayel gifted MC one of his scales and formed the bond between them.)

2018 Xavier checks out a book in the library that MC will check out 30 years later. (An 

1834 AD Xavier, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Noah (Likely actually Jeremiah, due to translation error), and others stranded on Earth. (This timing comes from a promotional video where Xavier says he has been on Earth for 214 years.) (Part of a team called the Backtrackers. Were on a Backtrack mission when something went wrong in the Deepspace tunnel.)

Appointment)

2021 Zayne born Sept 5th.

2024 (...probably) Rafayel born March 6th

2025 The year Xavier claims he was born, on Oct 16th.

2026-2027 MC born. (This age comes from chapter 5.1. The letter she gets from Grandma says she was 7-8 when they started experimenting on her, and she was adopted by Grandma after the Chronorift Catastrophe in 2034.)

Child Rafayel likes escaping to explore the ocean. On one or more of these excursions, he sees a lantern festival and puts out their lanterns. (Ocean At Night)

2032 Xavier joins Arthur's police team. (Anecdote 2)

2033 That winter, Noah (Likely actually Jeremiah, due to translation error) contacts Xavier for information to make a new identity. Noah mentions wanting to be an ordinary person in this timeline and that he fell in love. Xavier fakes his death as a police officer and encounters a lost little girl with a bunny plushie. Fights Isaiah in Linkon city in a fight that makes the whole city go dark. He disguises this by making it look like there is a meteor shower. (Anecdote 2)

2034 Deepspace tunnel appears and Chronorift Catastrophe (timespace anomaly in Linkon city). MC is 7-8, taken in by Grandma. Caleb is also adopted by Grandma. 12 year old Zayne loses control of his Evol at the end of summer and has a nightmare about the Grim Reaper for the first time. Rafayel would be 10 at this time. Xavier appears as Lumiere for the first time, kills the first Wanderer in the Chronorift Catastrophe and saves MC. On December 31st, Lemurian ruins are discovered, after a tsunami southeast of Linkon city, when a rift opens up and reveals it. Her grandma participates in experiments to fuse a human heart and a protocore. At some point, MC's heart is fused with an Aether core. Onichynus and Dr. Noah are both somehow linked to these experiments. Her first heart doctor is Dr. Noah.

At some point in MC and Rafayel's childhood, Rafayel visits the surface world but gets trapped on the beach on his return trip (on Ebb Day?) (Perhaps during her field trip to Hat Island?) She saves him and they make a pinkie promise. Rafayel says if she doesn't return, he will chase her to the ends of the earth. (Nightly Stroll)

Child Rafayel is given a Whale Call as a means of protection, in case something happens on one of his escapes from Lemuria. However, he never uses it, because he never escapes again after this, and sometime later he buries it in the Lemurian city. (Whalefall Lament)

Child Rafayel is tricked and his people slaughtered. Some survivors go into hiding living on land among humans, including his Aunt Talia and K. (Anecdote 3)

Sometime before 2038, MC goes on a field trip to Hat Island (possibly when she meets Rafayel?).

2035 Zayne (age 14) begins medical school at Skywalk University, spends 6 years in med school program. (It normally takes 8.) (From his biography on the hospital wall.)

2043 Zayne (age 22) graduates from medical school. Goes on a mission to the Arctic where he is forced to mercy kill his mission leader who is being consumed by some sort of ice (Anecdote 2). Begins work at Linkon Central Hospital. (From his biography on the hospital wall.)

Rafayel's Anecdote 3 immediately precedes Anecdote 2 (See 2044-2047). Rafayel is singing in the opera and seeking revenge overseas in Verona under the name Mo. He is being investigated by a private detective named Louis. He is not painting at this time. His Aunt Talia is also in Verona. He attends a Seamoon Ceremony for a fellow Lemurian survivor, K. Lemurians are hiding amongst humanity, but being hunted, tortured, harvested for their scales and blood and killed. Rafayel then moves to Linkon city and resumes painting again. He has a photo of MC in his pocket. (Anecdote 3).

Sometime between 2043-2045 MC (17-18) begins attending University of Linkon. (School year usually begins in September.)

2043-2047 Rafayel's Anecdote 2 takes place sometime in this timeframe while MC is at University of Lincoln. That summer, his painting Illusion projects him into the spotlight as a popular artist. In late summer, he becomes a lecturer at University of Linkon. He receives information on her from someone at the Nest. He believes there are “predators'' surrounding her, some of whom may be trying to use her to trap him, so he is wary about approaching her. He burns the photos and information the man who investigated her collects about her. He describes his feelings toward her as painful and addictive, thinking he is ready to spend the rest of his days with her, but also wants to settle the score between them. (Anecdote 2). Thomas becomes Rafayel’s agent. (Anecdote 1).

2045 Xavier meets Arthur at his tombstone. (Anecdote 2)

2046 Zayne makes a groundbreaking discovery about the effects of the Evol gene on heart development. (From the AKSO hospital article about him). He receives the Starcatcher and Linde Awards. (From his biography on the hospital wall.)

2047-2048 MC graduates. (School year usually ends June-July)

2048 Pregame: Zayne becomes chief surgeon. Zayne becomes MC's doctor 6 months before the story begins (in July of 2048, making 6 months prior the month of January) (Dr. Dean/Noah was her doctor before him). Also 6 months before the story begins, Raymond begins exhibiting symptoms of mental confusion and other abnormal behavior. At the start of the year, (per Main Story chpt 2.6) Rafayel returns to the country from overseas. He is known for spending six months painting in his studio, then traveling the world for inspiration/materials for the other 6 months. The month before the main story, Rafayel's art broke the record for the highest selling art at Lizio Auctions. Raymond buys a painting from Rafayel's gallery.

2048 Story begins Wednesday, July 1st (most likely), with MC being initiated as a Hunter in the Hunter's Association. MC is about 21-22, and her Evol has to do with Resonance, Anhaunsen Class. Rafayel is 24, Fire Evol. Zayne is 27, Ice Evol. Xavier claims to be 23, Light Evol. Traceback II is approaching the event horizon and entering the black hole.

See Love and Deepspace: the Story So Far Part 1.

Sometime in the future, after the destruction of Linkon but before the destruction of Earth, Grim Reaper Zayne lives, killing humans turned Wanderer and dreaming of a life as a doctor with the woman he loves. (Anecdote 3)

Part 1 and 2 in this timeline continue in a loop perpetually?

[waterlilyvioletfog]

10 CDramas I Enjoyed Enough To Recommend!

1. Nirvana in Fire (2015) — 5/5 ⭐️ 54 Episodes. This is genuinely as good as its reputation. It is a political palace drama and it is insanely compelling. My mom agrees that this is good. You can watch it on YouTube, but I recommend watching on Viki (which you can sign up with for free) bc cdramas on YT can have weird issues with audio + I’m pretty sure the versions available on YT are heavily edited to cut out Zhang Zhehan.

2. The Untamed (2019) — 4/5 ⭐️ 50 Episodes 🏳️‍🌈 Owns me. Censored BL low-xianxia setting. None of my family believe me about how good it is because they keep seeing out of context episodes and scenes. The Untamed is something you have to just sit through. It is a boiling frog situation. Beats out #3 despite being of lower quality (look. Those special effects…) because this is my best friend my silly rabbit my blorbo my love. My stinky cheese, even. Netflix, YouTube, and Viki.

3. A Journey to Love (2023) — 4.5/5 ⭐️ 40 Episodes. A mixture of court drama, wuxia adventure, and romance. So so so many dramas WANT to be this show, to balance court politics and wuxia shenanigans and epic romance but, frankly, only AJTL manages to perfectly balance all of its genres, plots, and characters. I cried watching the end. I watched this on YouTube, but it’s also on iQIYI.

4. Love Between Fairy And Devil (2022) — 4/5 ⭐️ 36 Episodes. Xianxia romance. Despite outward appearances of trite banality and overdone tropes, this show is gorgeous, insanely compelling, and will sit with you. My mom calls this “the fairy show :D”. Suffers in pacing towards the end, but sticks the landing. Netflix, Viki, iQIYI.

5. Word of Honor (2021) — 4/5 ⭐️ 36 Episodes 🏳️‍🌈 Wuxia adventure censored BL. Lead actor Zhang Zhehan is… a bit of a touchy subject, but I still consider this one of the best cdramas I’ve watched and I do still recommend it. Like LBFAD, pacing suffers in last quarter, but sticks the landing. Netflix, YouTube, Viki.

6. Lost You Forever S1 (2023) — 4/5 ⭐️ 39 Episodes. Xianxia reverse harem romance. Now that description may not sound compelling. But. Idk how to tell you this but I’m insane about this drama. Is it ~good~? I honestly can’t say. I’m insane about it. S2 is probably gonna be a flop and kill my love for it but for now? We’re riding high, baby!! YouTube, Viki, probably iQIYI.

7. The Rise of Phoenixes (2018) — 4/5 ⭐️ 70 Episodes. Court drama/romance. Actually you know what I DON’T recommend this. But like I DO need people to watch it so I have people to talk to about it with 🥺 Watching this is an exercise in masochism. It is gorgeous. It is insanely compelling. Watch like. The first 50 episodes because pretty much the rest of it is just [muffled screams]. Apparently it’s coming soon to Viki which is good bc it’s not on Netflix anymore 🙃

8. Couple of Mirrors (2021) — 3.5/5 ⭐️ 12 Episodes 🏳️‍🌈 1930s Shanghai censored GL romance. Hardly the highest quality, but it’s really fun, and you know what. Does a thing have to be good, historically coherent, and have two full seasons? Is it not enough for a show to be about lesbians??? Who are wanted for murders they may or may not have committed??? YouTube and Viki.

9. New Life Begins (2022) — 3.5/5 ⭐️ 40 Episodes. Fluffy court romance. Is this actually good idek I haven’t re-watched at all. What it is is a solid, serviceable, fluffy little het court romance with Feminism 101 undergirding it all. I liked it perfectly fine. There are many kinds of women and they should all be happy and free to pursue their passions!! Women who are friends!! And you know what? So true, cute little cdrama. So true. YouTube, Viki, iQIYI.

10. The Starry Love (2023) — 3/5 ⭐️ 40 Episodes. Xianxia romance. For the most part, a lighthearted comedic romance drama. It’s cute. It’s fun. It is sometimes comically low-quality, but it’s mostly charming and I like the visuals in general. The main pairing, while fun, doesn’t interest me as much as the secondary pairing or the friendship/sisterhood aspects of it. YMMV with this one. Viki and YouTube.

Honorable mention— The Blood of Youth (2022) Probably better overall than at least a few of these entries, but I’m just still so sad abt my favorite character dying :( Could be gayer.

[pencildragons]

ty for tagging me tessa @clayvedevs !!!!!!!!!

1. Do you make your bed?

NO. making the bed is evil and also too hard

2. Favourite number?

uhhh UHHHH 12 ? 12 is a good number i liked being twelve. 67 is also a good number !!

3. What's your job?

divine prophet of The Bog (extremely unemployed)

4. If you could go back to school, would you?

yes !!!! i lovee school i lovee learning & my hs? extremely chill

5. Can you parallel park?

yes fire emoji fire emoji fire emoji

6. Do you think aliens are real?

I feel like the possibility that there AREN'T aliens is extraordinarily low, even if they haven't evolved yet or would be completely unrecognisable as a form of life to us. the universe is still comparatively so so young so i feel the chances that at some point in the next quadzillion years that the circumstances of earth won't be replicated at least in part is hugely unlikely

7. Can you drive a manual car?

technically? i learnt to drive in a manual ute that is ABSOLUTELY not roadworthy but i did not get a manual licence :( sort of regret that but im sure if i got back in a manual i could do it again. probably

8. Guilty pleasure?

thinking in depth and forever abt my girl in middle earth oc hobbit fic that i havent properly written since like 2021. she means the WORLD to me i could make it sooo good if i just got over the evil puritans in my head telling me it is cringe

9. Tattoos?

soon!!! one day!!!! trust and believe!!!!!!!

10. Favourite colour?

loveeeeee yellow i love yellow so much soo much. unfortunately i am ginger.

11. Favourite type of music?

idk if i have a favourite TYPE of music persay? but ive sort of been bouncing between a mix of folk rock and Silly Power Metal and i will hit up the odd soundtrack also. wait actually this is untrue i am, embarrassingly, really into hyperpop (UNDERSCORES I LOVE YOU)

12. Do you like puzzles?

yeah! they're kind of evil and i am not great at pattern recognition and they hurt my back. but also v satisfying to do

13. Any phobias?

ants i fucking hate ants i HATE them (i stood in a bullant nest when i was 2) + also maybe thalassophobia? idk though that may have also been cured by the time i played 130 hours of subnautica in a week in december

14. Favourite childhood sport?

touch footie!!! i was very good at it lowk and i miss playing it terribly

15. Do you talk to yourself?

LMAO YEAH. when im thinking about writing especially. or doing literally anything. i will talk to myself

16. Tea or coffee?

TEA I LOVE TEA I LOVE TEA SO MUCH. i cannot drink coffee because The Side Effects + caffeine does not seem to have the intended effect on me, so i don't really drink caffeinated tea that much either? i absolutely LOVE rooibos with honey in it though one million out of ten

17. First thing you wanted to be when growing up?

i wanted to be a scientist because i was under the impression that scientists blew things up and that it was exclusively their job to do that. i still want to be a scientist tbh but for different reasons

18. What movies do you adore?

im so normal and regular and fine about the hobbit extended edition trilogy. so normal. no but fr i love unexpected journey i have watched it more than twenty times total and. five times in the last week and a bit LOL

Tagging:

@sithfox @hastalavistabyebye @patchmates @rockcattomato and anyone else who would like to !!!!

[dressupdragonne]

Events From 2022 that have NOT had a Single Rerun

Single SSR:

💕 Demon's Portrait: Lilith • Devil's Whisper

NOV 14 - 22, 2021

💕 Planet Wanderlust (iPanda): Momo • Cutee Planet Wanderlust

(even though it's a collab technically, it has reran on the TW server)

APRIL 13 - 18, 2022

💕 Reedpipes of Old: Aphrodia • Reedpipe Song

APRIL 23 - 29, 2022

💕 Reverie Carnival: Loen • Clown's Welcome

JUN 15 - 21, 2022

💕 Wave Invasion: Caprico • Euphonius Night

JUN 25 - JULY 1, 2022

• FUN FACT -> this event has not rerun on any server including the TW server

💕 Ocean of Storms: Loen • Glint in the Night

SEPT 12 - 18, 2022

💕 Sprouting Confession: Ai • Sprouting Love

OCT 18 - 24, 2022

💕 Secrets of Star Sand: Priestess Tess • Starry Sands

NOV 10 - 16, 2022

Double UR:

💕 Queen's Christmas Ball: Erika • Pure White Tranquility (UR pavilion), Erinka • Passionate Lantern Feast (UR pavilion), Momo • Snowy Deer Jingle (SSR recharge), William • Christmas Academy (SR welfare)

(I ran out of space for pics for the other suits in this event, just trust me lol)

DEC 22, 2022 - JAN 1, 2023

My Opinions:

They could be sprinkling all these Single SSRs all over the place and totally catch us up on reruns. In fact it would make way more sense as it would force new players or people who didn't finish into a bind of spending or skipping. I just literally don't understand from a business standpoint why they'd just NOT rerun them. This ain't even a 2 reruns waiting for the special return pavilion situation. They haven't even gotten that far. Anyway it's frustrating me because I'm missing pieces from 5/8 of the singles from that year and I want to finish them 🙃 I'm so close on most of them.

Source: atsukii's GitHub (won't let me link in post I will drop link in replies)

EDIT: Removed Reminiscence of Flower and replaced with Devil's Whisper. Apologies, my source was not up to date. (And I sorted by pavilion and I guess devils whisper didn't count as pavilion since it was tiered rewards).

[poisonousquinzel]

The Gotham City Sirens | By Jenny Frison

[Insta]

• Slightly Edited By: @poisonousquinzel

Catwoman (2018 - ) #35

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Poison Ivy (2022 - ) #2

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Harley Quinn (2021 - ) #25

Cover D Incentive 1:25; Card Stock Variant

Catwoman (2018 - ) #40

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Poison Ivy (2022 - ) #10

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Harley Quinn (2021 - ) #27

Cover C; Card Stock Variant

Poison Ivy (2022 - ) #8

Cover E Inc 1:50; Foil Card Stock Variant

Harley Quinn (2021 - ) #30

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Catwoman (2018 - ) #26

Card Stock Variant Cover

Poison Ivy (2022 - ) #12

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Catwoman (2018 - ) #36

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

Catwoman (2018 - ) #44

Cover B; Card Stock Variant

[facts-i-just-made-up]

How many Final Fantasy games are there? I lost track?

It's easy to lose track but don't worry- It's simple once you know the history:

In the beginning, there was Final Fantasy 1. Released in 1987, the first Final Fantasy was then also released in 1989, 1990, 1994, 200, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2021. Final Fantasy 2 was released about as many times, beginning in 1988, but only in Japan. As such, it is known in America as Final Fantasy: The Lost Levequests. The same thing happened to Final Fantasy 3, which was released in America as “2 Final 2 Fantasy: Lindblum Drift.”

The second Final Fantasy released in America was Final Fantasy 2, which was Final Fantasy 4, the Japanese Final Fantasy 4 being a re-skin of an America only game called Chocoboki Panic. Final Fantasy 2, the first SNES game in the franchise, was acclaimed for being incredibly fucking depressing. Like you start the game by killing some kid’s mom and then there’s something about a cursed town maybe? I don’t know, it lost me early on and I never got to see Golbez or Zeromus or whatever. Also, I’m fine with even Dark Souls type menus now but I mean, in 1991 I wasn’t gonna spend 45 minutes trying to figure out how to equip a fucking shoe.

Final Fantasy 3: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate: Alucard’s Revenge 2 came out in both Japan and America in 1994. Introducing cutscenes to the series, Final Fantasy 3 (Abbreviated Final 3 or sometimes Fantasy 5: Hobbs & Sephiroth) was best known for its main villain, Kafka. Kafka was a difficult and frustrating boss who trapped the protagonists in endless bureaucracy and paperwork until they died of old age, never knowing why. It was later released again in Japan as Final Fantasy 6: The Fate of the Fantasy.

After this, the series switched from Nintendo consoles to the Xbox.

The first X-Box, simply called the Xbox, hosted Final Fantasy 7; The next Xbox, the Xbox 360, hosted Final Fantasy 8; The Xbox 1 hosted Final Fantasy 9, and the Xbox 10 hosted Final Fantasy X. Thus if X=7, 360>8, 1=9 and X<10, then Final Fantasy itself equals 11, which is ideal because Final Fantasy 11, the 14th game in the franchise, was indeed a remake of 9, which was the sequel not to 8 but 7, remade later as 13. This can be remembered with the mnemonic “SPUGNUT” but I don’t know how or why.

With fans confused and the Xbox being discontinued by Sega, Final Fantasy sought a new start with Sony and their NeoGeo: Turbografx master system. The first game for that console was Final Fantasy 11 2, not to be confused with 12. 11 2 and 11 3 were released before 12, but well after 14, known first as Final Fantasy Genesis, but re-titled after Final Fantasy 18 into Final Fantasy Genesis 19:18, or in Japan, Shin Megami Tensei.

Final Fantasy remakes continued with Final Fantasy 13, which was Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 17, which was Final Fantasy 16, and Final Fantasy 21, which was Kingdom Hearts 5, and the upcoming Final Fantasy 22, which will be both Animal Crossing 6 and Land Before Time 15: The Longnecks Take Manhattan, featuring Pinhead from Hellraiser and Beyoncé.

The next Final Fantasy game is planned to be Final Fantasy 28, which will come in two editions, Final Fantasy Dark Cloud and Light Ning. Truly, the greatest franchise ever to spin off from Battletoads.

[mpchev]

You like reading fanfics? How about reading about fanfics? 😏

Here’s what I've read so far (or am currently getting through) for my dissertation on fanfiction bookbinding! I'll be updating it as I go until the end of July. If you have any recs to add to the towering pile or any questions/opinions about something on there, I’m all ears!

on fan studies & ficbinding ✔

Alexander, Julia, ‘Making fanfiction beautiful enough for a bookshelf’, The Verge, 9 March 2021 <https://www.theverge.com/22311788/fanfiction-bookbinding-tiktok-diy-star-wars-harry-potter-twitter-fandom> [accessed 12 June 2024]

Buchsbaum, Shira Belén, ‘Binding fan fiction and reexamining book production models’, Transformative Works and Cultures, 37 (2022)

Dym, Brianna, and Casey Fiesler, ‘Ethical and privacy considerations for research using online fandom data’, Transformative Works and Cultures, 33 (2020)

Jenkins, Henry, Textual Pochers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (New York: Routeledge, 1992)

Jenkins, Henry, ‘Transmedia Storytelling 101’, Pop Junctions, 21 March 2007 <http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html#sthash.gSETwxQX.dpuf> [accessed 12 June 2024]

Hellekson, Karen, ‘Making Use Of: The Gift, Commerce, and Fans’, Cinema Journal, 54, no. 3 (2015), 125–131

Kennedy, Kimberly, ‘Fan binding as a method of fan work preservation’, Transformative Works and Cultures, 37 (2022)

Minkel, Elizabeth, ‘Before “Fans,” There Were “Kranks,” “Longhairs,” and “Lions”: How Do Fandom Gain Their Names?’, Atlas Obscura, 30 May 2024 <https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fandom-names> [accessed 12 June 2024]

Penley, Constance, Nasa / Trek: Popular Science and Sex in America (London: Verso, 1997)

Price, Ludi, ‘Fanfiction, Self-Publishing, and the Materiality of the Book: A Fan Writer’s Autoethnography’, Humanities, 11, no. 100 (2022), 1–20

Schiller, Melanie, ‘Transmedia Storytelling: New Practices and Audiences’, in Stories: Screen Narrative in the Digital Era, ed. by Ian Christie and Annie van den Oever (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2018), 99–107

on folklore, the internet, other background reading ✔

Barthes, Roland, ‘La mort de l’auteur’ in Le Bruissement de la langue: Essais critiques IV (Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1984)

Blank, Trevor J., Folklore and the Internet: Vernacular Expression in a Digital World (Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2009)

Mauss, Marcel, ‘Essai sur le don. Forme et raison de l’échange dans les sociétés archaïques.’, L’année sociologique, 1923–1924; digital edition by Jean-Marie Tremblay, Les classiques des sciences sociales, 17 February 2002, <http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/mauss_marcel/socio_et_anthropo/2_essai_sur_le_don/essai_sur_le_don.html> [accessed 10 June 2024]

McCulloch, Gretchen, Because Internet: Understanding How Language is Changing (Random House, 2019)

Niles, John D., Homo Narrans: The Poetics and Anthropology of Oral Literature (University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 1999)

hopefully coming up next (haven't started yet)

A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies, ed. by Paul Booth (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018)

A Fan Studies Primer: Method, Research, Ethics, ed. by Paul Booth and Rebecca Williams (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2021)

Dietz, Laura, ‘Showing the scars: A short case study of de-enhancement of hypertext works for circulation via fan binding or Kindle Direct Publishing’, 34th ACM Conference on Hypertext and Social Media (HT ‘23), September 4–8, 2023, Rome Italy (ACM: New York, 2023)

Fathallah, Judith May, Fanfiction and the Author: How Fanfic Changes Popular Cultural Texts (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2017)

Finn, Kavita Mudan, and Jessica McCall, ‘Exit, pursued by a fan: Shakespeare, Fandom, and the Lure of the Alternate Universe’, Critical Survey, 28, no. 2 (2016), 27–38

Hjorth, Larissa et al., eds. The Routledge Companion to Digital Ethnography (New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2017)

Jacobs, Naomi, and JSA Lowe, ‘The Design of Printed Fanfiction: A Case Study of Down to Agincourt Fanbinding’, Proceedings from the Document Academy, 9, issue 1, article 5

Jenkins, Henry, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide (New York: New York University Press, 2006)

Jenkins, Henry, Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning In A Networked Culture (New York: New York University Press, 2013)

Kennedy, Kimberly, and Shira Buchsbaum, ‘Reframing Monetization: Compensatory Practices and Generating a Hybrid Economy in Fanbinding Commissions’, Humanities, 11, no. 67 (2022), 1–18

Kirby, Abby, ‘Examining Collaborative Fanfiction: New Practices in Hyperdiegesis and Poaching’, Humanities, 11, no. 87 (2002), 1–9

Kustritz, Anne, Identity, Community, and Sexuality in Slash Fan Fiction (New Work: Routeledge, 2024)

Lamerichs, Nicolle, Productive Fandom: Intermediality and Affecive Reception in Fan Cultures, (Amsterdam: Amsterdam Universtiy Press, 2018)

Popova, Milena, ‘Follow the trope: A digital (auto)ethnography for fan studies’, Transformative Works and Cultures, 33 (2020)

Rosenblatt, Betsy, and Rebecca Tushnet, ‘Transformative Works: Young Women’s Voices on Fandom and Fair Use’, in eGirls, eCitizens: Putting Technology, Theory and Policy into Dialogue with Girls’ and Young Women’s Voices, ed. by Jane Bailey and Valerie Steeves

Soller, Bettina, ‘Filing off the Serial Numbers: Fanfiction and its Adaptation to the Book Market’, in Adaptation in the Age of Media Convergence, ed. by Johannes Fehrle, Werner Schäfke-Zell (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2019), 58–85

[destinymanticor]

↓damn this has been in drafts since March

Well, I’ll post it without editing

So I haven’t posted anything here for quite some time. That's why these sketches Some AU headcanons for Morro

-I'll add links later-

1 Morro-Kitsune This is what he looks around season 11 I don't know what to do with Wojira here 😆 I’m in 2021 (there is a file with the date 04/21) I’ve still started this

The skin seems greenish, it seems to me, but no The team will come to terms with him between season 10-12 I'm wondering if it's possible to do a funny scene with Akita/formlings

2 Morro the Wizard Was a man - became a ghost, not entirely because of death Somewhere there was a list with changes to the order of seasons for AU Technically a 2-3 character, but co-main in his arc/season

Yes, I didn’t bother with the skin in this AU. Burned a bunch of old Talmuds, stole and lost a bunch of artifacts 1 of 5 "brothers" (+ Bansha), but they soon got sick

Chronologically over 70, physically-hormonally-emotionally 19-20 For loved ones, the type of idiot brother/That uncle responsible for the fact that artifacts are lying around everywhere, like in Rapunzel

3 Morro fairies Blah blah blah, fairies and specialist girls The Smiths are definitely specialists, and Zane and Nelson are fairies Lloyd will still have dragon features

Older than he looks, oh, an overgrown teenager again Abnormal pallor, normal eyes are not green I don’t know what to call it, but the closest thing is cracks

The same meme Morro in normal transformation  Preeminent: Young man, are you going out into the world? Morro in evil fairy-witch form P: Oh yes bitch

4 Morro associated with Wojira In Seabound he will go to the depths Another AU where Wu much selfishness and doesn't let go of the idiot

He has a lot of scars, like from burns, but I understand that they don’t look like that The color is normal, but may tan more Nya once cut her hair like this (before season 8)

I just left my eyes like that

If you're interested in listening I can draw and write notes again

[yanderes-galore]

Masterlists

(New place where all the masterlists will go)

Alien vs Predator (Edited: 11/29/23)

Arknights (Edited: 4/11/23)

Arcane (Edited: 11/8/23)

A Song of Ice and Fire/House of The Dragon/Game of Thrones (Edited: 9/19/24)

Assassination Classroom (Edited: 5/20/23)

Beastars (Edited: 9/20/24)

Bendy and The Ink Machine (Edited: 6/5/24)

Bioshock (Edited: 11/4/23)

Black Butler (Edited: 4/11/23)

Blue Exorcist (Edited: 4/21/23)

Borderlands (Edited: 2/26/24)

The Boys (Edited: 7/3/24)

Call of Duty (Edited: 10/24/23)

Cookie Run (Edited: 5/11/23)

Cult of the Lamb (Edited: 9/12/24)

Cuphead (Edited: 6/21/23)

Danganronpa (Edited 8/22/24)

Dark Souls and other Soulslike games (Edited: 9/22/24)

DC Comics (Edited: 10/30/23)

Dead by Daylight (Edited: 9/17/24)

Death Note (Edited: 9/20/24)

Demon Slayer (Edited: 3/28/24)

Detroit: Become Human (Edited: 9/3/23)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Edited: 4/21/23)

Disney (Edited: 2/22/24)

Don't Starve (Edited: 4/11/23)

DOOM (Edited: 4/21/23)

Dragon Age (Edited: 3/11/24)

Elder Scrolls (Edited: 3/22/24)

Far Cry (Edited: 2/16/24)

Fear and Hunger (Edited: 9/6/24)

Five Nights at Freddy's (1) (Edited: 7/28/23) (2) (Edited: 10/23/23) (3) (Edited: 4/26/24)

Gears/Gears of War (Edited: 5/22/24)

Genshin Impact (Edited: 9/21/24)

God of War (Edited: 11/13/23)

Halo (Edited: 5/21/24)

Halo RvB (Edited: 5/12/24)

Happy Tree Friends (Edited: 7/27/24)

Homestuck/Hiveswap (1) (Edited 1/21/24) (2) (Edited 3/24/24)

How To Train Your Dragon (Edited: 4/30/24)

Identity V (1) (Edited: 4/11/23) (2) (Edited: 4/11/23)

Invader Zim (Edited: 4/11/23)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Edited: 9/5/24)

Jujutsu Kaisen (Edited: 9/12/24)

The Last of Us (Edited: 5/5/23)

Left 4 Dead (Edited: 4/11/23)

Madness Combat (Edited: 5/2/24)

Marvel (Edited: 11/17/23)

Metro Game Series (Edited: 3/12/24)

Mortal Kombat (Edited: 3/3/24)

My Hero Academia (Edited: 8/10/24)

My Little Pony (Edited: 4/24/24)

Mystic Messenger (Edited: 4/11/23)

Naruto (Edited: 9/11/24)

Ninjago (Edited: 9/15/23)

Nintendo (Edited: 5/3/24)

Obey Me! (Edited: 4/11/23)

Outlast (Edited: 7/21/23)

The Outerworlds (Edited: 4/11/24)

Overwatch (Edited: 8/11/24)

Payday (Edited: 1/24/24)

Pirates of The Caribbean (Edited: 4/11/23)

Pokemon (Edited: 4/29/24)

Poppy Playtime (Edited: 8/17/24)

Portal (Edited: 4/11/23)

Puss In Boots (Edited: 3/23/24)

Random Hybrid HCs (to be merged) (Edited: 4/11/23)

Red Dead Redemption (Edited: 9/22/24)

Resident Evil (Edited: 10/24/23)

Rick and Morty (Edited: 8/17/23)

SCP (Edited: 4/11/23)

Silent Hill (Edited: 11/8/23)

Slashers (Edited: 9/7/24)

Small HCs/Concepts (Edited: 4/11/23)

Sonic The Hedgehog (Edited: 5/3/24)

South Park (Aged Up) (Edited: 6/28/23)

Spooky Month (Edited: 4/21/23)

Star Wars (9/20/24)

Steven Universe (Edited: 9/6/24)

Team Fortress 2 (Edited: 6/25/24)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Edited: 8/4/24)

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun (Edited: 4/11/23)

Transformers (Edited: 11/17/23)

Twisted Wonderland (Edited: 4/8/24)

Uncategorized Fics (Edited: 3/3/24)

Undertale/Deltarune (Edited: 8/30/24)

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Edited: 5/27/23)

We Happy Few (Edited: 1/23/24)

Yandere OC Concepts (Edited: 10/3/23)

Main OCs (Edited: 4/11/23)

Xenophobic (Story) (Edited: 4/11/23)

Worse Than Zombies (Story) (Edited: 4/11/23)

Yandere Halloween Event 2021 (Edited: 4/11/23)

Yandere Halloween Event 2022 (Edited 4/11/23)

[tokyokookmin]

𓆩♡𓆪𝘑𝘐𝘒𝘖𝘖𝘒-M𝘖𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛★☆

MY FAVORITE / TOP SERIES & A COLLECTION OF OTHERS -

link 1; #JIKOOK best vocals

link 2; #JIKOOK favourite stages (concerts, music banks etc)

link 3; #JIKOOK top 2021 moments

link 4; #JIKOOK top reasons why jikook is something else

link 5; #JIKOOK - The definition of "there for you".

link 6; #JIKOOK - The way Jungkook lifts Jimin (bridal style)

link 7; #JIKOOK - Black Swan.. we don't discuss this much.

link 8; #JIKOOK in 2019 (timeline, but discontinued)

link 9; #JIKOOK Holding hands

link 10; #JIKOOK Staring at each other (most likes)

link 11; #JIKOOK - Jungkook finding Jimin cute

link 12; #JIKOOK - I think a lot about how Jungkook adores Jimin

link 13; #JIKOOK - Jikookery in Hong Kong

A compilation of JIKOOK moments -

link 1; #JIKOOK being in love on camera/ in public (pt1).

link 2; #JIKOOK being in love on camera/ in public (pt2)

link 3; #JIKOOK moments I feel is the most authentic version of them

link4; #JIKOOK 2019 AWARDS & EVENTS PT.1

link5; #JIKOOK TOP 9 best moments during concerts.

link 6; #JIKOOK -Their gazes, their stares (one of my most liked)

link 7; #JIKOOK - It's a genuine connection. They are each other's support systems (PART 1)

link 8; #JIKOOK Favourite flustered Jimin andJungkook moments

link 9; #JIKOOK - "Acts of Service", massages.

link 10; #JIKOOK Top 5 underrated gestures/Significance

link 11; #JIKOOK - The way Jimin looks at Jungkook

link 12; #JIKOOK Things I love about Jikook's relationship (holding hands)

link 13; #JIKOOK - Jungkook carrying Jimin

link 14; #JIKOOK - It's a genuine connection. They are each other's support systems. (PART 2)

CONT/

𝘼 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝙇𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝙅𝙄𝙆𝙊𝙊𝙆'𝙎 𝙈𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 (EDITED BY TOKYOKOOKMIN) - link 1; can I just stay here? / link 2; I love you for infinity/link 3; I was only falling in love / link 4; you're mine. Video edits &lt;3

𝙅𝙆/𝙅𝙈 𝙑𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀𝙎 & 𝙅𝙈 𝘽𝘿𝘼𝙔 𝙑𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 -

𝙅𝙄𝙆𝙊𝙊𝙆 𝘾𝙇𝙄𝙋𝙎 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙈𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎 2020 -;

2023 GUIDELINES (UPDATED) - PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY OF MY CONTENT

✎ ARCHIVE - https://tokyokookmin.tumblr.com/archive

✎ SEND ME AN ASK! - https://tokyokookmin.tumblr.com/ask

✎ MY TWITTER - https://twitter.com/kookminivoir

✎ MY BLOG WEBSITE - https://tokyokookmin.tumblr.com/

[tara-maclays-gf]

The results of my Buffy survey!

So, a little over a week ago I posted a survey I made on the show. I was curious about the opinions in the fandom. The survey got 86 responses, which is way more than I thought it would! I had a lot of fun looking through all the responses as they came in and writing this up, and I've gotten lots of messages from people who filled it out that they also had fun! Also, thank you to anyone who reblogged

There are definitely some things I would change about how I did this and the questions I asked if I was to redo it in the future, but I tried to note the big things through the survey.

Also; when there were short response questions it would be way too long for me to have included all the responses. I tried to summarize the main themes, and then include a variety of responses and opinions that I found interesting.

If there’s a response of yours in this summary that you don’t want to be included please let me know and I will edit it out as soon as I can!

It's also a very long write-up, so... feel free to skim or whatever you need.

Question 1: When did you start watching the show?  22.1%; 2011-2015 (19/86 votes) 20.9%: 2021-present (18/86) 18.6%: 2016-2020 (16/86) 14%: 2000-2005 (12/86) 12.8%: As it came out (11/86) 11.6%: 2006-2010 (10/86)

Question 2: How were you introduced to the show?  The main themes from these responses included word of mouth from family, friends, or social media, watching it as it aired, or accidentally.  “I found a bunch of the books and some taped recordings of the show in my late-mother's belongings and realized it was her favorite show. I watched it to feel closer to her.” “My parents heard about it and we watched it together. I was 11. Do you know how crazy it is to watch Buffy and Spike fuck a house down with your parents when you're 11 on a DVD borrowed from your local library?” (yes, anon, actually i was in a very similar position haha) “I stumbled on it when channel surfing in the 90s”

Question 3: Would you consider the show to be an important and/or defining piece of media in your life?  94.1%: Yes (80/85 votes) 3.5%: No (3/85) 2.4%: Other (2/85): “I really like it but no”, “I’ve only started it recently so it hasn’t had time to fester. But i’m sure it will become load-bearing in future so yes”

Question 4: Who is your favorite main character in the show?  Note: a tumblr user pointed out to me that I included Anya and Faith in the least favorite question but not the favorite question. I fully understand that this was something I missed in this question and definitely could have skewed the data in this question and in a few future questions. 44.2%: Buffy (38/86 votes) 20.9%: Spike (18/86) 12.8%: Giles (11/86) 7%: Willow (6/11) 3.5%: Cordy (3/86) Faith (2), Oz (2), Zander (1), Jenny (1), Dawn (1), Angel (1), too hard! (1)

Question 5: Who is your least favorite character in the show?  55.8%: Riley (48/86 votes) 20.9%: Zander (18/86) 5.8%: Angel (5/86) 4.7%: Faith (4/86) Oz (3), Spike (2), Anya (2), Jenny (1), Willow (1), none of the characters (1), tie between Angel, Riley, and Zander (1)

Question 6: Who is your favorite season big bad?  30.6%: the Mayor (26/85 votes) 28.2%: Glory (24/85) 27.1%: Angelus (23/85) 7.1%: Willow- season 6 (6/85) 3.5%: the Master (3/85) 2.4%: Warren- season 6 (2/85) 1.2%: the Initiative (1/85)

Question 7: Who is your least favorite season big bad?  49.4%: Adam (41/83 votes) 22.9%: the First (19/83)  20.5%: Warren- season 6 (17/83) The Master (2), the Mayor (2), Angelus (1), Glory (1)

Question 8: Who are your favorite big bad sidekick pairs?  79.1%: Drusilla and Spike (68/86 votes) 19.8%: Faith and Mr. Trick (17/86) 1.2%: Warren and Jonathan (1/86)

Question 9: Who is your favorite smaller villain in the series?  51.2%: Drusilla (44/86) 17.4%: Harmony (15/86) 15.1%: Sweet (from OMWF) (13/86) 5.8%: Darla (5/86) 4.7%: Halfrek (4/86) Dracula (2), Lyle Gorch/the Gorch family (1), Ted (1)

Question 10: Which season has your favorite overall arc?  32.5%: Season 5 (27/ 83 votes) 27.7%: Season 3 (23/83) 18.1%: Season 6 (15/83) 14.5%: Season 2 (12/83) Season 4 (2), Season 7 (2), Season 1 (2)

Q11: Which season has your favorite individual episodes?  27.8%: Season 4 (22/79 votes) 24.1%: Season 3 (19/79) 19%: Season 6 (15/79) 12.7%: Season 5 (10/79) 8.9%: Season 2 (7/79) 5.1%: Season 1 (4/79) 2.5%: Season 7 (2/79)

Q12: What are your top 3 season 1 episodes?  79.5%: Prophecy Girl (66/83 votes) 43.4%: Nightmares (36/83) 41%: Witch (34/83)

Q13: What is your favorite “candy episode” in season 1? 26.8%: I, Robot… You, Jane (22/83) 19.3%: The Puppet Show (16/83)  18.1%: Don’t have one (15/83) 14.5%: The Pack (12/83) Out of Mind, Out of Sight (4), Teacher’s Pet (4), Never Kill a Boy on the First Date (3), Nightmares (3), Welcome to the Hellmouth (2), Prophecy Girl (1)

Q14: Why is that episode enjoyable for you?

Q15: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  Out of 56 responses, the main themes seemed to be that people enjoyed the season but it isn’t as good as the following seasons. People liked how fun and campy it was, as well as the early dynamics between the scoobies, and the format of monster of the week. “not my favorite but a good set up” “It was a rough season that I didn't enjoy. If I started watching buffy from season 1 I don't think I would have given it a chance” “Season one is classic and campy.” “It's super campy and fun! While not the tone the show took in the long run it's got the ground work of theme” “It's so cute but not necessarily good but god they're adorable” “Rough but compelling” “Rocky quality, a lot of 'so bad it's good' type episodes, but with a strong beginning and end that hints at later show quality” “I think it's the most unique - very much 'monster of the week' but it holds the most nostalgia for me and really encapsulates its own sort of 90s aesthetic”

Q16: What are your top 3 season 2 episodes?  58%: Becoming (pt 2) (47/81 votes) 44.4%: Halloween (36/81) 29.6%: School Hard (24/81)

Q17: What is your favorite “candy episode” in season 2?  17.5%: Go Fish (14/80) 12.5%: Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (10/80) 12.5%: Don’t have one (10) 11.2%: Bad Eggs (9) 8.8%: Ted (7) 8.8%: Inca Mummy Girl (7) I Only Have Eyes for You (5), Halloween (5), Reptile Boy (5), School Hard (2), Some Assembly Required (2), The Dark Age (1), Phases (1), Killed by Death (1), When She Was Bad (1)

Q18: Why is that episode enjoyable for you?

Q19: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  Generally, responses were very positive about this season. While people mention disliking Angel/Angelus as a character as well as some individual episodes, many people also mention how meaningful the season is to them and how much it improved from season 1. “Getting more solid, but still has the camp from the first season. Still would never skip an ep, but it’s still not like next season, where almost every episode is GOLD. The introduction to the fanged F… three is a big deal and wonderful to watch, the metaphors and arcs are compelling. It’s just the Go Fishes, ya know?” “The Angelus reveal is so genuinely heartbreaking and you can kinda feel the shift in the shows tone” “Love it BUT angelus piss me off” “Lots of clunkers, could have used more Angelus rather than him being in the background aside from Innocence, Passion, and Becoming, but still a good season overall” “Hurts my chest in a good way . so important to my inner world I don’t know how to separate myself from it” “i think angel is a cool villain but a terrible boyfriend” “I feel like the show found itself a lot more here, and while there's things I despise (the racism of inherent to the angelus/jenny plotline, the introduction and then killing of kendra) overall its very well-written and Sarah michelle gellar's acting is given the chance to really shine. Brought in more emotional depth and the campy tone”

Q20: What are your top 3 season 3 episodes? 45.8%: Band Candy (38/83) 39.8%: Lover’s Walk (33/83) 31.3: The Wish (26/83)

Q21: What is your favorite candy episode of season 3?  25.3%: Band Candy (20/79 votes) 21.5%: Don’t have one (17/79) 13.9%: Gingerbread (11/79) 8.9%: The Zeppo (7/79) Dead Man’s Party (5), Lover’s Walk (5), Earshot (3), Homecoming (3), Beauty and the Beasts (2), Bad Girls (2), The Wish (2), Dopplegandland (1), Revelations (1)

Q22: Why is that episode enjoyable for you? 

Q23: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  People generally really enjoy season 3. People talked about liking Faith’s introduction, but wished that she had more screen time to watch her fall. Responses that disliked the season also tended to mention that they weren’t a big fan of Faith as a character or didn’t connect to her.  “Season 3 is overrated as a season TBH. It has really wonderful standalone episodes but theres only 7 actual plot episodes in this season and that makes watching it as a whole Super frustrating since they never actually reach the full potential of the plot since they spend No time on it !!!! also unlike season 2 the stand alone episodes are not as thematically relevant to the plot which makes everything feel even more disjointed. Also Faith and the Mayor are soooooo compelling but its almost all in theory since we get No actual time with them in the season.” “I actually don’t like season three nearly as much as season one or two, despite how many good episodes it has, and I think it’s for two reasons. 1. I don’t emotionally connect with Faith and that’s a huge part of enjoying the rest of the season, and 2. Buffy and Angel’s story goes from the interesting exploration of danger and gothic romance that season two provided to high school melodrama that I don’t really care about and think was dealt with in a more interesting way the previous season. And idk the mayor doesn’t really make up for the other two problems” “There are no stinkers in this season, and the addition of Faith makes it one of my top three favorite seasons.” “Excellent--I feel like I graduated with the people in that season.” “LOVE THIS SEASON. Might be the favourite. While I'll never forgive kendra' death, faith is an amazing character and I love everything that's done with her. I love buffy's character throughout the season too. Just an excellent season of television. Solidified the show. The "class protector" scene makes me so emotional”

Q24: What are your top 3 season 4 episodes?  72.5%: Hush (58/80 votes) 55%: Something Blue (44/80) 37.5%: Who Are You? (30/80)

Q25: What is your favorite candy episode of season 4?  28.9%: Beer Bad (22/76 votes) 14.5%: Something Blue (11/76) 13.2%: Don’t have one (10/76) Superstar (6), A New Man (4), Living Conditions (4), Pangs (4), Where the WIld Things Are (4), the Initiative (2), Restless (2), Fear, Itself (2), Wild at Heart (1), Who Are You? (1), the Yoko Factor (1), the Freshman (1), The Harsh Light of Day (1)

Q26: Why is that episode enjoyable for you? (short response)

Q27: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  A general consensus is that the episode is weaker because of the transition between the high school and post high school seasons. Some mentioned that Riley as a character limited the effectiveness of the initiative, as well as Walsh’s departure midway through the season. Many people agreed that the one-off episodes saved the season from the arc and elevated it in their eyes to be a good season.  “One of my favourite seasons honestly. The overall arc is a mess and not that amazing but the one-offs are so good that it helps the overall season for me.”  “Weak overall arc but some of the best comedy in the show tbh. Also some really strong one-offs!” “Not a great start to college years, the initiative seemed a bit irrelevant and annoying at times.” “i get why people don’t love it, but i feel that this season is the season of character building, there’s so much set up for the rest of the series. the underlying narrative behind the initiative is good, even if boring at times. love the new cast as well” “i always say s4 is my favorite which is so unpopular to say and i don't love the initiative plot but it's got both faith and tara like cmon!! and soooo many iconic episodes”

Q28: What are your top 3 season 5 episodes? 67.9%: The Gift (53/78 votes) 67.9%: The Body (53/78) 60.3%: Fool for Love (47/78)

Q29: What is your favorite candy episode of season 5? 31.5%: Buffy vs. Dracula (23/73 votes) 17.8%: Don’t have one (13/73)  8.2%: Triangle (6/73) 8.2%: Crush (6/73) Intervention (5), Family (5), Fool for Love (3), the Replacement (3), Checkpoint (3), Real Me (2), Spiral (1), Forever (1), I Was Made To Love You (1)

Q30: Why is that episode enjoyable for you? 

Q31: What are your thoughts and opinions on the season?  Overall people think this is a great season. It has good individual episodes as well as a good arc, and responses talk about how the season becomes significantly more adult and serious in this season. “This season is so grown-up and moving; I marvel at how this season can come from a show that has its roots in teen drama.” “so so sad, but so so good. it’s heartbreaking to see buffy grow up so fast but it feels so true to life. it’s the first season i really understood the stakes and it was a nice break from the big bad’s goal being apocalyptic. glory just wanted to go home!!!!” “Quite like it. Glory is a fantastic big bad and is a contender for my top big bad of the series. The most emotional season for me is well with both The Body and The Gift.” “Overall a really good season, both in terms of overarching story and individual episodes. I know Dawn is a controversial addition to the cast but I'm personally really on board with her. The main thing that I think drags it down is that the person who plays Glory doesn't really do anything particularly interesting with her imo.” “Similarly to s3, really coherent and beautifully built story-arc with in-season conclusion. I still think the introduction (and way of introducing, and also general arc) of dawn was an incredible choice that makes the entire show exceptional. Getting more serious, building up for the following seasons' themes.” “After Riley leaves it’s much better. Dawn is absolutely the worst by it’s forgiven at times of real stress and trauma, and she grows at the end and iirc is way more realistically a teenager after that.” “It’s kind of slow to start and the first time I saw it I was really frustrated by them just dropping Dawn in with no explanation, but it’s a good and solid season overall with the end of the season being truly amazing”

Q32: What are your top 3 episodes of season 6?  92.3%: Once More, With Feeling (72/78 votes) 64.1%: Tabula Rasa (50/78) 21.8%: Grave (17/78)

Q33: What is your favorite candy episode of season 6? 27%: Doublemeat Palace (20/74 votes) 24.3%: Don’t have one (18/74) 10.8%: Tabula Rasa (8/74) Life Serial (6), Once More, With Feeling (4), Flooded (4), All the Way (3), Gone (3), Normal Again (2), Bargaining (1), Entropy (1), Hell’s Bells (1), Older and Far Away (1)

Q34: Why is that episode enjoyable for you? 

Q35: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  This season is either liked or strongly disliked by the responses. Many people talked about how the themes were important to them personally, but many others talked about strongly disliking the season because of how the writers handled specific characters.  “As a whole I think the first half of the season was incredibly strong and the second half was much, much weaker. It has some of my favorite individual episodes but I could start to feel how the writers were becoming angry at the audience and started punishing certain characters. I couldn't finish certain episodes in the second half of this season. The rape scene with Spike made me stop watching the show for a while, Tara's death was a blow. It just went from being what could've been my favorite season to feeling like I was being punished as a viewer for liking certain characters. I know it's dark, and I can appreciate darkness, but at a certain point it felt vindictive and I lost enjoyment in the show.” “Once more with feeling brings it up so much (the best ever episode of Buffy) but so many decisions were wrong ie seeing red” “Rarely ever watch this season. IMHO the worst season hands down” “I find that I understand Buffy's depression more and more the older I get. It's a great season.” “Buffy's best and worst season all in one. Elevated the show beyond a merely well-done Campbellian hero's journey tale to something truly special. And it also made several storytelling decisions that ruined several character arcs beyond repair. Buffy's depression arc is her best seasonal arc by far and is an amazing interrogation of everything we've seen in seasons prior. Her climbing out of the grave in the finale and smiling at seeing the world before her is so incredibly satisfying. Her relationship with Spike is realistic and interesting to watch. And then...he tries to rape her, and their respective arcs are doomed to be about that moment for all of S7. Willow's slow descent into becoming an abusive girlfriend and power-hungry villain is utterly thrilling to watch. For the first eight episodes. And then...it becomes a drug addiction metaphor, and her arc goes to hell and never recovers. This season is BtVS in a nutshell: some experimental episodes, some risky and bold storytelling, some satisfying payoffs, and some serious backfiring.”

Q36: What are your top 3 episodes of season 7?  63%: Chosen (46/73 votes) 61.6%: Conversations with Dead People (45/73) 32.9%: Lies My Parents Told Me (24/73)

Q34: What is your favorite candy episode of season 7?  33.8%: Don’t have one (23/68 votes) 23.5%: Him (16/68) 16.2%: Storyteller (11/68) Conversations with Dead People (4), Same Time. Same Place (3), Dirty Girls (3), Beneath You (2), Get it Done (2), First Date (2), Showtime (1), The Killer in Me (1)

Q35: Why is that episode enjoyable for you? 

Q36: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the season?  Generally responses agreed that season 7 isn’t the best season of the show. However, many responses have something they appreciated about the season. “To be honest, i had a hard time getting through season seven. I was already having problems with the show with the end of season six and It felt like even the show had no idea what to do with season seven. I skipped a lot of filler episodes or didn't pay attention to them when I was watching them. I don't even have a lot of opinions on season seven because I don't remember most of it. The finale was good and I appreciated the closure for the show.” “truly amazing. i wish i could speak eloquently on this but words are hard, just kno it is perfect” “I don't remember it much it's far too ambitious but I love the spuffy” “Only good thing about this season is Nathan Fillion” “It was a nice end to the series. I do think Anya should have survived.” “No ending is ever perfect, because nothing really ends, but it tied up the series better than The Gift.” “Augh. So many bad plot decisions or character assassinations. My least favorite season. I would watch Go Fish at least seven times before rewatching S7 willingly.” “A lot makes me angry about this season, but there’s so much good too. It brings the whole series home in one of the best finales in the history of television.”

Q37: Which episode is your favorite in the series, if you had to pick? 

Once More, With Feeling: 14 votes

Fool for Love: 5 votes

  Restless: 5 votes

The Body: 4 votes

Something Blue: 3 votes

Tabula Rasa: 2 votes

Dopplegangland: 2 votes

Becoming: 2 votes

Who Are You?: 2 votes

Passion: 2 votes

1 each: Hush, Checkpoint, the Prom, School Hard, I Only Have Eyes For You, Prophecy Girl, The Dark Age: the Wish, Gingerbread, Lover’s Walk, Band Candy, Chosen, the Gift, Amends, Weight of the World, Family, Halloween, A New Man, I, Robot… You, Jane

Q38: Which episode is most iconic, in your opinion?

Once More, With Feeling: 24 votes

Hush: 11 votes

Becoming pt 2: 3 votes

The Gift: 3 votes

Passion: 3 votes

Innocence & surprise: 2 votes

Prophecy Girl: 2 votes

Fool for Love: 1 vote

Anne: 1 vote

Q39: Which season do you rewatch episodes from the most frequently?  Season 2: 4 votes Season 3: 4 votes Season 6: 4 votes Season 4: 3 votes Season 1: 2 votes Season 5: 1 vote Season 7: 1 vote

Q40: How often would you say you rewatch individual episodes from the show?  17.1%: every 6 months (13/76 votes) 14.5%: monthly (11/76)  14.5%: every other month (11/76) 11.8%: yearly (9/76) 11.8%: every two weeks (9/76) 30.3%: other (including every few years, or watching many episodes over a period of time and then taking a break for months/years)

Q41: How often would you say you rewatch the entire series?  28.8%: yearly (21/73) 12.3%: every 6 months (9/73) Other: including haven’t rewatched yet, every few years, and used to rewatch frequently but not as much anymore. 

Q42: Do you frequently engage with the fandom?  66.7: yes (56/84 votes) 25%: no (21/84)

Q43: On which platforms do you engage with the fandom? Note: this question I was curious about, but understand I posted this survey on tumblr and on a discord for a BTVS youtuber and those facts have absolutely skewed the data. 93.7%: Tumblr (74 votes) 25.3%: Youtube- video essays (20) 19%: Youtube- reaction youtubers (15) 17.7%: Youtube- edits (14) 13.9%: Instagram (11) 12.7%: Podcasts (10) 7.6%: Tiktok (6) Other responses: Ao3, discord, facebook, twitter, pinterest, books, reddit, forums

Q44: Do you have a favorite creator in the fandom? All creators that were mentioned are included here.

Passion of the Nerd (youtube)

@/jennycalender (tumblr)

@/lefrenchunicorn (platform unknown)

the_Eclectic_Bookworm (Ao3)

Summerfrost (Ao3)

@/all-seeing-ifer (tumblr)

Mona Fuchs (art prints)

Off Your Bird (platform unknown)

herinsectreflection (youtube if I remember correctly)

@/spikedru (tumblr)

Cass reacts (youtube)

Q45: What’s the most interesting lore in the show to you?  “the demonic dimensions and vampire backstories!” “The nature of morality and the self !!” “Vengeance demons and their whole thing.” “Everything with Ripper. And the Fanged Four.” “I think that the vampire lore is deliciously messy and because of that there is so much you can do when interpreting it. Do I wish it was thought about more in the show? Yes. Am I pretty happy with it as it is? Also yes. I can have both.” “The Potentials and Watcher Council setup” “The non-strength attributes of the slayer” “I think the soul cannon is an interesting concept.”

Q46: Which is your favorite Buffy ship?  Note: Looking back I worded this question particularly poorly. What I was curious about was ships with specifically Buffy because I feel there’s some debate in the fandom about it 47.6%: Buffy/Spike (40/84 votes) 34.5%: Buffy/Faith (29/84) 6%: Buffy/Angel (5/84) 1 each: Buffy/Cordy, Buffy/Riley

Q47: What is something you most want to change in the show?  Many responses talked about Seeing Red, the lack of POC in the show (and their subsequent deaths) and specific character arcs (especially Zander). “probably xander's weird like thing with buffy and how he was always subconsiously protective over her, like with angel, spike, and riley” “Nothing, I tend to love things/people as they are, the good and the bad” “The racism is pretty bad -- the way there are 0 people of color in the main cast, most recurring characters of color die, the First Slayer is treated in such a racist way, the Slayer backstory is so racist, the portrayal of the Chumash in "Pangs", the portrayal of Mr. Trick, Chao-Ahn's existence, the treatment of Nikki and Robin Wood, etc. So I'd like to change that. If you want a more easily-executed character-based answer, I'd remove Willow's 'magic addiction' plotline and give her a proper villain arc instead.” “Seeing Red character decision for Spike which was out of character for him even though he didn't have a soul” “Not to be basic but all of that? did not have to happen to women.” “so Jenny Calendar was my favourite character in the show on first watch, and although I think her death was done incredibly well and part of a fantastic arc, I would have liked for her character and the contributions she made to the narrative to be remembered more often in later seasons, especially when it seems weird to me that the characters never bring her up (e.g. in discussions about re-souling vampires, Willow's growing magical ability, or Giles' personal life, all of which she played significant roles in)” “Kendra lives!” “Anya deserved a better ending” “well riley never existing would be great, or maybe xander losing his crush/ possessiveness over buffy, but really i just wish her friends would cut her some fucking slack.”

Q48: Favorite funny line/gag in the show?  “anything harmony probably” “Out for a walk bitch” “dawns in trouble. must be tuesday.” “Joyce and Spike being awkward in the living room in "Becoming Part 2".” “I may be dead but I'm still pretty (that's the first that came to mind it's impossible to pick!!)” “well you were mythtaken” “Oz's line about the mayor and hummus gets me every time” “Grr Argh” “Tiny, Tiny, Babies! And other lines from Rupert Giles” “"One of these days you're going to wake up in a coma." Iconic, no notes.” “I’m 17. Looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex.” “Can I trade the children for more money?”

Q49: Favorite moment or scene? “Cordelia bullying a vampire into running away in "Homecoming".” “Either the "we're family" from family or Buffy and Giles in the car in innocence” “Anything spuffy really” “Willow and Tara floating as they dance together” “Rest in Peace” “Buffy getting the "class protecter award"” “the final fight between buffy and angel in the s2 finale” “The scene where spike has the gun to kill buffy but ends up just sitting with her on the stairs” “The confrontation between Willow and Xander in “Grave””

Q50: Anything else you want to share, feel free to infodump here :) “Okay, I mentioned little crossovers Buffy has had over the years? The basics of it is little nods, references, and shout-outs. The show itself connects to not just Dracula, but The WIld Bunch and National Lampoon's Vacation. Angel also connects to Aliens, Buckaroo Banzai, The X-Files, Evil Dead, Niel Gaiman's Sandman. The Official Continuation comics for Buffy also add Doctor Who and Godzilla. Yes, Really.” anon this is super interesting I had no idea “giles and jenny were constantly making out in the WORKPLACE in the halls in the classrooms in the library can u imagine how many students tried to go get A Book for School, the Place Where These Two Work, and had to leave bc their teachers were in there sucking face again. im obsessed w them”“I don't interact with the fandom almost at all but the amount of Xander hate is so weird to me like he's not perfect and I think that's a good thing? He's just kind of a guy and people are really weird about him. Really turns me off from the fandom. But I sure love seeing gifs, fanart, and deep dives into lore so I do still look at some stuff despite the hostility towards some characters that are very dear to me since I was a child” “I am mid rewatching the show with some friends, currently mid s4, so my memories are mostly there. One other moment I really like that I'm guessing no one else will put: Chanterelle asking if she can be Anne in S3E1. Also I developed my love of puns from Buffy :)” “I love that folks are still here for Buffy. That show feels like my religion.”

That's the end of the questions! Again, thank you all so much for completing it and I hope you enjoyed it.

(this took longer than I thought to write up and I have a headache, so if you see some mistakes in the grammar or wording or any inconsistencies please let me know! i'll edit it when i can)

[cheesybadgers]

Narcos Fic: Old Habits Die Hard (Chap. 21)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24

Read on AO3

Masterlist

Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo

Words: 7,356

Summary: After arriving in Manizales, Horacio introduces Javier to his family, leading to a long overdue heart-to-heart and a drinking game with a twist.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. Discussions of coming out, grief, parental loss, canon-typical violence, allusions to period-typical prejudices, drinking game, smoking, swearing.

Notes: Firstly, I will soften the blow of leaving it so long since my last update with the news that chapter 22 will be posted within the next week or so! I decided to split it in half to give more space to the conversations between the characters. So, hopefully that will make up for my elongated silence lol.

Secondly, I finished drafting the rest of the fic at the end of last year 👀 So, I just need to complete editing on chapter 23 and the epilogue. Then, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, it will be time to leave these two messy idiots to it.

I think it will take me some time to get my head around it coming to an end, not least of all because it's been almost 3 years since I started working on this behemoth. And I can't believe how much has happened/changed since then, yet my love for this ship and this story has stayed strong and close to my heart. So, a bit of a premature thank you to anyone who has supported it at any point since March 2021, it's been quite the emotional rollercoaster ❤️ As always, I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to drop me a comment/message!

I’ve also added to my OHDH trivia post to cover this chapter if anyone is interested.

Chapter 21: For Old Times' Sake

A haze of mist hung low on the horizon, clinging to the rolling waves of verdant peaks that bled seamlessly together with worn asphalt until it was impossible to tell where the sky began and the earth ended.

Luckily, the tyres of the hire car were built for rougher terrain, and it wasn’t the first time Horacio had driven this route. Admittedly, it would have been easier to fly. But this had the added benefit of giving Javier a taste of undiscovered territory.

If truth be told, it gifted them more time to mentally prepare for what was getting closer with every hour that passed, each stop off to admire the view and refresh a stubborn way to prolong the status quo.

Progress had been slow for the last hour as the congested traffic crawled along the sharp angles of the road with its treacherous drops only a few inches away. They had come to a standstill behind a bus that allowed passengers off to take photos, and with little room to manoeuvre around the vehicle, a trail of cars had no choice but to wait.

Javier lounged back in the passenger seat, one foot resting on the opposite knee, his elbow leaning on the door, and the window half open.

He watched Horacio’s hands on the steering wheel alternate between clenching and tapping, a particular kind of rigidity returning to his jaw for the first time in months – if not years.

Javier made an executive decision by reaching into the glove box. He pulled out an emergency pack of cigarettes and a lighter they had stashed away before setting off from Medellín.

He lifted one out of the pack and sparked up. “So, did you say it’s a farm we’re heading to?” There was no point asking the obvious, so distraction it was.

“A coffee farm on the outskirts of the city, yeah. It belongs to Fabián’s family. He and his brother, Santiago, do the bulk of the work now their father’s winding down.”

“Sounds nice. And kinda familiar.”

Horacio’s eyes finally left the windshield and met Javier’s with a shadow of a smile. “Yeah, it does. A lot hillier than Texas, though.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be hard.” Javier held out his smoke across the car, their first one that wasn’t post-coital in a long time. But needs must.

Horacio apparently agreed as he accepted it with a huff of resignation. “Fine, one for the road.”

“I think it’s allowed on roads like this one.”

“I did warn you.”

“Hey, no, I like it. Keeps you on your toes.”

“It reminds me of when Papá drove us to visit Tia Salomé and Tio Jairo in Bogotá. He and Mamá let us have sweets for the long journey but warned us the Mareco would take them away if we didn’t behave.”

“The Mareco?”

“La Leyenda del Mareco. It was a story we were told as kids. The Mareco’s a red devil that looks like a lizard on two legs. He steals children’s candy and conjures up a whirlwind to blow them away if they don’t obey their parents.”

Javier nodded in recognition as Horacio passed their cigarette back. “La Llorona was the story used to scare me and my cousins.”

“Oh yeah, we got that one as well.”

“I gotta say, the Mareco explains a lot.”

“About what?”

“About how you developed a problem with authority.”

“What’s your excuse then?”

“What can I say? I was led astray.”

It was a blatant lie, but Javier didn’t care when it caused laughter lines to materialise in the corner of Horacio’s eyes.

“We both know you were drawn to it as much as you resented it.”

“Only where you were concerned. Anyway, you were just as bad even though you'd never admit it.”

“Maybe you were my exception too.”

A moment of silence fell as memory after memory collided, snapshots of how the push and pull between them had evolved with their relationship.

"Listen, I was thinking,” Javier started before taking a drag, “would it make things easier if you wore this? Just while we’re here, I mean.”

Horacio’s gaze drifted to Javier’s exposed skin, the taillights of the car in front catching on the crucifix at his chest. “No,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s yours now.”

By the time their cigarette was finished, the traffic edged forward, and the road ahead and Javier’s hand on Horacio’s leg soon replaced conversation.

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Two and a half hours and several bursts of heavy rain later, the muddied hire car pulled up by a complex of buildings nestled amongst a sea of lush green and vibrant flowers. The buildings sat atop steep slopes of vegetation that led to the coffee plantations below, the foggy skyline above etched with rugged ridges and the ominous outline of Nevado del Ruiz in the distance.

Any sounds from life on a working coffee farm were drowned out by birdsong and their feet crunching beneath them as Horacio and Javier walked up the gravel path towards the main finca. It was typical in its style with a rustic tiled roof, whitewashed bricks and wooden pillars around its perimeter painted in the same shade of terracotta red as the doors and window frames. At the back of the property was a large garden with a patio area, pool and a spectacular view for miles on a clear day.

As they lugged their suitcases onto the porch, Alejandra waited to greet them at the front door. Her dark hair was styled in a bob with waves bordering on curls, the kind Javier imagined Horacio could grow if he wasn’t so insistent on keeping his hair short. At least since leaving the CNP, he had been less strict about cutting it.

The family resemblance between the two siblings was evident in their facial features, particularly in the shape of their noses, charcoal eyes and Cupid’s bows. But Alejandra was a few inches shorter, and her frame was slimmer on account of not carrying the same muscle as Horacio.

“The wanderer finally returns,” Alejandra announced as she pulled Horacio in for a long hug, neither of them keen to be the first to let go. “At least you remembered how to use the phone before turning up on my doorstep.”

“Of course. It's good to see you. But I am sorry I left it so long. There’s, erm…a lot to catch up on.”

“I’ll say.” She peered curiously behind Horacio. “But first, let me say hello to this handsome new face.”

She all but pushed Horacio to one side, forgoing any formal introductions he might have had planned. All Horacio could do was stand and watch two parts of his life converge that, for a long time, he believed would never – and could never – meet.

Javier had hung back by several feet, his hands self-consciously stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as he kept his eyes on the ground until he was spoken to.

“Hi there, I’m Alejandra. You must be Javier?”

“Oh, er, yeah, hi.” For reasons unbeknownst to Javier, he raised his hand in a stiff wave rather than the relaxed handshake he had planned and felt the heat instantly rise in his cheeks. “Pleasure to finally meet you. Beautiful place you’ve got up here.”

“Likewise. And thanks.” Much to Javier's relief, she took the lead and held out a hand for him to shake with a reassuring smile. “Although you’ve got Fabián to thank for that. He’s down there giving a tour to one of our new buyers.” Alejandra turned back to face Horacio. “Mamá’s shopping for school supplies and tonight’s dessert with Juan José, Sofía and Mateo. Ana María’s out with friends. But they should all be back in the next few hours.”

Horacio nodded but remained taciturn, keeping to himself his strong suspicions that Alejandra had made sure she was the only one to greet them upon arrival.

“Come on, you can show Javier around whilst I make us something to eat and drink.”

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It had been a long time since Horacio’s last visit, but he could just about remember the layout of the place. He took Javier through the downstairs rooms, moving from the hall to the living areas and then the kitchen, which appeared tidier now than in his dreams.

The décor was all tiled or wooden floors and earthy tones, contrasting against large airy windows that made the landscape outside seem like a part of the finca. Evidence of three generations and two cats was scattered everywhere in the form of toys, games, videos, tapes, books, various coffee products and photographs from over the years. In one corner stood a home altar containing a large crucifix, prayer cards, rosary beads, candles, and a statue of Virgen de Chiquinquirá. In the opposite corner was a shelf full of old vinyl with Lucho Bermúdez taking pride of place, naturally.

Upstairs housed six bedrooms and three bathrooms, on account of the brood of four children, three adults and a spare room. The spare room was their last stop, where they dumped their luggage, sharing an amused glance at the double bed with a smaller fold-out one laid out in the corner with a pile of fresh sheets.

“As your guest, I take it I get the bigger one?” Javier asked with a spark of mischief in his eye.

“Well, technically, I’m also a guest here. And I did do all the driving.”

“Maybe I’ll, er, flip you for it later.”

Horacio merely raised a brow at the suggestion in Javier’s tone before they headed back downstairs.

They sat under cover of the terrace in the wildly growing garden, just in case the rain returned, which was always a distinct possibility in Manizales. An impressive platter of fruits was laid out on the table alongside freshly made coffee.

“So, how was the wedding?” Alejandra asked as she poured from a pot into three cups, the dark, rich aroma diffusing into the same crisp air the beans were grown and harvested.

Horacio accepted a cup with a thanks and passed the other to Javier. “It was nice. Good to see everyone again.”

“How’s Trujillo doing? It’s been strange seeing his face all over the news.”

Rather than his, Horacio thought with a strange lurch to the gut he wasn’t expecting. “He’s doing well; he’s a Major now. He deserves some happiness after everything.”

“He’s not the only one.”

Alejandra gave Horacio a pointed look, one he wasn’t ready to entirely meet, so he reached for a slice of guayaba instead.

“And Javier...I take it this is your first visit to Manizales?” she continued, offering him the fruit tray.

“Thanks. And yeah, it is. Never got the time to explore much beyond Bogotá and Medellín.” That wasn't exactly true, but Javier didn’t think talk of Cartagena or Tolú would be welcome right now.

“Well, I hope it won’t be your last.”

Horacio could feel another look directed his way but pretended not to notice it and sipped on his coffee.

Once they had eaten their weight in fruit, Alejandra had some business calls to make, leaving Javier and Horacio to unpack and freshen up before reconvening to make a start on dinner.

Of course, it had to be sudado de pollo. Horacio and Alejandra worked as a team, issuing sporadic instructions to Javier when necessary. But he was happy listening to them catch up and reminisce.

“That smells amazing already,” Javier said as he finely chopped onions across a wooden board, gesturing to the dishful of chicken thighs that Alejandra had just finished marinating.

“Mamá’s secret blend,” she replied as she set the dish aside to move on to dicing several tomatoes.

“Oh yeah? What would I have to do to get the recipe for that?” Javier reflexively caught Horacio’s eye across the kitchen.

“If we told you, we’d have to kill you.” Horacio shot Javier a warning look that indicated he was only half joking before focusing intently on cutting up a large batch of yuca and potatoes.

“Yeah, not even Fabián knows.”

“Papá never knew either. But he was happy for us or Mamá to make it for him.”

“My Mamá was the same with her Abuela’s morisqueta. Although, not long before she passed, she left me and my Pops the recipe.”

Alejandra paused her knife to look up at Javier, the surprise on her face soon transforming into recognition and sympathy. “I bet it’s delicious. You should make it for us some time.”

Now it was Horacio’s turn to stop, his eyes travelling from Alejandra to Javier and back again as the implication of his sister’s words hung as heavy in the kitchen as the aromatic spices of her marinade.

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Once the chicken and vegetables were all prepped and placed in a pot on the stove, the front door opened and closed, a loud chatter of voices soon filling the hallway.

Before Javier knew what was happening, he was being introduced to the children, shaking hands with Fabián, then kissing Elena’s cheek.

“Welcome, Javier. It’s good to put a face to a name at last,” Elena said, thoroughly taking in his appearance, apparently satisfied with what she saw.

At last. Javier wasn’t sure whether those words put him at ease or made him more nervous, but he managed to push such thoughts behind a smile. “Nice to meet you, and likewise.”

Javier had briefly seen pictures of Horacio’s family in the past. But he, too, spent time studying Elena now that he was close enough to smell the floral notes of her perfume. Neat oval glasses and a mix of dark and light grey hair cut short and choppy framed her sharp features, the shape of her nose and Cupid’s Bow matching those of her children.

“No thanks to this one here, mind you.” Despite her chastisement, Elena embraced her son tightly, reluctant to let go. “I think he’s been hiding from us.”

“You know it wasn’t like that, Mamá.” Although, over his Mamá’s head, Horacio gave Javier a sheepish look that said otherwise. “It is good to see you. And I’m sorry I left it so long.”

Upon greeting his nieces and nephews, Horacio was struck by how much they had all grown up since his last visit. Ana María was the spitting image of her mother. Juan José was several inches taller than Horacio and resembled his father more than ever. And Mateo and Sofía had presumably become resentful of all the matching outfits in their younger years of being twins, going out of their way to dress as differently from each other as possible. Once they had said their obligatory hellos, they scattered around the house and no doubt wouldn’t re-appear until dinner was ready.

Right on cue, when Alejandra brought out steaming and brimming plates full of sudado de pollo, everyone rapidly took their places around the table.

Silence fell as they tucked in, the warmth and comfort of childhood cocooning Horacio from what he knew was inevitable. A welcomed interruption from his thoughts came with a soft brush against his leg, his instincts telling him it was one of the cats issuing their own greeting. But he should have known better.

As they ate and endured the usual family small talk, Javier's foot became Horacio's anchor, subtle and soothing rubs against his ankle unseen under the table. Steady, grounding, home. 

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Horacio carried the last few empty plates to the kitchen, where piles of dishes were already stacked high. He had left Javier with Juan José and Mateo, who were showing off the latest video games they had got for Christmas – and were comfortably beating Javier at them, too.

“I’ll wash; you dry. For old times’ sake,” Alejandra said without looking up from the sink where she was filling the basin with water and suds.

“Okay. On the condition we both tidy everything away afterwards.”

“Deal. You’ll just put it in the wrong place unsupervised anyway.”

Horacio swatted the tea towel he’d picked up in her direction, only for her to retaliate by flicking bubbles in his hair.

“We did okay with dinner, didn’t we? I haven’t made that in a long time,” Horacio said.

“You had a good teacher.”

“So did you.”

“Oh, I know. I think that’s why Papá always loved it. We were all in there somewhere.”

“Like our Christmas tamales.”

“Oh, yeah, he couldn’t get enough of those. Remember we always had to make an extra batch for him to take to work?”

“He said they were to share with his unit, but I’m not sure many made it that far.”

Now they were laughing as they worked in tandem, Alejandra changing the water as Horacio cleared the draining board, ready for the next load.

“Did you ever feel like you let him down?” Horacio asked after a long silence, both siblings seemingly waiting for the other to fill it.

“Of course. You know Papá didn’t approve of Fabián at first, right?”

“What?”

“You must’ve heard the arguments?”

“To be fair, there were plenty of arguments between you and Papá.”

“Yeah, and they were mostly about me daring to marry someone other than a cop.”

“That’s what it was about?”

“Mostly. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Fabián; I just think he had suitors picked out for me. People he knew he could trust.”

“But they got along in the end, didn’t they?”

“Once Papá had got over himself, yeah.” Alejandra let out a nostalgic laugh, which Horacio quickly joined in with. “He could be tough when he wanted to be, but…he meant well,” she settled on. “Once he saw how happy I was and how Fabián had taken after his father with the farm, he came around. It was never personal with Papá. It’s just the way he was.”

“So, you don’t think he’d be disappointed in me…” Horacio paused to swallow, his throat drier than a Texan summer. “For quitting?” he got out eventually.

Alejandra gave Horacio a look he’d seen countless times over the years. One only a big sister could give her little brother when she had to feign ignorance of something she had already discovered for herself. The perks of being the eldest.

“How did you know?”

“Horacio, are you really asking that of someone who has been surrounded by cops all her life?”

Horacio rolled his eyes but let Alejandra have that one unchallenged.

“I thought you might have been discharged on medical grounds, to be honest. I hoped you’d seen sense. Or maybe met someone.”

“I wasn’t discharged, but I negotiated a payout after my injury.”

Alejandra released a self-satisfied hum, a whisp of a smile threatening to break free from the corners of her mouth. “Two out of three’s not bad, I suppose.”

Horacio gulped hard enough for Alejandra to hear; he had no doubt about that. But no words followed, not even when he caught her eye.

“You love him, don’t you?” It wasn’t an accusation or an interrogation. In fact, it was barely even a question.

“Yes.” It caught Horacio off guard how fast he answered. How direct and concise he’d been.

“And he loves you.” There was no pretence of a question mark now, but rather a clarification of a well-established fact. A rite of passage both parties needed to hear.

“He does.”

“Enough to walk away from it all, too.”

Horacio nodded, scared the lump in his throat would give way to something else as his glassy gaze met Alejandra’s.

“His father – Chucho – owns a ranch in Laredo, Texas. That’s where I went after…” he trailed off, not wishing to dwell on the finer details of the ambush. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I hated lying after everything we’ve been through. But I figured the less you and Mamá knew, the safer it was.”

“I had a feeling you’d left Colombia. But Texas?” Alejandra blew out a low whistle. “That’s the part we’ll need to prepare Mamá for.”

“They’re Mexican-American. And the ranch is right on the border by the river.”

“I’d lead with that part if I were you. Not sure you can avoid a lecture about fraternising with Spanish colonisers, though. Twice.”

“I got that the first time I moved over there. But she went quiet when I reminded her Madrid was good enough for Simón Bolívar.”

Alejandra’s shoulders shook in unison with Horacio’s until a comfortable silence fell between them.

“So, you were there a whole year?”

“Just over. I couldn’t do much to help for the first few months – whilst this healed.” Horacio flexed his right arm to prove to Alejandra that everything was back in working order. “But it was good to have a routine eventually.”

“Wait a minute…you worked on the ranch?”

“No need to sound so surprised when you live here. I was actually pretty good at it. And I liked it.” Although Horacio understood and returned his sister’s bemusement because even he had shocked himself.

“No, I’m not. It’s just…oh, Horacio...” Alejandra broke off to bring her hand to his cheek, her brow creased, but her eyes caught between being on the brink of a smile and tears. “Look at you.”

Horacio made a show of wiping away the suds from his cheekbone, hoping he wouldn’t still have an audience afterwards. But no such luck. “It’s not what I expected to happen – any of it. But it just....felt right. I know that probably doesn’t make sense.”

“Actually, it makes perfect sense.”

“Does it?”

“Well, for starters, I can see the appeal. Obviously. Can’t blame you for going for a younger man, either. And taller.”

Horacio rolled his eyes and hoped his face didn’t look as hot as it felt. “Not by that much. On either count.”

“Hey, no judgment from me. But seriously, of course, it makes sense. I know we all used to joke about you being married to your job, but…after Juliana, I did wonder if there was more to it than that.”

“I think burying myself in work killed two birds with one stone.”

“It was killing you.”

“I know.”

“And Papá would have told you the same.”

A hollow laugh escaped Horacio’s throat, Martínez’s words from the wedding still ringing intrusively in his ears. “I’d have been kicked out of the force. He’d have made sure of that. And I wouldn’t have blamed him.”

“Right, because you were the first officer on Colombian soil to commit violence or be used as a political weapon.”

“He was against it, Alejandra. La Violencia was enough for anyone to see in a lifetime.”

But that was just another in a long line of civil wars. Even if his father's life hadn’t been cut short, he would have seen yet another bloody outbreak in which the state did more to perpetuate the death toll than bring peace to the country. And Horacio had plenty of blood on his hands. At least his Papá was spared witnessing that.

“And you don’t think he was ever put in a compromising position back then? You don’t think La Violencia was why he didn’t want the same for you? You won’t remember much, and Mamá and Papá never spoke about it around us, but I got pretty good at listening through doors.”

“He never did talk about it. Even when I was older.”

Not that he really needed to, Horacio conceded. Even though they were kept relatively safe and away from the violence in Medellín compared to other regions of Antioquia – particularly the rural parts – he had heard enough over the years to fill in the blanks.

He remembered his Mamá’s stories of helping the displaced, those who sought refuge in the city. Thousands who had been forced to flee the violence and start over again, often in makeshift housing on the outskirts, the irony never lost on Horacio that one of those neighbourhoods became Comuna 13. But for all his Mamá’s tales and the work she continued to do until she left for Manizales, his Papá never spoke about those years.

“He was protecting you. Like Mamá was with us after he died. Sometimes silence is easier.”

“I know. I get it. Before he died, the cocaine trade hadn’t got going in Colombia yet. It was mostly marijuana. But with FARC around and the gringos spreading their anti-communist propaganda, he knew it was a question of when, not if, another war was coming. I think he hoped things would be different this time.”

“You did what you had to do, Horacio. Just like he did. Just like every generation of our family did to survive. What’s done is done.”

“I’m not sure you’d say that if you knew everything.”

“You think I never heard any of the rumours out here? Or picked up a newspaper once in a while?”

“You never said anything.”

Alejandra shot Horacio a cutting glare, the kind he was an expert at delivering, but only a select few could get away with throwing back at him. “I knew you wouldn’t talk about it even if I asked.”

Horacio scoffed. Touché. “Not all of it was true.”

It was Alejandra’s turn to laugh. “Well, I kinda figured you weren’t dead after you called.”

“I don’t just mean the ambush.”

“I know,” she said briskly.

But Horacio couldn’t ignore the relief in her body language. Even though he understood it, a wave of shame hit him for even planting a seed of doubt in her – his older sister, the mother of his nieces and nephews – mind in the first place.

“But that’s all in the past now,” he concluded, shutting down his own train of destructive thought. “And you’re right; Papá’s not here. But Javier is.”

“So your future’s in Laredo, then.”

“Are you mad?”

“Am I mad that my little brother is finally getting his shit together and is head over heels in love? Oh, yeah, I’m livid.”

An inferno had spread across Horacio’s cheeks, and he struggled to think of a response. But luckily for him, Alejandra wasn’t done yet.

“It’s…safe, though, right? For you both to live together?”

“As safe as anywhere else. Every country has its problems. I’m sure there’ll always be people with something to say. But we’ve been careful.”

“Just promise me you’ll keep being careful.”

“We will, I promise.”

“I can’t guarantee I’ll convince Mamá to visit in the summer, though.”

“That’s fair. But you do think she’ll want to visit?”

“She might be strong, but we know what she lost – what we all lost. So, if there’s a chance for you to share your life with someone as she did with Papá, to be safe – to be happy after everything – yeah, I think she'll want to visit.”

“Do you think Papá would if he could?” Horacio knew it was a loaded grenade of a question and unfair to ask. But he couldn’t help himself.

Alejandra hesitated, seemingly aware she was between a rock and a hard place. “Maybe in his old age. Or if he knew Javier saved your life.”

“How did –?”

She expelled a comedically dramatic sigh. “Keep up, manito. When you called, you told me the DEA came after you that night. I don’t need to hold a badge to guess who that was.”

Horacio was banged to rights once more as he tried to recall the exact information he had relayed to Alejandra in the hours after the ambush; evidently, it was more than he thought.

“He – and his partner, Steve – went against orders and got suspended for helping me and my men.”

“So, they took a leaf out of your book then?”

“Something like that.”

Before Horacio could overthink it, he took a deep breath and told Alejandra everything. From the blackmail to his and Javier’s resignations to their year in Madrid, it all came tumbling out whilst she kept washing and he kept drying. Just like old times. Just like their Papá was in the next room along with their Mamá. And in so many ways, he always would be, not as a ghost of their past, but forever a part of their present and future.

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

Arriving during the week had its advantages, as it wasn’t necessary for Horacio to make excuses to get an early night. Work and school beckoned in the morning for most of the household, so the evening had ended in a low-key fashion.

That was more than fine by Horacio after a long drive and an overdue heart-to-heart. He lay on his side, his back nestled into Javier’s chest in the centre of the spare room’s double bed. They made up the fold-out bed for pretences, but it was purely extra space to store their luggage.

A bedside lamp and hints of moonlight peaking around the edges of the curtains cast the room in soft shadows, the low murmur of a telenovela in one of the nearby bedrooms the only sound to be heard at this hour.

“How old were you there?” Javier asked, his voice muffled against Horacio’s shoulder where he’d temporarily paused his trail of kisses after picking out one of several framed photos on the wall.

“The one from Alejandra’s wedding? I’d have been 24.”

“Cute curls.” Javier’s nose nuzzled against the back of Horacio’s head, which was sadly lacking the same unruliness as in the photo.

“Fuck you.”

Javier sniggered. “Hey, I was being serious! They suit you. Plus…more to grab hold of.” He slid a hand into Horacio’s hair as his mouth resumed its work along bare skin.

Horacio’s back arched with a sigh as he leaned into Javier’s touch. “You know we can’t get carried away. Not here.”

“I know.” Of course, Javier understood. It was one thing for him to have sneaked in and out of the guesthouse back in Laredo; it was quite another to be under the same roof as Horacio’s whole family. But that didn’t stop the almost petulant tone in Javier’s voice. He was still human, after all.

“I promise we’ll make up for it once we leave.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Despite their flirtation, exhaustion was thick in their throats and pressed heavily on their limbs, pushing them closer towards sleep as the butterflies in their stomachs finally settled.

“The wedding wasn’t that long after Papá died. Alejandra asked me to give her away instead. At first, I didn’t think I deserved to take Papá’s place. But I think she needed me there with her, so, I said yes.”

“Of course you did, and I bet she never forgot that.”

“No, and I’ll never forget tonight."

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

It was still dark in the spare room when Javier stirred and untangled himself from Horacio as slowly as possible. He had woken up thirsty and threw on a precautionary pair of jeans before tiptoeing down the wooden staircase towards the kitchen.

The clock on the oven read 01:30am, so he wasn't expecting to find the spotlights above it switched on. He searched through the cupboards until he found a tumbler and filled it with water from the tap, taking large gulps until the glass was drained.

“So, you’re a night owl too, then?”

“Shit!” Javier hissed, spinning around with a sharp intake of breath, almost dropping the glass on the tiled floor.

“Sorry,” Alejandra whispered. “I was just reading before heading off to bed.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I just needed some water. Didn’t think anyone else would be up.” Javier was suddenly very aware of the fact he was standing half naked in the middle of the kitchen, Horacio’s necklace like a flashing beacon at his chest. “Obviously,” he added with an awkward huff, looking down at his state of semi-undress.

“Right,” Alejandra replied with a stifled laugh. “How about you avoid catching a chill whilst I find something a bit more…authentic than tap water?”

Once Javier came back downstairs with his chest now covered, Alejandra was sat at the kitchen table with two shot glasses and a bottle of aguardiente.

“Not sure my stomach can handle any more of that after the wedding.”

“Lightweight. And just think of it as an initiation.”

Javier sighed in defeat, accepting the challenge as he took a seat opposite Alejandra.

She unscrewed the bottle and tipped measures into each glass. “Wanna make this more interesting?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Three shots, three questions each. But you can only ask a question after you’ve emptied your glass.”

Javier laughed for a second, unsure what he imagined Alejandra to be like, yet somehow, she surprised him anyway. “Okay. Already sounds better than every other icebreaker inflicted on me. Who goes first?”

“Guest’s choice.”

He stared down at his glass as though it was the barrel of a gun, remembering why he had eventually insisted whiskey was his and Horacio’s go-to drink. When he first arrived in Colombia, Horacio would offer him a shot, pouring liberally from the stash of aguardiente in his office drawer, and Javier accepted on multiple occasions. But it was over and done with like a spoonful of caustic medicine. At least whiskey could be drunk slower and delayed saying goodnight.

That wasn't the order of things now, though. So, Javier grabbed the bull by the horns and threw back his glass, wincing at the aniseed burn as it slid down his throat.

“New rule: you’ve got 30 seconds to come up with a question. Otherwise, you take another shot.”

“Alright, alright, I’m thinking.”

Alejandra’s gaze fell on the oven clock, ramping up the pressure. “10 seconds left…”

“Okay. I’ve got one. What was it like growing up with a younger brother?”

“Annoying, obviously. Especially after he got the highest grade in his English class. I don’t know where he picked them up, but he knew all the swear words. Of course. He drove me crazy testing them out.”

“He did that to my old partner, Steve – his Spanish isn’t great, and Horacio sure liked to remind him whenever he got the chance.”

“Sounds about right. No wonder he liked you – best of both worlds.”

“Maybe.” Javier knew what Alejandra meant, but it didn’t stop heat from spreading through his cheeks regardless.

“He was generally pretty quiet at school,” Alejandra continued, "but not afraid to take the lead…or break a few rules.”

“Again, I’m not surprised.”

“Nope.” They both laughed at that. “He always liked to be moving, though. Doing something with his hands. Or playing sports – he was a good runner. We used to race each other around Jardín Botánico, and he would always beat me. I think he already knew he was in training for the Academy. So, obviously, he was accepted. No doubt some thought he got a free pass, but he was determined to prove himself. Then he had to grow up.”

The joviality faded abruptly from Alejandra’s face, transforming into a wistful smile.

“We both did. But at least I’d had more time with Papá. Good job I did have those few years to myself ‘cos Horacio followed him around like a shadow. Until he couldn’t. Then he thought he had to be the man of the house. Even when there were two much more qualified women for the job.”

“He thought it was his duty."

“Yeah. He did.” There was something akin to awe in how Alejandra looked at Javier, as though she was simultaneously taken aback and impressed that someone summed up and understood her brother so accurately and succinctly.

“Isn’t it your turn, now?” Javier asked after a moment of silence.

Without further hesitation, Alejandra downed her shot. “Why Colombia?”

“Why not Colombia?” He tried a feeble laugh but knew that wouldn't cut it. “I studied Gabriel García Márquez in high school. Although, can’t say I really got him at the time. Took me another try when I was older.”

Now he thought about it, Javier wasn’t convinced he exactly got him the second time around either, considering García Márquez’s views on extradition aligned fiercely with Horacio’s. But that was the luxury of hindsight.

“By then, my Mamá had long since passed, my fiancée had just become my ex, and I had no fucking clue what I was doing with my life. Guess I needed to get lost in someone else’s problems for a while.”

“Tell me about it.” Alejandra held a book up in the air that had been abandoned on the table since Javier joined her.

“Smart move. My teacher loved telling us how García Márquez moved to Mexico and wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude over there. And with how things went down in Laredo, I could see the appeal of starting over in another country. Mexico was…too close to home. The drug war was getting out of hand. More and more agents were being transferred. And what’s the line?” Javier broke off, eyes cast towards the ceiling as he licked his lips in concentration. “‘We came’, they said, ‘because everyone is coming’.”

Alejandra let a pause of bewilderment pass between them as she studied Javier with intrigue. “You’re not at all like the other gringos he’s worked with in the past.”

“Did he bring any of them home to his family?”

“No. You’re the first. As I’m sure you're aware.”

“Maybe.”

“Drink up.”

Javier did as he was told, repressing a cough as the potent liquid worked its magic. “Why did you choose farm life over being a cop?”

Alejandra laughed a little too loudly, considering the time. “There are other career choices, you know.”

Javier gasped. “There are?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it? But that’s not quite how it went for me. The farm came with Fabián. They’re sort of a package deal. I’m sure you can understand that.” She threw Javier a knowing smile. “But I ruled out being a cop years before I moved here or met Fabián. I knew from Papá that women in the force were few and far between back then. They’re still pretty scarce now. I wasn’t up for putting myself in the firing line being a General’s daughter. They never would have respected me or believed I got there on my own merit. I didn’t want to spend my life trying to gain anyone's approval.”

“Makes sense. It’s not easy in the force if you’re…different from the rest."

“Exactly. I’m not sure it’s what Papá even wanted for me anyway. Because he knew what it’d be like. Then there was Mamá with her social work. She was in her element. Always fighting someone’s corner, especially during the suffrage movement. I think I was the odd one out in the family, ‘cos everyone else seemed to have…a calling except for me. So, I studied, got a business degree, became a buyer for various companies and ended up in the coffee industry. And the rest is history.”

“Good for you. And I guess that explains Horacio’s, er, distaste for a badly made cup of coffee.”

“Yep. He’s got no excuse. And neither do you anymore.”

“I’ll bear that in mind. Your turn.” Javier took the bottle this time and filled Alejandra’s glass.

She downed it in one go. “¿Por qué no un llanero ahora que has descartado ser policía?” (Why not a llanero now you’ve ruled out being a police officer?)

“¿Por qué no un vaquero?” (Why not a vaquero?) Javier corrected with a glint in his eye that Alejandra returned with an eye roll. “Like you said…there are other jobs. That one was just never for me. I need more variety day-to-day. Like I’m making a bigger difference somehow. But preferably without the pretty fucking significant risk of death or blackmail.”

“A fair demand.”

“Right? It’s not like I’m asking for a raise.”

“When I moved here, I didn’t know where life was taking me, especially when the kids came along. I couldn’t keep my old job because of all the travelling…and being a mother was the priority until they started school. It took me a while to find my place on the buying and selling side of the business. So, all I’m saying is, things might get clearer once you’re settled back in Laredo.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Javier raised his glass and nodded his thanks to Alejandra, touched by her unprompted advice.

His third and final question had arrived, and the pressure to make it a good one pressed uncomfortably on his increasingly fuzzy head. “If your father was here now, what would you say to him?”

For a brief second, Javier feared he had overstepped some forbidden and invisible line and been overfamiliar with someone he only really knew by proxy at this stage.

But whilst Alejandra’s smile was permanently stained with traces of grief, warmth flickered then grew in her charcoal eyes. “I’d tell him we’re fine. That we miss him and wish he’d come back for good but that he needn’t worry. Because even though Mamá didn’t always get things right, she steered us through it as best she could. And we didn’t turn our backs on the world. That we found love in the dark.”

Alejandra sniffed and wiped the back of her hand across her nose. “Sorry. I think it’s the alcohol.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” Javier paused to clear his throat, blinking his vision back into focus. “It was beautifully said.” His hand reached for hers across the table, hoping again that he hadn’t gone too far.

But she let his hand rest there until she shook her head like a wet dog and poured her final shot. “Same question to you about your mother, obviously,” she said before downing the aguardiente in one.

Javier scoffed. “Well, I guess I deserved that.” He took his time, collecting his thoughts as though he was preparing an important speech. As though he’d been trying to find the right words for most of his life – and how rarely he’d succeeded.

“I’d tell her I miss her morisqueta. I’d tell her Pops visits her every week. But then I think she already knows that. Same way I think she made sure he never re-married.”

Javier couldn’t help but laugh, seeing with perfect clarity where his own loyal streak came from when his Pops was still as devoted to Mariana as the day they married. Siempre tuyo was no exaggeration.

“I’d make sure she knew he wasn’t alone, though. That he was known as Don Chucho to most in Laredo. That she’d be proud of him for growing the community she helped start. I’d brag about all the tamales we’ve made and quote her favourite poems. I’d introduce her to Horacio.”

He envisaged showing her Horacio’s poetry book, knowing that all it would take was for her to read Javier’s message in the opening pages to understand everything about who they were to each other. He’d even dreamed of it, waking with a ridiculous hope that she had somehow intercepted it.

“She sounds as incredible as your father. I hope one day I can thank him for taking my little brother under his wing when he needed it the most.”

“I’m sure that could be arranged.”

“I can’t – and don’t want to – imagine where he would have ended up without either of you, to be honest. He told me about the ambush…and everything else. And even though it doesn’t feel nearly enough, I just want to say...thank you.”

At first, Javier could only nod and swallow the lump bobbing at the base of his throat. “He did the same for me. It wasn’t easy walking away from my job, don’t get me wrong, but it was different for him. He felt like he’d betrayed Colombia and his Papá. Yet he did it anyway.”

“When it’s the right person, the sacrifices are worth it. And I can’t think of anyone more worthy of wearing that.” Alejandra’s sightline had fallen to Javier’s neck. His chest may have now been covered, but the silver chain still poked out from beneath the seam of his shirt.

She poured them a bonus shot each and raised her glass. “Welcome to the family.”

[tmvcreations]

Hey guys sorry for so many pictures, but i must give you all the full effect! Any wayyy lets get into it!! High School Daze features 18 different group poses. I had the idea for some at school poses as well as those fun nights we all had as teens, whether it was drinking, joy riding or enjoying some mary janee.

I started this pack originally when High School Years was released with the hopes of releasing it back then, but this pack has been a looong work in progress{along with other packs}. I also tossed the idea back and forth for awhile now releasing a baby themed pack but with infants release so close id rather wait so i can bring you my special poses but better! So ive finally put this all together for you guys and truly hope you enjoy what ive created.

These poses can be used in any type of setting, {it doesnt have to be high school} Teen thru Adult it dont matter.

Here are some quick descriptions, the accessories required and then download your little heart out!!!

Poses 1,2&3 Are group poses at the lockers*

Poses 4&5 are group poses of 3 friends, 2 walking, 1 on bmx fliriting

Pose 6 Is regular 3 friends non flirting version

Pose 7&8 Is of 2 friends sitting on the stairs smoking mary jane

Pose 9 is similar to 7&8 except another friend joins.

Pose 10&11 Is a 6 person group pose, 2 sims drinking whiskey from a glass, 1 sim smoking mary jane and 1 sim drinking JD from the bottle. These poses came to me as an inspiration when i saw this cute little hang out spot on a certian lot {Credit to Teamjezza for creating "Noo Yawk Block" on the Gallery}

Pose 12&13 Is a 5 sim group pose drag racing in a sense, 2 sims smoking mary jane.

Pose 14&15 Is a 7 sim group pose playing video games on the couch

Pose 16,17&18 is a 3 sim group pose joy riding in a jeep MANY THANKS TO THE CREATORS OF THE ACCESSORIES I USED.

REQUIRED

POSE PLAYER - https://sims4studio.com/thread/2617/andrews-studio

TELEPORT ANY SIM- https://scumbumbomods.com/teleport-any-sim

BMX - https://mxims.tumblr.com/post/172352368092/bmx-bike-7-swatches-6442-polygons-helmet

JAGUAR 2014 F-TYPE - https://www.lorysims.com/jaguar.html

MASERATI 2018 GRANCABRIO S- https://www.lorysims.com/maserati.html

BACKPACK - https://www.patreon.com/posts/road-to-nowhere-35571015

PURSE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/miyuki-coat-bag-74580167

BLUNT - https://www.patreon.com/posts/all-frxsk0-69821609?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator

WHISKEY - https://melbennetts4.blogspot.com/2021/01/sims-4-whisky-collection.html

JEEP - https://www.tumblr.com/kyekyeke/172150466567/sg5150-1988-jeep-wrangler-top-down-fresh-prince

CONTROLLER - https://simcophogi.tumblr.com/post/176177884444/cool-kids-poses-for-the-lil-gamers-theres-an

STAIRS - https://mxims.tumblr.com/post/144154577767/industrial-u-stairs-deco-11-swatches-metal#post-notes

@ts4-poses @pixelfinds @wookyccfind @coffee-cc-finds @abigailbloom2022 @room215-reblog

!!!!!!!!!TELEPORTER PLACEMENT PICTURE BELOW!!!!!!!!!

Hope you enjoy! :) Any questions or problems please contact me.

DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN.

DO NOT RE-EDIT MY POSES.

DOWNLOAD LINK(sfs, ADFREE): http://www.simfileshare.net/download/3698293/

PLEASE PLACE TELEPORTERS EXACTLY AS YOU SEE THEM!

[bananaofswifts]

Taylor Swift’s third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), has earned over 575,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first four days of release (July 7-10), according to initial reports to Luminate — marking the biggest week for any album in 2023. Of that sum, album sales comprise over 400,000 copies – the largest sales week for an album this year, too.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is a re-recorded version of Swift’s 2010 No. 1 Billboard 200 studio album Speak Now. The 22-track re-recorded edition includes new recordings of the original album’s 14 standard tracks, along with bonus cuts and previously unreleased “From the Vault” recordings. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) follows Swift’s re-recorded Red and Fearless albums, released in 2021. Both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

If Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) debuts at No. 1 on the July 22-dated Billboard 200 chart (which reflects the tracking week ending July 13), Swift’s count of No. 1 albums will rise to 12, surpassing Barbra Streisand (with 11 leaders) for the most No. 1 albums among female artists. Swift would also tie Drake for the third-most No. 1s among all acts, with only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (14) ahead of them. (The Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956.) The top 10 of the July 22-dated Billboard 200 chart is scheduled to be announced on Sunday, July 16.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

2023’s previous largest week, by equivalent album units earned, was tallied by Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which launched with 501,000 units in the week ending March 9, as reflected on the Billboard 200 chart dated March 18. The year’s largest sales week was held by the debut frame of Stray Kids’ 5-STAR with 235,000 copies sold in the week ending June 8, as reflected on the June 17-dated charts.

Sales: With over 400,000 sold in only four days, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) already has the largest sales week for any album since Swift’s own last studio album, Midnights, debuted with 1.14 million copies sold last year (week ending Oct. 27, 2022; as reflected on the Nov. 5-dated Billboard charts).

Vinyl sales comprise over half of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s sales – as the three-LP set has sold over 225,000 copies on wax. The latter marks the second-largest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). It is second only to the first week of Midnights’ vinyl LP, with 575,000 sold in its opening frame. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is available in three color variants on vinyl – orchid marbled, violet marbled and a Target-exclusive lilac marbled color.

The remainder of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) sales is comprised of CDs, digital album download purchases and cassette tape sales.

Streaming: The collected 22 songs on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) generated more than 200 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. July 7-10, according to Luminate. The most-streamed tune on the album, by audio on-demand official streams, is the “from the vault” cut “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version),” with over 13 million on-demand official audio streams in those four tracking days.

[angryorbit]

A list of abuse that FIFTY FIFTY, the Kpop girl group behind "Cupid", was subjected too by their company ATTRAKT and CEO Jeon Hongjun:

FIFTY FIFTY were under constant surveilance by CCTV

FIFTY FIFTY had daily BMI checks

FIFTY FIFTY were not given proper meals

When the parents of the members brought them food, the food was thrown out and the members were insulted

One of the members ran away from the company due to stress, had multiple panic attacks, fainted, and woke up with a ventilator

FIFTY FIFTY members had panic attacks often

Whilst making around $4.5 million in US markets, the company forced FIFTY FIFTY to pay THEM $2.2 million.

CEO Jeon Hongjun lied about selling his car and house to support the group

CEO Jeon Hongjun lied about getting FIFTY FIFTY a dorm in an expensive part of Seoul

FIFTY FIFTY have filed criminal charges against CEO Jeon Hongjun for fraud

The staff of ATTRAKT have said that the 8 billion won invested in the group was not used for the group. Their debut album cost 1 billion won, and Cupid 1.25 billion won. The other 5.5 billion won has not been seen.

ATTRAKT has disclosed Aran's surgery without consent

EDIT: ADDED INFO BELOW

For 12 out of 33 months, the company gave FIFTY FIFTY zero money to pay for food. For the months that ATTRAKT did provide FIFTY FIFTY with meals, they spent $41 a month.

It was often the managers that brought FIFTY FIFTY food and not ATTRAKT, so ATTRAKT bared no expense.

It took NUTRITIONISTS AND HEALTH EXPERTS to complain before ATTRAKT allowed FIFTY FIFTY to eat at a nearby salad shop, but were only allowed to spend around $8.21 a day.

The CCTV surrounded almost all corners of their dorms and were personally viewable in CEO Jeon Hongjuns office.

The diet prepared by the agency only consisted of chicken and butter coffee.

Translated quote from a health trainer in 2021: "Lack of protein and vegetables. Please provide breakfast. Insufficient supply of nutrients, essential nutrients must be consumed. Konjac jelly should be used as a snack, not as a meal replacement."

It was not until July of 2022 that a nutritionist was consulted ONCE.

ATTRAKT claims they spent around 750 dollars a month on meals, but this includes the meals of multiple trainees, photographers and a fifth member that was supposed to debut in the group.

Translated quote from FIFTY FIFTY's legal representative: "The agency only provided each member with a menu, but most of the members took care of purchasing ingredients, cooking and eating, and reported to the company using photos."

There is revenue from FIFTY FIFTY's first album, but it was put directly into another company instead of ATTRAKT so they can avoid taxes.

ATTRAKT is releasing a remix of Cupid featuring Sabrina Carpenter mid lawsuit: it can be assumed this was done for the same reason Blockberry Creative announced a LOONA album after kicking out Chuu.

- Please do not send hate to Sabrina Carpenter and direct any negativity to the company

WE STAND WITH FIFTY FIFTY.

[earthflaxmachina]

The Metahistory of David and Aurèle

Requested by an instagram user.

They're only from 2022 but they have a funny contextual origin lol. once again I wont be including every single image of them cuz most of them are on derekdemetripoo.

Edit: I was going to title this a "Brief" metahistory but it's actually almost as long as Paz's so it's not so brief actually.

HONOURABLE MENTION 1 - LIFE: 5th August 2021

Figure 1. Death and Life | Figure 2. Death and Life bio, both 5/8/21

This has no relation to David or Aurele per se, but it should be mentioned the similar themes of opposites and yin and yang. Plus none of this is on derekdemetripoo so I might as well archive it. This was after Devil's Adequate era during early office era. Death had a sibling that was supposed to contrast with him. Hence, Life. I mostly wanted to do something with the reflected wound infliction trope. Later on she would become Devil.

HONOURABLE MENTION 2 - DEVIL: 4th September 2021

Figure 3. Devil first appearance (4/9/21) | Figure 4. Death and Devil (5th September 2021)

I reconceptualized Life to be a bigger contrast, hence the dark grey skin opposed to Death's light gray skin. Also: red vs blue. Still twins by now. More Devil art:

Figure 5. Death and Devil bio (8/9/21) | Figure 6. Death and Devil smoking lead (9/9/21) | Figure 7. Death and Devil commenting on Harlow's picture (13/9/21)

Figure 8. Devil reading (29/9/21) | Figure 9. Genderbend Devil (20/1/22) | Figure 10. Devil's origin (20/1/22)

In Figure 6, they're meant to be sitting on something, but nothing's there so it looks weird. Also they were aroace (see: the flag), but now I don't think much on Derek's (Death) sexuality. The girl with the crop-top in Figure 7 was originally an adopt named Kehlani, but I don't have much use for her anymore so I'm trying to resell her on toyhouse.

Figure 9, as bad as it looks, Death is supposed to be in shock. Even though Death has the ability to shapeshift, he probably didn't do it as much or to the same degree that Devil did. As implied by Figure 10 (a rewrite of Devil's origins), Devil has a bit of an identity problem because he wasn't born as his own person, but rather a clone of Death, so he probably shapeshifted pretty liberally to make up for his lack of individuality. Pretty interesting concept, too bad it's not canon anymore. By Figure 9, we had already made it into early TBOD development. This would be the end of Devil. The only relevance he bears now is his shared tail shape with Aurele.

AURELE'S CONCEPTION: 11th September 2022 (hashtag never forget)

Figure 11. What would eventually become the basis of the au (11/9/22)

Almost exactly 2 years ago I drew this doodle of Aarum with short hair. The idea was to draw him and Derek with swapped hairstyles (Aarum short and Derek long) but I gave up on Derek because he looks ugly w long hair. This was also supposed to be a roleswap au, so that's why Aarum has a weird choker instead of his scar. In the end since I gave up on drawing swapped Derek it just looks like Aarum wearing a choker, which is ooc. lol

AURELE'S CREATION: 19th October 2022

Figure 12. Aurele's first ref (19/10/22)

So this was when I decided to actually start cooking up the swap au. You can tell at this time Aurele was more like Aarum instead of a separate identity. The part about emotions doesn't really make sense because if he were what Derek is, he wouldn't have any to begin with, but maybe he chose to turn them on.

The pet panther thing does carry on to modern Aurele. Here is name is "Aurélien" and it was later that I gave him the nickname Aurele for short. Whether or not his name is still Aurélien I don't really care, I'm gonna keep calling him Aurele.

DAVID'S CREATION: 20th October 2022 (my birthday!!!!)

Figure 13. David's first concept | Figure 14. David's first bio, both 20/10/22

On my 17th birthday, I created David!!!! So he shares his conceptual birthday with me, but his canonical one with Derek. To this day I still love the David I drew with his bio, it's so insanely sexy even though it was the first time I'd properly drawn him. Very proud of that. He has never looked as good I'm afraid.

Now the swap au was complete. Back then I gave David the same surname was Derek because they're the same, duh. I later changed it to Demos to separate them as different characters. Since this was an au there was no kind of canon within it, whatever I happened to draw of it had little relevance or weight. Also, the infamous gay sex angst:

Figure 15. First sex on main (14th November 2022)

I still chuckle about how serious I was when I posted this. Needless to say it's not canon at all. It honestly reads better as David x Aarum than David and Aurele.

AURELE REBRAND: 10th December 2022

Figure 16. Aurele redesign (10/12/22) | Figure 17. Aurele and Derek (14/12/22)

Now came the era of true Aurele. He was no longer an Aarum copy but his own, chaotic person. Ultimately this is a way more interesting take on the swap au because if you had that much power you'd turn out different too. Also taking into account the sheer lack of social interaction that comes with it, making him more dense than Aarum is.

Figure 18. Derek and Aurele again (11th March 2023)

From time to time I would draw Derek and Aurele together as a funny hypothetical situation. It was never canon.

SIDEBAR: DAVID'S INTERESTS PT 1

Figure 19. David and The Muppets (1/02/23)

It was around this time that I got hyperfixated on The Muppets so I made it one of David's interests. Weirdly enough, he had the kermit tie when I first drew him (before my Muppets fixation), so that interest was already there, but it was an arbitrary decision. I only amplified it after it became a hyperfixation. By the way, I have his tie irl. I don't have that exact watch, but a close one. I hid it somewhere in my room because the ticking was driving me insane, I think it's still somewhere there.

THE WHITE HOLE THEORY: 27th November 2023 onwards

Figure 20. First concept of the White Hole theory (27/11/23)

The caption on the original instagram post:

"essentially this theory suggests dereks universe was actually created by aurele destroying his (inspired by an existing take on the big bang) bc he wanted to give david all his power to see what he could do w it. which was basically a reset but w david (now derek) in power and having forgotten everything. aurele was still sprinkled around in the new universe, thats what aarum is. he is as much aurele as derek is david. which is to say, sort of, in essence!. so yeas. i guess u could say. love endures 😊❤️! i also like this theory bc it implies derek isnt alone in that aurele was like him before the restart. but they cant ever meet in their true /essences/. only with one being sort of a reincarnation of themself this isnt to say both universes are exactly the same, bc theyre not. for one, derek's universe is actually a multiverse. bc derek created the multiverse (youll see why in the book), whereas aureles was just one this is not canon lol im just having fun, call it dubiously canon...."

That's about it. It basically still holds up to modern development. Now there was some weight to this au, in that it might not even be an au! it might be the u! but before the u even existed. Fun!

Figure 21. Aurele painting (26/8/24)

DAVID LORE UPDATE: 4th June 2024

Figure 22. David facts (4/6/24)

Felt it was somewhat relevant to include this. A bit more about David's origins however his birth year here is 1935 instead of 1937, so he would've been 34 when he died. Maybe it was a mistake, or maybe it was a lore change. Not sure. I think I like 32 better.

SIDEBAR: DAVID'S INTERESTS PART 2

Figure 23. David and Aarum (15th May 2024) | Figure 24. First appearance of David's art (11th August 2024)

I had already been entertaining the idea of David being interested in animation (like me~~~~) and I eventually made it canon (Figure 23). From that interest, he'd also know how to draw and maybe even animate (Figure 24), his art style was inspired by Hanna-Barbera cartoons & The Beatles cartoon, both of which were around when he was alive.

From Figure 24, I began to think of another plot point in David's afterlife, from the patreon:

"if u didnt catch the august request dump, davids fake imaginary girlfriend is charlotte and i think after he died aurele would offer to make her real but it wouldnt work out bc of the ethical concerns."

Figure 25. David and Charlotte (22/8/24)

Everything after December 2023 is pretty streamline, so there's no need to really talk about those individually. There is actually a bit of plot in David & Aurele's life, but I never wrote it or drew it or even talked about it. I just thunk it. I will probably get into that in the future. Now I'm really sleepy after writing all this.

Figure 26. David and Aurele by David (21/8/24)

Hope you enjoyed, goodbye.