#this was actually done because of the HYPE from the last few days

[tinystepsforward]

What do you think the chances are that Mud Pit is gonna be ousted by the people who need Automattic to have good will in the eyes of the community to actually get anything out of this site and wattpad

I know it’s probably low but the fact that he’s acting like a poorer Elon Musk is making my skin crawl and making me hope that a second lawsuit hits the company

ok here's the thing. he is meant to be on sabbatical. automattic gives employees a three-month paid sabbatical every 5 years, so that they can have a break from the product they work on and come back rested and with a new perspective.

matt has never taken one before now. he spent the entire leadup to his sabbatical posting increasingly wild shit in public channels at the company (like the chess thing, or trying to get people to buy a friend's product, or the entire fracas with taking over the wordpress.org twitter account. wordpress.org is an independent non-profit that he is not the ceo of).

i mention this because people were hoping (including me) that he really would actually log off, have a chill time (or, idk, whatever kind of time CEOs who go off the grid bc they got flooded in at burning man like to have), and let the interim CEO get a chance to do a better job. that would help the board make a decision based on data.

he was very clearly spiraling before he even left, and then within the first few days of Company Sanctioned Log Off Time he's pulled multiple Classic Matt things on multiple parts of the company before showing up here. this whole thing is so deeply unfunny but it also is a bit of a tom and jerry or looney tunes bit, where i can only imagine HR or Legal is chasing him around the various accounts/platforms with a comically large inflatable baseball bat and he's just evading them.

he can't do that in person, but he still gets a lot of leeway generally. at the last division meetup (irl meeting for employees, flown from all over the world) he showed up twitchy and exhausted and hyped in a way that was very familiar to me from flatmates who used to steal and snort my adhd medication, then proceeded to drink so much over the course of an evening answering questions from his employees that he had to be firmly babysat off the stage and walked back into the lobby of the hotel to sober up.

i made eye contact with him that night, before he dropped his head back into his hands. two people relatively high up in the company were sitting with him, silently watching him as he struggled to sober up. it wasn't the first drunk shenanigan of his i witnessed at one of these, and this is purely opinion but i have to assume that his current behavior is the result of suddenly having time on his hands to have the world's longest bender and post through it.

back to your question: i do not know if what he's done is enough to get the board to remove him. i wish it didn't have to come to this to hope that they will. but we'll find out.

[eilishalways]

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

all you wanna do is kiss me

summary: billie eilish runs into her crush at the grammys 😻

warnings: a LOTTTT of blushing LMAO

a/n: so billie came out???!!!?? also - part two is out!!

billie was nervous. very nervous. not because she was at the grammy awards, but because you were gonna there. billie had a massive crush on you. since 6 months ago. it was all because of one cheeky insta post you had made. billie remembers freaking out when she saw it, and that’s when she knew. you two had talked to eachother at events before but weren’t actually friends or anything like that. billie was really hoping that something would change tonight.

as she took her seat beside finneas at the table, she half hoped you’d be on the other side of the hall, and half hoped you’d be sat beside her. the second part of her was happy. as you sat down, billie tried to suppress her giddy smile. she quickly noticed though, your perfume. musky and wet - you were wearing eilish no 2. billie freaked out in her head knowing that YOU were wearing HER perfume.

“hey billie!” you said. billie said hello back, and you greeted the rest of the table. “how are you?” you asked billie, a smile forming on your face. billie blushed slightly and replied, “i’m good - kinda nervous though. how about you?” “i’m nervous too. i really hope i win something tonight.” you laughed. last year’s grammys had been a bad one for you - you didn’t win anything. “i’m sure you’re gonna sweep it tonight,” billie reassured you, “your album was fucking amazing. i was listening on repeat for a week after it released.” she laughed, before regretting the oversharing she had done. you seemed eased though, and thanked billie for her support.

a waiter came round with flutes of champagne. you reached one, and billie did the same. you both reached for the same one, before billie removed her hand from your hand and grabbed a different one. you both laughed but you were both left blushing. billie didn’t notice this though.

“i like your dress.” billie said to you, trying to keep the conversation going. you smiled at her and replied “thank you!! i wasn’t sure if i liked it too much, but my stylist insisted. i’m so glad you like it.” billie blushed again at your comment, and became hyper aware of how red she must be at that point. you two continued to talk about your outfits, hair & makeup until a photographer came up to your table looking for photos. everyone at the table smiled for the group photos before the man moved on to taking photos of pairs. he waited to get a picture of you and billie until he was done, and billie tried not to all out scream when you pushed yourself into her arm to get in frame. the man went on to the next table, but you remained on her arm for a few seconds, saying to her “you look really good, by the way.”

billie was about to lose her cool at that point, so she was excused herself to the bathroom. she came back just in time for the awards to start being presented. she hasn’t put anything out that year, so she wasn’t nominated for anything, but she watched as the winners received their awards and made their speeches. the night was nearly finished and the final, biggest award of the night had its nominees announced - album of the year. you were among one of the nominees, alongside some very big names. you didn’t think you had any chance at all, but billie reassured you that everything would be fine.

“and the winner is… y/n l/n - (album name)!” the woman announcing the award said. you screamed in delight, and hugged billie. you slowly made your way up to the stage, accepted the award, and started your speech. you thanked your team, family, friends - all the usual stuff. but then, you thanked billie. you said into the mic “and i wanna say thank you to billie eilish. girl, you’re one of my biggest inspirations. i love you. i wear your perfumes every day! and thank you for being my hype girl tonight!!”, and then you walked off stage and back to your seat. you winked at billie before she blurted out “can i have your number?”

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

You're at Hellfire Club with the worst period pains, the pains have been growing steadily worse all day. Eddie notices and does what he can to help you feel better.

Purely self indulgent because I've had bad pains for the last few days and this was highly therapeutic to write 💞💞

Warnings; none, just fluffy, sweet Eddie 🥺 💞

My requests are open 💞

💌🖤

You looked forward to Hellfire every week. Not okay because it was run by your boyfriend Eddie and it was the first Hellfire since all the shit from Spring Break.

In that time you and Eddie had grown really close and began dating, bonded together by being Upside Down survivors (for Eddie it was a close call) and already friends due to your involvement in Hellfire Club.

Now that Hellfire Club was back in session, Steve had generously offered to play host and Eddie excitedly spent a full week planning the campaign.

"I can't wait to show you what I have planned sweetheart" It's nice to see him so hyped up and you were looking forward to the campaign as much as he was.

Unfortunately, the morning of the campaign you woke up with a major headache, the kind of headache that hurt your eyes, bright lights were the devil and made your head pound even more. You groan at the pain in your stomach and ache that grows steadily worse and makes it impossible to go back to sleep.

Shit, you should have realised that your period was due today, for the last few days you had felt nauseated and that slow build-up of pain in your stomach signalled they were coming.

Despite feeling like shit you power through the day, go to work at Family Video, Eddie joins you on your break which coincides with his break at the auto repair shop he has started working in.

He's a godsend because if you had to listen to one more bratty kid or know it all cinephile you're sure your head might explode.

"You okay princess? You're quieter than usual" Eddie asks and you nod, cuddle into his arms and let the smell of cigarettes and cologne - Eddie's scent, calm you down. He soothingly rubs his hand up and down your back, and presses light kisses into your hair.

"Mmm, just tired. Looking forward to tonight though" the concerned look on Eddie's face turns into unbridled excitement as he teases and hints about the new campaign.

If Eddie knew how bad you were feeling then he might actually cancel tonight and you weren't having that. Hellfire had been anticipating this and Eddie was in his element, so you would just grin and bear it.

💌

Everything was set up and ready to go at Steve's, you were feeling worse than you were earlier. The headache from this morning was back with a vengeance and the cramps were in full swing, you ignore them as best as you can as Eddie begins the D&D session.

Just watching him in his element as DM is incredible, he's so talented at storytelling and has all the participants on the edge of their seats. Even Steve who had no interest in the game was hung on Eddie's every word.

This session was a long one and the cheers and shouts around you were making your headache even worse, it was hard to concentrate on the campaign even though you desperately wanted to.

You're so wrapped up in hiding your pain and trying to cling onto what's happening in the adventure that you don't notice Eddie's eyes stray to you on occasion, worry evident in his big brown eyes.

He's not stupid. He knows when something is wrong with his princess, you're not very talkative and have been clingy today, wanting more cuddles than usual (not that Eddie is complaining about that)

It's all telltale signs that you're upset or coming down with something. Eddie is sure he's done nothing to upset you (one tearful look or pout from you was Eddie's weakness) so it must be the latter option.

He's on the edge of ending the campaign early just so he can take you home and help you feel better, his worry helped by the fact that you keep trying to hide the fact that you're in pain. One hand is gripping the table and he sees the flash of agony on your features.

"The merry band of adventurers found themselves in a cave of wonder. But something evil was with them in this cave, ready to strike at the first opportunity" Eddie's voice deepens as he reaches the finale.

"Will the Wise was the first to sense the change in the air but before he could alert the others a screeching sound filled the cave... and that is the end of the campaign this week" Predictably he's met with the cries of the others.

"That's bullshit dude, utter bullshit" Dustin snaps and he shrugs. "More to look forward to next week Henderson" he ruffles Dustin's hair who grumbles under his breath but nods mulishly.

Eddie makes his way over to you and you give him a small smile, "That wasn't the end of the campaign Eddie" you sigh clearly seeing through his ruse.

"My girl is sick, don't think I haven't noticed you trying to pretend you're fine'' you open your mouth to argue but he's having none of it, "Yeah you are princess and I know that's not true. We're going home and you are going to rest" The fight goes out of you and you agree.

"Okay, I still feel bad about the campaign ending early" he waves off your concern. He cut it down by like five minutes tops and he's not having you feeling guilty about it.

"What's got you feeling so bad baby?" he narrowed his eyes trying to figure out if it was a cold or a stomach bug, was it your time of the month already? He counts the days and frowns when you confirm that it is.

"Bad cramps, headache" you mutter sleepily and he groans, he hates seeing you in pain, and knows your periods have been pretty bad for the last few months.

Luckily Eddie has supplies in his trailer for these occasions. sanitary products, a heated pad, painkillers, chocolate and your favourite movie. Everything to help make you feel better. He guides you to his van and vows to make you feel better.

❤️

It isn't even that long later that you're settled up in Eddie's bed with a heat pad on your stomach, he's made sure you took some pain meds and they've began to take effect.

Eddie's arms wrap around you and you nuzzle into his, his hands soothingly rubbing your stomach, between that at the pain meds you're feeling much better.

Just being in Eddie's arms, the cool metal of his rings was lovely and the light way he massaged your stomach was bliss.

He leaves only for a little while to make mac and cheese and even though you're not really hungry you eat it all and share your favourite chocolate with Eddie for afters.

The best thing about the night is when Eddie picks up his guitar and begins to play your favourite song, even though it's not heavy metal he still spent the time learning how to play it for you.

It begins to lull you to sleep and just as you're almost in a slumber Eddie presses gentle kisses to your hair.

"Sleep well my princess"

💞🖤💌

[mayearies]

SPIDERMAN CLASSIC …. miles morales ⟡

… ꒰ঌ ໒꒱

#MILESMORALES brooklyn’s one and only spiderman!

⟡ genre: fluff | warnings: platonic/romantic pov, implied aged up જ⁀➴ note!: first time actually using miles as a graphic wow also hype up my 1610 fics more damn

the large metal doors shut behind you as the music became muffled. your makeup was nicely done, your dress beautiful, but not for the one it was intended to be seen by.

yup. you got stood up at prom.

he was this guy you liked, you considered a friend. and he stood you up. the grey message from your screen illuminated on your face as you leaned against the alleyway. you were disappointed, yeah. but nothing to cry about. the thing to cry about is how humiliating it was.

you left after a few drinks, you friends toning down your sadness. but it didn’t last long. you just wish-

“hey!”

“wh-?!”

well, this was a surprise. here laid infront of you was the infamous spiderman who saved your city every day. or spiderman 2, most people called him. the only thing different was he was wearing a suit with a bowtie and flowers. and it matched your dress. coincidence? also he was upside down. that’s normal.

“spiderman?”

“yeah! that’s me,” he rubbed the nape of his neck “sorry, is it weird to see me out of character like this?”

“more or less. why are you so dressed up?”

“long story short— i’m finding a prom date last minute.”

that was both true and a lie. the boy behind the mask was finding a prom date last minute, yeah, but it was purposeful in a way. you could have swore he was younger. he sounded like a freshman or sophomore to you.

“um.. yeah. that’s all im really in for. what are you doin’ out here? arent you cold?”

“a little. i got stood up tonight by my date. sucks, huh?”

he nodded like he didn’t know. you didnt hear it from me, but, that was no mistake. he webbed the guy to a nearby alleyway a few blocks down. apparently he had been that pickpocket going around all throughout this week.

a win is a win in miles’ eyes.

“…would you like to be my date? you can say no of course i was just asking-!”

“that.. would be nice. amazing, actually.”

his lenses went wide, taking up most of his mask which was pretty cute. underneath, he could feel his face warming up. and not because he was upside down.

“really?”

“yeah! then i can brag to my friends how i went to prom with spiderman or something, it would be fun.”

“.. would you go with me if you knew who was under this mask?”

“mmm. depends. you seem sweet. my parents say you’re a jerk. you know, that week that rhino destroyed my dad’s car and blamed you? i saw the whole thing so i thought different.”

his face was heating up more, definately not because he wasn’t right side up.

truth was, miles may have been stalking you for a while. he liked you a lot but was too shy to directly confront you, so he watched from the sidelines. found out everything you liked. everything you loved. he just wishes he was a part of that list.

“also, you sound familiar. have we met?”

“what? nonononono- i’ve never seen you in my life!”

“uh huh.”

you did wonder who was underneath, now. you never suspected it would have been someone you knew, but the drastic change in tone once he dropped the fake deep voice made you wonder.

you wanted to pull his mask above his eyes to see if you did know him, but he waved his hands at the point where it reached over his nose. he seemed like a really shy guy, despite him being the hero of brooklyn.

you hummed in contentless, “well, my friends might hear an earful from me about this encounter. and how i’m going to be dancing with the savior of new york. so thanks for that, spidey.”

you gave him a small kiss on the cheek and he froze, fully expecting a kiss on the lips. peter told him about this whole ‘spiderman kiss’ thing and he wanted to try it. its how he won over mj, after all.

even if it didn’t turn out the way he hoped.

“woah..”

“didnt expect that?”

“absolutely not!”

afterwards notes: rewrote this twice also hype this up wtf

©hiimayee loves you !

[bees-bees-fear]

On the topic of "don't pre-order games! Wait until you know it's a finished product!"

Stop playing Early Access titles. Unless it's a "pre-order and play 3 days early" you're not accessing anything early. That's the state of the game in the now. That's what it is. You're paying full price for an unfinished product, with no promise it ever will be finished.

I'm so tired of seeing a new game "come out" and it's not finished, and I have two choices

Wait for it to actually be finished, perhaps over a year from now. Get hype for it. Watch other people have fun playing it. It comes out. I've lost interest in the meantime. It is now an "old" game despite just now coming out. It's old news. It was a flavor of the month last year

Or actually play Early Access. Do all the stuff there is to do. It's not much. Kind of boring. Frustrated that I'm locked out of so much content. Wait a few patch cycles for it to be "really good" and before I decide to come back to it because there's enough new content compared to when I played. That day never comes. The game is released. I only really remember that it was a percentage of being considered fun and it wasn't really that good, and I don't want to replay back through all the progress I've lost. I don't feel like playing on release.

EA is inherently a cash grab. Its either a death knell for a studio desperate to finish a project, or it's outsourced QA that pays the dev. It's not a fun little treat for all our devoted fans who really just want to help out the little guy.

They've turned "gamers don't want us releasing unfinished games" in their favor. They flipped it onto you where you're perfectly excited to be SOLD an unfinished game, on purpose, to your face.

All of this obviously with a grain of salt. BG3 clearly had a full game waiting in the wings you were just locked out of. Likely the same with Hades II right now. But take the time to consider if you're just burning yourself out on a game that you won't be able to come back and enjoy when it's actually done. Consider if it even seems like it will ever be done.

[genericpuff]

Rachel did a live Q&A in the LO Discord server and gave some news about the Animated Series, it’s still happening! (Surprisingly) Any thoughts on that or things you’d like to see from it?

Right, like every other time she's said it's "still happening" with no evidence to actually support it. That's always been the issue and still is.

Sorry, that's not me being snarky at you, I'm more so frustrated and absolutely fucking done with all the empty promises and platitudes.

Best case scenario with what was said during the Q&A was that she said "it's still happening" (worst case was that she didn't address it at all).

Like, how is this:

"I can say that… we are currently doing work on it… and it is going well.. and that it looks really cool and that I wish everyone could see what we’ve done because it looks really really really cool, and it’s happening, but that’s all I can say at this point… I can say, making tv shows takes a really long time, it takes so long" (last night's Q&A)

Any different than this:

Any different than this:

“Um, it’s been really interesting. It’s been educational for me. So, what I—what has been done so far is beautiful. Like, if I could share it, I would. But I can’t. Because it’s very naughty.” - Girl Wonder SDCC (July 2023)

She's been saying this for the last two years since people started getting suspicious it wasn't happening in the first place, and despite all the reassurances that "it's still happening", it doesn't seem to have anything to show for itself. Cast list? Nope. Director? Nope. Writers? Nah. Just a showrunner whose bio still says "TBA" and who, despite having a whole ass 40 minute long interview with Girl Wonder, still didn't have anything to show for what's to come, just more empty promises that it's "still happening" (and a lot of banter about Stephanie's life, rather than her involvement with LO).

In fact, most of what Stephanie talks about in the podcast concerning LO is pitching it, not developing it. And this interview happened just a few months ago. Go listen to it yourself if you don't believe me.

So at this point, I see "it's still happening" as "don't panic" corporate speak for "we're still pitching it and trying to find a network for it so we can actually move onto development." Yes, animation takes a long time, even Hazbin Hotel took about three and a half years to finally release after Prime bought the rights to it in 2020. But LO, again, clearly hasn't even started the animation process yet. And while we're comparing it to Hazbin, note that HH actually had LOADS to show for itself along the way of being developed and did a much, MUCH better job at staying relevant and pulling in new people and hyping it up. Even people who never watched Hazbin before in its indie days on Youtube were hearing about it, it made an active effort to sell itself to new viewers and break out of its bubble on Youtube. Is LO doing that? No, not really. Most of the people who know about it are diehard fans who refuse to read anything that isn't shown directly to them on Webtoons, and diehard haters who are tired of the garbage that gets advertised on Webtoons. Ask anyone who doesn't use Webtoons, and best case, they'll know someone who reads LO, worst case, they won't even know what a webtoon is.

Shit, even the new upcoming Zelda movie has names attached to it, including Avi Arad, Wes Ball, and Derek Connolly. And my god, it's gonna SUCK DICK with that bad of a line-up (the guy who ruined the OG Spiderman trilogy and created Morbius, the guy who directed the Maze Runner films, and one of the leading storywriters behind Rise of Skywalker, fucking YIKES) but hey, at least it has more than one name attached to it.

But okay, if we're gonna play the comparison game, let's be fair and compare LO to some other works in its own lane. Let's Play announced last year that it would be getting an animated adaption, and it already has a studio backing it that is FAR more suited for it than JHC is to LO - OLM, the same studio whose animated for massive franchises like Pokemon, Yo-Kai, and Gudetama. JHC meanwhile has animated... motion capture kid shows like Word Party. Because that's the only kind of animation they actually specialize in when it comes to their in-house services. Sure, they also have Harriet the Spy, but that wasn't animated by them, that was animated by Titmouse Inc (heh sorry).

I'm the Grim Reaper recently had its own animated adaption announced, and who's in charge of it? Oh, only SAM FUCKING RAIMI-

And look, maybe the Let's Play and I'm the Grim Reaper adaptions won't happen either. I just think it's ironic that they both have more to show for themselves in terms of credible names attached to them than what LO has managed to scrape up after five years of promising that it's "still happening" (especially when one of those series is nowhere near as big as LO and the one that WAS as big as LO walked away from Webtoons entirely). For Webtoons' own "worldwide phenomenon", they sure have given LO the shit end of the stick by pairing it with a family-with-kids-under-10 production studio that doesn't specialize in animation and a showrunner who got her start with the Cosmopolitan (weird how LO has so many plugs with Cosmo, huh? Why is JHC producing the show again?)

At the end of the day, nothing's changed. It's still just the ole' "it's still happening" record on a loop, while the comic itself falls further out of favor with people. And it's likely gonna be going behind DailyPass soon, so just think about what that's gonna do to its relevancy after it gets sent away to the equivalent of the Webtoons graveyard.

As I've said countless times before every time this topic comes up, at best, if it is still happening, and I'm wrong about all of this, they are doing the worst job I've ever seen at hyping people up and keeping them informed. It is NOT a good thing that people have to keep asking Rachel if it's still happening.

As for worst case... you wanna know what other projects come to my mind that have fallen into the same state of development hell and decay as LO's TV show? YandereSim and Cryamore. What do you think the popular opinion is about those works and their creators now? Because if you don't know either of those names and are about to google them, let me give you a heads up warning - it's not positive.

If it happens, it happens. It will hopefully be before I get all the therapy I need to undo what LO has done to my brain so that I don't have to make repeat visits LOL But if it's after, hey, maybe the show will be good! Assuming Rachel doesn't, y'know, E.L. James the whole thing. Because frankly, the show will need to cut and rework a LOT of stuff to be any good IMO and I don't think that will be possible if Rachel gets directly involved. But I'm not even hoping for that scenario because there's literally NOTHING to give me that hope, "it's still happening" is nothing more than "don't panic" corporate speak to me at this point. It's cynical, but I just can't waste my energy caring about it anymore.

[batbabydamian]

The new writer for nightwing (Dan watters) wrote a Damian-centric backup story in tec (multiple even, I think?) do we think it's too early to hope that the best duo may return to us sometime in the future? Also any hopes for the upcoming B&R arc by PJK? I have a few, mainly Maya sticking around for longer but also. The solicit opening on how Damian is the same age Bruce was when Bruce traveled the world makes me nervous. Please don't take Damian out of Gotham unless you have another book to put him in and I cant live in a Damian drought rn

ALWAYS HOLD HOPE FOR DUO INTERACTIONS!! a lot of Watter’s backups seem to be assigned to him, SO if he specifically chose to write Damian for that one backup then all the more fingers i am crossing 😭🤞 also funny enough in the Gotham City Villains book where PKJ wrote a Ra’s story, Watters has a story in it featuring Damian! seems promising that he enjoys his character enough 🤞🤞

PHEWWW...hopes for B&R… it’s oddly poetic that the first arc of Tomasi’s run featured a villain from Bruce’s world traveling days, and now we’re teased with that journey in relation to Damian. if this is really going down a self discovery sort of arc, i’m hoping for more exploration of Damian’s character outside vigilantism - like, Williamson having Damian develop his art in a “manga style” was such a good touch. art and storytelling (history, fairytales, his own father lol, etc) have been consistent details in Damian’s stories, so for him to really take them as his own by MAKING COMICS is so self indulgent of him!! it makes me so giddy it’s such a sweet piece of development 😭 SORRY FOR THE TANGENT but yeah more of Damian making choices for himself and his future!! he’s capable of doing so many things!! “a different way to help the world” has repeated in my brain so many times. i’m so curious. the main bit being about HELPING AHH Damian is so good…but also WHAT DO YOU MEAN...

i'd love for Talia (and Ra’s? whenever he’s done being a ghost ig?) to have a more meaningful role in this time of Damian’s growth!! orz speaking of Ra’s, NIKA?? icb we’re still in the dark with that but i’d like to at least have backups to continue her story with Ra's because that combo sounds so fun. is Ra's stuck to haunting his grandson's gf?? is Nika exposing him to kpop?? many questions

on the vigilante side, i need this villain and mystery to get me so hyped… i was excited for Damian to have another rogue to add to his list but Williamson dropped the ball on both Shush and especially Mistress Harsh 😭 ok didn’t mean for this to turn into criticism, at least his last arc has been giving something to gnaw on but YES i need to feel the stakes!! the INTRIGUE!!

smaller hopes would be more of Damian’s quips!! and HIS PETS. if they’re really moving in to Pennyworth Manor, they must have room for a dog, cat, and cow again!! and Goliath should continue to be a free spirit outside lol but still at Damian's side when he needs him :’)

Maya staying past Williamson's run is a big one that i'm wary of hoping for based on the "whole new arc/great jumping in point" marketing going on, BUT if she manages to make it, BIG WIN!! 😭 i like to think we’re safe from a Damian drought for a while considering the consistent greenlight on projects he’s in!! if DC actually ends B&R with this arc because Damian goes on another self discovery journey i can only hope he gets another solo or we all suffer together LOL

would love to hear your further thoughts on the upcoming arc as well!! :]

[otakusheep15]

Obey Me Flufftober Day 31

Prompt: Haunted House

Pairing: all (separate) x reader (gender neutral) (platonic Luke)

Word count: 3,321

A/n: You guys voted, and surprise 3 won, meaning I get to write about everyone in a haunted house! I still don't know how I managed to make it through yet another October, but I'm very proud of the work I've done this month. As a reminder, my inbox is almost always open if anyone wants to send in a request. My fandom list is on my pinned post, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to ask!

Lucifer

He is not scared in the slightest, and it's actually very funny to watch. Like, the scare actors try so hard to get him to jump, and it does not work at all.

Lucifer is definitely the type to critique the design of the house. He'll talk about how a decoration is inaccurate or a prop is out of place. Truly a menace indeed.

I feel like he would be so into grilling the details of the house that it would be easy to scare him in this moment. None of the scare actors get him, but if you or one of his brothers sneaks up on him, he will jump. Then he'll deny it ever happened of course.

His main priority is watching over you. If you're scared of haunted houses or if you're just jumpy in general, he'll hide you behind him and threaten any actors who try to scare you. If you're not scared, he still keeps a close eye on you as you run around with the others, though he's a little less protective since you can handle yourself.

None of the scare actors particularly like him because of how he is in the house, but at least he's not as chaotic as his brothers, so he gets a minute pass.

Mammon

Scared, horrified, running away from literally everything.

Poor Mammon would not last two second in a haunted house. He'd be so cocky beforehand, bragging about how brave and cool he is, and then immediately gets scared by a creaky door or something.

Scare actors love him because of how easily frightened he is. Mammon practically jumps ten feet in the air anytime someone jumpscares him.

However, Mammon does have quick reflexes, so he might accidentally punch an actor in the face and get banned for life, so make sure he avoids that.

Regardless of how brave you are in this situation, Mammon is clinging to you for dear life. If you're also a scardy-cat like him, then the two of you cower behind Lucifer the whole time to avoid the jumpscares. If you're braver than him, he'll pretend to be your knight in shining armor to impress you, immediately gets scared, and hides behind you for the rest of the night.

Once getting out, he'll deny ever being scared, but Levi got everything on tape, so no amount of denying will erase it.

Leviathan

You'd think he'd be scared, you you'd be so wrong. This kind of thing is like a paradise to Levi.

He loves all things horror, so haunted houses are definitely his jam. Yeah, he does get jumpscared easily, but that's all part of the fun to him. He loves it when the scare actors manage to get him, and he'll compliment them on how well they're doing before moving on.

If he's allowed to record, you best believe he is vlogging every last detail. Levi def has a Deviltube channel, and he will post the entire thing, including everyone else getting scared.

Levi will absolutely cling to your side the entire time. If you're scared by haunted houses, he might make fun of you a bit for being a normie, but he doesn't mean anything by it. This might actually be one of the few times you'll ever see confident Levi. He'll walk in front of you and tell you when he thinks a scare might come up, as he's pretty good at predicting those sorts of things. If you're also a lover of haunted houses, the two of you are having so much fun. You're so hyped up, running around and trying to find all of the hidden details and scare actors.

Levi's probably one of the best to go to a haunted house with, as he's one of the few who actually understands proper haunted house etiquette, plus he's one of the few who actually enjoys this kind of thing.

Satan

Do not, and I repeat, do not take him to a haunted house ever. It will end in disaster for everyone.

Satan hates being jumpscared. As much as he hates to admit it, he is surprisingly jumpy, so him and haunted houses do not mix. When he gets scared, he gets mad, and Satan mad is never good. He will go on an absolute tear and destroy the whole haunted house.

But, let's assume he wouldn't do such a thing. As long as he doesn't get scared, Satan is pretty good company for a haunted house. He likes exploring all of the different rooms and looking for any hidden details.

If you really wanna have fun, you should take him to a haunted escape room instead. That way, he can focus more on the puzzles and the problem solving and less on the scares.

Satan is also good company if you're afraid of haunted houses. He'll protect you from anything scary, and if he senses a scare is about to happen, he'll hide you so you don't have to see it. However, if you enjoy haunted houses, Satan is content to let you do your own thing while he stays a bit behind. If you're with a group, he prefers to stay in the back and hang out there, but if it's just the two of you, he'll walk behind you while you lead the charge.

Asmodeus

He has a love-hate relationship with haunted houses. On the one hand, Asmo hates being scared. He does not like scary movies, books, games, or any other work of horror. On the other hand, he can appreciate the time and effort put into haunted houses, especially when it comes to wardrobe and makeup. While it may not be his personal style, he loves all of the little details inthe scare actors' costumes and makeup, and will compliment them.

He's another one to vlog his haunted house experience if he's allowed to. Honestly, even if he weren't allowed, he probably would anyway, resulting in him getting kicked out. Playing the influencer card would not help him here.

Asmo does jump easily, but he is also good at recovering quickly in order to save face, so even if he is scared, you barely notice before he's back to his usual self.

If you're jumpy like him, the two of you will hide together. this is especially true when you're in a group because you will be hiding in the middle like a protective shield. If you like haunted houses, Asmo will ramp up the drama and make you into his knight and shining armor. He'll pretend to faint so that you'll catch him, he'll cling to your arm, etc. etc. It's actually quite cute as long as it's something you enjoy as well.

Beelzebub

He's actually a lot of fun in a haunted house. I imagine that a lot of the scare actors would actually be afraid of him considering how intimidated he looks and how he keeps commenting about how edible some of the scenery looks.

Beel is kinda bored since he's hard to scare, but he still enjoys walking around. As long as he has something to snack on, he's good with being in a haunted house for a bit.

If you're going with a group, Beel will kinda become the leader by default since he's big enough to be a shield for some of the jumpers like Mammon and Asmo. If it's just the two of you, he'll stick by you and will hold your hand if you'd like him to.

If you're someone who is easily frightened, he'll protect you. You can stand behind him and cling to his shirt while he guides you through the house. Beel will most likely glare at actors who scare you, but he knows that it's their job, so he doesn't do much more than that.

Conversely, if you're someone who likes haunted houses, he's more than happy to let you lead the way. Watching you get all excited whenever a jumpscare happens makes him smile, and he loves seeing you so happy.

Belphegor

This demon thrives in haunted houses. They are actually his natural habitat, but you didn't hear that from me.

Belphie is also an absolute menace. Scare actors hate him because he makes it his mission to scare them first. He's been kicked out of several haunted houses because of this, but he just keeps going back anyways.

When he's with a group, he'll usually stick towards the back, or he'll have someone carry him so that he can sleep. When he's just with you, he'll either drag along behind you if he's tired, or lead you if he's more awake and interested.

If you're not fond of haunted houses or if you're more jumpy, he'll stay in front of you, but not much more than that. He still laughs when you get scared, but he'll hold your hand for the rest of the way and comfort you when you get outside. He'd apologize for laughing, but he'd do it again the next time anyways. Not out of malice though; that's just how he is.

If you're a fan of haunted houses, you and Belphie have a blast. Just makes sure you keep him from getting kicked out again. You two run around and explore and have the best time. Like Satan, he'd also enjoy a haunted house themed escape room. The three of you hanging out and doing an escape room is the idea hangout.

Diavolo

Absolutely obsessed with haunted houses. Like, this man is having the most fun you've ever seen. He's like a child experiencing his first haunted house, and it's adorable. It's also most likely accurate, as he doesn't get out much and probably hasn't actually experienced one before.

Dia is a major extravert, so he's very good when in a group. He's not very jumpy, and actually laughs when the actors try to scare him, so he's good for leading the charge and protecting everyone else. If it's just the two of you, Diavolo will make sure you're having the most fun you possibly can.

If you dislike haunted houses, Diavolo will make sure you're safe at all times. He'll hide you behind him and keep you away from all possible jumpscares. It's nice to see him so protective, but it's also intimidating to the scare actors, as the last thing they want is to accidentally upset this man or his partner.

If you like haunted houses, then he'll be so excited. He's dragging you around to any and all haunted houses he can find and he's having the time of his life with you. Watching you have fun is also fun for him.

Barbatos

Chaos. Absolute chaos. One scare actor tries to jumpscare him and suddenly they can no longer be found. he denies everything of course, but you know.

Barbatos hates being scared. Can he sense a scare coming from a mile away? Yes. Does he still somehow get scared anyway? Also yes. He actually hates haunted houses, but he'll never let anyone know. He's super good at hiding it, and by hiding it, I mean hiding the bodies of the scare actors he accidentally kills when they scare him just a bit too much.

If you don't like haunted houses, then that's perfect for him. Instead, he'll gladly stand outside with you while your group goes inside. He's definitely the themepark mom who stands outside of all the attractions and holds the bags for everyone, and that's especially true here. please stand outside with him and keep him company. He's actually very embarrassed about it, even if he won't show it.

If you want to go into the haunted house, he'll begrudgingly agree as well. He stays quiet, and you'll never know how scared he is. Like I said, he's great at keeping his fear hidden, and he's also good at predicting jumpscares, but it's one thing to predict a scare and another to be prepared for it.

Please show him some mercy and just let him stay outside. He needs a break, plus it would keep the poor scare actors alive as well, so it's a win-win for everyone.

Simeon

The confused but happy-to-be-there grandpa. He's having a good time, but he doesn't really understand the point of a haunted house. When he gets scared, he jumps then laughs it off and talks about how good the actor got him, and it's actually very cute.

Haunted houses aren't much his scene, but he doesn't mind them. Simeon isn't very jumpy, but he does get scared on occasion if it's a particularly good one. He's also the type to pretend to be scared because he'd feel bad. It's the actor's job after all, so he wants them to succeed. It's actually very adorable.

If you dislike haunted houses, he understands and would gladly stand outside with you if you need. However, if you go in anyways, he'd let you hide behind him. Simeon is a bit chaotic, so he might try to scare you himself, but not too bad. Plus, he'd protect you from the actual scares, so it's not too bad.

If you enjoy haunted houses, Simeon is more than happy to stay behind you while you lead the way. He's not scared, but he'd much rather you take the brunt of the jumpscares so that he can simply enjoy his time with you.

Luke

He tries so hard to be brave, and it does not work at all. Luke would refuse to go in without Simeon with him, and he'd cling to him the entire time. He would also stay with you because he trusts you to keep him safe.

Please keep him away from the brothers. They will make it their mission to scare poor Luke, so keep an eye on them just in case. Also make sure Luke stays somewhere in the middle of the group so that he can avoid as many jumpscares as possible.

Like I said, Luke would try so hard to put on a brave face. He'd march in all tough-looking and would immediately get scared by the opening scare.

Ideally, he would just hang out outside with Barbatos and Simeon, but he'd go in for you. He wants to look tough for you if no one else because he looks up to you so much. This is especially true if you're scared as well, as he wants you to feel like he can protect you as your guardian angel.

However, if you're not scared, he will hide behind you. He tries to convince you he's not scared and that he's just protecting your back, but you both know the truth. Just take pity on him and hype him up so that he gains some confidence.

Solomon

Another menace. He's casting small spells here and there to create extra scares that never existed. He's out here scaring the scare actors because no one knows how that prop got there, meanwhile he's just goofing off. His main targets are Asmo and Barbs since they're his pactmates, but he's an equal opportunist menace, and he will go after anyone.

You're not safe either. You thought that because he loves you that you would be safe, but you're so wrong. He actively targets you more because he loves you. Nothing too major of course, but he is a prankster by nature, and this is no exception. He's out here scaring you more than the actors.

If you're genuinely scared, he won't add onto that too much. Maybe on little prank here and there, but just to make you laugh rather than to scare you.

However, if you enjoy being scared, he is not holding back. Solomon will go all out, and at this point, he's going to put the scare actors out of a job. It's silly, but please tell him to tone it down before he gets banned. Not that he'll care, but still.

Thirteen

Yet another menace. However, she's a nice menace. Thirteen is the type to force someone else to be at the front so that they get the brunt of the scares. She will also fight with Solomon the entire time, but that's how she usually is anyways.

Thirteen isn't jumpy at all, so none of the scares get her. However, she'll sometimes pretend to be scared because she thinks it's fun for her. She also likes to scare the actors back, so she's also one who'll get kicked out of haunted houses for messing with them.

She will bully Mammon for being scared and actively make sure he's even more scared with her own tricks. It's a little mean, but it is also very funny, and the video Levi gets is golden.

If you're easily scared, she will tone it down a bit for your sake. Unlike Solomon, she won't try to scare you at all, instead focusing more on making sure you're okay. If needed, she will stay outside with you, even if she really wants to go inside. She'd do anything to make you comfortable, even at the sacrifice of her own enjoyment.

However, if you're like her, you two will probably get arrested. She will drag you into so many pranks, and it's so much fun. Just make sure you stay away from Lucifer and Barbatos lest they punish you. Also, like I said, you might get arrested or kicked out, but she doesn't care.

Mephistopheles

Surprisingly not scared that much. He might jump a bit, but it's barely a reaction at all. He's actually so bland it's sad. Like, he doesn't get into chaos, but he also isn't jumpy. Mephisto kinda just exists within the group. The most he'll do is make fun of the ones who do get scared, which might end up in a fight, but that's it.

He wouldn't mind hanging out outside with Barbatos, but he'd prefer being inside to stay with Diavolo (simp).

If you were scared, he'd stay by you and let you hold his arm. He hides you when he senses a scare coming on, and if anyone bullies you, he will fight them. It's a sweet gesture, but the extra yelling doesn't help.

If you enjoy being in the house, he's fine letting you go off on your own. He'll look after you from afar, but he won't bother you too much so that you can have your own fun. He'd join you if you want him to, but if not, he'd rather hang back and just enjoy walking through the house.

Raphael

Stoic. Calm. Not scared at all. It's actually the scariest part of this adventure. Like, he shows zero emotion when in the haunted house. No one knows how, but they fear him greatly.

He'd probably prefer to be one of the ones to stay out of the house and hang out at the entrance, but if you want him to go, he will.

He tries his best to keep the group in line, but he fails miserably. It's just him, Lucifer, and Barbatos suffering in silence while the group causes chaos around them.

If you're afraid, he'd gladly stay outside with you. He'd hang out and wait for the group with you and that would make him so happy. However, if you did go in, Raphael is your best protector. He keeps you away from any and all jumpscares and will not let you out of his sight until it's over.

If you're not scared, he'd still go in with you, but he'd be less protective. He would be fine letting you go off and have fun, but he'd still keep an eye on you just to make sure you're staying out of trouble. If he senses you causing chaos, he will step in and tell you to calm down, but he still wants you to have fun, so he tries his best to be lenient.

[futbol16]

You Can Smile?  • Ona Batlle

I’ve really enjoyed writing this so I hope you like it too!

Request:  If you can, maybe a Ona x Reader. Reader is known as someone who is brutal on and off the pitch. This is due to rumors spread around by an ex. Maybe Reader has a few scars on her face and that makes her intimidating because that adds to a few factors like her height and athletic build. But in reality she is a big softy and Ona sees that when she sees R helping a fan after almost being crushed. After witnessing that encounter she observes R for the next few days and sees that R is actually a gentlewoman, holding doors, pulling out chairs, reaching things for people and packing training stuff away. Ona and Reader share a room after being moved around and slowly they get closer. Maybe in a game Ona gets tackled(badly) R gets angry and is just a powerhouse for the rest of the game. Maybe it ends with R being soft towards Ona in front of everyone in the locker room and carrying her to their own room and just hugging her(spooning) in bed with a confession and Ona having to ask R out on a date because R is too shy and can't get the words out. 🤷‍♀️ sorry for rambling. I just love your Ona fics!(:

Word count: 3,9k

Your transfer has been one of the biggest signings of the summer, Chelsea’s star midfielder who hasn’t renewed her contract and a bunch of European clubs wanting her. Everyone expected you to follow your national teammate, Georgia to Germany, but to the fan’s surprise, you chose Manchester. Although many hoped you’d stay true to your colors with the blue jersey, Man United’s welcome post made it clear you were now one of the reds. While some thought you made the wrong decision and should have stayed at Chelsea, the United fans and team welcomed you with open arms and you happily reunited England’s infamous trio. 

Alessia and Ella couldn’t have been more excited about the prospect of having you on their team and soon the rest of the girls were hyped about your arrival too. The two practically jumped on top of you on your first training session and though the pair of them told the rest of the team the rumors about you were false, they were still unconvinced.

You intrigued Ona, the second she saw you Ona knew she wanted to get to know you. However, that was easier said than done. Your departure from Chelsea was for many reasons, all minor in your opinion, but your relationship ending had been the last straw for you and you left your childhood club. The rumors your ex had spread, the not so subtle hinting at your short temper and unapproachable demeanor left your teammates and the Spaniard to believe that you were going to be cold and stoic. 

It was their first impression of you, even after you’ve been introduced to them and have been their teammate for weeks they still only saw that side of you, the rumored side.

Ona watched as you got handed a ball upon entering the pitch and you made your way over to Ella while kicking at the ball. She let her eyes roam over your body. Staring at your face and she let her gaze linger on the scar just below your right eyebrow, there was a similar one next to your chin on the curve of your jaw. It made your already impassive expression look even scarier.

“What’s up soldier?” Tooney’s voice breaks her out of her trance and Ona watches as you nod at the brunette in greeting before passing the ball to her. Again, she was lost as she observed you skillfully control the ball as you warmed up with Ella. Sooner than expected, she’s sent to line up as the game is about to start. 

You’re proud to say it only took you three matches to make the starting eleven and though you don’t show it with a smile, you make sure to give it your all during the game as a thank you to the fans supporting your team in the stands.

Another reason the United team thinks you’re cold is because of your playing style. You were not one to mess with, that’s it and everyone you ever faced knew this. You were brutal during matches, not afraid to get carded as you fought for the badge over your heart and cockily rubbing it into the opponent’s face when you scored. It was a sight to see, the passion you had for the game was one that many admired, Ona being one of them.

 She wouldn’t admit to watching you more than paying attention at practice though. 

Still, your chemistry with the team is undeniable. It’s as if you’ve been playing with them since day 1 and Manchester United seem like an unbeatable team now. 

Yet another ball passes the keeper’s gloves and you show off your signature celebration, no hint of a smile on your face as you silence the crowd.

“YES SOLDIER, YES!” Tooney’s shout is one that almost deafens you but Ona grins at the way your lips twitch upwards. It’s been months since your signing, yet she still wasn’t over just how good you were. You fit in perfectly and it made her even more motivated to not let the opponents close to goal. Truly, your team was one to fear.

Manchester derby is a game that everyone looks forward to, the blues against the reds, City against United. The rivalry is huge, the talent is there but what matters is the score line after those 90’ minutes.

Both teams come in strong but the Red Devils know the outcome of the match by half-time.

Mary is set on having a clean sheet, Ona and Millie are stopping players advancing any chance they get and Alessia, Ella and yourself are linking up in the best way possible up front. 

The crowd is wild at the close to sold out stadium when Man United win 3-1 and for the first time ever you flash a smile to the people, many of them screaming louder than before. 

Both teams decide to make their rounds around the stadium thanking their fans and you pair off with Maya and Ona as you sign autographs.

Ona’s struggling to sign a shirt and you move over to help her, stretching out the material to make it easier to write. She doesn’t know why but her cheeks are burning at the close proximity and she hides a smile.

“Thank you” she mutters out and you unknowingly smile down at her, a tiny smile but nonetheless an incredibly rare sight.

“OH MY GOD, SHE JUST SMILED!”

“Y/N! Y/N!” shouts of your name have you looking up, the smile gone from your face and Ona glances up at you as you straighten up. 

She takes notice of the furrow of your eyebrows and the way your eyes jump around the mass of people as if trying to spot someone. With a gentle hand on her shoulder, almost as if excusing yourself, you step aside and closer to the people. The Spaniard watches on curiously as you’re enveloped by too many people to count. 

“Aye! Back up a bit, will ya?” your strong voice rings out and you step up to the railing as you reach down on the other side. They don’t all listen though and you’re forced to nudge the people away. “Watch out!”

The short brunette has now walked over to you and her eyes widen as you pull a child out of the crowd, a little boy who looks close to tears. A harsh glare is sent to the man behind the kid who realizes his mistake of almost crushing the boy against the railing but before he could apologize you’ve already turned your attention back to the boy.

Ona peers over your shoulder, as much as she can and she listens to how your voice suddenly comes out in a soft, comforting tone. It even has her feeling at ease as you talk to the boy, making sure he’s okay.

“You wanna come with me buddy?” He looks to be around 8 years old but he enthusiastically nods at your words and you quickly check with his parents before placing him in your neck. Ona lets out a giggle as the boy jumps up and down as you carry him around and you turn to her at the sound of the sweet voice. 

“Your face is the same shade of red as your shirt” Millie snorts from next to her and Ona jumps at the sound.

“What do you mean?” she questions even though she knows the answer. Millie laughs at her fake confusion.

“I mean you’ve got the hots for soldier over there.” the blonde points after you and Ona slaps her hand away making sure no one saw. The defender raises an amused eyebrow at the action. “Just talk to her, she can’t be that scary. That kid seems to be having a whole lotta fun with her, so you know, maybe try” she shrugs.

“What? You want me to get on her shoulders?” Ona is beyond confused now and concerned for her friend who doubles over in laughter.

“Sure, if that’s like a kink of yours” Millie continues laughing on the ground as Ona only stares at her blankly, searching for the term of the unknown word but her eyes once again find your form and the dreamy look is back on her face.

She’s never seen you be so soft, so different from what the team was warned you’d be like. It wasn’t necessarily that they all believed the rumors spread about you, but they’ve truly only ever seen the ruthless and intimidating Y/N on the pitch and they didn’t know what you were like off it. The hurtful jabs at you from your ex at Chelsea didn’t help your case either, but this unexpected act of kindness and protectiveness from you had Ona shining a light on you. 

It opened her eyes and throughout the next few days she observed your behavior with the team.

She took notice of the way you’d make sure to greet every staff member in sight when arriving at the training grounds and how you would often help them carry equipment out for training and then stay after to clean up as you shared small talk with the coaching and assistant staff. Unlike any other time, you gave them genuine smiles, though still little, they were there nevertheless and she knew they were grateful for your help. 

She even noticed the lack of trouble Alessia now had with keeping herself upright. The English woman was known for her clumsiness and tripping over everything, mostly her own legs though. Since you’ve arrived the number of times she’d end up on the ground decreased and Ona is sure the blonde could only thank you for that. It was at one of the team lunches that she spotted your foot inching closer to the leg of Alessia’s chair before pushing it closer to the blonde who was standing. If it weren’t for you she would’ve missed her seat by a mile trying to sit back down.

All these little things had Ona realizing that you were far from what the rumors said about you, those rumors were indeed just rumors and totally wrong. 

She was now eager to properly get to know you and get closer to you.

It seems like God heard her wishes, or maybe it was just Marc because the next away game Manchester has the two of you get roomed together. 

“You can have the bed by the window if you want?” you look at the defender asking the question and you raise an eyebrow remembering that she liked to be closer to the window.

“Why? Don’t you want it?” she shrugs at you.

“Maybe, but if you want it then you can have it” you know your façade is breaking when you almost smile but you stick to jokingly rolling your eyes.

“Ona, you can have it, I’m good with the other one.” Even though the other bed looked to be a bit too close to the wall, no doubt whoever would be sleeping on it wouldn’t get much sleep with the way things were positioned, but you still thought it was a silly thing to be discussing. You’d much rather have Ona well rested and happy.

“Gracias” the Spanish slips out and she gives you a sheepish look, her cheeks pink.

The pair of you unknowingly form a routine the first few days before the friendly against Birkirkara. You get ready for the day together, pulling clothes on while making conversation, Ona waiting for you after practices, sometimes joining you and the staff in packing away and in the evening after a long day with the team you shower before her, ending the day with late night conversations. 

It made you wonder why you only just befriended the short defender, but you’re happy you’ve finally had the courage to talk to her. It wasn’t a very well known fact, probably only your England teammates knew about just how shy you could be, especially around pretty women.

The fourth day of the week soon arrives and your team is delighted by the number of fans supporting them despite the match being held far from England. Manchester United bring their best selves and by half-time the reds are up 6-0, yourself scoring a massive goal with a rabona kick. The game is one all of you enjoy and you fight off a smile when Ona gets another assist, and the team another goal. 

However, in the 84’th minute a rather mistimed tackle involving your favorite defender ends with her staying on the ground. You’re quick to get to her and with a gentle hand on her side you search for her gaze.

“You okay Ona?” she gives you a weak nod as she holds onto her thigh and as one of the medics gets to the two of you, you’re informed she strained her quad and would need to get subbed off. When the brunette attempts to limp off on her own you chase after her and allow her to lean most of her weight on you. One of her hands lands on your stomach and Ona stumbles over her feet as she feels your muscles flex under her palm. Her eyes widen as they stare at your jersey clad front and she tries to play it cool once she realizes she is caught staring. 

It isn’t only Millie and Vilde smirking at her, but also Maya, Ella and surprisingly yourself too. Though just before she could open her mouth to stutter out an excuse the two of you reach the sidelines and you leave her there with the medic, only after you’ve given her shoulder a quick squeeze. 

For the remaining six minutes of the match and added injury time Ona watches in amazement as you transform into a damn tank, practically bulldozing over the other team as you try to create as many chances as humanly possible. 3 more goals later the game ends in a 12-0 victory for the Red Devils and Marc is jumping up and down in ecstasy as he grabs you and Alessia in a bone crushing hug before he moves onto the rest of the girls. 

Your eyes are already set on Ona but just as you are about to make your way over a small hand tugs at your arm. You look down curiously at the Maltese mascot, giving her a gentle look when she smiles at you shyly.

“I can have your shirt?” you have to lean down to her level to hear her request muttered in broken English, but you nod at her, flashing her a big smile. She squeals in excitement, lips splitting in a wide grin as you pull your shirt off and hand it to her. She pushes a marker into your hand, yourself laughing at her enthusiasm as you sign the shirt and you send her on her way with a ruffle of her hair.

The smile stays on your face as you get to Ona and Ella doesn’t waste a second to comment on it. 

“Miss tough is showing happiness? Would you look at that” her teasing isn’t meant to be offensive, but you drop the smile in a way that has her baking away with raised hands. She buys your joke as she leaps onto Alessia and commands the blonde to escort her to the changing rooms. Finally, you reach the girl and check up on her.

“How is your leg?” Ona is completely deaf to anything you say as her eyes roam over your upper body, taking in your athletic build. Her stare lingers on your full shoulders and biceps, her mouth watering and she chokes on her saliva once she spots your abs. There’s an amused glint in your eyes and you glance back at Millie in question, but she’s doubled over and laughing loudly at the brunette in front of you. You shrug at their behaviors and instead bring Ona closer to you as you help her walk to the changing rooms. 

The Spanish girl’s whole body heats up as you help her out and eventually carry her to your shared room once you get to the hotel. She clings onto your shoulders with a tight grip that has you wondering if Lucia was right and Ona really is aroused by your muscular body. 

Much like the past few nights your routine is the same but as Ona hops out of the bathroom and gets under the sheets with a bit of struggle she turns to you expectantly.

“What?” you ask and she raises her head from her pillow.

“I wanna talk to you” she says like it’s the most obvious thing.

“I thought you would be too tired to talk” there’s a silly smile on her lips, one that has you swooning as she invites you to her bed.

“To you? Never” it is no secret that the two of you have become extremely close during the past week, the pair of you glued to each other's side, a rather unexpected friendship and you hope the defender hasn’t yet noticed your less than platonic feelings for her.

She shuffles over in the bed and pats the space next to her, urging you to climb under the blanket. Once you settle by her side you take a moment to just look at her. The soft glow of the lights from the street give her already beautiful face an even more angelic look and you melt under the warmth of her own gaze on you.

“Why do they call you soldier?” she breaks the silence, genuine confusion lacing her voice and you stifle a laugh.

“It’s my last name, the name on the back of my shirt.” you clarify and Ona hides her face in embarrassment as you laugh at her. “It’s Saldjer but it is pronounced soldier.” 

“It fits you.” she nods towards you and though she can’t see the massive grin on your face she can hear it in your voice. You’ve found yourself smiling a lot more in her presence and you got tired of trying to hide it, she made you feel giddy and you couldn’t help it.

“Yeah, so I’ve been told.” she thinks for a second, another second where you allow your eyes to wander over her freckle littered face.

“That doesn’t sound English though, I mean the spelling.” she points out, hoping to learn another interesting thing about you.

“It’s the Serbian way of spelling, at least that’s what my dad said.” 

“You’re half Serbian?” her ears perk up and you hum at her question, though soon she has trouble keeping her eyes open, the game from earlier and the scare of an injury taking its toll on her.

“Go to sleep, Onita, yeah?” just as you’re about to get up from her bed a hand reaches out to grasp your shirt, keeping you from standing up.

“Stay, Y/N, please” there’s no way you could say no to her, especially not with the way she says your name in that sleepy smooth voice of hers and you find yourself curling up by her side as you pull the blanket over the two of you.

 You listen to her breathing until once again her hand reaches behind her as she finds your arm she pulls it around herself, effectively forcing you to spoon her. Not to misunderstand the situation, you are not complaining one bit but you’re afraid she can feel your heart beating out of your chest that’s pressed to her back. You hope she’s already asleep. Ona smiles to herself.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” your breath is caught in your throat as you think of how to answer her and you consider just waiting for her to fall asleep, she couldn’t be far from it. 

“Y/N?” she turns to you, suddenly the tiredness is gone from her body and you go to pull your arm away that still lays over her side but she grabs it, keeping it in place before you could do so.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” you squeak out, cursing yourself for being so nervous. 

“Are you sure?” the teasing is clear in her voice, but she means no harm.

“Yes, Ona, like it’s like always like this” you rush out trying to convince her, your breath hitching when she slides a hand up your arm and squeezes at your bicep. “For example today during the game- wait that’s a stupid example- then on the bus -” a soft giggle cuts your sentence short and you exhale in embarrassment.

“You’re telling me your heart is always like this?” her palm is now laying flat on your chest, right above your heart and her eyes soften at the rapid beating. You really do care for her and it has her feeling butterflies in her stomach. 

“Mhm, like always” you quickly nod, only stopping the movement when Ona’s hand cups your cheek, her finger running over the small scar next to your chin, right on the curve of your jaw. You instinctively lean into the warm touch, your eyes fluttering closed for a second.

“So it’s not because of me?” the defender has no idea as to where her confidence is coming from but the adoring look in your eyes assure her of what she’s thinking.

“I-um..I-” you clench your jaw at your stuttering. You haven’t been like this in years, the last time was when asking out your ex and you definitely weren’t doing that right now so what was your problem. Ona’s thumb rubs gentle circles into the skin of your cheek and you release the breath you’ve been holding.

“Relax Y/N, there’s no reason for you to be nervous around me, I feel the same” your eyes widen comically and you’re about to deny the accusation but you’re too far gone. 

“Can I like- on a date? Ask you with me?” the words come out all jumbled and Ona giggles at your flustered state, this time you laugh with her feeling less embarrassed about the situation knowing that she feels the same.

“Let me try” she pokes at your shoulder in a teasing manner and you know you’ve got nothing to hide from Ona, this is the same girl you’ve spent quietly sharing your thoughts with every night before going to sleep this week, you don’t need to be scared of her reaction.

“Would you like to go on a date with me, Y/N? Maybe tomorrow?” 

“Yes, yeah I’d love to” you beam at her and she scoots closer to you. 

You think she’s only going to give you a kiss on the cheek in that real Spanish manner but as you feel her breath on your lips you know what she wants and you’re far less shy about this part. With a final glance in her warm brown eyes that you can just about make out in the dark room you finally close the distance between the two of you and you seal the deal with a soft, loving kiss. Once again you can not help but smile in her presence and as Ona smiles into the kiss too you’re forced to break away. 

The two of you are smiling at each other like two crazy teenagers in love but you like the way she makes you feel and you hold onto one another tightly as you both drift off to sleep, Ona snuggled in your arms. 

Perhaps you would start smiling more.

[jamiesfootball]

Let’s talk about male bonding rituals and the way that physical touch in the locker room can be a comforting outlet. Like how the team hugs and jumps on each other after they score a goal. Or how they casually lean against each other in the locker rooms. Or Roy’s little fist bumps to each of the lads to hype them up. You can use words or actions for your anger, but there’s a protocol for kindness.

And then there’s Zava, who’s an interesting bastard in his own right, because as people have pointed out he accepts touch from others but he doesn’t reciprocate. Dani fullbody hugs the man (after a goal, of course, the most acceptable time to do so) and the most he does is try to shake him off. If Richmond is reaching hands, then the most Zava has done is beckon them in and allow them to worship, like when he took over the huddle before the match- he allowed everyone to put their hands on Zava.

And Richmond is an especially sweet team under Ted’s tenure. So again we have Zava performing in a way that on surface level is inoffensive.

Except that there is one person that Zava makes a point to touch - and I do think he’s making a point about it. Even if we only saw it a few times, I think it was a good extension for showing us how Zava viewed Jamie.

I’ve talked before about how interesting the little one-two shoulder brush/ass slap was in that first match, because on the surface that is totally normally sports antics. It’s only Jamie’s little ‘wtf’ face that lampshades the true weirdness of a moment: this may be a teammate, but this is a dude he just met, someone he has no rapport with (compared to Dani, who created rapport through excitement and touching). But hey- new teammate, first match. As off of a moment it was, Jamie’s a team player now, so he did what he was told to do and passed the ball to Zava. And what a slap in the face that was, with Zava repeating one of the best goals we’ve seen from Jamie this who show.

Actual fucking mind games, this time. A pattern of them, in addition to singling Jamie out and asking if he’s the kitman when they first meet. Despite the fact that he already had his kit on. Despite the fact that he was in the middle of love-bombing everyone else.

And stealing Jamie’s goal. Which was so petty that even Roy Kent thought it was a bit too mean.

It’s not insidious, it’s not like he’s being bullied- but he is getting frozen out. Singled out by a player who walked in and made himself at home in Jamie’s spot.

Zava walks a careful, practiced line. He’s got a ton of experience on and off the pitch, and he knows where to give in and where to push. Dani can follow him around and touch him- he’ll allow it because Dani is harmless.

But I don’t think he thought Jamie was harmless. I think he saw Jamie as a threat, one that needed to be neutralized so that Zava could play in the manner he was accustomed to. Jamie is the ONLY one on the team that seemed to be trying to score - even the fucking announcers could see it.

So yeah, anytime Jamie stepped up a little too high, or seemed like he might be putting Zava’s reputation of #1 at risk, he would find these little footholds that he could use to climb over Jamie.

I think his grunt Zava gave when he lifted up the weight was the closest we got to Zava actually verbalizing his frustrations (also great metaphor, him lying under the weight and then shoving it off one last time. Good comparison to Colin ‘got-stuck-under-the-weights-that-time’ Hughes benching without a problem these days, like a strong and capable man). Richmond was on a losing streak, Jamie kept trying to button in on what should have been Zava’s goals, and now Jamie was also butting in on the leadership side as well.

The openly condescending thing to do would be to pet the top of Jamie’s hair like a dog, mussing it up. That’s a proper bully move. Instead he went for the back of the head and did that weird…..whatever that was. Was he combing his fingers through Jamie’s hair? Scratching him like a cat? Playing with his headband? Whatever it was it was out of focus, even though it was in front of a crowd. The same way that the first time was in the middle of a stadium, and yet so far away from anyone being able to see and hear what was happening. The only thing you could see, if you could be bothered to look away from Zava for a second, was how completely uncomfortable Jamie was with it. And I’m not sure the guys in the locker room noticed, not just because it’s Zava, but because on the surface nothing he’s done has stood out as a red flag.

‘Zava made a goal’ sounds better than ‘Zava stole that goal from Jamie’

‘Zava made a leader speech to motivate us’ sounds better than ‘Zava saw that Jamie was stepping up to encourage them, and felt the need to reassert himself by doing the same thing’

And ‘Zava is physically touchy with Jamie a few times’ sounds better than ‘Zava uses what should be perfectly safe locker room contact as a way to put Jamie in his place’.

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

Not my best idea (Sofia Huerta x Reader)

Based on this request

This isn't my best work and it's kinda short, but I have been trying to get this done for weeks now and wanted to get it finished. Hope it's okay and you enjoy it :)

Words: 1K

An elbow dug into my side, making my head snap to a laughing Emily. I scowled, turning back to the life guard that had captured my attention. She was beyond attractive. It didn't help that she was wearing a bikini top and board shorts, showing off more skin than I could handle. I'm pretty sure at this point it was incredibly obvious that I found her attractive. I couldn't stop myself from staring at her whenever she wasn't looking. She had already caught me a few times. It didn't help that I saw her almost every day since the girls were constantly wanting to go in our free time. No matter how many times the girls hyped me up or how many times I attempted to make my move, I always chickened out. I could barely talk to her, let alone ask her out.

"If you keep staring at her, you're going to creep her out. Quick be normal, she's coming over."

"Shush."

Y/n stopped in front of us, smile on her face and I could feel any composure I had disappear. "Hey ladies, how's everything going?"

"We can't complain."

"Good, do you think I could get a hand really quick? I need to move that table."

"Sure, Sof will help you, won't you?"

"Y-yeah." I glared at them as I followed behind her. There was an awkward silence as I walked behind her. Well maybe it only felt awkward because of how nervous I was feeling being this close to her alone. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. I never knew how to start a conversation with her or even keep a conversation going properly. 

"Thanks for the help. I'm sorry to drag you away from your relaxation time."

"A-anytime."

Y/n looked at me, looking like she was waiting for me to say something else while also looking like she was wanting to say something. Instead, we just looked at each other until I was called back over to the girls. I silently cursed them as I had just about worked up the courage to say something. Now that had just vanished, "I'll uh see you later."

Of course I was teased about my awkwardness before some of the team left back to their rooms. I decided to stay for a while, hoping maybe I would get the courage to talk to her. A girl could dream anyway. It didn't happen, I just lay in the chair, watching her while trying not to make it obvious I was watching her. I knew I was being ridiculous. Just talking to her would make my life easier, but I was scared. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. She seemed to be at least a little bit into me. There were the flirty smiles, subtle flirty comments and a few touches here and there. Though, for all I knew she was just being nice because it was her job. 

For some stupid reason I decided the only possible way to get her to kiss me without talking to her, was to fake drown. In hindsight, watching sandlot probably wasn't the best idea. It wasn't that I actually planned to do it, but after watching some other women flirt with Y/n, I decided to do it, admittedly out of jealously. So once everyone including most of the team had left, I slipped into the pool. Moving around for a few minutes before I started flailing around and dunking under the water. There was a splash and a few seconds later, strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me up and out of the pool. I held my breath, lips pressing against mine. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop the gasp that slipped out as my lips twitched with the desire to kiss her back. I could only hope she didn't notice.

Y/n POV

My lips pressed against hers, intending to start mouth to mouth however the twitch of her lips against mine and the almost silent gasp, gave away that she likely didn't need it. I had seen Sofia watching me quite a lot, a shy, but flirtatious smile sent my way every time our eyes met. I had also overheard conversations about how it would feel to kiss me. It was definitely a mutual feeling, I just enjoyed watching how flustered she got around me. It also seemed more professional to let her come to me first. I decided to throw professionalism out the window and connected our lips in a proper kiss. Her lips instantly moved against mine before I pulled away. It was short and sweet, leaving me wanting more. We were still at the pool though and even though it was only her and I, there was the potential for someone else to show up. 

I laughed, helping her sit up, "Did you really just try pull off that scene from sandlot?"

Sofia smiled sheepishly, "Maybe. Sorry I know it was really stupid and I'm sorry if I worried you. Apparently when you're around I lose all ability to speak to women and resort to fake drowning instead."

"If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask."

"W-what?"

"You heard me, although you would have had to wait until after the first date. That would involve talking to me though and not just fake drowning."

Sofia looked down, redness covering her cheeks. It was adorable how shy and embarrassed she looked. I probably could have just asked her out and put her out of her misery, but I wanted a bit of payback for her scaring the shit out of me. It took a few seconds for her to look at me again, determination filled her beautiful eyes, "Will you go on a date with me Y/n?"

"Promise you won't fake drown again? You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Promise."

"Then I would love to go on a date with you." I pecked her lips, loving the way she tried to chase after me as I pulled away. "Na uh, you get more after the date. How's tonight?"

"Tonight is perfect, I'll pick you up at 6?"

Fingers laced with mine, squeezing gently when I kissed the back of her hand, "Look who finally gained the ability to speak. I can't wait."

[puckpocketed]

inspired by yesterday’s ovechkin-posting and the stick story, because. i had as much fun as anyone with the idea that riding a camel over all-star break is what jostled the goal-scoring back out of him, but at the same time... i am frothing at the fucking mouth about ovi × The League × national hockey media. where is his respect? where is his hype? where are his roses???? please !!!! understand !!!! that i find sidney endearing as a guy and he is undeniably incredible as a player and he deserves the love that he gets. but from day one, ovi has only existed to them in relation to sid and that makes me lose my fucking mind. 

and general hockey fans through the years loved ovi, and then they hated him, and then they said he was an overhyped washed-up old man who doesn't care anymore (starting in like 2013 lmfao). like, I'M sorry, back in the late '00s and early '10s he was being hounded for days about his cellies, and being booed every time he came out on the ice—and you're mad? that he looks like he's lost his love and enthusiasm for the game???? (i cannot for the LIFE of me find the podcast ep where i heard this, so. grain of salt. but a former teammate talked about how startling and upsetting ovi found the booing, bc it was such a sudden change, and meanwhile, ovi was just the same guy he’d always been 😭).

and then, idk, we went through hate again, and then indifference, and now in the 2020s we're back to "oh, his production has dropped so therefore he's overhyped, can’t wait ‘til he’s gone"?? the season ovi was 36 he had more points per game than sid did last year at 36 (90 in 77 vs 94 in 82). or how about. please remind me how many goals gretz scored the season he was 36 (25 goals compared to ovi's 50). or what about when gretz was 38 (9 goals compared to ovi's 31)? i am NOT trying to say that ovi is "better" than either of them—this is just me saying that people are completely irrational about him. like back when he was drafted and people were saying "oh, he's not actually as good as he looks, because he's lying about his age" bc he looked 25 instead of 18. like. okay lmao. and then what? his NINE rocket richards count less bc he started later? he's actually older now and scoring more per game than gordie howe was the first time he retired? like what are we doing here??? i'm not an empty-netters-pod guy, but they talked about it in the first few minutes of this ep; like... yeah, why was everyone so fucking excited to dance on his grave at the start of last season? and then again in the playoffs? he’s NOT DONE YET, and even if he were, i would hope to see a modicum of respect for the player he’s been and the career he’s had! 

the point is. ovi has scored 30+ goals per season every single year since his debut except the pandemic-shortened season. his teammates, current and former, love him and say what an awesome, generous, team-focused guy he is. he has literally dozens of nhl records already, some of them previously belonging to gretzky. and yet! general hockey fans and the league and national hockey media all refuse to take him seriously. and caps fans (mostly) and dc hockey media (mostly) (barry svrlugas i do not forgive you... dan holmi i would just like to have a fucking word with you....) are all just standing here like hello? alexander ovechkin is RIGHT HERE and he is very good at hockey. hello he is GOOD at HOCKEY, can you hear me????? is anyone seeing this, HELLO???? 

i don’t get it. i simply and entirely don’t get it. there are so many excellent players on teams that i hate! there are players i dislike and i can still point to many impressive things about their game!!! WHAT is the mental block that happens for everyone when it comes to ovi, and how tf has it been going strong for nineteen fucking years? 

thank you for listening!! i swear to you that the vast majority of the time i am simply having a fun time with whatever my terrible children decide to do, admiring ovi’s fashion choices, cheering on my number one babygirl dylan strome, and enjoying whatever horny, incomprehensible nonsense they get up to. it’s just that sometimes i gotta go guard dog mode about alex ovechkin 😅

Hello!!! First of all, thanks for going to all the trouble of typing all that out and including links. I have loved sifting through your citations, and felt very much like a floor dwelling sea creature eating nutrients from the silt <3

I believe you all when you say Ovechkin's not done yet. Shaking my entire clenched fin at everyone calling him a washed up old man!! Fascinated by the Caps' attempt to pivot into being competitive long enough for him to break the record, because what of the After? The Rebuild of Damocles beckons!! Except, having paid some attention to prospects I see they've got a pretty interesting crop of talent coming through. And there are those big contracts they just acquired (hello Dubie and Roy). I just feel like have to be on this train so I can say I was there to see how it all shakes out. History Witnessing type beat <3

and I'm SO endeared to Caps rituals. What little I've seen of them is so fun, so silly. Exactly my vibe. MUST a team "Play Hockey Well"?? can't they just be obsessed with each other . can't they torture and embarrass each other . being stressed about strange concepts such as ""Winning"" is so., passé .

Thank you again for dropping by and for the essay! and I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you, it was such a meal I was digesting it for days :>

extended thoughts/discussion under the cut.

From the outside looking in, I think can speak to how compelling it is to pit Crosby and Ovechkin against each other. As your ESPN article puts it: "Crosby was careful, corporate. Ovechkin was unpredictable, borderline dangerous. The key word was passion, and even though Crosby had it inside, Ovechkin oozed it. He was the anti-Sid, possibly the better player, and soon a cult hero." (x, y) I know you're frustrated by this, but they do sort of exist in relation to each other. Maybe I've fallen for the propaganda, but it's very literary <3 You could write their story down and present it to a novel studies class, and the easiest thread to pull on would be all the ways in which they're each other's narrative foils.

IF you held a gun to my head and made me guess at the 'why' of it, I'd probably agree with Eric Adelson! It really does feel like Crosby's image is who hockey wants to be seen as. A Good Canadian Boy; humble, no conspicuous expressions of his wealth, no partying, and of course no on-ice flash! I think I can understand the backlash somewhat; in such a team-oriented game, one with all these arcane honour codes and the emphasis on humility and respect and not rocking the boat, I could see why the spectacle of Ovechkin's personality would've grated. Crosby's an easier pill to swallow for the conservatism of hockey culture. (And I specified 'image' because there's the reality of what it is to be famous, deified, and torn apart each time you don't quite measure up. I hate to be the guy who says there's another side to this but, like, I'm sure plenty of people who are more familiar with Crosby's story could come out and tell me about the unique challenges that come with being considered The Next One.)

And obviously, your specific frustration is coming from the fact that Ovechkin is, somehow, seen as the inferior superstar, and that his achievements - which either equal or surpass Crosby's - go uncelebrated by mainstream media. and ough. man. I'm not as invested in this as you given I just got here, but your emotion is palpable!! I have... complicated feelings about his whole deal wrt geopolitics I won't lie, but I am serious about the whole "Is it the Russian thing?" I wouldn't, like, submit this as a legal document or anything, and I doubt I'd be the first to point it out, but there has to be a level of Othering that comes from his nationality, right?

So there's my thesis: he's not like them, he's not from there, and his image is not who they want for a star. Being so undeniably good for so long probably bought him some time in their good books, but the moment he looked a little bit mortal any grace they had to give was dispensed with. It sucks for you as a fan of course </3 I don't mean to sound so morbidly curious about it all,,, like i get that a real wrong was done to Ovechkin by the establishment that refused to recognise him!! But . well. I'm looking at this through a nonfiction writer's lens. I do hope someone who was there for the whole thing writes a book or two about this, because it would make for a really interesting story. I get the feeling people will look back on this stretch of time and think the world went a bit crazy for believing Alex Ovechkin was done.

[proto-actual]

Hey tronblr. It's sysop. Let's talk about the Midjourney thing.

(There's also a web-based version of this over on reindeer flotilla dot net).

Hey tronblr. It's sysop. Let's talk about the AI thing for a minute.

Automattic, who owns Tumblr and WordPress dot com, is selling user data to Midjourney. This is, obviously, Bad. I've seen a decent amount of misinformation and fearmongering going around the last two days around this, and a lot of people I know are concerned about where to go from here. I don't have solutions, or even advice -- just thoughts about what's happening and the possibilities.

In particular... let's talk about this post, Go read it if you haven't. To summarize, it takes aim at Glaze (the anti-AI tool that a lot of artists have started using). The post makes three assertions, which I'm going to paraphrase:

It's built on stolen code.

It doesn't matter whether you use it anyway.

So just accept that it's gonna happen.

I'd like to offer every single bit of this a heartfelt "fuck off, all the way to the sun".

Let's start with the "stolen code" assertion. I won't get into the weeds on this, but in essence, the Glaze/Nightshade team pulled some open-source code from DiffusionBee in their release last March, didn't attribute it correctly, and didn't release the full source code (which that particular license requires). The team definitely should have done their due diligence -- but (according to the team, anyway) they fixed the issue within a few days. We'll have to take their word on that for now, of course -- the code isn't open source. That's not great, but that doesn't mean they're grifters. It means they're trying to keep people who work on LLMs from picking apart their tactics out in the open. It sucks ass, actually, but... yeah. Sometimes that's how software development works, from experience.

Actually, given the other two assertions... y'know what? No. Fuck off into the sun, twice. Because I have no patience for this shit, and you shouldn't either.

Yes, you should watermark your art. Yes, it's true that you never know whether your art is being scraped. And yes, a whole lot of social media sites are jumping on the "generative AI" hype train.

That doesn't mean that you should just accept that your art is gonna be scraped, and that there's nothing you can do about it. It doesn't mean that Glaze and Nightshade don't work, or aren't worth the effort (although right now, their CPU requirements are a bit prohibitive). Every little bit counts.

Fuck nihilism! We do hope and pushing forward here, remember?

As far as what we do now, though? I don't know. Between the Midjourney shit, KOSA, and people just generally starting to leave... I get that it feels like the end of something. But it's not -- or it doesn't have to be. Instead of jumping over to other platforms (which are just as likely to have similar issues in several years), we should be building other spaces that aren't on centralized platforms, where big companies don't get to make decisions about our community for us. It's hard. It's really hard. But it is possible.

All I know is that if we want a space that's ours, where we retain control over our work and protect our people, we've gotta make it ourselves. Nobody's gonna do it for us, y'know?

[horsegirlenergy11]

People are too obsessed about Nick and his supposed "hate or indifference" towards RWRB and Taylor, but at the same time (not that I'm justifying their toxic behavior at all, but I understand where it comes from) Nick is very mercurial on social media with Taylor and fans expected him to post The Awardist podcast cause he's in it, so why not post it in his IG stories? I don't read too much into it but other people do, unfortunately. Also, as someone who has seen A LOT of interviews of Taylor and Nick, Taylor has been asked like one time about Nick, whilst Nick was asked about Taylor a few times while promoting M&G, but Taylor has liked a lot of posts and commented on said posts from Nick's IG, so people see that as support and when they see Nick not reciprocating they create their own narratives... And again, I don't read too much into social media interactions cause that's not real life at all, but that's where people's doubt for Nick come from. For me social media interactions are kind of irrelevant given how it's obvious they spent time with each other and other people at that Oscars Gala last year and at the Vanity Fair after party. What do you think?

Hi anon,

I think when it comes down to it: Nick is very mercurial on social media in general. This isn’t specific to Taylor. He only likes the most specific of tweets, he follows/doesn’t follow the oddest people on instagram and engages rather infrequently.

You mention Nick not posting the podcast but Nick has done like 5-6 podcasts in the last month about his other projects and he doesn’t post them to his stories either. So I can’t understand anyone being hung up on it….

I will just NEVER consider social media to be an indicator of how good a friend someone is.

And going back to the original ask, people are putting so much stock into instagram interaction and because Taylor is hyping his friends on instagram and Nick isn’t and as a result, people have used that in their hate campaigns against him.

But why can’t we appreciate the distinct ways the show support? People build up how Taylor is on instagram while not acknowledging how supportive and enthusiastic Nick is in the press about Taylor. Which is so crazy because quotes from Nick saying Taylor is a great actor who is smart and understands his characters? THAT is press you want! Especially coming from someone who is having a moment.

Nicks *gushes* about Taylor in many interviews, beyond what is asked. He praises him unprompted too. When people say Taylor never gets asked about Nick: but being asked “what was it like working with an actor?” “Or who are some actors you’ve learned from?”

Those are opportunities! And like… it’s not Taylor’s style as it relates to Nick for some reason. Which a reasonable person can accept!

I actually think it has something to do with their “insincere public persona”. Nick is seemingly a little like that with his male costars in interviews (Tony too) but whenever he’s asked about them and they aren’t around he’s sooo lovey about them 😭😂

Long story short: no one should be entertaining this “Nick is an unsupportive friend who doesn’t care about RWRB”. If fans want to dissect that then please go ahead and look at all the above mentioned things as well for a reality check!

I don’t think they are “talk every day besties”. But I also think a lot of that has to do with being very different personalities and speeds. I also think the fandom never really appreciated how much stuff Nick had going on last year before the film came out, and how much he’s had going on the past few months. He can’t be at every event - he isn’t cut out for it!

[taylorrepdetective]

Any guesses for season 2?  Living full time in KC?  Going to all the games?  Engagement?

As I’ve said before, I believe season 2 is the most likely scenario. I believe this because it has been so successful and I don’t see a reason for her to mess with success. And I see few signs of a change. And if season 2 does happen, a big part of it will be the constant anticipation for an engagement ( and pregnancy unfortunately.) Every appearance she makes at a game would involve the GP looking at her hands and speculating about Travis asking or them announcing it publicly in some way. This would be huge publicity for both of them, and for the NFL and Chiefs. Viewership and scuttlebutt will continue to be high. I haven’t paid too much attention this off season, but I believe KC will be the favorite to go to the SB again, so that’s another chance for huge, huge publicity for her. But it is a bit of a “been there done that” situation, so that should be kept in mind. I do not know what her next big project is (re-recording, TS12, documentary, hyping herself up as a director, or something else) but if she does have something (I think we can assume a re-recording by March, so that counts) this is her promo for it, just like she used it last year for eras tour movie, 1989 tv, and TTPD. Even if she has nothing specific to promote, there’s always her brand and the perception that she likes men, along with keeping her actual private life private. For him, he has his game show and the Ryan Murphy show to promote. Plus he’s trying to do a huge podcast deal and trying to get more similar gigs, especially a movie deal.

So, short term: she goes to games (possibly as early as this Thursday - romantically flying straight from London.) She will appear to spend the bulk of the next 2 months in KC. When he has extra days off they may do something outside of kc✅. I think he’ll have a few days after this Thursday’s game✅. I don’t have the energy to look up if his bye week coincides with a tour stop, but I looked in the past, and I don’t think it does. Basically similar to last year except he probably won’t make it to a show. She’ll probably go the VMAs.

However, while I think the above is most likely, I can see several different paths that would add something more fun and interesting (for me - I have been mostly bored by travlor since January.) For example I believe that whenever the breakup is planned (tomorrow or 4 years from now) she will do it in a hilarious and well thought-out way that I am really looking forward to. I think she’ll try to top her announcing the toe breakup by switching out Invisible String and then officially announcing it at midnight, Easter, London time, on Matty’s birthday, followed by all her friends unfollowing him one by one. I won’t dare try to predict the details, except I know I will love it. And that could be tomorrow or it could be ~October, if she doesn’t plan to do the full Super Bowl thing again. Again it could also be in 4 years or even never. I do not actually know anything.

Other interesting things that could happen include releasing the rep vault and we all lose our minds. She could come out as bi. She could get engaged. There’s the election, which I assume she’ll back Harris in some way✅, but I don’t know if he’ll be involved. I do not know any of this actually. It’s all guesses. But my guess have been very good since November so there’s no reason for me to doubt I’m mostly right.

There are a few clues I’ve been watching, some stuff that started in May, that tells me a break up in the near term could happen, and if it does happen, I will let you know what those clues were. And there’re few other things I’m watching for to add to that. But I don’t really see a breakup before October to be likely. Always possible, but unlikely.

[jamarrseternalsunshine]

about me <3: UPDATED

This about me is for the new people that followed me & want to know more about me :)

My name is Tina but y’all can call me Tee Tee (my tags on here are #jamarrseternalsunshine, #teeteepeeps, #teeteeaddresses, #teeteeanswers etc.)

I’m 23 and an August Leo

I’m White Asian and Hispanic

My tumblr name is basically referenced to Cincinnati Bengals WR1 Ja’Marr Chase with Ariana Grande’s song Eternal Sunshine off her latest album (btw F Dalton Gomez!)

I’m a Bengals & Team Breezy fan until my casket drops!

Anything else you want to ask about me, drop it in my inbox <3 

Who I Love:

Ja��Marr Chase:

Ja’Marr has been a part of my life since I was 19 years old. I’ve been a fan of his since his LSU era and broke down on the phone when I found out he was drafted by the Bengals.

He has interacted with me plenty of times through Instagram story views (idk if it counts as interactions or what not), 5 times through Twitch (the man knows my name for fucks sake and if you need proof, message me ;) ) 

I go into defensive mode about him, his family and people that he loves dearly (so if you’re on my page to disrespect him, know that disrespect towards anyone including my mutuals here on Tumblr will not be tolerated and will result in you being blocked <3)

Tee Higgins:

The story on this one is crazy as fuck but basically I have kind of a personal connection to him via my close friend in Tennessee who played football with him at Clemson. NO I did not meet Tee, nor have I spoken with him face to face and NO if I don’t like you or know you, I will not arrange for you to meet him end of story (only person that will get that connection is my girl @partywitbarbiee <3)

Tee’s a fucking sweetheart and I’m praying that his jellyfish loving headass doesn’t get traded anywhere (because I just got his jerseys in and I don’t wanna get new ones if he goes to another team!)

Andrei Iosivas: 

Andrei is a complete sweetheart! He’s interacted with me a few times through DM (no homewrecking shit just made an edit and he just so happened to see it and he said it was fire THATS IT) 

He’s from where I’m from and if you were to come to me and you go to his high school, his teachers will tell you what an absolute sweetheart he is!

WE ARE LOGAN HARLOCK STANS HERE (Logan’s Andrei’s longtime girlfriend that he met while he was in college)

CHIQUITAAAAA <3 (Joe Burrow):

This is my chiquita (baby girl, iykyk) Joe Burrow. 

Yes, he’s done things that are questionable in people’s eyes but at the end of the day… this is my pookie bears best friend, and my QB.

I didn’t see the hype until my friend in Cincinnati and @wickedfun9 really increased the hype and my love for him

Contrary to popular belief, Joe is an actual sweetheart. My friend (the one I told yall about who was my source) actually met him at Training Camp last year and she has pictures with him at previous games and told me he’s a sweetheart and very angelic (no I’m not a part of Joe’s PR so shush <3)

WHAT ISN’T ALLOWED ON MY PAGE:

ANY FORM OF DISRESPECT TOWARDS ME, MY FRIENDS, MY POOKIE BEAR, HIS BESTFRIEND ETC.

No slander whatsoever about anyone, keep it respectful or keep it the fuck pushing <3

SLANDER ABOUT PEOPLE’S KIDS (if you aint got kids take some tape and put it over your mouth because I will get really disrespectful and you won’t like what I have to say <3)

WHAT IS ALLOWED ON MY PAGE:

ANY FORM OF LOVE, RESPECT AND KINDNESS TO ANYONE THAT I LOVE AND WHO YOU INTERACT WITH HERE.

Fact checking (because even I need fact checking sometimes)

Y’all asking about me and what I like doing

Compliments to my page (because my only priority for this page to be a refresh for people coming into the sports world)