#rbs MEGA appreciated on this one

[segatoys]

DESKTOP DOG: companionship and plastic love mission statement zine is here!!!

$5 or PWYC*, i can send these out to the USA or Canada for free.

this is an appetizer not just for the DESKTOP DOG project, but for other upcoming works of mine as well. if you’re at all interested in ideas of nostalgia, especially as it relates to some relevant “Y2K” aesthetics, i urge you to check it out - i think it’s pretty neat!! if enough sell i may consider doing a digital release as well.

*if ur price is under $5 i will have to ask you to cover shipping regardless of location

DM me or email hearttransfer01@gmail.com if you are looking to get yourself a copy (or copies)!!!

[aph-japan]

(ramble under 'read more')

Me, braving going into a Main Tag for {Series}: .....

Me, (leaving??): What

[seelestia]

who are a few mutuals that you appreciate alot? mutual appreciation day 🥰❤️😊🤩💐✨

OOOO FUNFUNFUN!!! thank u so much for sending this in and for essentially spreading positivity, nonnie. this is appreciated ♡ also, instead of strictly moots, i decided to extend my appreciation to everyone! moots, anons, friends and readers alike ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

some odeliaesqué sappy appreciation under the cut:

@yvnaology - one of my fav facts abt yona was that she's one of the first moots i ever had on tumblr!!! and she's a lyney kisser and a fellow aventurine kisser (#taste). also she's so silly (/aff) and easy to talk to! like u'll feel at ease around her. she deserves good great and awesome things in life, so make sure to water ur yona daily with love <3

@solarisfortuneia - mika wished me congrats when i reached 1k and i still remember it till this day <3 she's friendly in a shy/modest way and suchsuchsuch a good writer! e.g. i cry over this every day actually. mika also has her silly moments sometimes too. someone save her /j

@floraldresvi - simply the sweetest & most supportive moot EVER! vivi is full of love and she's good at giving some of that love to others <3 her selfships are like bottles of serotonin to me. 100% would drop anything and everything in my hands to support her!!! and ik she'd do the same for me <3 mwah mwah 💐💐

@monicahar - the moot who comes online once in a while and drops absolute meals when she does. ate, left no crumbs 🔥🔥 also SUPER FUNNY!!! and unhinged, i'm concerned but amused at the same time. i hope she's having a nice break!! thank u for ur past & future services ma'am. we love u 🤭🤭

@milk-violet - MIREI !!! sunshine personified but also vv precious. i'm the leader of # protecc mirei squad (real). best person to have ever appeared in my notifs and i lovelovelove when her username pops up. take care & good luck with school! IK U CAN DO IT. remember what i said: slay before ur slayed 🗣️

@xianyoon - the butterfly moot 🦋 !!! both socially and aesthetically hehe. sosooso sweet & kind. has creative projects and executes them well at that too. i personally crown her as genshinblr's best hostess™! also, send her a moodboard and she'll cherish u forever - that's one of her love languages <3 ++ her pretty & aesthetic rb's are such a good refresh for my dash. love her for it!!

@hermosacolibri - the name, 'starlight' fits them sm bcs i feel like if we were to take a peek into their mind, stars will burst out!!! /pos (<- unique complimenting skills ik pardon me). their ideas are brilliant and i can tell they put their all into pursuing their vision <3 it's truly an honor to be a witness & reader. if u want to check them out, they write over at @/starlightlacrimosazpsff !!! ★

@wolfhookk - aaaaa ri !!!! booping her x1000 rn bcs i cannot believe boop trend ended when she came online. the discrimination 😔 /j i'll always remember ri as my first ever moot on here like first, 1st, #1!!! i forever thank her for swooping into my inbox back then and she's welcome to do that even now any time she likes <3

@kaiserkisser - skylia is the true angst consumer, the realest of it!! even in different fandoms LOL. she's nice (and gremlin-ish) when u get to know her more and she reciprocates energy really well! i'll never forget the disaster of boops in my notifs /lh

@callilouv - COOL MUTUAL ALERT !!!! cool art & cool interests. truly, picasso w/ the finger and fandoms!! idk if cal still draws with his finger dhjahshsj but still vv mega cool!

@manager-of-the-pudding-bank - the grandpas & old men kisser where art thou 💔 /j loqua has that awkward & silly rizz!!! idk if she still does wax stamps but i still think it's really cool. bcs qua's just cool in general !!! hehe

@calxlu - aaaaa vi!!! the one who enables my rambles and selfships shhshsh i am so thankful <3 rambler 🤝 rambler is the best. i love talking to her and it's super reassuring to know that it's mutual! even if i take some time but i always look forward to seeing her replies in my inbox. it's like we're penpals across the screen talking abt irl stuff and our f/o's ꒰✿´ ꒳ ` ꒱♡

& honorable mention: @/zhongrin. rin does not interact with minors anymore (which i respect and so should everyone!), so we count as former moots. but !!! i still think she's an amazing person regardless <3 (note: her blog is equally as great but plsplspls be mindful of her rules beforehand.)

brainrot anon - A REAL ONE!!! always there when i come back from the grave each time. i get reminded of them whenever i look at my inbox, it's an instinct atp. their brainrots are so fun & random (but that's a charm in itself /pos) !!! tbh i love elaborating them all so never stop sending the brainworms in <3 feel free to treat my inbox as a drop-off for ur thoughts LMAO /gen. come by again soon!

michiki anon - MY COUSINNNMNMN!!! i still love and miss when they'd come into my inbox to chat. it was so nice getting to know someone in a casual way <3 i hope ur doing well wherever u are, michikinon! i'm doing well these days and i hope u are too 🤍

rix anon - their series still has me FLOOOORED. i still think it deserves a proper platform than just thru my lil ol inbox. it deserves more recognition :( but just the fact that i got to help share their writing alone is an honor of its own!!! i hope ur doing well too, rix anon <3

++ everyone who has left a nice feedback / said anything nice in my notifs or my inbox!! even a simple 'cute' or 'this is good' or even just leaving a note means sososo much to me. i'm just a measly guy in my own little corner on this site, really - so thank u thank u thank u all !!! 🫂

[socks-wizard-money-gang]

I can make you a pride icon if you want

My epic gamer art fight profile

DNI+Other things under the cut(at least read what's in red pls)

So yeah, my name's Socks and I'll rather be addressed as he/she/it/star+other neos, I'm also ok with most gendered therm but if you're not sure just calls me whatever I'll tell u if I don't like it. Use il and elle interchangeably in french plz

POC trans aspec individual 👍

Here's my full list of neos and other things

I create drawings like fruit

Digital art is made on the weekends and the only drawings you can reasonably expect from me is nilfruits characters and my fursona

Things I do in my free time/I've did out of boredom include: digital and traditional art, made a vtuber model, painting, photography, cosplaying/sewing, made bracelets, translation (only french/english), playing guitar, lockpicking and archery. I am hobby georg

Art request: open but only rain world and nilfruits related because I'm normal (lie)

Please say things to me and send things to me I love listening to people and I'm so sad and alone like half the time and it'll never bother me even if I'm busy

I love bright colors and light but I understand how some people can't look at them for their safety so I tag it as #eyestrain and #flashing I tag other things too theyre just the most common

Ask me phylosophical shit like the meaning of life and I for sure have an answer

Also if you want to send me hate mail feel free!! I like laughing at it

Despite being a guitarist I am the number one bass and bassists fan

Don't follow me if you can't handle occasional vent posts

Don't be fooled by my blog I'm still a furry at heart

I love when people infodump and ramble in my inbox itz so interesting

Memory issues

If I complain about something and its not tagged as a vent then that means I'm not that upset about it

If I do seem upset the best thing you could do is give me a distraction if you wanna help

Don't involve me in discourse I will explode

I have a lot of sideblogs they're @narou-official @ask-voca-mutant-au @yer-fave-is-a-pirate @socks-is-a-menace @zatsunemiku-official @haganemiku-official @weekly-utsu-p @gourmand-appreciation @valid-iterator-name @invenot @the-spearmaster and a couple more, most of em are dead tho

I also have a SUPER MEGA GIGA SECRET pokemon irl blog, try finding it:)

Here I'll be putting hints for it: eel

I also have @the-artificer who just kinda exist

I have autism adhd n I'm personality disorder georg at this point

I'm plural too now apparently??? Some of my headmates are at @bar0ness and @n0mann . You're normally only gonna see me post here tho

I'm a minor

Don't sexualise my ocs pls

I like these thangs->Warrior Cat(barely, I don't even catch up), Mad rat dead, madoka magica, Kirby, the Stanley parable, pafl, biblically accurate angels, sparklecats, Dead plate, Pokemon, Vocaloid but mainly whatever nilfruits characters got going on, OFF, ENA, Cuphead, pjsekai, milgram, Splatoon, bocchi the rock, cult of the lamb, sonic, rain world, and Omori(I don't support omocat), please talk to me about them (there will also be spoiler for all of these)

You can use my art n designs as long as you credit but PLEASE don't give it to AI, repost it without permission (unless credited and Fanart, don't repost my oc art) or use it in edits!! Icons are fine

I kin a lotta diff things and I don't mind doubles👍

Tagging system:

#Paradichlorobenzene is my favorite word:text posts

#random/#rambling: text posts from 2022 to 2023

#socks is scribbling: art tag

#shitty things I made: something I made that isn't a drawing (most likely a shitpost)

#rb: reblog

#me when: posts that are me core

#this is very gender: things that gives me gender envy

#pics of the awesome me: self explanatory

#oc:[insert name]:the mentioned OC's tag

#utsu p characters lore: me making shit up about the characters in utsu-p song because I love his music but the lack of narrative to be abnormal about is sickening so I made the narrative myself

#im dragon: posts about me being a dragon

#muu was here!: Muu fictive posting on my blog. Only it is allowed to post on my blog because she asked nicely bug uses she/they/it/bug also

I also got two personas who are very cools

Userbox by @sweetpeauserboxes and blinkies by @/harukaenthusiast

DNI : post untagged nsfw things, Rainflower defenders, support AI art, queerphobics, racist, transphobes, irl yandere, proshipper, radfem, like hp or support it's creator, ableist, anti furries, exclusionist, eating disorder blogs, transautistic, nazi, terfs and similar things

And that's it I think

[leqclerc]

Who do you think will replace Hamilton at Mercedes? | Personally I think it is between Albon or Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Hello! 👋🏻

It largely depends on what they're looking for. Personally I think Alex would be a good option. His Red Bull stint didn't work out, but lbr he was thrown into a near-impossible situation with little experience and was expected to match an ascendant Max who'd been embedded in the team for some time already, knew what he wanted and knew Red Bull would give it to him. Plus all the pressure from internal figures (ahem Marko.)

That was some years ago at this point and I think he's grown massively as a driver and a person since then. His time at Williams in particular is letting him thrive and flourish, and you can tell how much everyone there appreciates him, his dedication and feedback. You could argue the optics are favourable because he keeps getting paired with rookies, but regardless of that, I think he's shown he's a dependable team player who can hold his own. Imo he became massively underrated as a result of the short-lived RB era and honestly I'd love to see him make a comeback with a top 3/4 team. He's actually one of the drivers I would've liked to see in Ferrari... well, before the bombshell dropped and we realized Ferrari's taking their lineup to an atomic level ajsdkfg

Now, this might sound kind of wild but hear me out: Checo. He's out of contract at the end of the season anyway, and obviously there's the question of Daniel possibly making a Red Bull comeback if he performs well at the sister team (I'm still calling it AlphaTauri) and they want him there. So for Checo it might be worth keeping an eye on the Mercedes situation. He raced Mercedes-engine powered cars for most of his career before the Red Bull move. I know recency bias means a lot of people don't rate him, but he's still a solid driver, he has years of experience (and probably some RB tea), he'd bring in points, and Mercedes comparatively probably wouldn't be such a pressure cooker. Iirc he also brings some big money personal sponsors. I think he more or less does what Carlos does, but in more difficult circumstances (let's not forget Ferrari made several adjustments to their cars for his sake, some of them detrimental to the overall performance, and he got some favourable strategies. Red Bull haven't been half as accommodating for Checo imo.) Plus I would trust him not to meddle internally more than someone like Carlos with his story-planting shit-tweeting entourage 🙄 I think they could get a few years out of him, at least until they deem Antonelli to be ready or someone else they're interested in becomes available.

Antonelli is a promising prospect and I'm sure they're keeping an eye on him as a potential long-term plan for Mercedes. Whether he'll be ready for a 2025 seat...depends. Maybe, if he has a mega season in F2. Mercedes tends to be conservative with rookies—George was in Williams for three whole seasons before he was promoted, something I think he felt kind of bitter about. So F2 -> Mercedes seat feels kind of uncharacteristic for them. They'd probably prefer to put him in a smaller team, at least for a season, to see how he adjusts to F1 first. Look at how Mick's time at Haas altered perceptions. Just four years ago, a lot of us thought a Mick-Charles lineup is on the cards, but now he's not even a top contender for the Mercedes seat—at least, not from what I've seen personally. If they bring in an older driver for 2025 then there's likely going to be more urgency to get Antonelli promoted asap. Whereas if they bring in someone younger, someone they can maybe get more "mileage" out of, then they have more time to put Antonelli through his paces and see if he's the guy for the job.

Other names I've seen thrown out are Carlos, Fernando and—oddly enough, Hulk.

I can see why Carlos would be an option, but then again, the optics might look a bit...strange if Mercedes is "settling" for the guy who just lost the seat to the driver they just lost. Unless they don't care about that, or don't have the luxury of caring about that right now. They went from holding all the cards to being under some serious pressure. And I think they're going to have to consider what they actually want in a driver now. Personally I think a Carlos/George lineup would have the potential for fireworks, but hey, if I'm not invested personally then it could be fun to watch asdkfjdfk

Fernando would generate buzz as the only other old guard champion on the grid, someone who is generally considered to be of Lewis's calibre. Fans and media alike were super impressed with his 2023 season and momentum is definitely on his side. But he's the king of chaos and has been known to fuck over teams for his own benefit and damn well knows this is his reputation and openly embraces it. And I'm not sure Mercedes would want to take a shot on someone they would see as volatile in that way. I think they really like maintaining this image of running a tight ship, having things neatly under control, no one going off script (just look at how traumatized Toto still is after the Nico and Lewis years, how he swore up an down that he'd never allow a situation like that to develop again.) George and Fernando seem to get along well outside of work, they've sure been seen socializing quite a bit, but obviously being teammates is a whole other issue and this could get spicy. 🔥🧯

But tbh I'm not sure a move like that makes sense for Fernando—unless I guess Aston fucks up astronomically this year and he's fed up with them. He seems pretty comfortable where he is—chummy with Lawrence Stroll and with enough freedom to be essentially the lead driver of the team since, well, Lance isn't exactly posing much of a threat. I mean Fernando literally carried Aston on his back in 2023. I'm sure he'll be keeping an eye on the developments but right now (Lewis jumping ship, Mercedes bleeding high profile staff) it would seem like a lateral move at best, with potentially more to lose than gain.

As much as I don't rate Hulk personally, I did see this one suggested on Reddit and... honestly? He did just have a pretty good season and for him it would be a clear step up so he'd probably have less demands and be more acquiescent than someone with more leverage. If they want to just get someone in as a stopgap until they deem Antonelli ready, someone to pick up points without outshining George... Pretty sure he's out of contract at the end of this season.

But another interesting aspect of all of this, coming to light with the news that the Mercedes Benz Group didn't approve Lewis's long-term ambassadorship, is that allegedly they're losing interest in the F1 team branch of their brand and generally aren't willing to shell out on it as much because they've shifted their focus to other aspects of the motor industry. Iirc this was already a talking point in 2020, but of course the team was still dominant at the time. If they fumble the 2026 regulations I can see the parent company pulling the plug on the racing team (Andretti buyout?????)

[kimberlyannharts]

I finally sat and read the whole thing:

The good:

The Art, as always.

I thought the Hyper Turbo Mega Super Omegazord looked cool

M/tt not being in the final shot. Lmao.

I thought the concept of like. Being trapped in his memories and having to move forward was cool.

I’m sure there’s more but I’m sure it’ll get discussed.

The bad:

Just. All of the Death Ranger has been so poorly executed. Why is Spa’ark like actually evil? The ending sucked too. Nope Spa’ark is evil there’s nothing to learn here :) (I shouldn’t be surprised. Look at how Miya’s been demonized.) Any Death Ranger’s host should have been Kiya. Kiya/Spa’ark dynamic like Eddie/Venom and healing together now there’s a story.

I still don’t understand having Journey die but I guess it’s just supposed to go with the theme but it didn’t gel. Me, personally? Would have made them the new Gold but also I came up with the Kiya Spa’ark thing while writing this so.

I guess all in all it just didn’t feel like an issue that deserved being #100. Like I appreciated the page count and the collectible card but. It just feels flat. And it just told us what we already know: No one can thrive if Jason is around.

- I guess technically M/tt was in the final splash page but he wasn't in the pre-page big morphing sequences so I still took that as a win

- it was obvious from the previews that there would be a Jason-traveling-mindscape thing with Andros but it didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have been, imo? especially since I imagined that it was going to involve Jason traveling with Spa'ark as well and teaching them how to move past their grief

- and going off of that........yeah........it really felt like Spa'ark began and ended at OOOOH SCARY ZOMBIE RANGER despite them making a whole book dedicated to their backstory and how they weren't motivated by evil and greed, but tragedy, love for their friend, and genuine confusion on how life worked (BECAUSE IT WASN'T HOW THEIR LIFE WORKED). Like you could take out the Death Ranger book and not miss anything. I feel like part of it was simply because Death Ranger didn't have enough time to be a grounded concept, but. come on. you could have shaved off some of the pages-long Megazord fights to give them more to do. I really dislike how the modern comics in particular act like giving characters a dramatic and tragic backstory that is never acknowledged in the present automatically makes them a well-rounded character

_ Journey is such an odd case. Like....I get it? yet after spending this long building up their importance just for them to die for the ~themes~ feels so anti-climactic. Someone on RB got all huffy that someone else didn't remember Harturian Kid's name after he's been "developed" these past couple of issues but the focus was given to Journey and their relationship to the Omegas so why would we think Harturian Kid was the important character here??? I didn't think they would become Gold, but I thought they would still be tied to Spa'ark - like as Spa'ark's final act as Death Ranger they somehow manipulates the death powers so that Journey's age process is slowed. (Yeah it would be a stretch but Spa'ark's powers were barely explained in the first place so it's fine.) Which still fits the ~themes~ and doesn't kill ALL of the non-binary characters that aren't a literal animal and robot

_ lmaoooooo @ the Jason comment but at the same time part of my annoyance that ALL the Omegas didn't give up their powers before we go back to one book focusing solely on the MMPR team is the implication that Trini and Zack aren't worth following if Jason isn't there :I

[princesshalfdemon]

anyways if it seems like i’ve been thinking about religion more based on some of my points

a few months ago there was a really bad tornado warning. i’ve lived in chicago my whole life. i go through 3-4 tornado warnings every year. one time when i was little (and now this COULD have been a dream or something bc i don’t remember details) i think ia ctually did see a tornado.

a really bad tornado warning happened while i was at work at the clinic. let me be clear: we do  not have basements in the clinic, and it go so bad so quick there was no way to feasibly safely get anywhere else. i was fucking terrified. on discord i literally. sent several messages to those very close of me because i genuinely, sincerely though that was... a really good chance at being it. if a tornado actually had hit the clinic directly? realistically? that’s game over. clocking out. it wasn’t a long life but i could say it was a good one.

nothing happened and it was the biggest sigh of relief i ever had but it DID have me questioning my religious beliefs. i’ve always been agnostic- i don’t know if there’s one God, a million gods, or none- but i think there’s... something in us that lives after death. something that can’t be explained by science. i think there’s too much things in the world that can’t be explained by science for that to be the case. and i also accept i could be wrong and that’s clocks out.

i had thought about going to church again. i then learned my childhood church was a mega church and the pastor might’ve tried to hire a hitman. i THEN learned that very close by there’s this really nice pro LGBT methodist church. a church i drive by almost every day that’s always flying an LGBT (and now ukranian) flag visibly. and i went ot their website... and it looked really nice. i really thought about going that weekend. i chose not to. saturday is one of my only days i can really spend the night with my friends... that’s important to me. marston actually showed me this one really cool pro lgbt preacher on youtube who’s content i might watch but

idk

i’m some kind of agnostic heavily leaning on Christian. idk what i’ll be in the future. i can say that i don’t intend for that to be a very consistent thing. like, i’m an anime blogger mostly that rbs anime titties. worst case scenario, maybe i follow a few more religious blogs i trust and occasionally rb something inbetween. i’m nmto changing my things entire content fo rthis...

just

you know. it’s something important to me, you know? something that events in my life (most notably being a near-death experience) are making me consider re-exploring. either nothing changes, or i can have a bit more peace of mind about my life and religion in general is all. it’s my blog and i don’t... appreciate asks like that about an aspect of my life i’m exploring again. ty for understanding

[unholyplumpprincess]

Peach! I didn't know your OC masterlist was done! Ahhhh, I'm so hype! If it isn't too much trouble, please could I have Lucius and their S/O on a lazy, domestic morning with a thunderstorm outside and neither of them have to go anywhere? Maybe their S/O brings up the idea that they'd like a tattoo from him because of how much it would mean to them? I'm sorry if this isn't enough to go off of, I'm not too great coming up with prompts XD

I've kept this in my inbox bc I shit you not it has brought me so much joy seeing one of my oc's being requested that I wanted to savor it so much. I so appreciate this :DD for my ocs I won't be as picky for prompts cause I'm just ELATED anyone would ask!!!

!!!Though this post is SFW, this blog is not, minors and ageless blogs do not follow but plz feel free to rb this post!!!

If you wanna request my oc's, here's my masterlist to give them a peek!: Link here

If you wanna request smth from me, check out my rules: HERE

Warnings: Sfw, reader is gn, summary of Lucius is that they're a big tall alien that goes by they/he/it and is ultra mega pretty and a model + tattoo artist

_____

Rain was always a favorite to Lucius. It didn't rain where they came from, no clouds to accumulate and fill with water. Of course, the first time it had rained they were quite confused, but after much research were satisfied with their new knowledge on why the sky cried and screamed as such.

You're in their loft. Their couch is huge, comfortably fitting you both. Their arms are around you, being the big spoon with their face half buried in your hair so they can peer over you and watch the rain fall. Their living room is spanned by windows above their shop, allowing you to see the city blanketed in water.

"Ya know, I've been thinking of a tattoo." You muse aloud, feeling the deep rumble of a curious hum behind you. Lucius squeezes you a bit tighter, letting you know that he's heard you. His other hum is questioning, curious, prompting you to continue. "I think your art style is what I'm looking for. And it'd mean a lot to me to have your art on me! Kinda like marking someone with your brand, ya know?"

A third hum. Their face nuzzles into your hair, a soft inhalation of them familiarizing with your scent before speaking. "You tease me, little one."

A smile blossoms on your face, wiggling your body in their arms until you can roll around to face them. Their hair is pulled up in a ponytail, some mixed black and white strands curling around their face that you move and tuck behind their ears. You don't miss the flush to their cheeks. "Oh come on. Hard not to. But I am serious, Lu! Come oooon, don't tell me you haven't thought of it."

"I have thought of it," They reply sincerely, moving so they can grab your hand, kissing your palm gingerly as their honey eyes flicker up to monitor your face. "You honor me in enjoying my work. I would be happy to oblige. What were you thinking of?"

"Would you make fun of me if I said something like the moon and stars?" You beam brightly when he flushes at the implication, turning his head and tucking it into your neck. You can't help but giggle, pressing teasingly in your tone. "Maybe over my heart??"

"You are ridiculous." You hear muffled against your neck, their voice embarrassed and only spurring you on. "And far too flattering."

"Soooo is that a yes?"

"For you, my dear? Anything your heart desires."

[ohthatsviolet]

Liar, Liar - Cryptane

(1,721 words. Ao3 link will be in the RBs as usual). 

Octavio knew him as Hyeon Kim, and he was fine with that...until he wasn’t. 

He wasn't expecting to get attached. He wasn't attached. Not really. It was just a way to pass the time. Octane liked to talk a lot, and Tae Joon tended to like that in people, because it meant he didn't have to. He introduced himself as Octavio Silva, but he was positive that he "would have already known that," because he "was probably the most famous person here." The hacker did already know who he was, but not for the reasons Octavio thought. It wasn't difficult to do a little snooping on the Legends, to see who might be the best asset to him if he was forced to align himself with some of them, to keep up the facade that he was just a regular competitor like the rest of them. Octavio made it almost too easy, seeming to enjoy posting most of his life on social media. 

"You shouldn't post so many personal details about yourself online," Tae Joon had told him, only to receive an obnoxious snort in response. 

The speedster's attention was focused on the Rubik's cube in his hands, while he lay back in his beanbag chair. 

"Whatever, amigo. No one has tried to kidnap me yet." 

Conversation with Octavio seemed to always come easily. He liked to talk about himself. 

"Do you like puzzles?" he asked, listening to the quiet clicking of the plastic as the runner rotated it in his hands, failing to get the coloured squares into a desirable pattern. 

The younger legend signed somewhat dramatically, and tossed the cube over his shoulder, hitting it against the wall with a dull thud. 

"No. I fucking hate them." 

The corner of Tae Joon's lip curled into a small smile, at the remark. It seemed to happen a lot around Octavio. It was difficult to not find him amusing. 

He wasn't expecting for them to continue spending time together like this. The only reason they'd gotten talking in the first place was because Octavio was having issues with his computer and the hacker had simply gotten tired of listening to him complain about it, so he decided to help him out. The speedster's desk was a mess; covered in candy wrappers, empty energy drink cans and crumbs. It was pretty gross if he was honest, but as his eyes traveled over the small piles of trash he spotted a figurine of a character he instantly recognised from one of his childhood favourite video games. He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch it. It wasn't possible that Octavio was a fan of this franchise. It would be far too obscure for someone like him. Right? 

"Careful, compadre," the runner warned, glancing up from his phone. "That's signed by the developers. You break that, I break you." 

Tae Joon turned the statue over in his hands, checking the underside of the base. A cocktail of childlike excitement and jealousy pooled in his stomach. He wasn't lying, it was definitely signed. Holy shit. 

"You're a fan?" the hacker asked, feigning nonchalance. 

"Yeah, dude. That's like...only the best RPG I've ever played." 

"My sister used to make fun of me for liking it," Tae Joon continued, with a small laugh. "She used to say it was only for 'mega nerds'."

"I could never keep up with all the lore," Octavio admitted, shoving his phone into his pocket, fully engaged in the conversation now. "But I heard there was a really cool story part that was only available in the co-op mode. I never got to play it myself, so I had to watch videos on it." 

"Really?! I...never knew that. Now I wish I convinced her to play it." 

The space between them fell silent, but Tae Joon noticed the way Octavio looked him up and down as if he was doing some sort of appraisal. He shouldn't have mentioned his family. That look made him feel paranoid, and that maybe he should consider leaving soon, until the runner spoke up. 

"I...probably still have my copy lying around somewhere," he began, fidgeting with a loose thread on his shorts. "If you wanna try it sometime. None of my friends liked it either." 

Despite his better judgement telling him not to, he agreed to play through the co-op campaign with him, and it ended up being more pleasant than he thought it would be. Octavio was actually pretty good at the game, and seemed to appreciate him pausing at certain points to explain the plot points he found confusing. They would meet up most nights to play, and these hangouts continued even after they'd completed the game a few times on different difficulties. It turned out Octavio had lied about his friends not liking the game, and the truth was he barely had any friends growing up; something he'd confided in him after their first few sessions. It was something Tae Joon could relate to, especially around here. He wouldn't consider any of the Legends his friends. Except Octavio of course. Were they...friends? Octavio had begun to confide in him, but due to the position he was in, he couldn't really do the same. The speedster told him short stories from his childhood and teenage years which, if Tae Joon was honest, sounded very sad and lonely. Part of him wanted to share similar stories to perhaps comfort the speedster a bit, but as soon as he opened his mouth to begin, he stopped. It was too dangerous to share too much, especially with someone who shared so much of themselves with the entire Outlands. He felt conflicted, though he knew he shouldn't. 

"Hyeon, man! Come on!" 

The call of that name snapped him from his thoughts, and he realised he was still lingering near the entrance to Octavio's room. Sometimes he still managed to forget this was his name now, or at least what some of the people around here knew him as. He didn't mind normally, but hearing that name come from Octavio's mouth made something in his chest shift uncomfortably. Tae Joon tried to shake it off, quickly finding his way to the small sofa that the runner was already making himself comfortable on. 

"Did you finally manage to pick a movie?" 

"Yup!" Octavio replied, taking the opportunity to remove his prosthetics, allowing them to collapse to the floor with a clatter. 

Tae Joon looked him up and down, observing how he rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. 

"Pain?" 

The speedster seemed to think about his answer before responding. 

"Nah. It's not too bad today." 

"Good." 

"Thanks for...not telling Ajay about it," Octavio continued, turning to face him more directly. "She'd just...overreact. And it's not a big deal."

The hacker merely nodded casually in response, but as Octavio began to play the movie, he couldn't quite focus on the plot. He was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense feeling of guilt. How could he continue living like this? They'd been spending time together for a while now, and Octavio knew almost nothing about him; anything he did know was a fake or vague answer he'd given him to get him off his back. He wanted to tell him things. He wanted to tell Octavio how he grew up, his favourite food, and take him to his favourite hangout spots before his life got turned upside down. He wanted to tell him how he couldn't sleep at night, how he missed his family dearly and how he always wanted a pet cat. He wanted to tell him that the time he spent with him was the only time he'd felt the slightest bit happy or normal in years. Fuck, he just wanted to tell him his real name. But he couldn't. He couldn't risk everything he'd worked for. He couldn't risk losing whatever this relationship with Octavio was becoming. 

Why was he thinking so much about all this? He kept trying to tell himself, the moments he spent with Octavio was just a way to pass the time. He kept trying to tell himself that he didn't care about him. But he did. And it hurt. Tae Joon stared at his bedroom ceiling that night, thinking back on the evening they shared. Octavio made things feel easy, even if it was just for a few hours. Would everything become easier if he just told him the truth? He shut his eyes tightly, trying to force the intrusive thoughts from his mind. He felt like he was going crazy. How could he ever consider telling Octavio who he really was and what he was really trying to achieve by being in the games? He remembers watching the footage of the Repulsor tower collapsing and how Octane had almost been crushed to death in the chaos. It didn't matter much to him back then; one less Legend was one less person to stand in his way. He felt sick to his stomach, thinking back on it now. How could he ever have felt that way about Octane - about Octavio? He wasn't disposable, though part of the hacker was beginning to wish he was, because it would make it easier to get him out of his head. How was it becoming possible, that he cared more about being rejected by him, than he did about being exposed, if he came clean? He could be thrown in jail, framed for more crimes he didn't commit, or worse. And somehow that didn't compare to the possibility of never seeing Octavio's scarred lips smile again, or the apples his freckled cheeks when he laughed. Tae Joon hated feeling this way, he was usually so focused but now his attention was being directed elsewhere. He wanted to hate Octavio for this, but he couldn't help but smile, his stomach fluttering, when he received a text from the runner, sending him a screenshot of a movie synopsis asking him if he'd be interested in watching that one next. Tae Joon fell back against his pillow, with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes with the balls of his hands. He could keep lying if it meant they could spend time together. 

It didn't matter who he was; Tae Joon Park, Hyeon Kim or Crypto. When it came to Octavio Silva, all three of them were thoroughly, thoroughly fucked. 

[jamieclawhorn]

Did Kraft Heinz Co’s bid for Unilever plc ring a bell on the bull market?

What a weekend.   In less time than it takes two teenagers to go from moony-eyed courtship to the back of the bike sheds to bitter recrimination, the mooted tie-up between Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) and Unilever (LSE: ULVR) is over.   Talk about a whirlwind romance! We only learned on Friday that the US giant Kraft Heinz had a crush on the Anglo-Dutch, erm, giant.

Unilever rebuffed the initial advances, but its shares soared anyway. After all, the bid was backed by Brazilian finance firm 3G Capital and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway – the same team who merged Kraft and Heinz.   The weekend then saw media pundits speculate about how Kraft Heinz might garner Unilever’s affection (more money, basically) while analysts and fund managers got their pencils out and tried to decide how much they’d let their Unilever shares go for.   But by the end of Sunday the whole affair was finished. And the official announcement used language familiar to anyone who has ever ended a relationship like grown-ups:   “Unilever and Kraft Heinz hold each other in high regard. Kraft Heinz has the utmost respect for the culture, strategy and leadership of Unilever.”   Let’s just be friends indeed.

Thanks but no thanks

A lot of people will be relieved this deal won’t happen.   The most relieved will probably be all those who’ve been saying for years that Unilever shares look expensive, only to see the shares soar when a potential US sugar daddy showed up. If Unilever had gone for maybe £50 a share – compared to £33 a share before the potential merger leaked – then grown men and women would have cried.   Happily, the shares fell after the deal was cancelled. Phew!   Which brings me to the second set of investors – I’m one – who will be relieved. We admire how Unilever is run but have been putting off buying more shares because, well, they look expensive. We’ve got another chance to overpay now, thanks to Kraft Heinz declining theirs.   Journalists will also be relieved. It is tedious enough writing ‘Kraft Heinz’ after those firms merged in 2015. Can you imagine typing out Kraft Heinz Unilever every time? Or Unilever Kraft Heinz for that matter – that’s equally a mouthful.   The name game brings me to Prime Minister Theresa May. I’m sure with Brexit looming, Mrs May is relieved she doesn’t have to step into a fight over the future of a great British company like Unilever.   Instead, the brash American invaders have been repulsed! God save the Queen! Hurrah for Blighty! Even if Unilever has got one leg in the Netherlands and a listing in Amsterdam!   Seriously, ordinary investors should be happy Unilever will remain independent. There aren’t many ways to bet on global growth through such high-quality operations – and to get a 3% dividend doing so.   In fact, outside of the Kraft Heinz war room, about the only people who will be sorry to see the deal flounder will be the speculators who had bought more shares and pushed up the price.   They’d have been hoping Kraft Heinz would have to shell out. Instead they’ve seen it cop out.

Still crazy after all these years

Despite all this relief, there’s one reason to be a bit concerned in the wake of this mini-saga.   You see, at £115 billion even before any improved offer, the bid would have been the second largest takeover in corporate history.   And mergers on this scale – in sectors that have been hot for years – have a terrible record:

In 2000, US dotcom giant AOL bought media rival Time Warner for $164 billion. Just months later the bubble burst. The merged group reported a $99 BILLION loss in 2003 as it wrote down the deal.

In 2007 RBS acquired Dutch rival ABN Ambro for £49 billion, which marked peak hubris for the UK banking industry. A year later RBS raised £12 billion in a rights issue, but even that wasn’t enough to stop it being bailed out by the British government.

More recently, in 2012 commodity behemoths Glencore (LSE: GLEN) and Xstrata announced a $90 billion merger. With hindsight their loving embrace took place even as the mining sector began imploding – the sort of public display of affection in front of a volcano that you might see in a swashbuckling romance movie. By late 2015 people were speculating that indebted Glencore – and its plunging shares – might soon be near worthless.

All these deals were done at the height of popularity for a particular market ‘theme’ or story.   That peak enthusiasm – which can only be dated for sure in retrospect – seems to inspire both the company executives behind the dumb mega deals and also their bankers.

Star-crossed lovers

A Kraft Heinz/Unilever tie-up would have required many billions in financing, as well as bottomless confidence on the predator’s part that it could find huge cost savings to create value. Unilever’s shares were trading at over 20-times earnings when the bid leaked. That’s a very high hurdle.   If the takeover had gone through, it might have marked the high water point for both the era of cheap money that made such massive bids thinkable, and also for the pre-eminence of so-called ‘bond proxy’ companies like Unilever that made them desirable, at least to some.   True, like all jilted lovers, Kraft Heinz, 3G Capital and even Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway must be licking their wounds. They can’t yet be told it was for the best.   But in time they might decide they dodged a bullet.

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Owain Bennallack owns shares of Unilever. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Unilever. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.