#the next grade is 12/11/10 points

[natasha-barton]

Best thing ever is when you think you fucked up on an exam but then it turns out you actually did really well . It’s a joy I can’t describe

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

one thing abt being disabled/chronically ill that some people don’t get is that sometimes body maintenance that ensures you have the absolute minimum amount of function can also be something that takes away a lot of control and autonomy. you can argue till the cows come home that making those decisions to try and help yourself (or realistically to try to make sure things aren’t worse than they already are) is something that exhibits control and autonomy and stuff, but they can be so limiting in practice because they’re things that take up so much time but have to be done to do anything else

[wolfofansbach]

BEING A LIST OF THE THIRTEEN GREATEST RIVERDALE LINES, ON THE OCCASION OF THAT SHOW'S TERMINATION

As our much loved/hated show comes to an end, I feel compelled to record, for posterity, the greatest thirteen pieces of dialogue to spring from the pens of RAS and his henchmen. It was, of course, originally a top ten list, but I simply could not exclude a few of these treasures. Without further ado: 

13. 

“I dropped out in the 4th grade, to sell drugs, to support my nana.” 

“That means you haven't known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.” 

Spoken by: an inmate of Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center, and Archie Andrews. 

In: 3 x 2 

Yeah, okay, this one had to be on the list. It’s funny, I’ll admit. It’s a great example of the overwrought semi-sincere melodrama that helped make this show so special. It’s low on the list largely because The Normies got their hands on it, so every time I hear someone make a reference I get all “do not cite the deep magic to me, witch.” 

12. 

“No! No! What are we supposed to do now? I’m horny as heck!”

Spoken by: Archie Andrews 

In: 7 x 16

Season 7 is undeniably dreadful, and yet there are diamonds in the rough. The occasion is the failure of a projector, just as Archie and Reggie prepare to watch a pornographic film. The utter desperation with which KJ Apa delivers this line is exquisite. One is made to feel they are witnessing a genuine tragedy. 

11. 

“Tonight, they’re making an exception and debuting a cover of the song my parents claim they were listening to the night Jason and I were conceived.” 

Spoken by: Cheryl Blossom. 

In: 1 x 1 

Really a fantastic line. A wonderful encapsulation of the casual absurdity of Cheryl’s character, and a foretaste of the lunacy we would plumb in later episodes and seasons. 

10. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo. I don’t fit in and I don’t want to fit in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? That’s weird.” 

Spoken by: Jughead Jones

In: 1 x 10

A genuine classic. “High school football” before “high school football.” One is never entirely sure just how sincere the line is meant to be, both on a meta-level and in-universe. A perfect illumination of Jughead’s pretentiousness. It is made all the better by the occasional cuts to Lili Reinhard’s agonized face. 

9. 

“At the last dance, multiple students were murdered.” 

Spoken by: Principal Holden Honey. 

In: 4 x 2

Delivered as an explanation to Toni and Cheryl, as to why there would be no school dance this year. Principal Honey is in fact supremely rational in the cancellation of this dance. This being Riverdale, he is of course treated as an unreasonable tyrant. 

8. 

“Bro, I know all the secrets of this universe.” 

Spoken by: Archie Andrews (evil version)

In: 6 x 5 

Spoken as evil Archie reveals his evil plan to keep the parallel universes apart. KJ Apa’s delivery once again makes this line. He is comically sinister. Strangely, he sells it. 

7. 

“A Vughead kiss, right now, in the present might be precisely what it takes to save a future Bughead from imploding.” 

Spoken by: Jughead Jones. 

In: 2 x 14

One of those lines that both makes me laugh and makes me genuinely angry. This was a fairly early season, and this may have actually been the first line to get me asking, ‘did they genuinely write and deliver that?’ Extra points for use of the atrocious ‘Vughead’ portmanteau ship name rather than ‘Jeronica.’ 

6. 

“I’m the ultimate wild card. I am the daughter of The Black Hood. The nightmare from next door. I’m training with the FBI and I’m coming for you, you psycho bitch.” 

Spoken by: Betty Cooper

In: 4 x 14 

Just delicious. Another one of those lines that leaves you somewhat unsure whether or not the writers understood how genuinely hysterical it was. “The Nightmare from Next Door” sounds like an announcer hyping up a wrestler. Spoken with a raw sincerity by Lili Reinhart. Also points for the heavy homoeroticism between Betty and Donna. 

5. 

“For I am Cheryl Blossom, Queen of the Bees.” 

Spoken by: Cheryl Blossom.

In: 5 x 16. 

This one really doesn’t require any elaboration. 

4. 

“Elijah ascended…and I will, too.” 

Spoken by: Edgar Evernever.

In: 4 x 5. 

Admittedly, this one is only spectacular with context. But in context—the context being that Chad Michael Murray delivers this line while dressed like Evel Knievel and standing in a cartoon rocket right out of a Warner Bros cartoon—it becomes utterly magnificent. 

3. 

“It’s not queer baiting, it’s saving the world.” 

Spoken by: Veronica Lodge. 

In: 6 x 22. 

It’s actually hard for me to decide whether this one is funnier with or without context. Without context it’s wonderful, but it possibly becomes even funnier when you know that the context is that Veronica needs to kiss Cheryl to transfer superpowers into her body so she can turn into a Scarlet Witch knock-off and stop a magic comet summoned by Sephiroth an English wizard who is also the Devil. 

2. 

“If there’s no wedding reception, it means the Gargoyle King has won.” 

Spoken by: Kevin Keller. 

In: 3 x 12.

One of my personal favorites. This is a perfect line because like #3, it requires no real elaboration. There is absolutely no context in which it isn’t hysterical. 

1 .

“Word of my exploits serving Nick his comeuppance has seeped into the demimonde of mobsters and molls my father used to associate with, so the five families are sending their youngest and brightest, their ‘princes,’ as it were to, well, come court the rare Mafia Princess who can belly up to the bar with the big boys.

Spoken by: Veronica Lodge. 

In: 2 x 20. 

This is, in my opinion, the all-timer. Every word is perfect. The rapid-fire alliteration. The use of the word ‘demimonde.’ The entirely unnecessary addition of ‘as it were.’ This is borderline Dr. Seuss. The fact that Camila Mendes delivered it without cracking a smile should have won her an Emmy. No. An Oscar. This line is Riverdale. 

[10yrratiolover]

giving my thoughts and ideas on Ratio's character stories

I wouldn't call this much of an analysis but we'll see how it goes

Starting out with his first character story, most of it is Professor Rond's recommendation letter.

I'd like to start by sharing my thoughts about Ratio and Rond first before actually getting into dissecting the letter itself.

So, firstly, I'd like to mention that (to my knowledge) we have never heard of or from Ratio's parents. I find that ironic considering what a big shot he is, I doubt that his parents would ever willingly shut up about their son.

Reading that Rond had a 'significant influence on Ratio's upbringing' particularly stands out to me because, at least at the time of the original letter being written, Ratio was in secondary school (Grade 9-12, though some of the wording in the letter lead me to believe he was likely on the lower end of that range).

Now, a high school teacher having a 'significant influence' on someone's upbringing isn't necessarily uncommon, nor are old teachers proud of their past students becoming extremely successful. However these points, alongside the fact that Ratio's parents are nowhere to be seen in canon, lead me to believe that there was some sort of familial relationship between them, especially seeing Rond's reaction to being asked about Ratio as well as how he had kept the original letter.

Moving on to the actual letter.

Grade skipping is a pretty common practice where I'm from, as it allows learning at the appropriate/needed level (ignoring the fact that the school system is in shambles).

However, the way this is phrased is as if Rond were trying to convince him to be able to skip grades. If he were in grade 11 or 12 I feel like it would not have been phrased this way, which is what leads me to believe he was likely younger, possibly fresh out of middle school.

The highlight on creativity is just because it makes me smile honestly, also it ties into one of my earlier posts about how I think Ratio would adore the subject of art.

I would like to return to my point of Rond being a potential parental figure to Ratio, seeing as he seems to know his daily routine well enough to confidently write about it in his letter of recommendation.

On to his second character story, which is mostly online posts in a thread-like format.

It wasn't until his eighth doctoral degree that he was awarded with First Class Honors, also since he is the first person to receive such in two amber eras it means he was likely the only one on stage at that time.

It also states that at the time he was already a prominent figure in society, which doesn't surprise me given the accomplishments listed by Rond in the letter despite him being in high school at the time it was written. However, he would most likely be an adult by the time he finished his eighth doctorate.

No real comment on this I found it funny that they put etc instead of continuing to list fields.

I also just find these funny and wanted to share them, but the disagreement on the last comment shows how much people admire him. I feel like that's a topic that's rather watered down in the fandom, but people genuinely admire Ratio a lot and there's plenty of reason for them to.

full-time university teachers tend to teach about 5 courses per academic year, meaning Ratio has been teaching for about 10 years.

Moving onto the third story, which is a statement from a former assistant of his about his desire to join the genius society.

I find this to be an interesting point, it seems like joining the Genius Society would be an obvious next step for a man with so many accomplishments but it's stated not once, but twice that he has never spoken about the subject (to the public at least).

I am a believer in the theory that Ratio hasn't been allowed into the Genius Society due to his humanity/compassion and his desire to spread knowledge to everyone, and I feel like this specification that he's never spoken about the topic could add to this theory.

This paragraph never fails to break my heart, but I do want to talk about the mention of an anti-planetary weapon. I feel like this Anti-planetary weapon that he spent years perfecting was a final attempt at proving to Nous that he wasn't too compassionate or too humane to receive their gaze. I remember reading about this idea more in detail elsewhere and if I can find the analyzation then I'll link it here.

Also, I feel like deep down he always knew that he wouldn't be accepted into the Genius Society, but this day, as Margaret states, was the day he finally realized it, or, fully swallowed that pill.

I find these comments to be interesting as well since they specify the narrow-mindedness of the society however, there is this comment from the Data Bank;

This comment I admittedly stumbled across when looking for something else, but I feel like it perfectly encapsulates Ratio's entire dilemma with the Genius Society, maybe not to Ratio himself but it certainly applies to everyone who comments on his achievements being worthy of Nous' approval.

I am also quite curious about who exactly wrote the 'Decoding Dr. Ratio' that we have read from in all of his character stories. They seem to have a lot of connections for someone who would typically be seen as just another paparazzi or media interviewer, I'm surprised the people listed in his stories would agree to an interview.

Onto his final story, which is about his personality and methods of sharing knowledge.

I mentioned this comment in my character notes post but I find it extremely charming that Ratio remains the same and refuses to change himself or his personality to satisfy those around him.

It is also commented in his second character story by a previous professor of his that his honesty and straightforwardness were a 'Breath of fresh air' at the University.

I love the implication that either; nobody in the entire room had any questions (unlikely), or that they were simply too scared to ask them.

I also find the comment that 'Whenever someone agrees with me, I feel like I must be wrong.' Perhaps he's gotten used to being the only one thinking the way he is or the possibility that people only agree with him so they sound intelligent themselves and weren't truly listening or understanding.

I find these comments interesting as well, a majority of the fandom mischaracterizes Ratio as mean or rude although he literally explains his viewpoints where anyone can access it (which does honestly prove his point about how knowledge is not for everyone.)

[detentiontrack]

hi there, hope you're doing well! do you have any survival tips for freshmen starting their first semester at college? thanks!

Hello! Yes I do! Up until this Tuesday, all of my experience has been at a community college, but I have some universal advice!

Sage's supercool freshman survival guide:

You don't need expensive and a wide variety of school supplies. Here is a list of what you need:

A notebook for each class

A good pack of pens (i like gel pens)

A pack of pencils (+ sharpener) or mechanical pencils

Either colored pens, thin tip markers, or highlighters for notes

Ruler and calculator if you are taking math/science classes

A binder or folder for loose papers

GRAPH PAPER. Even just a pack of loose graph paper. It sucks when you need it and don't have it

2. it's better to take notes on paper vs on a computer unless you have some sort of reason (like dyslexia, visual impairment, or other physical disability etc) Taking paper notes forces your brain to pay attention better, and you can reference them easier than if you take them on a computer. (plus a lot of professors don't allow laptops in lectures unless you have an accommodation with the school)

3. GET A PLANNER! A PHYSICAL ONE!!!! Online calendars and planners are okay, but it is MUCH easier to forget assignments if they're out of sight. Get a paper planner, fill it out each week so you know what you're doing, and keep it opened on the current week somewhere you can see it. I personally like the planners intended for teachers because it divides the days up with individual subjects! This is the one I got for this school year

4. Get a giant ass water bottle. If you are going from class to class, you most likely won't have time to refill your water bottle. Get a huge one, fill it up at home or at your dorm or whatever, and carry it with you. I promise you it is worth adding an extra thing to carry (mine is a 1/2 gallon)

5. No one at college cares about stuff like in high school. No one cares what you're wearing or how you're doing your hair. In fact, individuality is ENCOURAGED. Wear bright colorful makeup or weird earrings. Do what makes you happy.

6. Pack yourself lunches and snacks that you can easily stuff in your face while walking to your next class. I'm a big fan of protein shakes and granola bars.

7. Ask questions! No one will think you're annoying for asking "too many" questions. It's better to over ask than under ask and not understand the topic. Chances are, at least one other person in the room has the same question as you.

8. Similar to number 7, most professors will gladly go back and explain a topic again or in a different way! Just politely and respectfully ask for them to briefly go over it again, or define a word you don't understand.

9. Unlike high school, most professors don't care, and will actually get annoyed if you interrupt their lesson to ask to go to the bathroom or take a phone call or even leave class early. Unless they explicitly say you can't leave (like during a test) you can just walk out, no questions asked.

10. Do every extra credit assignment you can. Even if you have a good grade in the class. You never know when you'll forget an assignment or lose points for something small. It's good to have backup.

11. Just like in a good relationship, communication with professors is everything.

12. Make connections with people in your classes. You don't have to be besties, but introduce yourself to a few people in class, make small talk, and get their phone numbers. That way you can discuss assignments or get notes if you miss a class.

13. DO NOT slack on first week assignments. Most professors WILL drop you if you A. Don't attend the first week of classes and/or B. Don't turn in the first few assignments.

14. Register for classes as soon as you possibly can. Like if your group is able to register at 9am, be in front of your computer with the registration site open at 8:55am, just to be ready.

15. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS CHECK RATEMYPROFESSOR BEFORE REGISTERING FOR CLASSES!!! NEVER IN YOUR LIFE REGISTER WITHOUT CHECKING. IF YOU ARE LATE TO REGISTER AND A GENERAL EDUCATION CLASS AT THE PERFECT TIME SLOT IS COMPLETLEY OPEN, IT IS FOR A FUCKING REASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rate my professor is really accurate because people are able to submit honest reviews anonymously after the class is over. If someone says the teacher is a hard ass who is flakey and assigns a lot of reading, BELIEVE IT. Ideally you want a professor that has above a 3.5/5 rating.

16. There is no shame in needing accommodations for a disability, and getting accommodations in college is a lot easier than in k-12 school. You just need to make a request and submit proof of disability, and you'll meet with someone to give you accommodations.

17. DO NOT buy textbooks until the first week of class is over. This is for 2 reasons. 1. you might need to drop the class and 2. most professors will just give you a link to the textbook for free or post individual chapters every week. There is no point in spending $200 for a textbook you might not even use.

18. I think at every college, you can drop a class with no consequences or anything on your record as long as you drop it within the first week or so (the exact time differs depending on the college, but it's always on their website)

19. Colleges very often have events with free food or free merch. Even if you have no interest in the event, a free hot dog is a free hot dog yk?

20. If you're a freshman, literally no one knows each other and everyone is worrying about making new friends. Literally everyone. Find someone who seems cool, compliment their outfit or say something about the class/the college, and boom. New friend.

21. If you have time, join a club! Colleges have clubs for EVERYTHING and it's an easy way to connect with people who have the same interests.

22. Before your first day of class, if you're neurotic like me, take time to think of a few things: 2 truths and a lie, 3 fun facts about yourself, your favorite __, etc. Just so you can be ready for icebreakers (I actually don't know if other people are as scared of first day icebreakers as me.... Every semester I prepare 2 truths and a lie and fun facts about me so I'm ready. Just in case. This just might be my specific flavor of autism though...)

23. Colleges are big, even community colleges. Make yourself a playlist and bring headphones for walking from class to class

24. Jumping off 23, when you're choosing your classes, pull up a map of your campus. Learn how long of a walk it is from building to building, so you can make sure you have enough time to walk to your next class. This goes double if you have a physical disability. I personally need some extra time so I can drink water and walk slowly.

25. Prioritize comfort over style. Most people by the third week will just be wearing tshirts/sweaters with jeans/sweatpants. There also usually isn't a super strict dress code at college. I had a girl in my astronomy class that exclusively wore bikini tops and booty shorts, and she never had any problems.

26. It's easy to tunnel vision and schedule your classes back to back, but try to give yourself at least one gap for lunch, to stretch, or to just hang out. I have 3 on campus classes this semester and my morning class ends at 11:45am and my second class doesn't start until 1:00pm. You're (most likely) an adult, close to an adult, or have adult responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to take initiative to take care of yourself.

27. College professors, unless they're abnormally strict, literally don't care about anything, as long as your ass is in the chair and you're not being disruptive to others. Drinking water in class? Fine. Doodling on your notes? Fine. Doing homework for another class? Fine, as long as you look up like you're paying attention occasionally. I wrote amphibia fanfiction in my classes, and I had a girl in my public speaking class who literally brought yarn and a crochet hook and crocheted stuff in class.

28. OH that's another thing! Literally no one cares about your public speaking skills. In college, it is inevitable that you'll have to take one class with speeches. People aren't waiting for you to slip up to mock you. Most people are too focused on their own speeches. I took a public speaking class last year, and I genuinely could not tell you the topic of even ONE other student's speech. It is very likely that 90% of the people won't even be paying attention to your presentation because they're worrying about if they're next.

29. In group projects, be a bitch. I'm serious. DO NOT do all the work. If people in your group aren't moving, assign them their share of work. If they still don't participate, threaten to leave. If they still don't, ask the teacher to work alone. You NEED to stand up for yourself.

30. Most colleges have a lot of services for free (or included in tuition) you should use. The library is a great resource, I'm typing this on the laptop I rented for free from my school, and I believe my college has completely free STD checks and birth control options available through their health services.

31. Expand your horizons! In college, you get a LOT of options for electives and classes. Take the fun classes or a topic you've never heard of! I'm taking a philosophy of disability class this semester for my extra humanities credit.

32. Build a good relationship with your professors. It never hurts to go up to them before or after the first class and introduce yourself.

33. DO NOT leave things for the last minute. I like to write down all my assignments for the week in my planner, sorted by due date, color coded, and plan which assignments I'm going to do on what days.

34. Take advantage of professor's office hours, especially if it's a subject you're not strong in. Personally, I'm not the best at math, and the summer I took statistics for psych, I was at my professor's office hours every single Tuesday. Even if you think you understand the subject perfectly, you never know when you're making a mistake without realizing it. It can just be a less than 5 minute zoom visit of like "hey, this is my answer to question 5 and here's my work/process. Is this correct? Yes? Okay thanks see you in class"

35. Summer classes, especially in community colleges, are a great way to get extra credits and make it so you don't have such a heavy load during the regular school year. A lot of summer classes are online, so it's really easy to do at home. But.....

36. ...NEVER IN YOUR LIFE TAKE A SUBJECT YOU ARE NOT STRONG IN OR A SUBJECT WITH A LOT OF WORK IN A CONDENSED SUMMER CLASS. Summer classes are always more work per week because you have less time to go through the curriculum, so be sure it's a light class. I took my world religions class as an 8 week summer class and oh my god.... I am being 100% serious and not exaggerating when I say I had to read 500-750+ pages a week......... be careful

37. Make time for other things! Even if you're full time school and work, let yourself watch an episode of your favorite show after homework or during a break. Rest and recreation is important too.

38. Treat yourself! When I was a kid, my mom would let me and my brother pick out a little candy at the grocery store for a "friday treat" during the school year. I still do that. It can be as simple as buying a $2 chocolate bar or finally trying that bath bomb you got as a gift.

39. You are inevitably going to get a low grade on something. You're going to struggle with a subject or misunderstand an instruction. Not one single person has made it through all of college without getting anything less than a 100%. Ask for feedback from your professors. Don't beat yourself up.

40. You don't have to have a backpack. I use a green messenger bag with embroidered mushrooms on it :3

Hope this helps!

[yaseraphinee]

astro observations 3 - appearance and vibes / leo risings focus

WHY IS EVERYONE LEO RISING ???

(REMINDER : I am NOT a professional astrologer. Everything I say are my personal opinions and not facts.)

Hi guys !

First of all, I wanted to say sorry for not posting in 1 month. My 2 weeks and a half trip was not the most relaxing to say the least. But I still had fun overall!

Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty of things : Today's post will be about Leo risings, and like I said in the last post about Virgo risings (you can check it if you want here), this post will not be a description of their physical characteristics and vibes but instead be an open conversation to answer one of my biggest astrological questions : Are Leo risings the most common rising sign ? (Libra and Virgo risings will also be part of the conversation but not at the center of it, obviously)

This question has been bothering me for a while now. It feels like whenever i meet a group of people, i click on a few random profiles on astro seek , I, more often than not, encounter a bunch of Leo risings.

Even on instagram when some random people reveal their big three in their stories, or on their bios it feels like 4 times out of 10 it's a leo rising ?

I don't know if i am tripping but i feel like , after studying and learning about astrology for a little more than two years and doing, seeing and dissecting so many birth charts, i recently came to the conclusion that Leo risings might the most common rising sign.

Actually, this conversation seems to not be reserved to Leo risings only since Virgo and Libra risings appear to be also REALLY common rising signs.

-> EXEMPLE :

To give a real life exemple , last year i knew the rising signs of 20 people in my grade. To show you clearly how common some signs seem to be, i am going to make a list of each student next to their rising signs, calling each 20 of them student 1, student 2, ....

-> MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE STUDENTS :

Within those 20 students, most of them were good acquaintances and a minority were my friends. I did not have really profound relationships with most of them.

/!\ i am aware that only 20 people is FAR from being enough evidence to prove my point but i am just trying to show WHY i have been questionning the possibility of leo risings, alongside with libra and virgo, being the most common rising signs, and not prove that they are the most common because i clearly do not know and i need your help lol /!\

Student 1 : Gemini rising

Student 2 : Virgo rising

Student 3 : Scorpio rising

Student 4 : Virgo rising

Student 5 : Leo rising

Student 6 : Libra rising

Student 7 : Cancer rising

Student 8 : Capricorn rising

Student 9 : Libra rising

Student 10 : Virgo rising

Student 11 : Virgo rising

Student 12 : Cancer rising

Student 13 : Aquarius rising

Student 14 : Taurus rising

Student 15 : Leo rising

Student 16 : Leo rising

Student 17 : Aries rising

Student 18 : Leo rising

Student 19 : Sagittarius rising

Student 20 : Cancer rising

*A few of them , i am not sure if they're 100% accurate since they gave me an approximative time of birth.

-> RESULTS :

You can CLEARLY see that Leo, Virgo and Libra risings are the most common. (cancer risings seem also really common here)

Out of the 20 students , 10 are Leo, Virgo or Libra risings. They make up almost a majority of the risings, which is crazy regarding the fact that they are 12 possible rising signs, and only 3 out of the 12 make up half of that list.

The funny coincidence here is that , in the zodiac wheel, they are all one after another :

Leo-> Virgo -> Libra

Now , I remember seeing a while ago a youtube short explaining that the rarest rising signs are allegedly Aries , Pisces and Aquarius risings. I'll put the link if you want to watch it but to summerize she says that basically : Every single day for two hours (approx.), each one zodiac sign constellation rises on the Eastern Horizon. If a baby is born during the 2 hour chunk when Gemini is rising, that baby will have a gemini rising. The particularity that makes Aries, Pisces and Aquarius so rare is that those constellations only rise for one hour (approx.) each day. Since most of the signs rise for a longer amont of time (2 hours), you have a higher chance of having those signs on your ascendant and logically, a lower chance of having Aquarius, Pisces and Aries on your ascendant.

At the beginning, I said that I studied astrology for a little more than two years HOWEVER I haven't really studied (if not at all) the more "technical side of astrology", what the discipline and knowledge requires to be practiced correctly and accurately and to make the best interpretations possible.

That is one of the reasons why I am coming here : to seek help from professional astrologers who can not only clarify if what the girl in the youtube shorts is saying is true or not and why it is true, but also to tell me if my theory makes any sense, if there's some truth in it - > basically, to give us answers.

Now, even if you're not a certified astrologer you are still obviously welcomed to partake in this conversation ! I will be more than happy to answer to all of you guys and to get your intake on this conversation <33

Let's use our brains together and come up collectively with an answer !

Remember guys : STAY BLESSED 💅🏼✨ ! (period ha! 👅💋)

[ultram0th]

31 Days of Derek Hale

Day 20: Jock

Info │ 01 │ 02 │ 03 │ 04 │ 05 │ 06 │ 07 │ 08 │ 09 │ 10 │ 11 │ 12 │ 13 │ 14 │ 15 │ 16 │ 17 │ 18 │ 19 │ 20

Derek sighed as he walked into his bedroom for the night, feeling incredibly drained from his argument with Eli. “I just don’t get it,” he huffed, throwing himself down onto the bed in a huff. “No matter what, we just can’t seem to see eye to eye.”

Stiles frowned and ran a caring hand over his husband’s chest. “He’s a jock,” he said. “All his high speed brain can focus on it sports.”

Derek frowned deeply. “I guess,” he growled. “I just wish that I could understand him better. Like, as if we were on the same wavelength.”

Derek lied back and rested next to Stiles, having trouble sleeping due to his fight with his son. He and Eli had been fighting with one another lately, usually due to typically father-son issues, such as Eli letting his grades slip due to his intense interest in sports, which tended to lead to Derek threatening to pull Eli from whatever team he was on that month. His son was a total jock, something that Derek didn’t really experience while in school.

As Derek drifted off to sleep, he felt his limbs tingle, his mind constantly wishing that he could understand the jock better…

The alarm blared, and Stiles sleepily slapped it silent.

Derek stretched his muscled arms above his head, yawning loudly as he woke up. As he moved, his face scrunched up as the stench of musk and sweat hit his nose, emanating in waves from his hairy pits.

Even Stiles could smell it with his dulled human senses, jerking back and plugging up his nose. “Damn Der,” he gasped, “no offense, but you reek.”

Derek felt his face grow warmer as he blushed. “Yeah, Bro,” he heard himself balk in his deep voice, “I must’ve worked up a big sweat last night.” Derek was puzzled over how deep and slow his voice sounded, and the way he’d called this husband “Bro”.

For a brief moment, Stiles scrunched up his brow in confusion, but it smoothed out rapidly as a small grin formed on his face. “Typical jock,” he lightheartedly laughed, slowly getting out of the bed to get ready for work.

Jock? Derek puzzled over what Stiles had said as he got out of bed, his body automatically lumbering towards the dresser. He yanked open the top drawer and paused as he was greeted with an array of jockstraps— his boxers nowhere to be seen.

As if his body had a mind of its own, Derek felt his muscled arms move and snatch up a jockstrap. He yanked the small garment on, the pouch filled to the limit with his massive cock and balls while his perky ass bubbled out the back.

“Don’t you want to take a shower?” Stiles asked, the tone in his voice indication that he’d hoped that Derek would listen to him. 

“Nope,” Derek heard himself scoff, answering without any thought of his own. He even leaned down and sniffed at one of his stinky pits, the musky stench filling the confines of the bedroom. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m gonna get all sweaty at practice anyways. So what’s the point?”

Practice?

Derek was so caught up in his odd behavior that he’d barely noticed when he’d opened up another dresser drawer, grabbing a football jersey. He yanked the tight garnet on, noting how his muscles pressed against it, illustrating his athletic prowess. Next, he grabbed some small workout shorts that only came up to mid-thigh and were so tight that his butt and package pressed noticeably against it, almost as if they were on full display.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, Derek inwardly winced at the dim smile on his face. He still looked the same, with his mature and masculine beard that had flecks of gray in it; however, he felt ridiculous being dressed up like a total jock, feeling childish.

His body evidently wouldn’t let any of his inner turmoil show as he lifted up a buff arm, flexing a large bicep. “Damn,” he heard himself say, “I’m getting fuckin’ huge, Bro!”

Despite himself, as Derek flexed in the mirror, he felt his cock start to stiffen within the confines of his tight jockstrap. The pouch tented outwards as it struggled to maintain his meaty cock, looking as if the werewolf was smuggling a summer sausage in his pants. Instead of blushing or trying to conceal his package, Derek felt himself place this hands on his hips and shove his crotch forward expectantly.

“Hey, Bro,” he said, “I’m so fuckin’ horny. Wanna help me out?”

Stiles smiled at his husband, chuckling as he shifted off the bed. “Damn, Der,” he laughed, “that thing’s always cocked and loaded.”

Always cocked and loaded? Derek’s eyebrows rose as new memories filtered into his foggy head, being filled to the brim with Derek being hard and rutting against whatever crossed his path. The stud was always incredibly horny, his cock seemingly rocketing straight to attention after a few moments after cumming. He wanted to blush at the image of himself sauntering down the street in his tight jerseys, his hard cock pressed tightly against his thick thigh for all to see.

Derek’s frantic thoughts slowed down significantly as his husband dropped to his knees in front of him, wasting no time in taking in his full member.

“Oooh!” Derek loudly bellowed, his deeper sounding voice bouncing off the thin walls in the house. “Yeah, suck that cock, Bro. Bet it’s the biggest ya ever had!” The normally silent werewolf couldn’t keep his mouth shut as he was sucked off, moaning loudly and cockily bragging about his cock. No matter how humiliated the alpha was over his uncontrollable behavior, he couldn’t help but bask in the warmth of pleasure that washed over him. All of his panic was momentarily forgotten until all of his ample muscles tensed up. “Uunghh!”

Derek cried out as he came, shooting what felt like the biggest load of his life. He was left spent and trying to catch his breath as Stiles stood up and went about getting ready for his day at work.

“Thanks, Bro,” Derek heard himself say. “I gotcha next time!” Already, at the mere suggestion of sucking off his husband, Derek’s cock plumped up and it took him a few moments to realize that he’d been absentmindedly fondling his hard bulge after tucking it back into his jockstrap.

As the werewolf continued with his morning routine that didn’t involve a shower, he couldn’t help but wince whenever he lifted his arms and his musky stench would waft out from his pits, smelling as if he’d just finished a killer workout at a crowded gym.

Derek walked downstairs and paused at the front door where Stiles gave him a quick kiss. “Can’t forget this, Coach,” Stiles said, handing Derek a silver whistle attached to a small chain necklace.

Derek was confused over both the whistle and why Stiles had called him “Coach” for some reason. However, the confusion quickly vanished when Derek realized that he no longer worked at his auto shop but was instead a coach at Beacon Hills High School. His stomach dropped when he tried to recall the massive amounts of paperwork that were supposed to be waiting for him on his desk at the shop, all of them detailing receipts and parts on orders; yet, now the werewolf’s muddled brain struggled to comprehend what all of those numbers meant. He paled even further when his knowledge of business management wasn’t the only thing gone. In a panic, Derek’s eyes darted around the house and sure enough, simple items seemed to be way beyond his mental grasp. For example, although he’d used it hundreds of times before whatever the hell happened to him, Derek stared at the coffee maker that was in the kitchen, unsure what all of the buttons meant… luckily Stiles was there to help him out since he was such a dumb jock.

Derek inwardly flinched at that last thought, recalling the stupid wish he’d made last night. He’d wished that he could understand jocks more.

Now Derek was a dumb, horny jock.

His days were filled with nothing except working out, playing sports, and fucking. That’s all a dumb jock like him was good for.

Still, Derek put the whistle around his neck and puffed out his large pecs against his tight spots jersey. “Thanks, bro,” he dimly smiled before leaning forward to rut his hard cock against Stiles’s thigh. “You gonna come during my lunch break to help me out with this?”

“Of course,” Stiles said, resting an admiring hand on Derek’s bicep, which the werewolf flexed out of instinct, “I can’t have my big jock going too long without any release. Poor guy would be all pent up.” He mock frowned, a hint of playful condescension audible.

Derek’s foggy mind didn’t pick up on it, and instead he just smiled back widely. “Yeah, Bro,” he agreed in his deep voice, “if I don’t cum at least five times a day, I can’t think well.” He paused at the odd words leaving his mouth, but then the alarm on his phone went off and he perked up. “Oh shit. I’m gonna be late! Love ya, Bro!” He kissed Stiles on the cheek before hurrying out of the house and lumbering towards his Camaro, his hard cock tenting out his tight shorts.

[ladykailitha]

Can Anybody See Me? Part 12

Welcome to the billionth chapter of Eddie Munson is the biggest sweetheart on the planet with Wayne Munson coming in as a close second. Just another soft chapter. They just wanted to cuddle and who I am to deny them that?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

*

Steve chewed on his pen lid, willing the page in front of him to do something. He had already finished the comic pages for Miss Chen. She even gave him an A. Her little comment about it being ‘nicer’ made his stomach roll. So he was back working on his first comic idea. Because unresolved trauma was really starting to affect his sleep cycle and he was falling asleep in classes.

He shook his head. If he fell asleep in Mr Vinke’s class, Eddie would always poke him with a pencil to wake him and mouth asking if he was okay. Whenever he did that, the warm butterflies in Steve’s stomach would start their dance and the blush would stain his cheeks.

He was about seven pages into the first encounter with Nancy and Jonathan. He wondered briefly if maybe he should have started with Will’s disappearance but that wasn’t his story. This is was the start of his story. And he was at the part where the hero had ran out to his car, standing with the door open looking at the house in horror.

Steve hated that he had hesitated. That he had run at all. Gun or no gun. He felt like this was his lowest moment. And he was immortalizing it in ink and color. He let out a shuddering breath. He put the pen down and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes.

He needed to get it through it. To get it out of his head. So he bent back over his paper and started again. Maybe he’ll be able to get his expression to match what he was feeling in that moment. Because how do you convey the horror, the fear, just the feeling of despair?

Steve tried again. It felt better. He finished the page and began to ink it properly. He set it to side and grabbed the next page and began blocking the next page. He looked over at the clock. It was flashing 12:00AM.

Shit!

He must have knocked the cord loose. He plugged it back in and looked at his watch to reset it.

Shit!

It was after four o’clock in the morning and he had school in oh about three hours.

Steve sighed. He struggled with the decision to get into his pajamas. Ultimately, he didn’t. What was the point of changing for only a couple of hours? He went and got a shower. He went rummaging through his drawers for something to wear.

Shit.

He needed to laundry again. He pulled out his last resorts. A pair of dark grey jeans and a fluffy black sweater. He put them on and went back to the bathroom to do his hair.

Once he was ready for school he went back to his page, making sure to set an alarm to make sure he made it to school on time.

This page was easier. This was about the hero deciding to go back into the house to save the two people in the world that hated him the most.

He managed to get through another page and a half before it was time for school.

Steve rubbed his eyes as they blurred. He shouldn’t drive like this. He should just call in and stay home. He had been forging his dad’s signature for years and could reliably give himself a sick note.

But he couldn’t miss too many days or he would fail the attendance part of his grade. He had already cut school that one day, with Eddie. Had come back the next day and explained that he had thrown up in the bathroom. Eddie had offered to take him home so he wouldn’t be throwing up in his car.

Mrs Hall expressed her displeasure, but all the other teachers had been understanding and had even praised Eddie for doing the right thing. So Eddie even got a pass, which tickled them both.

He got up and called Eddie.

“Munson residence,” a gruff voice answered.

“Hey, Wayne,” Steve said softly. “Has Eddie left for school yet?”

“Hey, Steve,” Wayne greeted. “I’ll go check.”

A few moments later Eddie came on the phone. “Hey, Steve. What’s up?”

Steve rubbed his eyes. “Do you think you could take me to school? I didn’t get much sleep last night and I really shouldn’t be driving.”

“You okay, man?” he asked, gently.

“Not really,” he whispered. “I’m just having trouble sleeping and it’s getting worse.”

Eddie chewed on his lip. He knew that if he took the day off, he would get in hot water. But Steve needed help. He needed sleep.

“Hold on just a second,” he murmured. “I need to asked Uncle Wayne something.”

Steve sighed. “Yeah, okay.”

A few minutes later, Eddie came back on the line. “Okay. Uncle Wayne is going to call us both in sick and I’m coming over.”

“Eddie!” Steve protested but the line went dead.

Fuck.

Steve didn’t have a choice. Not a real one anyway. He could get his car and try driving or he could wait for whatever hairbrained idea Eddie had. He sighed. He knew was going to be sitting on his fancy sofa waiting for the doorbell to ring.

Twenty minutes later his doorbell rang and he staggered over to the door and opened it slowly, blinking against the harsh light that hit his eyes.

Eddie looked him up and down. “Okay, I have some absolutely conflicted feelings at the moment.”

Steve frowned as he let him in.

“On the one hand,” Eddie said, running his tongue over his teeth, “you are barely standing and the bags under your eyes are large enough to hold all the books that stupid school makes us use.”

Steve winced. “No need to hold back, man. Just tell it to me straight.”

Eddie chuckled. “And then on the other hand, holy hell, Steve. This outfit...” he gestured to Steve, “really ticks all the boxes for me, dude.”

Steve smiled. “You do have a thing for black, don’t you?”

Eddie cleared his throat. “Right, we are getting off track. It’s time for Operation: Sandman. Because, holy fuck, you really need sleep.”

Steve closed his eyes and he swayed on his feet. Eddie rushed forward to grab him.

“Hey, there,” he said softly. “This is what I mean, man.”

Steve nodded.

“Where’s your bedroom?” Eddie asked.

Steve pointed up behind him to the room at the top of the stairs. Eddie looked up and then back down at Steve.

“Yeah...” Eddie said with a sigh, “there is no way you are going to make it back up those with falling back down them, even with my help.”

Steve nodded again but this time he swayed even further, grateful that Eddie was still holding upright.

“Where’s the front room or whatever with the nearest sofa?”

Steve pointed to the room behind him. Eddie looked around him and then nodded. He turned Steve around and gently pushed him the direction of the sofa.

He sat Steve back down on it and dashed up the stairs to Steve’s room. He gathered up all the pillows and blankets he could get his hands on and dashed back down to the front room, to pile them on the sofa. But before Steve could say anything, Eddie was gone again.

A minute or two later he was back with a pair of pajamas.

Steve blinked for a minute. “Did you go through my drawers?”

Eddie grinned. “Sure did, big boy. Going through your underwear drawer was like touching the shroud of Turin.”

Steve just stared at him.

“It’s from the movie ‘Sabrina’?” Eddie supplied but the lights didn’t come back on. Eddie sighed dramatically. “Humphrey Bogart. Audrey Hepburn.” Still Steve continued to stare at him unknowingly. “I’ll have to see if I can find a copy and educate you.”

“Okay,” came Steve’s weak response.

Eddie sighed. He located the kitchen and took stock of what Steve had on hand. He made a list of things he needed and went back to the front room.

Steve hadn’t moved or attempted to get into his pajamas, he was just staring blankly at the wall.

Eddie sighed. “Come on there, Stevie.” He made up the sofa with the pillows and blankets. “I can see why you can’t sleep in that room by the way.”

That roused Steve enough to frown. “What do you mean?”

“It’s too busy,” he explained. “The mind needs quiet to sleep and that pattern is enough to give people nightmares, provided they can even get to sleep in the first place.”

“I never thought about it,” Steve murmured. He began to undress and Eddie turned away biting his lip. Steve caught him and huffed a laugh. “How did you survive PE, dude?”

“By not going,” Eddie snapped back.

Steve giggled. “Come on, I saw you at basketball tryouts on the bleachers. Watching.”

Eddie whirled around and was grateful that Steve had at least pulled the pajama pants on before he did. But the sight of Steve’s long torso dried his mouth and fought to wet his lips with his tongue.

Steve was standing there, shirt in one hand, both hands on his hips. “You like the short shorts, Munson?” he asked with a wink.

Eddie threw his arms in the air. “Well can you blame me?”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “Of course not. I think we’ve pretty much established I like dudes. So yeah, the short shorts are awesome.”

Eddie burst out laughing. “All right you got me there. Finish getting in your pajamas. I’m going to make a quick dash to the store for some things that might help you sleep and I’ll be right back. See if you can sleep in the mean time, k?”

Steve nodded. Eddie turned to go. “Hey, Eddie?” Eddie turned back. “Thanks for all this.”

Eddie smiled. “Any time, big boy.”

*

Eddie came back with lavender oil and chamomile tea as well as ‘Sabrina’. Steve was lying down, but Eddie could tell he was awake. He applied the lavender oil to Steve’s forehead and went and made the tea.

He came back with the tea sweetened with honey and a splash of lemon juice. Steve drank the tea and settled back down on the sofa. Eddie sat down and placed Steve’s head on his lap.

“I’m sorry,” Steve murmured as Eddie began to massage his head.

“For what?”

Steve sighed. “For making you miss school, for making you come over and babysit me.”

“You didn’t make me do anything, sweetheart,” Eddie murmured. “I don’t mind helping you. I’ve got people to look at for me. Who looks out for Steve Harrington?”

“Only you,” Steve slurred, already almost asleep.

“That’s right, babe,” Eddie said. “You sleep now and when you wake up, I’ll show you ‘Sabrina’, okay?”

“Mmk,” Steve said before sleep finally took him.

Eddie looked down at the soft boy on his lap and knew he had fallen for him. Having a chance with the former king of Hawkins High was one hell of a trip. If someone had told him at the beginning of the year, that he could have this, he would have punched them. Risk of expulsion be damned. Boys like Eddie didn’t get boys like Steve.

But now, he had hope for the first time in his life and wasn’t that just a kick in the head?

*

Later, they watched ‘Sabrina’.

“David is an idiot,” Steve murmured about half way through.

“Yeah?” Eddie asked with a chuckle. “How’s that?”

Steve snuggled further into Eddie’s side. “It’s obvious that Linus has been in love with her since they were kids. He knows about her attempted suicide and never told anyone. He loves her and David can’t see the romance happening in front of his face.”

“Just watch,” Eddie murmured. “Just wait.”

The movie ended and Steve looked up at him. “That was nice of David. He could have been a real ass about it.”

Eddie smiled. “No, I think you were right. I think David finally realized that his brother saw her for who she always was and that was more important than the superficial feelings he had for her after she came home beautiful and sophisticated.”

Steve smiled up at him, warm and fond.

“Feeling better, Stevie?”

He nodded. “Best sleep I’ve gotten in two years. Thanks to you.”

“Always.”

 Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17 Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21

Tag List: @shrimply-a-menace @strangersteddierthings @throwbackthrowaway @novelnovella @cursedfoxteeth @babyblender @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @swimmingbirdrunningrock @steve-the-hairrington @winterbuckwild @spectrum-spectre @matchingbatbites @garden-of-gay @anaibis @thing-a-ling @fandemonium-takes-its-toll @artiststarme @sundead  @nelotegreitic @gregre369 @butterflysandpeppermint @thedragonsaunt @kodaik97 @messrs-weasley @scarletzgo @deadlydodos @renaissan-vvitch @evix-syne666 @emly03 @justforthedead89 @ashwinmeird @huniibee @phantypurple @stevesbipanic @shucks-yuckyuck @awkwardgravity1 @bookbinderbitch @reportinglivefromsoda @chasinggeese @be-the-spark-bitch @jinxjinn @kohlraedirectioner @cr0w-culture @xjessicafaithx @whimsicalwitchm @jaywhohasthegay @dangdirtydemons @lovelyscot  @howincrediblysapphicofyou @the-redthread

[waynes-multiverse]

Plastic Hearts – Series Masterlist

Pairing: Director!Dean Winchester x Actress!Reader

Series Summary: Los Angeles, 1985. Y/N’s a young actress without any success, hopping from one failed audition to the next until one desperate mistake brings her to her breaking point. Dean Winchester, on the other hand, is a grade A asshole and washed-up director at the end of his career, known for his godawful slasher movies in the 70s and his love for blow, booze, and women. Lost in the toxic Hollywood life, their paths cross when one hopeless little wrestling show changes their trajectory.

Series Warnings: +18!!!, strong language, 80s Hollywood/wrestling AU, mature themes (incl. cheating, miscarriage, abortion, addiction, the casting couch…), sexism/feminism, self-worth issues, dom!director meets sub!actress vibes, humiliation/degradation à la La-La Land, plenty of praise kinks to go ‘round, slow burn, age-gap, one-sided pining, eventual smut but implied throughout, inappropriate jokes & the darkest humor, a lot of wrestling and leotards

A/N: Oh, you guys will hate me for ever creating this series... How do I elevator-pitch this? Dean’s the only cock in a coop full of hens, trying to keep order where chaos reigns. He’s also a sadistic train wreck (*coughs* demon!Dean 😈) and a fucking eccentric genius with a big heart. Convinced yet? Alright... Ooooh, every chapter is also titled after an 80s song and it’s based on the Netflix series GLOW!

So, c’mon, slide into the Impala with me, and let’s take a wild drive on the 101! 😎🤘

Please read the warnings carefully since this series includes a lot of triggering/controversial themes that I will drag through the gutter. Scroll past if it’s not for you. Thank you!

Main Masterlist || Questions?

1. Holding Out For A Hero 2. Livin’ On A Prayer 3. Separate Ways 4. Every Rose Has Its Thorn 5. Welcome To The Jungle 6. Pour Some Sugar On Me 7. Another Brick In The Wall 8. Hot For Teacher 9. Hungry Like The Wolf 10. The Boys Of Summer 11. Glory Days 12. The Warrior 13. Gimme All Your Lovin’ 14. Can’t Fight This Feeling 15. Sweet Child O’ Mine 16. Things Can Only Get Better 17. Voulez-Vous 18. I Hate Myself For Loving You 19. Hit Me With Your Best Shot 20. Don’t You Want Me 21. Rock You Like A Hurricane 22. Girls, Girls, Girls 23. Every Breath You Take 24. Don’t Dream It’s Over 25. Dare

|| SERIES COMPLETE ||

[ash5monster01]

Perfect To Love Part 11

Pairing: Steve Harrington x FemReader!PlusSize

Warnings: fluff, mentions of bullying, body image issues, fat shaming, angst, trust issues, language.

Summary: Beth Walker was used to living in the shadows. She had only one friend and anyone else who paid her mind usually bullied her for her size. So she learned to keep her mouth shut, her head down, and her heart closed because she had to accept the fact that she would be nothing more than the fat girl to people. That is until Robin decides Beth needs more in life and that might just include a boy who she never would’ve thought could see her for who she truly was.

word count: 3,437

a/n: sorry it has been so long friends, I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed and am still in recovery but plz enjoy <3

Part 10 ←→ Part 12

Masterlist

Beth wouldn’t go as far to say she was popular. She was still far from it, but ever since Steve Harrington held her hand in those bleachers the kids at school started to treat her better. Some going as far as talking to her and getting to know her. Now that she didn’t have this huge target on her back she didn’t hate going to school anymore. She didn’t even care if the kids were doing it to get close to Steve, for once she could take a breath of relief when she walked through those doors. For once she got to know her classmates and become friends with them. It’s all she ever wanted out of high school.

“Hey Beth, wait up” Beth turned at the call of her name and Robin almost slammed into her from their sudden stop.

“Hey Claire” Beth said kindly even though confusion was all over her face. Claire was one of the most popular girls in their grade, best friend with Chrissy Cunningham, and Captain of the Cheerleading squad.

“Hey I just wanted to give you this” Claire pulled a neon pink sheet from the stack in her hands, passing it to Beth just to see three dancing skeletons, holding wine glasses, and ‘Come for the Boo’s’ written in bold letters above them. Below was Claire’s address and information about the Halloween Party she’d be throwing.

“A party?” Beth questioned and Robin peered over her shoulder to take a look at the posters that definitely cost more than 80 cents to print.

“Yes, Tina passed the torch down to me for the big Halloween Bash this year. I figured you and Steve could come, and your friends” Claire gestured to Robin and Robins eyes widened as she realized she had been invited too.

“Of course, thanks Claire” Beth told her with a soft smile and the blonde girl moved on, like it wasn’t completely bizarre to be inviting Beth Walker and Robin Buckley to a party.

“Are you gonna go?” Robin questioned as they continued their walk to their next class.

“I mean, I don’t see why not. No one harasses me anymore. It could be fun” Beth shrugged tucking the flyer into her folder.

“Even though she was definitely inviting you to get Steve there?” Robin questioned and Beth chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s not like she’s going to steal Steve from me. We’ve been dating for a little over a week and if he does run off with Claire I know you’ll just kick his ass for me” Beth told her as they reached their classroom, slipping into the desks beside each other.

“That’s very true” Robin pointed out and Beth laughed, permanent blush still on her cheeks because she was dating Steve Harrington. They had to of been in the twilight zone.

“The real question is, is my best friend going to go to this party with me?” Beth looked at Robin with a hopeful look and Robin beamed as she realized she could actually join her two best friends at her first real high school party.

“I thought you’d never ask”

And that was how Beth, Steve, and Robin made plans to go to this silly Halloween party. This time accompanied by each of the kids. Steve had put up a fight, a permanent scowl on his face, because the last thing he wanted to do at a party was babysit. But Beth and Robin assured him they’d watch out for the kids and if anything started to go wrong they would call Nancy and leave. Beth had tried to get Nancy to come along but she planned to call Johnathon and couldn’t be persuaded.

Beth had been able to convince the group to do The Goonies. Her and Steve as Brand and Andy, Robin as Andy’s best friend Stef, Mike after putting up a fight was Mikey, Lucas as Mouth, and Dustin as Data. Max sadly got stuck home with her Mom, helping her move things into their new home. Yet she didn’t complain considering her only options were Mama Fratelli or Sloth. Lucas on the other hand had been sad because he wanted his girlfriend there for their first high school party. Apparently since Billy passed away things between them had been rocky.

“I can’t believe I let you convince me to do this” Steve said squeezing Beth’s hand, looking cute as ever in the red sweat bands that came with his costume. All Beth could do was grin.

“They’re good kids Steve, not like you were in high school” he faked a gasp but Beth’s giggles kept him from feigning hurt feelings. All he could do was laugh along side her.

“The minute I see Dustin try any alcohol we’re out of here” he told her, leaning down and capturing her giggling lips in his own.

“What about me?” Beth asked once he pulled away and he chuckled.

“You can get as drunk as you want, but if your father asks, I had nothing to do with it” Beth laughed again as the group now made their way into the house. It was mainly dark, the music loud enough to make Beth’s ears ring, and the temperature inside was drastically different from the cool 50 degree weather outside.

“Stick together, no alcohol” Robin pointed at the kids as they made their way in the house, grins from ear to ear. They were officially high school partiers. Even crazier, Beth was the reason they were even there. They all ruhed off, not even reacting to what Robin had said causing the young girl to sigh.

"I'll grab us some drinks" Steve said, side stepping behind Beth as he gave her shoulders a squeeze. Robin looked up hopeful, seeking out comfort in an alcoholic beverage despite never have trying it before.

"Strong ones" Robin said and Steve just laughed, knowing Robin would more than likely be drunk two sips into a fruity wine cooler. Yet he pretended to obey as he disapeared into the kitchen. Beth used this moment to survey the room, costumes either intricate or half assed. No in between.

“This is surreal” Beth chuckled to her friend only to see her gasp as her eyes settled on something across the room.

“Vickie is here” Robin hissed before shifting to stand behind Beth. Beth only laughed because Robin could see clear over her head, she wasn’t much of a shield.

“She’s dressed like Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles, wow” Beth said as she spotted their red headed friend, pink dress, and blue flower crown. Beth quickly waved to to the girl. “Hi Vickie!”

“Beth! Hey!” Vickie waved back and Robin grabbed her friends arm, making her stop almost instantly.

“Beth are you kidding? I don’t know what to say to her outside of band” Robin seethed as the red headed girl approached and Beth just rolled her eyes.

“I’m right here, calm down-“ but then Eddie Munson was twirling Beth, higher than a kite, and shocked to see the girl who forced him to do homework at a party of all places. As he pulled the girl away Beth gave Robin a sheepish smile, watching Vickie approach her.

“Beth Walker, is it actually you or am I just really greened out?” he asked curiously, hunched over to look her in the eye.

“Hey Eddie, what’s your costume? Burnout?” Eddie chuckled, a slight shake to his head. Costumes weren’t really his thing.

“It’s you all right” then his eyes flicked up behind her just to see Steve approaching as the Brand to her Andy. “Apparently with Harrington too”

“Munson, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to steal my girl” Steve appeared beside her, costume to match, drinks in hand.

“Beth’s too good for me, she knows that” Beth blushed, never realizing Eddie had thought of her like that. “But you Harrington, you always snag the good girls”

“Alright, stop the pissing contest. Thanks handsome” Beth grinned at Steve, stealing a drink from the two in his hands. Steve blushed and she wasn’t sure if she actually had that affect on him or he had already taken a few sips before finding her.

“Dustin is here, might be nice to have an extra eye on him and the kids. Keep them out of trouble” Steve told Eddie, now business. He knew Dustin liked Eddie, he didn’t have to like it but if someone else was keeping him out of trouble he could accept it.

“No way, Dustin Henderson at a party. I’ve got to see this with my own two eyes” and as quick as he appeared, Eddie disappeared in search of his young Hellfire apprentices.

“Wow, this is strong” Beth told Steve after taking a sip but that didn’t stop her from giving him a grin and chugging some more.

“You’re gonna be the death of me Walker” he told her but she gave him a pout.

“Save the last names for people like Eddie” she told him and he felt his heart swell over how cute she was. He had never thought he could be so attracted to a bigger girl before but now nobody could compare. He was obsessed with Beth Walker and he wanted to make sure she knew it.

“You’re gonna be the death of me Bethany” shivers chilled her spine at the deep and sultry way her said her full name. She had always regretted answering Beth when Tommy asked her name, figuring he so easily turned it into Bertha. She was just so used to everyone calling her Beth for short. Steve calling her Bethany was something so personal she was sure to never get tired of it. That and B.

“Same goes for you Steven” she told him, grin covering her lips. Before she could react his lips were on her own in a sweet kiss, taking a small taste of the cherry lipgloss and alcohol to go with it.

“Let’s hit the dance floor baby, I got some new moves” he grinned and she just giggled, hand curling into his own as he led her to the dance floor. On her way her eyes flitted over the crowd, saying hi back to people who actually offered hellos for once. Then she spotted Colin, eyes trained on her and knuckles white from gripping his beer bottle. She wasn’t sure if he was angry about her attendance or Steve, she wasn’t sure about anything with him anymore.

As the night progressed Steve and Beth had put away quite a few drinks, spent a good hour or three on the dance floor, joined by Robin after she chugged her wine cooler to forget the embarrassment of stumbling over her words in front of Vickie. Beth realized it didn’t matter if she was here or not, as long as she was dancing with her friends. Lucas had been long gone, guilt ridden of leaving behind Max. Steve fought his departure for only a moment before allowing it. Now Dustin and Mike sat squished on either side of Eddie, deep in conversation about their latest campaign.

“I’m gonna grab a new drink” Beth yelled over the music, the alcohol making her more confident and Steve more affectionate towards her.

“Alright sweet thing, we’ll be here” he told her, hands squeezing at her waist and she was too drunk to care, even though his lust filled eyes set her insides on fire.

“Don’t cause too much trouble” she told him before scurrying off to the kitchen to find herself a refill. For the first time all night the kitchen had been abandoned and Beth appreciated the space for a moment.

“So you and Harrington are a real thing huh?” Beth jumped as the voice appeared beside her, some rum slipping up the side of her cup and onto the counter.

“Colin, you scared me” Beth said, ripping a paper towel and cleaning her mess. It was silly really, considering the whole house would be a mess by tomorrow, but she did it anyway.

“I figured you’d date a more quiet type like yourself” he said before slugging back a sip of his beer. He wore a bed sheet as a toga, half his chest peeking out from the white fabric. Colin Matterson was an asshole but at least he wasn’t ugly.

“I’m not quiet, you only think that since no one bothered to treat me like a real person” Beth told him, pouring some coke into her cup. She had made this drink stronger but only because it scared her that she was now somewhat comfortable alone with Colin.

“Guess I should have” he said and suddenly it was like all the air was sucked out of the room. “Considering everyone likes you now because of Harrington. I always figured it would be the other way around, torture the person dating you for dating you. If I had known it would be like this maybe I would’ve actually made a move”

“You don’t get to say things like that to me” Beth shook her head, taking a step back and a sip from her drink.

“Why not?” he asked, his beer bottle clinking as he slammed it into the counter.

“Because Colin, you’ve been my worst bully for years. You can’t just turn around now because you realize your reputation won’t be hurt” Beth was trying her best not to yell but once Colin jumped off the counter, vein appearing in his forehead, she realized the yelling was about to come.

“You don’t get it Beth! I fucking hated myself for liking you. I thought I was broken, that I couldn’t like the skinny cheerleaders that threw themselves at me. That I was into fat girls. I worried I’d never be attracted to anyone and people would judge me for the rest of my life for being attracted to you!” Beth gaped, shocked he even thought this was any argument at all. Calling her fat, hating himself for liking her. Who fucking cares!

“That’s where you’re wrong Colin. If you can’t see me for anything other than my size you have no grounds to stand on for liking me. Being fat isn’t all that I am! I’m fun, loud, happy, pretty, and yes fat. But if you can’t see that then maybe you are broken, but not in the way you think!” Beth yelled back, anger bubbling to the surface. She wanted to hit him, just like Steve did. Yet she knew it wouldn’t solve anything for her.

“I don’t know what to do Beth” he suddenly said so quietly she tried not to feel bad for him. He was confused, confused about why he didn’t like things most people liked. That he was different from normal. It was probably similar to how someone came to terms with being gay when being told it was wrong their whole life.

“I can’t fix it for you Colin, but I suggest you start liking people based on who they are and not what they look like. I ended up with Steve because he got to know me without someone asking him too, and that makes all the difference” Beth now at the mention of Steve instantly wanted to be comforted by him so she started for the kitchen door, absolutely no interest in hearing what he had to say.

“Hey what took so long?” Robin panted, giddy from dancing and drinking. Good thing they already figured to call Nancy for a ride home.

“Got stuck talking” Beth said, nuzzling into Steve’s side who just grinned. Beth wasn’t one to initiate intimacy so he wrapped his arms around her, guaranteeing she wouldn’t scurry off.

“Everything okay” he asked ducking down and whispering into her ear. Her free hand curled around his neck as she went to whisper back.

“It is now” she told him, suggesting that being close to him made it better. Then for the first time she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, chest pushing against his own. She felt goosebumps rise under her hand on the back of his neck and it made her heart flutter to think she could give him goosebumps. All this time she thought no one would ever like her, see for themselves how great she was, and now she was giving Steve Harrington goosebumps.

“Ugh get a room” Robin groaned and Beth pulled back from Steve as she giggled, him still hunched over to keep his head near her own.

“I think Robin has had enough to drink” Steve said as he spun Beth around, pressing her back against his front and chin falling onto her shoulder.

“Actually I don’t think I’ve had enough, maybe one more and I won’t think about vomiting watching you two make out” she said and Beth laughed loudly, the sound causing Steve to pull her in tighter.

“She’s drunk, she’s normally team us making out” Steve said to Beth as if Robin wasn’t standing in front of them, swaying from the alcohol.

“She’s just jealous because she wants someone to make out with” Beth whispered back and Steve pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, half drunk and caught up in the taste of her. Beth felt the kiss all the way to her core and unintentionally pressed her ass further back into Steve. It was like her body knew how to react to his touched despite never being touched like that.

“Careful baby” Steve warned, his voice breathless. Beth turned crimson red as she realized what she had just done, the blush heating all the way to her ears.

“Alright, I’m done dancing” Robin said once she realized what was happening and rushed away. Steve kept Beth in front of him, careful not to let her move.

“You look surprised” Steve muttered, trying his best not to scare her but he was drunk and she was just so damn beautiful he couldn’t help it. Most of the night he spent fighting with himself to not look at the cleavage spilling over her white top.

“I just didn’t think I was capable of turning anyone on” Beth whispered and Steve let out a deep chuckle, closing his eyes and counting to three.

“Well Beth you are very capable, so just please don’t move” he said breathily, eyes closing shut as he pressed his forehead to her shoulder, trying to calm himself down. Beth found herself briefly wondering what Steve looked like all fucked out, probably pretty, like always. She had never had any interest before but the mix of alcohol and attractive guy stuck to her made her think differently.

“Sorry, but I have to kiss you right now” and against his wishes she turned, her front now pressed against him as she grabbed his face and pressed a slow and sweet kiss to his lips. Steve moaned lightly into her mouth and she realized now that if she was to lose Steve she would absolutely never recover.

“Alright we’re leaving, call Nancy” he muttered against her lips and Beth laughed as she kissed him again.

“So I can’t come over?” she teased and Steve groaned.

“Beth, I’m serious. It’s only been two weeks and I don’t need you seeing how badly I’m into you” Steve said and Beth sighed, sealing his lips with another kiss before another to his cheek, neck, and throat.

“Fine we’ll call Nancy” she told him and he still had his eyes shut, probably trying to remember all of the presidents and she just shook her head.

“The kids are watching please stop!” Beth turned to see Eddie was holding his hands over Dustin and Mike’s eyes. She giggled before shaking her head.

“We’re done, promise. Boys get ready to go” Beth instructed and Eddie removed his hands as they moved to obey.

“Looks like you need a cold shower Harrington!” Eddie called out and the boys both made grossed out faced as they collected their things and moved to join the group.

“Looks like you just need a shower Munson” and the boys laughed including Eddie who still wasn’t entirely sure about the Harrington boy.

“You’re probably right Steve, have a good night kiddos” he told them and Beth found Robin as they moved to the door, Steve going to call Nancy who thankfully wasn’t too far away.

“I’d say our first party was a success” Robin told Beth, her arm locked within her own, ready to have a sleepover, and pick on Alan during breakfast the next morning.

“Me too, it was more fun than I thought”

Taglist: @kindablackenedsuperhero @rinarecommends @starryeyedpoet17 @crustless-toast @loverofmarsss @alexa-33 @bethanysnow @middle-of-the-earth @princessadriana4-blog @mochminnie @legendaryhumandiplomatgoop @a-lil-bit-nuts @i-came-as-bostonian @krazyk99 @thunderstomp-and-tequila @cumslutforaemond @futuristicbirdtraveler @unholyhuntress

Comment if you want to be added to the tag list :))

[gay-jesus-probably]

What was your 9/11 sona

God, I wish I remembered. Unfortunately, while the whole mess is absolutely hilarious in hindsight, back in the day I just thought it was incredibly tasteless and an insult to the people who actually lost loved ones that day (which it absolutely was!), so I was mortified to have to participate in it. But I didn't want to argue the point, cause with how subjective English is, getting on the teachers bad side will just obliterate your grade, and I'd always been in the high 90's for english so I wasn't about to break that streak over a stupid insensitive writing assignment. So I grit my teeth, wrote some shitty, generic OC, gave them a tasteless, non-offensive eulogy, then tore up the paper and threw it out the second I got the marked assignment back.

And that was about a decade ago now, so I can't remember any details about my tragically deceased 9/11sona - all I can really remember about grade 9 english is the 9/11 stuff, the teacher being really weird about demanding we say 'zed' instead of 'zee' because we're Canadian, and the look of absolute shock on her face when she informed me that I'd gotten a perfect 100% on the reading comp part of the PAT exam (still lowkey proud of that lmao). Moral of the story, don't throw out really embarrassing school writing assignments; they might be hilarious in hindsight.

...The real punchline of all this is that while I went to all that effort to avoid pissing off my teacher and tanking my marks in grade 9, in grade 10 I hit that exact problem literally before my first class had started. I had english in the second semester that year, and my older sibling had given me the book version of Les Miserables as a christmas gift that year, and I was still working on it when school started back up. So I made the terrible mistake of walking into english class about ten minutes early, cracked open my book to pass the time... and then after a few minutes of watching some punk teenager casually reading les mis, the teacher got up, asked me to step out into the hall, then led me into the classroom next door to introduce me to the AP english teacher, and inform him that I was probably better suited for his class. I had to hastily clarify that no the fuck I was not, I had three core classes that semester and a mixup with my one elective meant I was stuck in the goddamn grade 12 band class, so if I didn't have one class I didn't need to put effort into, I would die of stress. Grade 10 english teacher tried to pressure me into taking the AP class anyways, and after I kept refusing, she eventually was like "fine, you can stay in my class, but I'm going to grade you like you're an AP student the whole time."

And for the entire semester, she refused to mark any of my work higher than an 80%. Can you tell I'm still angry about that, because I'm still really fucking angry about it.

[districtscare]

Ooooh Haymitch's childhood, let's hear some of that 👀

ABERNATHY EXTENDED: haymitch's childhood edition

i so didn't have to make a whole quote thing for this but we're gonna talk about it! it's a post!

1-6 years

haymitch got by as any seam child did, grew up in a poor environment with squalor and death surrounding — and also met all of his milestones at the right ages and was significantly a talker by early 2-years.

kipley was born when haymitch was 6, so he had 5 years of his parents adoration and very specifically his mother's attention.

he was outgoing, rowdy but also showed clear signs of intelligence from a young age, and it helped him within a school environment.

6-10 years

as the years went on, he began to learn to pick up his father's trade; hunting and woodworking. he'd often work long hours once hasil returned home, often getting splinters or slight injuries up until he succeeded in his crafts.

he kept a watchful eye on kipley, who could barely protect himself physically because of his condition, and so more fights ensued. the abernathy's had always struggled monetarily, and with his slow awareness of this, the more he became frustrated with his environment.

10-12 years

by around 11, he already suffered his first break; that being his nose in a fight. he'd often deal with being ambushed while hunting by older brother's of kipley's bullies, usually braving these fights to the point of significant injury.

at 12, he was legible for the reaping, taking tessarae in turn for grain/oil.

in the late winter (2 months after his birthday,) his father was executed during a time where uprisings were common and district unease high (especially within the mines.) his years of (what then became illegal) hunting had caught up with him, and he was whipped to death.

to his and his mother's dismay, the surviving abernathys and family did next to nothing to help amidst hasil's death (with peregrine and the sarvers scorning cassia for her husband's actions and his death.) (note: cassia and linnea are both seam in appearance, while peregrine is merchant.)

seeing this, haymitch was immediately thrown into a role of becoming the "man of the house" with his mother's feeble aid not being enough to last them. after the unrest died down, he followed (carefully) and more cautiously in his father's footsteps.

12-16 years

maintaining good grades and a decent social life, haymitch continued to make sacrifices for his family, with kipley's eventual adoption of a hen helping towards their income.

he also meets aveleen at 14 (the mayor's daughter.)

by the time the 50th had rolled around, his family was utterly and completely dependant on him.

and you know the rest :3c

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

December 2023 - part 2

December 10 - Chiefs v Buffalo Bills, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.

Travis Kelce arriving ahead of game

Taylor flies into Kansas City to attend the Chiefs game with her cousins, Travis' cousins & friends at Arrowhead Stadium

Travis made a brilliant play contributing to a touch down but was denied due to a team mates penalty.

During the game, NFL announcer and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo referred to her as "Travis' wife" while on the air with announcing partner Jim Nantz.

"As you see, Kelce's wife, Taylor Swift, in the audience," Romo pointed out, quickly correcting himself and saying, "I'm sorry -- girlfriend."

"Not yet," Nantz said in response.

Chiefs were defeated 17 - 20.

Taylor and Travis leave the stadium together

Taylor and Travis together with team mates, coaches friends and family gather at Miracle Pop Up Bar

Travis' barber shares a photo of Taylor and Travis (x)

Lots of photos emerge from the party with Taylor and travis taking photos with friends - these have been cropped...

December 11 - Taylor is nominated for a Golden Globe for The Eras tour movie.

USA Today reports that Taylor has donated $1 million to a Tennessee tornado relief Fund (x) after a Tornado ravaged the state on Saturday 9 Dec.

ET article (x)

According to Cheterah Jackson, a Columbus, Ohio-based real estate agent and friend of Travis', the couple rented a luxury bus to transport their group and reserved the Christmas bar in downtown Kansas City for friends and family. 

Jackson tells ET, "My boyfriend Calvin Locke... is Travis' friend and has known him since the 7th grade. We were in the suite at the game, which was filled with family and friends."

"Taylor is an absolute sweetheart. She is very down-to-earth and kind." 

"Taylor and Travis are so in love. It was so cute seeing them together and I can see them getting married"  

December 12 - Taylor returns to NYC. Pictured with Miles & Keleigh Teller

December 13 - New Heights Ep. 68 airs (x 5:05)

Jason and Travis limit talking about Taylor although when the brothers chat about the No.1 & No.2 sales of NFL jerseys in the UK, they give credit to Swifties for helping with the success of topping the sales and Travis gives a "shout out to Kylie and Taylor." Travis suggests that perhaps they could "find our way over there this off season and say hello to everyone in person" and record a live show in the UK. Jason replies "we also got an opportunity to do one in Australia - we could make it a world tour"

Any one know of an international pop star who may be touring in the UK and Australia in 2024 that coincides with the NFL off season? Are the Kelce brothers hinting that Travis and perhaps Jason will join Taylor on tour next year? It should be noted that Patrick Mahomes has also raised the idea of possibly catching the Era's Tour in Europe in the off season too...

The boys answer "No Dumb Questions" from handle "metal-as-hell", a reference to Taylor's TIME article calling Travis "metal as hell" when he publicly declared his interest in dating Taylor.

Taylor Swift's 34th Birthday - Taylor heads to Banzarbar, NYC with friends to celebrate her birthday into the early hours of the morning - Happy Birthday Taylor! The paps even broke out into song to sing Taylor "Happy Birthday". Note Travis remained in KC with commitments to the Chiefs. This was expected.

December 14 - Taylor and friends share photos from the birthday celebration the evening before (x)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

December 15 - Taylor is named Billboard's No.1 Greatest Pop Star (x)

It didn’t seem possible that anyone could have a year this dominant: not this deep into the streaming era, not this long after the oft-proclaimed death of the monoculture, not when the entire industry seems to be in crisis over how to capture and hold onto listener attention. It was a year not to be judged against Swift’s 2023 peers, but against the entirety of modern pop history. 

There is no wasted potential with Taylor Swift, no what ifs – the chance was there for her to have one of the greatest years any pop star has ever had, and you know that she grabbed it. Taylor was here. No one who was around for her 2023 will ever forget it.

With reference to Taylor's relationship with Travis, Billboard's Andrew Unterberger says:

... rumors were beginning to swirl about her and Kelce. The Chiefs star had become increasingly coy in his comments about the pop icon, saying he’d invited her to come see him play a home game (after he’d seen her Eras show in Kansas City that July). She did indeed do just that on the September 24th, with her presence at Arrowhead sending both the worlds of sports and pop culture into a frenzy, and leading to numerous posts and videos of non-football-conversant Swifties sharing the sport’s rules with one another, so they could better understand what was happening in between the shots of their hero in a private box with Kelce’s mom Donna.  From then on, every Sunday (and a couple Mondays and Thursdays) of 2023 was overtaken with Taylor talk: Would she be showing up at the Chiefs’ next game? What other celebrities would she be attending with? What kind of Kelce swag would she be wearing, and what would that mean about their relationship? What do you mean Kansas City is on a bye week?While Swift’s short relationship with Healy was extremely controversial to Swifties and her long relationship with Alwyn was largely uninteresting to everyone else, her love story with Kelce – a well-liked, unproblematic figure, a Super Bowl-winning superstar as an athlete with enough of a Q rating as a celebrity to host SNL – was universally accessible, and found near-100% public approval. You didn’t need deep grounding in Swift Lore to understand the relationship, because it just felt right: the All-American athlete dating the All-American pop star. 

Go to part 1 of December 2023

Go to part 3 of December 2023

Return to the timeline

[piracytheorist]

Ranking SxF season 2 episodes!

So, some time ago I made a ranking of the season 1 episodes of Spy x Family, from my least favourite to my top favourite. I felt inspired a couple days ago and I thought I'd make a similar ranking of the season 2 episodes.

Mentioning again that: This is all my personal judgment heavily based on stuff I liked. You most certainly will disagree with me and that’s fine! Just don’t argue with me because that’s just personal opinions, I’m not trying to change anyone’s minds or prove anything!

And also: I chose to rank each episode by five criteria, the things I love the most about the show: 1) Humor (intentional or not), 2) Character (defining or cool moments and such) 3) Cute 4) Plot (how much development there is and how well the action is delivered) 5) Feels (of any kind).

#12, Least favourite of the season: 29. The Pastry of Knowledge/ The Informant's Great Romance Plan II

Humor: 6/10 Character: 6/10 Cute: 7/10 Plot: 6/10 Feels: 5/10

I think this is the only episode that got points removed for something I didn't like. I made some very passionate posts about it when it first aired, particularly due to how after watching it I realized I'd been treated very unfairly by some fellow fans, and thus I'm almost incapable of rewatching the first half. Yes this is about Damian bullying Anya, no I won't shut up about it.

Anyway. This is still quite a high ranking (it's higher than the three lowest from my s1 ranking), cause the humor and the cats of the second part were quite entertaining on their own. It got a few points for plot because it introduced the stakes of Anya getting low grades, and also because of the discussion between Franky and Twilight about Garden.

#11: 36. Berlint in Love / Nightfall's Daily Life

Humor: 9/10 Character: 6/10 Cute: 6/10 Plot: 5/10 Feels: 7/10

A very high humor score because I honestly doubt a single minute passed without me laughing my ass off in this one. It was so ridiculous and they loved making it so. Though having two wholly different parts, they were both fun in how they were around two characters blinded by their affection for Loid to the point they have no idea how hopeless their goals are. I just love how exaggerated it all is.

Some feels points were added for Yor talking about remembering what Loid had told her during the bench scene, and also because we get Loid being a stupid simp for his strong wife.

#10: 31. The Fearsome Luxury Cruise Ship

Humor: 7/10 Character: 8/10 Cute: 6/10 Plot: 8/10 Feels: 6/10

Reminder that this is still a high ranking. I'm just being strict in the ratings because the entire season is so good, the bar is really high!

Anyway, though I like this episode, it feels more like a passing point from the previous one to the next, compared to those specific episodes, so that's probably why it's this low. I love how the assassins plot is kicked off and we get to see some action, and character points were added for McMahon's ruthless killing of the stalker assassin.

#9: 28. Mission and Family / The Elegant Bondman / Extras

Humor: 6,5/10 Character: 9/10 Cute: 6/10 Plot: 9/10 Feels: 7/10

This is the first time I felt the need to use decimals, lol. I just feel that this episode is one of the darkest and most serious of the season, but also... Bondman's part was ridiculous (affectionate) and the omakes were great by themselves, so I felt that a mere six wouldn't do.

I'm honestly entranced by the first part. The plot and exploration of Yuri's and Perkin's characters were near damn perfect, I only wish there was a bit more beyond that episode, haha. I understand the focus needed to be in the Cruise Arc, so I feel a nine will do for this one. The feels were honestly added because I was a bit touched by Perkin's motives, and how those touched Yuri too.

#8: 30. Plan to Cross the Border

Humor: 8/10 Character: 9/10 Cute: 7/10 Plot: 7/10 Feels: 7/10

The Shopkeeper's introduction was amazing, albeit terrifying. Olka's was a little more subdued, but it was more touching. I felt both also reflected on something about Yor, so it was overall very satisfying. Due to so many introductions, plot was light (not that I minded), but Anya's scheming put up points in humor and cute. Feels points were added for Olka wanting to escape the crime underworld, and how that affected Yor.

#7: 32. Who Is This Mission For?

Humor: 8/10 Character: 8/10 Cute: 8/10 Plot: 6/10 Feels: 8/10

I'd spent the entire week before this episode aired wondering how Yor would manage fighting Barnaby, and even though I should be used to the story's wackiness by now, it still managed to surprise me and make me laugh. Also Loid will never outlive his ridiculous tourist getup. Anya was an adorable little gremlin who couldn't stop having fun, so cute points went up, and Loid managed to spend one (1) episode without going "For the mission!" once, so character and feels points went up as well.

#6: 26. Follow Papa and Mama

Humor: 9/10 Character: 7/10 Cute: 8/10 Plot: 6/10 Feels: 8/10

To be honest, I think I'm a bit strict with this one. I don't know how this story manages to make miscommunication so funny for me, but it was legitimately hilarious. The thing is, this was the only episode of the season whose manga chapter I'd already read, long ago too, and maybe my expectations for its adaptation were unrealistically high - probably also due to it being the season premiere and I'd spent ten months without my show, so I'm probably biased. Mind you, I still loved it, but this further cements my will to stay anime only.

Anyway! Character points went a bit down because I didn't feel we saw anything new, but the cute and feels persisted because of Anya's machinations and because of Yor admitting how good she felt with Loid dedicating time for her that day.

#5: 34. The Hand That Connects to the Future

Humor: 8/10 Character: 7/10 Cute: 8/10 Plot: 8/10 Feels: 8/10

A lovely, hopeful closure for Olka and the rest, Yor getting the acknowledgement she deserves, a spectacular ending of the assassins fight, high stakes with the bomb threats, and an emotional ending scene with Twilight carrying Anya to bed and then the family getting ready to meet in the resort island. Not much else to be said <3

#4: 35. Enjoy the Resort to the Fullest / Bragging About Vacation

Humor: 9/10 Character: 7/10 Cute: 9/10 Plot: 6/10 Feels: 9/10

No, I'm definitely not biased because this episode shows us the first glimpse of Twilight yearning for Yor what are you talking about.

Who am I kidding, I definitely added feels points just for that look he gave her while she watched Anya play with the sheep. The whole episode felt so relaxing and fulfilling after the intense assassins plot, especially the scene of the Forgers having tea upon returning home, that I don't mind that the second part at school feels a little exaggerated. The ending scene with Anya being surrounded by liars though is top notch.

#3: 27. Bond's Strategy to Stay Alive / Damian's Field Research Trip

Humor: 9/10 Character: 8/10 Cute: 8/10 Plot: 7/10 Feels: 9/10

Endo used Dog Cuteness! It's super effective!

Yeah, the whole adventure and the way it was presented were appropriately hilarious and we saw some more of the dynamics between Bond and the rest and I really liked that. Plot wasn't heavy but I was all wide eyes at the introduction of a truth serum, and at the second part when Mr. Green talked about people defecting to the West. Feels went up thanks to, among others, Twilight thinking he was helping Bond get his "revenge". Also, though the second part didn't do much for me, it actually felt nice to see Damian laugh innocently like the kid he really is.

#2: 37. Part of the Family

Humor: 8/10 Character: 8/10 Cute: 9/10 Plot: 8/10 Feels: 9/10

Despite the mopping wet of a dog we got here, I kinda felt this was less... humorous, or at least not focusing so much on the humor aspect. I felt it was more cute and emotional that Bond was just trying to help left and right but was only misunderstood by Twilight. The action takes the place of a plot here, and I loved it all. Some development too through Twilight realizing he can relax a bit with Bond, even though he's still in denialTM about how much he appreciates his company.

#1: 33. The Symphony Upon the Ship / Sis's Herb Tea

Humor: 8/10 Character: 10/10 Cute: 7/10 Plot: 9/10 Feels: 10/10

Yeah OH MY GOD are we surprised. Top tier shit. Excellent balance of pretty much everything in this one. The humor even in the way Yor took out some of the assassins. Her flashbacks with Yuri. The ACTION and the ANIMATION of it all. HER REALIZATION AND DETERMINATION POWERING HER THROUGH. HER LOVE FOR HER FAMILY.

Yeah wow it's really so good any eloquence evades me. Perfect. Mwah. Thank you Endo-sensei.

~

And here is the overall ranking of the episodes, from both seasons, based on the ratings I gave:

1. Operation Strix

    2. Secure A Wife

    33. The Symphony Upon The Ship / Sis's Herb Tea

    24. The Role Of A Mother And Wife / Shopping With Friends

    38. Part Of The Family

    16. Yor's Kitchen / The Informant's Great Romance Plan

    27. Bond's Strategy To Stay Alive / Damian's Field Research Trip

    14. Disarm The Time Bomb

    12. Penguin Park

   11. Stella

   21. Nightfall / First Fit Of Jealousy

   35. Enjoy The Resort To The Fullest / Bragging About Vacation

   15. A New Family Member

   9. Show Off How In Love You Are

   5. Will They Pass Or Fail?

   34. The Hand That Connects To The Future

   3. Prepare For The Interview

   26. Follow Papa And Mama

   32. Who Is This Mission For?

   13. Project Apple

   4. The Prestigious School's Interview

  30. Plan To Cross The Border

   28. Mission And Family / The Elegant Bondman / Extras

   8. The Counter-Secret Police Cover Operation

   6. The Friendship Scheme

   31. The Fearsome Luxury Cruise Ship

   25. First Contact

  23. The Unwavering Path

   18. Uncle The Private Tutor / Daybreak

   6. The Target's Second Son

   36. Berlint In Love / Nightfall's Daily Life

   20. Investigate The General Hospital / Decipher The Perplexing Code

   19. A Revenge Plot Against Desmond / Mama Becomes The Wind

  29. The Pastry Of Knowledge / The Informant's Great Romance Plan Ii

  17. Carry Out The Griffin Plan / Fullmetal Lady / Omelet Rice ♡

  22. The Underground Tennis Tournament: The Campbelldon

  10. The Great Dodgeball Plan

[thaliaisalesbian]

i get myself twisted in threads

Chapter 30: and i tell you the truth

Chapters: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31

“Are you getting your test results back today?” Steve’s not on his crutches today, though Nancy knows that Jonathan has them in his car in case Steve wants or needs them.

“Yeah. I’m hoping I passed.”

“You did fine.” Jonathan says. He wraps his arm around Nancy’s waist, then has to abort the motion of his other arm.

It’s hard to watch him and Steve whenever they remember that they can’t be too close in public. They’d all gotten so comfortable with it. At least if Steve puts an arm around her shoulders, it’s not too weird. No weirder than the three of them eating lunch together every day, and Eddie Munson talking to Steve sometimes. People have gotten used to it now. 

“And you’re feeling better today?”

“A lot better. Will made sure I didn’t move too much, he decided he needed to use me as a subject for his art very suddenly.”

“That worked?” Nancy peeks up at Jonathan for confirmation.

“Will can be very convincing.” Jonathan nods. “And Mom’s threats helped too, I think.”

“And my head’s fine, too.” He’s still got the sunglasses on, but Nancy decides not to point that out. They don’t need to have a fight this early in the morning.

“Ready for your first full week back?”

“Kind of have to be. Hargrove didn’t bother me last week, hoping that stays the same.”

“Hopefully.” Nancy agrees. What are they going to do if he does, though? Nancy can’t think of any classes she has with both of them, and she doesn’t think Jonathan has any, either.

“Hey, don’t get that look on your face, I can handle him. I’ll see you both at lunch, okay? And I’ll have news about my tests.”

“See you then.”

“He’ll be fine, Nance.” Jonathan squeezes her side. “I doubt Hargrove will try anything with teachers around. And Steve can handle himself. He’s recovered enough that he’ll be able to hold his own.”

“I wish he had his crutches.”

“Why?”

“So that he could whack Hargrove with them if he needs to.” She’s being mostly serious about it, but Jonathan chuckles.

“He could, yeah. That’d be funny to watch. Not today, though.”

No. Not today.

Not ever would be the best option, but with their luck, that’s not going to happen.

finish on ao3 or continue reading

Nancy’s school day remains uneventful; she’s even able to get some of her homework done in class.

She’s not one who’s usually bored in class, but today that seems to be the case. It feels like they’ve gone over everything before.

“Miss Wheeler, you’re typically much more active in class, feeling a little under the weather today?”

That might be part of it. But she doesn’t have a headache or a stuffy nose or anything.

“I think I read further ahead than I realized over the weekend.” She explains. “I got the chance when my little sister was napping.”

“That works too.” Now the rest of the class’s eyes are on her, even though they’d been dismissed for lunch already.

God, she hates being stared at like this, even if it’s because she actually does her work and even enjoys it at times.

“Hey, Nance.” Steve’s still got his sunglasses on. “How was class?”

“Boring. I read too far ahead.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that even Nancy Wheeler has a line that’s ‘too far’ when it comes to studying?”

“Yes, Steve.” She rolls her eyes as he keeps teasing her. “What did Mundy say?”

“I passed them both. I got an A on the first one, so my grade for last semester is an A! And the other one that was just supposed to see how far I’d gotten in this semester’s material, I got a B minus on. He said he would have expected a little over half from anyone, but not that high.”

“So you’re ahead in his class, then?”

“Yeah. He’s still waiting to hear about those classes for next year.”

“What about your other teachers?”

“They all seem to think I should have just skipped the rest of the year.” Nancy would have. She doesn’t think she could have caught up at this point, and especially not in math the way Steve has. Her math grades are low As, but only because she spends so much time on it. Reading and writing in her other classes comes so much more easily to her.

“Well, you’re here, and you’re going to make the best of it.”

“I am.” Steve agrees. Jonathan sits down, finally, and they recap what they’d just been talking about for him.

“So you’re both doing better than me, is what I’m hearing.” He jokes. “I’ve got work after school today, Steve, I forgot to mention it this morning.”

“That’s okay, I can walk. I’ve done it before.”

“Or you could drop me off and take my car back to yours?”

“That too, I guess.” Steve shrugs, like it doesn’t really matter to him. “But why?”

“So you’re not walking alone?”

“Hargrove hasn’t bothered me at all.”

“That might change when you're not surrounded by people, Steve.” Nancy says softly, not wanting anyone to overhear. Given that Munson and his group haven’t moved back to their usual table yet, it’s probably a moot point. She doesn’t know why they’re still there, but Hargrove’s not about to risk messing with the school dealer, so it works out for them. He hasn’t ‘stopped by’ their lunch table since they’d moved. 

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I wish I had a car.” Nancy says. “Then I could help out.”

“Wait, we didn’t pick you up this morning, you and Mike biked to school today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I could just go back with you.”

“What? Steve, weren’t you pretty sure that my mom hates you?” And she doesn’t want to give her room to say anything else. She should probably tell Steve and Jonathan about that, but she really doesn’t want anyone else knowing about it.

“She didn’t like me because I was dating her innocent daughter and ‘corrupting’ her. Outside of that, she seemed pretty okay with me, if only because Holly likes me and I could calm her down.”

“You weren’t corrupting me.”

“I was your first boyfriend, of course she wasn’t gonna like me, Nance. Especially with my reputation.”

“Is that what you want to do, Steve? Go back with Nancy and Mike?” Jonathan looks between them.

“If she doesn’t mind. It’ll be fun to bother Mike again, anyway.”

“So you’re setting yourself up to get bullied by my little brother?”

“Ah, he can’t bully me. I have become immune to Mike Wheeler’s bullying.”

“Sure, Steve.”

“Why are you laughing? It’s the truth.”

“Steve, there are times when I’m not immune to Mike’s bullying, and I live with him.”

“Then just become immune.” Steve says. He laughs a little, before he stops and reaches for his bag. He pulls out a little bottle of pills, downing a few. “Sorry, laughing just hurt my face a little.”

Still? It’s been a week. Nancy doesn’t know if that’s normal or not. And what dose is he taking? Just the over-the-counter pills? Or something stronger? She knows Owens and Irene gave him stronger pain meds for days when it got bad, but he probably shouldn’t be taking those at school.

They probably should have just called Owens. Or taken Steve to a hospital, or something. She knows why Jonathan didn’t—it would have raised so many questions, and probably meant that Steve’s parents would come back to town.

They should have done it anyway.

But it’s too late for that now. Steve’s too stubborn to go, especially when he can move on his own.

Jonathan jumps in quickly to fill the gap she and Steve have left in the conversation, but that moment lingers over their table for the rest of lunch.

It follows Nancy for the rest of the day, too.

Mike is pretty tame on the way back to Nancy’s.

“Why can’t Steve just share your bike, Nancy? We’d be home already!”

“It’s not safe, Mike.”

“Why not? We do it all the time! The Party shares bikes when we have a need.” He sounds so indignant about it that it’s hard not to laugh.

“It would overbalance.” Steve tells him. “I know I’ve lost weight, but I’m still a lot bigger than Nancy. You guys are pretty much all the same size still, so it works out alright.”

“Then Nancy and I can share and you can take my bike!”

“Your bike is too small for him.” Nancy looks like she’s about to smack Mike. “And I can’t balance on yours.”

“Ugh! Why are you both so boring? You won’t even try it!”

“Sorry that we don’t want anyone to end up with a busted arm because we tried to fit all of us on two bikes.” Steve says, dryly. It takes Mike a minute to pick up on it.

“You’re so fucking annoying, Steve.” Mike stomps his foot on the ground. “Why’d you want to come home with us, anyway?”

He misses Nancy, mostly. Sure, he sees her almost every day, but not the extent that he sees Jonathan. He wants to spend some time alone with her.

Even if that means dealing with her bratty little brother.

“Haven’t annoyed you enough recently, shithead. Had to get my fill in.”

“Shut up!”

That gets Nancy to break, finally, she’s giggling a little.

“You shut up too, Nancy! You’re both so annoying! And weird!”

“You know you could go ahead of us, Mike.” Nancy says, surprisingly straight-faced. “It’s not like you had to stick around, if we bug you that much.”

Mike just stomps his foot again.

He’s a little old for it, probably, but Steve’s not his parent and it’s funny to watch him get so worked up.

“Whatever. I’m going to go and turn Holly against you.” Mike really does go ahead of them, but since he’s ‘discreetly’ checking that he’s still in their sightlines every few minutes, it doesn’t matter much.

“He’s a riot.” Steve says. “A bratty one, sure. I don’t remember it being this easy to rile him up though.”

“Oh, that’s not even half of it.” Nancy says. “Even Dad’s said something about his behavior lately.”

“Shit, really?”

“Yeah. He won’t talk to me about anything, though, so I don’t know what’s bothering him.”

“You could just barge into his room and demand he talks, the way he does to you.”

“That’d be funny, but I don’t think it would work.” As expected, despite whatever Mike’s been telling her for the three minutes he’s had alone with her, Holly rushes Steve when she sees him.

He doesn’t actually know why she likes him so much.

“Mom left when I got home.” Mike says, as Holly pulls Steve over to the couch. “Shopping or something.

“Mine.” Holly ‘shoves’ him down and climbs into his lap.

“You can’t have Steve, Holly.” Nancy laughs. “He’s not one of your dolls.”

“Yes.”

“Holly, no! We just talked about this!” Mike doesn’t go so far as to grab Holly and pull her off of his lap, but he looks like he wants to.

“No.”

“Holly, would you get up if I made you cookies?” He has homework that he should probably do instead, but it’s not like he’s going to get it done if Holly is sitting on him—at least this way he has a distraction.

“Yes. Cookies, please..”

“Okay, then let’s make cookies.”

“How come you’ll make cookies for Holly but not for me?” Mike glares at him.

“Well, Mike, Holly said ‘please’, for one. And you haven’t even asked me, you sent Will to do it for you.”

“Whatever. I’ll just go do my homework then.”

“You can help if you want. You’ll probably be better at it than Nancy.”

“Steve, don’t you dare bring that up.” She takes Holly from him—he probably shouldn’t be carrying her around, as much as she likes it—and sets her in her chair.

“What, with her salty cookies? Mom was so mad.”

Mike drops the attitude while they’re baking, at least. He really is much better at than Nancy is, though he sneaks the most dough.

“Get your homework, Mike, you can do it while they’re baking. If you finish all your homework this week, Mom might let you have a sleepover.”

“You’re bribing him for your mom now?”

“It keeps him busy.” Nancy kisses him; it’s not like Holly’s paying any attention to them, anyway, too distracted by the flour they probably shouldn’t be letting her play in. “We should do our homework, too.”

“Yeah, probably.” He’s still got a lot; none of his other teachers have offered him tests or anything to see what he knows. It’d be nice if they did, maybe then he’d be able to get out of some of his work.

“How long is your mom going to be out, do you think?”

“No idea.” 

“Hey, where’s your homework?” Mike’s back to glaring at them, but hey, the good mood couldn’t last forever. Given how he tends to act around Steve, he’s surprised it lasted this long.

“We’re getting to it, buddy.” Steve says, just to annoy him a little more.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Sure, dude.”

“This is why I don’t like you.”

“No it’s not.” They don’t keep it up for long. Honestly, having grown up with Nancy and Mike as siblings, Steve thinks that Holly’s teenage years are going to be incredibly fun for him to witness.

Hopefully Jonathan and Nancy won’t get tired of him before then.

<- 29 31 ->

[kestrellady]

Book Riot's 2024 Read Harder Challenge

Ongoing 17/24 Challenge Link

6th year with this "get out of your comfort zone" reading challenge. Full list under the cut.

1. Read a cozy fantasy book. The House Witch by Delemhach This is a sweet, cozy read about a young witch finding his place and coming into his power. I can tell this comes out of the fanfic community, but it's really a plus for this book. This is the first of a series, which just has volume numbers.

2. Read a YA book by a trans author. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas I loved Cemetery Boys so of course I had to pick this one up for this challenge. This is a lush fantasy with a dark side and a sarcastic lovable protagonist. I loved the modern Aztec/Maya inspired setting and I'm excited to pick up the next one!

3. Read a middle grade horror novel.

4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author. The Ocean of Churn by Sanjeev Sanyal This was an incredibly readable history of the Indian Ocean trade and its place in world history. I sometimes got a little confused with the names of people and places, but the author was great about pulling out the main points.

5. Read a sci-fi novella. The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older It's so refreshing to read a take on Holmes and Watson that actually gets the dynamic right! I had a bit of a tone mismatch because I initially expected a space western (and there's a bit of that) rather than a Holmsian mystery.

6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character. Dear Mothman by Robin Gow This is a really sweet and soft book about dealing with grief, and friendship, and identity, all told in verse.

7. Read an indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC or queer author. You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by Ada Limón This is actually a collection of poetry with each poem written by a different author, but almost all of them qualify for this prompt, so I think it works. The poems were all very different and there were at least a couple of them that really spoke to me, though I wish the author bios had included more than just where they went to school and the awards they'd won.

8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura This is a bit difficult, but ultimately kind and hopeful read about friendship and the effects of bullying. It reads more middle-grade than I had expected, but I can't tell if that's just the translation or not.

9. Read a book recommended by a librarian. Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky Recommended to me by the lovely @/elodieunderglass! This was, hoo boy. It was something. It's a horror novel! All of the signs were there for the twist! I was still surprised and horrified!

10. Read a historical fiction book by an Indigenous author.

11. Read a picture book published in the last five years.

12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author. Fourth Wing by Rebeca Yarros This was another one of those booktok books that I was a little hesitant to get into, but certainly sounded like it was made for me and hoo boy was it. The main protagonist has major weakness in her joints and bones, which was really well woven into the plot.

13. Read a comic that has been banned. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman I have a really hard time with Holocaust literature, but this is one of the most accessible books I've read. Not necessarily because it's a comic, but because it's framed and paced so well that you can really feel for the people, but still get a chance to breathe and recover.

14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event.

15. Read a YA nonfiction book. Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña I've been fascinated by Graciela Iturbide since I listened to a Duolingo Spanish podcast episode about her photographing Frida Kahlo's newly discovered bathroom. This was a very poetic, graphic novel overview of her life. It was told in first person and I wish it was a little more clear what was a quote and what wasn't.

16. Read a book based solely on the title. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming This was a fun, raunchy, read with an interesting world and a very pragmatic heroine.

17. Read a book about media literacy.

18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry.

19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters. Viscount in Love by Eloisa James The heroine in this historical romance is dyslexic and deals with a lot of prejudice and self-doubt because of it. I love Eloisa's romances because the people act like real people.

20. Read a book about books (fiction or nonfiction). The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix This is a sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London and takes place just a few months after that book. I love the way it delves into English folklore and the ways the characters grapple with being not quite human.

21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023. The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg This book had some really amazing worldbuilding that suffered a bit because the focus was so thoroughly on the narrator. I felt like most of the rest of the characters weren't really fleshed out, including the love interest. This was good, but I really expected to like it more than I did.

22. Read a manga or manhwa. In/Spectre Vol. 18 by Chashiba Katase This series is weird and I love it. It's largely mysteries where the protagonist already knows what happened and has to convince other people that it didn't happen the way it actually did. This volume wraps up a longer storyline and I loved the twists and turns and return of a side character.

23. Read a “howdunit” or “whydunit” mystery. Miraculous Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards I really enjoyed this collection of locked room murders and impossible crimes. Some of the stories definitely show their age, so be prepared for some casual racism and misogyny, but most of the stories were interesting and several were very surprising!

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!