#really interesting story about people selling off their photos of their family to like the guggenheim for $1000 a piece

[cheddar-baby]

I love Disfarmer he was a strange mean photographer from Arkansas who did cheap portraits for families and he was known specifically for having long awkward completely silent photoshoots where he would be under his dark cloth silently working until he abruptly pulled out a bell and would start violently ringing then immediately take a photo. So you end up having lots of these photos of scared looking children and people caught off guard, looking at the camera confused and slightly scared. No one knew much about him and he barely talked to people he just churned out these photos and minded his business then died.

[odessa-2]

HUBLANDER MELBOURNE ☀️

OK ladies, so I ended up going. Long story short, I was given a spare ticket and decided to seize the moment. It was stinking hot, and a terribly organised event (it was literally in a shed). Despite this, I am glad I did go. My long held observations/beliefs of Sam's character, who he really is as a man, and the fantasy man, single Sam push, were proven correct. I did get a photo with Sam, and I must confess he really is incredibly good-looking. Even better in the flesh. A doll. He's hyper vigilant, astutely aware of his surrounds (eyes darting everywhere) , very polite and gentlemanly and professional.

He looked tanned and fresh and endured hoards of horny grannies fawning over him for hours on end and was attentive to everyone. The organisers of the event stuck Sam, Duncan, Charles and John in a small tin shed that had no air con, that must've been about 50 degrees celsius inside ,where they stood and posed with frenzied women for over 3 hours. They looked visibly overheated (shame on the organisers). Sam didn't faulter. Polite to a tee.

Would you believe that Sam had to use the same toilets as the plebs?! Yep, you heard correctly. Shocking work by the organisers. I actually had to desperately pee at one point but waited until I saw Sam come out of the toilets. In-between panels, the actors were staying upstairs in the loft level, and I saw the uber eats delivery man run upstairs to bring them food. The organisers didn't even feed their guests!

Sam is Jamie to these women and he knows it. Starz knows it. I saw the crazed obsession with my own eyes. I saw how his people; his team have shaped him and moulded him(for his public persona) to appeal to these women and this fantasy notion. They want their Jamie. They want single Sam, and that's what they (starz) give them. There is no room for anything else but Single Sam. And Sam professionally obliges. What he puts out to the public at the conventions is scripted and measured. He is very guarded. I could see it unfold in front of me with great clarity. There were women there who didn't want him with Caitriona (they weren't interested in the Caitriona titbits Sam gave), 50 and 60 year old women who actually think they stand a chance. Tragic. Sam is gorgeous and charming and Starz has used that to sell. And quite frankly, after witnessing this display, I can see why he has a fascade going on. I can see why he would want the public completely removed from his personal life and family. I get it.

Another observation of mine, I know this goes without saying, but he is definitely not gay for those who are insistent. He gives off zero gay vibes. He is not effeminate in the slightest, and I found him to be quite more masculine than I'd imagined. He reads people well and can't keep still. What else can I tell you? He has nice skin, piercing blue eyes (like really crystal blue) and exceptionally tall. He does his job very well and has high emotional intelligence. Starz uses his good looks and they pimp him out to the fan base.

Now don't get me wrong, i met lots of lovely women there today who were sweet and kind and exited. But hearing women's conversations at the event; he really is their fantasy. They were squealing and many saying how they wished they could grab his bum or 💋 him. There's no room for Caitriona. Just fantasy Sam.

Odessa says hi Sam 👋...you were a real trooper.

I'll share some more titbits from the panel tomorrow when my splitting headache hopefully dissipates.

[pedropascalunofficial]

STORY TIME

Why did Pedro Pascal go quiet on socials?

Well, let's hazard a guess. Maybe he saw what his shitty "fans" were getting up to.

If I've left anything out, please dm me. And if you'd like to threaten me, my receipts are all in order🖕

What have Pedro Pascal's shitty "fans" done in this fandom?

Stalked him and used it for clout in order to gather more information. (Ms * and Ms Peacock)

Tracked his and his friends' activity. The person got blocked by the friend and used the news for clout. Mega lols all round on that one, not🙄. It gave them something to talk about on their trip, I guess🤷‍♀️ They were quiet after, though, right?! (Ms Green)

Created a private group chat and used it to gather information on his whereabouts. (Ms Peacock)

Moved in order to be closer to his house. When he mentioned he moved, they openly enquired about moving to a neighbourhood close to his new place. (Ms Wrestlemania)

Supported a friends project and made themselves the biggest donor yet publicly complained about their financial situation. Weird, right?! The friend was going through a really tough time. The fans used the access they gained to the friend to manipulate the friend into giving them access to him. The friend closed their project. (Ms Wrestlemania)

Made professional moves in order to work with another one of his friends in order to gain access to him. (Little Miss 23andme)

Bullied and harassed another fan for having limited access to him. They then doxxed the victims' family members' funeral. When they were called out and tried to defend themselves, they were caught owning an account that had supported the harassing messages. (Ms Wrestlemania and HideandSeek)

Stole photos from independent photographers and shared as their own, which he then shared so the photographer got paid. (Col Mustard)

Shared a stolen photo of him and another actor so he was forced to share his own so he owned the narrative. (Ms Peacock)

Had multiple genuine fan accounts deleted and suspended out of hate and jealousy. (Ms * and Encarni)

Sent d**th threats to other fan accounts. (I'll just pretend not to know who did this because it's under federal investigation💚)

That would definitely put me off going online. No wonder he went quiet.

I'd like to add that I was a total scumbag too once. Checked his personal info, thinking it was ok to do so out of interest. I shared bits and pieces because I didn't realise the ripple effect. Then I realised his info was being traded for people's personal gain. People were being manipulated into providing more and more. People were being ripped off for someone selling pics without a licence (you know who). I stopped. I made amends. I know I made a difference, so thank you to everyone who has helped right the wrongs.

Thank you to the people who helped provide tips.

Thank you to the people who had their lives affected but still stuck around to keep the good in the fandom.

Thank you to the people who listened.

Thank you to the people who took action when required.

Thank you to Pedro💜

And a giant FUCK YOU to the ppl who are still doing that shit and negatively affecting people's lives, including Pedro's and his friends' and family's.

Why did Pedro Pascal go quiet on socials?

Canada

Deuxmoi

Clue

The Meandering Response

The Counter Perspective

The Old Ladies

Buying Followers Pt1

The Fandom Stain Pt2

[eupheme]

Bookstore Girl | Day 7: Scarf Returned

modern!din djarin x gn!reader

Rated G | 1.5k

Tags: yearning, found family and fluff

A/N: named after a song (for the playlist), but this fic is GN!

It’s funny how such a small thing can bring two strangers together.

You supposed - as the owner of a local, used bookstore - that it wasn't really fair to have favorites. You should be grateful, honored, excited, to have all your customers. And you are...

...but there's a certain one that's seemed to have written himself into the pages of your story.

It's not just because he's interesting - it's a progressive town, filled with unique and beatiful, stylish people. It’s not just the dark clothes and heavy jacket, or the handmade scarf he wears wrapped around his chin and neck.

The colors drawing you to it - greens and golds and soft, buttery tan - so similar to one that you own. Its almost as if so used to it, that he doesn't even realize he's still wearing it.

No. It's his visits - always unexpected, never a set day or time he stops by. Always quiet, a polite demeanor as he slips inside, a kind nod your way as you smile at him in greeting.

The way he lingers in the children's books, going over the section you have set aside for new releases. Taking his time to pick something out - always a short book with thick pages, filled with colorful illustrations.

Usually about frogs.

His actions becomes routine with his visits. The way he stops for a small coffee - black - from the little table that stands off to the side, facing one of the bay windows.

It set up on the honor system - coffee, some seasonal toppings, cold bottles of water. A buck or so for each, something to enjoy while shopping. You’ve noticed he never fails to slip a little extra into the worn, wooden box.

Bringing his books to you, setting them carefully on the counter. Always paying in cash, flipping open his wallet, where you can just see the photo of his child, tucked right in the front. The edges of the picture worn and curled, as if he pulled it out often to look at it.

It always makes your heart flip, a warmth in your chest as you total up his purchases. Sometimes sneaking a wrapped cookie into his bag, even if he protests.

There’s a running deal you have with a small, up-and-coming bakery - you sell their cookies here, you get a very small cut of the profit, plus a free cookie per day.

You always save yours, just in case he comes in.

The protests stop after the first couple ones. Now, his eyes flick to yours above the wrapping of the scarf - kind and warm and a dark brown that you could find yourself getting lost in. His voice, muffled but low as he always tells you, "thank you."

You've been at this store for a few years. Already experiencing customers who would buy a book - sell it back for store credit a couple weeks later. It never bothered you, it was just business.

But he never did. You like to imagine the little library his child had acquired, each book hand-picked and sitting on a shelf. Wondering how many until it's filled.

A little sad - wondering if he'll still come back, when it finally is.

Until then, you cherish these meetings. Even if you're certain you're just another stop in the busy life he's sure to have.

Even if you're certain he doesn't think of you at all.

———

The scarves are what brought you to say hello to him in the first place. Yours was different - fringe at the end, a different pattern, but you felt like they could be cousins.

Yours hung from a hook to the side of the register - draped over your woolen coat. Liking to keep it close in case you had to dash outside to fix the rickety book cart, or if someone forgot one of their purchases.

It’s happened before, more than once.

He had stopped by in the past, and you had noticed him. But it took you another few visits before you felt comfortable enough to give a compliment - not wanting to scare him off.

It happens when you’re waiting for the system to come back up - your computer freezing, forcing you to restart it. Your nose wrinkling in embarrassment, murmuring a ‘sorry’ as you watch the spinning wheel on your screen.

His own eyes crinkled at the edges, “Not in a rush, no worries.”

The book sitting between you, your eyes bouncing around the room before landing on him.

“I like your scarf.” You ventured, offering a small smile, “It’s sort of like mine.”

You showed him yours, lifting the edge from the hook - the corner pinched between thumb and forefinger.

He smiled at that, at you drag it down - as he ran his thumb over the row of stitches, "It's beautiful. Did you make it?"

The compliment made your face heat, a little laugh falling from your lips, "No, this was a gift, from a dear friend. I wish I knew how to make one, I just never seem to have time."

He hummed in agreement, and you couldn’t help the little smile that lingered, even as you'’d notices that the computer was waiting you to log in.

Everything got up and running - his sale going through, the ending peppered with you, "Thank you for coming in."

Another squint of his eyes - his answering smile in farewell.

You realized you didn't get the chance to ask him if he made his - but it's almost nice.

Because that meant that it's something you can ask him next time.

———

It feels like horribly bad luck when you lose it.

Rushing out the door, your favorite scarf disappearing somewhere between your car, the cafe next door where you had grabbed breakfast, and the bookshop.

You mourn the loss, incredibly disappointed in yourself. It had been special. Certain little memories tied to it - not to mention the fact that you friend had crafted it for you, stitch by loving stitch.

Going out on your short lunch break to look - coming up empty. Wishing and hoping that perhaps you left it at home, but you're certain you remember pulling it up over your nose this morning, as the wind stung your eyes.

You're almost late getting back - a man standing at the little sign you had on the door, a "be back soon" hastily scrawled across the paper, with a little drawing of a clock.

The apology is sliding from you, fingers cold and fumbling as you slide the key into the lock - the to-go bag tucked awkwardly under your arm. Stopping when he helps ease the door open for you - when you notice who it is.

The kind man with the brown eyes. You don't even know his name, he always pays in cash.

"Thank you. I hope you didn't have to wait." You apologize again, as he follows you in, "I lost my - well, nevermind. You don't need to hear all that."

He hesitates. Like he would listen to your story, and the bit of kindess makes your heart flip.

Instead of continuing, you smile - gesturing over to a recently-updated display, "We got a couple new books in. I set some to the side, I thought you might like them."

Showing him the three you tucked away - their pages filled with colorful pictures, friendly life lessons.

He takes them all.

---

You're getting ready to close when he coming back through the front door - a gust of wind swirling behind him.

Where you're blinking at him - he's never stopped by twice in a day before. Twice a week was even unsual.

Snow clings to his coat, the canvas soaking it in, leaving dark stains behind on his shoulders. He fishes around in his pocket, before pulling out a small, folded bundle.

"You were missing this." He tells you, holding it out - as if he knew you were.

It unfolds in your hands, and you know it - the stripes of sage green bleeding into muted gold. Your scarf. Warm and soft between your fingers.

"Yes. How did you know?"

He shrugs, the movement made from unease, embarasssment. A hand, raising to scratch at the light patch of his beard near his jaw, "It's like mine."

For a second, you don't have words. The gesture so thoughtful that you can't think of what to say.

He mistakes your pause.

"You said you lost something earlier. I found this next to the curb just up the street. I would have been here sooner, but it was soaked, and I wanted to let it dry." It's the most you've ever heard him talk, the words almost rushed, "Glad I made it back in time.

"Thank you." You manage, at last - your eyes soft and warm, “I'm really glad, too."

“Happy to help.” His knuckles rap the counter, before he turns to leave.

Pausing, as he adds, “See you next week.”

He says it like it’s a sure thing - and maybe, it means as much to him, as it does to you.

“Yeah,” You smile, “Next week. I’ll be here.”

The words make you cringe internally as the door closed behind him - because of course you’ll be there. Where else? But you’re unable to help the small smile, as you watch him head up the street, his own scarf pulled up high over his mouth as the snowflakes drift down.

Thinking that maybe - just maybe - your luck has changed.

[dilfcember masterlist]

(tags - @andrewrussgarfield)

[bunny--manders]

Some photos of Appalachia for @kjzx to set the mood as you listen to the podcast!

This is what the mountains look like. The range is so old that they've actually eroded a bit over time, so they look softer and more rounded than the dramatic ranges out west like the Rockies, Cascades, Olympics, etc.

Child coal miners in Gary, West Virginia in 1908. The coal mining industry could be incredibly inhumane to its workers, and some of the most brutal suppression of labor movements in American history happened when workers tried to fight for better conditions. The podcast goes into real life mining disasters.

One of the most famous modern mining disasters--this coal mine caught on fire and couldn't be put out, and a whole town had to be abandoned because of it. The mine might continue burning for centuries.

I can't recall if the podcast mentions kudzu--it's an incredibly invasive plant that has been destroying Appalachian forests. Just driving by an infested forest is eerie because the vines will completely engulf trees and buildings.

A "holler" is a distinctive type of settlement in mountain hollows. They have their own unique culture and accent which people outside the area often stigmatize as uneducated. People living in these areas are often cut off from the best jobs, education, infrastructure, and healthcare and their state governments have done very little to help them for centuries.

I'm very interested in historical stories about bootlegging, and you'll hear a lot about people hiding stills for distilling liquor in the mountains so that they could make alcohol during Prohibition or during times of high taxes on liquor. It's very hard to police a whole lot of small, isolated towns in the mountains where the locals know the forest much better than federal agents coming in from out of town. My home state's official anthem, Rocky Top, actually has a verse implying that federal agents were murdered in the mountains while they were searching for an illegal moonshine still.

An example of music from the area. It's influenced by a combination of British immigrants, other European immigrants, and traditional African and African-American music.

A photo from the Appalachian Trail, a trail built in the 1920s that runs over 2,000 miles through the mountains. I'm biased because I love the forests where I live now so much, but I still think the Appalachians are some of the most beautiful parts of the country.

A storyteller talking about the very long history of Appalachian folk stories and repeating a story passed on through the oral tradition. Some of the stories still told in Appalachia are hundreds of years old and come from a blend of European and African folklore. I really love the way the podcast captures that beautiful style and cadence. It very much fits into the long history of ghost stories set in the mountains. I'm intrigued that you picked up on similarities to Russian storytelling traditions. I bet there are a lot of similarities with the way working-class families living in remote mountainous areas pass stories from generation to generation.

That's just a little taste of Appalachian history and culture! Basically: It's one of the most beautiful parts of America, but also one of the most badly treated by companies that exploited its people and natural resources and state governments that didn't do much to help people living in the area. I grew up in a city near but not in Appalachia, one that made a lot of money selling its culture to tourists but ultimately didn't give as much back as it should to the people living there. Parts of Appalachian culture have definitely become folksy novelties.

(BTW, if you've ever heard of Dolly Parton, she's probably the most famous modern celebrity from Appalachia and she's done a TON of work helping the communities she came from, which is part of why people love her so much!)

[hazbinhappy]

My Hazbin OC - Sunnie :)

I really went in on her background and it is very much subject to change but her look is solidified 🫶🏽 look at the pretty princess (and Velv cameo) i promise my handwringing is good it’s just the pen i used 😭

Here is some of her Hell background! (More like most of it lmao ngl I might just private post headcanons and blurbs of her unless yall wanna see her suffer or have a bit of a fun time)

I need to make it known: I do not condone a single thing Val ever has and will do that man is a bad and deserves to be in Hell. Making this OC a moth was purely based on the fact her and Val represent 2 different things about moths: Val is the symbolic meaning for endings/death and mysteries in night while Sunnie is the literal moth, they are beautiful and cute little creatures! She was going to be an orchid mantis because she was going to originally just be a girl who dated guys and played with their feelings before ghosting them but I liked this route more! But yeah I am not his supporter but I think he’s an interesting character/villain and I want to see him be explored more as long with the other V’s because they need more to their stories! Like Vox and Alastor! More Velvette!! Valentino and Angel backstory??? Anyways my want for more history and every character is for another day! do expect to see her more <3

i think when you wake up in Hell you don't have many memories from your past life (you can start to remember more if you try, but some people don't find any point). when she woke up in Hell she didn't remember much past who her family and friends was and her death

she went to hell for killing a girl who assaulted her friend

she met Velvette while she was trying to find photography work! she saw that Velvette (or at least her assistant) had put out an ad on Voxtagram (is that what it was called?) and immediately applied and sent in her portfolio

she thankfully got hired....but she had to sell her soul which was unfortunate, but hey a job and free housing

after a couple months Velvette mentions how Valentino wants a photoshoot done for Angel Dust

Sunnie vaguely remembers those names in passing and doesn't remember if she's ever seen a photo of them

when she goes to the studio to start taking photos she freezes when she sees Valentino

she knew he'd be Hell of course, he wasn't a good man

but she never thought she'd see her father again

he's talking to her as if she's any assistant until she starts speaking back to him

Angel notices the weird vibes, but he just poses and leaves

Val and Sunnie don't talk, but it's an unspoken thing that no one will nor should know (so not even Vox or Velvette know)

she grew to resent him once he passed so he has this ideal little girl stuck in his mind while she has a father who exposed to a lifestyle she shouldn’t have known

she knows about the hotel and has considered it occasionally because she wonders if her mom is in heaven (she died when she was a little in elementary so when Val died she went to her maternal family)

but she doesn’t because she genuinely cares for Velvette (if Velvette genuinely love for her is up in the air because she owns Sunnie's soul sooooo, but she seems to care about her)

she spends most of her time just taking random photos for Velvette's professional account, but she does have silly photos of other works (even from the other V's)

she tries to avoid Val most of the time, but sometimes it's unavoidable

they don't...really ever have an actual heart to heart about how things are now, but he has reached out and she's never replied unless it's "your late to the shoot" "velvette wants to know what time you're coming"

maybe one day she'll reach out, but it won't be anytime soon cause she hates him so much for the time being

Her Life background!

like i said they're relationship is based off of Marty Hodas and his daughter's relationship! She always seems kind of put off of growing up in that sexual environment and just didn't like it and Marty Hodas was considered like the King of Peep Shows/Porn

i like to think Val only had her as his kid and she was his little princess and he took her everywhere and didn't care as long as she wasn’t directly involved

Anice did stay away from that as she grew up, it became easier when Val died (apparently in the 70s) when she was 13 because she lived with her maternal family who weren’t involved with that

she did have a nice friend group! speaking of friend group they were drunk driving and all 5 of them (2 guys, 2 girls, and her) died in a multiple car wreck in 1985 (yes they stayed friends in Hell!)

she was going to college to be a photographer!

she wasn't necessarily a doormat, but she didn't often speak up about how she feels about things

I know I said she didn’t like her dad once she realized what he did and what she grew up around but she kept validating what he did by saying he was a single dad and had to take care of her and not leave her at home

so in a sense she idolized him, but in a parental way

adolescent psych doing me some good

to expand on the murder thing: her guy best friend (he’s not like a small dude either he’s big) was about to be in a not good situation so anice stabbed the girl. Was she happy about it? No, she felt like a monster. But her and friend stayed friends and covered it up. It was traumatic and it was a secret only for them to carry to their graves. She still hasn’t told anyone and won’t.

she really loves strawberry shortcake and care bears without shame and was a collector of them (she did sob when she realized she wouldn't have any of them when she died)

God I wrote a lot and drew a lot over the past 3 days so I’ll leave it here idk if I’ll revise her and change things up but a 100% is that her mom is in heaven because her mom ACTIVELY stayed away from that part of Val’s life. They only married to avoid people gossiping otherwise they weren’t together in the slightest.

ummmm YEAH so that's Sunnie/Anice and i love her

[enbycrip]

A fascinating and bittersweet part of my family history here, and a sign of how the lives of very ordinary people end up entwined with the wider world, which here in Britain in the mid-20th century meant with Empire.

This book belonged to my Granda, from when he was sent to Kenya to do National Service. He was, of course, a working class white boy from urban Glasgow, who had already been working full time since he was 14. I grew up with his stories about his time out there - it was frightening, and difficult, because it was so different from what he knew, and he had no choice or say in where or when he went, but it was also incredibly exciting and interesting for him.

I’m entirely sure that he, like most of my family, was neurodivergent, and my guess is autistic; I recognise so many of his mannerisms and features from myself. That can only have made being suddenly moved right out of his context so much more difficult for him. I know he found army discipline initially very difficult; much like me, he always found being told what to do for no good reason incredibly challenging, and all his later jobs were either self-employed - he was a taxi driver for 30+ years - or very self-directed. But he also got to learn to drive a jeep, and then to join the Signals Corps and learn radio physics, which had been a special interest for him since he was a child, and he would never have managed to fund a university degree.

And of course, as this book shows, he got to meet incredibly interesting people from somewhere very different from his own culture, and learn to speak their language. When I was small, he told me a lot of the funniest stories, like the time he and his pal borrowed a couple of horses and mocked up cowboy outfits because all the Kenyan guys in his platoon had only really seen white people in cowboy movies before they joined up, and had a running joke that all of them were actually cowboys at home, so they could go in and be like “Yeehaw, you’ve found us out!”

But he also told me a lot of the stuff that bothered him about being part of the machinery of Empire even when I was small, and, as he said, “I was just a wee boy then myself and didn’t know anything about anything either”; things like him being put in command of a Kenyan squad of black soldiers literally just because he was white. He told me about being expected to give orders to this incredibly experienced sergeant in his forties, who had been through WWII, when he was a 17 year old working class boy from Glasgow, and being very much “there is no way this is remotely right, or makes any sense whatsoever.” My Granda, of course, was a member of the Communist Party, and I think being in the position of seeing - and having to be part of - colonialism and Empire close-up definitely influenced his politics later in life.

He also got to meet just ordinary Kenyan people too; he told me stories about going to the markets to buy stuff from old ladies who reminded him of the ladies selling in the Barras back in Glasgow, and when one of his guys got married and brought his new wife in to meet everyone. She was initially very nervous, but then laughed her head off as my Granda tried out his Swahili on her.

My Granda died in 2019, just a few months before COVID first hit. He’s still very present to me in so many ways - I have a photo of him up in my kitchen, and inherited his compost bins and rain butt for my garden - but I always think of him in particular when I’m working on my history stuff. I’m going to treasure this book.

I think a lot about this whenever anyone claims modern Brits “shouldn’t have to feel guilty about Empire”. This is a place where my direct family history intersects very directly with Empire just two generations back from me. And yes, my Granda was just a radio operator and a driver, was never more than a private, and happily left the army as soon as he could. But he was still part of the imperial machinery when Britain was doing horrendous shit in Kenya, little as he wanted to be, and much as he felt having to do that was imposed on him as a Scot for an English Empire.

And of course he, like I, grew up and have lived our lives in Glasgow, a city whose wealth was built on imports from sugar plantations, and imperial trade, and thus from slavery. And so both of us benefitted from that, despite being just ordinary working class people.

This is the nature of Empire. The benefits and the oppression are both frequently diffuse. Co-option happens. While some people benefit *enormously* - there are still many *incredibly* wealthy families descended from slave owners who have only used that wealth to further entrench their privilege - and far more only suffer exploitation, in such a vast institution so many people live in a complex place where they experience both benefits and exploitation, in a thousand complex variations.

So I don’t see it as being about “guilt”, but about acknowledgement, and about reparations. There are things I owe to people who are still experiencing adverse circumstances, poverty and exploitation now because of things the British Empire did that I am still benefitting from the results of. Sometimes that’s direct mutual aid, to individuals or organisations. Sometimes it’s fighting for my country to provide reparations, change its actions, or even just acknowledge actions and ongoing benefit. And sometimes it’s learning, and passing that knowledge on.

[slowroadtosantiago]

Santiago de Compostella

I have decided to carry on with the blog for a few more days until we get home, I suppose we’re still having our adventure and it will help us remember what we did in years to come. But the stories are likely to be a bit more mundane now so can be skipped if you are bored. However, we’ve just had a cracking evening with our Camino family and that needs telling.

So, starting at this morning, we had a good night’s sleep and didn’t wake until nearly 8! However, we’re not sure if Jane has a few bed bug marks or it’s just heat rash. We’re a bit paranoid now. Check out was at 11, a real luxury when most albergues chuck you out at 8 if you’re not already gone by then.

There was a cafe just up the road so we went for breakfast then stopped at a pharmacy on the way back to get some stronger bite cream as I was discovering new bites (just mossies probably).

Our next stop was the airbnb so we asked the man on the reception desk of last night’s hostal if he could call us a taxi. It was a bit lazy as it was only just over 1 km away but it would mean we’d get very sweaty carrying the rucksacks! I’m glad we did as we’ve booked our ride to the airport on Friday with the same driver.

We dropped our bags but it was too early to check in so went back into town for a wander. The first place we found was the market housed in a lovely old complex. We found a nice souvenir shop where we bought a few bits. We then meandered for a while stopping for coffee in a small square where a man was busking. The streets of the old town are narrow with some very interesting shops.

Some of the streets near the cathedral are renown for their silversmith shops and we found one selling some really nice pieces which took my eye.

I had messaged Alex, to find out when she and the gang might be arriving so after the shopping we went back to the main square to wait for them all and spent a very happy time people watching. It was interesting seeing the mix of emotions as people entered the square, some crying and some obviously thinking ‘is that it?’

Laura also turned up to wait and eventually we saw them all, congratulated them, gave them big hugs, took their photos then left them to it to adjust and get their Compostellas with the promise of meeting later for food.

Jane and I were starving by then so went back to an Italian we had seen on the way in for their menu meal. I’m not sure how we’re going to adjust to 20 minute lunches when we spent the best part of 2 hours sat on a table outside people watching, eating and enjoying a couple of glasses of wine (it was just the two).

The cathedral didn’t have any services on so we got a proper look at what was inside. There were some interesting chapels and the altar piece is quite something. But the tranquility was spoilt by the noise of drilling coming from one of the side chapels.

It was time to get to the airbnb. It’s a very nice clean and airy two bed flat about 8 minutes from the cathedral. Jane’s got the double bedroom and I’m in bunks again, for the last time in a while I hope!

Alex messaged about meeting up so we all met in the main cathedral square along with some new friends they had met on the way.

There were going to be 11 for food so we went back to the same tapas bar as yesterday on the off chance they could fit us in, and as we were early we were lucky and they did after a short wait.

I thought it was a bit fishy when Ernest took charge of the ordering with so many of us there. We had some beautiful dishes, and lots of them, before he and Tim let on that they would be covering the bill. It was a really lovely evening, full of chatter and story telling, a wonderful way to finish the journey with our Camino family.

We finished the evening buying ice creams for everyone from a shop up the street. I have a new favourite of ‘cheesecake’.

After some big hugs we said goodbye and are now settling down quite late for us. Tomorrow is our day trip to Finisterre.

[cheeriosinyourspoon]

the gathering

now where do i start? oh yes, my emotions. validated? not by you. but by everyone else. so this is what i have gathered so far. some food to fuel your thoughts. 1. Why does my presence always seem make her upset? Evidence: Everyone at the UNESCO booth saw it. 2. Why did she ask people to not "layan" me that much? Evidence: Kuching Festival, ask everyone. 3. Why did she have to take a photo of her in your cap AND she has it pinned on her Instagram. Evidence:

4. The things/stories that she posts on your various social media pages are irrelevant to you as a chef. Evidence:

what does that have to do with you as a chef? 5. All the jobs that she has brought for you are low paying & low quality ones. Do you even need her, bro? (Hint: even Greg thinks you're better off without her) Evidence: Uh, hello? 6. Everyone at Kuching Festival hated her. Evidence: Ask everyone 7. She brings so much unnecessary chaos into your life. Evidence: - When you said you needed to rest, what was her response? "You're throwing your career away." "You're throwing all my hard work away." - Refer to cap photo (and many others) 8. If anything, you have elevated her status and she is now a "chef" even though she is technically not one. I doubt if she even knows how to cook well. Evidence: refer to JP. 9. She is trying to ruin your friendship with your friends and taking you away from your support system. Evidence: who is the source of all your quarrels/flights with your friends? She had the gall to tell JP that he was not looking out for you when she created unnecessary stress for you in the first place. 10. Have you ever considered that maybe she is the one with the problem and not her husband/in-laws and that her relationship with them is so strained because she is actually a really sh*tty person who manipulated her husband into marrying her and now he's trapped with two kids. No evidence here but again, just food for thought. 11. She is so insecure, she specifically bragged on her Instagram to show the world that your family bought flowers for her on her birthday. Not even her family got an appreciation post. Who even does that? Evidence: Refer to Instagram 12. Let's face it, Cloud 99 was a failed business. She sells liquid nitrogen from an ice cream truck. It is not even an everyday affair. If it were successful (like she said it was) then why does she not want to open a shop? I am certain if it were a successful business, she would have been able to expand and grow her business. (I have SO MANY pointers for this, my goodness) There's a lot more where that came from but I'm just too drained to write everything out. One thing is for sure though. she needs to get out of your life. you need to be freed from her. she does not have your best interest in mind. if she did, she would not have done/continue to do all these things. On a completely separate yet similar note, I am pissed. I am pissed because that cap photo is still up there. Did she apologise to you? Did she apologise to me? Did she even bother take it down? NO. In fact, she pinned the damn photo on her Instagram page. Don't tell me that she did not know that it was pinned. What load of fking bullsh*t. We are way too old to be believing sh*t like that. The fact that you did not insist that she take it down/delete the photo made me feel so disrespected. The fact that you did not stand up for us made me doubt your sincerity. You can say that you do not want to create drama and that you're ending the professional relationship with her after this, but the blatant disrespect that she has for us is just appalling! How can you let her do this to us? How can you let her disrespect us/me like that? Every damn time someone tells me about that photo, i just get so bloody pissed because when you do not tell her to take it down, it's as if you are giving her the green light to continue sh*tting all over us and our relationship. Or rather, you are not communicating clearly to her that she is fking disrespecting me. or maybe she is just weapons-grade dense. seriously. bless her heart and everything that comes out of her. cause it is never anything good. <insert eye roll emoji here> sekian.

[hologramcowboy]

I’m not sure which PR fluff piece is worse- the new People article or the US Weekly relationship timeline one. I still can’t get over the fact that they called Danneel an activist, tried to do a section on it, and couldn’t come up with more than four examples. And what’s worse is they were terrible examples. Reposting a resource guide someone else made on Instagram, posting her children in target pride merch (at the end of pride month), a fundraiser the Ackles helped host in 2018, and the one time Jensen teamed up with Jared to talk about mental health. One example had nothing to do with her (Jared’s mental health advocacy efforts), another isn’t activism by any stretch of the imagination (her family pride merch photo), and the only truly charitable effort on the list happened four years ago. They just shouldn’t have included activism at all, it just made her look shallow and uninvolved.

What was really telling however is that they tried to pass off that Jensen and Danneel not only still live in Texas, but are still living in the house from their AD. The GA might buy that, but anyone who is already a fan of Jensen’s knows that they sold that house years ago. What an odd thing to lie about. Very sketchy, and another little tidbit to file under evidence that they’re no longer living together.

I’m just curious as to why they’re paying for these articles, if the CW is bankrolling them and not Danneel that is. At this point, they’ll have spent more on promoting the Ackles and The Winchesters than the show will make them. What a poor investment. If Danneel is the one bankrolling them in an attempt to get her name out in the public again, she’s going about it all wrong. No one is going to believe the story of high achieving husband and wife producer duo if the couple in question has only one project in the works that has been doomed from the start and the other half of the duo hadn’t worked in years and didn’t have a promising career when she was active. No one is going to believe that they’re in love when they’re never seen together in public and when they look like strangers at best and like they hate each other at worst in pictures together.

You make some excellent points, Anon. I wonder if maybe the Texas house bit was just another error of the writer or if it was purposeful. It seems to be purposeful since the article was trying to push them as a certain type of couple. I doubt the studios have any interest in promoting Danneel, they could make an attempt at gaining her some credibility but this is now the way to go about it. She's no activist and it's ridiculous people call her that when she does ZERO work, it's delusional, all she does is post from her couch and she has no intelect to back up any remotely intelligent ideas that would benefit the world. She's just a privileged white woman ego tripping, nothing more and it's sad that People magazine did no research into her 'activism' 'background'. Danneel herself is ridiculous for claiming such title. As if activism was just a fashion fad.

You're right, no one is going to buy into what her team is trying to sell because there is no credibility on any of it. GA might fall for some of it but with a little research they will get the truth.

Judging by the amateurish writing of these articles I am inclined to believe they were ordered by someone who has no clue what they are doing and just has a desire to get out there, so I am inclined to believe Danneel paid for those articles. Whatever the truth is, it's clear they were paid for to increase her profile so it's obvious the Ackles realize how shady her profile is and that she needs credibility to be sold as a producer successfully.

This feels a lot like she's trying to get some press in before TW fails. lol What a pathetic way to go about it.

[lostbetweenthepagesofthesebooks]

A Court of Thorns and Roses

I tried hard to stay away. Not that hard, clearly. But I put up a good fight against it. I just naturally pull away from things when they get super popular for whatever reason… It’s like I get interested when things calm down. I did this with Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. After all the people went quiet (in some sense), then I went and watched these. Sort of the same thing here with ACOTAR… but the series basically fell in my lap. A good friend INSISTED. And she let me borrow her book for free. If I’m getting handed something, I’m not gonna turn it down… for the most part anyways.

Now that I’ve gotten into the series… I actually kind of get it. It’s not great writing, but it’s certainly not terrible. But that’s besides the point. The books are just fun. That’s all it really is. It’s all just easy, fun writing/story-telling. 

Let’s get into it….

(photo not mine... seems I forgot to take a picture of my friends book before giving it back... 😬)

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Rating: 3 Characters: 2 ½-3 Plot: 3

In this book, we have the Humans and then we have the Fae. There was an apparent war at some point, which we get some details of as the story goes and as the books go, which divided the land. On one little side the human’s reside, and on a much larger side the Fae reside. The Fae lands are divided into 7 courts: Night, Day, Dawn, Winter, Summer, Autumn, and Spring. There’s also a sliver called Under The Mountain. And there’s an island known as Hybern. In this book, we focus on the mortal lands, Spring Court, and Under the Mountain.

We start in the mortal land with our main character: Feyre. Fey-ruh. She lives with her two sisters, Elain and Nesta, and their dad, Mr. No-name Archeron. Feyre… I don’t know… to me she doesn’t have much of a personality throughout this book. Or rather maybe her personality develops as the books go. May be wishful thinking to make the book better in my head, not sure, but maybe Feyre basically couldn’t develop a personality with her upbringing and everything that happened to their family; and as the book goes, she learns what makes her, her. Might be reaching on that one, but I’m also not done with the books, so. But the family started off basically as the elites, and then crumbling into poverty where Feyre had to become the sole provider in her family via hunting and gathering. 

I have to side step here for a second to note that she does have a passion for painting and colors and textures. It’s portrayed that she’s actually a fairly good painter…. But I find this very curious. 1. She talks about how she has to basically spend all her time attempting to hunt and find sustenance for her and her family. So where is the time to build this skill? Maybe it was encouraged when she was younger? But growing up is when her family was wealthy and a lot of time was spent socializing and politics from the way she tells it. 2. They have no money. She can sell the hides of the animals she hunts, but she makes it out that all the money just ends up going to her sisters for “trivial” things. So… it feels a little silly that somehow Feyre is a really good painter. I almost wish SJM didn’t make the Archeron’s like… borderline deadbeat poor, but I digress.

Now the Archeron’s… to hear Feyre tell it… she makes these three out to be pretty bad. But then they all get redeemed? Well not Daddy Archeron… seems like Daddy Archeron can burn for all the sisters really care, especially Nesta. Elain, the youngest, she seems to like the most. Elain is the baby sister and everyone feels this way towards her, meaning the family all wants to protect her at all cost. Elain is portrayed as the sweetest of the three sisters. She’s kind, loving, and just wants a perfect little gardenscape to tend. Which doesn’t seem that bad… but then Feyre goes on to mention that Elain is basically Nesta’s shadow, so at times, Elain doesn’t treat Feyre that kindly. Which I suppose isn’t horrible, but it’s also not great when remembering that Feyre literally does everything to keep the family alive and Elain just uses the monies. Now Nesta… she’s intense. Nesta is somewhat cruel to Feyre, which automatically put me off at first. Unless it’s Elain. Then Nesta becomes all teeth, claws, and venom. But still. Feyre’s telling of her sisters in the book is not a kind one, which feels almost disconcerting in the following books. As for Mr. Archerson. Literally useless. Lets his daughter go out and hunt in a dangerous forest. Doesn’t bother attempting to provide for any of his daughters… dotes on Elain because she’s baby.

Now, for the most part, the whole human realm hates faeries. At the point of where the humans are now, it’s just engrained to hate faeries. Feyre mentions that sometimes faeries like to cross the wall to mess with/torture/kill humans, but there’s an impression that this doesn’t happen to frequently anymore. But by default: Feyre just hates faeries. Which I actually didn’t really like.. I was really hoping she would have more of a compelling reason to hate faeries besides being “told” to hate faeries. I was hoping for maybe a background story… like maybe they were the reason for her family’s downfall into poverty (yes, sorry, spoiler there). But no. I just felt like this was a missed opportunity for SJM.

Something occurs which results in the “big bad” faerie to come into the human realm and steal Feyre away. This was anticlimactic for me. Now… once we find out what the whole deal is way later in the book… it makes more sense. But still, even after finding out, I’m not impressed. It could have gone down much more dramatically for one. And I really think this would’ve been much more impactful if there was some sort of tie to Feyre hating faeries so much. I was really envisioning some sort of tie where Tamlin’s family ruined Feyre’s family is where I’m getting at here.

Tamlin, the “big bad” faerie, takes Feyre away to the Fae realm, into his lands: Spring Court. Very beautiful. Very Spring. And then starts a weird mating process essentially. We meet Alis, one of Tamlin’s servants, kinda bitchy towards Feyre but we still love her actually. We meet Lucien, Tamlin’s second. Also very bitchy towards Feyre, but certainly way more interesting to me than Tamlin. Anyways… Feyre is so resistant… until suddenly she isn’t because Tamlin couldn’t give her a good enough compliment one day and she’s butthurt. major eyeroll

I honestly did not like a good majority of this book. I didn’t like the quick pacing to meeting beast-Tamlin and then slowed pacing while in the Spring court and these weird moments between Tamlin and Feyre. None of it really made sense to me. I got none of that sexual tension or frustration from these two. And while later on that’s actually totally fine… I think it would’ve been really good to have a solid building between these two, and Feyre to the Spring Court. But at this point, neither character had a lot of substance to me, and that was another flaw in SJM’s writing in this book.

We do learn about an important curse that’s on Spring Court, and a “blight” upon the lands. Said blight is actually a faerie named Amarantha, who we actually hate but I do think SJM did a good job writing her. She’s basically the queen over the land attempting to subdue all the high lords and courts under her rein. She’s smart, has to be, at least, if she subdued all of them and kept them as such for 50 years. She’s chaotic and psychotic, which we get more of when we get Under the Mountain. We also get to meet a very important character at some weird sex ritual the Spring Court holds: Rhysand. No. He’s not in the actual ritual, obviously weirdo Tamlin is. But Rhysand is important. 

The latter half of the book, when we get Under the Mountain? Now that’s where it gets fun for me. Under the Mountain is where SJM ups the ante. The trials that Feyre has to go through in an attempt to break the curse and free all the faeries from Amarantha are wild. We get to see Amarantha on full display with her cruel trials. Finally, I’m interested. Finally, no weird mating dance between Feyre and Tamlin. All three trials are different and I don’t know which one is my favorite… but I will say the second one is slightly funny; especially when you think of all the TikToks and memes. 

Spoiler: Feyre completes all three trials and frees the faeries. I won’t explain the trials. I won’t explain the ultimate showdown, and the little interesting twists. But I think it’s obvious that Feyre accomplishes her task and then some because there’s 5 more books (now possibly 6?! I don’t know if I need that many books for this series… but go off I guess SJM). Then Feyre goes home with Tamlin and lives happily ever after…. Or does she!?

Luckily this book ended in a good enough bang with just enough intrigue to where I wanted to see what happened next, if it hadn’t, there would be no way. I’m glad I slogged my way through this book to get to the following books because ACOTAR ain’t it for me. Obviously you have to read it to get to the better content (and slightly better writing imo), but it might be a doozy for you. I won’t say I won’t read this book ever again… because I do reread Twilight and that’s also fairly rough in writing and what not… but it’ll be awhile before I do. I know this is a common statement from the all the ACOTAR superfans, but unfortunately they are right. If you absolutely do not want to get bogged down with this series, I totally get that as well especially considering all the shit with SJM. Unfortunately I don't DNF easily... I mean I certainly came close, but then I got hooked. And here we are.

Read on beautiful people. 📖🤘

[jade-parcels]

👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕

The bunnies’ other jobs!

From my bunny cafe au

((I am so peeved :((( I had this all written out!! And I deleted it by accident!! Darnnnnn!!!))

Anon asked “You mentioned that some of the bunnies have day jobs so do they all have jobs outside the cafe or just a few?” (Something along these lines…again…I deleted it by accident 😔)

👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕

Diluc/‘Angel’

After his father got bored with the wine industry, he passed the whole company off to Diluc on his 18th birthday in order to shift his focus to mining. Diluc found himself swamped with all kinds of business decisions while just barely being an adult. He expanded the company and hired some very trustworthy people to handle things for him so he could finish college

When the business was given to him, Diluc and Kaeya had an explosive fight over it. Kaeya felt like he deserved to have some say in what happens to the business, he’s still a part of the family! But Diluc refused to let him in on any decisions so Kaeya packed his bags and left (not before cussing him out in front of their father, staff and business partners). He was just in a silly, goofy mood. They’re fine now, not on the best terms but they do chat and meet up for lunch on occasion.

He is filthy rich, he couldn’t spend all of his all of his money if he tried, so he doesn’t really need the job at the cafe! Kaeya got him the job because he knew his brother was stuck in a weird, antisocial funk and needed some fun in his life

Diluc loves this job, he has a great time, but it isn’t his main job. His priority will always be the family business!! If he has to quit his job at the cafe, he would in a heartbeat

👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕👯‍♂️💕

Kaeya

Kaeya was going to go into the police academy but was scouted out by a modeling agency. They had seen him at Ragnvindr company events and thought ‘well damn’ so they gave him a pretty generous deal

Kaeya makes a good living off of modeling, the tips and paycheck from the cafe. He rakes in cash pretty quickly just cause he knows how to get it. That, and his dad sends him checks every other month as well. Kaeya thinks of it as ‘I’m sorry’ money. He isn’t wrong

He doesn’t travel much for modeling, which he doesn’t mind, so he kinda just hangs around the city with a lot of free time on his hands between photo shoots. That’s why he got this job at the cafe! It gives him something to do and it’s fun as hell ;)

Albedo

Bedo is one busy bunny. He finished college early and is getting his masters degree online. He works most days at the cafe and on the weekends, he tutors other college students in bio/chem/science related subjects

(He was actually Xiao’s tutor back when he was failing chemistry!! Xiao is very thankful for Albedo’s help!!)

His dream is to become a biochemist, he’s always been interested in cells and what makes up living beings. So having a career in that field would make him the happiest man alive

His mother and sister live outside the city in a more rural area so he spends a lot of time FaceTiming the two of them! Klee is always so excited to hear about Albedo’s experiments or the people he’s met while working in such a bustling, fun city :)

Zhongli

Zhongli is a simple man! He’s a bunny waiter and an artist

He creates intricate pieces based on folklore from different cultures, focusing mostly on dragons. His favorite medium is paint, he loves painting on glass and layering the panes in order to create a 3D piece

He sells his works to galleries, shops and anyone who wants them! As long as they appreciate the story behind the artwork. Sadly…He undersells his work. He could def be making more money but he just does not desire money or material goods the way others may

So he got his job at the cafe in order to help out his dear friend Ningguang, not for money, he only planned on working there for a month or two until she got more bunnies but…he ended up really loving the people he works with :’) he looks forward to working with them now and texts/calls them outside of work to meet up for lunch or bowling (such an old man thing to do omfg)

Dainsleif/‘Sweetie’

Dain was a bouncer at another bar before leaving to come to Celestia’s! He’s good friends with Beidou, they belong to the same motorcycle club so when she was talking to him about the lack of security at the cafe/bar, he stepped in to help out

Little did he know…he’d actually become a bunny…And like it

This is his full time job now, he doesn’t have another for the time being. While he is a bunny at the cafe, he still keeps an eye out for any threats to his coworkers and has access to the offices upstairs (Ningguang’s office and the security office)

When he isn’t waiting tables, he’s upstairs in a tank top and sweatpants keeping an eye on the security cameras and talking to the other security guards through their ear pieces

Ajax

Ajax is a student who doesn’t really have much time on his hands

He mows lawns in the summer and he’s quit his job as a cashier to come work at the cafe! He mostly works night shifts his cause he’s still going to school aaaaaand he’s on his college’s swim team! He’s about to graduate so he works close with his coach to help train the others on the team

He doesn’t really want his family knowing that he skips around in a skimpy bunny outfit and fucking customers most nights but I mean…They’re bound to find out if they see him in pictures people post

Xiao/‘Tofu’

Xiao is an art student!! He wants to be a tattoo artist :)

He’s already got one sleeve of tattoos, it’s unfinished but you can’t really tell just by looking. When he isn’t at the cafe, he’s either in class or shadowing Ganyu, his best friend and tattoo artist. Their art styles greatly differ, she focuses her craft on cutesy, colored tattoos, but she is skilled. And Xiao looks up to her

Xiao admires Zhongli too, they met at the cafe and when Zhongli found out Xiao wants to be a tattoo artist he told him that once he’s licensed, he wants to get a tattoo from him :’)

Baizhu/‘Honey’

Baizhu is a (mostly) full time pharmacist, hence why he isn’t usually at the cafe

He also has a niece, Qiqi, who he babysits often. He loves her very much so he has no problem watching her! Baizhu will even bring her to the pharmacy with him when he’s swamped with work. In the break room, he has a play kitchen, coloring books and a bunch of puzzles to keep Qiqi occupied while he works :)

When he’s not at work, he’s at home resting. He has chronic pain flare ups in his back and shoulders that can make life miserable :( he has plenty of good days that outweigh the bad! And as a pharmacist, he has access to any medicine he needs to make his life easier!

Dottore(Alain)/‘Doc’

Alain’s an oral surgeon who’s a little bit….too into his job

He isn’t phased by blood or gore so he’s easily able to conduct procedures that would make other squeamish. He’ll pull teeth, put in dental implants, remove rotten tissue, any of that without even flinching

Outside of that, he works at the cafe. He wears a mask in order to avoid being recognized even though at his job as a surgeon, he’s usually wearing a medical mask anyways. It’s just a precaution

This has nothing to do with his career but he used to be a tap dancer and actor so he’d join in on local theatre shows! He helped build sets when he wasn’t rehearsing. He doesn’t have time for that anymore (which kinda makes him sadddd) but he has all kinds of theatre playlists on his phone and in his car that he’ll sing along to

Scaramouche/‘Boss’

Scara’s job at the cafe is his main job! His side job is something you may not expect from such a grump

He works at an animal shelter! In fact, he brings cats home to train so they have an increased chance of being adopted. Someone is more likely to adopt a potty trained, socialized cat than a feral cat who doesn’t know what a litter box is. So Scara brings them to his apartment for some one-on-one socializing, training and cuddling

One time he offhandedly mentioned working at an animal shelter while he was working at the cafe and sure enough, three separate customers from the cafe came by to adopt!!! Only one actually took an animal home but he was still surprised that those people had listened to him and cared enough to come by

Scara is a jerk most of the time but when he’s at home…by himself…With a lil kitten sleeping in his lap while he plays games on his PC…Yeah, he softens up a bit

So as you can see, we have a very diverse group working at the cafe! They’ve all learned a lot from each other, come to appreciate each other’s friendship and come to help each other out when one of their coworkers is in need or upset.

[takalzuoom]

hahaha lol I'm back, so I was thinking, how about Azul being a supplier of potions and oddities he collects from dying sailors and sells to Idia, maybe that's how they knew of each other, they're in between friends, acquaintances, and business partners since idia runs the black market right? perhaps that's how idia knows of mc's necklace. Azul probably ranted to him about mc and idia's now curious, a clue on how to save his family and stop the suffering of ortho? sign him up in the manhunt for you, except he really doesn't know how to convince mc to part ways with their precious heirloom, maybe if he helps azul capture their heart as a favour, they'll help him with the curse, he's not really interested in romance but if it'll save his brother he would help azul woo them and sweep them off their feet, but the thought of interacting with other people practically gives him hives and rashes, yeah no he'll rather stick to book characters thank you very much

PFPSLWOFOAWL YEP- THEYRE TRADE PARTNERS

you would think that’d be the opposite since they both run markets, but nope! they get alone infamously well.

would often ship things to one another, and are even 2/3 of the tri-trade comission. that holds special auctions once a year for vips, and them.

azul definitely tells idia about grim- wanting to learn more about the strange feline that looks oddly similar to the hell’s fires in the underworld. but when idia says he hasn’t got a clue, they’re both on high alert.

and idia asks about you- saying he’s heard some mumbo jumbo about some royal causing a stir by ship hopping. and ofc, azul feigns innocent… but a man could always be bought, one way or another.

or maybe jade tells him, not liking how azul lowered his guard and softened his gaze around you, wanting the best for the monstro and monstro lounge. of course idia pays him handsomely with to die for information.

and from sources of his own idia finds out more about and some locket you have- a locket that’s in a book tucked in the back corner of his forbidden library. idia could only clutch an old tattered photo, as he calls up an old friend. begrudgingly ofc

IDIA HATES INTERACTING!! so he just kills off everyone. finds it easier that way. it’s worse if you try talking. i do think he has a complex tho. and he most definitely has a sharp tongue teeth so it’s not that he can’t… he just… doesn’t.

i also love the idea of the locket, but i feel like it’ll be more insignificant in the first act of the story… so idk what to do with it🤷🏻

not sure if i should have mc’s mom give it to them or azul…

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

Thoughts on Miraculous Shanghai: The Legend of Lady Dragon

Warning: Spoilers! Other than that, have fun!

Also, if you want to watch the full English Dub, click here!

I love how we saw Fei's backstory as to how she became guardian of the Prodigious and how it was actually stolen because there are people who want money from her adoptive father's studio. It was also sad to see that the values her father implemented into her fade due to the circumstances they found themselves in. I speak for all of us to say that this girl needs a hug.

The intro as always is beautiful! Since it was not the first thing we saw, I was confused when looking through the episodes on YT.

I always enjoy Marinette's monologues, and this one was over how she looked forward to her holiday (it was like a vacation type thing). And how she looked forward to spend time with Adrien since his father was going to let him out. It was all perfect...

...until she went to deliver Uncle Wang's package and found out Adrien left for Shanghai at the last minute. But all is good though because she could go to Shanghai, deliver the gift personally, and see Adrien.

It hurts me to see that the writers made Marinette's purpose to go to Shanghai is to see Adrien when she can do that in Paris! It frustrates me that her character development goes back to square one, even as the protagonist of the show. People might point out this was before season 3, but I have a few points that say otherwise or that the writers are mixing things up. But first, the plot points and thoughts of everything else.

Also, I get that Marinette is 14/15/16 at the time of this episode, but how likely is it to send your child on their own halfway across the world??? On SHORT NOTICE??? I swear Sabine and Tom are too chill with this, but then again, there would be no story.

Also, I love how Ladybug and Chat Noir took the opportunity of their patrols without akumas to bond more. The Ladynoir in this episode I stan!

Gabriel you piece of trash! If you did not plan to spend time with your son, why take him to Shanghai when he was hoping to spend time with you?! And do not say "for business purposes" because even though Adrien is a face in the brand, at least don't give him false hope and that bs!

Nooro, thank you for trying to talk Gabriel out of it, but he is literally a wall (talking to Gabriel=talking to a wall)

I will say, the waiting for 15 years thing is very concerning.

Uncle Wang has been looking forward to see Marinette in person in Shanghai to learn more about her roots. He is ecstatic and its just heartwarming and heartbreaking when you think that part of Marinette's stay will be related to Adrien.

At least we see one thing that makes Marinette's stay not all about Adrien though: she is genuinely interested in her origins! Like when she asks about her family's traditional songs and about her mom, even learning her real name!

Speaking of which, Sabine's name is Xia Ping and only called herself Sabine when she started living in France. Also, I love her photo!

Bastille the bird that was around since forever is an icon!

Also, I can't believe Uncle Wang has not taken a break since Sabine moved to France, like what the hell??? Give this guy a break for goodness sake.

Thank you Gabriel for having one brain cell and allowing your son to leave the hotel! We still hate you for everything else though.

Its cool that Kwamis speak all of the languages. It is also the most logical thing because their wielder could be from anywhere. My question is are they taught the languages, does it form when a concept forms in the universe and they start existing, or like everything else is it magic?

Gorilla is iconic for two reasons: he is still a self care king, and he was willing to give Adrien some space to get action figures.

And now as I wrote that, this is where I am getting confused and start to believe this is post season 3: 1) Gorilla seems less anxious about being in a new place (unlike NY where he stayed in the hotel room the entire time), and 2) His obsession for action figures was shown in Party Crasher (season 3), which makes me wonder if the explanation is during season 3 or this episode hints at season 3. For the first point, it could be because Gabriel was not in NY to his knowledge.

Fei appears again and explains how she views the world and how she also uses that to help and take advantage of others.

She almost steals Adrien's phone and miraculous until Gorilla steps in. It hurts me because she is a good person but had to resort to stealing for a reason that we will explore soon.

Plagg, we always say your stomach causes trouble, but this time, you brought Adrien to Marinette's uncle...

...but also that ironically separated them as Marinette found them just as they climbed into the taxi.

This is also where Fei (wearing a disguise) crosses paths with Marinette and steals her purse. Then she went for the kwagatama and miraculous.

Things get worse for Fei as these boys that took a photo with Adrien earlier started chasing her. Then Marinette started going after them.

That is when she realized she was robbed and understandably, she was more horrified of losing her Miraculous.

Adrien shows up to Uncle Wang's home/restaurant. So many iconic moments happen.

1) Bastille says something about love between Marinette and Adrien. And Adrien responds with the line that makes us want to jump into the TV and talk some sense into him.

2) You say that "she's JuST a fRIenD" yet you stay over with her mom's uncle so you can surprise her lol. Adrien, you kill me and every other Adrienette fan with this contradicting statements.

Speaking of Marinette, she gets lost and has trouble communicating with others because she does not speak Chinese. And at some point says that she regrets not taking lessons?! Uh, what does this imply, that she refused lessons or that she did not have the opportunity for lessons??????? I NEED ANSWERS!

Can we say once again how talented and artistic Marinette is? Bad time? Moving on!

Uncle Wang is unaware of Marinette's tardiness, and Adrien just jokes about it. Considering that she is technically missing (reality is that she's lost), I don't think its time to joke about it.

The lady that gave Marinette some earrings that look like the Miraculous is so nice and bless her soul

The person from the pawn shop is the bad guy that we see at the very end of the NY special! And he knows about what happened to Fei's father! I am grateful that he sees no value in Marinette's stuff so he won't sell it for a lot, but I hate how he's greedy for money and was willing to exploit Fei's hunger for answers and Marinette needing her miraculous for personal gains.

Meanwhile, the boys from the photo with Adrien that chased Fei were trying to get Marinette's attention (they found her kwagatama when Fei dropped it running away and fighting them), but she thought they were gonna attack her. And then she bumps into Fei, who helps her escape.

Marinette finds comfort in Fei for being willing to "help" her (remember that she was gonna bring her to the pawn shop). She also finds Fei as a helpful, kind person who is brave: something that Fei does not see in herself, but does not have the heart to tell Marinette the truth.

Meanwhile, Chat has transformed to find Marinette and its the most endearing thing I've seen! Adrien, you blind oblivious fool! You care about her more than you think!

They arrive in the pawn shop, Tikki escaped the claw machine, and Marinette finds the earrings...for 100000 Yuan.

Fei, understanding what its like to have something entrusted to you be stolen, gets in a spat with the pawn shop owner in Chinese, accusing the owner for greed and accusing Fei for theft, while Marinette just stands her.

Also, when did Marinette become naive???????? I get that she's in another country and they are speaking in a different language that she does not understand, but based on the tone of their voices and shouting, I feel like she should have sensed something was off.

Fei swaps the earrings the lady gave Marinette and took the miraculous back. To the lady, this is why your soul is blessed. So bless your soul!!!

Apparently, Marinette realized what happened and said that Fei stole her earrings and feels bad for the man. Girl, you do not have to feel guilty for the man! He was about to destroy them before he thought about sentimental value! Also, he did not pay Fei anything for them! (Felt that this should be brought up because even though Fei was wrong in stealing her stuff, she was also robbed from potential cash and answers, therefore the man was owed nothing.)

The boys from Adrien's photo are actually vigilantes of Shanghai (and will be referred as such from now on), wanting to bring Fei to justice for stealing, which catches Marinette's attention, but not enough to ask any questions.

Also Marinette is not wanted as a criminal. She is missing as Uncle Wang called the police.

Fei still lives in the school, which has been in ruins. Despite not having much, she still offers Marinette a cup of what I believe is water (or tea?). See peoples, Fei is a good person at heart (if y'all aren't aware of it by now)

Gabriel saw and recognized Marinette. This is horrifying and if it is prior to season 3, we see why he tries so hard to target her. Or reasons why he targets her in season 4 along with everything else we know from "Truth".

Fei should have been given the chance to explain why she stole Marinette's things, but the pawn shop owner was like "you know, I might as well expose Fei myself"...

...and it really broke Marinette, who heavily trusted her. But she can't dwell on it for long...

...because AKUMA COMES FOR THE PAWN SHOP OWNER! AND HIS FAN SHOOTS KNIVES! AND HAS GREEDY MOTIVES! AND HELPED HAWKMOTH GET INTI THE CAVE WITH THE PRODIGIOUS!!!

Also, Nathalie was involved in obtaining the bracelet years ago. Again, the 15 years thing is concerning.

Marinette flees to transform, but not without telling Fei how she broke her trust and how she feels that Feinwas not genuinely helping her. It hurt me so much!

Ladybug transforms, hears Chat's voice-mail (to which she is swooned by the fact her kitty cares for her civilian self), and calls him. The best Ladynoir scene so far!

So the prodigious is like a jewel with powers, there is only one prodigious from what we see, and that one prodigious has multiple renlings that only the wielder can see. Oh, and the bracelet is like a key. Cool.

I don't like how Fei's Lady Dragon outfit looks whitewashed, but at least her hair is red instead of blonde (which still does not make this okay)

Epic Showdown between the akuma, Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Lady Dragon. Hawkmoth corners Ladybug and Lady Dragon gets caught in some rocks.. All hope seemed lost...

...until Chat shows up and frees the akuma with the help of a basketball.

We learn something new folks: the same butterfly can create a different akuma. This is very frightening because...

The statue that determines who is worthy of the prodigious gets akumatized! The horror!

Also, if the statue says Fei cannot become the dragon because her intention to seek vengeance for her father is not noble and worthy, then what makes Hawkmoth think he will be successful in becoming the dragon??? Because it seems that his intentions are not pure or noble. Just saying.

Hawkmoth notices the akumatized statue heading to the city and all of a sudden remembers about Adrien. Confronting the statue, he gets turned into ashes(?).

CHAT, HAWKMOTH IN ASHES WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR THE BETTER IF THE STATUE DID NOT DESTROY SHANGHAI AND YOU WOULD NOT THINK AS SUCH IF YOU KNEW HE WAS YOUR FATHER! But I am not mad at you, just wanted to point out your irony.

ML WRITERS, WHY DO YOU KEEP KILLING OFF CHAT????? LADYBUG DOES NOT NEED ANY MORE TRAUMA AND THAT WAS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!!!! I AM SCREAMING INSIDE!!!!!

Fei is understandably upset and blames herself for what happen. I want to hug her so badly.

Marinette reassures Fei and forgives her, even though Fei felt that she could not be forgiven.

The structure they were standing on collapses and it was Fei as the Dragon who saved her, not Chat. Honestly, I love how it turned out as it strengthens their friendship, but I still prefer a Marichat alternative. WHERE IS THE MARICHAT PEOPLES???

Final showdown!

Poor statue guard was upset about the damage they caused as an akuma, but Miraculous Ladybiug fixes everything.

Fei learned an important lesson: let justice take its course, not enact revenge. But it was quite funny to have the pawn shop owner be flown away to court in a literal sense.

The bracelet has a renling-like creature, who is just so adorable, especially since they missed Fei and was waiting for the day they would be reunited. Aww!

Ladynoir version of the Moon scene from NYC! Except no dancing, just them challenging each other over who will get to Paris first if they traveled in opposite directions. No one shall ever know we were in Shanghai as civilians lol (Reminds me of my best friend when eating grapes during choral rehearsals)

Marinette, Adrien, Fei, and Uncle Wang enjoying a birthday (?) dinner was wholesome.

I love how Uncle Wang calls them boyfriend and girlfriend because of how they act around each other, yet Marinette and Adrien both deny it. Bruh, these children need to open their fricking eyes! I really wanted to jump through my phone screen!

The Shanghai Vigilantes came to return Marinette's kwagatama necklace. They are so precious even though we thought they were enemies in the trailer.

Even though they were at odds at first, love how the Vigilantes blushed when Fei played the accordion and she's just like "whatever". I stan an asexual queen.

Do I even want to know what Marinette accidentally said when she mispronounced "sister" in Chinese? Based on what Fei said, probably not.

Uh...NOW I WANT TO SEE MORE OF ADRIEN TEACHING MARINETTE CHINESE! While I do take some issue of Adrien (a white French boy) teaching Marinette her culture like most of us had issue with in "Kung Food", I also want to see them interact outside of school and hopefully bond. ML writers need to keep their word otherwise Adrienette stans will riot!

Love how the final scene turned out! Its just *chef's kisses*

Also, the hell with the business trip?? It was mentioned once again IN THE ENDCARD! It might not be as interesting, but I want to think that there was more truth to it.

Also, wifi troubles kept interrupting the show at crucial moments, but okay.

Overall, I live for the Shanghai episode! The animation is just as incredible as the NY special (which I also live for) and I love how this episode has a great focus on Fei and the prodigious. I mean, before the intro, she tells her story. And she has her monologues alongside Marinette's. In many ways, it's refreshing. Also, Ladynoir and Adrienette stans will be satiated with the scenes associated with each ship. Also, I love Fei's character development! And the final scene is wholesome!

I won't lie though: there are a few issues regarding whitewashing Fei's transformation and such. It is important to see these things and as a good friend of mine always says: you can enjoy something while also being critical of it. And that is very important no matter how devotive to something you actually are.

Anyways, we are being well fed with all the Miraculous content and I will see you all very soon! Also, get some sleep peoples! I know some of you aren't sleeping!

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

A Place To Call Home: Dads

Summary: When the reader gets an offer to make some money on the side, things quickly evolve to Jensen learning about where some of the reader and TJ’s money has been going, namely TJ’s father. Jensen offers to help out but discovers that Rick might be up to something... 

Masterlist

Square: A Place To Call Home

Pairing: Jensen x foster daughter!reader

Word Count: 7,600ish

Warnings: language, angst (so much family angst), minor injury

A/N: Written for @supernatural-jackles​ Tell Me A Story Bingo. This part takes place after the Halloween timestamp. Enjoy!

______

“Thank you, Barry,” you said as he left the office at the brewery. Your head was still up when your dad slipped inside and he shut the door. “What’s up?”

“There’s a talent scout out in the draft room,” he said.

“Fascinating,” you said, going back to reading over a contract with a new distributor.

“Y/N they’re here to see you.” You turned in your seat and stared at him, breaking out into a giggle. “I’m serious.”

“This is by far your worst prank yet.”

“You modeled some of the new merch last week? He’s here for you,” he said.

“To what, model?” you scoffed. “No thank you.”

“Well can you go tell him that because he was insisting on hearing it from you,” he said. You sighed and walked out front, a guy in a suit with no tie on sipping from a glass. He smiled when he saw your dad behind you. 

“Ms. Ackles,” he said, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Mrs. Hanover,” you said with a friendly enough smile. 

“You’re clearly used to some hard negotiations.”

“I’m tougher than I look Mr…”

“Elbridge but please call me Dan.”

“What can I do for you today, Dan?” you asked. He walked out to a quieter spot by the railing, settling at one ot the standing tables.

“I work for a talent agency, Mrs. Hanover. We’ve worked with your father a few times when he was starting out,” he said, your dad giving a nod. “We’ve seen your modeling pictures and we’re very interested in you doing a shoot.”

“I appreciate the offer but my answer is no. I’m not a model or an actress or any of the things my parents are besides someone invested in this brewery,” you said.

“She is a tough cookie,” he said as he looked at your dad. “I’m assuming you told her nothing I told you.”

“You gotta sell it on your own,” he said.

“Y/N, we’d like you to be in a commercial with some other women. An underwear commercial.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a commercial for inclusivity for people with differences,” he said.

“He means the scar on your back, Y/N. From the accident,” said your dad.

“You’re exactly the kind of person we want included in the line. There’ll be a photo run of things too and-“

“Why exactly do you know I have a scar on my back?”

“Your Instagram. I assumed it was public knowledge.”

“Okay but it’s not even that big. Like it blends in. I’m boring. Get like, an amputee or a burn survivor. That’s inclusive. I’m average.”

“We have a vast array of women in the line including those types and all kinds of body types. But you’re...a brand name we could put to the project.”

“Brand name,” you said. He hummed and you laughed. “My dad? That’s a brand name, not me. Throw him in some underwear and I’m sure you’ll get all the attention you want.”

“Well we want you,” he said. He pulled out a business card and handed it over. “Our initial offer is on the back but we’re open to negotiations. Call us if you think you might be interested. Oh and the beer’s great.”

“Thanks,” you said, looking over the card. The guy had wandered off by the time you flipped it over.

“I told him you wouldn’t be interested,” said your dad, sipping from his bottle of water. You blinked at the card, your dad raising an eyebrow. “You’re not considering it are you?”

“Dad,” you said. You flipped the card around and showed it to him, water spitting out of his mouth.

“Hey, Dan,” he said, rushing back and waving him over. Dan smiled as he walked back, drink in his hand.

“I thought that’d-” said Dan before your dad got in his face. “Is there a problem?”

“What are you up to,” he said.

“Dad.”

“Y/N no one gets offered that much money off the street. No one. So I’m gonna ask again. What are you up to?” 

“It’s for a package deal. A photo shoot. A commercial. Ad sponsorship for three months bi-weekly on her social media accounts. We’d also like her to design the set for the commercial. There’s a time crunch of next week so we felt a hundred was a fair offer for that amount of work on short notice,” said Dan. “If she were simply modeling, we’d offer her twenty five but this is our biggest line of the year. You are more than welcome to come along every step of the way.”

“Dan I really do appreciate the offer but I’m not a model. I don’t even remember the last time I wore makeup. I will happily design a set and build if you like and maybe I can do the ad thing but I’m not a model like my parents. Can I talk to my dad for a second?”

He nodded and walked off a ways, your dad sighing.

“Maybe mom could do it or something? She’s done that stuff before,” you said.

“I’m not gonna tell you what to do. Go for the set design for sure. You’re good at it and I know you get to break back into your architecture skills for that. But the rest...once you get on that train you can’t get off.”

“Dad, people already know who I am. I have like...an obnoxious number of followers on my accounts and stuff. My most popular posts? Always about you. I’ve never been in the shadows.”

“I know but that’s different than you doing these things. If you start taking pictures in underwear, you’re gonna attract at least a few weirdos and most of them are harmless but maybe some aren’t and there is a reason that Uncle Cliff still hangs out with me at certain times.”

“It’s a hundred thousand dollars. TJ and I could pay off the lawyer fees for Allie’s adoption finally,” you said. “We could get our mortgage payment down.”

“You’ve never cared about money,” he said. You pursed your lips and he narrowed his eyes. “Are things tight?”

“Dad.”

“Are they?”

“I don’t ask about your finances.”

“I sat down with both you and TJ when you bought the house and even with the renovation costs, your monthly payment was very affordable. Allie’s adoption should have been paid off months ago.”

“Do you stalk our spending now or what?” you shot back.

“Well you haven’t bought a new car or any big expenses. Where’s the money going?” he asked.

“I’ll take the set design and leave it at that,” you said. You brushed past him and over to Dan. 

Thirty minutes later you had a signed contract and were back in your office, your dad grumbling as he walked inside.

“I’m busy,” you said.

“Where’s the money going, Y/N?”

“TJ and I make very good money,” you said, typing up an email. He leaned over the desk and narrowed his eyes. “I took the set design only for twenty. Happy?”

“Why do you need twenty thousand dollars?”

“Coming from the guy who made how much fucking money for a single freaking episode? At least I’m not slutting out my face,” you said. He stood back and slammed the door shut on his way out. You sighed and got up, finding him out back, splitting old pallets down. “Dad I’m sorry.”

“Whatever,” he mumbled. 

“Dad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“Yeah you did,” he said. “That is exactly why I didn’t want you doing that shoot. Then all you are is a pretty face.”

He moved a pallet and picked up the axe again, bringing it down in the center.

“Dad.”

“What?” he snapped as he spun around. 

“I said it because I knew it’d make you mad and piss you off and get you to drop it. It’s the only reason I said it. Please stop asking about where my money goes. Please.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“Dad I said to stop asking.”

“Tough shit,” he said with a shrug. “Call me whatever you want. Maybe I get pissed off but I’ll cool off too. I know how much you make and I know how much he makes and I know you two have both been taking side jobs recently. You should have your house paid off by now, not barely making your mortgage. What’s going on and I want the truth.”

“I can’t.”

“What’s TJ involved in,” he said. You looked away and he nodded. “There are very few reasons why you wouldn’t tell me the truth and considering how small Allie and Colin are, he’s the only one I can think of.”

“I can’t.”

“Hey! There you are,” said TJ, walking around the corner with a bag in his hand. “I was out at a ranch nearby for work and figured we could have lunch together.”

“Speak of the little devil,” said your dad. He dropped the axe and TJ set the food on the hood of his truck, cocking his head.

“You okay, Jensen?” he asked.

“Peachy,” he said, putting his hands on his hips when he stopped in front of him. “So. Want to tell me what’s going on with your finances lately?”

TJ glanced to you and you shook your head.

“Nothing,” said TJ quietly.

“You want to try that again and not lie to me this time?” asked Jensen. TJ shook his head and your dad shut his eyes. “If you’re involved in something bad, let me help. I have money.”

“TJ just tell him,” you said. TJ sighed and picked up the food, walking over to the employee picnic area and sat down. You took a seat beside him and TJ handed you a wrapped burrito, your dad sitting across from him.

“I’m not angry. Let me help is all,” said your dad.

“It’s not us who’s in trouble,” said TJ. Your dad looked to you and you nodded. “It’s my dad.”

“Oh you two,” he said, shutting his eyes. “You’re paying off Rick’s debt he owes somebody, aren’t you.”

“Rick owes money to a bookie and...he beat him up kinda bad and we have extra so…” you said, your dad staring at you. “He asked us not to tell anyone.”

“How much?” he asked.

“Five...hundred,” said TJ. 

“Five hundred thousand?” he asked, your heads nodding. “Five hundred thousand? What...how much have you given him already?”

“About half,” said TJ. Your dad shook his head and put his hands over his face, quickly pulling them off. “I know it’s a lot.”

“Yeah…” he said, swallowing to himself.

“We got it covered. Really. At the rate we’re doing extra side work-”

“Kids...you’re both so kind I think you missed something pretty important,” said your dad. 

“I don’t understand,” said TJ. He looked to you and you shrugged. 

“Guys that’s a lot of money. That’s...an extraordinary amount of money to a lot of people. How on earth does your father owe that much money all of a sudden?” asked your dad.

“He made some bets he lost on,” said TJ.

“But how could it be that much. What was the original bet?”

“What?”

“What was the original bet he made and lost on?”

“I don’t know. We figured it must have been like a hundred.”

“So your father bet a hundred, say he lost. That’s two hundred. Say he got some insane interest on it. Okay. Maybe, maybe he truly owes that much. But where did he get that original one hundred?”

“He didn’t have it,” said TJ. “We think.”

“Okay. He bet badly and ends up owing the whole thing,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“Do you give this money to Rick or the bookie?” asked your dad.

“My dad. He didn’t want us to get involved with the guy,” said TJ. 

“Okay,” said your dad. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna drive up to your folks this afternoon TJ and talk to your dad, see what’s left he owes. I will pay the rest.”

“Jensen that’s a lot of money.”

“I know it is. But it’s better to get him out of the hole quickly before something were to happen and I can afford it. Okay? I’m gonna head up. You two enjoy your lunch. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

Something was off about him as he stood and left but you weren’t quite sure what was wrong.

“My dad’s gonna be pissed. He didn’t want Jensen to know at all,” said TJ.

“He wants to help. He’s got a point. The quicker it’s paid off, the quicker your dad’s out of danger. Let’s have lunch and you can tell me about that ranch you’re fixing up.”

“Arrow,” you grumbled that night as she reached for the hot pan. “Let it cool off.”

“Why are we having dinner at your house?” she asked. “No offense but you can only cook like five things.”

“Would you like to cook dinner for seven?” you asked. She held up her hands and you rolled your eyes.

“To be fair, Colin still eats baby food,” she said.

“Thank you for volunteering to feed your nephew,” you said with a grin.

“I didn’t-”

“Ro!” he said as he waddled into the kitchen, wrapping her legs up in a hug.

“I hate you,” she said, narrowing her eyes before she picked him up.

“Thank you Arrow,” you said as she put him on her hip. “He’s got dinner in the fridge if you wouldn’t mind?”

“I got it,” she said, opening it up one handed. “Mom and dad have some last minute thing or something?”

“I don’t know,” you said, your phone ringing, Jared’s name popping up. “Can you get that?”

“Hey Uncle Jared,” she said, hitting it on speaker.

“Arrow? Hey you mind finding your sister for me?” he asked.

“She’s busy making dinner. Apparently it’s very difficult.”

“I’m here Jared,” you said. You grabbed the phone and shoved it between your shoulder and ear. “What’s up?”

“Don’t freak out,” he said. “But come outside.”

You turned down the heat on the stove and went out the front door, finding Jared on the seat out front.

“Uh, what’s up?” you asked, pulling the door shut behind you. “This is weird.”

“Your dad may have...listen. Shit went down when Jensen went up to see TJ’s dad whatever his fuckface name is.”

“Jared.”

“Oh you’re about to call him fuckface too.”

“What happened?”

“Well...he had a bad feeling about this whole thing. He and De went up there to talk to them. Things aren’t...your dad’s in the hospital.”

“What?” you said quietly. He stood up and gave you a smile, pulling you into a hug.

“It’s okay. He got a little cut when he got...pushed,” he said. 

“Jared,” said TJ, stepping outside with a curious look. “What’s up dude?”

“Normally being the Uncle is the fun stuff,” he said. TJ frowned when you both saw a cop car pull into your driveway, Cody getting out. “Codes.”

“Dad, I got this,” he said as he hopped up on the porch. You smiled and looked back at TJ. “Oh shut up. I got adopted like six months ago. I might as well.”

“What exactly is happening?” asked TJ.

“Dad,” said Cody again. Jared sat back in the seat, Cody sighing. “TJ...dude I’m sorry. You’re like my brother.”

“Did my...did something happen to my parents,” he said quietly, Cody’s head shaking. “Oh.”

“Rick’s been stealing money from you. There’s no bookie to pay off. Jensen and De went up today to talk to him and they found out the truth and your dad’s got in a fist fight and you guys ought to head up North. It’s not my jurisdiction so I’m not much help.”

“My father did what?” said TJ. Cody glanced at you and you looked down. “That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is,” he said. “TJ the police from your hometown looked into it. He took the money. He’s claiming it was a gift from the two of you but we all know that’s not true.”

“No, he’s been making progress. We’ve been making progress. We’ve been getting along really well,” said TJ.

“Did that start when you started giving him money?” asked Cody.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying what I know as a cop. Did your relationship start changing when money started exchanging hands?”

“Why does he hate me,” said TJ. You grabbed his hand and he shut his eyes. “He must hate me. That’s the only reason I can see why he would do something like that.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” you said.

“He hates you and Jensen. He thinks De is eye candy to stare at. I don’t know how on earth he can pretend to like me,” he said.

“TJ,” said Jared.

“You gonna tell me he loves me or some shit? It’s not good enough,” said TJ.

“I was gonna say you can cut him out of your life if you want to and you’re still gonna have a dad you know. I don’t understand him. I do think he loves you but there’s some resentment towards everyone else you call family. I don’t know why but it’s your choice what you want to do. I’m gonna go inside and finish cooking dinner and we’ll watch all of them tonight. Y/N-”

“I got him,” you said with a nod. 

Ten minutes later you were on the road and driving, TJ staring out the passenger window. 

“Honey-”

“Don’t,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. You reached over and grabbed his hand, TJ squeezing it. “We’re going to my parents house after and we’re packing up as much crap as we can to bring back. I’m never speaking to him again after tonight.”

“TJ.”

“All the late hours I put in doing side jobs. All the jobs you’ve been doing for set design on the weekends. For months and months we’ve been doing it. Straight into his fucking pocket. We could have paid off the house with that money. Paid off bills. That’s our money. It’s our kids money. It’s not some sack of shit’s to go buy whatever he wants with. I could fucking kill him.”

“We’ll get it back,” you said.

“It’s not about the money.”

“I know, babe,” you said. 

“Why is he like that?”

“It’s not an excuse but I think he was raised very poorly and he doesn’t...he knows it’s wrong but I think he thinks we have so much it’s okay if he takes from us.”

“He took two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from us. A year of side jobs for the both of us on top of everything else. We sleep four hours a night. We weren’t handed that. We worked for it. We worked our asses off. All that pressure and all the pressure we thought somebody would hurt him if we were late with money? I can’t believe I ever gave a shit about him. I should have trusted you. You’ve never liked him. No one in your family did. Even Arrow and that kid loves everybody. I should have trusted you guys.”

“TJ they didn’t like him because of the way he treated you, not me. I knew he was a dick when I met him but he belittles you, so, so much. We hate that he does that to you.”

“I don’t know how my mom is married to someone like him.”

“Don’t cut her out,” you said. “She raised you. You’re all her. Anyone who meets you can see that.”

“He’s going to lie when I see him again. I don’t know what to do,” he said. 

“Why?” you asked.

“Because.” You pulled over and he sat back in his seat. He turned his head and you saw all the tears streaming down his face.

“Honey,” you said. You leaned over and hugged him, TJ gripping you back.

“He’d kick my ass for crying right now.”

“Who was it that sat up with my dad after the accident and let him cry all over him? My dad who hates to cry and he’s not afraid to cry in front of you.”

“He’s strong. I’m not.”

“You’re my best friend. The girl who thought she was so fucked up and would be alone. God, Thomas. You gave me something even my parents and family couldn’t. You know how I never thought in a million years I could have this kind of love and you were never scared. The insecurities. The nightmares. The days where I’m quiet and my head gets to me. You just grab my hand and you make it better. You’re stronger than most everyone on this planet. I love and I’ve loved you since I met you and I’ll do anything for you, you know that. We’re partners. If you want to give your dad another chance you can and I won’t question it for a second.”

“I don’t want to talk to him again,” he said, sitting up somewhat. “But how do I say that when you didn’t get a choice? You didn’t get a choice with your parents. They were just gone and you had no say. How can I just walk away like that?”

“My parents didn’t treat me like the way your father does. Neither of my moms or dads ever have. You can walk away from someone that does, TJ. I don’t want you near someone like that. Jared was right too you know. You’re not gonna lose a dad tonight. You’ve always had one and he’s gonna be there for you always.”

“He hurt Jensen, didn’t he?” he sniffled.

“I’m sure he's fine. He’s very...defensive of his children is all.”

“Jensen gave me a letter,” he said. “Addressed to me. That’s when I really knew he loved me.”

“He loved you before that.”

“I know he did. I don’t know why I wanted my dad when I’ve had Jensen the whole time.”

“I’ve been there. Trust me,” you said. He let out a small laugh and you hugged him, TJ taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry Rick hurt you.”

“He hurt both of us.”

“Yeah but I care more about the fact he hurt you. I may deck him when I see him,” you said.

“That’d be kinda awesome,” he said. “But please don’t.”

“Hugs instead?” you said.

“I’ll take hugs,” he said. His stomach grumbled and you kiss his temple. 

“I’m gonna hit the drive thru and then we’ll get on the road again, okay honey?”

“Okay,” he said. You kissed him one last time before you got out of the car and dug around in the trunk. You took out your oversized hoodie and brought it up to the front, handing it to him. “What’s this?”

“You can steal it if you want. Your hoodie’s kinda make me feel better on crappy days,” you said.

“Thanks,” he said. “I really love you.”

“Me too. It’s gonna be okay.”

One Hour Later

“Let’s go to the hospital first,” said TJ as you hit the edge of town. 

“Jared said my dad was fine.”

“Y/N. Let’s go to the hospital,” he said. You nodded and about ten minutes later you were parked and getting a room number. He held your hand on the elevator ride up, kissing the top of your head. “You alright?”

“I’d prefer if he could stay out of the hospital.”

“Me too,” he said, the doors opening. You walked a little too quickly until you found the room, your mom and dad talking as you walked in.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked.

“Jared and Cody came by and we learned some stuff,” you said. “Why are you in the hospital? You look...normal.”

“Your father hit his head.”

“I’m fine.”

“After the accident last year-”

“It was nearly a year ago.”

“After the accident they wanted to be safe and monitor overnight just in case. He got a cut on his arm from some metal but that’s all,” said your mom. 

“I’m fine,” said your dad. He got up out of bed and spun around. “See? No concussion. An itty bitty scratch is all you worry worts.”

“Was there a fight?” you asked. He sat down and sighed. “You don’t look like it.”

“No,” he said. He looked at TJ and pursed his lips. “TJ would you mind grabbing me a drink from the vending machine?”

“Whatever you want to say, you’re gonna say it in front of me,” he said. 

“Mom and I went up to your parents place and it started out okay. But your mom didn’t quite understand what was going on. She thought Rick had been doing well betting horses at a track and that’s where the sudden money came from. Things...devolved from there and Rick got defensive and I was angry so we started arguing and he shoved me and your mom and De shut it down and the cops came and I’m sorry but he took the money for himself. Last we heard from your mom a little while ago she’s giving all the money back to you guys.”

“You pressing charges?” asked TJ.

“It was a shove. He didn’t take my money. You two are the ones that have a right to charge him,” he said.

“Do you know where my mom is?” asked TJ.

“She’s at your house along with your dad,” he said.

“Y/N why don’t you hang here with your parents,” said TJ. You shook your head and he frowned. “You’re worried about your dad. Stay.”

“He’s okay and I’m coming with you,” you said.

“Me too,” said your mom. 

“De-”

“TJ. You’re not gonna win this one,” she said. “Jensen’s okay on his own for a bit and he’d come if he could. You’re not gonna go talk to your dad alone.”

“Fine. Let’s go,” he said, already leaving the room. Your mom grabbed her purse and you ran your hands over your face.

“Go take care of him,” said your dad quietly.

“Dad.” You walked in front of him and he wrapped his arms around you. “He’s gonna be fucked up.”

“I know. We’ll take care of him,” he said. He kissed your temple and pushed you towards the door gently. “Go take care of your husband.”

“We’ll be back.”

“Guys I think maybe I should go in first,” said your mom a short while later, the three of you parked in his parent’s driveway. 

“No,” said TJ.

“Thomas.”

“Danneel,” he said. He turned in the passenger seat and she sighed. “I’m a big boy. I can go in first.”

“Don’t be violent.”

“I won’t,” he said quietly. She kissed his cheek and nodded. 

“Okay sweetie. Let’s get this over with,” she said. You got out and took his hand, TJ not as tense as you were expecting.

“His car isn’t here,” he said quietly on the way up the porch steps. He rang the doorbell and the door flew open, his mom standing there. “Hi mom.”

“I kicked him out for the night,” she said, letting the door open for the three of you. “I’m so sorry. Danneel is Jensen-”

“He’s pissed but fine,” said your mom, following you inside. TJ walked around for a moment, stopping at a picture on the wall.

“Mom. Why does dad hate me?” he asked. He looked over his shoulder and she frowned. “He manipulated me and Y/N. He’s horrible to her family. I get that he went through something as a kid but he’s a grown man.”

“Your father loves you. He doesn’t always know the best way to show it,” she said.

“He hurt me and you’re gonna side with him. Again,” he said.

“He made a mistake.”

“Hell of a mistake,” you mumbled.

“Do you think he wants to be the way he is?” she asked.

“I could have gotten past everything before but this? He doesn’t get to worm his way out of it. I’m done with him.”

“Then you’re gonna be done with me too,” she said. TJ turned around and she lifted her chin. “He doesn’t deserve to thrown out of your life over a mistake.”

“I seem to recall you not saying a word when he almost hit your grandaughter with a belt,” said TJ. “Why do you make excuses for him?”

“Why do you hate him?” she asked. TJ threw up his hands and shook his head. “Always since you were a little boy you’ve hated him.”

“He didn’t want me, not the other way around. I know he worked a lot but all I wanted when he came home at night was a hug or a bedtime story. I wasn’t asking for much,” said TJ. “He resented me.”

“He put in all those long hours for you, to provide for you.”

“I’ve been working since I was fourteen. I paid for my own things from the second I was able to. I paid for school all on my own. My apartment. My car. I paid for my wedding and honeymoon. He paid for food and roof over my head which is the bare minimum he could have done. Don’t tell me he provided for me. He fucking hated me.”

“Because you’re not his,” she said. You and your mom looked at one another, TJ blinking where he stood. “Rick isn’t your father.”

“Excuse me?”

“I cheated on your father because he can be an asshole and I needed an escape. He found out when I was pregnant.”

“Excuse me?” asked TJ again.

“He never wanted children because he thought he’d be a bad father. I guess he was right in your mind,” she said. 

“If you’re gonna tell the story, you might as well tell the whole thing,” said Rick. He stepped out from down the hall, TJ’s mom sighing. 

“So you are here,” said TJ.

“Car’s in the shop,” he said. 

“You hate me?” 

“I love you. It doesn’t mean I’m a good person though,” he said.

“You stole from us.”

“Yes I did.”

“Why?”

“This house is the size of your living room. You have so much.”

“If you wanted money just fucking ask,” said TJ.

“Like I said, just cause I love you doesn’t mean I’m a good person.”

“You’re not even my father apparently.”

“I’m your father,” he said. “Didn’t make ya but I’m your father.”

“What’s the story?” asked your mom. They all looked to her and she looked at TJ’s mom. “What don’t we know.”

“You ever wonder how someone like me wound up with someone like your mother? We’re polar opposites most days,” said Rick. TJ narrowed his eyes and looked between them.

“Don’t tell him,” said his mom.

“Alright,” said Rick. “I must have been mistaken.”

“TJ, can I talk to you,” you said, pulling him into the kitchen. “TJ do you remember in family studies when we had that project to track our family trees and you found your parents marriage certificate and the year was wrong?”

“Y/N what’s that got to do with anything.”

“What if the year wasn’t wrong.”

“It can’t be. They would have gotten married after I was born then.”

“TJ I’m not saying your dad is great but he just lied for your mom. He loves her. Something happened before you were born or after. I have this feeling that she didn’t cheat on him.”

“What are you saying?”

“Maybe I’m wrong but maybe your mom was in a bad situation and Rick stepped in to help because of her.”

“Rick,” said TJ, very quickly exiting back to the family room. “When did you meet my mom. If you ever want to speak to me again, if you want me to speak to her again, you’ll tell me the truth.”

Rick glanced to TJ’s mom, TJ smirking.

“You do care about her.”

“Of course I fucking care about her. I care about you too.”

“That’s great. I feel very cared for,” said TJ. Rick pursed his lips and his mom nodded. “Truth or I walk out that door and never come back.”

“I was married,” said TJ’s mom. “He was charming until he wasn’t. I got pregnant with you and you were born and he would get so angry at you for being a simple baby and crying and...I was so scared of him hurting you that I left. I had nothing and I stayed with a friend for a few days. I met Rick through them and he offered us a safe place to stay with him. It was only supposed to be short term but things developed. He is not perfect but he’s not the monster you think he is. We are safe and the reason you have all you do well and truly is because of him.”

“Do you have anything to say?” asked TJ quietly.

“I loved your mother before I loved you, that’s true. But I learned and I’ve done my best. You were far better off without me in your life. Look at what you have. You’d be angry and bitter if I had more of a hand in raising you. So you can hate me but you do not hurt your mother like that. You do not walk away from her after everything she has done for you. Understand me?”

“I need space from you,” said TJ, Rick nodding. “I also need something else.”

“What?”

“I still don’t understand why you took the money if you weren’t going to spend it.”

“Was gonna impress you, turn a profit on it, give it back with interest. Be like her father, give you some money for once.”

“Jensen doesn’t impress me because of money. Yes, their family doesn’t have to think twice about the cost of most anything. But Jensen, De, they don’t impress me for any reason other than how kind they’ve been to me. They treat me like their son, like I’m their own. They don’t pretend to. They don’t tolerate me for Y/N. They genuinely care about me, all because I fell in love with their daughter, a girl that’s not even theirs and they love her to death. The house is nice. The wedding was nice and so are the vacations. But I could live in a cardboard box and be happy if all I ever got was their kindness. They never made me work for it. They just gave it to me. You could have just given it to me and I would have been a happier kid. But you didn’t and now you have to work for it on my terms. So I want our money back and I want some space from you. If and when I’m ready to talk to you again, I’ll reach out. Alright?”

“Okay,” he said. TJ crossed his arms and nodded before he went outside. His mom followed after and you gave Rick a look. He pulled out his phone and tapped on it for a few moments before shoving it in his pocket. “It says it’s pending for that big of a transfer. It should be back in your account in a few days.”

“Oh I’ll make sure of that,” you said, walking over to him. “Rick. Maybe try some therapy if you really want to salvage this relationship.”

“You think I can afford that?” he said.

“We’ll pay,” said your mom. “Jensen and I will.”

“Why?”

“Cause he’s a fucking awesome kid and he deserves a relationship with you, even if we don’t like you,” she said.

“What about you? You hate me too kid?” he asked you.

“I can learn to tolerate and respect you. But you hurt him and I’ll protect him from anyone that does that, including you. But it’s not my forgiveness you need. It’s his so maybe try the therapy and let him come back if he’s ever ready for that, okay?”

“Alright.” You turned to go when he caught your shoulder. “Can I ask where the money came from? Jensen made it sound like you were behind on bills.”

“It made things tight for us. TJ and I have both been working side jobs nights and weekends to scrounge up extra money. We weren’t handed any of that money we gave you. We even took from ourselves and our children. Just because we live in a nice house doesn’t mean we don’t work for it,” you said. “Oh and one more thing. Touch my father again or call my mom slutty behind her back one more time, you’ll find out which one of us isn’t the good person in this relationship.”

“He what…” said your mom as you walked out, pulling her along behind you. “Dickhead!”

“Come on mom,” you said, pushing her back to the car. TJ gave his mom a nod and hug before he climbed back into the backseat.

“Slut my ass,” your mom mumbled under breath as she started the car back up. 

“Mom, let it go,” you said, shutting your eyes and slumping down in your seat.

“Put on your seatbelt,” she said. You reached up and put it on, turning back to catch TJ with his head leaned back. “You okay back there?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

“That’s probably the right answer,” you said. 

“Let’s get back to dad. I’m sure he’s climbing the walls to get out of there by now.”

Two Days Later

“Howdy,” said your dad, taking a seat in the patio chair beside you as you watched TJ swim in your pool with Allie. “Where’s the babe?”

“Naptime,” you said, TJ tossing Allie up in the air and hugging her tight when he caught her again. 

“How’s he holding up?” he asked, reaching over and taking a chip out of the bag in front of you.

“Better than expected. He’ll give Rick another chance someday.”

“He said that?”

“No. I know Thomas though. He’s too good to hold onto that crap. It might not be for six months or a year but it’ll happen eventually.”

“Well I think he’s a dick,” said your dad. “But if TJ wants to give him a chance, we’ll give him a chance.”

“Thanks for being his dad too,” you said.

“I love the kid,” he said, throwing his arm over your shoulders. “So what are you two gonna do with all that money?”

“Pay off the last of the lawyer fees, pay off a big chunk of what’s left on the mortgage. When that set design comes in then we won’t owe too much more on the house,” you said. “Speaking of which, I gotta go to work on it.”

“Y/N? Use some of that money and take a nice vacation with the kids. Or even just a long weekend away for you and TJ.”

“We really ought to use it for stuff like the house,” you said. 

“Have you and TJ ever taken a vacation just the two of you?”

“Of course. We went on our honeymoon.”

“That doesn’t count. The answer’s no, isn’t it.”

“Dad, I don’t need-”

“Maybe you don’t but somebody in that pool needs to have some fun. Plan a little trip away next month,” he said.

“He’s always wanted to go to Mardi Gras,” you said with a smile.

“You guys would have a blast and I got some pull down there and all. Come on. Let me spoil my grandkids for a weekend.”

“Alright, alright. You’ve convinced me,” you said.

“You mind if the twins have dinner with you guys?”

“We’re actually going to the Pads for dinner. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind more though. You got a hot date?”

“Getting a private college tour with mom and JJ,” he said. “Ya’ll can stop growing up anytime you want you know.”

“She wants to live at home you know.”

“Really?”

“Contrary to her teenage angst as of late, she does love us. Just you know, drop the curfew like you did with me.”

“And we get texts when you stay out.”

“That’s what you thought,” you mumbled. He raised an eyebrow and you shrugged. “I let you know when I wouldn’t be home that night. You didn’t need to know my exact whereabouts.”

“When’s the first time you stayed over TJ’s?”

“Fall of Freshman year in his dorm,” you said.

“Never mind. I don’t need to know,” he said.

“Yup. Let her have fun when she gets there, she’s smart,” you said. “Plus you know she’ll call me if shit happens. Also she has a year and a half of high school left. Relax.”

“At least I know Tom will keep an eye on her too.”

“Already planning the wedding?” you smirked.

“Shut up,” he said, ruffling your hair. “Make sure he gets this.”

He dug into his back pocket and took out an envelope, handing it to you.

“Thanks,” you said quietly. “Dad?”

“Mhm,” he said as he stood. 

“Can you invite him on your fishing trip this weekend with grandpa?”

“Already did,” he said, nodding down at the envelope. “I’ll talk to you soon, tall munchkin.”

“Later dad,” you said, TJ giving him a wave as he headed out. You left the letter on the patio table and went over to the pool, slipping into the shallow end.

“Everything good?” he asked.

“Yeah. My dad left you a letter,” you said, Allie swimming off on her own, doing circles around TJ. He nodded and got out of the pool, drying off some before he went to the table and sat down. “Time for a snack.”

You scooped her up and swung her around in the water, throwing her up your hip. You walked out with her, setting her down to dry her off some. 

“Is daddy okay?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” you said. “Why don’t you change back into some clothes and we’ll get Colin and snack time going.”

She rushed over to TJ and smiled up at him, TJ tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Daddy snack time!” she said.

“I’ll be inside in just a minute, sweetie,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her head, pushing her back towards you. You patted her inside, TJ rubbing his thumb over his lip as he read.

“Take your time, babe,” you said. You kissed his cheek and he nodded. “I’ll leave some tissues just inside the door in case.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be there.”

“Take all the time you need. I got these two,” you said. He nodded and smiled. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Y/N.”

_________

A/N: Read the First Summer Timestamp here!

[illusory-torrent]

Why I prefer the Genshin Impact fandom to the RWBY fandom.

I'll start off by saying what many of us are thinking. It's sad that the ships are nearly the only thing the RWBY fandom talks about because the plot leaves so many in a state of dissatisfaction. I've seen so many RWBY fans and non-fans alike say, "Oh, I don't care about the plot, I'm only watching for [insert ship here]" or "I'm going to drop the show if [insert ship here] doesn't happen". For those who doubt me, please believe me, it's a thing. 

Now, when I say that the RWBY fandom only really cares for shipping, you might ask, "Is that not what every fandom does though?"

Well... yes! You're right. However, I think the RWBY fandom takes it to the next level. 

First off, the theory-making side of the RWBY fandom has completely died. I remember there being videos theorizing if Yang was part-dragon Faunus or Ruby being a fox Faunus. These days, the fandom's theories boil down to, "What's up with the void that Team RWBY fell into?" due to V8's ending, but back during V5-V7, there were hardly any theories being posted. Most people just don't care anymore. 

Second off, Miles and Kerry struggle with writing characters outside of pairs. Not just romantic pairs, but pairs in general. Most characters only have interacts with their team partners, their love interests, their familial relationships, and... that's it. Blake is a prime example of this. Her best interactions are with Yang (her team partner), Sun (her former love interest), Ilia (another former love interest), and Adam (her ex-boyfriend). Her worst interactions are with Ruby (her team's leader, whom she hardly interacts with) and pretty much everyone else. Even her interactions with Weiss are few and far between. Another example would be Penny. Prior to Volume 3, Penny's best interactions were with Ruby. Penny hardly interacted with anyone else in a meaningful way. She dies and Ruby's tearful reaction is focused on. Why? Because she's one of the few characters Penny actually had a relationship with! Penny comes back in Volume 7, and she still only really interacts with Ruby. Her only new relationship that's developed is with Winter... and we find out why. It's because when Penny is killed by Jaune, her maiden powers are transferred to Winter, the rightful owner.

Miles and Kerry being unable to write outside of pairs is why we only have each of our characters only interact with certain other characters. Before Jaune helped kill Penny, did he ever even have a real conversation with her? We'll never know! Has Blake even talked to Jaune before? No idea! Did Yang even care that Pyrrha died? Probably, but we viewers literally never see the two interact prior to Pyrrha's untimely demise.

This type of writing (whether intentionally or unintentionally done) promotes shipping culture. Characters interact primarily with their love interests (who may or may not also be their team partners). This is why RWBY's fandom is so focused on shipping. Hell, even Blake's VA tweeted at Clover's VA with a joke regarding this.

Clover's VA: Has anybody heard of this thing, “shipping?”

Blake's VA: Welcome to RWBY.

[Photo for anyone who needs proof, in case these Tweets are deleted in the future.]

Blake's VA even once had to make a post saying, "Y’all, you know I love my Bees, but not everything is Bee related. Some is just RWBY hype in general. Calm yo’self.". The fact she even had to clarify that not everything she posts about RWBY is related to a ship is astounding. Imagine having to tell your audience that not everything you post is related to a fictional pairing. 

The RWBY cast even had an segment on The Ship-It Show where, you guessed it, they talked about their favorite and least favorite ships. Their tagline even was that "Shipping is a creative expression, so don't limit your creativity!", which went over with the fandom about as well as one would expect. 

Finally, Miles Luna recently posted a Cameo video where he stated, "Just remember: shipping is fun and pretend, and it’s just supposed to be a good time. Don’t be one of those people that attack other shippers and get real mean and toxic. We’re all just here having fun with wonderful make believe characters and make believe worlds, and I think that is a beautiful activity, as long as you’re doing it responsibly and kindly." 

So as you can see, shipping is a big part of the RWBY community. I'd venture to say that shipping is the most important part of the RWBY community. And that's fine! Shipping in itself isn't a bad thing. It's only when it gets completely out of hand where it becomes a problem. And I feel it is becoming a problem in the RWBY community. Rooster Teeth, if you need your show-writers to remind the fandom that shipping is supposed to be fun, you have a problem. 

Well, how does Genshin Impact avoid that problem? The fandom itself is large and the game is quite popular, so how does it handle not becoming a complete shitfest shipfest? 

For starters, Mihoyo doesn't confirm any ships at all. This is for profit reasons, the game is a gacha game designed for players to spend money on their "waifus" and "husbandos". Characters have outfit customization for this exact purpose. Mihoyo benefits from keeping characters canonically single. This is why, while people think soon-to-be-released characters like Ayaka and Tohma are dating, many people also believe these same characters to be single. 

Second off, VAs are unable to give their opinions on certain ships and on lore. For example, the VA for Lumine, the main female protagonist, confirmed that Lumine was 15, before apologizing and deleting her comments. The VA for Childe signed some Childe x Lumine artwork to sell, but blatantly stated that he only really shipped Childe with Childe. The VAs avoid discussing unconfirmed ships/lore and, in this way, Mihoyo avoids controversy. 

Finally, Genshin Impact only recently came out. This means that the theorizing part of the fandom is still alive and well. There's plenty to theorize about since there's so much us players don't know about the story. Lore tidbits are celebrated by lore junkies, folks who want to theorize on the characters' backstories or on the protagonist's journey to find their twin sibling are more than welcome to do so. 

So while the Genshin Impact community engages in tons of shipping, none of the ships are more canon than any other. A Zhongli x Childe shipper might argue that their ship is canon because Zhongli gifted Childe some chopsticks, but a Zhongli x Ningguang shipper could easily argue back that Ninguang is a reincarnation of Zhongli's former friend/partner Guizhong. And of course, a non-shipper could look at both of these arguments and believe them both to be false.

I think this allows shipping to remain a fun and lighthearted activity in the Genshin Impact fandom. You can ship what you'd like, or you can just enjoy the plot and lore like a normal gamer. 

So where am I going with this? Well, my thoughts are that no matter what the fandom, there will always be shipping. There's always gonna be some degenerates (like myself) who see two cute characters and want them to get together. However, it's up to the creators themselves to decide where to go with ships or to even entertain them at all. Mihoyo, in my opinion, handles the Genshin Impact fandom's shipping craze much more successfully than Rooster Teeth handles the RWBY fandom. 

So what are your thoughts? If you're in both fandoms, which fandom do you prefer and why? Let me know!