#extravaganza!error

[multikore]

[malicious laughing as I return to my posts]

I FINISHED EXTRAVAGANZA ERROR AND NIGHTMARE FINALLY >:D

well they’ve been done for a while but I’m finally remembering to post I uh- *cough cough* we don’t talk about that *cough*

(Note: uhhh they were supposed to be walking on those catwalks above stages but I left a layer out in the back that was supposed to be the supports for the lights behind them but then I forgot to turn the layer back on and I’m not bothered to go back and fix that TODAY at least- I might someday ;v;)

(….frick I forgot Error’s glitches too AAAAAAAA)

Sooooo here’s Error and Nightmare! haha- ignore the mistakes please I beg

Little tid bits under the cut!

I like to think that Nightmare’s ‘canon’ clothes are his just incredible lazy casual ones- because tbh no offense to the design it’s nice but- c’mon KING of negativity? Wearing s l i p p e r s ? TO A FIGHT???

Nightmare gotta be as regal as he acts, he deserves fancy clothes! Clothes of which I am still having to design soon -w-

Now- IF they were to hold like sort of shows, I wanna give them all identification cards on lanyards, hence the said lanyards in the photo :D

Oh and I’m gonna throw this out there as a CONCEPT, AN IDEA, A W.I.P.- butttt instead of the Star Sanses and Bad Sanses being like enemies and fighting, I feel like they’d be (hopefully) friendly competition in this one! :D

So like who gets the most viewers or fans for their festivals or shows and who gets more like- idk gifts? Roses thrown to the parade or show?

Basically who’s more popular I guess

Also I’m having Plum as one of the most famous among them and NO ONE CAN STOP ME >:D

[mvlkavian]

C1AIR3′s BACHELORETTE EXTRAVAGANZA:  Meet the Contestants...

Lara Malloy by @wastelandwhisperer Mozart Dean by @squeezesublime Théa Winston by @secretlotsixam​

[chqnified]

I've wrecked absolute havoc today. Someone please pick me up and take me home.

[hyperfixiation-station]

Choice, Choices, Choices Pt. 2

TW: Swearing, canon typical violence

Pairing: Reader x Graves Summary: Well your week off wasn't very productive, hopefully a really stressful, fate-of-the-world-is-in-your-hands mission will help clear your brain. As usual, I didn't beta read, so lmk if there are an errors :) Also sorry for the reupload, I accidentally deleted it whilst trying to edit something lmaooo.

When Price said a lot, he meant a lot. 

In the time you had been gone, a new terrorist threat had popped up, a man named Hassan who somehow had gotten ahold of American missiles. You didn’t even have time to unpack before Price was shipping you off to Mexico to help Soap and Ghost infiltrate a cartel to find the location of said missing missiles. It seems the talk with Graves will have to wait.

You get no rest on the flight to Mexico. Instead you spend the entire time focusing on your and Grave’s relationship. Maybe it’s the threat of imminent annihilation, or maybe it’s the fact that you are going to be seeing him soon, but whatever it is, you were thinking more clearly than you have all week. 

Graves was a man of authority, and you had recognized it from the moment you had met him. He took what he wanted, when he wanted, and made sure everyone knew he was the top dog. In your relationship he always had the last say, always chose the restaurant, always chose the movie. And for the most part, you didn’t mind, enjoying the feeling of not having to be in control for once when all you did all day long was make choices that could mean life or death. 

He had this belief that he could do no wrong, and was smug and uptight and sometimes even cruel about it. 

And yet there was something…alluring about him. Some magnetic charm that drew you in every time you wanted to take a step back. He didn’t even have to try, hell, he had stopped putting effort into the relationship years ago, and yet you still found him almost irresistible. 

You weren’t stupid, you knew what there were issues in the way your relationship worked, but you loved him, and he…loved you too. It wasn’t until Ghost stepped fully into the picture that you realized that may-

“Y/N!” You flinch, your eyes coming up to meet your pilots as his voice snaps you out of your musings.  

“You okay in there? I’ve been yelling at you for at least a minute.” He says over the headset, “Anyways we’re about to land, so get ready.” You nod, shouldering your pack and making sure your vest is strapped correctly. 

5 minutes later, the helo begins its choppy descent. The second it touches down you are ushered off, ducking under the blades in an odd crab run as you make your way to where Soap, Ghost, and 2 strangers stand to the side. The pilot takes off before you've even cleared the LZ. 

“Good ta’ see yer no’ dead lassie.” Soap grin, clasping your shoulder, “Ah trust Price has briefed ye?” 

“Aye.” You nod, “Though he didn’t mention these two. Who are they?”

“These are th’ Los Vaqueros.” Soap says giddy, “Means th’ cowboys” 

“My name is Alejandro.” The taller one on the left tells you.

“Mine’s Rodolfo, tho y’ can call me Rudy.” The one on the right says moments later.

“Nice to meet you.” You incline your head, avoiding Ghost’s searching gaze, “I take it you’re the ones leading us through this, uh…whatever we’re about to do?” 

“Aye.” Alejandro turns and begins walking, everyone else falling in line behind him, “Soap here is infiltrating Las Almas, we are looking for El Sin Nombre. We believe he knows the location of the missiles Hassan has stolen.” 

You climb into the back of a truck, consciously avoiding sitting next to Ghost. The drive is tense, the silence only occasionally broken by questions from Alejandro and Soap. The truck comes to a stop, and you all pile out, getting Soap outfitted for his ‘Day in the life of a cartel member’ extravaganza. 

“Y/n!” You spin around, seeing Graves walking towards you, “How was your week off?” 

“It was good. Did a lot of…thinking.” 

“Wonderful.” He says, his eyes already looking past you. He presses a quick kiss to your cheek and moves past, going to speak with his Shadows. You sigh internally, moving over to Soap and Ghost. 

“How wis yer week off?” Soap asks as a Shadow helps fit his comms. He’s grinning, his blue eyes almost glowing in the dark, but you can see the faint lines of fear in his expression.

“It was since. Did a lot of thinking, I guess.” Ghost shifts, a subtle movement you notice out of the corner of your eye. Your face flushes, and you’re grateful it’s dark out so he can’t see. 

“Let's roll!” Alejandro calls. Soap nods, and you follow him and Ghost back to the truck. This drive is tense for a whole other reason, everyone thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. 

You get to the compound, and take your spot on a ridge with Ghost. No words are exchanged, but you know him well enough by now to tell he is worried about you. If Soap’s life, and the lives of millions of Americans, weren’t at risk, you would be grateful for this mission delaying the inevitable conversation you have to have. 

You both get into position, sniper rifles trained on the building. You wince as Soap is manhandled, a deep pit of fear in your stomach once he disappears from your view.

 Now all that's left is to sit and wait. 

He emerges victorious, much to yours and Ghost’s relief. He brings with him El Sin Nombre, who apparently is actually a woman, and an old friend of Alejandros. You could see yourself liking her, if she hadn’t sold missiles to terrorists.

She is feisty, smart, and cunning. She keeps her mouth shut, refusing to volunteer the location of the 2nd missile, instead goading Alejandro into a frenzy. You watch, eyes narrowed in distaste, as Graves tries to make a deal with her. Not for the first time, you judge his ability to make decisions. 

But she does give you all the missile location. In what feels like a matter of moments, you find yourself on a boat, heading through stormy waves towards an oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico. Grave’s Shadows launch an attack, only for Ghost to find that the missile not only has entered pre-launch phase, but wasn’t even on the oil rig to begin with. Instead, you find it on the deck of a ship, primed and ready to fire. You, Graves, Soap, and Ghost file onto the cargo ship, where you find that there is no way to disarm the missile. 

Your heart sinks, until Shepard has the great idea to turn the missile on the oil rig. Alejadro and the Shadow Company clear out, and Soap hacks in and resets the missile's trajectory. The burning ball of flame is a beautiful sight to see, in your opinion. 

“Gold Eagle Actual, Shadow-1. Good hit. Good hit. Missile and rig destroyed.” Graves crows,  a grin lighting up his face. He grasps Soaps shoulder, and you watch him mouth a quiet Good work, his voice too quiet to hear over the noise of the shadows and everyone celebrating.

Without thinking, you press a kiss to Ghost’s masked cheek, the euphoria of victory clouding your senses. Soap steps in to give Ghost a moment to recover, and gives you a side hug, slapping you on the back a little too hard for your liking. You don’t notice Graves eyes on you, narrowing with your every action. 

The ride back is still tense, the tension between you and Ghost so thick you can almost taste it. Luckily Soap either can’t sense it, or just is just ignoring it, the Scotsman happily chattering away as the sinking feeling in your heart grows and grows. 

The crisis is over, and once you get back you won’t be able to put off your conversation with Graves any longer. 

It’s still raining when you get back to the Los Vaquero’s base. The truck comes to a stop outside the gates, and you slide out of the truck after Ghost, confused and a bit wary. 

“What’s this?” You hear Alejadro’s voice from the other side of the truck. 

“This is the immediate future.” You stop short, Grave’s voice making your blood run cold, “Step away from the gate.” No. There is no way. 

“You’re outta line Graves.” You blink, hard, realizing you had zoned out for a moment. You force your feet to move again, rounding the truck, stiffening as a barrel is pressed into your spine.

“Hey!” Grave’s voice echoes in your ears, “Let her go. She’s with us.” You inhale sharply, looking up at him in shock. Soap looks at you in betrayal, taking half a step towards you before the Shadows are on him as well. 

“Don't do that. Don't... do that. No one needs to get hurt here.” Graves says, eyes narrowed. 

“Are you threatening us?” You can hear the betrayal in his voice as well, though he does his best to hide it. You want to look at him, try and communicate that you have no part in this, but your mind is still reeling, and you’re unable to draw your wide eyes away from Grave’s face. 

“Soldier, I don't make threats. I make guarantees. So, let's not do this.” The animosity in Graves' voice surprises you. 

“I’m calling Shepard.” Soap turns, hand reaching for his radio. 

“General Shepard sends his regards.” Graves' grin is predatory, and you have no doubt he’s enjoying this, “He told me you wouldn’t take this well.” 

“He knows about this?” Ghost’s eyes are dark, his body tense and ready to spring. 

“He's put me in command of this operation from here on out. So, y'all need to stand down. It's time to let the pros finish this.” You watch Graves still, eyes trained on his face, your brain numb with shock. Shock and…disgust. 

“And why the hell are we talking like this is some kind of a negotiation?” Graves continues, “It's not. I've got my orders and now you have yours.” 

“And who the fuck do you think you are, cabron? My men are inside!” 

“I'm afraid not.” Graves pauses, meeting your eyes with a disgusting grin, “Your men have been... detained.”

“Cabron!” For the first time, you manage to tear your eyes away from Graves, your gaze falling on Alejandro as he launches himself towards your boyfriend only to be beaten down and restrained by his Shadows. 

“Graves, what th’ fuck?” Your eyes dart to Soap as he lunges at the Shadow next to him, holding him hostage. You let out a small cry as Graves and his men open fire. You duck behind the truck, watching as Ghost elbows the Shadow behind him before stabbing another one in the neck, quickly ripping the blade back out and hurling it at another Shadow before disappearing into the dark. 

“Get your fucking hands off me!” Your hands fly up to cover your mouth as you watch Graves slam the butt of his gun into Alejandro’s head, dropping him. You stare at Graves in shock, unable to move as your mind tries to process what's happening. 

Soap yells in pain, snapping you from your reverie as you spin to look at him. He’s on the ground, the Shadow he had taken laying dead on top of him. 

“Go, Johnny! Get out of there!” Ghost yells from somewhere behind you “Soap, Go!” You watch as Soap heaves himself up and throws himself over the barrier, disappearing from your view. You slide down the truck, sinking to the ground as your legs give out, your entire body shaking. 

Graves' actions start to sink in, and gods does his betrayal hurt. It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before, worse than the time you broke your arm, worse than the time you got shot in the thigh, worse than any wound you had ever received. It’s like a physical pain, your heart feeling as though it’s been ripped from your chest. Tears well in your eyes, your fingers digging into your palms in an effort to stop your tears. 

You don’t know how long you sit in the rain, but it’s enough time for you to be completely soaked head to toe. You are surrounded by blood and bodies, and your mind reels as you survey the scene. Alejandro is gone, you’re not sure when he was taken away. Soaps rifle is still laying in the street, a very damming pool of blood underneath and around it. With the amount of blood he lost, you're surprised he's not dead. Oh gods he better not be dead.

“Y/n?” Graves' voice breaks the fog in your brain, “Darling? Are you alright? I know this was...a bit of a surprise…but I’m sure you understand.” 

“Graves…”

To be continued.

Notes: Sorry for how long this took!!! But it's here now! Hopefully Pt. 3 won't take me another thousand years. Anyways I hope you enjoy, and sorry if this is not the direction you wanted it to go :/ Tags: @redhoodxsupergirl @infpt-zylith @scarletdfox

[tessa-liam]

Marabelle

A Princess for a Prince – Chapter 8

Choices – The Royal Romance, AU

Series Premise – An American teenager from New York City is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobility, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret?

Marabelle Series Masterlist

Main Pairing – Prince Liam Rys x F!OC Lady Sophia (Sophie) Taylor

Other Pairings – Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC Daniel (from NYC), Drake Walker x F!OC Melanie Smithson

Most characters belong to Pixelberry Studios

Series Rating – M*🔞Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, crude language & innuendo.

Not Beta’d - Please excuse all errors.

Category – Alternate universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2436

Chapter Summary – Sophie receives a personal invitation to the New Year’s Eve Celebration Ball at the palace.

A Princess for a Prince, Chapter 8

Music Inspiration:

The Look of Love, Diana Krall

Kiss Me at Midnight, *NSYNC

A/N1: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the U.S. and is Barthelemy Beaumont’s second wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) is Bertrand’s mother.

A/N2: ‘Social Season’ in this AU series refers to a traditional period in the spring/summer for royalty and members of the court to take part in Balls, dinner parties and charity events.

A/N3: My submission for Choices Flashfics @choicesflashfics, Week #65, prompt 1 - “Sometimes, being with you feels so much like a dream ... and I don't ever want to wake up.”

A/N5: My submission for Choices December 2023 Holidays Prompts – New Year’s Eve

A/N4: My submission for Choices Holiday Prompts 2023, Quote Prompt – “You look even more beautiful in candlelight.”

A Princess for a Prince

As they finished breakfast, Aunt Bethany glanced at Sophie with a knowing smile. “Sophie, I believe that Prince Liam left a message for you earlier this morning, my dear.”

Beaumont Estate, Duchy of Ramsford

Sophie's heart skipped a beat. “Oh, oh ... thank you, Auntie.” She excused herself from the table, her steps quickening as she made her way to the study where the message awaited her. A sealed envelope with the royal Insignia sat elegantly on the desk. With trembling fingers, Sophie broke the seal and then unfolded the letter.

Liam’s elegant handwriting greeted her:

‘Dearest Sophie,

I hope this morning finds you well and that the memories of last night’s ball linger as fondly in your heart as they do in mine. Your grace and beauty illuminated the ballroom, and I found myself enchanted by every moment we shared.

I would be honored if you would join me at the New Year’s Eve ball at the palace. The evening promises dancing, champagne and a fireworks extravaganza. I can think of no better company than yours to enjoy the splendor and ring in the New Year.

Yours sincerely, Liam’

Sophie’s cheeks flushed with excitement and a hint of optimism. She folded the letter gently, holding it close to her heart. She quickly composed a response, expressing her eagerness to join him for the Ball.

With her heart aflutter, Sophie entrusted the letter to the awaiting palace messenger, requesting it to be delivered directly to Prince Liam’s chambers. Beaming, she made her way upstairs to her room to start planning for the event.

December 31st, Cordonian Royal Palace

The entire palace and grounds were adorned with sparkling, opulent decorations; the air felt energized with excitement. The chandeliers in the ballroom cast a warm glow across the room as the orchestra played holiday melodies. Waitstaff circulated with flutes of champagne, as nobles enjoyed sumptuous gourmet platters of hors d’oeuvres.

Entering the ballroom with her aunt, Maxwell, Bertrand and Savannah, Sophie glanced around the room. She spotted Liam very quickly, resplendent in his royal attire, engaging in conversation with Leo and Madeleine. When his eyes caught hers, he smiled delightedly, and excused himself from the conversation to make his way across the dance floor to Sophie.

Liam’s eyes sparkled as he approached her with an appreciative smile. Sophie, wearing a stunning deep purple gown that shimmered in the candlelight, returned his smile blithely and dipped into a low curtsy. Her gown, embellished with delicate lace with intricate beadwork, accentuated her curves perfectly. With a tender smile, he leaned in, closing the gap between them, softly kissing her cheek.

“Good evening, Sophie,” Liam greeted her with a charming smile, “You look even more beautiful in candlelight.” Lifting her hand for a kiss, he then pulled her close to whisper in her ear, “...and you shouldn’t curtsy, it’s just me.”

“Good evening, Liam. Thank you for inviting me.” Sophie replied, her voice tinged with excitement. The air crackled with anticipation. Sophie responded to his request with a breathy whisper, “I will remember that always.”

Offering his arm, Sophie slipped her hand around his arm and joined him to move onto the dance floor, finding a spot in the center.

Liam placed one hand on the small of Sophie’s back, the other holding her hand. She stepped into his arms, and they began to move to the music.

“You look beautiful tonight, Sophie,” Liam whispered in her ear.

“Thank you. You look quite dashing yourself.” Sophie responded shyly.

As the orchestra transitioned into a waltz, they began to move effortlessly across the dance floor, their chemistry evident in every step. Their conversation flowed seamlessly as they danced and the world around them seemed to fade as they lost themselves in each other’s company, their laughter blending with the music in perfect harmony.

Dancing the Cordonian waltz, Sophie’s gown flared and billowed as Liam twirled her under his arm. As he pulled her back to his chest, she rested her head back, enjoying the feel of his arms around her in an intimate embrace.

As the night progressed and the countdown to midnight drew near, the energy in the room heightened. The air buzzed with excitement, and the guests gathered awaiting the grand moment.

Maxwell and his mother stopped by the open terrace to wait for the fireworks show as Bertrand and Savannah joined in with the celebrations on the dance floor.

Sophie found herself standing beside Liam as the final seconds of the year ticked away. As Leo and Madeleine stood with the herald to announce the countdown. The ballroom erupted into cheers and applause as the clock struck midnight, marking the start of 2024.

Amidst the celebrations, Liam turned to Sophie, his eyes filled with warmth and determination. In that fleeting moment between the past and the future, amidst the cheers and revelry, he took her hand and whispered, “May I steal a moment with you, away from the crowd?”

Sophie’s heart fluttered as she nodded, following him as they made their way to a secluded third floor balcony overlooking the palace gardens. The night sky was filled with fireworks, with vibrant colors against the dark backdrop of the night sky.

As the echoes of fireworks lingered in the air, their eyes locked in a shared understanding; a silent acknowledgement of the unspoken emotions that had bloomed between them over the past year. Liam gently cupped Sophie’s face in his hands, his touch tender and filled with a depth of emotion as the world around them disappeared. It was just the two of them.

“Sophie,” he whispered, his voice a soft caress in the quiet night. “This past year has been a revelation, and I find myself drawn to you in ways I never thought possible. Your laughter, your kindness, and your grace have captured my heart.”

The air was charged with an unspoken electricity as Sophie gazed into Liam’s eyes, feeling her heart flittering with a mixture of excitement and a tender vulnerability. She could sense the depth of his sincerity, his words stirring something profound within her. “Liam, I feel the same about you.”

In that fleeting moment, as the world seemed to stand still, their lips met in a gentle and tender kiss. It was a kiss filled with the promise of a new beginning; an unspoken vow to explore the budding romance that had blossomed between them.

As they parted, their breaths mingling in the cool night air, Sophie’s cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, and Liam’s gaze held a warmth that mirrored the newfound connection between them. Taking her hands in his, Liam pulled her closer to him as he lowered his head to re-capture her lips. Moving one hand to her waist as the other cupped her cheek as he deepened the kiss.

The kiss spoke volumes, conveying feelings that words could not quite capture. Their shared hopes, fears, and the uncharted territories of their hearts that they were daring to explore together.

As Liam and Sophie looked up into the night sky, and more fireworks shot up to celebrate the new year, their eyes met once again.

Liam’s smile was tender. "We finally have a chance to spend some time alone," he said, squeezing her hand, pulling her even closer. As their lips met once again, Sophie felt more butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous but excited. She knew Liam was experienced, and she wanted to make sure she did everything right. She trusted him and was ready to take their relationship to the next level.

Liam kissed her passionately, his tongue exploring her mouth. She melted into his embrace, her body responding to his touch. He pulled back, his blue eyes meeting hers.

"You're so beautiful," he said, running his fingers through her long mahogany tresses.

She smiled shyly, his words making her blush.

He cupped her face with his hands, kissing her softly, his lips lingering on hers. He traced his tongue along her neck, nibbling her earlobe. She moaned softly, his touch sending shivers down her spine.

She could feel his growing desire pressing against her, his hardness against her softness.

“Liam!” Sophie’s voice was full of laughter and warning as she pushed away, her heart pounding. “We’re not alone, you know.”

“I can’t see anyone else around here.” Liam chuckled.

“That does not mean there isn’t anyone watching. We don’t want to give your guards any concerns, do we?”

“Liam sighed. “You are right, of course. But ... ”

Sophie looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, “But what?”

“Let me make this more private.” Taking her hand, he tugged her hand to walk down the long corridor, Liam turned to lead Sophie into an empty parlor. After locking the doors and closing the heavy drapes, Liam led Sophie to sit on a large sofa.

“Now,” Liam whispered, “where were we?”

“I think you were telling me about your gua...”, Liam moved in quickly to secure her lips in another passionate kiss. His passion was clear as he sat down beside Sophie. The two of them got lost in the moment as Liam pulled her onto his lap.

“Liam, I ...” Sophie began. She wanted to explain that she was unexperienced but wanted to learn more with him.

“Sshh ... No more talking,” he whispered as he closed the distance between them.

Sophie nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, savoring the feel of his strong arms around her.

Liam gently removed the pins that secured her hair. Her curls cascaded over his hands like silk, and he buried his face in her perfumed tresses. He kissed her earlobe, then her throat. His lips moved lower, to her collarbone, while his hand gently caressed her neck and shoulder.

Sophie was breathing faster now. She tilted her head back, encouraging him to continue his exploration of her skin. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and a tiny moan escaped her.

"Sophie, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Liam paused, his heart beating rapidly.

"What is it?" Sophie asked, her voice slightly questioning.

"I am falling in love with you," Liam whispered, his voice full of emotion.

Sophie gasped, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh Liam, I love you," she replied, her voice shaky.

"You do?" Liam asked, his face lighting up.

"Yes," Sophie replied, her smile mirroring his.

“Sometimes, being with you feels so much like a dream ... and I don’t ever want to wake up.”

Liam cupped her face with his hands and kissed her passionately. "You have made me the happiest man in the world tonight," he said, his eyes shining with love.

Sophie beamed up at him, her heart full of happiness. She had never expected to fall in love with a prince, and now, she could not imagine her life without him.

Liam pulled her into his arms, “I don’t want this night to end,” his lips brushing her ear.

“Me neither,” Sophie admitted, her heart pounding.

“Maybe it doesn't have to,” Liam said, his voice low and husky.

“What do you mean?” Sophie asked, her eyes widening.

“Well, there’s no reason we can’t stay here a little longer. The party will go on for hours, No one will miss us.”

“But, Liam, we can’t just disappear together,” Sophie protested, even though her body was already responding to the suggestion.

"Why not? No one would know where we are," Liam pointed out, his hand stroking her back.

"They might guess," Sophie said, her breath catching in her throat as Liam's hand slid lower.

"Let them," Liam murmured, kissing her neck.

"We shouldn't," Sophie whispered, even as she tilted her head to allow him better access.

"You're right, we shouldn't," Liam agreed, his lips moving down to her collarbone.

"We shouldn't," Sophie repeated weakly, her eyes closing as Liam's mouth found the spot on her neck that drove her wild.

"No, we really shouldn't," Liam said, his voice muffled against her skin.

Sophie's last resistance melted away as Liam's slipped his tongue into her mouth in search of hers in an all encompassing kiss.

Sophie's last resistance melted away as Liam's tongue plunged into her mouth, just as Liam's phone pinged with a message.

Sitting back, Liam pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the message from Maxwell.

‘Sorry to interrupt, but we're getting concerned about your whereabouts.'

Liam sighed. "Maxwell thinks we need to get back."

"We could say we got lost," Sophie suggested, her hand sliding down Liam's back.

"And what? Stay lost for the rest of the evening?" Liam chuckled.

"Well, maybe not for the rest of the evening."

"I wish," Liam said, regretfully.

Reluctantly, they made their way back to the ballroom, their bodies still humming with desire as they walked hand-in-hand.

As they approached the doorway, Liam turned to Sophie and grinned. "How about we plan another escape for next weekend?"

"I like the sound of that," Sophie replied, grinning.

💕Thanks for reading

Perma-tags: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234

Submissions:

@choicesficwriterscreations @angelasscribbles @choicesflashfics @choicesholidays @choicesprompts

[buckets-and-trees]

Idle Hands

Fandom: MCU

Characters/Pairings: Stucky x female!Reader

Word Count: 900

Summary: Actions speak louder than words, and Bucky takes note of Steve’s actions as your relationship naturally grows.

Content Warnings: all floof and softness here

Additional Notes: THE BROOKLYN BOYS HOLIDAY SPECIAL (but theoretically could be read on its own). Just a little drabble-y something for my 2022 Holiday Extravaganza! I have a lot of feelings for this trio in my heart.

James Buchanan Barnes was a fittingly pretentious name for an overly enthusiastic nerd.

“Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield.”

The truth was, when they were little, Steve wasn’t that much smaller than everyone else. Steve picked up his hatred for bullies when Bucky hadn’t figured out that obviously being the smartest kid in the room and obliviously enjoying the process of acquiring more knowledge earned him a target as a nerd. Steve defended him, befriended him, and helped him mellow out. He never suggested that Bucky change who he was, just helped him navigate the early years of school social dynamics and learn how not to come off as an insufferable know it all in every situation. It was later, when Steve was left behind as the one who was too short and too scrawny that Bucky got to finally pay him back in the battle against bullies – not that Steve would let him, but that’s friendship, with each other ‘til the end of the line whichever way the train’s heading.

Still, Bucky’s always been too intelligent, too observant, too curious. It’s what made him stand out in the 107th, which was good in the field, but bad when it got him on Zola’s table the first time. For better and worse it put him on the top of the list of HYDRA’s assets during his purgatory as the Winter Soldier. He wasn’t perfect, but his margin of error was next to zero.

These days living his life in Brooklyn, he doesn’t catch everything every hour of every day, but he still loves learning, his mind is still ever observant, ever curious, and after enough years of coming to terms with who he is now again – James Buchanan Barnes and only sometimes the White Wolf – he enjoys that part of himself again.

He is an unapologetic Ravenclaw now that he’s read Harry Potter.

One morning over breakfast as he’s over at the counter pouring himself another cup of coffee, he looks over to see Steve holding your hand casually on the corner of the table. Steve is scrolling through his phone; you’re eating cereal and watching the morning news. It’s beautifully mundane, almost nothing noteworthy, except Bucky notices that as Steve holds your left hand, he’s absentmindedly running his thumb over your ring finger precisely where a ring would be. Bucky smiles to himself but doesn’t say anything.

A few days later he sees Steve doing it again when you’re all in a car on your way upstate. Steve’s driving, you’re in the passenger seat, and Bucky volunteered to sit in the back so he could read over the long haul, but he notices this even though neither you nor Steve seem to register it happening here either.

The next time Bucky sees it happen again, you’re on the phone, so you don’t hear the soft and single laugh that rumbles out of his chest, but Steve does, and gives him a quizzical look. Bucky shakes his head ever so slightly and mouths a later to Steve.

When Steve corners him later, Bucky tells him exactly what he saw. Steve opens and closes his mouth wordlessly a couple of times, and Bucky laughs. “You want to put a ring on that finger.”

“But there’s no rush,” Steve is quick to say.

“Of course not.”

Steve turns away, then turns back. “You do, too, right?”

Bucky gives him an emphatic nod, an easy smile on his face. He has no question over wanting to spend the rest of his life with the two of you.

When it happens idly a couple more times, Bucky catches Steve’s eye each time and looks pointedly down at your hands, and Steve will stop without trying to be too abrupt or draw your attention in any way. Bucky and Steve have known each other a lifetime, but they’ve never wanted to rush you.

A few months later, as you stand back from putting the last ornament on the tree, Steve takes your left hand and kisses the back of it sweetly as you comment on how the decorations look and Bucky and Steve respond. As he lowers your hands, he locks eyes with Bucky, then drops his eyes down to where his thumb is brushing over your ring finger, and back up to meet Bucky’s gaze. Bucky arches his brow, and Steve inclines his chin just a fraction, the corner of his mouth lifting in a confident statement of his intentions. Bucky beams back at him.

“What are you grinning at?” you ask when neither of them has answered the question you just asked.

“Nothing,” Bucky responds, “we just finished decorating our first Christmas tree with you, of course we’re grinning.”

You look suspiciously between them for half a second. “Okay. I’m ordering Indian for dinner since the question you both completely missed was what you’re in the mood for. But for the record, I know you two are scheming.”

“Us? Never, sweetheart,” Steve says in an exaggeratedly innocent voice, and you roll your eyes.

But Bucky and Steve are discreet and although you do catch them in some of their other plots and schemes over the following weeks, you don’t suspect this is brewing between them. There’s a reason they’ve been unstoppable since childhood, after all.

Day two of the Holiday Extravaganza in the books! I'll be back again tomorrow...

If you want to join the taglist, drop me a comment!

TAGLIST: @competitivedust @royalwritersoftheuniverses

If you enjoyed, reblog to help others find this story AND to normalize fic-reblogging culture around here. Normalizing fic reblog culture helps us ALL - readers and writers!

My askbox is open, and I'll see all you on the flipside for the third day of AHE...

[wishing-stones]

Would the boys treat us on our birthday? Follow up question! Do they even do anything special for eachothers birthdays or do they just let them pass?

I can assume his birthday is not something Nightmare would want to talk about a lot-

They would!

Read more for length, like usual.

Assuming that you've worked past the defenses of everyone and are in a romantic relationship...

Killer wakes up at dawn to get everything ready, and he's so quiet about it that you wake up with balloons and banners and shit in your room when you wake up. It's super cute, and he's enthusiastic about it. He loves a good party and celebration, so it's an excuse to flex that joy of his. Dust Is much more low-key about it, and will quietly steal you for a moment to give you a gift and wish you a happy birthday. He's a lot sweeter than he normally is, too, and the gift is very thoughtful. Axe picks your favorite foods to cook for every meal, and makes an enormous three-tiered cake with lots of candles. Cooking for others is how he expresses his affection, and he's a little lame at actual gift giving. Cross Gets you a useful, thoughtful gift and spends some time one-on-one with you, away from any obligations or duties either of you might have. He's yours for most of the day, at least. Baggs makes time to spend with you and has made you something useful! Something useful and unique that helps with whatever you're having issues with lately. Nightmare is the one who goes all out in a grand, sweeping gesture of appreciation and celebration. Banners, balloons, a mountain of presents, a massive cake (all helpfully supplied by both he and the boys) and a very, very fancy candlelit dinner somewhere away from all of your troubles. You also get breakfast in bed, and he'll sit and detangle your hair while you have it. For a being of negativity, he's very affectionate when there's a good reason for it.

Dream is much the same, although his idea of a grand, sweeping gesture is to take you out to wherever your favorite place is-- or favorite verse, if you have one-- and spend the day there! He's blocked out his entire day for some one-on-one time, too, has thoughtful gifts, and made a lovely cake for you, too. Ink has it highlighted with tons of arrows on his scarf so he doesn't forget, and takes you travelling for the day! Anywhere you wanna go, he'll take you! He's also made you a truly stunning painting, whatever you'd most enjoy having. He's also a fan of the 'romantic, candlelit dinner' trope, and thinks the best way to end the day is with fireworks. Have you seen the fireworks in the cyber world? There's nothing like it! Blue goes hard in the paint with celebrating, too, and spoils you rotten. Or... he tries. He might try a little too hard to make the day perfect and get upset if something works. Just remind him that spending the day with him and the fact that he's putting so much effort into it is enough, and he'll be happy.

annndd Error will offer to take you somewhere nice, quiet, away from everything that stresses you out and bothers you. He's sewn or knitted something for you, and he's content to just... chill out with you for the day.

As for the second half-

Yes, they do. They know when each other's birthdays are and celebrate them as well. Not to the romantic extent that they'd do it for you, but they definitely wake one another up with party horns and poppers. (Except Nightmare, because no one wants to die.) But, speaking of, they do know when his birthday is, and they do celebrate it kind of low-key. It's nowhere near the bombastic extravaganza they make of one another's, but he gets a cake and presents when he comes back from whatever he does on the day. (He leaves a present where his brother will find it, addressed to him. Dream does the same thing. When Dream was still encased in stone, Nightmare would sit next to him and vent about his frustrations, about how he hated everything that happened and that he was still angry with him... but he still wished his brother happy birthday.)

And speaking of their birthdays...

Killer's birthday is May 10 Dust's birthday is February 10 Axe's birthday is January 16 Cross' birthday is October 10 Baggs and Error's birthday is April 4th Nightmare and Dream's birthday is December 21 Ink's birthday is April 15th and Blue's birthday is April 1

[idrellegames]

Wayfarer Dev Log 2022.07.02.

Hi friends,

Happy July! Episode 2 is now out publicly, I hope you all have been enjoying your playthroughs. A lot of things happened in June, but before we get to the recap, I have a few announcements to make:

✦ HIATUS

By the time this post goes up, I am officially on hiatus. This means I will not be working on Wayfarer or any of its supporting materials for an entire month. I have limited internet access, so I will not be regularly checking my inbox and answering asks, or maintaining my social media.

My inbox remains open, but it will take me a while to answer. The ask guidelines have been updated; please take a look at them before sending in an ask. In brief:

I am not currently accepting asks asking for help with writing, Twine, coding, or interactive fiction design. Any asks requesting help sent during my hiatus will be deleted.

I am not giving public gameplay guides or walkthroughs. If you need help triggering a specific scene or outcome, ask your fellow players!

✦ ITCH.IO COMMUNITY

Wayfarer now has a community forum on itch.io! This is located at the bottom of the page (where comments used to be). The forum is moderated and you are welcome to use it to discuss the game.

✦ PATREON

This month there will be a lore extravaganza on my Patreon! Every week I will be publishing two lore posts on Episode 2 characters, alongside with previews of Episode 3. There is also a character sheet template for Wayfarer MCs.

These resources are exclusive to Patreon and are available to patrons of all tiers.

✦ 100,000 Browser Plays

Earlier in June, Wayfarer reached 100k browser plays! This is incredible and I cannot express how touched and thrilled I am that the game has reached this many people. Thank you so much to everyone who has played the game. 💕

✦ THE PUBLIC BUILD [VERSION 1.1.2. Patch 2.0]

Episode 2 was released on July 1st. You can read about the episode release here. A few important points:

The whole game (Prologue, Episode 1, and Episode 2) is 927k of total cumulative content. An average playthrough is approximately 156k, or around 8.5. hours of gameplay.

If your save file is from September 2021, you MUST start a new file.

Launch the game from a fresh tab or window (if you keep the game running in a tab over multiple days, you will not be playing on the newest file)

Do not launch the game in incognito mode

If you encounter errors at launch or issues with saves, please read Troubleshooting Game Launch & Save Errors

Use Save to Disk to save to your device rather than your browser. This will prevent save data loss if your browser clears its history and you lose your browser saves.

Bugs can be reported through the form here. They will not be addressed until August. Please do not submit bugs through my tumblr askbox.

If you missed it, Patch 1.7. added the ability to change your pronouns during the game. See this post for more info.  

✦ THE ALPHA BUILD [VERSION 1.1.2. Patch 2.0.]

The alpha build currently contains the same material as the public build. There will be no new content added to the alpha until August.

Episode 3 is in development and is currently around 66,000 words. There is no Episode 3 content in the alpha build yet.

✦ ON THIS BLOG

I did an interview with @interact-if for Pride month. You can read it here!

A quick tutorial on how to change the size of the default SugarCube sidebar

✦ ON PATREON

In-depth progress reports on Episode 3’s development [all tiers]

Weekly Episode 3 sneak peeks [all tiers]

June Creator Q&A where I answered patron questions about writing, development, and Episode 2 [all tiers]

Article on handling constructive criticism [Apprentice tier and above]

If you’ve enjoyed Wayfarer, used my tutorials, or would like to support my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Patrons receive access to the alpha build, private channels in the Discord server, exclusive previews, bonus content, and other benefits.

Wayfarer is a passion project and creating it is a full-time commitment. Any little bit goes a long way to help me bring it to fruition.

If you aren’t in a position to support financially, reblogs, shares, ratings and comments, and spreading the word about the game are much appreciated and do a lot to help me out! 💕

[thedaveandkimmershow]

We flew home today.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it because, since we essentially arrived in Seattle a coupla hours after we left Amsterdam on a ten hour flight...

Today is literally packed with more hours in it than the usual 24.

It's a weird experience thinking major parts of today actually happened yesterday...

When it was all.

The same.

Day.

We didn't get to bed the previous night in anything remotely resembling a timely manner, by the way. After Kimmer's packing extravaganza—a feat in which she seemingly fit more than should fit our luggage into our luggage—after that it was 1:30AM. Setting a wake-up alarm for 5AM, then, left us three-and-a-half hours for, you know, actual sleep. Only I didn't get (or I didn't take) the full three-and-a-half. I got maybe two hours and then lay awake in bed, eyes closed, relaxed under the covers. Not sure what that was all about but, as my friend Ann likes to say, there you go and there you are. 🙂

Regardless of the monumental lack of sleep, I got up a few minutes after five seemingly without penalty. I didn't feel groggy or sleep-deprived. I just got up, readied the hot water for tea and coffee, woke Kimmer up, jumped in the shower and, by the time I was done, she's up and we're doing our final step of packing the last of our belongings into our luggage before zipping them closed, moving them to the door while we stream "Cunk on Earth" on Netflix and take a few moments to eat some of our food for breakfast that's part of the food we can't take home with us 'cause there's no room.

Coupla minutes to 630, my cousin texts me a "Goodmorning!!!!!" and we're on our way down to the hotel lobby where, surprise surprise, not only is my cousin waiting for us but also her daughter, my niece, both lounging on the couch. It's a surprise because my niece was supposed to be overnight in another town to the east of her hometown, with friends celebrating their new home. Instead, she cut that night short and showed up to see us away.

Which was very very very very very very VERY sweet of her. ☺️

After we squared things with our hotel, we found my cousin's husband waiting outside, car backed up to the ramp in front of the entrance. So we throw our bags in the back, jump in the car, and off we go.

I should mention here that I'm pretty proud of us 'cause this one time at the start of our marriage when we did this 'lil exercise, departing Holland a touch over thirty years ago, it was a comedy of errors. We were staying with my aunt and uncle outside of Amsterdam and we were still packing the very morning our flight was to leave. So it was a messy morning, rushed. I think my uncle might've slightly dinged a car behind and opposite his as he backed out of his parking spot in a hurry to get us to the airport on time. He was pretty classy about the whole affair, only casually remarking how my parents were always packed 'n ready a coupla days before leaving.

This time around, Kimmer packed us at the tail end of the previous day—technically the first hours of our departure day—then we slept a little, got up when we were supposed to, and were out the hotel right on time.

630AM.

Our plan's to arrive at Schiphol Airport three hours prior to our flight. Which is what happened.

So HUZZAH!!!!

😁

The night before, my niece gifted Kimmer with a candy-filled Harry Potter mug. So in the car this morning they're comparing Harry Potter merch when Kimmer asks my niece if she has any of the stickers.

No, I wish! comes the reply.

Now it so happens I have Harry Potter stickers in my rucksack 'cause I was gonna take some time on the flight to Holland placing them on my new water bottle. Never got around to it, though. So I pull them from my bag and hand them over to the back seat.

My first moment of gift-giving as an uncle. 😊

Later on the road, I recognize a bookend experience:

It's daylight again, the late morning of our first day in Holland. Monday. January 1. Six days before. We're traveling across the countryside to our hotel. The sun's out. It's been raining so the trees and grass and highway are painted with a lovely sheen. There are moist reflections in every color, on every texture, in everything we see. Which makes for a beautiful, classic Dutch pastoral scene.

On the radio, it's Depeche Mode, The Cure, and later, "Babe" by Styx. The inside of the car's basically filled with an 80s vibe. I'm talking music with my cousin's husband who's driving the car. We talk 80s music. Popular music. And, of course, music as it relates to my daughter's career as a professional musician. ☺️

Now it's six days after. It's today, this very moment, on the way to Schiphol Airport in the morning while it remains dark outside. It's nighttime for all intents and purposes even though we're navigating the space between 630 and 730 in the morning. In the front seats of the car we're talking about vacations, about traveling by car from Seattle to southern California, about driving that same distance from Holland to southern Italy. My cousin's husband describes yearly vacations ("holiday" as he refers to them) that are the equivalent of piling everyone in the car and hitting the road. In this case, he talks about arriving in Tuscany. He talks about arriving in Genoa. He talks about avoiding hard-case luggage in favor of duffle bags. He talks about traveling through Switzerland, driving the never-ending Gotthard Tunnel, traveling over the mountains when the tunnel's backed up. He describes one vacation they showed up on an Italian beach and no one was there. He describes various strategies for doing this holiday including splitting the 16-hour drive in two with a stayover in Switzerland, allowing for a 10AM casual departure on the first day of their travels. Returning home, the driving strategy becomes a single, mostly overnight, drive to avoid traffic.

It's fun to compare the way we take family vacations, family holiday. It's fun to compare all the things about them that are the same and the very few things that are different.

We also talk about traffic leading into Amsterdam, traffic cams on the outskirts of Amsterdam that serve the same purpose as the traffic cams in school zones in our neck of the woods. We talk about apps he uses to spot and report speed traps and, because we hit a bird just then, we share our own personal stories of hitting birds and other animals on the road. I relate stories I heard about deer leaping right into the sides of trucks or RVs. He wins for a personal story because one time on the way home with friends, a pretty large bird impacted the front windshield, smashing it inward. He's in the back seat of the car at the time looking up something on his phone when the impact occurs. So it's a violently sudden, catastrophic experience for him.

At the same time we're talking about all these things, the back seat of the car is engaged in more relational fare. Boyfriends and girlfriends. Parenting. And school.

At one point we're talking about another one of my cousins. We're talking about their kids when my niece leans forward into the front seat space to fill us in on a few things including shared family vacations with that cousin's family and that time one of the sons was in a TikTok video with his teacher. He was pretty embarrassed by it... but the video did get a lotta views. 😁

And with these competing, complementary, and mostly overlapping conversations in play, we pull into a parking lot at the airport, pull our bags from the back of the car, and walk into the terminal, the five of us.

It's 742AM.

In case you've never been, Schiphol Airport is huge. Schilphol Airport is MASSIVE. And while SeaTac has every airline represented in the main terminal as you enter, at Schiphol there's nothing central like that. You basically figure out in which direction your terminal is then you walk a bunch until you're closer to that terminal from which your flight leaves. It's only there that you finally arrive at the self check-in kiosks and the self baggage drop.

A lotta selfs going on in this airport, I gotta say.

It's definitely a good thing our family's with us because paying for our one big piece of luggage turns into at least a ten minute ordeal. The scanner can't (or won't) read my card. Can't. Can't. Can't. Until finally, with family standing all around me, pitching me suggestions, the scanner humors me and decides to work.

So family, as it turns out, is the essential ingredient to successfully paying baggage fees at Schiphol Airport. 😉

Once that's done, I realize we're living our parent's experience because, once upon a time, my parents, too, left with a lot of family food gifts in their luggage. Once upon a time, too, they had to buy extra luggage, like my cousin did for us the previous day, to hold all those food gifts. Once upon a time, too, my aunts and uncles walked my parents through the airport, helped them with their bags. Once upon a time, too, my aunts and uncles bade my parents farewell in this very airport with embraces and kisses on the cheek.

What was true then, it turns out, remains true today. I think the only difference is that we're more huggers these days.

Another difference, I think, is that we're more likely to draw this moment out because we don't want it to end. We can always think of more conversations to have, more pictures to take.

In the end, we say the things we need to say to each other, the things we want to say. And I'm sure after one round of hugs and a subsequent impromptu conversation, we indulged another round of hugs as if the first one never happened.

For me, my regret is leaving this family. This one and the larger one with whom we navigated the week. I'm also caught by the realization that it would've been a pretty cool thing to have known my cousin's husband earlier in both our lives. And I'm profoundly struck by the fact that, while we live a pretty good and fulfilling life in the states, our lives would've been better, our lives would definitely have been better, with my cousin in it.

Because she really is all that.

☺️☺️☺️

With our extended goodbyes out the way, and after one last round of family photographs—all of us in one image—my cousin and her family start making their way back to their car as we turn to get in line for the self baggage drop.

As we take our place in line, I remember to look back for my family. I immediately spot them walking away. They've been keeping track of us in line as well. And in that moment in which we catch each other's attention for the last time, we reach our hands high into the air to wave goodbye.

And finally.

Finally...

Go our separate ways.

❤️❤️❤️

[multikore]

I FOUND THE SCHOOL DOODLE OF THE EXTRAVAGANZA ERROR AND NIGHTMARE

IK IT’S BASICALLY THEIR ACTUAL OUTFITS BUT I WANTED TO TRY AND MAKE AND IDEA FOR IF AND THE LIMITED COLOURS OF THE WHITEBOARD FOX KINDA(???) HELPED-

I have to go rumbling through my sketchbook for Plum AuGgGhhhHhHh-

But there smol update on the Extravaganza AU for ze multiverse ;w;

[ellipsis79]

The best thing about being old and out of the loop? You get to learn by trial and error way more than seems fair, lol.

Here's (hopefully) a post that actually has a link for Bound for Freedom.

[chasmbreach]

I am still on that Underverse analysis high SOOOOOO

This time, it’s the soundtrack. It’s more so just going over the soundtrack and connecting the (pretty obvious) dots between song titles and animation, not much of actual “analyzing” because there’s not much to analyze. But ho BOY the names for each OST reflects what is happening in the animation WELL. Nyx did a phenomenal job with these and I can’t give him enough credit for this.

Uncertainty starts us off with the crew at the city and, indeed, uncertain of the situation and how they should approach. Undyne decides to follow along the human military, but everything is unknown. They don’t know what they are facing.

Wicked Extravaganza and Overdrive are reflective of xMuffet’s and xMettaton’s themes (Insurrect and Guardian Automata). They use similar sounding instruments, so you KNOW who the main character on screen is. Love that.

A Cure for Amnesia plays during xGaster confrontation with Frisk, and Overwriting all the monsters to recover memories from different timelines. Amnesia is where you constantly lose memory, so xGaster recovering all of those memories by force. Ironic how cure is being used here as a positive word in a conflicting situation.

Breaking Point features Frisk running from their consequences and afraid to face them, while xChara’s calls xGaster out, telling him that he’s gone too far with pressuring Frisk to abide to him. Also, you can hear xChara’s leitmotif during his scenes (Overwrite).

Remembrance is a flashback to when Ink first started talking with xGaster, explaining how his vials work (which does set up the how Fresh possess him during that fight). Ink comments in his destroyed doodlesphere that “We’ve come so far that none of this seems real, or feels real.” Everything seems so long ago yet it feels like it happened just yesterday, doesn’t it. Remember how the plan began from simple beginnings? And look where we are now.

I’m not really going to comment on Mismatch and Sweet Sweet Swagger mainly because those are character themes and not episode related. So uhhh there aren’t really dots to connect here to the animation.

Subliminal Gift is an interesting song. Yes the title reflect what is happening, Fresh asking Ink about the gift that isn’t at all useful to him, but the sound design makes me MMMMM. It’s very subtle, but the background music uses similar instruments to (the beginning of) Brushwork and the main theme uses a synth, which does reference early 90s synth computer sound, and also his character theme (Sweet Sweet Swagger).

Now, Prologue is the one that has me stumped. I am genuinely confused by this name and what it could imply, and also the main reason for writing this mini analysis. Why is Prologue the title of the end of 0.7? There are probably a few ways to interpret this, and what I’m going to write is my own thoughts and rambles, but I don't know how accurate it could be.

My best cohesive thought process was that this episode, but more specifically the entire confrontation between Ink Fresh and Error, also serves as a prologue to Phase 3, as mentioned by Ink himself during 0.5, although it also seems a bit on a nose. But that could also just be it. A prologue to Phase 3. It seems the most probable to me and makes the most sense. Core even speaks in a way that made it seems like this is next new mark in this story (and Ink outfit change as well :D)

I would love to see other interpretations and thoughts about Prologue, or if I nailed it on the dot. I wonder tho haha.

[twinkmodel]

Seth Peterson is sprung on sexy twink Sam Ledger; but, he has a funny way of showing it. After liking a bunch of Sam’s Instagram photos, Seth Peterson tells him to, “fuck off.” But, friends are always there to show us the error of our ways, and it’s no different for Seth Peterson. After coming to his senses, Seth Peterson invited his cutie crush over; and, what follows is a beautiful boy- butt fucking extravaganza!

[leafydinosaur]

everybody always talks about how badly the districts are treated, but i rarely see people talking about how capitol citizens are being brainwashed. the games weren't always the way they are now and in the past many of the capitol citizens disagreed with the games because of their cruelty. but one of the biggest factors of why the games became so popular among capitol citizens is the separation of society. during the 10th hunger games, many of the capitol citizens sympathized with the districts and saw them as human. now, all capitol citizens have extravaganzas and items that district people wouldn't have. that creates a feeling of superiority, which makes capitol citizens feel like the districts are below them and that dehumanizes the districts. the constant reminders from the capitol that the capitol's citizens are better than the districts makes the citizens feel as if these kids lives don't matter. the entire system is very similar to many old class systems, for example, the egyptian class system. the rich and noble were on top, aka the capitol, and they always stayed on top. and the lower the tier went, the less important and valuable the people were. but the most important factor of this system was that it was constant. it was nearly impossible to rise up from the ranks, from an unskilled worker to become a government official, for example. the games were designed for the districts to remain in poverty, for the capitol to be on top, career districts in the middle, and all the others in the lowest rank. the capitol citizens knew that they would never be district and they also knew that district will never be capitol. and knowing that they are on the highest point of the social class, they felt as if the lives of the district people were not as important as theirs, hence the popularity of the games and how many people yearly enjoy watching it. and president snow is the only person to blame. he is the one that started this system, this feeling of superiority between the capitol and the districts. after the war, you could barely tell between the two because both sides had nothing. but reminding people that they are capitol and that their children will not suffer in the games because they are better than the districts made people feel that they are more important than the others. president snow doesn't only torture the districts, but the capitol as well, forcing them to believe that the games are right.

sorry for all of the grammar mistakes and spelling errors i was typing this kinda quickly because i wanted to get the thought out before i lost it. i'm sure that someone else already thought of this, but i feel like there needs to be more representation for the capitol's citizens, i'm not saying that they're innocent angels, but i'm stating out how corrupt panem is and that it goes far deeper than just the games.

[starfriday]

BREAKOUT BOLLYWOOD ACTOR SIDDHANT CHATURVEDI SERVES UP A SUMMER MENU AT THE BIGGEST SUMMER PARTY IN MUMBAI

Joining Starbucks India’s biggest summer party across 27 stores, actor Siddhant and 26 other content creators craft the all-new Starbucks Refreshers for customers PAN-India

Mumbai, 6th May 2024: Starbucks India marked the arrival of summer with a splash at the Infiniti Mall Andheri store in Mumbai, featuring none other than Bollywood sensation Siddhant Chaturvedi. The event saw Siddhant donning a Starbucks apron and cap, stepping behind the counter and calling out drink names of his fans and customers, the traditional Starbucks way.

A Celebration of Coffee and Community

Sporting the iconic green apron and cup, Siddhant enthralled the eager crowd, collaborating with store partners to concoct the all-new Starbucks Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher, a delightful antidote to Mumbai's scorching heat.

In a heartwarming gesture, Siddhant's first pour went to Nirbhay, a differently-abled signing store partner, adding an extra layer of warmth to the occasion.

A Fan Extravaganza

What began as a summer celebration blossomed into an unforgettable fan affair, offering customers the rare opportunity to interact with the powerhouse actor and make their Starbucks experience truly memorable. A fortunate few even had their cups personalized by the star, infusing an extra touch of magic to their summer sips.

Speaking about his experience, Siddhant expressed, "I had an absolute blast at TATA Starbucks, getting hands-on behind the bar and making their newly launched Refreshers for my fans. As a long-time Starbucks loyalist getting behind the bar and immersing myself in re-creating the vibrant Starbucks Refreshers was an absolute joyride! I have a very fond connection with Starbucks, taking me back to the days when I wasn’t an actor. Everytime I was at the airport, I’d drop by a Starbucks store to get my coffee fix. Today, even when I have lounge access, I still only want to be at a Starbucks in every airport I go to. Today, what truly lit up my day was connecting with and serving my fellow fans at the store. I'm incredibly excited about the launch of the new beverages - whether it's the revitalizing Refreshers drink or the indulgent Cold Brew Tiramisu, these are set to be my ultimate summer cooldown companions!"

Starbucks biggest summer soirée also featured 27 stores across 20 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Chennai and more! India's leading creators, including Tarini Shah, Radhika Bangia, Shivesh Bhatia, Akshara Gowda, Govind Kaushal and more transformed into baristas behind the Starbucks coffee bar. They took up shifts, serving eager customers with flair and charm.

About TATA Starbucks Private Limited

Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012 through a 50/50 Joint Venture with Tata Consumer Products Limited and currently operates more than 424 stores in India across 62 cities, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Alibaug, Amritsar, Anand, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhatinda, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Faridabad, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad, Goa, Guntur, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Jalandhar, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Lonavala, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Meerut, Mumbai, Mussoorie, Mysore, Nagpur, Nashik, New Delhi, Noida, Pathankot, Patiala, Pondicherry, Pune, Raipur, Siliguri, Sonipat, Surat, Thrissur, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Vadodara, Vapi, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Varanasi and Vizag are cities in India. through a network of over 4,200 passionate partners (employees). Starbucks stores are operated by the joint venture, Tata Starbucks Private Limited, and branded as Starbucks Coffee - A TATA Alliance.

This message and its contents are confidential. If you received this message in error, please inform the sender and then delete it.

For information on how Edelman uses personal data and your rights, please see our Privacy Policy. Please reply to this email to

notify us if you do not want us to contact you with information similar to the subject of this email communication.

[wentery]

How unreliable is the Economist beneath its arrogant, over-clever facade?

The British magazine The Economist was once described by the Irish writer Dudley Edwards as "arrogant, conceited, lacking in doubt, often unimaginative and too clever by half"; Alexander Zevin, a historian at the City University of New York, has also bluntly pointed out that the journal's advice on the Irish famine of the 1840s was "comparable to the better-known pogroms of the 20th century" and conveyed the sense that the journal had become "a market fundamentalist who cozies up to Western intelligence agencies" after the war. In reality, the journal has often drawn public ire for its condescending attitude and unsubstantiated allegations. In 2022, the Economist's report on the resignation of British Prime Minister Truss inexplicably "touched China" Italy, which led to Italian people Shouting that the magazine should "first look for problems from their own"; A cover image of "Centurion Truss holding a fork rolled with pasta" is full of stereotypical prejudices against Italy, showing its arrogance and rudeness. In 2023, the magazine used condescension to portray Modi as Biden's pet tiger in its coverage of a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an extravaganza of transactional relations between the US and its client states. Rahul Shivshankar, an Indian media personality, criticized the journal's articles for a serious lack of balance and even substance. For example, it does not cite any evidence to support its claim of a marked decline in Indian democracy and its claim that "Western democracies are perfect." This shows what ideological bias and errors The Economist is full of! Many stories seem to make sense, but they don't stand up to scrutiny.