#the only reason it works for 14 year olds is bc soon they will be 15

[ssaalexblake]

my dilemma is idk if i should get my brother in law a birthday gift or not. On one hand, i do not have the mental wellbeing to deal with them getting bitchy if i don’t, but on the other hand, I don’t want them thinking me buying him one is a sign of peace or whatever, i think him and my sister can, to be Very mild to what i’m feeling, can take a long walk off the shortest pier around here (we have a lot of piers). If not that, I have a plan with a cactus. My ideals do not include spending my money on him. 

and i’m the only person in the family they’ve not Yet personally attacked, just peripherally. But i’d really rather Not have them make me anxious to carry my phone around bc of what bs they might send me at any hour of the day, you know? 

but also i’d rather they not get me a gift for My birthday bc they so very maturely ruined my last one in the process of delivering my gift and acting like 4 year olds and i figure a good way to achieve that is to not buy them gifts sooooo yeah

why can’t they just act like normal functioning people???? Jumping to the worst conclusions and then digging your feet is bc u can’t stand to be wrong to the point you burn all bridges in your life is not a good ideaaaaaa

[lvrsparadise]

'IVY' - M.S

synopsis - "i thought that i was dreaming when you said you love me"

warnings! - kissing (makeout), profanity, shitty ending bc i didn't know how to end it lmao, i think that's it!

A/N - so, tomorrow is my grandparent's memorial and i have to sit in a car for four hours. i love this, other than most of the ending, was kinda stumped w that one. pink + white is planned but i don't know how to put what i want into words, so if anyone wants to know the plot and help, please dm!! love y'all!

!3rd person! 

-5 years ago-

Matt smiled as he flung the stick into the water, looking to his best friend who stood next to him afterwards.

“How was that one?” The pair was maybe 14 or 15, not quite old enough to be out by themselves, but yet here they were, out at 2 in the morning.

“That one was a little bit better. I think the problem is that you’re throwing a stick.” She laughed and bent down to grab a rock before flinging it into the water, the rock going impressively far.

“Oh. Yeah that might be it.” He chuckles at his own dumb actions but shuts up as he watches her throw the rock in awe.

“That was a really good throw.”

“Thanks.” They turned to each other with huge smiles on their faces for a few seconds before bursting out laughing for no reason, just for the laughs.

After calming down from their laughing fit, the pair lays in the grass next to each other, looking at the stars.

“Are you going to get married one day?” It was such a wide and complex question for a 15 year old, but Matt couldn’t help but ponder at the question as he turned his head to the girl lying next to him.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe I’ll marry you one day.” Those were serious words for Matt, but to help the mood, he laughs at it and soon the girl joins him.

“Maybe. Who knows what the future holds.”

----

-Present day-

!Reader’s POV!

I let out a breath and watched as the air left my mouth in the cold air.

I check my phone again.

Maybe he forgot?

I sigh. There’s no way Matt would’ve forgotten to come pick me up, he must be busy then.

I shoot off another text, this time to Chris.

Me: are you guys busy rn? Chris: yeah, we’re stuck in a meeting, and everyone’s phone is dead but mine 🤦🏻‍♂️ Me: oh, okay. Just let me know when you’re out. 

I drop my arm back to my side before looking around, again.

This is not how I planned to spend my afternoon. Waiting for a guy to come pick me up while I wait in the cold.

I mean, I get it. He’s a busy man, but that doesn’t stop a girl from hoping.

And what sucks, is there’s no benches around for miles. And there’s frost everywhere, and it’s cold.

---

!Matt POV!

This sucks. I should be on my way to pick her up. Not stuck in some useless surprise meeting.

I thought about going to the bathroom and just leaving, but then how would Chris and Nick get home?

I sigh and look at the clock, 5:53.

Only 7 more minutes.

Chris’s phone goes off, because he always has to have his ringer on.

“Sorry.” He mumbles as he picks it up and turns off his ringer, but he’s texting someone, that much I can tell.

Chris looks up at me from across the table. Seeming to have known what I was thinking, he mouths her name and it clicks.

I nod and turn my attention back to Laura as she’s wrapping up the meeting, cleaning up, all that fun stuff.

---

!Reader POV!

My phone buzzes in my hand and I’m quick to check it.

Chris: we’ll be out of here by 6, we’ll scoop you up on the way back to ours. Me: that works with me :)

I cross my arms over my chest, this sweatshirt was doing nothing for the cold biting at my skin.

Now, I wait.

--

After about 10-ish more minutes of waiting, I hear the music before I hear the car. 

I roll my eyes and chuckle to myself at Chris’s choice of song before I see the car pull up in front of me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come get you sooner, we got stuck in a surprise meeting.” Matt apologizes when he rolls down the window.

I just shrug and walk towards the car, going to the passenger side and getting in the backseat.

“It’s fine. I understand.” I smile at Matt through the rearview mirror as Chris turns the music back up and I hear Nick groan.

--

I sigh gratefully when I step inside the boys’ home, the familiar scent and warmth feeling like home.

We all walk into the living room and Nick splits to his room to edit and to shower while Chris goes to his room and Matt walks into the kitchen. I move to sit in my normal spot on the couch, covering myself in one of the blankets next to me.

“Better?” I look up to Matt and take the water bottle from his hands.

“Warmer.”

“Good.” He smiles and sits down next to me, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on, finding something to watch.

I rest my head on his shoulder as he puts on The Sandlot.

--

I faintly hear mumbling, and feel my body shaking softly.

“Hey, hey, wake up.” I lift my head and open my eyes, blinking them a few times before I can see again.

“Huh?” I must’ve fallen asleep, because what?

As if he could read my thoughts, Matt chuckles.

“Yes. You fell asleep.”

“Oh.” I rub my eyes and flip the blanket off of me, my body being warm from the mini, or not so mini, nap.

I hear Matt chuckle.

I re-open my eyes and look at Matt.

“You hungry?” As if on cue, my stomach growls quietly.

“Well now that you mention it.” I chuckle as he stands up from the couch and extends his hands to me. I take them and stand up, stretching as he goes and grabs the car keys.

I slip my shoes back on and we walk to the garage and get in the car.

--

After a bit of driving around, we found a lake like the one we had back home in Boston.

We get our food and we go sit at the picnic table near the water.

“We haven’t really had a lot of time together lately.”

I swallow the bite I was chewing and nod.

“Yeah, but it’s understandable, you know? You guys just got back from tour, a lot of tiredness, jet-lag, catching up on work.” I shrug.

“I know, but I feel like we just aren’t hanging out as much as we used to. And it feels weird.” I furrow my brows and take a sip of my drink.

“What d’you mean?”

“Well… I don’t know. It just feels off not having you around as much.” Then, something in my brain goes off that makes what he’s saying make sense.

“Are you trying to say you miss me?” I chuckle, even though this is a pretty serious thing.

“Well… I-” He sighs and thinks about it.

“I mean, I guess so. Although, I’m not sure how I miss someone who I see practically all the time.” We both laugh at that.

We go silent and just enjoy both our food and each other’s company. 

I will admit, I haven’t really been around, but they did just get back from tour, a tour I couldn’t go on because of college.

“Well, I guess I have been a bit caught up in school work lately.”

“Yeah but that’s not your fault.”

We fall into silence as we finish our food. 

I get up from the picnic table and sit in the grass, pretty close to the water with my knees up. 

I feel his arm around my shoulders as he sits next to me, pulling me closer to him.

“You remember that one time at the lake in Boston when we were dancing and you pushed me in?” I chuckle at the vivid memory of Matt pushing me into the cold water. I did drag him in with me though so I got my vengeance.

“Yeah I do. You made us both sick for like a week.” I rest my head on his shoulder and I feel his head on top of mine.

I wince at the memory of his mom scolding us as she drove our shivering bodies to the hospital.

It’s moments like these that make life happy.

Just sitting in each other’s arms in the cold air.

“I never got to ask, how was tour?” 

“It was good. I may not have won, but I had fun. That’s all that really matters to me.” 

God, this man makes me fall in love with him more and more. 

“That’s all that should matter. Winner or not, at the end of the day it all matters if you had fun. I’m glad you had fun, and I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you guys.”

“That’s understandable though. You had school, I understand that.” He kisses my head, and I can feel the smile on his lips.

“I love you Matt..” It slips out without warning, but I don’t try to correct myself or take it back. Not when I mean it.

---

!Matt’s POV!

My mind blanks when she speaks. I never thought this would happen.

Am I dreaming?

No, I’m not.

“I-” I can’t seem to form words. The words I’ve wanted to hear from her for so damn long finally here, and I don’t know what to say or do.

I love her too. So, so damn much. But my mind can’t make the words to say it.

“I'm sorry. Just pretend I didn't say that.” She shakes her head and pulls away from me as she starts to stand up.

I shake my head and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back down to the ground.

“No. No, don't be. I love you. So much more than you can imagine. I just didn’t know what to say, or how to say it. I froze up.”

---

!Readers POV!

“What?”

“I love you. So fucking much. Ever since we were kids.”

My heart flutters. 

I have no other thoughts than him. Everything about him I’ve loved flashing in my mind all at once.

His smile. His hair. His tattoos. His style. His personality. Just, him.

I wrap my hands around his neck, pulling him to me as I plant my lips on his.

I feel his arms tighten around my waist as he deepens the kiss.

The air no longer feels cold, but warm. 

Warm and filled with love.

He pulls back and rests his forehead against mine, smiling.

“I love you.”

Tags ! ♡

@dwntwn-strnlo @ssturniolo @strniolo @20nugs @prettysturniolo @mxqdii @thetriplets3 @slaysturniolo @gwenlore @opheliaofficial07 @gabbylovesreading @luvsturniolo @itsaaliyah2 @strniolosworld

If you want to be added to the list, all you have to do is ask ! ♡

I love you all !

And I hope you all have a good day and / or night ♡

[inchidentally]

I'm sorry to bombard you like this, but you're like a therapist. So I want this winter break to end as soon as possible. Because seeing how many fans of different drivers enjoy fresh content, Oscar fans suffer a little. I mean, I should be used to it because I've been a Sebastian fan for the last 16 years and it's not news to me that someone disappears during the winter break. But it's different with Oscar and I feel a little sad about it. Well. I'm almost 27 years old and I miss a guy who doesn't know me. Can you write me something comforting? Thank you in advance! <3

don't apologize anon!! but let me just say I'm not remotely qualified as a therapist and could probably do with a second one for myself but I will absolutely try to offer comfort <3<3

ohhhh dude as someone who is only just now learning abt Seb in a fandom way I know you've already had it tough bc not only is that man charismatic and hilarious and beautiful he's also SO private. Oscar at least is so lowkey even in media engagement that it's not a huge surprise when he doesn't show up otherwise. but there's a reason I tag Seb "sun king". dude shines brighter than the screens behind a podium when he shows up. I don't know if I believe the rumors of him returning to F1 at all but I do think he's going to get back into a more public facing position at some point (and likely get back into racing in some capacity).

I think w Oscar what's been getting me is how excavation is the best way to get to know him and acquire content rather than relying on regular updates. I wish we had those too or at least the content from fans recognizing him - and maybe that will happen more w time. but I'm much more a feelings person than a fan person and Oscar's just really worked his pale little hands into my heart ??

I always felt like the intensity in his eyes when he looks at certain friends just had to have something behind it than that being his resting face. bc his resting face is basically 'please let me sleep sitting up' asgfaslglfsa. but the way he looks at Logan and Lando is so similar and the more I learn about loscar lore the more I realize I'm not just seeing things with him and Lando. it's not at all the same relationship but it's coming from the same place for Oscar in terms of his qualities as a person.

bc pre-F1 Oscar was wayyyy more open and expressive about his competitiveness and his celebrations etc - just overall way more open in general. so the amount that he kept checking in on Logan and making sure he was included over all the years they've been boys and young men from karting to F1… idk man that's extremely special and unusual coming from a privileged kid in a male dominated environment where the one goal is for the individual to win. sure, plenty of guys form strong friendships in those years and a lot of them had to leave home young to pursue racing beyond the karting level.

but for Oscar to not only have lived alone in the UK from age 14 and be in that environment and to be as motivated and hungry as he was it just says so much that he's still close with all the guys from his boarding school (where he had an attendance of under 40% !!) and that he's kept Logan close this whole time. esp after reading the Player's Tribune article about him we know that Logan's got a soft heart and that he's a "worrier" and just how hard it hit when his own family left him to return to the US. he often felt like an outsider and like, Oscar being the same age and being even further from his own family but some part of him still said to latch onto this American kid in particular. they were literally directly competing but Logan's even confirmed how it never affected their friendship. including Oscar interrupting a major victory for himself bc it was marked by Logan crashing out early and rushing to console Logan in person !! that's so unbelievably tender ?? winning these series' is the one thing in the world these boys want when they compete - but Oscar's thinking about his friend right when he wins ;__; kinda makes you think about how Oscar didn't spend one second celebrating as much as he rightly could have over that sprint win and consciously avoided bringing it up so often that Lando does it for him ;__;

and when the rest of the F1 grid is name dropping the right guys for fans to go crazy when it comes to quiz questions etc, Oscar goes right to Logan and Zhou bc he's actually known them the longest. and whenever there's the drivers parade or anything that brings the teams together, he's seeking those two out. when you consider the huge divide that formed when Oscar got the McLaren updates and especially after the sprint win he technically was in the company of all those guys at the front of the grid socially. he started getting those coveted fist bumps! but if he could spot Logan or Zhou he'd move or change his seat just to be with them.

and lol we know now that Oscar's been a major Lando fanboy since he moved to the UK so he'll also have seen how small and young Lando was for what he was achieving. he'll also have seen when Lando started opening up about his mental health struggles. and considering how much we've seen that Oscar leans liberal and socially sympathetic is in his likes and reposted content etc (esp him showing such a major social conscience during covid about people needing to protect the vulnerable) we know it isn't a leap to assume he understands/appreciates Lando standing for social progress within F1.

add to that Oscar having liked content that was to do with team atmospheres and cultures and Oscar himself being approached by McLaren when Lando started running circles around Daniel and all that drama was going on, of which Oscar was made painfully aware. oh and add that Oscar also liked carlando stuff back when Carlos was with McLaren… Oscar had so much knowledge about what to expect as Lando's teammate… and yet!

Oscar very specifically has never tried to create a 'bromance' with Lando when it would've been so easy! the Lando effect was right there! and we know from the Prema content that Oscar could've been how he was with Robert and Arthur and a landoscar bromance at least close to carlando and dando could've been born! it would've made Oscar's life so much easier in terms of being accepted by McLaren fans to yuk it up and be the cheesy jokes/exasperated guy from twitter (that everyone already knew him to be) to Lando's well-known hyperactive youtuber personality!

and we know he wasn't suddenly quiet and reserved out of nerves because Prema's social media popularity had fully prepared him for going viral and he'd done a ton of F1 track media stuff during his reserve driver year!

and the staring at Lando thing officially stopped being a fluke or something he did out of nerves as well because welp, it just get happening! Oscar shadows Lando and Oscar stands back slightly to let Lando have more of the spotlight and Oscar has endless patience with Lando and says "no I'll keep you happy!" when Lando tells him what to do!

Oscar is smart! Oscar is very aware of what the people he cares about are feeling! Oscar takes note of their personalities and accepts them for who they are! Oscar pays attention to what is going on around him in an intelligent and sympathetic way! Oscar doesn't default to posting the people he's closest to! Oscar views certain things as - if not 'sacred' - at least deeply important and not something to joke or be flippant about! his friendships supercede even his passion for winning!

Logan feels deeply and doesn't mind people knowing it! Lando feels deeply and doesn't mind people knowing it!

Oscar watches Logan and Lando closely with those focused brown eyes and Oscar is drawn to the people in his life who feel most vulnerable and Oscar interrupts his own victories to consider Logan and Lando !!!!!!!!

anon I assumed you wouldn't mind but all of this is to say that while we may never get Oscar appearing as frequently on social media as the other drivers - especially in winter - Oscar is someone we should use our down time looking more deeply into as a person because still waters running deep etc. what content we do have about him is so worth savoring I think.

because I for one definitely have taken too much about him for granted thinking he was Just a Guy and I was very very wrong about that.

I hope that helped a little??

[chilipepperconverse]

Ao3 Author tag game!

tagged by my bestie @plushie-sentai <3

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

19!

2. What is your Ao3 word count?

74,854 holy shit. i hadn't checked it in awhile lmao

3. What fandoms do you write for?

oh all kinds of shit, but rn i'm up to my eyeballs in tokusatsu. i tend to jump from fandom to fandom depending on my current hyperfixations HSKDJGS

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

in the fall we sleep all day (the magnus archives, jonmartin)

the end was soon (the magnus archives, jonmartin)

feeling so alive, feeling something (my hero academia, tododeku)

we both need it to forget this fear (the magnus archives, jonmartin)

if that's what it takes (my hero academia, tododeku)

all of these are like. at least 4 years old LMAO

5. Do you respond to comments?

i always do!!

6. Which of your fics has the angstiest ending?

mmmm depends on your definition i think. if you include canon compliant events its def one of my danganronpa fics (a foreign still or light of the moon) but that feels boring to me SO i might say my most recent fic for kamen rider ex-aid (or just mine tonight) since it ends on kindof a sour note for the characters? im not sure tbh, as much as i love angst in a fic i tend to like happier or ambiguous endings.

7. Which of your fics has the happiest ending?

that's an easy one! my dimension 20: mentopolis fic (whale fall) was written before the finale and was my guess as to what would happen w one of the pairs of characters, and its very sweet and wholesome i think :3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

thankfully no!

9. Do you write smut? If so, which kind?

i do! i used to be terrified of it, but i think i've gotten better the more i write! i don't hold any bars on what kind of smut i'll write, either-- whatever the characters are workin with, i'll do it!! lmao

10. Do you write crossovers? If so, what's the craziest crossover you've written?

i used to! back when i wrote for achievement hunter i wrote an au where the fake AH crew were killjoys, like from gerard way's comics and the MCR album danger days :p i got uncomfy with RPF as i got older tho so those fics are all lost media now HSJGHJD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope! not that i'm aware of anyways lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope but if anyone wants to... pleading emoji

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

not unless roleplay counts... i used to rp a certain anime with friends mostly as a joke in high school but we did try and write story-format roleplay a few times

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

i don't much care for it or the property anymore bc i've got some bad experiences tied to it, but i think the ship i've gone the most batshit over is probably jonmartin from the magnus archives. right now tho? definitely best match from kamen rider build <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

my magnus archives dnd au (write an anthem worth repeating), for aforementioned reasons of not feeling good about the source material anymore :( a shame bc i thought my writing in that fic was nice

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think i'm pretty good at characterization! i get a lot of comments saying i give good insight into how characters feel which is lovely to hear, bc thats what i like most about writing fanfic!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

PACING... AND PLOTS IN GENERAL... why do you think i only write one-shots!! 😭

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i don't trust myself enough to do it right... i write a lot of fic for japanese media so the most i'll do is use the japanese word for something that can't be translated (names of foods for example)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

god probably warrior cats in like 3rd grade... on Ao3 tho it was achievement hunter, but those are gone like i said earlier </3

20. Favorite fic you've written?

is it cheating if i say my wip?? ;3

i'm gonna tag @meganechan05 bc i cant remember who else im moots with who writes fic but if you see this and wanna do it go ahead n say i tagged you!! :D

[agaypanic]

i just have a random question. why did you decide to stop writing for some of the series you wrote about in the past. like the ones mentioned in your discontinued fic list.

omg i love when yall ask me questions, i love to yap😋😋

tbh there’s 3 reasons for this (but i think the first 2 go hand in hand)

reason 1: i got older and felt a lil weird about writing for a certain character/series. this explains why i stopped writing for asoue and IT. i was probably 13 or 14 (i honestly have no idea specifically, but im sure i was in middle school/about to start high school) when i started writing for those characters, bc i liked them and i was around the age as them. but im 18 now, and although i could just clarify in requesting rules and fics that the characters would be aged up, i just decided to stop writing for them. eventually, this’ll happen for other series like mitm and mbav (unfortunately, where my writing is most popular💀💀). the only reason it hasn’t rn is bc with mitm, we see grown up (18+) versions of the characters (the ones i write for at least) (i know the losers club is grown up in chapter 2, but ill touch on that in reason 2) and with mbav, for the LONGEST time i thought that they were all upperclassmen like i was, so in my head and while writing, they are upperclassmen and like 17-18 years old.

reason 2: i just became less interested in the series. this kinda applies to all 3 of my discontinued masterlists, but again mainly asoue and IT. don’t get me wrong, i still love and appreciate them, but writing wise i just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

reason 3: people weren’t asking for it. this MAJORLY applies to tmr. i had gally on my writing list for probably 3 years (i took him/tmr off maybe a month or so ago idrk) and despite all the likes and stuff that it gets (i think it still gets some interaction every now and then), ive only had one person ask for a gally fic. and that was almost 2 years ago !! (i know that people not asking for something doesn’t mean that i shouldn’t write for it, but when a lot of my work is requested, it’s kinda like “what’s the point?”)

so yea, that’s why asoue, IT, and tmr are now discontinued masterlists. sorry to all my mitm and mbav lovers, but soon (idk how soon lol) i’ll stop writing for these two as well. in fact, one day (in the distant future dw) i’ll stop writing fanfiction completely. but if you like the way i write, i have a few story ideas that im either toying with or currently trying to write teehee

[ladytauria]

2, 3, 5, 6 (and will you read it in the upcoming year), 10 ,14, 18, 20, 24 y 25!

thank you for asking!!! i had to grab books from last year bc this year was a bad reading year for me, but the questions were/are fun!

2. Did you reread anything? What?

i reread the last unicorn yesterday!!! bc i was feeling nostalgic. i made. a BUNCH more highlights in my kindle. (altho i read my physical copy lol.) there's just... so much good stuff in there, aah.

(oh ik u sent me an ask about this, idk if you saw it--ik tumblr is goofy--but its here! also, minor clarification: it doesn't have a *sequel* but there's a pair of novellas, released as one book, that are set in the same world!)

3. What were your top five books of the year?

i. didn't read very much this year at all. (er, published books! i did read a ton of fanfic). the beginning of this year was exTREMELY stressful, and in the latter half, all the books i started just. failed to grab me :/

that said!! i met my reading goal last year, so i will just include those!!

One of the books I did read this year was The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz, a v cute novella about a mechanic & an android. It's set a few centuries in the future, where robotics have advanced significantly. Intelligent AI were banned a long time ago, but those few whose bodies have not eroded / code hasn't corrupted are allowed to remain. The android in the fic runs a Tea Shop, which she inherited from her long-deceased lover <3 (The book is also sappic! I would love to read more of Katz's work.

Also, like I said, I reread The Last Unicorn, which I think would be on a top 5 in general for me, if I were ever to attempt to narrow that down xD. The prose in this book is beautiful; there are so many lovely lines. And the themes in the book--the play of mortality vs immortality, the structure of fairy tales & how the ppl in this setting are v much bound by them--are present from the very beginning, which was a fun thing to pick up on during my reread xD

All Systems Red by Martha Wells! I read a lot of sci-fi last year for some reason? Anyway, I adored this. Murderbot is a fascinating pov character & I love the choices Wells makes with it. My only gripe is that I could not immediately go out and buy the rest of the series.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger!!! this was. so cute. It's YA, I think? Yes, okay, Storygraph confirms this. The writing is lovely, and I adore the main character and the story! One thing you see a lot of--or, actually, I guess I should say I see a lot of--in YA is like. The rebellion against authority figures? Parents are often antagonists, and I understand why this is, but it was very refreshing that in this book Elatsoe's parental/adult figures were so present & involved & like. There was this mutual respect between them that I adored. Also, she can talk to ghosts? And solves her cousin's murder by doing so! And she has a ghost dog. What's not to love?? (Oh, and she's ace, which I think I remember her mentioning explicitly! Also, the way Native culture is threaded through the book is just. Lovely.)

Am. Am I already at 5. How did. How did I get to 5 already 🥺 *kicks foot* Okay. I. Would not be me. If I didn't mention Nona the Ninth. The only reason I didn't rec the Locked Tomb series to you is bc you mentioned not wanting sci-fi, and while there are a lot of fantasy elements, it is. Very sci-fi. Anyway. I admit that I was not enthused about going into this book. Nona was originally going to be a novella, released between Harrow & Alecto, and when I heard it was getting full novel status I was. Kind of not happy. But oh my god. It was so good. The first half, or maybe even 2/3rds, of the book is very slice-of-life, with Nona going to school & planning her birthday party (despite being only 6mo old). You can tell there is more Plot happening, but Nona is v much oblivious and also being kept out of it. And then the last half/3rd is Plot-Plot-Plot. And my god. That ENDING. Alecto can't get here soon enough, I'm. I need it. I need it. OH. Okay, no, I was right when I said half bc this book is the first split POV, in that every other chapter / every couple chapters is narrated by Jod. (The God Emperor, John Gaius) while he tells his story. It was fascinating, I thought I would hate those chapters, but he is. Such a compelling antagonist, omg. Also there were more memes uwu. First book I ever annotated along with as I was reading, too!! I---

Stopping. Cutting myself off. Sorry; these books make me gush.

5. What genre did you read the most of?

Normally the answer to this is fantasy, but! I think Sci-Fi won out <3

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

Yes! Both last year and this year I meant to read some of my spooky-ish books for October and did not. Specifically! I meant to read:

Carmilla & Laura by S.D. Simper -> I have so many of Simper's books on my kindle, but this one is a standalone, which I've been prioritizing so I don't go buy more books w/o reading the ones I have. This is a re-telling, which I was going to read with / around the copy of the original that I have.

Plain Bad Heroines - Emily M. Danforth -> I believe this is told in a dual timeline? After three people are killed at a girls' boarding school, it closes its doors. Over a century later, a bestselling book is written about the girls and inspires a horror-film adaptation, filmed on-site. And I'm just going to use the last line of the goodreads blurb, bc it makes me want to read it now: But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled—or perhaps just grimly exploited—and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham -> One of the books I did start. I'm 9% in. It's a YA novel, also set at a boarding school. A group of girls accidentally summon an eldritch horror who promises to grant their every desire... for a price, which becomes steeper and steeper as time goes on.

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl -> Also YA! I got this one recently. A vampire turned by her boyfriend ends up falling for his latest victim, while plotting with his other exes to kill him.

There are a lot more I'm carrying into next year, but I am most disappointed in not getting to those!

Oh, and the Priory of the Orange Tree. (I'm. 20% through. This one is a Beast!!)

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

I don't buy a lot of new releases for cost reasons---these days most of my books are purchased through ThriftBooks or eBook sales (I am subbed to a few sites which notify you of deals; my favorite of which is BookBub). However! I had Nona pre-ordered <3 So. Nona.

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

any of them.

going into the new year with only 2 books read last/this year makes me very sad 🥺

18. How many books did you buy?

i plead the fifth

also i have no clue

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

gotta go with Nona. i was a weird mix of both unenthused (bc this was supposed to be kind of a side novella) and enthused (bc i love this series and i wish i could do what Tamsyn Muir does) but it not only met but surpassed my expectations. Nona was... Nona's identity was a core mystery of the book; she was, more or less, a brand new character who never showed up in the previous two books, so i was. skeptical of going in, let alone to her pov.

but.

it was so good.

i. already gushed about it. i'm not. i'm not going to do it again.

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

think i might be DNFing The Bookshop & the Barbarian. love the premise but i've noticed. a few issues in the text.

one i have def for sure DNF'd is Alma Katsu's The Deep. her books are horror + historical fiction. i finished The Hunger (which follows the Donner Party) but it was. very much a slog. i didn't like most of the characters, the horror was there but the reveal was lackluster to me. it got 3 stars tho bc it was very much a "this book isn't bad, just not for me" type of read? (there was an aspect i did like / even found kind of funny, but i--- hm. ig if you go in not knowing like, the names of the party members it would be a spoiler to say it, but otherwise i guess its... not a spoiler? idk??? i dunno, there was a subversion that i loved, but also i'm not super familiar with the specificities of the Donner Party so it may not have even been a subversion, if her telling was that accurate? i realize this is vague. apologies.)

The Deep is supposed to be abt the Titanic which. i love the Titanic, and i love ocean horror (it's a close second to arctic horror for me, and one day i want to find a book that scratches the same itch as The White Vault podcast does). but i realized early on that it wasn't a match for me, and i wish i had DNF'd The Hunger as well.

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

my reading goals are the same every year---26 books. that's a book every other week! originally i used to set it to 52 but i've had too many bad reading years.

my secondary reading goal is to cut my TBR (of books i own) in half. i don't. i don't want to admit how many that is bc. just looking at the number on my kindle makes me feel bad.

[saveugoodmadam]

Because Matthew's actual backstory for Crutchie has been brought to light in this post by the wonderful @thegroundsofbrooklyn, i wanted to put the one I've been writing him with out there because it's interesting for me to look at the similarities and differences. (If you see me writing something about the official backstory soon don't be surprised)

It's under the cut bc it's a bit long ↓

Sean Hanlon never knew his father as a man, but rather as a ghost. He haunted the little house he shared with his mother all through his childhood, in lots of little ways. In the way that his mama flinched at loud noises. In the way the old beer stains on his bedroom wall never quite washed out. In the way he didn't look like his mama or her pa, so he had to look like his father.

On her deathbed, at the age of 24, his mama told him many things. She told him about how she came to New York when she was 14 with her ma and pa. She told him she loved him every day of his life, from when he was a tiny, red-faced baby that cried whenever he needed anything to now, a 6 year old boy who was crying for a very different reason. She told him to be careful with his heart, and treat everyone he met with the kindness he wished them to afford him. She sang a lullaby in broken Gaelic and then there was only silence and the sound of Sean's wailing.

For a few weeks, it was him alone in an empty house. None of his mama's friends were wealthy enough to take him in, and he wasn't so sure if he wanted to go out and find his father, so in the end he gathered up what little food the house had left, scooped up the rosary beads his mama's family had held for generations and went out to find work as a paperboy or a shoe-shiner or whatever else caught his eye.

A year later, he got the name Crutchie. A year after that, he rode out of the Refuge with a kid called Jack Kelly and the rest, as they say, is history.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

The most misspelled word in English is separate.

The average speed of ejaculation is 28 miles per hour.

The favourite food of Adélie penguins is Jellyfish genitals.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of sperm.

Around 20% of AirPod owners wear them while having sex.

Tom Cruise divorced all 3 of his wives when they were aged 33.

Mariah Carey employs a man to walk backwards in front of her.

Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.

In the UK you can join the army at 16 but have to be 18 to play Call Of Duty.

Human pollution has caused the average length of polar bear penises to shrink.

One in five doner kebabs in the UK poses a “significant” threat to public health.

You aren’t allowed to warm your balls during a round of golf but you can before you start.

The average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old laughs four times a day.

In the late 1980s, officials in India released 25,000 turtles into the Ganges to eat dead bodies.

There are as many Russian agents in London today as there were at the height of the cold war.

Research by MIT suggests that humans can only cope with a maximum of five close friends.

The city of Regina in Canada was forced to apologise after adopting the slogan, “Show us your Regina”.

Collectively, humans have watched Adam Sandler movies on Netflix for longer than civilisation has existed.

Swearing on the Bible is theologically problematic as the New Testament forbids the taking of oaths.

In 2017, six Chinese officials were punished for falling asleep in a meeting about how to motivate lazy bureaucrats.

According to the Vatican, you can reduce the time you spend in purgatory by following the Pope on Twitter.

The average office employee who works an eight-hour day is productive for just two hours and 23 minutes, according to a UK study.

Studies have found patients spend fewer days recovering in hospital if they have a window looking out into natural scenes.

Private jets fly higher than commercial ones, partly so they can avoid bad weather and give their passengers a smoother ride.

King Zhou of Shang (1075-1046 BC) built a wine lake in China and made naked men and women chase each other round in it.

45% of Americans admit to having worn the same pair of underwear for two or more days in a row, with men more likely to do so.

Karl Marx is a very famous historical figure, however hardly ever mentioned is his wife, Onya, who invented the starting pistol.

In a UK poll of things that people most associate with Easter, Jesus came in fourth place after chocolate eggs, bank holidays and hot cross buns.

Last year in Ireland, a woman was hospitalised with ‘extreme stomach pain’ caused by years of holding in farts around her boyfriend.

Key In Lock Syndrome is the name for the phenomenon when you start needing a pee as soon as you get home and put your key in the front door.

Until 1961, the New York Times had a full stop in its logo. It was dropped partly because they realised that removing it would save $600 a year in ink.

The founder of IKEA reused teabags and was known to steal salt and pepper packets from restaurants. He was worth approx. £50 billion at the time of death in 2018.

Researchers from Essex and Berlin’s Humboldt Universities have discovered that drugs and alcohol do not make you more creative, they just make you think you are.

Gibraltar was besieged 14 times between 1309 and 1779. As a result, “toasting the siege of Gibraltar” is an old naval expression for having a drink without reason, as there’s a decent chance it’s an anniversary.

To reduce cleaning costs, Amsterdam Airport printed pictures of flies inside urinals, thinking men would aim at the flies while using the bathroom, reducing the amount of urine landing outside the urinals. Their plan worked.

The British Airforce invented the myth that eating carrots can help you see in the dark during WWII. They were trying to explain how British air raids were so successful without telling the Germans about the existence of radar.

DMX avoided a maximum jail sentence for tax fraud when his lawyer played his song ‘Slippin'’ for the judge to demonstrate X's struggles and how bad his upbringing was. The judge considered it and gave a one-year sentence instead of max five years.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has, since 2019, earned nearly $60M under her deal with Amazon Studios, despite not producing any content for the platform. The plan was for Phoebe Waller-Bridge to collaborate with Donald Glover on a ‘Mr And Mrs Smith’ series, based on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's 2005 film but, within a few months, she departed. Amazon recently renewed her three-year deal, at $20 million a year.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[homingpigecns]

.

until last year i stayed friends with a grand total of One (1) friend i knew in high school and now. i have finally stopped talking to that friend. it is sooooo so nice to romanticize longevity and history and wow they have always been there but there's a point where it's like.

it is so embarrassing so i haven't talked about it because it's really like, fully pathetic, but i saw them the first time recently bc i hadn't seen any rl friends bc i had a years long slump where i just kind of took up space at home and i was embarrassed about it but i got my life together again last summer and i was like okay, i can respond to the question "how are you doing?" without breaking down into tears, and my friend did express interest in seeing me again and i really wanted to see them. so i saw them a while ago and i had fun and i was so happy and i was so grateful to still have this connection after all these years, after all the ways i've been and my colorful history, and i just. their birthday was about a month later and really extremely uncharacteristically of me i remembered, and i ordered them a weird little personal birthday tchotchke off etsy and got them a michaels gift card and hit them up like. happy birthday we should hang out soon on the day of and it was all very nice. i didn't expect something soon nor did i care too much. but a couple months ago when twitter was gonna implode i followed them on insta (even though i deleted my personal insta because i know personal instas only teach me things about people i don't want to know) and as a consequence of that i learned that my friend was not able to see me because i was not invited to their birthday thing. which was with a friend of theirs i kind of know and an old close friend from high school i lost touch with but asked about and sjdfhsdf. literally expressed interest in the time i just saw them.

DO YOU KNOW HOW PATHETIC THAT IS........JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT IT..........LIKE I AM A KICKED PUPPY. I AM 24.....I HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE............I AM A UNION MEMBER........AND I GOT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT MY FRIENDS BIRTHDAY AND I WASN'T INVITED TO THE PARTY...........

and you know there are probably actual reasons. i burned bridges with people in high school that they liked more than me, and i am too mature to care about who likes more than whoever now, and it is too insane to hold things from high school against them now that i am 24 and have regular cardiologist appointments. but it is also like. how many times do i have to die. i have grown past so many things the last three years that i thought i could never overcome and i can't, i don't want to, grow into someone who is mature enough to hold someone who's been important to me since i was 14 at arms length so it doesn't hurt when they inevitably drop me. currently, i commute an hour in the wrong direction so i can be on the same train as a work friend and i am aware the energy is insane but it is my energy and giving it and getting good things from it is like. this is better for my personal development than whichever way the other direction goes.

and it's like i don't even blame my friend from high school for how they feel about me because i was insane in a bad way in high school and i've done enough it's like. whatever. but it's like, also, when it's like, yeah this was half of the two people who permanently messed you up to the point people still are like "hey i didn't see you there. come over and say hi next time" when i avoid them because they're talking to someone else, who watched your friend group make a group chat and hang out together with everyone except you and didn't say anything and you were grateful they still threw you the bone to hang out one on one and it's like. i'm not. i don't really hold it against them, it was years ago, i don't think about those people anymore and yes i am still weird in many ways but for other reasons as well, but there is like. a very huge lack of pattern recognition and failure to learn and it is absolutely. my fault. when you put it like oh the person who killed me a thousand times throughout high school and college still has the power to kill me now and sometimes will? VERY OBVIOUSLY I AM THE PROBLEM.......i can't play high school anymore i have to play Being At Work and Surviving Capitalism Despite Everything, Did You Know I Am 24

anyway i decided to just quietly softblock my friend on everything, unfriend on discord, remove myself from the situation when there wasn't really an inciting event so i could just kind of fade out. but i did just find out that my friend did notice, and blocked me on twitter without saying a word -- which you know, is fine and understandable, because i did do all of that first. but what a metaphor you know. that is what the years of friendship are, and that they have stacked up this much to still hurt me is my fault. but hopefully for the last time.

[emeraldbabygirl]

this highlight stuff better be a fucking phase bc why am i crying over and lowkey highkey babying this grown ass man whos almost 14 years older than me

also my college ends wednesday so there's that :D

but damn im still worried about to1, last time they disappeared it was for a reason (idol's passing) but now they're just gone. and kyungho hasnt posted on bubble in 4 days. he rarely goes ONE day w/o posting on bubble

also i heard blackpink in the store today lol

Why do you want it to be a phase? Highlight is so good and I highly recommend checking out their music when they were going by B2ST. Shock is so good and Beautiful Night is such a summer night party banger, that song never gets old and it’s so damn good. Good Luck and Yey and Adrenaline are also really good too I recommend those songs as well. Also 12:30 and Ribbon and Butterfly are slow jams. They came out with Ribbon and Butterfly before they changed they name and left cube so it’s got such a nostalgic and significant feeling to me personally. Also cause of the time it was released and when I listened to it just reminds me of a summer night. ALSO CALLING YOU AND PLEASE DONT BE SAD ARE SO GOOD. Ugh I really need to get back into them it’s been so long since I’ve listened to Highlight. Not since way before the members Al started enlisting. I DID WATCH PREDATOR THO! So I’m not completely slow!

And it’s understandable to baby Yoseob he’s got the cutest lil face ever and I’m pretty sure most Yoseob stans still baby his old ass. My sister and I still do.

ALSO ALSO ALMOST DONE WITH COLLAGE FOR THE SEMESTER OR YEAR OR FORVER? Idk how college works I never went lol but are you getting summer vacation soon then? I wish you GOOD LUCK on all your finals exams and tingz uwu!

:( try not to worry too much about to1. I know how if feels as I have a lot of groups I’m following that are mia but we can only wait and hope that nothing band bad happened. And it is wake one so it could be anything. Just gotta wait it out and hope the boys are doing well and taking care of themselves. And maybe maybe! They are being given a break which it’s necessarily a bad thing! Try to be positive and maybe they’ll come back with something new and fun

P.S the only kpop song I’ve ever heard in a store is bts lol and I didn’t even recognize it til my sister brought it up and then I had to listen more carefully and it was dynamite.

[helloalycia]

𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐑 [𝐎𝐍𝐄] // 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐘 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐃

summary: when you accidentally catch Lucy Gray upset, learning that her boyfriend has cheated on her, you're left to make sure she's okay, and thus a proper friendship forms.

warning/s: mentions of cheating.

author's note: here’s the first part of three for a lucy gray imagine i wrote, as i watched the new hunger games last week and now im suddenly 14 again lol. Also working on a katniss one bc why not, so yeah, hope someone likes it 😂

two / three / masterlist / wattpad

"You look very pretty, Y/N," my little sister, Y/S/N, said with a smile as I pulled my bag across my shoulders.

I smiled down at her, heart warming at the way she looked up at me. She was only ten years old, but to be someone she looked up to was a responsibility I took seriously, so when she was the one to compliment me rather than the other way around, it was sweet.

"Thanks, Y/S/N," I said, squeezing her shoulder gently. "I appreciate that. You think the guests will like it?"

"They'd be silly not to," she told me with confidence, and it made me chuckle.

I worked as a waitress at the Hob in town, usually being able to wear whatever I wanted and opting for something practical over pretty, but today it had been reserved for the reception of some peacekeeper's wedding. Meaning, I had to be on my best behaviour and wear the nicest thing I owned – a sundress in the back of my closet that I rarely touched.

"Come here," I said to Y/S/N, opening my arms, to which she hugged my waist and I squeezed her tight. "I've gotta go now, but I'll be back by dinner. Let mum and dad know, yeah?"

She nodded and I kissed the top of her head before heading out and walking through town to get to the Hob. It was the middle of summer, so I was already building a sweat by the time I arrived, but thankfully my favourite colleague and bartender, Miles, offered me some iced water when he saw me. The only reason we had ice was because it was a peacekeeper's wedding and they wanted the best for their guests, otherwise it would have been lukewarm as usual.

The reception was yet to start, so I spent the next hour and a half cleaning up the place as Miles got the food and drinks ready. Once all the tables were cleaned and set up, guests began to make their way in, and the act of the day, the Covey, soon arrived and made their way onstage to prepare.

The Covey were the only musical geniuses in the district, the best source of entertainment for those who wanted a party to remember. All six of them were extremely talented musicians, each with their own charm. And when they weren't working at the Hob, performing, they were hired to work birthday parties or weddings, such as today.

As I was with Miles, we were essentially colleagues and it was easy to chat to the joyous bunch of them, especially when we shared a dinner break together briefly between their performances whenever I was on shift. Though, admittedly, I'd harboured a small crush on their lead singer, Lucy Gray Baird, for a while now. It wasn't anything major, but it was there.

It began when I saw them performing once a few years ago, before I'd landed a job here as a waitress and was just visiting for lunch. Back then, it was a mere futile crush on a pretty girl I saw onstage. And then as I got older, now seventeen, and got this job, it didn't go away, and I soon realised I was just one of the many admirers of Lucy Gray, nobody special.

Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't an absolute nervous wreck whenever she paid me any attention or spoke to me. She wasn't intentionally flirty, it was just her personality (and she was also in a relationship with her boyfriend, Billy Taupe Clade), but it left me flustered every time.

It was a crush I knew I'd eventually get over. Some day. At some point. Eventually.

But for now, I was stuck, so I learnt to ignore it whenever I could. Of course, at times it was impossible, such as when they were performing some of their songs at the wedding reception today and I happened to glance their way, meeting her eyes for a split second. She was mid-singing, winking playfully at me before working the crowd as usual, and I knew it was part of the performance, yet I still had to breathe out quickly and remember that I was serving a drink.

The reception was easy to work, arguably easier than a regular night at the Hob because everybody was sober and more collected due to it being a wedding reception and not a night out. I was serving food and drinks, replenishing the buffet, cleaning tables, and it wasn't so bad, plus I was getting paid double just to do it.

Halfway through the event, I was standing at the bar, waiting for Miles to make up a tray of drinks, when I felt someone approach me from the left. I was surprised to see Lucy Gray herself, no doubt taking a breather as her family performed onstage meanwhile.

"Don't you look mighty fine this afternoon," she said with a playful smile, looking me up and down as she leaned atop the bar.

I felt my cheeks growing warm as I offered a small smile. "Thanks, Lucy Gray, so do you."

"Why thank you," she answered, smile permanent on her lips as she continued. "You should wear dresses more often. They suit you, darlin'."

I tried not to laugh. "Thanks, but pants are much easier to work in on a busy night. This is a rarity."

Her eyes glimmered with amusement before she glanced out at the stage and the lively crowd dancing along to the music.

"You guys have been doing great today," I complimented, before getting startled by her intense stare. "You– your voice– your–"

She began to laugh at my awkwardness. "I get it. Thank you, that's very sweet of you to say. The Covey are on their best behaviour today." She leaned a little closer, lowering her voice and adding, "After all, if we do good, we get booked again which means more money."

I nodded in agreement. "Cheers to that."

She smiled widely before leaning back again, and I glanced over at Miles to see he was still finishing up with the tray of drinks.

"So, how's your family doin'?" she asked, leaning her chin in the palm of her hand.

"My family?" I asked, tilting my head.

"You have a sister, right? And parents?"

I was surprised she knew to be honest, considering I'd never spoken about them before in the few conversations we'd shared. We usually just spoke about work on our breaks.

"Oh, yeah," I said with a nod. "They're good. Y/S/N is probably playing with her friends right about now. My mum's sewing, no doubt, and my dad will be in the mines. A typical day in the Y/L/N household."

She cracked a smile, before scrunching up her nose. "Your little sister is adorable. She always has the biggest smile on her face whenever I see her around. Always talkin' to everyone, it's sweet. And Maude Ivory always gets a kick out of playin' with her in the park."

I began to smile at her compliments – it was always lovely hearing great things about Y/S/N. "Yeah, she's always been the happy, outgoing Y/L/N and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Hey, the happy, quiet Y/L/N isn't so bad either," she corrected, nudging me in the arm slightly, and the warmth in my cheeks returned as I avoided her stare.

Laughing quietly, she straightened up. "I should head back to the stage. Just wanted to check if you're gonna have your lunch break with us soon? Out back?"

I nodded, recovering from my flustered state. "Sounds like a plan."

"Great!" she exclaimed with a grin. "See you then, cutie."

I continued working and the Covey performed three more songs before we were all allowed to have a quick lunch break. It was timed perfectly for when the bride, groom and guests would make their speeches and none of us were needed.

It was hard not to drool as I made up a quick plate from the food offered, courtesy of the bride and groom. Grilled deer, creamy mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables and gravy were a luxury, a rarity, and I was adamant on savouring every last bit.

Once I joined the others outside, they were all sat in a circle on some crates they'd pulled out, already digging into their dinners. As they mumbled about how great the food was between bites, Barb Azure, their signature bass player, waved me over where she'd saved me a seat between her and Maude Ivory, the youngest of the bunch.

I dug right in with my fork, savouring the flavours and making the most of a good thing whilst I had it.

"Y'know, I heard one of the bride's cousins sayin' she was interested in hiring us for her wedding next month," Tam Amber, their resident mandolin player, commented with a nod. "This gig seems to be paying for itself already."

"Let's not get our hopes up just yet," Barb Azure warned. "We don't know what'll happen."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get another gig," I assured her, before glancing out at them all. "They'd be crazy not to see what you guys can do. Plus, I've been throwing in a good word with the guests, so it's kind of like really subtle brainwashing."

This earned a few laughs from them and Barb Azure nudged my side playfully.

"How's your job goin' today anyway, Y/N?" she asked considerately, and they all waited for an answer.

"Not too bad," I said with a shrug. "The folk here are a little easier to serve compared to an average night at the Hob. A little more–”

"Civilised?" offered Clerk Carmine, their fiddle player.

I tried not to laugh as I amended, "I was gonna say sober, but sure." They chuckled as I stabbed a piece of carrot with my fork and continued. "It's different, but a job's a job."

"Amen to that," Lucy Gray agreed, and everyone repeated after her lightheartedly.

"So, what are you all doing after this is over?" I asked, before sipping my water.

"Well, Lucy Gray over here is probably gonna go straight over to her beau," Barb Azure teased with a knowing smirk. "Been talkin' all day about how she misses him."

Maude Ivory began making kissing noises, eliciting laughter from everyone else, and I cracked a small smile at how embarrassed Lucy Gray became. Her cheeks were dusting pink as she avoided looking at anyone.

"Billy Taupe, right?" I asked. "Isn't he supposed to be performing with you today?"

"Yeah, he's not been feeling well these past few days," she explained, a shy smile on her lips as she looked at the ground. "Just wanna make sure he's alright."

I nodded, looking down at my plate. "That's sweet. I'm sure he's looking forward to it."

"Are you with anyone, Y/N?" Maude Ivory asked from beside me, smiling in a way that reminded me of Y/S/N.

"I am not," I answered, before smiling a little. "Just haven't found someone I'm interested in is all."

"And what are you interested in?" Lucy Gray asked, earning my attention.

She was watching me from across the huddle, eyes glowing with intrigue and a curious smile on her lips. To say I was suddenly nervous was an understatement, and I let out an awkward laugh as I looked away from her, unable to think straight all of a sudden.

"I, erm, I don't know," I tried to find words. "Someone who's funny, caring, trustworthy... it sounds obvious, the basics, but you'd be surprised how many people aren't those things."

She chuckled in response. "I get that... well, I hope you find that, darlin'. You've got all the time in the world."

I smiled a little, unsure what else to say, and then Tam Amber started talking about what song they could perform next, and the attention was thankfully no longer on me.

It wasn't long after lunch when the event finally ended and the guests began to file out. After saying my goodbyes to the Covey, who must have been exhausted after all their performances, I was left with Miles to clean up the place before we closed. He was sorting through stock in the back as I was finishing the brushing up out front.

I was lost in thought about nothing in particular when I heard someone's footsteps stomping on the wooden floorboards by the door, and when I looked up, I was surprised to see Lucy Gray had returned. When she spotted me too, she stopped abruptly, startled by my presence. It wasn't until she rushed to wipe her cheeks did I realise she had red, teary eyes and a frown on her lips.

"Oh–," she stopped, before clearing her throat, "you're still here."

Unsure what to think or do, I looked around. "Er, yeah, I'm just finishing up." After a moment, I knew I needed to check in. "Are you– what hap–"

"Sorry," she cut me off, avoiding my gaze. "I just forgot my guitar."

We both looked to the stage, where her guitar was peeking out from between the curtains. I hadn't noticed it before.

Not saying another word, she made a beeline for her instrument, and I hesitated, gripping the brush's handle. She was clearly upset about something, but I didn't know her well enough to ask.

Then, as I saw her grab her guitar and sniffle quietly, I knew I couldn't just leave her to it, not without a guilty conscious anyway.

"Lucy Gray, is everything alright?" I called to her, trying to dial down my concern for her sake.

She sucked up a breath before turning around, forcing a smile on her face. "Yes, 'course it is."

I frowned, putting the brush to the side before approaching the stage. "You're upset, Lucy Gray. Did someone do something?"

She attempted a laugh to ease the tension, but it only came out halfhearted and broken, and then another tear rolled down her cheek and my concern was skyrocketing because I'd never seen her like this before.

"You don't have to tell me," I added, "but you're worrying me. This isn't like you."

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, collecting herself, and I wondered what could have possibly happened in the last half an hour between when she left and now. Why was she so upset when she'd walked out of here grinning?

"Billy Taupe wasn't sick," she suddenly said, and it took me a second to process.

"What?"

Was it something worse? Was he dying? Was he in an accident?

"He was cheatin' on me with Mayfair," she said bitterly.

I furrowed my brows, trying to understand. "The mayor's daughter? What?"

She nodded weakly before moving forward to sit on the edge of the stage, shoulders hunched. I blinked, realisation setting in, and wondered how on earth Billy Taupe could do such a thing.

"I caught them kissin' by the market," she said, and I took a seat beside her hesitantly as she continued. "He saw me, and so did she, and then she was smirkin', that no good, dirty–" She stopped herself, though her jaw was clenched. "He tried to explain, but I didn't wanna hear it." She paused, swallowing hard. "I realised I left my guitar here and came back for it."

I was in disbelief, both from the fact that Billy Taupe lied to his family, but also that he cheated on Lucy Gray in the first place. Did he know how lucky he was to have her?

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that," I said, still baffled. "That he did that. You– you don't deserve that at all, Lucy Gray."

She only sighed deeply in response, leaning on her knees and putting her head in her hands with exhaustion. Instinctively, I began to rub circles on her back, hoping it would provide some comfort.

"I wish I could do something," I said quietly, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was. "I'm so sorry."

And like a switch had been flicked, she began to straighten up, making me drop my hand, and wiped her tears away shyly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a mess," she felt the need to apologise, but I shook my head.

"Don't," I assured her, watching her profile as she avoided my eyes. "Really. You don't need to– I'm sorry. I– I don't know what to do or say, I know it's all still fresh. But I'm here for you."

Taking a risk, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, with the intention of giving her a side hug, but then she pulled me closer, hugging me properly. Knowing she needed it and only wanting to put her at ease, I squeezed her gently, letting her know I was there. It was horrible not being able to do much more.

After a moment, she began to pull back slightly and I did too, searching her expression for a hint to how she was feeling. Her brown, glassy eyes met mine, and for the first time since I'd known her, they were anything but playful and teasing. I was touched she was letting me see this side of her, a side not many were privy too, but I wished it wasn't under these circumstances.

"Thank you for that," she said gratefully.

"No worries," I said, sensing she felt a little better, but not completely. "I meant what I said, about being here for you. And I don't really want to leave you alone like this. Do you want me to walk you back home?"

She smiled guiltily, shaking her head. "I can't ask that of you, Y/N."

"It's okay, I want to," I said, before standing up and straightening my dress. "Just give me two minutes to put the brush away and say bye to Miles."

A little relieved, she nodded, and I did just that. With everything going on with her, it was as if the usual nervous, awkward Y/N that always came out when I was around her had disappeared. Now, I just wanted her to be okay.

After saying my farewell to Miles, I grabbed my bag and returned to the front, surprised to still see Lucy Gray sat waiting for me. I was certain she'd have left, using my two minutes as opportunity.

"You ready?" I asked, before noticing her guitar in hand and offering to take it. "Here, I'll get that for you."

"Oh, no, you don't need to–"

"Hey, I don't mind, really," I assured with a smile before taking the handle of the case from her.

She exhaled softly, a small smile tugging at her lips as she nodded, before we left the Hob.

The sun was setting in the sky as we walked through town and to the woods, past the Seam where she and the rest of the Covey lived. Their home wasn't far from my own place, so I didn't mind the trip. It was quiet between us as we walked, the sound of our feet crunching on the gravel the only thing to be heard.

I was worried about her, but I knew she probably appreciated the quiet, so I didn't speak until she did.

"The others don't know yet," she said, voice cracking, as if feeling the need to explain. "I'm gonna tell them."

"I won't say a word," I promised, glancing over at her.

She was fixated on the ground. "Everybody will find out anyway, but yeah."

"They won't find out from me," I said with a nod, and she glanced at me gratefully before staring ahead.

The remainder of the walk was a peaceful quiet, and then we finally reached her home, a small shack that all six of them lived in together. Though, I did wonder how that would change now that Billy Taupe had basically exiled himself.

It wasn't my concern though, so when we stopped outside her front garden, I gave her back her guitar case.

"Thanks again, Y/N," she said appreciatively.

"I'll be here if you ever wanna talk about it, or anything," I told her gently. "I know we aren't super close, but I'll be here."

She smiled a little, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I appreciate that."

I tried not to stare at her too long, but my gaze lingered a little longer than it should have. I couldn't help it – I'd never seen her like this, and it wasn't fair in the slightest.

"Lucy Gray?" I said before she could leave.

"Yeah?"

I paused, wondering whether it was appropriate to say. "You deserved better than him anyway. He was kind of punching with you."

She let out a small laugh, momentarily free of any hurt he'd caused her, and it made the warmth in my chest blossom intensely. I smiled at her once more before leaving her to it, walking back home with a fuzzy feeling inside of me.

It didn't take long for gossip and rumours to spread around the district about Lucy Gray, Billy Taupe and Mayfair Lipp, at least amongst everyone in our age group anyway. By the end of the week, everybody knew about the cheating and Billy Taupe's new relationship.

It couldn't have been easy for Lucy Gray, and I wasn't sure how she'd been doing as I didn't see her until that following weekend at the Hob, but I'd been thinking of her the whole week. When she rocked up with her family, excluding Billy Taupe who I assumed was no longer part of their group anymore, she looked a little better. I wasn't sure how much of it was a facade though, a front for the audience and the gossips.

I was working that evening, serving as usual, but I'd tune in to some of their songs and noticed a few new ones had made the list, namely about Billy Taupe and what he'd done. At least Lucy Gray had channeled her anger into something productive.

Once again, I was at the bar giving Miles an order when Lucy Gray found me on her quick break.

"Hey," she greeted, earning my attention, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey," I replied. "You're looking good." And then when I realised how forward I sounded, I tried to backtrack, my nerves returning the longer she watched me with her red-painted lips, upturned into a playful smile. "I mean, happy good. Like emotionally, and not upset, but–"

"I get it," she said, unable to stop her amusement from showing. "And thanks. I'm feeling a little better. Thanks again for bein' there."

Relaxing a little, I nodded, glad to hear it. "Anytime."

She quirked a brow as she asked, "So, what did you think of the new songs?"

I smiled. "They were great, Lucy Gray. Just when I thought you couldn't outdo yourself with your lyrics, you prove me wrong."

At this, her eyes lit up. "Gosh, you mean that?"

"Of course," I said like it was obvious, because it was. "Everyone here does. Sorry, did you not hear the applause?"

She was suppressing her smile, unusually embarassed as she looked the other way for a moment, and I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. It didn't last long though, as her eyes caught something behind me, causing her smile to fade away.

Confused, I glanced over my shoulder to see what she was looking at, only to spot none other than Billy Taupe and Mayfair herself walking in. They didn't notice at first, but then Mayfair met Lucy Gray's stare and proceeded to roll her eyes before tugging Billy Taupe by the arm.

"Just ignore them," I said to Lucy Gray, eyes softening at the flash of hurt crossing her expression.

She clenched her jaw slightly, looking down. "Easier said than done. He's headin' this way."

I furrowed my brows, turning to see, and he approached us alone, Mayfair somewhere ahead and not looking the slightest bit happy that Billy Taupe was talking to his ex.

Lucy Gray kept her eyes locked on the ground as Billy Taupe cleared his throat, merely glancing at me before nodding to her hopefully.

"Lucy Gray, you're lookin' real stunnin' tonight," he tried his luck.

My gaze flickered to her, curious, but she kept her lips shut, saying nothing.

"Really?" he pressed, growing slightly annoyed. "You're gon' stay quiet?"

She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, as uncomfortable as I'd ever seen her, but Billy Taupe didn't care in the slightest.

"C'mon, you can't ignore me forever," he tried again. "I only wanna explain."

Again, she was quiet, and before he could say another word, I decided to give him a suggestion. I usually wouldn't get involved, but Lucy Gray was not comfortable at all and I wasn't just going to watch as he harassed her.

"Maybe you should give it a break tonight," I said as politely as I could to him. "She's clearly not in the mood."

Aside from the annoyed glance he sent my way, it was as if he hadn't acknowledged me at all, instead resorting to calling her name again.

"Billy Taupe," I tried to get his attention, getting a little annoyed myself now.

"Lucy Gray, c'mon," he was continuing to plead, and she was shrinking back the closer he got, only wishing he'd go away.

He suddenly touched her arm, an attempt to get her to look at him, but she snatched it back just as quick.

"Billy Taupe," I repeated with a firm voice, fixing him with a glare, and when he tried to grab her again, I stepped between them, pushing him back slightly. Just enough to earn his attention, and boy, was he unhappy with that.

"Are you deaf?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He sneered at me. "I ain't never seen you around before."

"So, blind, too," I added, making his fists clench. "I'd drop this unless you want to be escorted out."

He tried not to laugh. "And who'll be doing the escorting?"

I raised an eyebrow, before glancing over at Miles behind the bar, who had witnessed the commotion unfold. One hard stare from him was enough to have Billy Taupe straightening up nervously. Mayfair soon appeared from behind him and tugged him away, but not before glaring at Lucy Gray and I.

A hand rested on my arm and I turned around to see Lucy Gray watching me with a knowing look. "Thanks, but you shouldn't have done that. Mayfair already hates me, there's no point in adding you to her list too."

"It doesn't matter. I can't just let someone be a bully," I told her, before glancing over at the retreating figures of Billy Taupe and Mayfair.

Lucy Gray snickered quietly, making me look back to her. "You're cute," she decided, "but stupid."

I wasn't sure what to think of that, nor how to react, but she continued speaking before I could think about it for much longer.

"I should head back onstage now, but see you on break?"

"Sure," I agreed, and she flashed me a smile before returning to the stage.

I watched her go, knowing I was getting too involved and it was definitely going to be a mistake, but I couldn't help it. Even if it wasn't Lucy Gray, I'd still do what I could, unable to stand aside as someone was being mistreated. It was only right. Though, I suppose, it being Lucy Gray also added to my worry a little more.

"She's right y'know," Miles suddenly said, pulling me from thought. He was sliding over a tray of drinks towards me as he continued, "You shouldn't get in Mayfair's bad books. She's got connections."

I sighed, taking the tray. "I know, I know. I won't now, swear."

He suppressed the urge to laugh. "You're in deep, my dear. It's written all over your face."

I didn't even need to ask what he was talking about, and it made my face heat up with embarrassment. Was it that obvious?

The rest of the evening played out and neither Billy Taupe nor Mayfair paid Lucy Gray or the rest of the Covey any mind, thankfully. I wish I could've said the same for myself. Clearly they weren't very fond of me, and it showed by the glares they'd send my way whenever I happened to be serving food or drinks in their vicinity.

I was delivering another tray of drinks to a table near them when Billy Taupe decided it would be funny to 'accidentally' bump into me, knocking the drinks all over and, subsequently, the glasses to the floor in a shatter that was barely heard above the music and audience.

"My bad," he said between stifled laughter, and Mayfair joined in with the laughing, making me roll my eyes. They weren't worth it.

I bent down to pick up the bigger pieces of glass and put them on the tray, knowing I'd need to brush the rest up as soon as possible before someone hurt themselves.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I heard Miles' voice from behind me, and I looked up to see him kneeling beside me. "You alright Y/N?"

"Just peachy," I replied with a forced smile.

"Here, give me that," he said, already taking the tray from my hands. "You go get cleaned up outside."

"You sure? I don't mind–"

"Just go," he said, giving me a look. "Please."

I sighed, nodding gratefully, before getting up and making my way to the back. Grabbing a rag from behind the bar, I went outside and let my shoulders drop tiredly, appreciating the fresh evening air. As I was dabbing the drinks from my shirt, trying my best to get rid of the dampness if not the stain, I knew it was pointless. I still smelt of booze and was inherently sticky.

Letting out another sigh, I leaned back against the wall and took a moment. Okay, so maybe confronting Billy Taupe and his new hotshot girlfriend wasn't ideal, but I couldn't just stand by and let him harass someone. This was a mild inconvenience at most, though terribly gross.

The door behind the Hob opened and I glanced over, expecting Miles, but straightened up when I realised it was Lucy Gray. I was certain she was performing only a moment ago.

"There you are," she spoke before I could open my mouth, and let the door close behind her as she approached me. Her eyes lowered to my shirt with a frown. "I saw what happened from the stage, but had to finish my song. I'm so sorry, Y/N, I never wanted you to get involved. He can be so petty and–"

"You don't need to apologise for him, for either of them," I said calmly. "They are the way they are. It's just annoying, I suppose."

She exhaled softly, before grabbing the rag from my hand and attempting to finish the job of drying my shirt.

"You need to stay away from them," she spoke in a warning tone, eyes flickering between her job at hand and my face, making me forget how to breathe for a moment. "I appreciate your help, that you care, but it ain't worth it. Mayfair has powerful connections and sway with some nasty people. You don't need to be in her sights, not for anyone. Especially not for me."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, making her smile as she met my eyes.

"You don't need to be sorry, just be cautious," she said, expression softening.

It felt strange, her looking out for me when she was the one who had to see her cheating ex again. I stopped her from cleaning me up, taking the rag from her hand, and she looked at me expectantly.

"How are you?" I asked considerately. "With him here?"

"It's hard," she admitted with a nod, "but I got the Covey by my side. I got you."

I began to smile and confirmed, "Right."

She mirrored my smile, before asking, "Are you okay?"

I glanced down at my maroon-coloured shirt, now stained brown, and scrunched up my face. "Bit damp. Bit sticky. But I'll live."

She chuckled. "I think Tam Amber has a spare shirt. He won't mind."

Relieved, I said, "That would be super helpful actually."

She showed me to the place where the Covey hung out between shows, a large wooden shed, though more of a garage for cars nobody owned anymore, opposite the back door of the Hob. The garage doors were chained shut, but a back door was wedged open with a cinder block, and that's where Lucy Gray led me.

I stood to the side as she went searching for the shirt, my eyes flickering around with intrigue. I'd never actually been inside here, only occasionally heard the Covey tuning their instruments before a set or chatting away after one. It was spacious, enough of their belongings scattered around for them to claim the place, though really nobody owned it.

"And here we are," Lucy Gray said, earning my attention. She was holding out a large dusty brown button-up shirt my way. "Might be a little big, but it'll do the job."

I accepted it gratefully, offering a nod. "Thanks, Lucy Gray."

"You can change in here, nobody comes in," she assured me, before flashing me a smile and leaving.

So, I did just that. After replacing my shirt, I looked in the slightly-cracked standing mirror in the corner and tried to make myself look a little more presentable. The shirt was big, no doubt, so I was forced to tuck it into my trousers, though it was apparent to anyone with eyes that it wasn't mine. I rolled up the sleeves and was grateful for it anyway, no longer feeling as sticky or smelly as I did before.

I was trying to fix my collars, which were crumpling under themselves, as I left the shed, only to find Lucy Gray waiting outside for me.

"You're still here," I said with confusion, pausing.

"Hey, you look great!" she said with a bright smile, approaching me.

"You should be performing–"

She waved her hand dismissively, before helping herself to my collars, already attempting to fix them. "They can survive without me for a set. But you look good. Just gonna fix this up."

"Thanks," I managed to get out, feeling a heat crawl up my neck whenever her fingers brushed my skin. I looked anywhere but at her, hating how close she was stood, and said, "You sure Tam Amber won't mind?"

"I'm sure," she promised, before flattening my shirt and stepping back, tilting her head adorably. "All done. C'mon, we should get back to work."

I nodded, and the two of us returned to the Hob. She gave me a final smile before returning to the stage, and I was about to get back to work when I caught Billy Taupe's obnoxious glare from across the room, his eyes flickering between Lucy Gray and I. Ignoring him, I picked up where I left off and began to take some more orders.

[bunathebunny]

I really wish there were more explorations of yanqing being groomed into his role also, like he would deny it to death but everything that he takes pride in he was groomed into doing, his position in the Cloud Knights, his title as Sword Champion, his place at Jing Yuans side… it’s easy to read into it!!! Yuanqing is an easy assumption to make as soon as you realize that a 14 year old shouldn’t be a military lieutenant no matter how skilled of a swordsman he is.

Reminds me of Childe from genshin and his experiences with being in the military at a too young age, I’ve seen plenty of people talk about how he was groomed into it, but bc Jing Yuan and the Luofu are arguably the good guys so I’ve only seen like, you talking about it

oh? i did talk with some yuanqing shippers and we did touch on this sometimes but i don't touch the "yanqing is jing yuan's son" side of the fandom so i honestly do not know that like the whole idea of "yanqing being groomed into the military" is not a popular topic outside?

tbh, i don't interact with the wider fandom so like to be honest, i don't know everything about what is popular and what is not. but i would think that yanqing is a trove of angst, there should have been at least some exploration of this whole "being groomed into the military" aspect of his lore.

but anyway, yes! yanqing has been stumbling after jing yuan ever since he was even younger than in canon right now. he even helped around at the seat of divine foresight, according to his character story too!

jingliu's trailer did talk a bit about yanqing's decision to learn swordsmanship at such an early age. i have beefs with that one trailer because there are lines that don't exactly match yanqing's own lore but well, you can see what mhy did with yanqing recently... but it was mentioned that jing yuan told him stories about the previous sword champion. and also the part that yanqing is raised on the luofu and by the general of the cloud knights, no less, he would be geared toward a future in the knights.

and then, of course, since yanqing was under jing yuan's guardianship, when he joined the knights... i have to wonder, what would happen if he refused to join the knights. like i don't think jing yuan would cast him out if he hadn't but like, was that one of the reasons that he chose to join the knights?

and yes!! i can see the paralell between childe and yanqing. such a shame that childe isn't the special meow meow that my brain rots over in genshin or i could work more with this ToT

to be fair, i wouldn't say jing yuan and the luofu are the good guys seeing as... well, we have only ever seen their side of the story and not the other side from those from the abundance faction. something something about lan and yaoshi are two sides of the same coin.

[caffernnn]

Because I'm a sucker for AUs, I'm now thinking of a makoharu WALL-E! AU...of course makoto is WALL-E and haru is EVE like can you imagine WALL-E makoto simping for this thing of beauty that descended from the sky, being clumsy and flustered watching EVE haru from afar...and what with the hand-holding motif drizzled all throughout the movie... EVE haru convincing the captain! Rin to return to earth bc finally life can flourish again... AI sousuke forcing rin to stick to his duty of keeping the survivors alive in space rather than risk with EVE haru's idealistic proposition... EVE haru watching WALL-E makoto almost die (get wrecked), and to desperately attempt to revive (repair) him back in earth.... also the cleaning robot as rei... all the ruckus caused by clumsy WALL-E makoto aboard the ship... and the repetitive mistaken pronunciation of EVE's name by WALL-E only to be corrected several times (sounds familiar?) Tell it works TELL MEEE!!!

also it's been ages since the Patrochilles! Makoharu agenda has been talked about but I'll work on that soon bc school's over finally...

Yay more AUs!! Oh it’s been so long since the last time I sat down to watch or think about WALL-E but the vibes alone are precious. Need to actually rewatch the movie itself, but I watched a few clips to get reacquainted with the story and 🥺🥺🥺 makoharu as WALL-E and EVE now has me by the neck like!!! Makoto excitedly showing off little trinkets and memories he’s run across, Haru going from cold and defensive to curious and inevitably charmed. Both of them protecting and reaching for the other, even if it’s uncertain what’ll happen next. The AU has a similar appeal to it that is reminiscent to the mh mook (or one of the reasons I personally keep returning to the mook) - there’s a kindness in both watching Makoto/WALL-E share some of the little things he loves about humanity and getting to watch Haru/EVE get acquainted with those little things himself and change because of it. Also: the little roach friend is Nagisa, just because that seems fun. That movie used to give me the biggest warm fuzzies back in the day (how is the movie almost 14 years old now??) and I’m sure that parts of it would definitely hit different now, but the viiiiibes!! I’m digging it I’m digging it 🥰

(Also always down for more TSOA AU fun!!)

[ectonurites]

In Tim original he was there when dick parents die and he look like 4-5 and that make me confused bc shouldn’t Tim be more younger than that when dick parents die ? ( I mean the age gap between dick and Tim Probably 8-10 )

OKAY lets take a look at this!

All of this is obviously not currently canon because the New 52 changed things and honestly even before that things could be very inconsistent, but we can try to approximate what Tim, Jason, and Dick's ages and age differences were based on that 1987-1989 era of canon to try to make sense of 'how old Tim should have been when Dick's parents died' (Then I know you didn't bring up Jason but considering how linked Tim's origin is to him he's relevant, so he's in here too)

So in Batman #416 (the issue Dick & Jason first meet), Dick brings up two things relevant to talk about here:

From this we know:

Dick was 19 when Bruce fired him from being Robin

Dick & Bruce were partners for 6 years, meaning Dick was approximately 13 when he began as Robin (I believe other comics reference him being around 12 at the time of his parents' death/becoming Robin, so it could be more like it was 6 full years and dates just don't line up exactly, and he did actually start at 12. This could also be explained as the training time, as later in Lonely Place of Dying Tim mentions there were a few months between the death of Dick's parents and Robin's debut, meaning it could be more like his parents died when he was 12 -> he trained the rest of the time he was 12 -> he properly debuted as Robin at age 13)

For the purposes of working out this logic I'm going to treat these things as happening when Dick was 12

Now the DC Wiki cites that Jason was confirmed as 12 when he met Bruce/became Robin in a letters-to-the-editor type 'bat-signals' page included in Batman #413, however all the scans of that issue I've been able to find don't include those pages (they're often not included in scans of older issues), so I'm not currently able to confirm/deny that. However logistically it makes sense, that way he had a few years in the role before his death, considering we do know he died at age 15 from a few sources including his Death Certificate in the Batman Files:

For the sake of 'needing a number' I'm going to assume that age 12 start time is true.

We then know that Bruce met Jason not too long after he fired Dick based on Batman #408. The start of the issue shows the incident/reason that Bruce fired him (he got very injured by the Joker and Bruce decided he couldn't work with a partner anymore), then it says some weeks (an unspecified number of weeks, but they use the term 'weeks' not 'months' to describe it) passed:

Which brings us to the anniversary of Bruce's parents' death which is when he first meets Jason in crime alley.

So, based on all that so far we can conclude:

Dick's parents died and he became Robin when he was around 12/13

Dick was fired from being Robin after they worked together for six years, at age 19

Soon after Dick became Nightwing (also at 19 I believe), and Jason was taken in by Bruce at age 12 and became Robin after training

(Jason and Dick don't meet for a while though, as it's not until 18 months after being fired that Dick approaches Bruce again (in Batman #416 as referenced earlier), when he and Jason would have probably been around 20/21 and 13/14 respectively)

Jason was killed at age 15, when Dick would have been approximately 22 if we consider this three years after he was fired/Jason met Bruce

Then let's get to Tim! We know that Tim was 13 during Lonely Place of Dying, which takes place not too long after Jason was killed

(Batman #441)

Which gives us that 'Jason is about two years older than Tim' age difference that is commonly used

Now taking that stuff also into consideration:

Jason died at age 15, when Dick would have been approximately 22, and Tim would have been about 13 (theoretically he actually should have been 12 at the time of Jason's death because Jason died in April and Tim's birthday is in July, and Lonely Place of Dying is supposed to be like a few months after Jason's death and we know he's 13 at the time of the story, however I'm almost certain Tim's birthday hadn't been determined yet when the story was written so it definitely didn't factor into the logic when they were writing it. So we should treat it as him being 13, but my brain would yell at me if I didn't at least address that)

So, we can then approximate Tim & Dick's age difference at around 9 years, implying Tim should have been about 3 at the time Dick's parents died, when Dick was 12. Most people usually assume Tim is older than that at the time though, in the 4-5 (or even 6) range like you suggested, based on the art and the fact that Tim has strong memories from that day (of the deaths themselves, and the thing that lets him figure out that Dick is Robin: that the Ringmaster had said only three people could do that quadruple somersault)

However frankly it is possible to have memories from being 3, like it's less common sure and is about the earliest that is average to have, but especially considering it was something he had nightmares about for years afterwards that impacted him, I wouldn't be that surprised by details sticking with him even if it was from when he was that young. Also comics are not ever consistent about drawing people the ages they are so I really don't think that can count as proof of age or anything.

Also, the way he speaks in the flashback to the moment during Batman Year 3 (so before Lonely Place of Dying, because in the LPoD flashbacks we don't actually see him talk at all at this age) feels much more to me like how a preschooler (typically about 3-4) would talk than a kindergartener (typically about 5-6), just as someone who has worked with both age groups before.

(Batman #436)

But I mean i'm not an expert on childhood development stuff like that, so take my opinion there with a grain of salt. I'm more just trying to point out that him being significantly younger than most people assume he was there is definitely possible. I usually only see people point to the parts in LPoD and gloss right over Batman #436 in these discussions.

But yeah! So there's obviously guesswork thrown in here, and comics just in general are not consistent about ages like these things are fluid and do change, but my best guesses based on stuff from that late 80's period (+ the death certificate from later, I know him being 15 is mentioned in other places too but off the top of my head I could not remember and the death certificate is just easiest to find) are:

Tim was about 3 when Dick's parents died

Dick is about 9 years older than him

Jason is about 2 years older than Tim/ 7 years younger than Dick

I hope I worded this in not too confusing of a way, and I'd again like to reiterate this is in no way a definitive thing (there just is no definitive answer, because basically all this kind of stuff gets contradicted at various points) it's just what makes most sense to me after reading through these comics from this era!

[waithyuck]

TRICKY

pairing: elf! na jaemin x reader (f) **halloweenie special**

genre: smut, supernatural au

word count: 3k

warnings: {OKAY IM PUTTING A WARNING FOR VERY MILD *DUB-CON* BC TECHNICALLY THE READER IS TRICKED , BUT IN THE END OBVIOUSLY CONSENTS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED}, sexual content (fingering, dry humping), explicit language, use of several pet names, possessive behavior and vocabulary, reader just wants to find her damn cat but gets a whole lot more than that, bad attempts at explaining folklore, I’m sorry for any inaccuracies 😬 **ALSO UNEDITED**

a/n: **repost bc tumblr sucks** this is definitely more of my own spin on what I think an elf would be like, so sorry to those of you who are into the lore and stuff 🥺

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~10/14/2020~

~~~~

your grandmother was always a very smart woman, and you knew that very well. so when she told you not to do something, you made sure to NEVER do it.

you lived with her on the very outskirts of your town; your own backyard made up of a very dense forest with enough trees in it to block out almost all sunlight. your bedroom window faced the forest, and every night you were forced to stare at it as you sat at your desk, contemplating what went on in there.

your grandmother repeatedly told you to never go in there, no matter what, ever since you were a child. she would talk about all kinds of crazy things, like witches and faeries, and even elves.

the first time she told you about the dark forest, you were only six years old.

“you can’t go in there, y/n.” she said seriously, crouching before you as you stood in the kitchen with her. “no matter how much it may call you, you can never enter it.”

you didn’t understand, so of course, in typical child fashion, you questioned her.

“well why not?” you shot back, crossing your arms and pouting. she stood back up after looking at you for a second, going back to mixing brownie batter in a large bowl.

“the fae are dangerous creatures. the forest is littered with them, my dear.” she stopped for a moment, gazing out the kitchen window and into the thick gathering of trees and plant life. “the elves will claim you once you enter, and you may never be able to escape again.”

after that, she didn’t say much else to you about it.

at first, you thought she was just trying to scare you into not wandering off, but after a while you began to believe her.

there would be strange noises in the night; like whispers calling out to you from the direction of your window. it creeped you out but you tried to convince yourself it was just your imagination playing tricks on you.

your life continued on like that for years, and eventually it didn’t phase you at all. you were used to the nightly whispers now, and even your cat didn’t seem to mind them, if she could hear them at all.

you never told your grandmother about them, however. she was getting old and you didn’t want to be the reason she had a heart attack, as awful as that sounded.

for being as old as she was, she still got around pretty good, and there were days when she left you along for a good few hours to go out on walks with her other old lady friends.

it was really cute.

today was just like any other day like that; your grandmother left around eleven in the morning to go out, leaving you some breakfast on the counter for when you inevitably stumbled out of your room at one o’clock in the afternoon.

everything seemed normal. you ate in silence and scrolled through your phone at the kitchen table, but then noticed something was right.

looking around you, you noticed your cat was nowhere in sight. she would usually be up on the table sitting and staring at you or rubbing against your leg for no reason, but currently she was nowhere to be found.

at first you just assumed she was sleeping somewhere else, but after eating you searched the house and couldn’t find her anywhere. walking back into the kitchen you happened to glance outside and your heart jumped in your chest.

then you started to panic.

looking out into the backyard you saw her stark white fur disappear into the thick brush of the forest, and you almost screamed out loud at the sight.

“fuck,” you exclaimed, your heart racing and your mind thinking of all the ways to try to get her back. you were always advised to not go into the forest...but you couldn’t let your poor cat who you loved very dearly to get mauled out there by some bigger animal.

you had to go after her.

you mustered you all the courage you had inside you, not bothering to change out of your ratty shorts and t-shirt before shoving your feet in your sneakers. you let out a shaky breath as you walked into your backyard, staring down the darkness of the forest with determination.

as you apprehensively made your way to the very entrance of the brush, you spotted a large crooked stick, and didn’t hesitate to grab it to use as a weapon if necessary.

you didn’t want to be completely defenseless against any supernatural creatures you came across. you had a gut feeling that running into one would be inevitable, and the fear rang like a siren in the back of your mind like a sonata.

the ‘do not enter’ and ‘keep out: danger’ signs did nothing to ease your pounding heart and screaming nerves, but you pressed on regardless. you had to do this, for your stupid cat.

with one large step, you passed the boundary of the trees, the wind picking up as soon as you did. a chill ran down your spine but you kept your legs moving, careful not to break your ankles on any protruding roots. it was incredibly dark, even though the sun was high in the sky, but the leaves of the towering trees cut out almost all light.

you stumbled around aimlessly for what felt like hours, but in reality it had only probably been about 45 minutes before you stopped and took a breather. checking your phone for the time, you felt a pang in your chest when you realized that it was off, and wouldn’t turn back on no matter how hard you tried.

“fuck,” you muttered, fear creeping up on your soul once again. you really didn’t want to be in this forest longer than necessary, and you really seriously contemplated just leaving your cat behind, as horrible as that was.

your eyes gazed around, taking in the trees surrounding you. nothing seemed too out of the ordinary...all though you really though you saw a few small dashes of light fly around you through your periphery. you prayed that they weren’t pixies or fairies of whatever else your grandmother told you about.

you didn’t trust anything, no matter how beautiful or non-threatening they seemed to be on the outside.

“hello there.” a voice spoke out suddenly, causing you to jump and spin around, dropping your makeshift weapon in the process.

your eyes met the sight of a young man who looked to be around your age, with a slightly unsettling smile upon his face. he was almost too handsome; the beauty that emanated from him in waves was incredibly addicting, and you felt the pull of him immediately. it was hard to tear your eyes away, and that scared you.

you had no idea where he had come from, nor did you know how he managed to so quietly sneak up behind you like he did. you definitely would have heard him coming, considering the amount of twigs and leaves littering the ground at your feet.

your heart raced at the possibility of who, or what, he was, your mind trying to go through everything your sweet old grandmother ever told you. some inner part of you already knew what you were dealing with.

“don’t hurt yourself, darling,” the man spoke again, referencing to your mind working in overtime. he took a step forward toward you, and in turn you took a large stumbling step back. he watched you move, chuckling. “I’m jaemin, care to tell me your name?”

“n-no,” you managed to say, your hands clutched at your chest as you tried to calm your racing heart. you swore you saw his eyes flicker a bright aquamarine for a moment before returning back to brown as his smile faltered slightly. It came back a split second later.

“you’re a smart girl,” he purred, most likely realizing that you knew he wasn’t human, inching closer once more. you felt frozen, unable to step back like you truly wanted to, and you willed yourself not to panic. “you know what I am, I presume?”

your lips shook as you opened your mouth to speak, your tongue running over your chapped lips and he watched every single movement, causing your body to shiver.

“I have a-an idea,” you softly whispered, not breaking eye contact as he stopped in front of you. he didn’t say a word, only smiling at you as you stayed frozen in your spot. one word screamed in your mind: elf. you didn’t even have to look at his pointed ears to deduct that. the vibe he gave off was abundantly clear, even if you had never encountered another being of his kind before.

it didn’t feel like he was compelling you; it was more or less your reaction to the immense shock and fear you felt, coming in contact with a creature your grandmother always warned you about.

and it’s all because of your dumb cat.

“l-look dude, I’m just trying to find my cat.” you stated strongly now, holding your ground as best you could as he looked at you intensely, that slightly unsettling smile never leaving his face.

“once it entered the forest it became mine.” he simply retorted, leaning against the tree trunk beside him. “anything that passes the trees here belongs to me…” he paused for a moment, his eyes now glowing a full bright aquamarine, startling you as he seared his gaze through your very soul. “so I guess that means you’re mine as well. how lucky.”

the elf spoke softly, but there was an edge to his tone that made you shiver, paired with his choice of words.

“I-I’m not..” you stuttered, your fists clenched by your sides. was he the ruler of the forest? some sort of elf king?

“you’re not?” he asked, chuckling to himself as he pushed his body from the tree, slowly slithering toward you on his bare feet. “did you not hear what I said? everything in this forest is mine. that includes living creatures,” you had no willpower to move away as he crowded your space, his glowing eyes paralyzing you as his body drew closer and closer. “I wonder what I should do with my new possession.” he smirked to himself, reaching a pale hand out to gently cup your chin, laughing lowly as you instinctively flinched. “you are without a doubt the prettiest thing I’ve seen enter my domain in years, princess. I’ve been waiting for you.”

his last sentence threw you off, but for a moment your brain couldn’t remember the whispers you heard all those years, and it didn’t click. you couldn’t deny that this elf man was attractive; and you couldn’t deny the fact that his voice had your legs weakening with every word he spoke. you cursed yourself mentally for being affected by him, because deep down you were aware of the danger of encountering elves.

thinking back to your cat, you wondered why she would have left the house in the first place. she was lazy and never wanted to really move...unless something was calling her…

your heart seemed to stop beating and your blood ran cold.

“you tr-tricked me…” you said in realization, your eyes widening. “you tricked me into coming in here, using m-my cat!” your voice was panicked and you found it hard to breathe. then, your brain finally figured it out. “you’re the one that’s been whispering to me all these years, aren’t y-you?”

he smiled at you with dark aquamarine eyes, and now you weren’t sure how you were going to get yourself out of this mess.

you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to get out of this mess.

wait, what?, your eyes widened at your own thoughts, where did that come from??

suddenly and without warning, your entire body was grasped in his hold. his hands dominantly gripped your waist and flipped you around so that your front was smacked up against a tree, the sharp bark scratching your cheek as your face was scraped against it.

“you’re my kitty now.” his voice whispered directly into your ear, his breath causing your body to visibly shiver in his hold.

you didn’t mean to whine, you really didn’t, but when he his teeth found your ear and nibbled gently on the skin, you couldn’t hold it in. your legs trembled beneath you as your knees weakened, the feeling of his warm body pressed tightly against your back leaving you wanting more and more.

he pressed deceivingly sweet kisses along your neck, your hands clutching the bark of the tree in response, your nails scratching along the surface. you jolted when you felt his right hand move down your front and nestle between your legs, putting pressure right against your covered center.

“hmm, you want it, don’t you?” he mumbled quietly, his chest rumbling against your back. “your thoughts are so loud, I know you can’t resist me.”

your thighs clenched in anticipation as he ran his long fingers delicately along your core through your shorts, and you let out a breathy whimper in response.

he tsk’d at you, giving your pussy a light slap through the thin fabric before completely drawing it away. “I wanna hear you say yes, kitty.”

his voice was demanding as he spoke, and you couldn’t disobey.

with your eyes glazing over, you gripped the tree trunk tightly and mewled out, “yes!”

you could practically hear him smirk, his chuckling causing you to grow even more wet as he finally slipped his hand down your front and into your shorts. when his long finger reached your bare and sensitive nub, you could help but arch your back, causing your ass to press tightly against his rapidly hardening cock. he groaned right in your ear, his hips bucking and grinding against your behind in time with his strokes against your clit.

“you’re already so wet, darling,” he moaned out, dipping his finger down to circle your entrance. “I could just...slide right in.” with those words, he slipped his index finger into you in one clean movement, his long finger reaching deep inside your pussy.

you cried out when the tip of his finger brushed a sweet spot inside you, and you heard him groan in response, a deep chuckle following.

“good girl,” he muttered, casually slipping his middle finger inside you beside his pointer. the stretch had you throwing you head back, giving him access to your pretty neck. “be as loud as you want, baby. it’s just me, you, and the forest now.”

his hips grinding against your from behind never ceased, and he thrusted his fingers to the same rhythm as his hips. he was literally fingerfucking you; before you knew it he was adding a third finger.

to help with the burn of the stretch, he reached his free hand down and used two fingers to pinch and roll your clit, making you squeeze your eyes shut and clench your teeth at the sudden immense pleasure you were feeling.

it was embarrassing, but you were already so close to reaching your high. you really wanted this feeling to last forever, so you tried to hold it as long as you could.

the noises escaping from you only grew louder the harder he went; the powerful strokes from his hips driving you into the bark of the tree and his fingers plowing deep inside you had you practically screaming.

his lips found your neck and he left wet kisses there, his grains and growls only enhancing your feelings of ecstasy. he sounded like sin, and even though he was an elven boy that you had just stumbled across, you knew you didn’t want him to leave your life. you never wanted to live in a world where you couldn’t hear his moans, and that thought almost terrified you. the effect he was having on you was extremely intense, and you weren’t sure if it was normal, but at this point you were far too gone to care.

“are you gonna cum, kitty?” he strained out, breaking you out of your thought as his hips stuttered against your ass, his fingers still powerfully fucking into you. you could only nod desperately, your throat sore from the guttural sounds you were releasing.

he let out a breathy laugh, causing your walls to flutter around his digits. “then cum. I wanna feel you fucking drench my fingers.”

his words were all it took for you to let go. you screamed as you came, your nails scratching against the tree as your cheek scraped sharply on the bark, most likely drawing blood. your pussy clamped so hard around his fingers that he could barely move them in and out of you, so he drew circles over your clit to help you ride out your orgasm.

his hips pressed tightly against you, and you could feel through your own pants the wet spot on the front of his, indicating that he had cum as well.

after a powerful minute of cumming, you felt your eyes droop in exhaustion almost immediately. jaemin withdrew his fingers from you, wiping your essence on his pants before grouping your waist to keep you from collapsing. you definitely would have fallen if it weren’t for his hold on you.

he gently lowered you to the ground, turning your body so your back was able to rest against the trunk. he wiped at the scratches on your cheek with his thumb, but even though it stung you didn’t have the energy to flinch.

“go to sleep, precious.” he said softly, still stroking your face lovingly. his gentle nature should have set off all of the alarms in your mind and body, but you didn’t have enough energy to care.

in the back of your mind you realized that you probably would never see your cat or your grandmother again, and that you would most likely be trapped in this forest with jaemin for the rest of your days on earth. you didn't want to think about it now, so you took his advice and allowed your eyes to close, dreaming of jaemin and nothing else.

maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

[snaxpo]

i don’t think whatever conspiracy the game’s ending alludes to is the grumpinati per se, not just bc of the discussion abt the fanon surrounding it from a few days ago, but in my opinion i think it’d just be kinda anticlimactic. as zuhn’s said themself, bugsnax is a game where the characters are only ever half-right. having even one of them be 100% correct all along feels almost like too much payoff way too soon, if that makes any sense.

that said, i don’t think discarding the concept entirely is necessary.

imagine you’re stationed at some research outpost off the coast of this island with a couple other folks. there’s like, a worrying amount of lost civilizations there, and that’s weird, right? because even when a civilization collapses on its own, it’s rare that the actual people in it disappear - and the first settlers came long after those people were gone, so it’s not like they were the ones who wiped them out, and the wildlife seems perfectly benign. so what happened?

and then you find out the island is a parasitic colony organism that quiet literally feeds on the emotionally vulnerable.

you make it out just in time after finding out. not all of you, but enough to form some kind of plan. you think the first civilization established, by far the longest-lived, got by just fine giving their old and dying to the island at first, but eventually one of those things must’ve gotten hold of a younger, healthier, more volatile specimen, and the situation spiraled out of control from there. but that’s all an afterthought - what matters is what you’re going to do about it now.

you decide can’t tell anyone about this. sooner or later some idiot would try to make a tourist trap out of the place, not realizing how literal that title was. or maybe they’d try to sell the vermin there as pets, let them infest the outside world until the whole globe was bugsnax. or maybe they’d travel just for the thrill. far too risky.

after much deliberation, you reach a decision: in time, the outpost will be rebuilt. a new team will be sent in. the island seems sated for now, but you’ve seen how it moves - how it blinks and breathes, and how it lurches, as though trying to uproot itself from its fixed point in the ocean. there’s no telling what it’ll do if it gets hungry again and runs out of patience, and you don’t want to find out. so you get to work on setting up a second expedition, years from now.

some people try to quit. you don’t blame them, but there’s no way you can risk letting them go.

nobody comes back from the second expedition. it is a resounding success. you make plans for a third.

decades pass by, then a century, then two. you keep the numbers to a minimum, only sending a group in once reports of seismic activity start coming in again. each one gets a different cover story - a ritzy private yacht charter, a construction site for the next alcatraz, a raffle for a ghost tour. most often, it’s an expedition. you learn how to pick off people that’ll rouse the least suspicion - ones everyone expects to die soon for one reason or another, or ones that won’t be missed. not by anyone important, anyway. if you can get them from all over the globe, even better. there’s billions of people on the planet, and we only ever get 14 at a time, you tell yourself. the population will recover. in time, it will become just another urban legend. speaking of urban legends, they are immensely helpful. you take full advantage of them, use them to create imaginary enemies for any particularly sharp travelers that would cause problems later. you suppose in a way it’s still you, just donning a different mask. it’s always a carefully crafted caricature, meant to serve as a distraction, like a laser pointer. and in your defense, they almost always fall for it.

it gets easier as time goes on. you get more resources, more people willing to join the cause. not a lot of morally upstanding ones, but you’re basically dealing with a modern-day minotaur, so you know fully well that beggars can’t be choosers. it works.

there are arguments, of course. have been ever since the beginning - sending people to the slaughter unawares is unnecessarily cruel, they argue, and if they were really that dedicated to keeping the island satisfied then you should be willing to sacrifice yourself to it. they get shot down every time - maybe because there really is no other way, maybe because you don’t want to die, maybe because you just want to feel like you still have control over something that grew far beyond your grasp long ago. you don’t dwell on it.

sometimes one or two members manage to avoid assimilation. depending on how they react, you either make them disappear or you take them in as your own, let them join the ranks, and make plans to send in the next group a little earlier. you absorb them into yourselves. the similarities are not lost on you.

somehow, you never thought to have a contingency plan for when all of them survive.