#goodbye nov 2023

[grouchydairy]

No, I was right. This annoys me. And I don't have to engage with it.

TIME CAPSULE: nov 2023

[dearly-somber]

Because It’s Soft | j.jk

-> pairing. wolf shifter!jungkook x human! reader (f)

-> genre. slow burn, eventual romance, (domestic) fluff, found family, humor, (mutual? 👀) pining, f2l (friends-to-lovers), eventual smut, high school!au

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 1367

-> a/n. This is one of my favorite installments ngl

-> warnings. None!

-> collection. mini-series

-> started. Oct. 23rd, 2022 @ 21:45

-> fin. Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023 @ 18:08

-> edited. Tues., Nov. 14th, 2023 @ 12:33

-> divider credit. @mmadeinheavenn

“Have I ever told you how much I love your hair at this length?”

Jungkook hisses under his breath, narrowly avoiding death from a flank-attack and managing to get cover to recoup before diving back into the match. “No?”

“Really?” Y/N muses in a shocked voice behind him, lightly touching his shoulders. Jungkook bites his lip to concentrate on what’s happening in game, the hair on the back of his neck tingling.

Y/N was dropped off here for the day because her parents had to go out of town for some or other social gathering. Jungkook remembers waiting for her by the front door, respectfully bowing his head when her father gave him a curt nod.

He remembers how his stomach fluttered when she turned to him with the biggest grin after hugging her mother goodbye, half-jogging toward him before throwing her arms around his neck in a tight, excited hug.

He remembers the way he patted her back and smiled sheepishly at her parents from over her shoulder, hoping they were too far away to notice the blush on his cheeks.

“Yeah. I think you might’ve commented on how long it’s gotten since summer started, but otherwise you haven’t said much.” Jungkook groans and throws his head back between your knees, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips. That’s his sixth loss in a row.

Y/N gives him a pitying tut, using her hand on the back of his neck to gently lift his head, completely oblivious to the intense inner-rumblings of Jungkook’s wolf. She bring her hands up into his hair, dragging her fingers through the silky strands…gently tugging knots loose and running her nails over his scalp.

Jungkook’s shoulders relax and he closes his eyes with a breathy little sigh, his controller going slack in his lap.

Y/N giggles knowingly. “I really do love your hair at this length, you know. It’s nice when it’s long.”

“Mmm…” Jungkook hums distractedly, his eyebrows scrunching together at just how nice it feels to have her hands in his hair. “Why’s it…nice?”

He thinks she shrugs. “Can play with it better when it’s long.”

A smirk pulls the corners of his lips up. “Head out your ass, Kook.”

Jungkook can’t help but laugh. “Sorry. I’ll keep my hair at this length forever if you like playing with it, though. S’really nice,” he mumbles, leaning back into the couch and sighing contentedly.

She continues her ministrations with a quiet hum. “Can I tie it up for you later? Wanna see if I can get it into a ponytail.”

“It’s not that long,” Jungkook pouts, eyes still closed.

“Probably not, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Jungkook hums in agreement, letting her run her fingers through his hair in relative silence. He doesn’t even notice when he lets go of the controller to instead loop his arms through her legs, pulling his arms through until his hands are resting comfortably on her knees.

“Who’s cooking tonight?” Y/N asks curiously, as if she’s only just remembered that Jungkook’s house is never this quiet.

“Dunno. Jiminie hyung said they were going out for drinks to celebrate Yoongi’s promotion, so most of them are out.”

“You mean we’re alone?”

“No?” Jungkook says carefully. “The noonas are having a bonfire out back. Why? Are you not comfortable being alone with me?” The thought makes him deflate.

She gives his hair a reprimanding tug and Jungkook has to bite his tongue to stop himself from gasping.

She says something, but Jungkook’s too focused on controlling the rapid beating of his heart and excited prancing of his wolf to hear.

“Jungkook!”

He yelps and rubs the back of his head, flipping around to glare at Y/N, betrayed. “What was that for?!”

“For not listening to me,” she snaps. Jungkook humphs and pouts, smiling satisfied when she rolls her eyes with a sigh and apologizes under her breath. “Sorry for smacking you.”

He doubts he’ll ever get tired of the way she lowers her voice when speaking to him so sincerely.

“Sorry for not listening,” he concedes. “What were you saying?”

“Can you come with me to ask Lisa and them about food?” She reaches forward to fix his glasses and mindlessly brushes a strand of hair behind his ear.

He hopes she doesn’t notice the stars in his eyes. “Sure.”

The two of them get up and Jungkook follows closely behind Y/N as they make their way to the back yard. He closes the sliding door behind him as Y/N walks ahead, joining her with a small smile.

“‘Sup.” Jennie bro-nods at him from where she’s sitting next to Rosé.

“Hi, noona.” Jungkook smiles. “You guys having fun?” He stands closer to Y/N when he notices her shiver.

“I think we should be asking you that,” Rosé laughs, lifting her head to grin at him devilishly as she wiggles her eyebrows.

Jungkook resists the urge to flip her the bird, settling for a roll of his eyes. When he looks back at Y/N, she’s watching them butcher with a faraway smile, so he nudges her back to attention.

She clears her throat. “Jungkook and I were wondering about food. Is someone cooking?” she asks, putting her hands in her pockets and leaning into Jungkook’s arm to fight off the cold.

Lisa scoffs with a dramatic shake of her head, stoking the fire with a black-burnt stick. “You brats. Always waiting for someone to cook for you.” She shakes her head in mock-disappointment.

Y/N smiles sheepishly and Jungkook glares pointedly at his sister. “Really, Li?”

“What!” She widens her eyes at him. “It’s not like I’m lying!”

Jisoo sighs, muttering something under her breath. “Why don’t you two boil us some ramen, then? The rest of the guys aren’t going to be back until much later, so just enough for us should be fine.”

Y/N nods eagerly. “Will do. Thanks, unnie. We’ll bring it out when it’s ready.”

“Thanks babe.” Jennie blows Y/N a kiss—Jungkook resists his wolf’s urge to growl at her.

“C’mon, Koo. Let’s go.” Y/N tugs on his sleeve until they’re walking side-by-side, sliding the door open and waiting for Jungkook to close it again before skipping to the kitchen.

He grabs the television remote to play some music, joining Y/N in the kitchen like it’s second nature. Which he supposes it is.

He grabs a large pot from the cupboard as Y/N turns the stove on. Fills the pot with water while she grabs the ramen packets. Sets out seven pairs of chopsticks as she puts the sauce in.

She uses a pair of chopsticks to stir everything in the pot, and Jungkook goes back to the living room to change the song.

When he comes back, she’s watching him; leaning against the counter with a small smile. He smiles back and walks straight into her arms, wrapping his arms around her back and nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

Y/N giggles, one hand on his side and the other in his hair. Jungkook will be eternally grateful for how her attitude towards affection changed after those first few months of their friendship. She had been so touch-averse, he almost cried when she kept rejecting his attempts at physical contact.

He doesn’t know when it changed, but he’s glad it did.

Jungkook breathes in her scent, rumbling deep in his chest. God, she smells so nice. So so nice. He’s convinced it’s the best smell on earth.

“Because it’s soft.”

“Hm?” Jungkook makes a confused noise, stomach fluttering at her shy giggle right by his ear.

“Your hair, I mean. I think I like it because it’s so soft.”

Jungkook grins into her neck with a small shake of his head. “Thanks, Y/N.”

She hums, scratching at his scalp until the water’s fully boiled and the smell of ramen drives her to let him go.

Jungkook watches her cook with a lovestruck smile on his face.

He can’t wait for the day that this is his norm.

The day they’re finally together the way he so wishes they could be…

Because it’s soft.

<- prev | next ->

[colferpics]

chriscolfer: Our beautiful and beloved Cooper has crossed the rainbow bridge. He was the most loving dog I’ve ever known, always the life of the party, a natural ladies man, an obsessive athlete, the warmest snuggle-bug, and sometimes a total diva. Cooper cast a spell on everyone he met. On the day we adopted him from the @/SCGRR, the whole neighborhood came to his foster home to wish him farewell. On the the day we lost him, the entire staff of the veterinarian hospital came to his room to say goodbye. The hardest part of being his dad was knowing I’d never be as attractive, charismatic, or photogenic as him. The rest was heaven. Your daddies love you so much, Scoop-Scoop. Thanks for being our bubba. We will miss you forever. ❤️ [posted Nov 18, 2023]

[aois-amaterasu-painting]

Aoi hair tweets. A timeline:

2016 Dec "I might never be able to dye my hair again for the rest of my life… Goodbye, colorful hair ✌︎('ω')✌︎"

2017 Apr "I cut my hair like I had a vendetta against it. Feels so fresh ✨"

2018 Aug "If you ask me, I feel like getting a haircut. It's that kind of weather. 🌝"

2019 Feb "I cut my bangs today 🥴"

2019 Jun "Let’s grow out my hair 🦲"

2020 May "I haven't been able to go get a haircut since February, and I wonder how everyone else is handling it. My hair’s grown so long that I really want to go get it cut soon 🤔"

2020 Nov "What? You want to see a photo after my haircut? No way, I’m premium content just by existing 🙇‍♂️ How are you today? Don’t forget your mask☺︎"

2020 Dec "This year, since we couldn’t do any live shows, my hair has come back to life. It’s like a cuticle beast now. The angel's halo is gleaming. It almost looks like it's floating above my head. Huh? It's because I'm dead? I see. I have no regrets in my life!! ٩( ᐛ )و"

2022 Feb "Right now, I have this overwhelming urge to grow my hair super long. To put it simply, I want to look like Rapunzel."

2022 Oct "It’s been a while since I decided to grow out my hair like Tatsuro’s long locks. Right now is the hardest period, where styling is the most difficult. But I endured this morning, believing it will get easier once I push through. By the way, I mean Yamashita Tatsuro."

2022 Nov "I was planning to grow my hair long enough to braid it and use it as a jump rope, but I'm starting to lose motivation. I'm always shouting in my head, 'So annoying! Ugh, so annoying!'"

2023 Sep "I left my youth at Nippon Budokan on July 15th, and now there’s a void in my heart. Back then, my hair only reached my shoulders, but now it’s grown long enough to use it as a jump rope. I’d love to do MASS tour again."

2024 Jun "Oh no, it’s here. The strong urge to cut my hair short."

2024 Sep "‘Cutting my hair was a good idea’ means ‘I’m happy because cutting my hair turned out better than I expected.’ For more details, head over to Instagram ☞"

2024 Sep "Heyyy. Ever since I cut my hair, it’s become a bit tricky to tie it up properly, and it keeps falling loose little by little—it's a bit annoying."

[chrobinweek]

Announcing Chrobin Week 2023!

This year, Chrobin Week will start on Monday, Nov 27th, and last until Sunday, Dec 3rd. We hope to see you there, whether you participate or not! A lovely thank-you to Koge (twitter/tumblr) for the art!

Our prompts this year will be:

November 27th: Encounter

November 28th: Plegian Royalty!Robin AU

November 29th: Winter

November 30th: Royal Ball / Masquerade

December 1st: Horrible Timing

December 2nd: Goodbyes

December 3rd: Dawn

Remember to tag your work with #chrobinweek2023 if you’d like it featured on our blog! You can also find the twitter/x for chrobinweek here!

[deuynndoodles]

[id: a graphic that displays one piece of art for the 12 months of 2023. at the top to the left, it says, "dey's 2023" in all caps. to the right, it says, "goodbye deuynn2023", which is the artist's signature.

JAN (january) is a drawing of the four swords adventure links camping in a forest clearing. FEB (february) is a drawing of aryll, link and tetra from the wind waker on a pier. MAR (march) is a drawing of sam manson shining a flashlight through mist. APR (april) is a drawing of blue link and erune holding hands, text framing them reading, "they are lesbians. view them."

MAY (may) is a drawing of sksw zelda in her goddess costume. JUN (june) is a drawing of lu wind using the wind waker. JUL (july) is a drawing of botw zelda and link watching the calamity awaken. AUG (august) is a drawing of totk zelda in link's ancient set.

SEP (september) is a drawing of uraraka ochako floating in a galaxy, wearing her hero costume. OCT (october) is a drawing of sksw link attempting to play the goddess harp in a forest clearing. NOV (november) is a drawing of spirit tracks zelda animating her phantom armor. DEC (december) is a drawing of jazz tending to danny's wounds in the fentonworks bathroom. end id]

happy new year! let's say hello to deuynn2024

[icallhimjoey]

Only Temporary

♥ ♥          Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Joe needs a temporary living space, and you happen to have a spare room to let. One plus one equals two, baby.

CW / disclaimer: rpf (don’t read if this makes you uncomfy), fem!reader, swearing (lots), fluff 

Author’s note: this is the last part, sadface. The summary didn't need adding onto, I don't think. Also, we all hate Tom and we all love Eddie, join our club. (rewritten 15 nov 2023)

Wordcount: 3.5K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

  “Bye!”

Your goodbyes were short and dispassionate. 

A quick wave at the door with everyone still sat around the breakfast table, enjoying conversation, and having second helpings of whatever they liked most. 

It felt a little like thanking your dentist and telling him goodbye after you had him prod around in your mouth for forty minutes. 

You knew each other on another level, and it felt like there should be heartfelt hugs, but that wasn’t the relationship you had with your family.

Instead, you’d taken two bottles of water from the fridge for your drive, walked past the table and said “That was fun, guys. See you on the next one!” and hadn’t even bothered to stop by the door as a chorus of goodbyes from the table saw you out. 

Joe followed suit and it was only minutes later that you were back in the car, on the road together, on the way back to your flat.  

You recounted the morning, and Joe saw you sink into the seat like you hadn’t relaxed in weeks. 

“And?” you asked Joe, whose eyes danced between the road and you. 

“Any regrets on offering to tag along?” 

“The sand in my underwear says yes,” Joe joked, making you laugh. 

You couldn’t deny that you’d had fun, but you knew it was mostly because Joe had been there too. 

You were not going to tell him that, though. 

Obviously. 

“You’re going to have to come to one of my family get-togethers next, to teach us your family’s way of playing football,” Joe said, and he reached over to squeeze your knee before quickly pulling his hand back to grip the steering wheel. 

You felt the skin that he’d touched burn.

Joe cleared his throat loudly, and you didn’t know why it suddenly felt weird in the car, but for some reason, it did. 

In a bid to fan away the fluttery feeling in your stomach, you turned up the radio and let music fill the car to help drown out the thoughts milling around in your head. 

You tried to convince yourself that it was all figments of your own imagination, but you couldn’t even look at Joe’s hands with his fingers curled around your steering wheel. 

Tight grip. White knuckles.

Shit. 

Stop looking.

So, you sipped from your bottle of water, hummed along to the music as casually as you could, and looked out of the window at the rolling hills, thinking of what you were going to wear later for your date with Tom; the man you should be thinking about right now.

The air between the two of you remained tense, but you ignored it.

Said nothing, until after about half an hour, Joe decided against better judgement to just spit out what was on his mind. 

“Don’t go,” he suddenly said, right as you were about to gulp down a mouthful of water, making you cough and wheeze for air as some of it found its way down your windpipe.

“Shit, I’m- fuck, I’m so sorry,” Joe reached over a hand, eyes darting between you and the road, unsure what his hand would do to help you. 

You swatted it away fast as you coughed, water dripping down your chin. 

“Don’t go where?” you spoke with a constricted voice, and you used both your hands to wipe at your chin, your sleeves now spotting sizeable wet patches on either side. 

Charming. 

“I don’t- ugh…” Joe winced at himself. “I don’t think... Tom’s not, I don’t think he’s a good guy,” 

Um.

What?

You stared at Joe who now kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead of him. It was easier to get out what had been plaguing him for a second without having to look at you.

Joe went on to explain how he’d seen your neighbour earlier that week, walking into his building across the road from you, with another woman, how he had then decided to stay out of it, but that now... he felt like he had to tell you, so at least you knew. 

You know, before actually going on your first date with the literal man of your dreams. 

You remained silent all throughout Joe’s monologue and felt the urge to escape the car grow within your limbs. 

There was no chance of escape, though, obviously. 

You were going down the motorway at sixty miles per hour. 

Joe could literally go on and talk for all he was worth, and you’d just have to sit there and listen to him as he spewed things about your neighbour that you didn’t want to hear.

“People have siblings,” you reasoned immediately, all defensive. “And friends.” 

“They were making out a lot for siblings, I think,” Joe’s voice was soft, but it felt like he was making a joke, and it had anger bubbling up your throat.

“You’re overstepping.” You sternly said, because he was. 

“Sorry, I’m just trying to… I don’t know, protect you? I guess?”

You didn’t appreciate that.

“I don’t need protecting.” You huffed.

“I just thought you should know.” Joe’s eyes glanced at you, seething beside him, and he regretted even bringing it up at all.

“Okay, thanks for telling me then. Can we please talk about something else?” 

You didn’t talk about anything else. 

The rest of the drive home was silent, and as you stared out the window, you let resentment grow inside of your chest. 

Even when you tried to forgo it by trying to phone your friend, who you still hadn’t talked to, you got her voicemail. 

Again. 

Fucking bitch. 

You had to actively remind yourself you had a crush on Tom. That was who you were: a jobless, single, dumb old idiot with an orange tomcat who had feelings for her neighbour who lived opposite you and drove a range rover. You’d had those feelings for ages and they were a part of you now. 

But then Joe moved into your flat and had the audacity to just go ahead and change all of that? 

You realised your anger was mostly aimed at yourself, which in turn only angered you more. 

Come on! 

You’d actually bagged yourself a date with your neighbour, who was meant to be the love of your life, and now Joe was telling you that you should be careful of him? 

All kind, and sweet, and charming? 

What a dick.

Your thoughts ran rogue, and you knew the underlying feelings present, but were set on not facing them. 

Not right now. 

You had a date tonight, for fuck’s sake. With the man you’d been lusting over for months. You weren’t going to let Joe screw that up for you. 

When you pulled into your street, Joe stopped the car outside your flat. 

“Head inside, I’ll find a parking spot,”  

Ugh. 

He had to stop. 

You stomped out of the car like a grumpy teenager and slammed the door a tad too hard. 

Inside, you immediately locked yourself in the bathroom for a proper everything-shower. You made sure to wash and condition, several times, to exfoliate every inch of skin on you, and to shave every single strand of hair from the ears down. 

Because who knew who was going to be seeing what tonight, you thought. 

You weren’t one to bare all on the first date, but the way Joe had pissed you off, you almost wanted to get into Tom’s bed to prove Joe a point. 

Except, doing just that was probably only going to be proving Joe right, in this case. 

So, then the shaving became an act just for yourself, just so you’d feel smoother. 

And sexier. 

Perfect reasoning for a perfect date with the perfect man. 

It just... it was annoying you that you couldn’t remember the colour of his eyes, the way you could remember Joe’s. 

“You ruined it!” you yelled into your house as you walked from the bathroom to your bedroom after you shower. 

“What’s that?” Joe’s voice travelled from the living room where he was cradling Eddie in his arms like a baby.

“You ruined it before it even had a chance to properly kick off!” and you slammed your bedroom door shut, leaving Joe to read between lines he wasn’t sure he was even reading correctly at all. 

The piles of clothes in your bedroom took a minute to tidy up. Finding something for you to wear took even longer. 

When you eventually ventured out to head back into the bathroom to get started on your hair and make-up, you found Joe, standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall, facing your bedroom door. 

How long had he been there? 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Joe said when you did your best to ignore him. You strode past him, stepped back into the bathroom, and started taking random make-up products from your bag which you placed on the ledge by the mirror one by one. 

“Have the best time, yea?” he then said and reached for his jacket from the coat stand. 

“Where you going?” you hated that you asked it. 

“Pub,” was all Joe said, and neither of you said goodbye as Joe walked out the door.  

It was eight o’clock on the dot when the doorbell rang. You’d been fanning yourself with your hands as you’d walked back and forth between the kitchen and living room for the past thirty minutes. Barefoot, because postponing putting your heels on meant you’d stand to wear them longer. 

Eddie had taken notice of your frantic movements and meowed at your loudly from up on the kitchen table, a spot he knew very well he wasn’t allowed to be. 

You were too busy trying to wave cool air onto your chest to help fade the blotches that had formed there, and unfortunately for Eddie, you didn’t have time to pick him up and nuzzle into his fur like Joe had been doing earlier. 

“Tom,” you said, smiling your sweetest smile when you opened the door to a man holding a bouquet of flowers.  

“Thomas. I go by Thomas.” 

Oh. 

Funny way to greet you... 

The problem wasn’t that his way of saying hi to you was to correct you on his name; it was the juxtaposition you immediately noticed between him and Joe. 

You remembered how Joe had corrected your friend when she had tried to call him Joseph, opting for the more informal shortened version of it. 

Tom, Thomas, however, seemed to be of a different breed. 

Strike one, spoke a voice inside your mind that you immediately tried to shush. 

He did bring you flowers, after all. 

“Oh, sorry. Thomas, hi. Come on in, I’m just finishing up,” you stepped aside and let your neighbour into your flat. Your flat, which had looked fine before but now seeing it through Thomas’s eyes, felt like a complete pigsty. 

You silently cursed at yourself for not having put your heels on before Thomas had rung your doorbell so you could’ve immediately left, and quickly dashed off into your bedroom whilst Thomas stepped foot into the living. 

“Oh, jeez,” You could hear him exclaim, and when you joined him, you were met with Eddie who seemed to have doubled in size and was glaring at your neighbour. 

Thick tail shaking high up above his arched back and with ears flattened back against his head, he looked just about ready to pounce. 

“Eddie!” You tried, but Thomas let out a nervous laugh. 

“Cats tend not to like me much. Doesn’t help that I’m allergic,” 

Shit.

Strike two. 

“Eddie tends to not like humans,” you justified. “Trust me, it’s not you,” you tried to convince yourself as much as you tried to convince Thomas. 

“Ready to go?” he looked like he couldn’t wait to get out of your flat. 

At the restaurant, Thomas showcased how much of a gentleman he was. He held your chair out for you to sit, got champagne for the two of you and told the waiter it was a special occasion, not revealing it was just your first date together. 

Thomas was all polished jawline, strong brow, dark hair, and he smelled divine. 

Textbook handsome in his pale blue shirt, you thought. And, he drove a fucking range rover. This man had success written all over him.

You felt like you didn’t measure up. 

Sat across the table from him, you tried to search for faults of his – just, any obvious imperfections – but just from looking at him, there weren’t any. 

You, on the other hand, had many faults, and it was easy for you to list them in your mind:  

-       Your life was shit, for one -       You left dirty laundry on the floor all the time -       Your sofa was covered in cat hair -       You barely ever flossed -       You didn’t know how to drive your own car properly -       You didn’t have a job, a pension plan or any savings left at this point -       You left rings all over your own coffee table, you didn’t own any coasters -       Your freezer hadn’t been defrosted in over a year -       You had no idea what to do with flavoured olive oils -       You unhealthily romanticized the idea of dating your neighbour  -       You had a crush on your flatmate -       Shit. -       You had a crush.  -       On your flatmate.  -       Shitting shit, shit.

You snapped back into the conversation Thomas was seemingly having with himself, because you hadn’t been listening at all. 

You looked at your glass of champagne and downed the full thing in one go. The bubbles fizzed up into your nose, and you had to hold back a sneeze. 

Thomas was talking about how he’d been plucking up the courage to ask you out for months. Hardly the right time to spray champagne all over him. 

“There was never a right time,” he said. “We kept bumping into each other, but I was scared of looking like an idiot.” 

He was saying all the correct words as you refilled your glass, tempted to just have a sip from the bottle itself, and had Joe not put the image of him making out with another girl in front of his flat earlier this week into your head, you would probably have swooned. 

“You were scared?” you gave a condescending chuckle, not believing a word of it. 

Had he seen you?  

“Well, yea,” he said, and smiled at you. You were sure it was meant to be cute, but to you, it all felt brazen. 

No, get it together, you thought. 

You reminded yourself you were at a fancy restaurant, with a sweet man, who was very handsome. So, you talked about your weekend, your dad’s birthday, your awful stepmother, and with every joke you made, Thomas didn’t laugh. At one point he even went, “I don’t get it,” and left you to explain why playing football the way your family played it was more fun than boring old regular footy. 

And then he still didn’t get it. 

When Thomas excused himself to go to the bathroom, you sighed when you tried to pour yourself another drink from an empty bottle. You’d drank all of it, and Thomas hadn’t made you laugh once. 

You squeezed your eyes shut tightly as you listened to your mind whisper: strike three.  

Was it just Joe’s words that had slowly convinced you Thomas wasn’t who you had imagined him to be? You tried to convince yourself that dating several women at once was fine; you weren’t exclusive, this was only your first date. 

But you weren’t actually fine with that. 

You tried to imagine if you would’ve liked Thomas better if Joe hadn’t told you about the other woman he’d seen him with, but the mental image of Thomas stayed the same. 

It was tainted now, and you wondered why you had ever even lusted after him to begin with. You’d been so head over heels for this guy, and for what? 

You stared helplessly at the breadbasket Thomas hadn’t touched – “Too many carbs for me, but go ahead, have some,” – and you felt your fantasy of Thomas and you living together happily ever after fading fast. 

When he came back to the table, you did the unthinkable before your mind could catch up with you. 

“I need to leave,” you were on your feet before Thomas could even get a word in. 

“Let me know how much this was, I’ll pay you back for it,” and without looking back, you marched out the door, leaving behind your dumbfounded neighbour who was left to scramble at what he had done wrong to have you walk out on him before the main course had even been served. 

Instead of going home, you headed for the pub. It wasn’t a long walk, and with the large, angry steps you were talking, heels scraping against the pavement, it took no time for you to get there.  

Walking in, the crowd was made of up families and groups of friends finishing up their Sunday roasts, as well as people stood around holding their drinks, double fisting large pints, having chats. 

It was loud inside, and you scanned the room from the doorway until you spotted him. 

There. 

By the bar. 

Pint in hand. 

Talking in a group of three. 

Actor friends, you were sure.

You beelined straight over to him, bumping into strangers’ shoulders as you went, and when you were just a few steps away, Joe saw you.

“Hey, what are you doing here? You seem–” 

You silenced him by planting your lips right onto his, arms slung around his neck with your chest pressed up against him tightly. Joe didn’t try to resist – it would have been useless anyway. You had more champagne in your system than was good for you, and you were all riled up with emotions. 

The poor boy didn’t stand a chance. 

For a second, Joe was frozen. Unsure of what was happening. But then, behind you, one of Joe’s friends took Joe’s drink out of his hand and you felt how he took hold of you, wrapping his arms around, and how he started kissing you back. 

It took a few seconds for the two of you to be making out like teenagers, and you heard people snicker beside you. 

Pulling back, you glared at him.

“Thomas is shit.” 

You kissed him again. 

“You’re shit.” 

Another kiss. 

“Honestly, such a shithead.” 

And another.

“I am,” Joe agreed, speaking into your mouth. 

“The biggest shithead.” 

Joe pulled you into him until your feet weren’t touching the floor anymore, and he felt the bar press hard into his back. You kissed roughly, passionately, in a way that would make anyone watching you uncomfortable until you had to pull back to catch your breath. 

When your feet found the floor again, you suddenly pushed back forcefully and slapped Joe against his shoulder with a flat hand. 

You were mad, still.

“What did you have to do that for?” what you accused Joe of, you weren't even sure, but your voice was so annoyed, and the frown etched deep into your face accompanied it perfectly. 

Joe fucking loved it. 

“How could I not have? You’re shit,” Joe said and was quick to pull you in for another kiss. 

“You are such a shithead.” 

And you agreed, sinking deeper into Joe’s lips as his hands found your cheeks to hold, and his hot breath caressed your face. 

“This is the weirdest kiss I’ve ever witnessed,” you heard one of Joe’s friends say, who were both still stood beside you. 

“Fuck off,” Joe spoke between kisses. 

“Yea, fuck off,” you repeated, entirely unaware of who you were speaking to, and you felt Joe smile against your mouth.  

You could both be shit. 

Could both have shitty lives, because you were convinced that they’d cancel each other out just fine.

The sudden vibration in your pocket pulled you right out of the kiss, and back into the pub you were both stood in. When you quickly checked to see who was calling you – you were kind of hoping it was Thomas, just so you could tell him to fuck off as well – you saw it was your friend, finally returning the countless calls you’d made. 

You shot your eyes up at Joe, who had also seen your phone’s display, and for a moment you contemplated not picking up. Sending her call to voicemail felt like the payback she deserved.  

“Pick up. Tell her we kissed,” Joe nudged you and smiled, holding out his hand for his friend to pass him back his drink. 

And you smiled back, because that was exactly what you wanted to do. 

“I’ll see you back at the flat in what, thirty minutes?” 

“Thirty minutes,” you repeated, all giddy and stupid when Joe winked at you as you started moving towards the exit.

“Bitch,” You answered your phone. “Guess the fuck what? I’m about to test-drive your plan B.” 

"What?!"

And you almost skipped on your way home. 

Life suddenly didn’t seem so shit anymore. 

It could only go up from here.

the end

----

The Taglisted: @ghostinthebackofyourhead​ @kiwisa​ @jasminearondottir​ @josephquinned​ @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @munsonsgirl71​ @alana4610​ @emmamooney @xomunson​ @sadbitchfangirl @jssmth5​ @nobody-000 @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @eddiemunsonfuxks​ @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi  @thewondernanazombie​ @hellowhatthehellisgoingonhere @munsonmunster​ @kellysimagines​ @thefemininemystiquee​  - add yourself  

[clarktooncrossing]

Didn't Wanna Feel Old in 2023? Sucks to be You!

Happy 2023 everybody! It's a new year meaning I've got new goals to meet. Goals like finally publishing something, setting up commissions so people can pay me to do what I love, cross-posting between my account here and on deviantART, summoning more kaijus just so they can play elaborate games of poker, y'know, all that good stuff. It also means the return of my 'list of things that have reached a milestone anniversary' list. However, it seems like I've been doing this for so long that these lists have in fact reached their own milestone. From what I could tell, this is the fifth year of my doing this, at least on deviantART. If that doesn't make you feel right from the gate, I present the following:

If I don't mention this my buddy Volts48 won't let me rest; the highly influential sci-fi movie Metropolis turns 100 years old this year, meaning it is now in the public domain. I plan to take full advantage of this fact later, but for now I have the rest of this list to get to...

Anything from 1973 turns 50 years old this year. This includes...

Schoolhouse Rock! (Jan 6th)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (June 13th)

Robin Hood (yes, the version with the fox) (Nov 18th)

Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom) (December 15th)

Charlotte's Web (the animated movie, not the book) (March 1st)

Godzilla vs Megalon (March 17th)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (April 5th)

Soylent Green (May 9th)

The Exorcist (December 26th)

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (November 20th)

The Young and the Restless (March 26th)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (Sept 8th)

Super Friends (Sept 8th)

Asteroid (Space Race) (July 16th)

The Night Gwen Stacy Died (MARVEL) (June - July 1973)

'We’re an American Band' by Grand Funk Railroad

'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album (Oct 5th)

Anything from 1978 turns 45 years old this year. This includes...

Alien (May 25th)

The Cat from Outer Space (June 9th)

The Star Wars Holiday Special (Nov 17th)

The Small One (Dec 16th)

Jaws 2 (June 16th)

Grease (July 8th)

Revenge of the Pink Panther (July 13th)

Animal House (July 28th)

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (Oct 8th)

Halloween (Oct 25th)

Watership Down (Nov 1st)

The Lord of the Rings (animated version) (Nov 15th)

Superman: The Movie (Dec 15th)

Lupin the Third: The Secret of Mamo (Dec 16th)

Fantasy Island (Jan 14th)

The Incredible Hulk (TV series) (March 10th)

The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series) (April 15th)

Hanna Barbera's Godzilla (Sept 9th)

Yogi's Space Race (Sept 9th)

Taxi (Sept 12th)

WKRP in Cincinnati (Sept 18th)

Space Invaders (April 1st)

Anything from 1983 turns 40 years old this year. This includes...

Mickey Mouse Splashdance

Journey into Imagination (EPCOT) (March 5th)

Winnie the Pooh and A Day for Eeyore (March 26th)

Tokyo Disneyland (April 15th)

They Disney Channel (Rest in Peace) (April 18th)

Welcome to Pooh Corner (April 18th)

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (May 25th)

Pinocchio's Daring Journey (Disneyland) (May 25th)

Sorcerer's Apprentice (Atari 2600) (Aug 5th)

Horizons (EPCOT) (Oct 1st)

Mickey's Christmas Carol (Dec 16th)

The first annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade (Dec 25th)

Superman III (June 17th)

Jaws 3-D (July 22nd)

National Lampoon's Vacation (July 29th)

Risky Business (Aug 5th)

Cujo (August 12th)

A Christmas Story (Nov 18th)

Scarface (Dec 9th)

Fraggle Rock (Jan 10th)

A-Team (Jan 23rd)

Reading Rainbow (July 11th)

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Sept 5th)

Alvin and the Chipmunks (Sept 17th)

Cheers (Sept 30th)

The Video Game Crash of 1983

Mirage Studios (Sept 30th)

DC acquires Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and The Question

'Let's Dance' by David Bowie

'Mr. Roboto' by Styx

The My Little Pony franchises as a whole

Anything from 1988 turns 35 years old this year. This includes...

Good Morning Vietnam (Jan 15th)

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Jan 17th)

IllumiNations (EPCOT) (Jan 20th)

Totally Minnie (Feb 25th)

Willow (May 20th)

Big (June 3rd)

Norway (EPCOT) (June 3rd)

Mickey's Birthdayland (Magic Kingdom) (June 18th)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (June 21st)

Die Hard (July 22nd)

Language Arts Through Imagination starring Figment (he's a dragon) (Sept 8th)

Oliver and Company (Nov 18th)

Tin Toy (Dec 30th)

Beetlejuice (March 30th)

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (April 22nd)

Rambo III (May 25h)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (May 27th)

My Neighbor Totoro (July 13th)

Mac & Me (Aug 12th)

Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf (Sept 14th)

Akira (Oct 19th)

They Live (Nov 14th)

The Land Before Time (Nov 18th)

Scrooged (Nov 23rd)

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Nov 29th)

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (Dec 2nd)

Twins (Dec 9th)

Count Duckula (Feb 6th)

Denver, the Last Dinosaur (April 1st)

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (Sept 10th)

Alf Tales (Sept 10th)

Garfield and Friends (Sept 17th)

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Nightmares (Oct 8th)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Nov 24th)

Final Fantasy II (Dec 17th)

Mega Man 2 (Dec 24th)

Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3

Nintendo Power

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

Batman: A Death in the Family (this was not Batman's year)

'Don't Worry Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin

'It Takes Two by Rob Base' and DJ EZ Rock

'Parents Just Don't Understand' by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

'Nothin' But a Good Time' by Poison

'Cult of Personality' by Living Colour

Anything from 1993 turns 30 years old this year. This includes...

Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey (Feb 3rd)

Roger Rabbit in Trail Mix-Up (March 12th)

The Sandlot (April 7th)

Super Mario Bros, the unfortunate film (May 28th)

Hocus Pocus (July 16th)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (July 28th)

Bill Nye the Science Guy (Sept 10th)

Boy Meets World (Sept 24th)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Oct 29th)

Mrs. Doubtfire (Nov 2nd)

Disney's Sing-A-Long Songs: The 12 Days of Christmas (Dec 1993)

Tombstone (Dec 25th)

Groundhog Day (Feb 12th)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (March 19th)

Jurassic Park (June 11th)

Last Action Hero (June 13th)

Free Willy (July 16th)

Coneheads (July 23rd)

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (Aug 13th)

The Thief and the Cobbler (Aug 25th)

Demolition Man (Oct 8th)

Addams Family Values (Nov 19th)

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (Nov 24th)

Schindler's List (Dec 15th)

Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (Dec 17th)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (Dec 25th)

Beavis and Butt-Head (March 8th)

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (Aug 27th)

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Aug 28th)

Late Show with David Letterman (Aug 30th)

The X-Files (Sept 10th)

Legends of the Hidden Temple (Sept 11th)

Animaniacs (Sept 13th)

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Sep 13th)

Fraiser (Sept 16th)

Rocko's Modern Life (Sept 18th)

The Atari Jaguar

DOOM

Sam and Max: Hit the Road

Batman: Knightfall by Alan Grant

'I'll Do Anything For Love' by Meatloaf

'Shoop' by Salt-n-Peppa (Deadpool's favorite!)

Anything from 1998 turns 25 years old this year. This includes...

Movie Surfers (Jan 1st)

Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (Feb 17th)

PB&J Otter (March 15th)

The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) (April 5th)

Toon Disney (April 18th)

Disney's Animal Kingdom (April 22nd)

Mulan (July 22nd)

The Parent Trap (remake) (July 29th)

Hercules: The Series (Aug 31st)

Out of the Box (Oct 7th)

Halloweentown (Oct 17th)

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Oct 27th)

Rollie Pollie Ollie (Nov 6th)

A Bug's Life (Nov 24th)

Mighty Joe Young (Dec 25th)

Elmopalooza (Feb 20th)

The Big Lebowski (March 16th)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (May 19th)

The unfortunate American Godzilla film (May 20th) and it's surprisingly good TV follow up (Sept 12th)

The Truman Show (June 5th)

Saving Private Ryan (July 24th)

Blade (Aug 19th)

Rush Hour (Sept 18th)

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (Sept 22nd)

Antz (Oct 2nd)

The Rugrats Movie (Nov 20th)

The Prince of Egypt (Dec 16th)

Power Rangers in Space (Feb 6th)

CatDog (April 4th)

Sex and the City (June 6th)

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Aug 5th)

That 70s Show (Aug 23rd)

The Wild Thornberrys (Sept 1st)

Will & Grace (Sept 21st)

The Powerpuff Girls (Nov 18th)

Banjo Kazooie (June 29th)

Spyro the Dragon (Sept 19th)

Half Life (Nov 19th)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nov 21st)

The Sega Dreamcast

Gameboy Color

Spider-Girl (Feb 1998) - Fitting, considering she makes her cinematic debut this year in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' by Aerosmith from the soundtrack for Armageddon

'...Baby One More Time' by Brittney Spears

Anything from 2003 turns 20 years old this year. This includes...

That's So Raven (Jan 17th)

The Jungle Book 2 (Feb 14th)

Atlantis: Milo's Return (Feb 25th)

Piglet's Big Movie (March 21st)

Holes (April 18th)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (May 2nd)

X2 (May 2nd)

Finding Nemo (May 30th)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (July 9th)

The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Sept 16th)

Lilo & Stitch! The Series (Sept 20th)

Mickey's PhilharMagic (Magic Kingdom) (Oct 8th)

Brother Bear (Nov 1st)

Star Wars: Clone Wars (Tartakovsky) (Nov 7th)

The Haunted Mansion (movie) (Nov 26th)

Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (Nov 28th)

Destino (Dec 19th)

Kangaroo Jack (January 17th)

Daredevil (movie) (Feb 14th)

Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure (March 18th)

Daddy Day Care (May 4th)

Matrix Reloaded (May 16th) and Revolutions (Oct 27th)

Bruce Almighty (May 23rd)

Rugrats Go Wild (June 13th)

Ang Lee's Hulk (June 17th)

The Room (June 27th)

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (July 2nd)

Freddy vs Jason (Aug 13th)

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Oct 10th)

Elf (Nov 7th)

The Cat in the Hat (movie) (Nov 8th)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Nov 9th)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Dec 17th)

Big Fish (Dec 25th)

Mythbusters (Jan 23rd)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (KidsWB animated series) (Feb 8th)

Power Rangers Ninja Storm (Feb 15th)

Red vs Blue (April 1st)

All Grown Up! (April 12th)

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (July 11th)

Teen Titans (July 19th)

My Life as a Teenage Robot (Aug 1st)

Clifford's Puppy Days (Sept 1st)

Devil May Cry 2 (Jan 25th)

Postal 2 (April 14th)

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (June 20th)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (July 5th)

Jak II (Oct 14th)

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Oct 14th)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Oct 28th)

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (Oct 29th)

Call of Duty (Oct 29th)

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando (Nov 11th)

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Invincible (Image) (Jan 2003)

JLA/Avengers (Sept 2003)

The Walking Dead (Image) (Oct 2003)

'Where is the Love?' by Black Eyed Peas

Anything from 2008 turns 15 years old this year. This includes...

Phineas and Ferb (Feb 1st)

Horton Hears a Who! (movie) (March 3rd)

Iron Man (May 2nd), The Incredible Hulk (June 13th), and the birth of the MCU

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22nd)

Toy Story Mania! (Hollywood Studios) (June 17th)

WALL-E (aka the greatest movie ever!) (June 27th)

Star Wars: Clone Wars (movie) (Aug 10th)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Sept 16th)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Oct 24th)

Tinker Bell (Oct 28th)

BURN-E (Nov 18th)

Bolt (Nov 21st)

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (Dec 17th)

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (Jan 11th)

Rambo (Jan 24th)

Kung Fu Panda (June 6th)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11th)

The Dark Knight (July 18th)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Aug 1st)

Ponyo (Aug 14th)

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Nov 7th)

Twilight (Nov 21) - I'M VENGEANCE!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Jan 13th)

Breaking Bad (Jan 20th)

Power Rangers Jungle Fury (Feb 18th)

Spectacular Spider-Man (the best incarnation of the wall-crawler) (March 8th)

Ben 10: Alien Force (April 8th)

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (June 5th)

The Penguins of Madagascar (Nov 28th)

Super Smash Bros Brawl (Jan 31st)

God of War: Chains of Olympus (March 4th)

Dead Space (Oct 13th)

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Oct 21st)

Little Big Planet (Oct 27th)

Fallout 3 (Oct 28th)

Mirror's Edge (Nov 11th)

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Nov 16th)

Gears of War 2 (Nov 7th)

Left 4 Dead (Nov 17th)

Sonic Unleashed (Nov 18th)

Grand Theft Auto IV (Dec 2nd)

Lego Batman and Indiana Jones

Final Crisis (May 2008)

Marvel Apes (Oct - Nov 2008)

'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Hot n Cold' by Katty Perry

'Viva la Vida' by Coldplay

'So What?' by P!NK

Anything from 2013 turns 10 years old this year. This includes...

Sofia the First (Jan 11th)

Aliens: Colonial Marines (Feb 12th)

Oz, the Great and Powerful (March 8th)

Iron Man 3 (May 3rd)

Mystic Point (Hong Kong Disneyland) (May 17th)

Monsters University (June 21st)

Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (Aug 16th)

Disney Infinity (Aug 18th)

Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse (Sep 2nd)

Toy Story of Terror! (Oct 16th)

Thor: The Dark World (Nov 8th)

Frozen (Nov 27th)

The current run of Mickey Mouse cartoons (Nov 29th)

Saving Mr. Banks (Dec 20th)

Texas Chainsaw 3D (Jan 4th)

Evil Dead (remake) (April 5th)

The Purge (June 7th)

Man of Steel (June 14th)

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (June 16th)

Despicable Me 2 (July 3rd)

Pacific Rim (July 12th)

Turbo (July 17th)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sept 27th)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Nov 22nd)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Dec 13th)

Teen Titans Go! (April 23rd) - HOW IS THIS STILL ON THE AIR!?!?!?

Orange Is the New Black (July 11th)

PAW Patrol (Aug 12th)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sept 17th)

Rick and Morty (Dec 2nd)

Tomb Raider (March 5th)

God of War: Ascension (March 12th)

BioShock Infinite (March 26th)

Injustice: Gods Among Us (April 16th)

The Last of Us (June 14th)

Deadpool (video game) (June 25th)

Rayman Legends (Aug 29th)

Grand Theft Auto V (Sept 17th)

The Stanley Parable (Oct 17th)

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Oct 29th)

'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams

'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)' by Fall Out Boy

'Roar' by Katy Perry

'Wagon Wheel' by Darius Ruckus

'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus

'Applause' by Lady Gaga'

'What Does the Fox Say?' by Ylvis

'Happy' by Pharrell Williams

And with all that said, I hope you all have a happy new year!

Did I miss any milestones? If I did, feel free to let me know in the comments. For now though, MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[suffering-is-cute]

I threw my dreams out into the daylight, and still, they wouldn't grow

never silenced, never silenced, silent, but never once silenced. you were moving through the frost, bulbs blooming patiently only when the time of snow melted away and said a warm 'goodbye'.

pithy smiles say pert lips' name and rub at the place where your spine hurts, soothing with low movements. your posture cracks and wail into the pillow, my love, i wanted your concerns to disapparate before me.

i may have been hoping to teach you to remember the feeling of dreaming and letting the wind carry you away in enthusiasm.

still, the bulbs came to blossom, blocking out every blade of grass that had sliced you clean through with stains.

the almonds cried and the willows shrieked. and again, autumn shirked its job to watch you romp, humouring us till the hour's end.

drive with me here, won't you? a terrifically fast clamour. clamp down on your straw hat, to keep the braids from flying apart and out, up, away.

we have today and tomorrow and forever waiting in front of us. don't be sad to say goodbye to what you so dearly loved, don't say anything at all. just run with me, won't you. run with me, dance with me, laugh with me

most of all, cry with me, into my shoulder.

I threw my back out, and still my dreams couldn't grow in the weeds.

most of all, cry with me, cry with me, don't say anything at all.

- verdure version II (throwing it away)

1. Nov. 2023

[reasoningdaily]

Some fed-up migrants already heading home: ‘American Dream doesn’t exist anymore’

Some Venezuelan migrants who trekked thousands of miles to the US in search of a better life are so disheartened, they say they’re already heading back home.

Michael Castejon, 39, told the Chicago Tribune he has had enough after he, his wife and teenage stepdaughter spent five months sleeping either in a police precinct or a crowded city shelter in the now-brutally cold Windy City.

He’s also been unable to secure a job permit or enroll his daughter in a local school — two of the main reasons things they thought would bring a better life in the US.

“The American Dream doesn’t exist anymore,” Castejon told the paper on the eve of his family’s departure.

“There’s nothing here for us … We just want to be home,” Castejon told the Tribune of the South American country he earlier fled.

“If we’re going to be sleeping in the streets here, we’d rather be sleeping in the streets over there.”

More than 20,000 migrants have made their way to Chicago since August 2022, when Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began loading them onto buses and shipping them off to sanctuary cities.

Many of them ended up sleeping at O’Hare International Airport, at local police stations or in the streets.

Migrants Michael Castejon and wife Induliz Seville wait for an Uber to the airport to start their journey back to Venezuela.TNS

Fed up with the lack of housing and job opportunities, Castejon eventually followed in the footsteps of other disillusioned asylum seekers and turned to Catholic Charities to obtain plane tickets for his family to travel to Texas.

From there, they will somehow find a way to return to their native Venezuela, he said.

“How many more months of living in the streets will it take? No, no more. It’s better that I leave,” he said.

“At least I have my mother back home,” he said of the South American nation he fled earlier this year.

Yorbelis Molero (second from left), 16, says goodbye to a friend as Molero and her family of five wait to leave a Chicago police station and head to a Greyhound bus station on Nov. 2, 2023. TNS

Castejon and his family were among numerous disheartened asylum seekers who have decided to leave Chicago in recent weeks as the weather in the Windy City has grown colder and wetter, the paper found.

Some suggested they had been drawn to Chicago after being wrongly led to believe that they could be swiftly granted asylum status and a work permit, paving the way for a better life.

“We didn’t know things would be this hard,” Castejon said. “I thought the process was faster.”

Others said they have realized that Chicago’s limited resources have been depleted by waves of migrants that have overwhelmed the Democrat-led sanctuary city over the past 16 months, leaving the latest newcomers with nothing but scraps.

“If we’re going to be sleeping in the streets here, we’d rather be sleeping in the streets over there,” Castejon said.AP

Jose Nauh, 22, also returned to Texas earlier this month after sleeping in a police station in Chicago for more than two weeks.

Nauh said he came to Chicago because he heard there was shelter, food and other resources for asylum seekers, but “that’s not true,” he said.

In a scathing letter to President Biden in October, Illinois’ Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker accused the federal government of failing to provide adequate assistance to Chicago for a migrant crisis that has brought the city to a breaking point.  

“The humanitarian crisis is overwhelming our ability to provide aid to the refugee population,” Pritzker wrote. “Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government.”

Pritzker noted that more than $330 million had already been spent by the state to house and feed the migrants.

[storkmuffin]

November 26.

I'm not good at being in my body or feeling my feelings. Trying to fix that, so when my sternum hurt & my chest tightened during my drive into work today I massaged that area. I burst into tears. Each time the hurt was acute, I patted and rubbed my sad broken heart, gently, and I sobbed.

This is grief.

The last time I did this, sobbing while driving, was when C died on November 26, 2018. Which is the day my friendship with B ended, in 2023. I have been marking the day every year since C's passing, but I think I need to mark it differently. The attempt to avoid taking a whole day to live in my devastating loss may have hastened the bringing on of a new one.

So now is my sad, grief-stricken review of events, in the hopefully not-futile prayer of not repeating this again.

I know when someone blocks you on tumblr you're supposed to stfu forever. But I just was in too much pain, so I reached out to say goodbye, and she was kind of enough to write me back with a patient explanation for why she couldn't have me in her life anymore. It was, in part validating - I hadn't imagined it, that the connection was real. But it's also a repeat of a pattern in my life, for which I may or may not finally have an explanation (Autism Spectrum).

I've had many a relationship end with, How Can You Say Something Like That In That Way? I Can't Forgive You Because You Should Have Known That Is The Line Not To Cross.

Except I don't and never have, until I blunder across it and get told like this in the post mortem, when it's too late.

I wasn't drawn to or intrigued by the new show my ex friend got into, but I wanted to follow her into it, so I read Treasure Island (which was like pulling teeth, because I didn't enjoy it) to get the context. I didn't enjoy the story and felt nothing for Long John Silver. But even so, I started to watch the show. I ploughed through S1 which was fun enough, and relieving to me because I didn't hate it. So I tried to please her, even though she never asked me to do this. I ploughed through S2. I tried to understand this character I find increasingly repellent and incomprehensible, because he behaves in S2 exactly like people I despise in real life, who have undermined and attacked me.

Meanwhile work got insanely busy, and I see now that with C's deathdate barrelling at me, I tried to outrun it by loading myself up still further with projects: signed up for nanowrimo (despite averaging 20K a month this year every month for my long fic), liveblogging the pirate show, working out more, setting up lots of dinners and outings (Nutcracker tix, Mom's birthday lunch, etc etc) for December, and so on. All this while trying to cope with the autism self discovery I've had going on since fall.

On Friday Nov 10 and Nov 17, I had especially bad days at work, not because of the work but from run ins with people. I asked questions that I thought were neutral but they reacted with rage. (Again, the Autism Spectrum thing, and what the lingo seems to call Failure to Mask).

On Nov 23rd, US Thanksgiving, we had a work outing, which I went to out of obligation but it was a loud games-night-at-the-bar event. Nightmare. So I just let myself do what I wanted and ended up sitting numb in the corner with everyone's backs turned to me. They didn't push me out or anything. They all wanted to do that, gather in a rowdy circle shouting over a game, and I found it physically unbearable. I really must be autistic, was my conclusion, and that brought its own fear and sadness.

On the 24th, I went to see a production of Medea, whom they portrayed as a woman who desperately tried to please her husband only to be betrayed, and found herself completely depleted of any inner resources, including her sanity, to help her cope with the aftermath. I wish I hadn't seen that. It was so hopeless.

On the 25th, I had a run in with my father, who picked a fight with me. I know his methods, but I was feeling so tired that I couldn't effectively resist his trying to induce a fight, as I have successfully routinely done for the past couple years. We had a blow out fight.

Then came the 26th, where I made a series of shitposts about the pirate show, which was by then a welcome distraction from reality. Except the show gets very dark in S2, and I had a sense I was supposed to experience an about-face on John Silver during the leg loss plot line and I found I did not. My tumblr friend saw that post, which crossed an absolute boundary, and she was done with me.

I wanted to avoid feeling sad, and the one way I know how to do that is to be busy, but the resultant overload just brought me to a new, completely unanticipated heartbreak. Probably, if I hadn't done the overloading at the start of the month, I may have had more resources to cope with the work outing and the fight with my dad. If I had just spent the 26th in grief instead of trying to avoid that pain, none of this may have happened, or happened differently in a way that didn't hurt my former friend as much, or broke my heart so badly. If I wasn't autistic, I may have had an explicit clear understanding of what the line was I wasn't supposed to cross or possibly, never even had the feelings I had. Oh, if only.

[xcorikhang]

where: Jace's Camper - Merrock State Park

when: Thanksgiving - Nov 2023

who: Cori & @jaceeverett

Cori enjoyed the excuse of family time and a feast that Thanksgiving brought. The holidays were the only time that Cori's family closed the laundromat, therefore truly the only time all family members still local gathered together. However, between her siblings splitting time with spouses's families and the fact that the laundromat was open bright and early at 6am the next day, Thanksgiving dinner with the Le family ended early for Cori's liking. That was the case with most holidays, even if she was on-air the next morning some years. That was how she found herself visiting with friends to end the night. Once her family had said their goodbyes for the night and a pitstop at her home, she made the drive from downtown out to the countryside. With extra food in tow, of course. Arriving at Jace's camper, she rushed toward the door and knocked. "I come with food!" she called out with a laugh, as she waited to be let inside.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, November 28

Buffy: (comes into the room) Well, it's official. Chris and Eric didn't come to school today. Xander: That's no coincidence. Willow: Maybe they finished their project. Buffy: God! What if it worked? What, what if that poor girl is walking around? Xander: Poor girls, technically. Buffy: What could she be thinking? Willow: And what are they gonna do with her? Giles: (comes in also) I don't think we need to worry about that just yet. I spoke to a press person this morning about the remains. The police have finished sorting through them, and apparently they found three heads in the dumpster. Buffy: They only had three girls. Giles: Precisely. Willow: So, they don't have the whole, uh, package? Xander: Heads must be no good. Huh. I found 'em attractive enough. Well, obviously I'm not as sick as Chris and Eric.

~~Buffy Episode #14: "Some Assembly Required"~~

[Chaptered Fiction]

Exposure Ch. 1-5/5 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Spike, E) by thoughtsofahouseplant

Blood and Chaos Ch. 64 (OC, Ensemble, M) by Aetheron, quote_Amy_unquote (Sannah_banana)

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew Ch. 9 (Buffy/Spike, M) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

Cultivating Chaos Ch 15 (Spike/OC, Ensemble, M) by BunnyQuill

Hope is the thing with feathers Ch. 2 (Buffy/Spike, unrated) by wildflowerr_wildfire

Return of the Soulless Vampire: BTVS S9 Rewrite - a WWS story Ch. 44 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Hoomanbeans

The Text Message Memories of Buffy and Spike Ch. 1-25/25 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Spike, T) by julikobold

California Sun, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, T) by To Be Hers

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 59 (Buffy/Spike, Ch. 59) by the_big_bad

Wraith, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by simmony

Crash and Burn, Chapter 22 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz

(Buffy/Spike, ) by

Bad Necromance, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Rea

Cherry On Top, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy and Angelus by artsying-ifer

Artwork:Wine of the mother. Death of the innocent. (Willow) by pzyii

Artwork:Spike by loser-magoo

Artwork:Character Sketches by vu-prod

Artwork:Spike & Drusilla by pocketsizedann

Artwork:Buffy & Spike by thegothicalice

[Fandom Discussions]

Top Five Episodes of Buffy that don’t have Faith in them but do make you think of her by coraniaid

part of me thinks that Season 4 would work a lot better if the Initiative had heard of the Slayer before by coraniaid

my vote for the most unfairly criticized episode of each season by coraniaid

Beer Bad definitely isn’t the worst episode of Season 4 by coraniaid

Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (Nov 2023) by mcgnagallsarmy

thinking about wishverse buffy. by sunflowerlesbian99

it’s not that I don’t get why the scoobies get hate in certain parts of the fandom by jennys-calendar

Why I relate to Buffy Summers as a chronically ill person by buffyrouge

BTVS Percy Jackson AU Characters by unseentravler

Was Tara Maclay from Buffy the Vampire Slayer fridged? by wasted-women

In which episode did your favorite character actually become your favorite character? by JellyfishDry9464

Buffys fashion choice. by Hairy-Membership-461

Tail man in season 5 by snowblind2022

Best acting skill of your fave character's actor? by Sudden-Star-7190

Why do people hate Xander so much? by imnotokaywiththis_

SMG declares there’s “too much sex” on the show by RealisticAd4054

Characters you identify the most with (and why) by Archonate_of_Archona

Does every monster/demon just punch and kick? by MasonicPleb

wasn't Sunnydale hot? was there a reason willow had so many warm looking hats? by milkmamasilk

Vampire MMA by Virtual_Row_8445

First-time watcher. How is this show real by LateRegistrationz

What's something from season 1 that you thought was good? by george123890yang

Is this scene from an actual episode? by Taeolian

(S)layers of foreshadowing by not_firewood_yet

Am I the only one who hated Angel, gave it a chance, and was won over? by Singaya

PUBLICATION: Return to the Hellmouth by kcmurdarasi

PUBLICATION: Angel Season 4: Trying to Make a Better World by andrew-heard

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Turned Down The Role Of Cordelia Before She Got Buffy by Slash Film

'

PUBLICATION: James Marsters Is Proud of Subverting Expectations With 'Buffy' & 'Torchwood by Collider

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[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

I swear to fuck if I just said goodbye to Ninjago and my Gene is Chens son headcannon is the motherfucking thing to instantly drag me back I can and will scream

It's been 6 months, Nov 2023 if I recall since I have really invested myself into Ninjago and NOW you wanna pop up outta nowhere and dangle the friggin idea in front of me?!

[minecraftrelatedrandomness]

caravel island logs, 18 nov 2023

(transcript under the cut)

Log 1

I don't understand… I CAN'T understand. All my friends, my family… gone. First, it was just my cousin off on a "vacation" but soon, my whole bloodline vanished before my eyes.

The brothers I spent my mornings with, the friends I spent my nights with, all… gone. When we first noticed, we thought it was some sort of curse set upon us by some mad god, but soon, we realized it was far… far worse.

Log 2

It was the Hooded Figures. For years, we thought the unknown voyagers were our friends. They'd gift us precious cargo from islands we'd only dream of visiting.

Blinded by the goods they bribed us with, the Church slowly snatched our people away from us. But when the truth finally came out… it was too late. They'd already dwindled our numbers to the point to where we had to obey.

Each month, they'd come to select a new "volunteer" to sail away with them, never to be seen again.

Log 3

I'm all alone now. Icarus was taken away last night. My whole village… everyone I knew… It collapsed before my eyes.

Now, I stay here, waiting for it to finally end. As the spirits that were once my friends and family roam the lands… forever lost. Search for the bodies they once called home.

Goodbye.

[bobbie-robron]

Classic ED schedule - week 47 (2023)

Sadie sweet talks Robert into stealing her car but the satellite tracking system ruins their plans. Carl washes his hands of the family business. Jimmy learns his swimmers are fine but Sadie is still taking contraceptives… and doesn’t want kids! Scott tattles to Katie about Sadie & Robert’s car shenanigans. Carl tells Chas about killing Paul and later asks her to move in with him as Chloe packs her bags (she soon starts playing sympathy games with Chas). A pregnant Siobhan bids adieu to the village. Danny and Donna return from their no-so-great trip. A drunk Alan takes a tumble on the B&B stairs while arguing with Steph. It’s a surprise birthday party for Katie. Diane gets Val’s son, Paul, to show up in the village but there’s no love lost between them. Val lets it slip about Diane’s cancer. Carl’s wife and kids make another appearance. Will Jack agree to have Andy go to the wedding for Victoria’s sake?

UK START TIME: 1:35 P.M.:

20-Nov: 03-Sep-2004** (3835), 05-Sep-2004** (3836)

21-Nov: 06-Sep-2004 (3837), 07-Sep-2004** Goodbye Siobhan Marsden (3838)

22-Nov: 08-Sep-2004** (3839), 09-Sep-2004** (3840)

UK START TIME: 1:40 P.M.:

23-Nov: 10-Sep-2004** Welcome Paul Lambert (3841), 12-Sep-2004 (3842)

24-Nov: 13-Sep-2004** (3843) - one episode only due to 1hr Corrie

**Robert appears in the episode

COMING NEXT WEEK (subject to potential preemptions): Andy sleeps with 14 YEAR OLD Debbie and they continue in secret. Time for a stag and hen do followed closely by the actual wedding. Val assumes the wrong thing about tickets to Egypt. Diane confides in Victoria about Paul being Rodney’s son but the news becomes public later. Bernice has had another baby girl. Rodney severs ties with Val. Pearl’s son, Frank, has been granted parole.