#i've had this in my drafts for weeks. it needs to be shown

[lindszeppelin]

we all need a smiling austin on our timeline because he's so bf

[ayeforscotland]

What is Dataflow? Part 3: Doing the Practical

Apologies for the delay in getting this next section up - past few weeks have been super busy and then, hilariously, I was ill last week.

Read Part 1 here.

Read Part 2 here.

In Part 2 I wrote about how important diagrams have been throughout history. Understanding the 'big picture' has been important for every triumph of engineering. From bridges to skyscrapers to oil rigs and wind turbines, all of these have had diagrams backed by international standards which enabled them to be built.

The digital world hasn't quite managed that yet. In the other posts I've tried to drill home the point that modern digital businesses are often extremely siloed, communication and documentation isn't there and there is a lack of a common language between 'Business' and 'IT'.

This lack of understanding means organisations do not understand how data flows through their business and their supply chain.

It's the understanding of dataflow that's important here because it enables organisations to focus on optimising, securing and maintaining flows across an organisation rather than siloed teams patching things up where they can and not understand the upstream and downstream impact on the business.

Method and Layers

Going to preface this by saying that this may come across as complete common sense, and to some extent you'll be completely correct!

This is an example of how to create a very basic dataflow. But I will first start with understanding all of the People, Processes and Technology that I use to post on Tumblr.

So I start with six layers:

Ownership

Business Process

Application

System

Hardware

Infrastructure

What is important to remember here is that you do not have to be a specialist in every single layer.

A Business Analyst will feel much more at home in the Business Process Layer, while an Infrastructure Manager will be much more knowledgeable about the Infrastructure layer.

The important thing is that this Business & IT Diagram allows them to communicate more efficiently.

Let's Build a Dataflow!

In this example - There's an 'AyeforScotland' Element (the rectangle!) at the top. I'm the owner of everything below that element. The black lines are 'connections' representing the connectivity between the different elements.

Following the example, I'm responsible for' managing my blog 'Blog Management' which breaks down into smaller processes: Draft posts, schedule posts, answer anon abuse, and reblog shitposts.

Coming down to the Application Layer (red) - You can see that I draft and schedule posts using Tumblr Desktop and I'm using Firefox Web Browser for that.

But for answering anon abuse and reblogging shitposts, I'm using the Tumblr App.

In the Systems layer you can see I'm using Windows 11 on my PC (Hardware) and I'm using iOS on my iPhone.

Both my PC and iPhone connect to my BT Router.

And that's it for this Business & IT Diagram. I've shown clearly how I'm responsible for the processes and how I use the technology to perform those processes. I don't necessarily need to show everything on a single diagram because it would lose clarity.

This next Business & IT Diagram is much smaller, and establishes the relationships and dependencies on Tumblr to provide the service. And that's because we're complying with the laws and rules of a methodology.

In this diagram (probably need to zoom in to see it) I'm at the top left as 'AyeforScotland' and my 'BT Router' is spatially below me. Following the rules and laws of the method, that maintains the relationship that I have with the BT Router, I own it.

But I don't own the small 'Internet' that's next to it horizontally. I've simplified the concept of the internet for this example.

There's also two owners - 'Automattic' which owns and operates 'Tumblr' below it, with Tumblr being responsible for the 'Provision of Tumblr Services'.

Now naturally 'provision of Tumblr services' will break out into loads of sub-processes. Tumblr could map out their entire organisation (and if they need a hand, they can DM me!) But for this dataflow it's not really required.

Now both diagrams above are not dataflows. But close your eyes for a second and you can visualise what they are.

But because we've created our two diagrams, we understand the connectivity and using the software we can create the dataflow.

Now again, this is very basic. But when you put things into a dataflow context, you can put this down in front of a wide range of people from different business disciplines and they can start to optimise how the business works.

Here's a much larger Dataflow example, that you won't be able to read because it exceeds A0 printing size, but it should convey the scale.

If any of the connections or elements fail along this dataflow - The dataflow stops.

This costs organisations time and/or money.

So understanding dataflows allows IT people to articulate to business people "Hi boss, if this server goes down it will bring down this dataflow and cost the business $10,000 an hour" - Suddenly it's in a language they understand.

It helps with strategic decision-making, it helps with communication, it helps document how things *actually* work as opposed to how people think they work, and once you switch to thinking in terms of 'dataflow' it's hard to stop.

Conclusion

I can't wait to answer all the questions on the back of this.

Also one area I didn't go into is that each of the elements (rectangles) can also hold data (Financial data, Technical Specs, Risk & Cybersecurity metrics, Governance documentation etc).

It's also really easy to get started with it. You can start in any of the layers based on your area of work.

[webslingingslasher]

you did reader having a bad day and going to see frat!peter but can we get him having a bad day and going to see trouble?

*cleaning out my inbox.*

three loud knocks at your door had you jump from your seat, you were so in the zone that the sharp sound had you frozen for a second.

making the short walk and pulling it open, peter forced his way in and ripped his backpack off before slamming it down. there was no reason to ask if he was mad because he was pissed.

'hi.' you try being gentle, even softly closing the door before peter points at you. 'i was sick, wasn't i?' you blink fast, 'wha-'

'i was sick! last week, i was sick!'

you have no idea where he's taking this, but you're in for the ride. it's not you he's mad at and that's very clear, he's just trying to share his frustration. 'you were sick. you were throwing up.'

'thank you! i was! it was awful!'

you nod with him. 'yeah, throwing up sucks.'

'it does! and guess the fuck what, i missed a quiz and this stupid fucking prick of a professor won't let me retake it. he tried blaming me and said i needed to be more serious, trying to insinuate i was hungover when he knows for a fact i've shown up on my fucking deathbed before!'

you feel anger build for him, peter takes his academics very seriously. so if saying he doesn't take it seriously feels like a slap in the face to you, you can't imagine how it feels for him.

'oh, that's fucked, petey. if you want i'll draft a letter to the dean and we can-'

peter laughs and shakes a finger in the air. 'already did it. and guess what, i got to retake it. but he couldn't handle the fact i went over his head and he called me immature and unequipped to handle the real world.'

you gasp, peter nods with exaggeration. 'yup! so fuck that class, fuck that prick, fuck the guy that got cheese on my shoes-' your eyes look at his nikes, true to his words there's splatters of orange on the tops. "- fuck ethan for getting me sick, fuck everything and everyone!'

a gulp of air, he calms himself down. 'except you. i still like you.' the room goes quiet when he sits on the edge of your bed. it's just one of those days where nothing you say will fix it and he just needs to feel sorry for himself and have someone do it with him.

you stand in front of him and hold his head to your torso. peter buries his face in your shirt and breathes deep, you're worried he might be suffocating himself. you take his snapback off and lightly scratch his scalp.

'i'm sorry everything and everyone sucks, petey.' you can feel a rumble when peter talks but you can't hear him at all. 'what's that, mumbles?' he has a slight blush when he pulls back, 'except you.' he hides his face again, holding you even closer.

'wanna look at me?' a thrash into your stomach, he's anchored around your waist. 'please?' another silent no. 'i wanna tell you something.'

a squeeze, he's listening. 'no, c'mon, look at me.' peter shouts into your shirt, it still comes out muffled. 'no. you just wanna see me all blushy and shy.'

you tickle behind the collar of his shirt, he jolts into your touch. 'just look at me, please?' a few deep breaths, he's not so pink cheeked anymore. you try to mimic peter when you're upset and cup his face, you get why he does it, he's so delicate under your touch.

'you are insanely smart, peter. i've seen the effort you've put into your work. remember one time i tried to see if i could help you finish but your math questions are like three miles long?' a small smile, your heart picks up. you're helping!

'and you're way more equipped than anyone i know, and you have the cleanest room in the house. oh, and you're a really good nephew.' there it is, that's what you were searching for. peter warmed under your touch, watching him transform into bashful had you soaring.

'not to mention how handsome you are. i mean, i totally get it, petey. cause you're my baby.' red, red, red. he turned red. peter dove for your chest, he can feel his heartbeat in his throat.

'you're being mean when i'm sad.' you pat his head before tangling your fingers in, 'i just wanted you to know that your professor sucks and is the dumbest person to ever talk to you. he's wrong and today sucked and that's all it should be.'

you bend to press a kiss to the crown of his head. 'wanna lay down for cuddles,' you wait until he shuffles away, 'my beautiful, handsome baby boy?'

another flush, you never noticed how good peter looked in red. 

[kybercvnt]

You Look Cold.

Pairing – Anakin Skywalker x GN!Reader

Summary – You and Anakin are on a Jedi mission to snoop out the Separatists, but what you don't expect is to find the warmth you needed on one of your coldest missions.

Word Count – 1354

Warnings – Angst?, near-death, hypothermia, swearing

A/N – I've been saving this one for a rainy day but now I think is the best time to let it free from my drafts after not posting a story for a whole week.

Perhaps this idea of a stakeout on a dry, frozen planet wasn’t the best. You had been expecting the arrival of a fearsome Dooku and one of his many new Separatist apprentices in the darkness of the night, but what you hadn’t expected was the planet’s drastic change in the temperature. The sun was the one star keeping you warm, and now the bitterness of the cold nipped at your fingertips, and it was only late evening.

You and Anakin had been sent to spy on the Sith Lord atop the ridges of their supposed “secret” base but had not been forewarned at the gradual descent in temperature. No extra layers, no questions, and no preparation for your impromptu visit. Obi-Wan had the fortune of not being able to join you both on your scout and instead had requested to stay back and wait for Anakin’s signal to fly down with their army of clones and attack when they least expected it.

Anakin was diligently keeping a watchful eye at the edge of the cliff face, whilst you were trying to forcefully stretch your robes around your shivering body. You earlier asked Anakin if there was any slim chance you would be able to light a fire to keep yourself from earning yourself purple phalanges, but Anakin persisted it would “expose our location.” Anything for the Jedi Order, you suppose.

Anakin had never shown much affection to you as he considered that you were just another Jedi doing your job in the war. It didn’t bother you that much, he had his priorities, and you had yours. Every Jedi had vowed to put their duties and efforts for the war in front of personal desires. It would have been easy, if you hadn’t had the fattest crush on him.

You wanted to twirl his brown hair around your fingers, rest your body on his firm chest, and simply hold him for a while. You knew Anakin had quirks, he was sensitive and had outbursts at his temperaments. You couldn’t think about your adornment for the knight right now, you could only wish that the rage that boiled inside of was hot enough to keep you warm.

Anakin was fairly larger than you and much better trained. His endurance and size allowed him to feel the cold, but not quiver at the sensation as majorly as you. You knew though, that he couldn’t keep up this facade of being a strong and resistant fighter for much longer. He would soon be in your position and consider putting the mission in jeopardy for a fire.

While he kept a lookout, waiting for the dark leaders to leave the safety of their base, you continued to shudder and rock, wiggling your toes and trying your hardest not to succumb to the cold. Your hood was raised over your head, but the skin on your face had the greatest exposure, and you felt your nose start to leak.

“Still no sign of them.” He told you, but once he turned to face you, he was met with a near-corpse body. You had stopped your jittering, instead, your teeth chattered rapidly. Your cheeks and nose had a colouration that was vastly different from the rest of your skin. You didn’t look him in the eyes because you were too zoned out, staring at the pebbles and rocks of dust.

“You look cold.” He called out to you, but you omitted no movements. He ran up to you in panic, immediately draping your cold form under his robe and forcing you into his body. If it weren’t for the fact your consciousness was slowly leaving you, you might’ve been a little flustered, but now the rosiness on your cheeks was enough to blame on the cold. He pressed your face into his neck, he was surprisingly warm (it must’ve been the rage all along). He didn’t grimace when your wet nose made contact with his dry skin, but he did grimace at the freezing feeling of your skin. The slight warmth he provided gave you enough energy to rasp out a few words.

“No… sh-shit…” He cradled you, and you revelled in his touch. It didn’t stop the tingling in your legs when you tried to move them, and your fingers felt so brittle they might snap off. He quietly shushed you and pulled you onto the earth, you both lying on the ground with him hugging you tightly. This was a feeling you had always wanted, but not in such dire circumstances might they be a little bit romantic.

With your nose still squished against his neck, you could only make out the sound of the rustling of fabric. You weren’t sure what you were hearing, but once warm hands found your own icy ones, you couldn’t help but smile into his neck.

“Fuck, you should’ve said something sooner.” He scolded you. You wanted to laugh, but your body was too void of energy to do anything unless it was minor.

“I didn’t… want to worry… you… The missi…” You were quiet, conserving your energy as best you could.

“Fuck the mission. You’re worth more than some Sith scum.” He barked, and there was that bitter Anakin you knew and loved.

“If I die…” You started.

“You’re not going to die! I won’t let that happen.” He was truly sensitive. He was still a young boy who had lost too many people in his life, thrust into a war and is claimed to be the “chosen one.” You heard that he had too much to handle at such a young age that you didn’t want to press him into telling you more, not wanting to ignite the everlasting spark that might end in a catastrophic cataclysm.

“If I die… I’ve always liked you, Ani… I just wanted you to know.” He didn’t retaliate or say anything in return, he just kept you pressed against him. Until he thought it was long enough and he tilted your head upwards at him slowly. Your half-lidded eyes stared up at him, you didn’t want him to see you this weak. He wouldn’t have thought to see you as weak, and your awaited response was reciprocated in a warm kiss.

Your lips were chapped from the constant heavy and jagged mouth-breathing your lifeless body had defaulted to. When he pulled his lips back from yours, shocked at your icy skin, you gave him no response, at all. Your eyes closed and your breathing softened, you finally succumbed to the cold and blacked out.

You couldn’t tell, but at the same time, Anakin heard faint voices coming from below the cliff. He didn’t dare leave your side, and instead reached for his comms and spoke into it.

“Obi-Wan, they’re out, and please send medical help. Immediately.” It only took half a minute before a dozen ships flew down to meet the Sith Lord. You were quickly brisked away for support, and Anakin was anxious throughout the attack.

You woke up in a Coruscanti medical bay, far warmer than you last remembered. You looked to your side to see a very relieved Anakin standing over you. His eyes were red like he had been crying, he was always such a sensitive boy.

“Thank the stars you’re okay. You scared me back there!” He scolded you once again, unknowing where to direct his frustrations. His clamour made you want to laugh, but you had enough energy that you could actually let out a small chuckle, so you did.

“I’d do it more often… If it meant I got that much attention.” He made a small laugh in return, and you swore you could see a tear glisten down the side of his cheek. He leaned in over you, connecting your lips together.

“You don’t have to risk your life for it.” He breathed over your now warm lips, “just ask.” he whispered and reconnected your lips again once more. You smiled against his lips, your heart flipping in your chest at the realisation that the man you admired for a long time, finally loved you back.

[miss-celestia13]

Good Girl

Jake x MC Smut One Shot

Words: 3.4k

A week apart. A clever little toy. Taunting Jake and refusing to back down means Manon is about to learn that playing with fire gets you burnt… in a very good way. Praise, denial of sex to make her beg, and a filthy dream that shatters her control. Shameless gratuitous smut!

It's been a while since I posted some explicit shit, and this was gathering dust in my drafts. Can be read on its own. You don't even have to know the fandom to read it. It's smut at its most indulgent and plotless self. I hope you enjoy it! It's a dual POV, switches from Jake to my MC and back again every so often, but I've tried to make it as clear as possible. Their names are bolded to show whose head you're in.

Manon: It’s a shame you have to work...

Jake: Why?

Manon: I was shopping earlier and bought something for us to play with.

Jake: …

Manon lay on her front on her massive hotel bed, legs crossed at the ankle and kicking up as his chat bubble told her he was typing and deleting repeatedly. It took another few minutes before he sent something else.

Jake: For us or for you?

Manon: Well, I was bored earlier, and it was definitely for me then, but I know you’ll figure it out when I come home.

Jake: Manon.

You should have waited for me.

Manon: You should know by now that waiting isn’t my strong suit.

Jake: How many times?

She considered lying, but part of her still thought he could read her filthy mind, and her thumbs moved before her mind could catch up.

Manon: Twice.

Jake: That’s it?

Pathetic.

A strangled laugh left her, she could hear his cocky tone, and already she wanted to go for round three. She decided to play a perilous game and prod at his need to claim, conquer, and own her in bed. Familiar heat made her muscles loose, and a hot flush crept up her neck to stain her cheeks pink.

Manon: There is plenty of time to make that number rise...

Jake: Do you want me to deny you, Manon? You didn’t like it last time.

Manon: I vividly remember enjoying the end results, though.

Jake: I see.

We’ll see how long you last this time.

Sleep well, Manon. ;-)

(Jake is offline)

Fuck. Her pulse flickered wildly in her neck as she stared at the screen and wished she could slap herself, turn back time, and not provoke him into another game of, “Let’s see how long Manon’s sanity can stretch before she snaps and begs.” Two days were her limit a few months back, and she hadn’t pushed him that far since. The safety of a luxury hotel and the temporary distance between them gave her a false sense of confidence, and she would be the loser if she couldn’t hold out. No. She refused to lose and wouldn’t see him for a week. It would be easy. A walk in the Godsdamned park. It would’ve been if Jake hadn’t shown up at her door the following morning and joined her for the rest of her stay. Her new plaything was soon confiscated, and her suffering began.

Five days. Five fucking days he slept naked beside her, joined her in the shower, touched, kissed, and grabbed her until she trembled and moaned, only to be released with a peck on the cheek and a sly smirk as he turned away. Her nerves were shot, a permanent tremor took up residence in her hands whenever he brushed past her or smiled her way, and she ran out of clean underwear two days ago, slick so often she had to change them multiple times just to get through the fucking day. He never let her out of his sight to ensure she couldn’t relieve the pressure building to an implosion inside her with her fingers. She was on a blade edge as she readied for another sleepless night.

Exhaustion dragged her down as she slid off her robe and clambered into bed, ignoring the smug look on Jake’s face as she put her back to him and slammed her eyes shut. She thought sleep was beyond the realm of possibility, but her body had been on high alert for days and demanded a break. She was asleep within minutes, barely cognizant of his gentle kiss on her temple as oblivion pulled her under. There was no respite from her constant simmering arousal inside her dreams. He was there, under her, on top of or lifting her up, and it changed each time she blinked and was so vibrant and real that she could feel the slip and slide of her essence on her inner thighs as he fucked her.

Unleashed and intent on making her crumble, she was helpless as dream Jake flipped her on her front and ordered her to get on her knees and hold on. Her shaking hands gripped the bedpost just as he slid inside her, every hard inch so familiar and real to her as she keened. Out of focus and constantly changing, she could only burn as the dream spun out of control. Seeing them from above, two souls twisted together on the bed, positions switching as she flung her head back and screamed. She flinched away from it and blinked, finding herself under him once more. Release was so close it was a coppery tang on her tongue as he urged her on. Ready to crest that peak, primed to detonate, relief and gratitude sinking through her…

She was unceremoniously dragged out of it and blinked stupidly at the dark ceiling as Jake jostled the bed and turned to face her.

 

She was soaked in sweat, her saturated cunt clenching in time with her furious heartbeat, and a moan trapped halfway up her throat as her thwarted orgasm winked out of existence. That was it. Her hormones had reached critical levels. She couldn’t take it anymore. Lust was a lead weight low in her belly. A swirling ache with its own pulse resided in her core, and she realized dimly that she was whimpering softly. She could take the edge off herself and hold off a little longer. The thought made her bottom lip tremble as sweat trickled down her face. She was soaked and unable to think or breathe through the violent arousal stealing her tongue. Sensing Jake watching her, she didn’t jump when his sleep-roughened voice rumbled too close for her jumpy nerves.

“Two words, Manon. Say them, and I’ll fuck the ache away.”

Oh, fuck, he never played fair. Her legs clamped together, and she was rubbing them slightly, seeking friction as his large hand wrapped around the back of her thigh. He’d feel how wet she was; it slid down her thighs to soak the sheets, and she knew he’d already noticed. She was proven right when his fingers crawled between her legs to delve into her slippery folds. Her whimper fast turned into a whine as he circled her entrance with the tip of his finger but didn’t penetrate her. It was cruel of him to tease her when she felt like an animal in heat. A creature of base instincts so devastating she feared she might die if he didn’t fuck her. The words were on the tip of her tongue, her mouth parted along with her thighs, and she was close to begging when he called her good girl.

She hated to lose. She would rather die than give in, but her body would not rest without his care and even if he allowed her to touch herself, it wouldn’t be enough. He was smirking, she could barely see him, but she knew he was as she loosed a quivering breath and his finger grazed her clit. No, she had no other option, and her mouth opened before she understood she was talking.

“You win. Please, I think I’ll go mad if you don’t fuck me.” She fully expected him to gloat, or laugh but he didn’t make a noise.

Suddenly, his mouth was on her neck, teeth scraping down the column as she jolted and let out a yelp that soon turned to a warbling moan as he slid two fingers inside her weeping cunt. The heel of his hand caught her clit as he moved it in and out, her fluttering inner walls holding his fingers tight. She could feel her sanity splintering and weakening as pleasure ignited like fire on gasoline. Jake murmured pure filth to urge her on.

“I need you relaxed, Manon. I can’t give you what you want until you come for me. I need to hear you. Then I’ll fuck the sense back into you.”

An unhinged laugh spilled out of her as her stomach tensed, the heat between her legs now an inferno as she ground herself into his hand. It was like sparking flint over dry brush. He coaxed her along, crooking and pulling his fingers, kissing her until she drank the air from his lungs. Besotted after all this time. She wondered how they’d be twenty years from then. Still obsessed with each other and deeply in love? She believed so, and as the first ripples of her release spread from her core, she knew she would always feel so utterly unglued around him. Everything in him was designed to pull her apart and put her back together. Her mouth opened, a dark wail and curse of his name as her body tensed and jerked with every pull of his hand between her thighs.

“There, let it take the edge off. You’re beautiful.”

Over time, Jake got even braver in the bedroom, and out of it, he was confident, a little cocky when needed, and completely aware of his effect on Manon. A few words, a couple twists of his wrist, and denying her for a short time, it was a recipe for heaven when she finally erupted. He’d hated every moment of denying her; he needed her touch as often as she needed his. All he had to do was think about her or catch a hint of her seductive scent, and he was rock hard, ready to taunt her body into unconsciousness. Oh, yes, he knew how strongly he could make her react. She was always extra touchy the following days after one of those animalistic nights. He tried not to use it too often, but she deserved that from him tonight. He knew if he fucked her right away, she would come too fast to savor it. She was a livewire under his influence; he only had to look at her over the last few days, and he could observe her struggle to keep the words that would end her torment trapped inside. Her quaking body flooded his hand with her essence, and he wanted to taste it more than he wanted to breathe.

“Jake,” she whispered as she took her first full breath since waking; he affirmed as he sucked his fingers clean and wordlessly told her to go on, “I need you. Now. “

“Do you want me to take care of you?” He needed her consent before physically committing to taking her control away.

Her soft, urgent whine made his smirk broaden as she said, “Yes. Don’t make me beg.”

He let go of a black chuckle, “You already are, Sweetheart.”

That was the trigger word, saved for these moments as its power over her was so explosive that she turned feral. His smirk transformed into a grin, and he caught her as she pounced and pushed him onto his back. Her tongue was in his mouth as his cock jumped against her ass, and she clawed his chest, sharp nails making him hiss into her mouth. He groaned and bucked his hips when he felt her drip onto his torso. His cock ached with the need to sink into her tight heat and feel her disintegrate around his length. She made a beast out of him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He never got bored of exploring her body and claiming new territory. He wrapped his hand around his cock and sighed as he applied pressure and stroked up and down a few times. Manon keened and found her voice.

“I’ve said the damn words, Jake. Stop playing.”

He didn’t respond; he let himself go and gripped her waist, flipping them so her hips cradled his and she was pinned. The heat pouring off her was scalding, and her skin was damp, salty, and musky as he inhaled slowly. His mouth watered as he stared into her lust-hazed eyes. She would let him do anything and trusted him so profoundly she readily handed him the reins. He didn’t take that for granted as he snapped his teeth at her plump bottom lip and stretched to reach under his pillow where he’d stashed the item that started all of this. He fumbled blindly until he felt the cool, smooth handle. It was a small clit sucking toy she mentioned once in passing, and he wanted to surprise her with it, but her impatient ass couldn’t wait. She already knew what he planned as she writhed under him and shook her head.

“Yes or no, Manon. You can stop me at any time. I’m doing this for you.” He rasped as she babbled.

Her voice never sounded, but she did nod.

“Will I keep going?” He double-checked, knowing he was being a little cruel.

“Yes! Fucking hell you are -” She sobbed as he impaled her on his thick cock and held her still, the insult she planned to spit at him forgotten as her eyes rolled back.

Her cunt held his cock in a taught clasp. A sensation of static flared under his skin as he made tiny shifts of his hips to open her up and stretch her to take him with force. Oh, her body would sing for him, primed to explode as it was. His small movements inside her turned into sharp darts of his cock that had her clinging to his shoulders. A sloppy kiss kept his own need to cum at bay as he experienced again how she melted like ice in July. He slid his hand up her thigh and paused at her knee, hiking her leg to change the angle enough to rub against that spot, making her wetness turn to a torrent of need. Still, he couldn’t make it too easy, when he felt the first pulse of her orgasm, he held her down with strength until the early flutters died out.

She was wound tighter than a reel of thread. One sudden move, and she would begin to unravel. Sobbing and distressed at being denied, she babbled “please” like a lifeline as he ignored his own lust and focused intently on her. He wished he could strap her down and drive her to the brink of insanity before giving into the want to hear her cry his name, but their restraints were back at home. She was too riled to wait for him to find something to tie her up. His sexual taunting earlier had affected her more than she wanted to admit, but he could feel it in the flood of essence drenching his cock and the raking of her nails down his skin. When she began trying to steal her pleasure, Jake pulled almost all the way out and slammed back into the hilt. Both moaned, and she was constantly making wordless noise like he’d made her forget English. He loved it and how powerful it made him feel. She liked to put on a show; her body kept him up all night more often than not, and he realized they never had been able to take things slow. Always fast, eternally burning, and all-consuming, it thrilled him.

“Use it now.” He ordered firmly, putting a good dose of authority into his tone, and she whimpered as she felt around the mattress for the toy. The quiet thrum when she turned it on seemed very loud as she worked it between their joined bodies to align it with her swollen clit. He knew she found the right setting when her inner walls clamped down on his length and tried to pull him impossibly deeper, her trembling making him shake as well.

He loved to overwhelm her. She was a force of nature in all she did and needed no one. Still, he knew she wanted him to take charge, to simply feel and not have to think for once. She always delighted in it once she let go of her pride and relinquished control, only doing so after she plucked away at his restraint to make him manhandle her. A distressed throaty whine made him smile as he taunted her with slow sensual plunges of his cock inside her flickering cunt. She was so wet, the toy was unrelenting in its efforts and her teeth were bared against the onslaught of sensations he could practically see moving through her. All he could smell was her sex and desire, a heady perfume he wanted her to wear every day. It took everything in him to ignore the tingling building low in his spine as she went rigid and arched into him, the sobs coming from her turning his lust into something sharp and dark.

“Now. Let go, or I’ll stop.” He clipped as he felt her tense and try to hold her orgasm off.

Her breath hitched as she turned the toy to a higher setting, and his thrusts became harsher to help her over the edge. He slammed into her again and again as her wail turned to a scream so ragged and raw he was proud of them both as she shattered. She attempted to move the toy away as her orgasm rolled through her, stealing his breath as her inner walls clenched around his cock, and he barked at her to stop.

“No, keep it there. One more time, you can do it.”

A helpless little sound trickled from Manon’s throat as her body jerked, and he mercilessly fucked her through it. All she knew was fire and desire so intense her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening to her. More brutal and rougher, he pounded into her and grinned down at her as she howled savagely and tried to breathe through the incredible pleasure surging through her aching body. It was too much. Her second orgasm still pulsed in her core as she felt another rising to swallow her whole. Jake sobbed above her, bending her further back, and a bite of delicious pain heightened the frenzied energy running through her veins. She couldn’t take it. Her mind fractured into jagged lines and red light, thoughts scattered like ash in the wind as his clever tongue filled her ears with praise.

“Good girl. You’re almost there. Turn it up for me.”

No, no, she couldn’t, the sucking sensation sealed around her over-sensitive clit was sending her farther into madness, but her traitorous fingers did as told, slipping over the soaked handle to find the right button to turn it up. The pattern of it changed. Every snap of his hips and the insistent suction made her thrash her head as her body convulsed. It blended into her second release, dragging it out and heightening it to a point where she could only wail and wait for the darkness at the edges of her vision to take her. Her breath came in harsh pants; his breathing was as rough as hers as he urged her on, and she gave herself over to the wildfire consuming her body and soul. She disintegrated into a million pieces like a house of cards in a hurricane. It terrified her how hard it seized her. Like she was having a fit as her mind slowly winked out, and she heard his cry of victory. Her name yelled into the sex-heavy air as he collapsed on top of her still-flailing body and smothered the noise she was making with his mouth.

Jake kissed her until she stopped kissing back. Knew she was on her way to sleep before his mouth was on hers, and he needed to soothe her before she fully slipped into a doze. Male pride at her twitchy, barely conscious body made him smile as he pulled free of her of her cunt. Tender touches to sweep her hair away from her face and wipe the sweat from her brow made her mumble his name and smile. She would sleep like the dead before long, and he knew she’d wake him for another round before they faced the outside world, so he carefully disentangled himself to go clean up. He picked up the still buzzing toy off the bed, turned it off, and took it into the bathroom to wash it off. He was done within minutes and soon crawled back into bed.

The sheets were damp with sweat and her essence. Never had he witnessed her so needy and vulnerable. Usually, he didn’t stop her from getting herself off to tide her over until she was desperate enough to let him win. She had nowhere to hide from him this time, and he’d taken full advantage. No matter where they were or what they did, they always ended up here. He thought they’d slow down after all the time they’d lived together. But somehow, it only became more apparent that they were addicted to each other and the pleasure they gifted one another. He loved it. He couldn’t wipe his satisfied smile away as he dragged the sheet over them and settled down to sleep. His last thought was that he couldn’t wait for her to get her own back and take it out on him.

**************************

Thank you so much for reading! I hope it was good. And thank you for any comments or reblogs if you feel like doing that too! I appreciate it 🥰❤️

[marta-bee]

Marta Rereads The Hobbit: Ch. 3 A Short Rest

Not giving up on my Hobbit reread. It's just that my reaction took a ficcish turn, and that takes more time.

The third chapter is actually a very short one, when Thorin & Co. rest up in Rivendell after escaping the trolls. Elrond fattens them up a bit, helps them decipher their maps and also takes a look at the new swords they rescued from the trolls' horde.

Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls' lair, and he said: "These are not troll - make. They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin - wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin - cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin; it was a famous blade. This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe - hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!"

"Whence did the trolls get them, I wonder?" said Thorin looking at his sword with new interest. "I could not say," said Elrond, "but one may guess that your trolls had plundered other plunderers, or come on the remnants of old robberies in some hold in the mountains of the North. I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old to be found in the deserted caverns of the mines of Moria, since the dwarf and goblin war." Thorin pondered these words. "I will keep this sword in honour," he said. "May it soon cleave goblins once again!" "A wish that is likely to be granted soon enough in the mountains!" said Elrond.

I just think certain reembodied sons of Gondolin might have a thought or three about those swords and how canonically he was never shown them. So I decided to expand on a drabble I wrote way back in the day, and now --oopsie-- here I am with 1,400 new words of verbal sparring and musing about the pain of reencountering the past. Odd how that happens.

This is all a bit momentous for me, as I've not written anything since *checks AO3* 2021. Sheesh, that's a bit embarrassing. And I've officially moved past the I-don't-hate-this-but-I-certainly-don't-love-it phase to *cracks knuckles* Still got it; a bit. Three cheers for worst-drafts.

I need another day or so to put the final spit and polish before posting. Will post a link here when it's ready, obviously. And I am looking forward to rereading "Over Hill and Under Hill" this week. Always remember, kiddos: caves in the mountains are not to be trusted.

[aeferkssr]

𝐚𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐬𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 ˚✩彡

clearing out my drafts with semi coherent thoughts

unfinished drafts, warning listed before the post.

masterlist.

UNTITLED - open character

the only way to escape this unreasonable situation, is to escape the unfair life that gave it to you..

suicide. escapism. slight domestic abuse.

the air on the balcomy was cool, cool enough to calm you from the several in terractions

the breeze danced around the delicate fabrics of your dress, shoes being long disregarded as you stood on the railings. you whisper faint and final farewells to the very stars that keep you company on your lowest nights, the garden that you would hide away in when you needed some time alone, and to the very life that you have been blessed with.

you doubt you'd be able to live as lavishly in your next life, (you doubt you'll even remember this one, much less make a comparison) but you decided to let fate take the lead.

"you can feel the midnight air just fine from down here, i don't think the need for elevation is mandatory"

fate has got to be fucking with you right now. you didn't even look at him

...

"very trivial matters, i'm afraid. im just a coward running away from my problems"

"a matter worth taking ur life over isn't trivial to me"

...

"count ( ) of ( ), he's have many wives in his years. there has been rumors of the women he weds only serving as countess for a few months... until never being seen again."

you sniffle as you try to blink away the upcoming tears, you shouldn't be weak right now, you can't be weak right now.

"...i've told father about the rumors but he tells me i'm being dramatic, that there was nothing to worry about and that his past wives were just incompetent, and to never be like them..."

you can hear his stern voice boom throughout his office:

"all of those women simply went back to their homes. to add, they came back disastrous, unfulfilled, disappointments. that will not be you, understand?

...

he didnt know what to say, there was nothing he could say

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - xiao ver.

as you run away from the ball to save you exiled father, the beast finally confronts his thoughts on the past weeks

no warnings applied

the beast looks off at you as you scurry to get your horse, the mirror he gave you had shown your father being harassed and held down by townspeople and you ran off to go save him. he sighs.

his head hangs low as he walks into the uppermost room of the east wing, the whilting rose, that determines not only his fate but the fate of the whole castle, is covered by glass as the fallen petals rot below it.

he reflects on what happened so far, the time he spent with you as his 'prisoner'.

...

he finds himself not only do these memories plague his mind but you stand out the most in them, the entire ballroom was but a blur - insignificant and unremarkable - compared to you. the way how your gown glistened as the moonlight hit is, your unwavering eye contact made his head spin, and the awe inspiring ambiance curated by cadenza.

BESTFRIEND!AETHER - aether obvi

hcs on best friend aether (could count as a sfw version of this post)

no warnings applied

best friend!aether who you met when your teacher recommended tutoring. as you listen to the teacher go on and on about something you didn't care enough to listen to, your supposed tutor gives you a shy wave, to which you respond with a small nod.

best friend!aether that tutors you effectively, he seemed to be able to explain events in history like he's actually been there. no wonder prof. morax likes him so much, they're similar in that matter.

best friend!aether who seems even more excited than you about your grades, rocking you from side to side in a tight hug that you could only laugh to and hug him back. he never fails to make your achievements feel like actual achievements, things to be proud of and be celebrated.

speaking of celebration, best friend!aether, who takes you out to your favorite restaurant next weekend. it doesn't matter how much you ordered, how expensive the food might be, or even the location. he will find a way to take you there and will pay in full.

best friend!aether who you started to hang out with without needing to study. either you two would be chatting away over nonsensical topics or you would be silently sharing one of his airpods as you listen to your blended playlist.

best friend!aether who you got so close with without even realizing it.

UNTITLED - aexiao poly

gossiping with ur boyfriends lawl

gossiping, i hope no one knows me irl is reading this...

“bro, shut up” aether said, as he momentarily stops playing with your hair

“no i’m so serious!” you say as you lean your head up to look at him

“haven’t they been together for a year now?!” xiao kicks in, his eyes still glued to his phone

“almost, bebe, its been 9 months” you respond as you start to weave his hair through your fingers “thats what makes it so sad, pinterest is very much obsessed with mackerel and i don’t know if i should be the one to break it to her”

you sigh as you sink more into aether’s lap, burying your face in his basketball shorts. as aether plays with the locs of your hair, you busy your hands with xiao’s hair as his head lies between your thighs. being “the quiet kid” in your class pays off as you always overhear different stories with a variety of people. of course, their identities are hidden using different code names.

right now, you were telling your lovers what you have heard earlier that day. the cafeteria was a breeding ground for drama, as different people with different majors are in one place. if you leave your headphones — on purpose or not — you could hear the table beside you loud and clear. doggie and wolfie were constantly in some sort of drama, doggie found solace in useless and wolfie got jealous, and banana yogurt was on the rise again? you thought that she moved schools!

@aeferkssr.

[cheapsweets]

The ophiophagous Basekhwa

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge from @maniculum

Jinhao shark fountain pen with fine, hooded nib, with Monteverde Raven Noir ink, over initial pencil sketch. Previously I've always used a mechanical pencil for the initial sketch, but this time I figured I'd try something more artsy, 5.6ml HB lead in a n e+m clutch pencil. Much less precise, but nicer for drafting. I figure it's a good indicator I've gotten more confident in my inking linework compared to when I started!

One thing I'm really finding with these challenges is that I'm really learning the value of a good reference. It seems obvious typing this out, but the way I think something should look (in context, particular animals) and the way it actually looks can be quite different (case in point, the legs on ruminants!).

Reasoning below the cut;

So first things first, this is one of the longer more detailed descriptions we've had so far. There were so many different types of behaviour described here that I knew I wanted to cover as many as possible. I initially considered dividing the picture into quarters, as I had with the Yaggzrok (with maybe a fancier border). Maybe I was inspired by the fancy tree in the picture from the bestiary last week, but as I also wanted to give more space to a slightly larger picture of the creature, I had the thought of doing some smaller viginettes showing the different behaviour, hence the finished composition...

"Basekhwas are the enemies of snakes; when they feel weighed down with weakness, they draw snakes from their holes with the breath of their noses and, overcoming the fatal nature of their venom, eat them and are restored."

I had to emphasise the nostrils once we had more of an idea of what manner of creature this was, my initial thought was to go with something like a tapir's snout, but once I did a little looking into horned animals, I just had to take the primary inspiration from saiga antelope...

"They have shown the value of the herb dittany, for after feeding on it, they shake out the arrows which have lodged in them. Basekhwas marvel at the sound of the pipes; their hearing is keen when their ears are pricked but they hear nothing when their ears are lowered."

"They have another characteristic, that after eating a snake they run to a spring and, drinking from it, shed their long coats and all signs of old age."

The buck in the top viginette has found itself a quiet spring to enjoy its snack. Note the shaggy coat compared to the animal that is the main focus of the drawing, and the couple of arrows sticking out if its rump! Why not kill two birds (snakes?) with one stone?

Speaking of which, it probably doesn't show due to the size of the drawing, but I did base the herb to the left of the critter in the viginette on Dictamnus albus (a completely different type of plant to Cretan dittany or American dittany), since I figured this was more likely to be the plant the authors were referring too. Interesting plant, possibly the 'burning bush' of biblical fame...

Obviously, needed to emphasise the ears, given its keen hearing.

"Basekhwas have this characteristic also, that they change their feeding-ground for love of another country, and in doing so, they support each other. When they cross great rivers or large long stretches of water, they place their head on the hindquarters of the Basekhwa in front and, following one on the other, do not feel impeded by their weight. When they find such places, they cross them quickly, to avoid sinking in the mire."

I gave it the a fuzzy rump to make it more comfy when they are resting their heads on eachother when crossing water (the right hand viginette - have a random water bird too!).

"Male Basekhwas, when it is time to rut, rage with the madness of lust. Female Basekhwas, although they may been inseminated earlier, do not conceive before the star Arcturus appears. They do not rear their young just anywhere but hide them with tender care, concealed deep in bushes or grass, and they make them stay out of sight with a tap of the hoof. When the young grow strong enough to take flight, the Basekhwas train them to run and to leap great distances. When Basekhwas hear the dogs barking, they move upwind taking their scent with them. They are scared rigid by everything, which makes them an easier mark for archers.

Of their horns, the right-hand one is better for medical purposes. If you want to frighten off snakes, you should burn either. If Basekhwas have few or no teeth, it shows that they are old. In order to tell their age, Alexander the Great ringed a number of Basekhwas; when they were recaptured a century later they showed no sign of old age. The offspring of the Basekhwa are called [redacted], from [redacted], because at a nod from their mother, they vanish from sight."

The 'burning the horns' thing is making me think there is some further association with this animal and dittany, again. I'm glad Alexander had time in his short life amidst all the conquering to do some zoological studies!

Given the differing qualities of the two horns, I figured it would add some visual interest if they were differnt sizes.

I wanted the main focus of the picture to be on a mother Basekhwa and her baby; she's ready to tap her hoof, and the baby is ready to disappear into the bush!

"The rennet of a young Basekhwa killed in its mother’s womb is a marvellous remedy against poisons. It is known that Basekhwas never grow feverish. For this reason ointments made from their marrow bring down sick men’s temperatures. We read that many men who have regularly eaten a small amount of Basekhwa meat since their early days have lived for a long time unaffected by fevers; but ultimately it fails them as a remedy if they are killed by a single blow."

Look, live as long as you like, it's not going to help if someone whacks you on the noggin in a tourney with a morningstar, is it? 😕

[crimeronan]

can you talk about chronic illness themes in greywaren pretty please I’m so curious what you thought about the conclusion or lack therof

i've had this in my inbox for weeks and keep thinking about it and like. on the one hand i want to answer on the other hand i don't enjoy spending a lot of time talking about things i don't like. but i think i've nailed down the broad shape of my grievances wrt chronic illness real quick, so here's this and moving on

i think the first 2/3rds of greywaren were perfectly suited in tone to what dreamer trilogy had set up and there were Really good questions raised about matthew and jordan and declan and ronan and hennessy, i also think hennessy's arc (and the ronanessy culmination) was the only one that felt like it actually followed through on the chronic illness themes that had been set up. i was very very interested in jordan's thing about the act of creation keeping her awake, there's some good metaphors about artist survival there, tho ymmv. i know a lot of people with chronic fatigue aren't fond of it bc making art is Tiring and sometimes you Cannot Do It but tbh what i didn't get from jordan i got fine from hennessy so. that's all fine. then the last few chapters of the book take a hard transition into "now i have to wrap this whole universe up prettily to avoid rude tweets" and that apparently meant not having any messiness on the page, which is a shame because complex nuanced messiness is where stiefvater's writing most thrives.

adam and ronan's resolution was boring they didn't fix any of the things that were a problem wrt ronan's chronic illness and adam's Everything, joining souls in space is stupid, they already KNEW they loved each other, the love was not the PROBLEM, the problem was that they were on fundamentally incompatible life paths and loving each other DOES NOT MAKE THOSE COMPATIBLE.

declan and matthew's resolution was nonexistent, i'm actually Very Okay with the whole "matthew walks home" plotline but i needed his POV of that journey and i needed WAY more on the page from declan at the end there and i needed WAY more than "i can be fine relying on you guys bc bryde told me i should" when declan's treatment of matthew up til then had shown NO indication that matthew can EVER trust him.

bryde is the sickest person in the series and his end was far too ambiguous for my taste, especially when up to that point he and matthew had been interrogating the EXACT themes i'd wanted to see about what it means to be a dream and to be this kind of chronically ill. like we were almost somewhere there and then we just dropped everything about.... everything.

meanwhile adam is torn apart on the astral for days and days and days but wakes up fine and then bam, we flip forward 4 years and he's normal and there's no indication of any potential issues even tho there were themes traced all the way back to cdth about him and hennessy having similar chronic illnesses (thru lace metaphor). the epilogue firmly establishes that everyone is Better and that they all have stuff Figured Out Now and while i like knowing where people end up, i don't like a resolution that boils down to "and now we never need to struggle again."

i did not like greywaren's takes (or lack thereof) on chronic illness because it felt like we can't exist in a "joyful comfort read" because chronic illness is Bad and the author wants to avoid nasty tweets about doing Bad Things to characters.

i want to know what greywaren would have been if its main purpose had been to carry thru the series themes instead of to make trc fandom shut up and feel pleased about their blorbos and move on. stief talked about how she had to do a lot of rewriting with the dreamer trilogy up through greywaren bc she was so angry about being sick and. i want the angry book. i want the drafts that weren't pared down and rearranged and cut apart and spliced together to appease every normie person who's never felt constant pain or fatigue a day in their lives. the first two books were for me and will always have been for me, they are The Most Personal Books I Have Ever Consumed, but in order for greywaren to be for me, it would have had to Not be for certain people, and. well.

greywaren is for everyone.

so. shrug emoji. i guess.

[thelightsandtheroses]

Weekly Wrap Up #2

This Week’s Fic Recs

These are just a few of the fics I’ve enjoyed this week. As always. please be mindful of any content warnings and I believe all fics/ blogs are 18+. I haven’t read as much this week so for this week I’ve included some fics on my TBR as well.

Frankie Morales take care of me- @undercoverpena continued her fwb!Frankie series and it was just what I needed to read after a day in the office!

Javier Peña

Paranoid Heart - I am finally catching up on @goodwithcheese's Javi fic and read chapter 2 this week - I'm loving it so far!

Saturdays with Javi: Tied Together @wildemaven wrote a lovely post show Javi updated to her Saturdays with Javi series. I now need to catch up with the rest of the series

My Writing This Week

No updates, but I posted the series list for Let's Get Lost, my ex! Frankie at the beach fic. I'm really excited about this concept and am delighted several people have shown interest so far.

Current state of the WIPs:

Your Hand In Mine - I have been working on a one-shot update between chapter three and four called 'Rumours about hips and thighs and whispered sighs' and it's uh, well I think the title implies a bit? Joel and the reader have come a long way from bench chats.

Let's Get Lost - working on chapter one and likely to be posted after the above one-shot

Secret Smile - remains on temporary hiatus but I hope to be writing for it again very soon.

I Can See You In Your Suit and Your Necktie - still in early drafts

If you want snippets or to ask something about any of the above, feel free to send in an ask!

What I've Been Up To This Week

I bought a new book at the weekend called Ink Blood Sister Scribe that sounds great and I'm about to start. I'm also eyeing up several other books at the moment but I'm trying to work through my TBR.

Nothing I've read this week beats last week's read of Girl Goddess Queen yet.

I've been listening to some more podcasts, including You're Wrong About and Maintenance Phase which are really interesting.

I had my hair recoloured and now it's super coppery and I'm really happy with it.

I've continued playing BG3 - at the moment I am stuck in Act 3 in my OG runthrough which is with a half-elf bard (why is the house of grief so hard? Why?!) so I started my Durge runthrough this week (tiefling driud for extra act one drama) I remain stuck in my Astarion and BG3 moment and I have made my peace with this. It's fun as I'm finding things I missed in my main playthrough (like the book in the cellar, the well in the village, etc.)

How was your week?

[chaithetics]

First of all: Fics for Palestine is an awesome idea! Now with that said: What about those who don't have the money to donate? All I can do is my clicks, what if I wanted to participate or someone like me wanted to participate? They have no money, can't donate to the wonderful charities and causes on the list, believe in the cause and love your fics. That means there'd be a gap. I read your entire post too - it seems you're leaving out those who literally can not donate, even with your levels. Just because someone doesn't have the money to donate (for whatever reasons) doesn't mean that they don't support the cause, or that they don't want to help. I'd appeal to you to add a teir for those who can provide proof (screen shots and shares) of their clicks for https://arab.org/ as the add revenue generated between clicks for the adds shown on the web page goes directly to several different Palestinian causes: - Children - Palestinians - Fight Poverty - Refugees - Enviornment - Women Over all its your idea and a wonderful idea at that. You don't have to even listen to this idea. I just wanted to share an idea that might help generate even more aid for Palestine and further our cause, even for those who can't directly donate. I understand if you had nixed this idea due to workload. Makes sense. Yet again, what you're doing is awesome! This is a great idea! A beautiful idea that will spread aid, hope, and positivity. Thanks in advance and I hope that you're idea is SUPER successful!

Hey Rose, how are you? I hope you're having a lovely weekend! Thanks for sending this in and the kind words 🥰

This might become a bit winded, I've never been good at being a concise written communicator haha!

I don't know what social media platforms you use outside of tumblr, I assume it's the case for many but the last few weeks my TikTok fyp has just been filled with Palestinian evacuation Go Fund Me pages and it's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking that people are in this position, I work part time because of health so my resources in terms of time and money are limited. Late one night I just felt really hopeless and depressed because I'd seen so many people begging for much needed aid and all that was left for me to do was interact with the videos which felt really dystopian and heartbreaking. Fics for Palestine was a depressed, sleep-deprived late night idea, I messaged a lovely tumblr moot the idea late at night and then I made the post late at night as well. I'll be honest, not a lot of thought went into the tier system in that post. It was just that foggy brain running haha. Because I knew that there would be some people on tumblr who'd be in a position to donate and having this incentive might encourage them to donate and for others to learn more about the Palestinian struggle and genocide happening.

I do want to clarify that nowhere in the post do I say that people need to donate to care and that if people aren't in a position to do so they don't care. I do specifically say that I know donating isn't accessible to everyone and encourage people to keep showing up and supporting however they can.

We all have a part to play, so get involved with this if you like, please contact your local representatives and government, keep engaging with Palestinian content and voices, support the funds if you can- I know that's not accessible to everyone, attend rallies, protests, and vigils in support of Palestine. Do what you can, what is physically, emotionally and financially accessible to you.

It looks like this ask is your first time interacting with my account so it's fair that you probably wouldn't know this, but I do go through large inactive/tumblr hiatus periods but have been sharing content, free resources of ebooks and films, encouraging asking people to contact their representatives and posting bullet points to include and offering to help out with finding local resources, representatives and drafting emails both before and after the original 'fics for Palestine' post.

I also am physically disabled and have an autoimmune illness while also working and that, so fics take me a bit of time and my health flares (as my lovely patient followers know haha). So I did try to keep manageable expectations as it was a 2 week period and considered adding in a 'free' tier of proof of emails to politicians. I have shared posts saying that if it incentivises people to write to their politicians, I'll write a fic for them. This is a new tier that I'll officially be doing for June! I'll be posting that update as a new 'fics for Palestine' pinned post later tonight with some other tier updates! 🥰

Clicks for Palestine (arab.org) is a really cool resource that I wasn't familiar with till recently, so thank you for including them and highlighting them! I'll make a post about them and reblog any posts about them I see. I did talk to my friend about them and we kind of came to a point that while they are awesome somebody could potentially send a screenshot of the 'Thank You' in off multiple devices each day and while that's generating revenue (which is great) it could then lead to a spam of requests/abuse of this little initiative. If that makes sense? I'm hoping that the inclusion of emails will provide people a free way to show their support while engaging meaningfully, I've offered to help people write emails as well.

Also thought I'd clarify that the categories you listed, they all go to UN agencies but the page for Palestinians is the only one that guarantees that that revenue will go to Palestinian aid as it donates to UNRWA. All the other charities are much broader, so good to give clicks but that ad revenue could be spent in numerous other places by the respective UN agency.

Sorry for all the reading this will be! Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your thoughts Rose, I appreciate you sending this in and completely understand the thought behind it all! We've had a couple of awesome people participate and fingers crossed that continues for June 🤞

If you have any more thoughts I'm happy to chat, I hope you have a great weekend! If you made it this far, thank you haha! You can have a consensual hug or high-five if you'd like and if not you have my appreciation either way 💞

[harrysxcarolina]

Revenge - 01

Welcome to the beginning of Revenge. In this story you will be shown into the very dark and twisted lives of Raeelynn, Harry, and friends. This story is not for the weak. It will mention some very dark topics and triggering actions. Please use this as a warning, read at your own risk. This story is completely made up by me, and none of the events mentioned in this story is real nor has any of them happened to any of the characters, people that are mentioned, and/or portrayed in this story. This is the second warning that has been made in regards to this story, please be advise to refer back to the Revenge introduction for the full breakdown of what this story will contain. Now without further a do sit back, relax, and enjoy the roller coaster of emotions of Revenge.

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: swearing, blood, angst, murder, death.

-

You used to tell me that I could be anything that I wanted to be when I was younger. You would wrap your arms around me and softly kiss my hair before whispering, "Raee promise me that you will always fight for your dreams. No dream is too big or too stupid. So promise me."

The naïve little girl underneath you would smile fully up at you before holding out her pinky and whispering, "I promise. Just for you."

I trusted you completely. I trusted that you would keep me safe. I believed you so easily back then. I was so blinded by you that I had no choice but to let your storytelling distract me from what you were really planning.

It used to be so simple back then. Life used to feel so magical as a kid. Telling yourself that everything is reachable and that one day I could be everything I ever dreamed of. When you get older you realize nothing will ever be that simple again. Well, now all I wanted to be was free. Free of the misery I feel. Free of the pain. Free of my haunted nightmares. Free of the constant reminder that I am not good enough. That I will never be good enough.

I just want to be free. To not feel like this anymore. I hate you. I hate you for making me believe that I could be anything. That I could go out and obtain anything my mind and heart ever wanted because all you did was set me up for failure. You didn't prepare me for the real world. You just kept encouraging me to live in a fantasy that will only turn into a nightmare.

And where are you now? Nowhere to be found. You left me in the moments I needed you the most. You left me all alone to deal with him. To deal with the aftermath of something I never created. You abandoned me and forced me to become someone I never wanted to be.

I used to miss you, and now all I do is hate you.

I hate how I was left with nothing but misery when you escaped and forgot to take me with you.

You don't know what he does to me. You don't know what he allows to happen to me. I want to believe that you didn't know what your actions would cause when you left. I used to tell myself that you didn't because if you did you wouldn't have left me behind. You would have come back and rescued me by now, but I've learned the hard way. You aren't coming. You did know, and you just didn't care. Nobody cares.

Nobody ever car-

"Okay everybody that wraps up today's class. For those of you still working on your thoughts, please finish up your free writing and if you'd like to leave your notepad on my desk, please do so. I will make sure to get them back to you at the start of next week. Don't forget that you have your written essay due on Monday. I expect everyone to have it completed and peer-reviewed by three peers along with your final draft when you turn it in. No exceptions. Have a great weekend!" Professor Tilly states as she stands from her desk, drawing me out of my daze. Glancing around the room watching others pack up their belongings and making their way out of the lecture hall, I begin to grab my things. Slowly marking my journal I close it and slide it deep into my bag.

"Ms. Scott, a word before you leave?" Professor Tilly speaks up as she makes eye contact with me. Her lips smack as her tongue slowly traces the outline of her mouth. Panic sets in. I glance down at my watch. 3:45 pm. I can't be late.

"Yeah sure." I manage to say as I quickly stand up and sling my bag over my shoulder and make my way to her desk. My body goes rigid as I feel myself begin to spiral in panic.

My fingernails slightly dig into my palm as I clench my hands. I can feel the heat radiating off my back as I try to come up with a good enough excuse to use in case she tries to keep me. I can't be late. I can't be late.

"How is the semester treating you?" She asks as she moves back behind her desk and sits on the edge. Her tight skirt slowly slides up her thighs as her hands catch my attention. She’s adjusting the pens in the pen holder that sits on the left corner of the wooden desk.

My chest constricts. My breathing hitches deep in my lungs. They feel like they are about to explode. Not only from the lack of oxygen, but from the pressure of trying to remain calm so she doesn’t catch on. I know where she is going with this. My hand gripping the bag slightly tighter than before.

"It’s uh- it’s going good. I'm enjoying it, Professor." I whisper as I slightly wince at the feeling of my nails digging a little deeper into my palm. Relax. I need to take a deep breath and relax. I can't be late. My eyes divert back down to the black notebooks on her desk.

"You have yet to leave your notes for review," she states. My heartbeat picks up. I fidget with the strap on my bag trying to avoid her eye contact.

"Uh yes, I know. I thought it wasn't a requirement that it gets reviewed by you. I thought-" I started off but was quickly interrupted.

"No, no of course not. I meant it when I said at the beginning of the term. These notepads are for your own personal progress through this class. Almost all of your peers have turned theirs in at least once to get guidance on their progress, and you have yet to do so once. I just wanted to check in and make sure that you have no questions in regards to it." She says as she catches my eye.

Shaking my head as my lip finds its way in between my teeth.

"I’m fine, thank you. I just like to keep my thoughts private," I explain as I sway back and forth slightly. My thoughts are more dark and twisted. They are far too gone to share with anyone except myself, but she doesn’t need to know that. She nods her head in agreement, not knowing the full depth of my darkness.

"Most writers do that. Some prefer the guidance of a village while writing and others are a bit more private when it comes to their thoughts and writing progress. I understand completely. Well, in that case, please have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to reading your essay on Monday," she states as a chuckle leaves her lips. Giving a small wave, I make my way towards the door quickly glancing down at my watch. 3:58 pm. Shit, I'm going to be late.

Picking up my pace, I quickly make my way out of the lecture hall and across the campus to my car.

***

"Casey it's not that simple," I say with a chuckle as I grab ahold of the stepping ladder and slowly climb up to put the last few books back on the shelf.

"I don't see how it's not Raeelynn. Clearly, he likes you as he keeps coming into the store at the same time every day just to get a small glance at you. Don't be naïve and say that you don't see the way that he smirks at you," my best friend, Casey says with a laugh as she walks behind the ladder and holds up a few more books for me to grab and put away.

Shaking my head, I take one book at a time and gently place them on the shelf.

"All I'm saying is it won't hurt that tomorrow when he walks in you simply just say hi. He's been coming in for a few weeks now and you've yet to even speak to him. The poor mate keeps trying to bait me for information on you. I give him credit though he hasn't given up," Casey says as she slightly taps my arse making us both slightly lose balance, me more so than her.

"I've told you time and time again that I am in no place to date or even entertain the idea of dating someone right now. I have too much on my plate. Therefore, I have no reason to talk to him," I state as I slowly make my way down the stepping ladder and make my way to the back of the store to throw the empty box away. Casey huffs in annoyance but follows me.

"Look, you've said that for the past two years. Don't you think it's time to get back on the horse and try again? I know Logan really messed with your head, but babe you've come a long way. Maybe it's time to start letting someone in to help you take some of your stress away." She gently laces her arm with mine and pulls me to a stop. Taking a deep breath we both glance at each other.

"You know that it has nothing to do with Logan, and no one will ever be able to help take my stress away. Plus I’m not going to rely on someone else to help me with any of my stress. All I have is myself. I’ve definitely learned that the hard way."

"Why do you think that way? Why do you think that you are unsavable? Raeelynn, you are amazing, and anyone would be lucky enough to have you. Fight for you." Her eyes get softer and she gives me a gentle squeeze. If only she knew the truth.

Sighing, I pull her in for a hug, "thanks, Cas. I appreciate you. I just can't do it right now. There are things that can't and will not change, so there is no point in trying. At least right now.” She holds me back and I gently lay my head against her shoulder, wishing things could be different. But I know that they will never be any different than they are right now. I wish I could tell you everything, friend. I really do, but it will only ruin you too and I can't drag you down into hell with me. You're too good for it. Forcing a smile onto my face, I pull away but keep her at arm's distance.

“All right let's get the rest of these books stocked or Gloria will have our arses." I say, causing us both to laugh as we make our way into the back room.

***

"Okay, so your total comes out to be $46.53. Would you like me to bag up these items for you in paper or plastic?" I ask as I gather up the books that were just purchased. Taking a deep breath and glancing at the clock, I try to hold back my nerves as the time is getting closer to closing. Today went by too fast.

"Um, plastic will be fine, thank you." The customer states as she continues to rummage through her purse trying to find the exact amount of change for her bill. I quickly bag up the items and print off her receipt, wishing her a good night. Picking up a few misplaced things, I take my time putting them back in their rightful homes as I avoid looking at the clock.

"Alright dear, that does it for me. I'm going to head out for the night. Are you sure you'll be okay to stay by yourself? I know I sent Casey home earlier, but if you need me to stay with you, I don't mind. It's pretty dark out and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, dear." A soft and gentle voice whispers behind me. I couldn't help but smile as a warm feeling of comfort spread through my body. She was always so worried about me closing up the shop all by myself, but I know how to handle my own. I definitely made sure of it too. More like forced to.

"Yes, of course. You go ahead and head out. I'm sure I can handle it. It won't take me too long, so you have nothing to worry about." We both make our way to the front of the store and begin to close the blinds on the windows. Smiling back at me, she gently pulls me in for a tight squeeze.

"Okay, well, you have my home phone if anything were to go wrong. There are a few boxes in the back that I didn't get to do today. If you wouldn't mind putting out the new merchandise to help stock up for the big sale tomorrow?" She asked as I followed her out to the curb and watched her as she gathered up her keys.

"Yes, of course. I will have everything all set up for you, and I will make sure to call if I need you. Now go on and get home before I have Richard blowing up the store phone asking me why you are late for your Friday dinner!" I chuckle as I shoo her towards her car. She laughs a contagious laugh as she gets in and pulls away.

Shaking my head as I make my way back into the store, making sure to lock the door behind me. I get to work on unboxing the new shipment of books. After what felt like forever, I finally finished going through all the clearance books. I replace them with the new, upcoming author and make sure to place the proper coupons out on the display.

After breaking down all the boxes and placing them in the back room, I go through the store and turn off all the lamps and lights and take one last glance around to make sure I didn't miss anything. I finished cashing out the registers, stocking the shelves, and getting the displays set up for tomorrow. Taking a deep breath I, unfortunately, cannot stall anymore. Gathering up my belongings, I make my way to the back door and lock up.

Heading down through the alleyway behind the bookstore, I dig in my purse for my keys. I source through each and every pocket and I can’t seem to find them. I make a mental note to switch out bags once I get back to the apartment because I can't handle the stress of losing my keys. It's not helping that this alleyway is poorly lit and I have to stop to use my phone flashlight. Finally, after taking every single item out of my purse I found the bloody bastards at the bottom of the bag. Recollecting myself, I begin to walk again only to stop dead in my tracks only after a few steps. There are a few loud bangs and thuds echoing around me causing me to slowly look around.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary. There’s the usual dumpster, a very skinny, homeless cat that looks like it has to have at least 3 diseases, and darkness. Rounding the corner, just a few yards away from where I was standing, there was a really nice black Mercedes. That wasn't there a moment ago. I slowly start to walk again. A cold chill worked its way down my spine causing me to shiver and pull my jacket closer to my body. The crisp air is getting the best of me once again.

"Johnson, this is your last chance. Where the hell is my shit?" A deep, raspy voice shouts, clearly pissed.

"Lo-look I just need a little bit more time to... to get the rest of it. That's all." A shaky and very whiny voice responds.

I slowly and very quietly take a few steps forward, trying to get a better view of where the voices are coming from. I peek up over the dumpster, finally able to see who the voices belong to. Two guys are standing at the back end of the Mercedes, one taller than the other. The taller one is slender, but with a muscular body. His hair is untamed as his dark unruly curls go in every direction. The smaller one is scruffy, very skinny, and looks like he hasn't bathed in weeks. His hair is all chopped up and greasy. The taller one is holding the shorter one by the collar of his shirt. I try to squint my eyes, hoping to get a better look at the two, unable to make out their faces from how dark the alleyway is.

"I have already given you two weeks. Two weeks over your deadline. Johnson, you fucked me over and I never give second chances." He says through clenched teeth as he pulls Johnson up off the ground and in the air.

"No... no, I didn't fuck you over, Styles, I swear! I just had something come up and I had to use the money, but I swear, I'll get it back to you. Just give me one more day, please!" Johnson begs as his legs involuntarily swing back and forth. Styles lets go of him, dropping him on his arse. Styles looks down at him without saying a thing for a moment or two.

"You are a piece of scum. You weasel your way through life thinking that you can get away with every bloody thing," Styles spits as he kneels down so he is face to face with him. The smaller guy tries to scoot away but doesn't get far, as he is met with the dead end of the brick wall behind him.

"Please. I swear I can get every penny. If Robin was here, he would understand. I just need more time." There was a pause. What the hell am I doing? I’m standing here like an idiot watching this shit. I must be losing my mind. I begin to back away but, I’m once again, drawn back in. A deep chuckle flows through the air and I see Styles throw his head back in laughter.

"Bloody hell. You must be really fucking stupid. Did you really just say that to me? Compare me to Robin? Well, guess what? Robin isn't here. What makes you think that I would actually care what he would have done? Let me tell you why I don't care. Low lives like you are what is causing the destruction. I'm here to clean up the mess Robin made," Styles sneers as he stands back up and quickly runs his hand through his curls. He slowly turns around and faces my direction causing me to quickly duck behind the dumpster. Licking his lips, he turns back on his heel.

"Get out of my face. This is your last warning. If you don't have my money by tomorrow, you'll have a bullet with your name on it. Trust me. I never miss what I aim at," Styles says through clenched teeth. Johnson gets up and starts to speed walk in the opposite direction, but before he can make it far there's a loud bang. His body slowly falls to the wet ground as the blood seeps through his dirty clothes. I gasp and drop to my knees.

My eyes grow big. My stomach drops. I feel sick to my stomach at what's in front of me. His body lying lifeless in front of me. I hear footsteps getting closer to me and the body. I freeze not knowing whether to move or not. Styles pushes the body over with ease by the tip of his shoe. The body flips so he's now laying on his back. He leans down and quickly pulls a phone out of his pocket.

"It's Styles. I need a cleanup on the corner of Blackburn and Lisbon. Be discreet and hurry. We don't need this getting out. Tell Robin the job is done. I'll be there in fifteen." With that, he ends the call. Standing up from his crouching position he continues to stare down at the scrawny, blood-soaked body.

"Scum like you is what makes this job fun." He unlocks the black Mercedes before reaching in the dead guy's pockets pulling something out and twiddling it between his fingertips. I can't tell what it is, but seeing by the look on his face, it’s clearly something important. I gasp with horror as the warm crimson blood slowly makes its way closer to the tip of my shoes. I quickly cover my mouth, my gaze shoots up in hopes he didn’t hear my stupid mistake. My eyes widen and my stomach begins to twist into knots as the man I just witnessed murder another person looks me dead in the eyes. I feel the color drain out of my face. His stare doesn’t leave mine as they dilate and become coal black. Well fuck. Do I run? Do I scream? Both? Oh hell, what if he murders me next.

My body goes completely numb as he begins to take steps toward me. I have to run or I'm going to end up just like that man lifeless on the ground. I quickly turn and run the opposite way. I don't even look back to see if he is behind me. I just keep running. Getting closer to the street lights. My legs are getting tired, but I keep pumping them. My adrenaline is sky-high as I feel my heart pounding in my chest. Heavy footsteps are behind me.

I’m gasping for air, and my legs are getting tired but I must keep running. Internally cruising myself for always skipping gym days. My chest feels like it is getting tighter and tighter by the second. My lungs feel like they are about to catch fire at any second. Flashes of the dead man and all his blood keep replaying in my head as it gets harder for me to breathe. There’s a corner coming up, and I see the Chinese Takeout sign from the place I always order food from. I'm on fifty-second street!! Oh sweet Jesus there's a police station just a block away!

I press my legs harder and faster giving it the last of my energy. I need to stay alive. I need to get to the station. His footsteps are getting closer and closer to me. I'm trying to run faster but my tired legs won't let me. My breathing has gotten worse. Deeper. Harsher. My body is tired but I'm almost there. I see the street light getting brighter and brighter the closer I get.

Finally, I reach the corner, quickly turning and pressing my legs even harder. I keep replaying that dead man's picture in my mind. That's going to be you Raeelynn if you don't run faster.

Maybe I should stop. Maybe he'll listen when I tell him that I won't tell the cops. That I'll act as if I didn't see anything. That I was never even in the alleyway, to begin with. I know I am being delusional. There is no way in hell that he is going to just let me walk away from this alive. Especially because that’s what everyone says in this situation and they always go to the damn cops. He won’t believe me. Shit, I wouldn’t even believe myself.

Keep running. You don't want to die! You have your whole life ahead of you! Not like my life is something I want to keep living, but I guess anything is better than dying. I try to pump my legs harder, faster even, but it seems like no matter how hard I try they won't go any faster. I feel like I am moving in slow motion at this point. I see the station just ahead of me but no matter how hard I push my tired legs it never gets closer. Just as I am about to reach the front steps, I'm roughly grabbed and yanked to a stop.

"If you even make the slightest bloody peep I will kill you. Do you understand?" His rugged voice said close to my ear. I felt his harsh breathing down my neck as his grip on my elbow grew tighter. I slowly nodded my head as I tried to regain my breathing. I force myself to remember all the great times I've had in the short 22 years of my life. There weren't many, but there were some.

I don’t dare say a word as tears slide down my cheeks. He remains quiet as he drags me back down the road, cautiously looking in every direction. We reach the dark alley and he pulls me past the body, towards his car. It takes everything in me not to vomit all over my shoes as my eyes can’t seem to leave his lifeless body as I pass.

I can't believe he killed him. That's going to be me soon. What the bloody hell did I just get myself into? As if my life isn’t already complete shit.

[beneaththemasks]

so I was talking to my best friend (anime only) about the latest bsd episode and y'all just need to know abot what she came up with 100% by accident while she tried to understand the plot by asking me random questions (because this is her first time watching anime) SO HEAR THIS OUT

about the page and the book:

so my friend had to rewatch all the previous seasons to remember what the current plot was in before starting season 4 so the information is very fresh to her right

and then she came up to me with the most random question right after finishing this week's episode:

"is the page the director is talking about the missing page from the book odasaku was reading when he met natsume?"

AND TBH I WAS LITERALLY SO SHOCKED OK I've been following this stupid series for years staying up until u godly hours trying to connect the dots and this b*tch fucking realized it just like that!1!1!!!!!1

about the leader of the DoA:

this isn't over yet because she still keeps making points out of literally nowhere when she asks me:

"so fyodor isn't the organisation's leader, right?"

to which I responded b*tch how do you even know YOU HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT YET

and she's like:

"oh because they would never send the leader to the battlefield and fyodor has already been sent before to stab mori and his ability is dangerous but not all that great."

we literally where so fucking outsmarted when asagiri revealed that fukuchi was the leader of the organisation but SHE LITERALLY SAID IT LIKE IT WAS A MATTER OF FACT BEFORE EVEN KNOWING

(bonus: "I'm sure the anime has already shown who the leader is btw")

about fyodor's ability:

by this point of the conversation I was already rolling in my death bead mourning the loss of my iq and so my friend touched the fyodor ability issue and I make a vow to god to never talk to her again because I'm sure she's a sociopath or something

in any case, what she has to say about it is that:

"after all, fyodor's ability is just being a weapon, right? if you touch him you're dead, simple as that. but he's so smart and good at manipulating that he can make you believe you actually don't know what his real ability is when he has actually already shown it.

just like how he did with that ace guy when he convinced him to believe they'd traveled inside another dimension when they were still inside the same place by just using his intelligence and manipulation skills."

so yes, throw away all your unposted theories in your drafts because SHE'S LITERALLY SO STUPID THAT SHE ACTUALLY SAW THROUGH EVERYTHING WITHOUT MEANING TO.

[minthe-lover]

So like.... I get because it's based on the source material of Greek myth there kinda has to be king but I think that like the story does a very bad job at telling us why.

Because this is a modern take on Greek myth.. so it's not even like you can lampshade it with "oh well it's old times so ya know". If the story will be a modern telling you can't help but view it through a modern lense.

So with that... Again hades is fucking terrible, his a immortal king, own all the banks and has a large company, and is known to be rude to people and go as far as to threaten them for things outside their control... So your basically fucked if you don't want him. We aren't shown why he's a good king, we known that he built up the underworld but... That's also what happened in Olympus so it's not that impressive a feat.

Also again he owns all the banks... He's explicitly made it clear that he is mainly interested in money... So if your a citizen of the underworld, the banks could so easily fuck you over. We already know he uses slaves... And treats most of his employees like shit.. so again why is he king besides power and the fruit.

I feel like it is an important question to answer, because in this world you got 6 people who get to decided who is king or queen... And we saw from the vote with Demeter that is it easily swayed. What role do citizens get to play in the government? How do the citizens feel about the king's... At the beginning were told their known for many affairs, but what about how they actually rule.

We don't know if hades is a good king... We know he made a successful business, but the government isn't a business. Plus we see him close down the underworld for an incredibly personal despite with his brother... Most everyday underworld citizens wouldn't give a shit about Persephone, and you risked ruining lively hoods and like... Families. We see that travels across the borders to Olympus is incredibly easy, so it's safe to assume families are living apart from each other.

So hades risked all of his citizens lives for something that doesn't effect them, has threaten and harassed them for things outside of there control, and generally show little interests in actually being king. One thing that lo desperately needs is to show things like that, have a few lines about how hades help the citizens of the underworld or an explanation for why he should be king besides "he had the fruit... And that's how it is in the myth"

Fast pass spoilers:

So I've had this sitting in my drafts for a few weeks now, and I gotta say the new fast pass just proves this point. in lore Olympus they somehow have president that you can vote for???? Why haven't we heard or seen this before??? How the fuck will this play into the worldbuilding??? Like this already seems to be a mainly ruler based government with basically no choices for the people... So where the fuck is this going?? And again... It really does prove their needs to be a good reason hades is king-

Also I'm incredibly nervous for how rs is gonna handle this... Especially with how it ties into the Apollo plot. Please don't make it out that the citizens who vote for Apollo are stupid or terrible cause they don't know he's a bad guy... And please please don't make it so that it's framed like voting in a leader is bad.

[substituted-shinigami]

Drabble Notes

Well folks, (@unloquita and @recurring-polynya), it's been a week, so how are we doing?! 😁

First of all, I would like to hugely thank you both for participating in my first open drabble request! ☺️ I've had this account for less than a year and have been posting fanfiction for only two months, so to get any requests at all was amazing! I've got a long way to go, and I'm greatly humbled by the support you all have shown me. 🥰 With that, let’s talk about the writing of the fics!

Let me start by saying I've had a blast writing y'all's fics! 😁 I got to write some characters and scenarios that I would not have otherwise. That said, I think in hindsight, it was way too early for me to make such a request, and especially to give myself such a short timeline. Why oh why did I give myself only a week to write two fics?! 😅 Once again, I had fun, a ton of fun, but there was zero reason to give myself that level of stress! That said, all things considered, I think they turned out pretty well. Like they need some more time in the oven for sure, but that’s okay, because I would love to turn both your prompts into full fledged one-shots! Unfortunately, those versions won’t be ready for months though, especially since I still need to finish my other fics as well, so I will be posting them in their current form on Tumblr today, just without tags. Sorry about this, I’ll let you know when the full version comes out too! And hey, if you want to leave notes on them for the future full versions, go right ahead! Especially if a part of a piece is confusing or feels like it doesn’t connect, I would love to know! I want to make these pieces the best I can! 👍👍👍

In …uh… related news, it turns out I had 0% of an idea what a drabble is.😅 I had seen people do them on tumblr before, and I assumed that they were a writer’s version of a rough but nice sketch, i.e. something you complete first, before you get into the niddy griddy month long editing phase. Basically I thought it was somewhere between a first draft and a final one. That apparently is not a drabble. A drabble is a written piece that is 100 words or less. Some people extend this to be 1,000 words or less. The pieces I wrote for you are not that and therefore are not drabbles. They are long enough to be considered one-shots. I apologize for the confusion!!!

Well, despite all the ups and downs, I really had a good time! Thank you all again for your requests, they meant the world to me! 🥰 I hope these silly little fics bring you joy! ☺️

[illustratorintheprocess]

Week 8: Wednesday - Meeting w Ellen + Draft Feedback

The day started off with an online meeting with Ellen. After my trip to Waterstones last week, where I made a list of publishing places that stood out to me, I had researched every single publisher. How big they are, where they are located, if they have any internships for illustrators/designers etc.

I ended up with a much smaller list of interesting finds and discussed those with Ellen. Furthermore I told her about 2 more part-time jobs I applied for and discussed a 3rd position as a studio assistant in and internship at the Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium in Summer 2023. That is the opportunity I am most excited about.

The printing process is my favorite part of any project and during this 5 week internship I would get to do just that. It would be the work of other artist I'd help to print, which is even more exciting than simply printing your own. I bet there is a lot I could learn from what other artists aim for when printing their designs. And getting to print more even after leaving UAL would be amazing! The print facilities of LCC are great but from what I've seen the Frans Masereel Centrum has really great facilities too!

I did some research on accommodation in the area by looking at Air BnBs and it looks like it's pretty much located in the country side which is amazing! Living in London for the past 2 years has shown me how much of a country-egg I am so I'd welcome the quiet and seclusion of the area. Maybe I could buy a bicycle on ebay or somewhere second hand just for my 5 week stay. That'd be a nice way to get around, although I'm pretty sure my German drivers license should be valid there too.

The position doesn't pay but I think the experience and adventure you get in return for your work is worth it. +maybe I could make some nice art friends or at least keep in touch with some people, make connections, you know.

It'd be such a cool opportunity and I'm so excited for it that I really worry I won't get in. I'm definitely not the only one who read about it and most likely my work doesn't show as much talent as half the other applicants. I'm almost trying not to get my hopes up.

But I enjoy working hard and keeping things tidy and going the extra mile. I hope my CV will reflect that. Haaa... what a dream it would be.

5 weeks. Pretty darn cool. Even if it were to rain the entire time I'm positive it wouldn't even matter one bit.

In other news. My CTS3 tutor, Caitlin, gave me feedback to my Table of Contents for the Dissertation Draft Submission I'm working on. It was pretty good, just a few things need changing and swapping around in the Intro, which is confusing me a little bit but I'll get it done.

Now look at that satisfying lino printing process by this lovely creator! Who wouldn't want to do this all day everyday??