#true crime is an option i guess

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

If Kara and Lena had a podcast, what would it be about?

The social and economic impact of vigilante superheroes?

Historical disasters?

Conspiracy theories?

Gossip?

Fandom of their favorite show/movies?

Or maybe one of those ones that's just a little of whatever strikes the host(s)'s fancy?

[guardianofnightmares]

Sunrise

Faint beam of artificial light from a surface danced off yellow armor of an Autobot, giving it a color of a newborn star. Bumblebee graced the Decepticon with a broad smile, its warmth making the hostile gloom around his facial features to dissipate.

To Blitzwing a minibot reminded a stray ray of hope which arrived to safe lost souls from a long dead and forgotten world.

A true rising sun in the realm of darkness.

----------

Alright, fellas, next entry to the @blitzbee-week event is finally here)). The prompt of the second day was "Sunrise" and I decided to go more figuratively with it rather then depicting a literal "appearance of the sky" at a particular part of a day. As you can guess by a provided description, Bee basically becomes a "leading star" for a brooding Blitzwing, who, as it seems, is not that thrilled by discovery of his partner.

Just as a previous entry to a mentioned event, this picture is dedicated to my fanfic called "TFA: Icarus". Here's a [link] for the series "folder" which also includes an existing teaser (future prologue) for a story if anyone wants to give it a try. Again, can not thank you enough for all the support you've shown for it so far, I will try my best to come up with updates soon enough.

As it usually goes with such works of mine, I will provide the full snippet of one of chapters, which a depicted scene is taken from, under a cut line for anyone wishing to read more about the scene. Hope you'll enjoy it)

To the surprise of many comrades he’d worked with, the Triplechanger proved to be the most patient mech on a team when it came to long lasting missions. Usually he didn’t find it difficult to lay low and wait for orders to come, even if it meant to stay idle for several solar cycles. It was a useful trait of character which Decepticon rightfully prided himself of. 

Yet, even a seemingly boundless patience had its limits. 

“Can you see anything of use out there?” Blitzwing finally asked his unfortunate “partner in crime”.

A brightly colored mech slipped on the spot upon hearing Con’s voice but managed to regain his balance. 

“Not yet, Blitzwing, give me a klik!” A minibot shouted over his shoulder, holding on the steel bar for dear life. “Climbing is not as easy as I’m surely making it look in your optics.”

If Bumblebee planed to cheer up a Warframe with such a comment, he failed miserably, for it only seemed to sour up an already bad mood of a tall mech. 

To a Decepticon, it felt like forever since the minibot began his ascend up a steep scarp of a crumbled wall. One would think that, thanks to his light frame, he’d manage to reach the top level in no time. But even this uneven terrain, made of torn sheets of metal and broken cables, proved to be a challenge to an agile Autobot. 

The damned energy chain, which linked limbs of both mechs to each other, clearly was the greatest obstacle for Bumblebee, barely giving him a chance to move as far away from a somber mech as possible. Not to mention that a Decepticon was forced to stand on one pede in order to accommodate his companion’s slow conquest of new heights. 

Admittedly, a Triplechanger considered an option of tearing the bug’s pede he’s bound to off. But that type of cuffs always latched onto anything in their vicinity (while being activated). Meaning, the chances of getting tied to a nearby wall, as a result of said actions, reached more than 90%. 

Tearing his own pede off was not part of a Warframe’s plans. 

“If you haven’t noticed it yet, Bumblebee Prime, we don’t have plenty of time left to hide in these tunnels,” A “former” convict grumbled in response while surveying his surroundings for an up-tenth time. He didn’t notice how a Bot winced at the mention of his new title.

Minibot knew he deserved that snide remark. But it did not make him feel better about his recent promotion to an Elite Guard. Or about a decision to become one for that matter. The decision which led to a situation where an Autobot and a Decepticon got lost under an Iacon city. 

They had to hide in maintenance tunnels from the times prior to a Great War. Tunnels built by Decepticons for Autobots’ use, and left by them to slowly rot in an utter disrepair after the said War was officially ended. Sealed off since the banishment of Warframes from Cybertron, eventually the structure turned into an urban myth not many of currently living mechs remember or even know about.

An old complex Blitzwing and Bumblbee were currently navigating in was once part of the major supportive structure. Meant to protect veins and tubes once full of energon, that section was made of sturdy materials which stoically passed the test of time. 

The Decepticon would’ve lied if he’d said he’s not pleasantly surprised by that discovery. 

But it did not bright up his mood by much - they still needed to find a way to the surface level of a planet. 

“Foolish of me to expect a scout with no field experience to do a Warframe’s job,” the mech muttered under his breath, words bitter on his glossa. “Perhaps I should have been the one to search for an exit after all”.

Blitzwing had no intent for the last sentence to be heard by his peer, but an aforementioned scout, apparently, had nicely tuned audials. 

Figures. 

“And to risk exposing your Decepticon signature to raging authorities? No, thanks!” Bumblebee chirped after successfully reaching for a rod sticking out of a long abandoned structure. “It was already enough of me putting everything at risk by making stupid decisions - I don’t want to see you following my lead.”

Somehow the fact that a minibot admitted his mistakes helped to somewhat cool Blitzwing down. He said nothing in return but did glance at him once prior returning to surveying desolated surroundings. 

Bumbler’s changed since the promotion to the ranks of an Elite Guard. He seemed to act more mature, even if he’s still naive about most things happening around him. For strangers it’d be an unexpected change of character for such an optimistic and energetic Bot as Bumblebee. But Blitzwing was no random outsider, whether he liked to be on closer terms with a current companion of his or not. 

Death of a teammate has effected the minibot on a much deeper level then he’d ever admit to anybody, even to himself. Yet, despite how horrible it might’ve sounded, the Decepticon thought that that was an important lesson every soldier had to live through. And as a mech, who’s witnessed deaths of many of his comrades throughout the Great War, he had to agree that Bumbler was holding up pretty well for someone so inexperienced in mentioned matters. 

Even Blitzwing, who did not know Prowl as well as a yellow Bot did, felt the loss of a mech effecting him as well to a certain degree. No matter how secluded and cold the cyber-ninja seemed to be, he always had a special aura around him, the one that made people feel at ease in his presence. Though how he could so freely speak to a Con about importance of life and probability of peace among Cybertronians remained a mystery to him to that solar cycle.  

What was that thing black and golden Autobot’s talking about during the last conversation of theirs? 

“To have Faith not in Primus, not in The Allspark, but in each other”?

What exactly made him see it being possible back then and, especially, at a current stage of the reignited conflict between factions? Triplechanger had no answer to that question either. He didn’t view how the world should work the same way Prowl did. Could not fully comprehend the intricacies of a philosophy of an Autobot, but, at least, did not lack the courage to make it very clear during a mentioned discussion of theirs.

Blitzwing didn’t have Faith in anyone anymore, and he surely wouldn't in a foreseen future. 

For who could remain being supportive of their unhelpful, unwanted partn-… Autobot, while being lost in Allspark forsaken place with no means of escape?

…

“… -es! I see the gap in a wall!.. Blitzwing, I actually see it!”

The joyful voice tore Triplechanger from a deep melancholy state he slipped into while looking down a dark tunnel to his left. He raised his ruby optics, their faint glow barely lighting sharp features of his blue faceplates.

“Right where you’ve predicted it to be,” The Autobot added after turning around in order to face his unfortunate companion, unintentionally giving him quite a peculiar view of his small form.

Faint beam of artificial light from a surface danced off yellow armor of an Autobot, giving it a color of a newborn star. Bumblebee graced the Decepticon with a broad smile, its warmth making the hostile gloom around his facial features to dissipate.

To Blitzwing a minibot reminded a stray ray of hope which arrived to safe lost souls from a long dead and forgotten world.

A true rising sun in the realm of darkness.

...

Blitzwing huffed in mild annoyance at himself and his artistic side of a processor - it was not the right moment for poetic comparisons. Hope and Faith had no place in a situation he was stuck in, only cold calculations. He and Bumbler had to get out of that place, no matter the cost. And the sooner they’d get rid of an energy chain, the better.

[goodluckclove]

You Don't Need an Agent! Publishers That Accept Unsolicited Submissions

I see a few people sayin that you definitely need an agent to get published traditionally. Guess what? That's not remotely true. While an agent can be a very useful tool in finding and negotiating with publishers, going without is not as large of a hurdle as people might make it out to be!

Below is a list of some of the traditional publishers that offer reading periods for agent-less manuscripts. There might be more! Try looking for yourself - I promise it's not that scary!

Albert Whitman & Company: for picture books, middle-grade, and young adult fiction

Hydra (Part of Random House): for mainly LitRPG

Kensington Publishing: for a range of fiction and nonfiction

NCM Publishing: for all genres of fiction (YA included) and nonfiction

Pants of Fire Press: for middle-grade, YA, and adult fiction

Tin House Books: very limited submission period, but a good avenue for fiction, literary fiction, and poetry written by underrepresented communities

Quirk Fiction: offers odd-genre rep for represented and unagented authors. Unsolicited submissions inbox is closed at the moment but this is the page that'll update when it's open, and they produced some pretty big books so I'd keep an eye on this

Persea Books: for lit fiction, creative nonfiction, YA novels, and books focusing on contemporary issues

Baen: considered one of the best known publishers of sci-fi and fantasy. They don't need a history of publication.

Chicago Review Press: only accepting nonfiction at the moment, but maybe someone here writes nonfiction

Acre: for poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Special interest in underrepresented authors. Submission period just passed but for next year!

Coffeehouse Press: for lit fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translation. Reading period closed at time of posting, but keep an eye out

Ig: for queries on literary fiction and political/cultural nonfiction

Schaffner Press: for lit fiction, historical/crime fiction, or short fiction collections (cool)

Feminist Press: for international lit, hybrid memoirs, sci-fi and fantasy fiction especially from BIPOC, queer and trans voices

Evernight Publishing: for erotica. Royalties seem good and their response time is solid

Felony & Mayhem: for literary mystery fiction. Not currently looking for new work, but check back later

This is all what I could find in an hour. And it's not even everything, because I sifted out the expired links, the repeat genres (there are a lot of options for YA and children's authors), and I didn't even include a majority of smaller indie pubs where you can really do that weird shit.

A lot of them want you to query, but that's easy stuff once you figure it out. Lots of guides, and some even say how they want you to do it for them.

Not submitting to a Big 5 Trad Pub House does not make you any less of a writer. If you choose to work with any publishing house it can take a fair bit of weight off your shoulders in terms of design and distribution. You don't have to do it - I'm not - but if that's the way you want to go it's very, very, very possible.

Have a weirder manuscript that you don't think fits? Here's a list of 50 Indie Publishers looking for more experimental works to showcase and sell!

If Random House won't take your work - guess what? Maybe you're too cool for Random House.

[deancaspinefest]

Another Kind of Memory

Author: FriendofCarlotta | Artist: Aggiedoll

Posting on Wednesday March 20

Since a traumatic incident six years ago, Castiel Novak’s face has been disfigured by a scar. He’s resigned himself to being someone people can barely stand to look at, let alone love. Except his heart doesn’t seem to have gotten the message. When Dean Winchester takes over the convenience store down the street from Castiel’s bookshop, Castiel falls helplessly in love with his new neighbor. To make matters worse, Castiel’s sister Anna is also interested in Dean. Believing that Dean could never love him, Castiel decides to help Anna win his heart instead.

Keep reading for a sneak preview!

“Hey,” Dean says. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Just… wanted to say hi.”

“Oh. Hi,” Castiel says, one hand fluttering nervously down his face and across his hair in an attempt to ensure he’s looking presentable. The tips of his fingers catch on the ugly, jagged ridge of his scar, and he remembers that “presentable” stopped being an option six years ago. He clears his throat and arranges his face in the polite mask of a consummate customer service professional. “Anything I can help you find?”

“Um.” Dean looks uncertain now, as though it’s a question he wasn’t expecting — despite the fact that it’s easily the most predictable question one could be asked in a bookshop. “I don’t know. I was just gonna browse, I guess.”

This is the point in a customer interaction where Castiel would usually withdraw, because “I’m just browsing” is universal bookstore code for “leave me the fuck alone.” But Dean doesn’t give any sign of wanting to walk away. Instead, he simply hovers in front of Castiel’s armchair, eyes gliding aimlessly (and somewhat helplessly) across the shelves to his right.

“What sort of things do you like to read?” Castiel finds himself asking, because it’s impossible not to take pity on a grown man who is capable of looking so bashfully lost.

“Anything,” Dean says. One of his hands flies to the back of his neck, rubbing at it. There’s something terribly endearing about the gesture — perhaps the fact that it makes him look like a boy who’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Belatedly, it occurs to Castiel that it’s his turn to speak. His prolonged silence appears to have made Dean nervous, because he’s speaking again, a little too quickly to be altogether natural. “I know that sounds stupid. Like those people who say they like all kinds of music — which I don’t, by the way, just to be clear. Big classic rock fan. Zeppelin, the Stones. Metallica too, which I guess is classic rock these days and fuck, that’s kind of depressing. But, yeah. Anyway. Pretty much anything. Love Vonnegut and Kerouac, but I’ve read just about all their stuff. I’ll read sci-fi, horror, mysteries… actually, I guess I should say I read all kinds of fiction. Non-fiction kinda puts me right to sleep. My brother, Sammy, he’s a big fan though. Crazy about true crime for some reason.” Dean blows out a heavy breath. He abruptly seems to realize he’s scratching at his neck and lowers his arm back down, fingers twitching as if unsure what to do with themselves now. “You probably didn’t need to know all that, huh?”

“No, this is helpful,” Castiel says, getting up. “I’ll show you the layout of the store so you can see which shelves you might be most interested in.”

Somehow, Dean’s shyness makes him feel more at ease. When he first laid eyes on Dean, he thought someone as handsome as Dean must be a smooth and confident conversationalist. But he doesn’t seem to be, and somehow, that makes it easier for Castiel to hold up his own end of the conversation.

Or maybe it’s just that Dean doesn’t know how to talk to someone like Castiel. He wouldn’t be the first one.

(continue reading on Ao3 on Wednesday March 20)

[redclercs]

DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.

vi. do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?

— the one where he ain't reading what they call you lately.

warnings: anxiety tics and symptoms, i–unironically–listened to the lakes a lot while writing this. 3k words.

masterlist ✢ next

By Marie Nichols

The first news we got about actress y/n y/ln's new romance came at the start of this month, when she was seen at the Miami Grand Prix with Ferrari's sponsor Elix. What appeared to be only rumors, since y/n and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc were single at the same time, have been confirmed little by little.

Although it is not like y/n to soft-launch a relationship, she's been hinting at it for several weeks now. From staring lovingly at her new boyfriend as he receives the winner's trophy in Monaco's Grand Prix to instagram posts saying she 'feels like a princess', the last confirmation we needed came yesterday when Twitter went crazy over user @/formulacharles' picture of the new couple, on a romantic date around Monaco.

Opinions are divided on this couple as both #y/nIsOverParty and #YNCHARLES trended at the same time. Most of the negative views on this flourishing romance come from Aidan Kim's fans, who claim it has been happening since before Kim and y/ln broke up around March after dating for three years.

We have gathered some of the best tweets from both sides, to help us make up our minds about the whole situation.

❝@/aidankimluv: I can't believe y/n is rubbing her new relationship in everyone's faces like this! she can't be single and it shows❞

❝@/gr4ndekim: the timing still rubs me off the wrong way, this has been happening for way longer than she wants us to know❞

❝@/ynselixcan I need y'all to touch grass for a second and realize men and women can be friends, and if they are dating it's none of your business anyway❞

❝@/leclercsdiary: they are cute together but tbh without knowing much about y/n... i don't want her to mess with charles' head❞

We are still hoping for an official confirmation, although pictures speak for themselves. Will y/n ever be brave enough to admit she dumped Aidan Kim for a Formula 1 pilot? We'll keep you updated!

FROM F1GOSSIPXO ON TIKTOK: "FANS CAUGHT Y/N AND CHARLES ON A DATE IN MONACO"

[text to speech assistant voice]: ❝(...) someone on twitter took this picture of them at a famous rose garden in Monaco and the second clip is charles dropping y/n off back at her hotel. i guess all the rumors are true and we have a new grid couple... a frankly problematic couple at that.❞

May 30th, Montecarlo, Monaco.

It was, in all honesty, a little dumb to believe that you could keep it lowkey if you were going to hang out with Charles.

First, Victoria who normally remembers close to nothing about the nights she gets drunk, remembered perfectly the 'moment' you shared with Charles when he offered to show you around. The whole rebound conversation happened again, much to your dismay.

Then, there was the car. Charles' custom Pista Spider is quite literally, the opposite of lowkey and apparently the only option he was willing to offer for you two to move around Monaco.

Which makes perfect sense, no matter how much you hate it.

There was also the timing. Which was really, really bad, and you blame your ignoring this on the fact that you had a lot to drink the night you said yes to his offer. On a normal basis Charles is the most sought after person in Monaco, him being the Grand Prix winner from two days before, multiplied the attention by a million.

Yet when he called you on Monday night to make sure you were still up for the next day, you couldn’t find it in yourself to say no. He was being nice and friendly, and you had no reason to deny him other than the anxiety you felt in the back of your neck every time you thought about what people would say if they found out.

And people would find out, sooner or later.

But you are not committing a crime, you tell yourself in front of the mirror. Charles is becoming your friend, which is something you really, really need at this point in your life. Granted, befriending the guy that you’re tangled up in rumors with isn’t the best idea, it’s neither your fault nor his.

So you take a deep breath and fix your hair for the last time before leaving your hotel room. Charles called you a few minutes before to let you know he is waiting in the lobby, and you can feel your palms sweating already.

Charles is nodding attentively to a child with a Ferrari cap who is telling him all about his Monaco GP experience when you step out of the lift.

He waves at you, and his eyes register your appearance in seconds before they return to the child.

“This is my friend y/n,” he tells the little boy as you approach. “She’s a huge Ferrari fan, too.”

The boy smiles brightly and his focus shifts to you, asking what your favorite part of the Grand Prix was and whether you think they can win in Spain. You give him the best answer you can come up with, that the best part was seeing Charles win (to which both Charles and the boy smile) and that yes, you believe it’s Carlos’ turn to win his home race.

Once Charles finishes signing his merch and he makes sure the kid has returned to his parents safely, his whole attention is devoted to you.

“You are really pretty,” he smiles, his accent coming out in the way he pronounces “pretty”.

Lowkey is the word of the day, and that’s also what you had in mind when picking your outfit. A sage green sundress with matching short-heeled shoes. Nothing too garish, but that still makes you feel confident.

“Thank you, you look good yourself.”

It’s a half-assed compliment that comes out of your mouth out of sheer anxiety. He looks incredibly handsome in a light blue shirt that brings out the blue in his eyes and a decent pair of jeans instead of the horrible ones he wore on Sunday.

Charles smiles wider, "Thank you, y/n."

You bite the inside of your cheek in embarrassment, and Charles' eyes go small in amusement.

"Are you ready?" he asks, ending your torment as you feel heat creep up your neck. Charles hesitates in offering his arm to you, and instead puts his palm out for you to walk in front of him.

You nod, starting the walk towards the exit. His car is right outside the door to the hotel, and there are people surrounding it, taking pictures and craning their necks to look inside. It's your turn to hesitate as you stop in your tracks, Charles' chest millimeters away from your body as he comes to an abrupt stop and avoids crashing into you.

"Let me," he says, his semblance more serious as he moves you aside gently. The doorman nods at him and opens the door.

Your anxiety rises as Charles leads you out of the hotel, apologizing in both French and Italian about not taking pictures as he opens the car door for you.

He continues smiling and saying 'thank you' and 'i'm sorry' as he walks around the car, to the driver's seat and climbs inside. The car offers little protection from the outside, but you're grateful for whatever refuge. It's not like you to act like this, but wherever your name appears on the internet lately is full of vile stuff. The mere thought of it makes your hands shake, you're afraid of what they're going to say this time.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly, watching you put your hands on your lap, palms down so the skirt of the dress wipes your sweat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you reassure, more to yourself than to him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Charles smiles again, shoulders relaxing as he steers the car away from the crowd.

You look at him, feigning insecurity and he frowns for a moment before you chuckle. "Don't worry, I love surprises."

"What do you think of Monaco so far?" he asks, squeezing the wheel a couple times. If you didn't know better, you'd think he is nervous too.

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful. The Grand Prix was something else, and everywhere I look there's luxury." You gesture around, but the prime example is the car you're riding right now, and the driver who's wearing a $2 million watch.

Charles laughs and nods, "It never stops being beautiful, no matter how much time you spend here. I miss it every time I'm away."

You understand. Because you miss New York so much, it doesn't matter how overrated people say it is. It's become your home and you hate being away from it, especially considering the circumstances that exiled you.

The very good thing about Monaco is that car rides are short. So when you get to your destination, you've barely had time to make things awkward with small talk.

You wait patiently for him to walk to your door and open it once you’ve parked. Charles has put on a pair of sunglasses and you think it’s a shame you can’t see his blue eyes anymore. You discard this thought immediately though, you’re not going to think like this about someone you’re befriending.

“So?” You ask taking his hand as he helps you out of the car. “What place were you so keen on showing me?”

Charles holds on to your hand for a moment too long, and you stare down at them. He lets go, repeating the gesture from earlier to let you walk in front.

“It’s a rose garden,” he begins explaining, leaning a bit forward so he doesn’t raise his voice. “The Princess’ Rose Garden, I saw your picture saying you felt like a princess. I thought you would like it.”

You turn around to face him and this time he isn’t quick enough to avoid crashing in to you. So much for an F1 Pilot’s reflexes.

“You’re not allergic to flowers are you?” He questions, the panicked undertone makes you smile. “y/n?”

“No!” You throw your head back laughing, “I just think it’s adorable how you related the ideas.”

There is a newly installed shade of pink in Charles’ cheeks and he runs a hand through his hair, sheepish. “Well, I’m glad I got it right.”

Your cheeks hurt from smiling and you are genuinely so excited so clap your hands a little. “The Princess’ Rose Garden! Let’s go!”

Charles still lets you lead, following wherever you go and translating whatever signs aren’t in English already. He too, is genuinely happy to see you so bubbly and excited as you marvel at the colors of the flowers and the arches, and the statues. He’s proud of himself for picking the right place.

“Let me take a picture of you,” he says, as you walk through a white arch speaking excitedly about how this reminds you of Alice in Wonderland. “y/n?”

You look at him over your shoulder with a smile and he snaps the picture before you can react properly or pose.

“Oh no Charles, delete that!” You whine, walking back to him to look at his phone.

“No, you look perfect,” he replies, showing you his screen. “See?” He does not regret a word that has come out of his mouth and it makes you pause, face warming up at the statement.

“Let me take a picture of you, then,” you say, pointing him towards the arch. He’s quick to comply, walking towards the arch and smiling at you, without looking at the camera.

You show him the screen of your phone and he seems satisfied with the picture, as he doesn’t ask you to retake it.

“Should we go down to the lake?” He asks signaling down the path.

You nod, putting your phone back in your purse and resisting the temptation to look at the notifications that crowd your lock screen.

Charles takes your hand once again as you arrive at the lake.

"You might slip in the grass," he explains, clearing his throat.

"Right," you chuckle, but he's right, the little hill you have to pass to get to the edge of the lake looks like a worthy rival to your heels. You know who'd be losing. "Thanks."

You sit down so close your shoulders are touching, but neither moves or speaks for a few minutes. Taking in the way the golden hour falls in the garden, the sun reflects off the surface of the lake and colors your face amber.

You're glad Charles has removed his sunglasses, because you can see his eyes again. The green is more visible now thanks to the golden in the environment.

"Thanks for bringing me here," you finally break the silence, "I really like it."

"I'm glad, y/n," he says, both dimples showing as he smiles. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you more places, though."

All Monday and a big part of today he was busy with interviews and photoshoots, all to celebrate his breaking the Monaco curse. You don't mind, he deserves to be celebrated.

"Maybe another time," you add.

"Whenever you want," his smile widens, and you have to look away from him. Your brain is swarmed in thoughts of how pretty he is, and you wish you could just leave it blank for a minute or two. "Thank you for agreeing to come."

The impulse of saying something that will ruin the mood is greater than your self-control, and curiosity keeps eating you from the inside since last Thursday.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Charles nods calmly, resting his chin on his hand as he faces you. "Anything."

"Do you really not care about... well, what everyone is saying?"

Charles tilts his head slowly, and frowns. "About what?"

"Me. You. Us." you whisper the last word, embarrassed. It feels a lot like 'Us' means something completely different than just being thrown together in a hurriance of wild rumors and lies.

"I don't," Charles doesn't even hesitate, "I don't read all of that. Carlos keeps me up to date, which is ridiculous."

You pinch your thigh lightly, ashamed that even his teammate knows everything that's been said about you.

It's the first time all evening that Charles wishes he could take his words back. "What I mean," he continues quickly, "Is that I don't let people on the internet form my opinion on someone, you, especially."

You return your gaze to him, "I'm sorry people have dragged you into this."

"You don't have to apologize for things that aren't your fault, y/n."

"Well, it does feel like it's my fault." You admit, and you hate the way your eyes sting, you don't want to cry in front of Charles. You really are ruining the whole mood.

"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" Charles is more serious now, trying to catch your avoidant eyes as you blink the tears away. "Something you want me to say? Because I will."

You shake your head no. You don't want him to actively participate in this mess, it's a PR nightmare and Ferrari and him have enough on their plates already.

"Unless you want to say something, Charles."

"There is a lot I want to say," he mutters through gritted teeth, and you're not quite sure what he means.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," he repeats, more lighthearted this time. "And stop whatever it is that you're reading about yourself, too."

"I'm not—"

Charles shuts you down with a look, there is no point in lying to him when, like Mati, he's weirdly capable of seeing right through you.

"You're sweet and talented, and hard-working, and many other positive things I'm hoping to continue witnessing first-hand." He speaks so fast his accent slips in several words.

"Thank you." you say sincerely, and you reach for his hand for the first time ever, giving it a squeeze before letting it go, something he accepts albeit reluctantly.

You sit together for a while longer, the awkwardness from your previous moments together alone is a distant idea, as you don't need to fill the silence anymore. Charles doesn't make your hands sweat in the way that feels wrong, your fingers don't prickle or go numb, your heartbeat—although fast—doesn't make your chest feel tight.

It's okay, you remind yourself, Charles likes you enough.

"Hello?" you're taking your shoes off, holding the phone between your ear and your shoulder.

"y/n!" Vic yells, making you wince, your phone clatters to the floor and you're glad the rug breaks the fall. "Are you back from your date?"

"It was not a date, Vic," you opt to put her on speakerphone, "And yes, I'm back."

"How was it? I saw on Twitter that you were in a garden? Was it cute?"

You sigh, of course this is on Twitter already. "Vic, I'm so serious right now, stop with the Twitter stuff."

"Sorry y/n," she sighs, her tone like a regretful child apologizing to their mom. "But my timeline is just full of them, honestly, I wish I could just reply to people and tell them to back off."

"Just ignore them, please, Vic,"

"I promise. But how was it, your not date?"

"It was great," you immediately regret the sigh that escapes your lips. "Charles is very nice, and the place was super pretty. We went to dinner after which was pretty cool too."

"That is a date, y/n," Vic giggles, "That's amazing! I'm glad you had a good time."

"Thank you," you let yourself fall back on the bed. It was not a date. The anxiety that Charles had helped soothe is back now, it feels like cold water running down your back. "What about you, what did you do today?"

It's 10 pm in Monaco, which means it's around 1 pm in Los Angeles.

Vic starts going off about her day, how she hates the smell of the new face cream she was supposed to release to the public two weeks ago, her trip to the gym with Holly and that other girl whose name you finally learn again—Deanna.

"When are you coming back to LA?" she asks.

You're picking up your stuff from around the room, you have to take a flight tomorrow and you'd rather sleep in, than wake up early to finish your packing.

"Soon I hope," you yawn. It makes no difference to you, spending time in hotel rooms and Vic's house, neither are home. So you're not rushing to go back to her.

"y/n, you promised you'd be here for the opening of the store," Vic is serious now. "You promised."

Closing your eyes, you battle that uncomfortable feeling on your hands. You're sure that you won't get any proper sleep if it doesn't go away.

The opening of Vic's first Presley Beauty store is on Friday, the same Friday you're going to be in Spain.

"I know Vic, I'm sorry. But I have to be with Elix, violating a contract at this point is not a good idea."

"Babe, you said you'd be the ambassador for the first store. People will come if you're there!"

You're not too sure of that right now. Maybe people would show up to throw tomatoes at you, if anything.

"I really am sorry, Vic."

She falls silent on the other side for a few minutes, and you continue packing, waiting for her to gather her feelings. You know you're in the wrong here, breaking a promise to your best friend, but you'd rather not mess up the only job you have right now. Plus, you are certain the publicity her very first store would get from you wouldn't be a good one right now.

"Okay, apology accepted," Vic exhales so hard it makes the microphone crackle. "But you do have to come to the store later, PROMISE ME."

"I promise. I'll be back in LA next Monday and I'll go straight to your store and steal everything."

Vic laughs and you're glad her anger has vanished.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay? After I land in Spain."

"Sure babes," Vic is her cheerful self again, "Have fun and also, say hello to Charles for me."

You roll you eyes. "Bye Vic, love you."

"I love you too, babe."

For the first time in days, you turn your phone off before getting ready for bed. You are not going to scroll endlessly through hashtags with your name. You're not going to read what they're calling you lately, because your friends—at least some of them— aren't.

─── team principal radio: ❝hello hello, thank you for reading! i hope you've enjoyed this chapter. The slow burn is slow burning friends. I would love to know your thoughts.♡❞

✰ paddock club members: @sassyheroneckgiant @flowerchild-96 @fangirlika @shegotboreddsoo @roseamongthorns13 @cissyp @chimchimjiminie16 @saturnsrinqs @roni-midnights @gayyvodka6 @studioreader @its-ash-not-grey @lu-morningstar-2 @ferraribabe @reidsworld @feelslikestrawberries @celestialams @kosmosgalore @heesung-baby @missenclod @buendiabebeta @mycenterfold @aces-tattooartist @burningrred @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @rainybabe25 @ru-kru @lazybot @teenagedreams-cl

want to join the paddock club? click here!

[codename-adler]

AftG AUs I NEED : An Open Invitation to All Writers

sharing ideas i’ve toyed with for so long but i’m beginning to accept i prolly won’t ever write, thus i’m taking a chance some of these will bewitch someone out there body and soul, and i’ll be able to scratch the itch a little… the more the merrier after all !

The Last of Us : either a romantic version of Joel & Ellie’s dynamic (obv. with the ages adjusted) /OR/ episode 3 AU 🥲 [any ship] {EDIT: i KNOW it’s been done already once, twice, but i *need* more! not just with Andreil! let’s be explorers of possibilities, cmon!!}

Detroit: Become Human : this one i’m really only thinking of Andreil, with either as android and the other as human… i don’t necessarily see them conforming to a specific plot line from the game, i think the android/human dynamic is interesting enough and fits them perfectly, but go off i guess !

Brokeback Mountain : i don’t really need to explain this one do i? happy ending vs. canon character death, that is the true question… [any ship]

Titanic : it’s got so many options and tropes, it’s like a buffet for fic writers ! could be used as setting only, or follow Jack & Rose’s tragic (or not!) love story. [any ship]

The Haunting of Bly Manor : Jamie & Dani haunt me still. great opportunity for Renison, Lailalvarez or Kathea, or perhaps a gender swap on mlm ship? or not, leave them boys as is. haunt me, it’s all i ask. [any ship]

BBC Johnlock : don’t shoot the messenger alright? sorry for the ptsd flashbacks btw. i just think their dynamic and crime/detective AU are great opportunities. i’m personally partial to Jeanaaron for this one, as they were my og idea bc the similarities are??? amazing??? Sherlock!Jean & Watson!Aaron, and the Reichenbach Fall??? so neat. but really, [any ship]

The Maze Runner : Thominewt // Kandreil !?!?!? it’s right there! [any ship] tho.

SKAM : ofc Robbe & Sander from WtFock are physically the perfect Andreil which leads to a great adaptation opportunity here, but Élu from SkamFr are also a great blueprint for a Kevaaron story. honestly any S3 Skam + [any ship]

Dune : listen, i don’t have all the answers. idk how that would even work. but surely you can figure smth out ! [any ship]

Inception : i love the movie. i love hans zimmer. i love Arthur x Eames. NORA SAKAVIC LOVES ARTHUR x EAMES. they’ve got such Andreil vibes, but so do Jerejean, even Renison. and the Foxes as dream crew??? so perf it’s insane. give me and Miss Sakavic what we really want. [any ship]

The Fault in Our Stars : 🥲 [any ship]

CA: The Winter Soldier / Civil War : so it’s kind of like an amnesia AU, but more angsty bc Stucky dynamic. Andreil’s the perfect fit, but who knows who else… [any ship]

Jujutsu Kaisen : 🥲🥲 [any ship.s]

Attack on Titan : 🥲🥲🥲 endless, endless paths… to pain ! [any ship.s]

How I Live Now : is that too niche? or too boring? 🤷‍♀️ (also let’s leave out the cousin thingy…) [any ship]

Red, White & Royal Blue : duh. (but not so duh, apparently, since i’ve yet to read it !!!) [any ship]

The Old Guard : oh the possibilities… Yusuf & Niccolo my loves… nobody be doing it like them, nobody. absolutely one of the most movie ever… top 10 of mine for sure. ugh, gosh ! foxes as Immortals?? the action, the mystery, the soulmates?? please i’m begging. [any ship]

that's what i'm letting go of for now... if anything inspires you, please tag me in your works so i can indulge in and appreciate what you've come up with!!

Love, Adler xx

[conceptofjoy]

for any mafia au, the question always becomes "who is in the mafia" and specifically "who is the leader of the mafia". here are my thoughts on which homestuck characters you might imagine as the top dog mafia boss for an AU

lord english - boring and generic, literally a mafia boss in canon

the condesce/old lady meenah - more interesting, u can make the trolls be mafiosos more easily, tho u might also have lord english be the shadow boss because thats also how it is in canon

doc scratch - also basically canon but its fun if you just straightforwardly have him on top and not in a "servant of lord english" capacity

snowman - really cool and fun option, she organizes crimes that piss off spades slick and then captures him when he comes to get revenge and then they hate snog, its beautiful

spades slick - no no no hes got his midnight crew but he cant be like in charge of a whole mafia, thats not his style, he would get pissed and kill too many of the generic ones

old lady jane - inspired and true as fuck

old lady jade - inspired and true as fuck

old lady jake - inspired and true as fuck

old lady rose - inspired and true as fuck

old lady aranea - roundaboutly canon, turning pirates into mafiosos is swagful and elegant, maybe works with meenah, maybe rivals with meenah, maybe both?

the striders - could never run a mafia. ur a fool if u put dirk or dave in charge of a mafia. make them the tragic honed weapons of the mafia

vriska - same shit she would never run a mafia shes just gaslit into thinking she can move up while shes taken advantage of and used as a tool

terezi - you cannot tell me she wouldnt have some fucked up appreciation of the mafia's "sense of justice"

tbh i dont know shit about mafia aus But

^ i toootally love this idea. jane’s the mc ofc n she wants to stage a coup via the help of excommunicated gma jade. i guess hic’s the boss? boss in quotes bc ur right abt shadow leader shit.

hmm i guess there could be a thing about how jake doesnt want shit to do with “the family biz” plus hic has an eye on them cause he’s jade’s kid so she lives with nanna june but hic has a constant eye on her. june also doesnt want shit to do with hic and tries to convince jane that poking the hornet’s nest is a horrible idea but he runs off anyways. june does her best to support jane through jade etc. dirk and roxy are jane’s best friends and IT guys. they got romance issues. etc.

[pruneunfair]

Why Laura is the worst remarried empress character. *crack post*

this bitch here gets on my nerves more than anyone.

Shes one of Naviers lady's in waiting so her sole purpose is basically propping Navier up as the one true empress. I don't hate her for that, if I did then I'd hate all of the ladies in waiting. It's how she does it, all of the ladies have a certain theme to them, Eliza is the motherly and mature one who handles conflict with grace most of the time, Mastas is the badass knight tomboy who can wreak your shit in under 5 minutes, Rose is... wait what even is Rose's thing? I don't think she has anything about her other then loyal servant.

Anyway back to Laura, her thing is that she's a angry redhead who tears down other women who don't emulate exactly what she thinks a good woman is (take a good guess on what she considers being a "good woman) the bitch already gives Navier a poor introduction to Rashta, calling her a filthy thing that was found in the woods and is already looking to steal Naviers man because she's really beautiful and Sovieshus attracted to that so.. I guess it's Rashtas fault for being a slave who took what options she had?

She instigated so much shit that did not need to be instigated. Rashta tears a dress (on ACCIDENT mind you), Laura slaps her, calls her a wench and then it's supposed to be a big surprise when Sovieshu has her locked up for being a bitch, nah you expect me to feel bad for her? I was smirking with Rashta when I read that line. It doesn't even end with Rashta, Laura also wasted no time in seeing Krista as enemy like all the other ladies just because Krista didn't get on her knees for Navier and then insists Navier throw her out of the palace after a misunderstanding. There was NO sex, all that happened was Heinrey had his head on Krista's lap and Krista had NO CLUE that he was drugged, she assumed he came onto her and her only crime was not telling everyone the truth when did learn what happened .

But is that it? Promoting internalized misogyny is pretty bad but is there anything else.

This. "Use it on his majesty."

She considers infidelity to be so awful that she tells Navier to basically drug Sovieshu with a love potion and SA him.. I'm sorry what!? Sovieshu is a POS but in no way does that mean SA should be even considered! Yeah who gives a shit if Rape is the worst thing a person can do to another as long as it's your husband it's fine! (It's not, Marital rape is not only absolutely disgusting, it was used as an excuse for decades that married couples can't be abusive.) Thank God that this was during a season when Navier still had all her common sense.

Also her names Laura. That tells you everything you need to know about her.

I usually like to call her Cinderellas step-sister since she kinda looks like an evil step sis, but you know what? Anastasia doesn't deserve to be compared to that bitch, because she is leaps and bounds better than Laura can ever dream to be. If you want a red haired character that's written with the finest character development Disney could make, watch Cinderella dreams come true or Cinderella a twist in time.

[kouyou-arc-when]

Theory on Fyodor's ability: Crime and Punishment

With the latest chapter, I can sort of imagine like 30 theories about what Fyodor's deal could be. Honestly, there are so many hints scattered way back from Untold Origins until now about the large-scale world-building of Bungou Stray dogs that we can imagine all sorts of possibilities for a person like Fyodor. I'll attempt to entertain one of them (this is not my only theory). In my opinion, it is clear he has a power that allows him to "endure" for long periods in one shape or another. That could be resurrection, reincarnation, regeneration, life force related power..- I guess the easiest way to describe it is an ability that helps him stick around. Right now Fyodor appears immortal, but I want to theorize on different aspects of what we know about him. These are key elements I want to focus on for my theory - they helped me narrow down certain options. I feel like the solution to the puzzle is figuring out how one ability can allow him to kill people and remain alive for long periods of time. 1. Fyodor's health, lifespan, and care for personal security: From what we've been able to gather, it seems Fyodor was alive in the 15th century, based on certain references from the latest chapter. However, there is an interesting aspect to his character: He cares very little for his physical safety - he gets intentionally captured all the time. We know this to be true from the time he got caught by PM, and there are theories he also ended up in Mersault partially because he wanted to be there. Within the latest chapter, he appears to have been captured by Bram's people on purpose once more. Furthermore, he tells Ace that he is prepared and "trained" to endure starvation.

This isn't the only time he gets in harm's way - arguably the entirety of Dead Apple was him putting himself at risk. Even so, while he MAY be immortal, and he puts himself in danger of losing his life, he is very sensitive about his health. In one databook, he mentions that his number 1 weakness is specifically his weak, sickly constitution. It seems getting ill is so upsetting to him that even if he survives a difficult endeavor like getting drowned, it's something he "isn't able to afford". Fyodor mentions this when he tries to drown Sigma and Dazai. He is anemic and hates getting sick/needs to be very careful about his health, every cover is drawn to show his dark circles and pale skin, Fyodor even admires good complexions on other people because his isn't that great according to databooks. This is a huge part of his character, and whenever we see additional material about Fyodor, there is 50% chance it's about his health issues (even for DA side material, the joke was he can't do much on weekends because his doctor told him to be careful about his blood pressure, according to one bit). What could this tell us about him? Fyodor constantly complains about getting ill: if he can regenerate ultra fast, this typically wouldn't be a problem. He says getting sick would be "intolerable for him". Ultimately, in a logical setting, an immune system largely allows a person to "regenerate" and many sickly people have a reduced capacity of doing this. Fyodor being able to regenerate super fast doesn't make a ton of sense. It is perhaps possible that Fyodor can regenerate large chunks of damage, but then his body enters a state of "suspension" which is why he's sickly - however, this doesn't fully track with the rest of what his abilities can do. I believe the biggest issue with Crime and Punishment is figuring out how the same ability that can kill others also allows him to live a long life (assuming this is all one ability). To continue examining this aspect of Fyodor, the wounds on his hand from his tick of finger biting don't seem to regenerate any faster than regular?

Harukawa is not overly consistent with any of this, just like most mangaka, and we don't see Fyodor biting his hands much later down the line, but there are a couple of times when it seems she's drawing him with wounds and scars on his arm.

I can remember like 2-3 other panels that show a lot of mini-scars, but manga artists tend to not be consistent with this level of detail. Hands are hard to draw af.

2. Bleeding I am pretty sure Fyodor's ability has to do with blood. I always theorized that he murders people by sacrificing some of his own blood, leading him to be anemic - there is very specific bleeding imagery whenever he kills people, and they usually die from bleeding out. I thought that was his "punishment" for committing a crime.

How would this work into immortality? In Christianity, life is heavily related to blood. You'll hear phrases like "Blood of the covenant", "blood of a lamb", and "sacrificial blood". Every person he kills "bleeds" out, yet he is anemic? Seems too random for it to be unrelated. So, what do we know? 1) He was alive in one way or shape in the 15th century, those are his memories, implying he, as a soul, has existed for over 600 years. He is long-lived. 2) Fyodor appears to be relatively unconcerned with dying, but appears to be worried about getting sick? 3) Fyodor himself says that being ill is his biggest weakness. It's canon he is anemic, and his health never gets better. 4) His scar from getting slashed by Bram healed since then, since there is no scar right now.

5) The wounds on his fingers don't heal super fast, meaning he likely doesn't have hyper regeneration. Being so sickly implies he doesn't have pure regeneration as well (from a logical point of view, but I suppose in a fictional setting it could make sense depending on how sensitive Asagiri is to detail). If he had regeneration, even to a baseline of his regular sickly self, he wouldn't say getting sick was "intolerable" for him, in my opinion. Fyodor isn't dramatic to complain about shit that doesn't get to him - he's alright with starvation and getting beaten. This sounds like he's afraid of more permanent damage (as an immune-compromised person, I can relate) If he got much sicker, he'd return to his old self eventually if he could regenerate, and he wouldn't have to worry that much. It is more likely he has something like complete resurrection from a state of being dead, rather than being able to regenerate over time. That follows what we already know. 6) His ability is connected to blood - making others bleed, and he himself being anemic. Blood in Christianity is associated with life. Does he have some form of life force manipulation? How does all of this come together? He is old af - meaning there is something up there. How could the above connect with immortality? A super sickly immortal? Why is he so sickly if he could regenerate? How would the same power that helps him live long also help him kill people?

I think it's possible that whatever he does with his abilities wears him out, and he has to change to another body eventually. Possibilities: 1) Killing people makes him sacrifice blood, so he gets sicker, until he dies. 2) Whenever he dies, it takes him a while to come back, so he can't afford to get sick and miss out on plans. However, if he has to die, it's still not a big deal if the reward is worth it, especially since he can come back, and others cannot. 3) Purely dying and reviving is easier than just switching to another body from sickly decay. The guy seems to panic more about getting sick than getting killed. Meaning he possibly has "periods" between resurrection/reincarnation/reviving. Perhaps he needs to die to revive into full health.

I guess it's possible that Fyodor's ability is related to life force itself? But how does that relate to the Crime and Punishment aspect?

Right now, I'd like to theorize that Fyodor's ability is essentially to "possess" people like a demon. Stay with me here. I'll try to explain what I mean by this: Fyodor can "possess" bodies. If he possesses them the right way, he takes over them and "rewrites them" to become him, including the physical appearance, which is why he looks the same throughout centuries. If he possesses them "wrongly", they die. The "crime/sin" is taking the body of another person - this is a profound violation in many religious teachings. "Possession" is a sin. Being able to possess bodies is one of the main trademarks of a Demon, which is how Fyodor is always nicknamed. Before he dies, he can change bodies.

I guess the easiest theory for me to imagine is that Fyodor is just a consciousness at this point, and he needs to "possess" bodies to keep living. Every single body he possesses occasionally wears down (this is the "punishment" part of his power), and he needs to keep finding new ones to keep living. Killing people wears down his current body even faster. Every time Fyodor "possesses" a new person he completely returns to his "baseline" form, and that is why he has no "old" scars from the 15th century. I assume finding a good body to possess may be more difficult, so that is why he avoids wearing down the current body with his power. Perhaps he starts killing his current host to possess another? And that is why he starts losing blood, making him anemic. The trick is that he doesn't finish the process. The reason Sigma was "brought into the world" was for Fyodor to have another "clean" body to possess. Asagiri even mentioned that Sigma was created in relation to specifically Fyodor's color pattern. Additionally, Asagiri told us to pay attention to "Chekhov's gun" cliffhangers, and this is one of the elements of the story we never got a resolution for - why was Sigma brought into this world, and why was he specifically made in relation to Fyodor's character? Having a body created by the Book, as a clean slate, may be perfect for Fyodor. Perhaps he cannot fully recover anymore from his broken health, even when he "reforms" after possessing someone, and that is why getting sick is worse for him than death - every time he "possesses someone" and takes their body, his body recovers less and less. Now, I want to elaborate on this. Why did Crime and Punishment not attack Fyodor in the mist? I guess one possibility is that Fyodor is a sentient ability. An ability that keeps possessing people.

Fyodor's ability won't attack him, because it is the consciousness controlling the body. "Crime and Punishment are close acquaintances, the borders between us vanish"

His fake speech to Sigma might be based on "half-truths" I have a theory that Fyodor's power ultimately synthesized with his real personality and became one indistinguishable whole. "The borders between us vanish" could possibly be a reference of the border between him and his power disappearing and leaving him corrupted. In my opinion, this would also explain why Fyodor wants to get rid of abilities - he wants to remove this curse from himself. While the ability may have conjoined with the real Fyodor, it still may be lost in how to act, and the real him continues being the root of all his desires. Dostoevsky's character was based on a chapter from Brother Karamazov where Vanya talks with the Devil - I feel like this is a huge hint to his character and the possible "possessive" part of his ability. Did human Fyodor summon a devil and had it become his power? Are abilities demons? Honestly, there are so many ways to interpret what we're seeing in BSD at the moment. I find it interesting that Fyodor wanted to see Bram and his "evil"

I think Fyodor may be fascinated with the existence of "good" and "evil" as equals - and is possibly fascinated by why "someone like him" exists. Why would God create an ultimately "evil" ability? And what about others who were born with evil powers such as Bram? They are just like Fyodor, which is why he relates to him. I feel like there is a lot of discussion to be had about the possible origins of abilities - the religious imagery, decay of angel themes, Nephilim theories, but I will leave this for another post. Also, I could write pages about Fyodor's ability, backstory and how it may be influencing his world view. I sort of have two theories in my head: Fyodor is a demon, or Fyodor is a human who was influenced by his "demonic" ability. I wrote this in a rush, so it's not well thought out at all, just a bunch of rambling, so thanks for reading again <333

[justtwotired]

Whispers of the night - Lloyd Garmadon x reader

Part 1 - previous - next

Your POV:

Finally I wasn’t grounded anymore, and then my friends just could not hang out, now if that isn’t unfair, I don’t know what is.

The only option I had, was a specific blondie in my contact.

You

Blondie

Can you hang out?

I’m bored

01.34 pm Seen

You

Blondie?

Hellooo

01.37 pm seen

You

Are you ignoring me :(

01.45 pm delivered

You

Lloyd?

01.55 pm delivered

I waited for ten more minutes, feeling rather upset that he was just ignoring me like that. When I looked back at me phone, he had read the messages and hadn’t replied, though he was still online.

You

Are you upset with me?

Did I do something wrong?

02.07 pm seen

You

Guess I’ll go to the library by myself:/

02.09 pm delivered

Half an hour later, I was sat at the table in the library, nose deep in a true crime book that had recently come out.

I think about an hour past when I heard a message come in on my phone. I picked it up and opened the message.

Blondie

Hey, sorry for not messaging back!

Send 03.27

I started typing on the keyboard before deleting my message and putting my phone back on the table, trying to focus on my book as my phone kept delivering messages.

After three minutes I couldn’t help but open them.

Blondie

You still wanna hang out?

N/n?

Sent 03.28 pm

Blondie

I saw you type?

Sent 03.29 pm

Blondie

Are you mad at me?):

Sent 03.30 pm

Blondie

I can see that you’re online

Hellooo

I’m sorryyy

just now

I put my phone back on the table with a small huff and was about to turn back to my book when my phone rang.

I rushed to grab it in the silent library and quickly looked at the screen.

Incoming call from Blondie…

I hung up and put it back down on the table, melting away because of the stares people gave me after that rude interruption of the silence.

My phone started to get messages again and I turned the sound off, not feeling like replying, still being mad.

Twenty minutes later, curiosity got the best of me and I took my phone in my hands.

Three missed calls from Blondie

8 unread messages

With a sigh I opened the messages and took a look.

Blondie

Y/n? I’m sorryy, can you pick up?

Sent 03.33 pm

Blondie

Are you mad at me?

I promise I will explain myself :(

N/nnn

Sent 03.35 pm

Blondie

Fuck that, I’m calling you again

Sent 03.37 pm

Blondie

For fucks sake.

Alright, library you said right?

I’m heading there right now.

Sent 03.41 pm

The last message was about ten minutes ago, he could be here any moment…

He wouldn’t really come right? No he wouldn’t, he didn’t even answer my messages and I dodn’t need to hear his stupid excused anyway.

I continued reading my book and about five minutes in, I completely forgot about the message he had sent me about stopping by.

Well, guess what? I was dead wrong. He was not bluffing when he said he’d show up.

Suddenly, someone sat down next to me and I looked up to be met with a pair of green eyes. I narrowed mine and turned back to my book.

“Awe, come on, N/n, I’m sorry,” he said lowering his head slightly to try and continue our eye contact.

I didn’t reply and turned a page, not looking at him as I started to read on.

“Hey, don’t be like this, just let me explain,” he pouted trying to take my hand in his but I recoiled, making me look him in the eyes.

He gave me a light hearted smile. And I scowled at him, making the smile disappear slightly. “Darling, please listen to me,” he said and I could feel my heart start to beat faster at the nickname, though I tried not to let him notice.

He did try to bite back a smirk, so I think he somehow saw trough my poker-face.

I sighed and gave him a look that said ‘explain’ and he quickly took the chance.

“So, I was at work, and my phone just laid on a table, and then you messaged me and I opened it, but then I had to do something else and my phone was marking your messages as seen’ until it fell out, and when I was about to reply something else happened so I had to walk away again and then I kind of forgot you messaged me,” he said and I was contemplating on answering.

“Where do you work?” I asked and he seemed surprised before quickly answering. “Oh uhh, there’s a Dojo not far away from here, I teach the kids sometimes.” He said and I bit my lip for a moment contemplating his answer.

He saw my hesitation and lit up for a moment. “I’ll buy you some chocolate,” he said and a smile creeped onto my face.

“Forgiven,” I said and he grinned triumphantly.

Lloyd POV

When I got home from my mission, I had casually tossed my phone on my bed and taken a shower.

Only when I laid on my bed to chill for a moment, was when I noticed the unread messages.

Shit, I had completely ignored Y/n while on my mission. I had meant to answer her messages, but Pixel, who was guiding me trough the building, was not amused.

“Lloyd, I would prefer it if you put your phone away, you can text your girlfriend after the mission.” She had said and I had heard Jay and Cole laughing in the background.

I quickly answered her texts, which she ignored, making me feel bad, she was definitely mad at me.

When she didn’t answer my calls either, I texted her one last time and headed towards the library.

When I arrived, I spotted her reading a book at a table. She didn’t notice me yet, so I sat next to her, making her look up at me.

When she saw me, her face hardened slightly and she looked back at her book, turning a page as her eyes scanned the page.

“Awe come on, N/n, I’m sorry,” I pouted slightly and lowered my head to meet her eyes, but she avoided me.

“Hey, don’t be like this, just let me explain,” I tried to take her hand but she pulled away from me, it did force her to look at me, even though it was with a scowl, making my smile falter slightly.

“Darling, please listen to me,” I said and I then heard her heart start to beat faster, making the ghost of a grin appear on my face.

Even though I loved calling her that, maybe I should leave the nicknames to the green ninja.

She proceeded to give me a look that told me to explain so I did- sort if, I lied, but not completely, because I didn’t leave her on read on purpose after all.

I had made up a fake excuse on my way here, so that was not a problem. She did catch me of guard when she asked me where I worked though, so I quickly made up a lie.

Dareth wouldn’t mind if I said I worked at his Mojo Dojo, I suppose.

She bit her lip, contemplating on forgiving me, but after promising her some chocolate, I was quickly forgiven, making relief float trough my body.

After she finally finished the chapter of her book, I took her to get some chocolate and then we headed to the park.

“The grass is wet,” I said as she sat down under the tree that was slowly loosing its leaves.

“Awe, is little Lloyd scared for some wet grass?” She pouted at me mockingly and I rolled my eyes. “Are you really going to act like that?” I asked as she took a bite of the chocolate bar she had chosen.

When she had chosen it, I couldn’t help finding her cute as she headed for the cash register like a giddy pinguïn who just caught a fish.

“Well, if you’re going to be scared about damp grassing then yes, I am.” She said and I chuckled and sat down.

She offered me some chocolate with a smile and declined. “It’s all yours,” I said, tempted to add a princess, but deciding that maybe, to not create suspicion, I should not call her the same things as the green ninja.

We leaned against the tree, and while she ate her chocolate, she pointed out people, she told me what she’d name them and why, she made up a life story about them and my smile grew as she rambled on.

“Hey! Lloyd!” We both looked up at someone shouting my name. I saw Nya approach us and I narrowed my eyes slightly as she gave me a innocent smile.

She had definitely used my tracker to find me and meet Y/n.

“Hey, Nya,” I said and she looked at the girl next to me, who looked at her with her lips slightly agape.

“Holy shit,” she said. “It’s you!” She stood up with a giddy smile, making Nya and me both look surprised.

“You went to Ninjago High like- two years ago right? Your Nya Smith?” She asked and Nya nodded with a small smile.

“Me and my friends love you so much!” Y/n jumped up and down in excitement. “Like, when we where in our first year, you flipped off Mr. Taylor and we became like- obsessed!” She said and Nya laughed.

“I remember that! I did get a weeks worth of detention though,” she shrugged and Y/n waved her hand slightly. “Well, it was worth it right?” She asked and Nya nodded with a grin.

“You where the one that fought that kid- Brown was it? Last week, right?” She asked making Y/n nod excitedly.

“Yes! He did deserve it though,” she quickly added and at that point, I was just completely ignored as the two girls got into an excited conversation with each other.

Suddenly Nya’s phone beeped and we exchanged looks as she looked at her screen. “Well, it looks like I have to get going, I’ll see you another time, right?” She asked making Y/n nod. “Definitely, Lloyd can text you my number,” she said.

“My friends will be so jealous when I say I met, and talked to you!” She added making Nya laugh. “I’ll have to meet them aswel sometime, then,” she said before waving and leaving the two of us be.

“I feel left out,” I said and she laughed at me before sitting back down and leaning her head on my shoulder, making my blush ever so slightly.

Your POV

Lloyd suggested we get some pizza and I excitedly agreed, sending a quick text in the family group chat that I was eating out and I’d be home late.

“Alright, so I’m going to ask you a very important question, alright?” Lloyd started and I looked up at him with a small hum. “Pineapple on pizza, yes or no?” He asked and I shrugged.

“Well I couldn’t give two flying fucks if someone would like pineapple on their pizza, everyone is always complaining and for what? I mean, if you like it, that’s fine, enjoy, you don’t like it? Then don’t eat it and be done with it.” I said and he grinned approvingly.

“Amazing,” he said making em chuckle. “Jay, Cole and Kai always get mad when I say I like pineapple on pizza.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“Jay, Cole and Kai need to grow the fuck up.” I said and he laughed. “And you? Do you like pineapple on pizza?” He asked and I chuckled.

“No idea, I never tried it,” I said and he looked a bit offended. “Why not?” He asked. “I’m allergic to pineapple,” I said and his eyebrows rose.

“Are you sure? You think it’s because of the weird feeling it gives your tongue? Because that has e very logical explanation!” He said and I laughed.

“No, I know the pineapple also eats you as you eat it,” I said with a grin, “but I don’t think it’s supposed to cut off your airway,” I said and he let out an amused chuckle. “No I don’t thinks it’s supposed to do that.”

In the restaurant, we had our food and after a long discussion, we decided on splitting the bill.

As we where gathering our stuff two elderly woman walked past and smiled at us “you two are such a cute couple,” one of them said and we both blushed.

“O-oh, no, we are just friends,” I quickly said and the other frowned. “Are you sure?” She asked confused and Lloyd chuckled. “Pretty sure, yes,” he said and the two women exchanged look.

“Such a bummer, you would make an amazing couple.” The first one said before they made their leave.

Me and Lloyd exchanged an awkward glance before I quickly looked down and started rummage trough my bag as if looking for something, fishing my phone out as excuse and looking at imaginary messages.

“Shall we leave, then?” He asked and I smiled at him and gave a small nod. We left the restaurant and walked trough the cold night streets.

Lloyds phone buzzed and he looked at the screen, his face falling as he read a message. “Seems like I need to get going,” he said to me making me pout. “Are you leaving me behind?” I asked and he gave me a soft smile.

“Don’t you look at me like that, I’ll see you somewhere else this week,” he promised before waving his phone around. “Just text me!” He said before winking and leaving me in the street.

Seems like I’ll be heading to my favourite roof.

I walked the other way, slowly walking further into the city to find the shop that had closed about two years ago, no one ever opened something new after.

I climbed the wall and sat crossed legged on the flat roof, looking up at the sky. Sadly the stars weren’t visible because of the clouds, I hoped it wouldn’t rain again…

I took my headphones out of my bag and connected them to my phone, blasting my playlist on repeat.

After about an hour my phone buzzed and l looked at the screen to see a message from my dad, a new one following soon after.

I opened it and my stomach fell.

Father dears

Y/n, where are you?

We need you to come home now, something happened.

You

Dad? What’s going on, is everything alright?

Father dears

Where are you?

You

Maplestreet, why?

Father dears

I’m sending the driver now

Stay where you are

You

Dad what’s going on?

Father dears

I’ll explain when your home, keep your guard up and protect yourself whatever it takes.

You

Dad, you’re scaring me

Father dears

It’ll be fine sweetie, the driver should be there in ten.

I climbed of the roof of the building and soon enough our driver arrived. I entered the car and he looked around before speeding away.

“Henry, what’s going on?” I asked and he looked at me trough the rearvieuw mirror. “Your father has not enclosed much information, I only have orders to get you home as fast as possible madam.” He said.

When we were home I got out of the car and was lead to the door by both of our security guards.

At the door I was met with my parents who pulled me into their arms.

“What’s going on?” I demanded to know. “We got a letter today.” My father handed me a small piece of paper

Dear Mr and Miss L/n

Any idea where your eldest daughter is right at this moment? Probably not, we do, we have eyes everywhere at all times.

Consider this a threat, do anything out of line and she will pay the prize.

Kind regards, A

“What the hell? What do the mean ‘do anything out of line’? Why are they so vague?” I asked and my father shrugged while tears ran down my mother’s cheeks.

“We don’t know who this is or what they want, but we need you to stay here for the time being, Henry will drive you to school every day and Malcolm will be somewhere in the school building at all times, being your personal bodyguard for the time being” My dad said and I shook my head.

“Hey! That’s not fair, I don’t need security, I can protect myself!” I argued and my father just shook his head. “We can’t take any risks. I already contacted the police, they will stop by tomorrow and confiscate the letter.” He said and I sighed and put my hands on my head.

“This is insane,” I said in disbelief and my father laid his hands on my shoulders. “It’ll be fine, Sweetie, I’ll take bigger security measures somewhere this week.”

I was then send upstairs to head to bed, I could hear my parents talk downstairs, mum was still crying…

I laid awake for almost the whole night.

Who sent the letter? What did they want? What would they do to me? What did my father mean with bigger security measures?

How did my day went from having fun with my crush- I mean, friend, to being threatened and having a security guard outside of my bedroom door?

[pixelyssa]

The love of my life has been ignoring/stone walling me, and today it led to a HORRIBLE binge. I couldn’t stop, I was sobbing. I feel disgusting

I guess I’m wondering.. what advice do you have for preventing large binges like that?

hi lovey

first, im sorry about that.. i hope their gears start working properly and they talk to you soon 🩷

i don’t struggling with b1nging personally, and it’s not a flex, its just b1nging is a term i’ve been told not to use here. because for me, its still less than a “normal 1ntake” when i “overe@t” but i def know the disgusting feeling afterwards and the guilt/regret.

(i have to clarify that or i get threats)

anyways!! seems to me like it was obv triggered by ur problem w whoever this person is… like the b1nge was your coping skill.

so to answer ur question on preventing it, make a list of other coping skills you know work.

-distraction coping skills (to name a few: shows, documentaries, youtube, music, games, call/text a friend, read, coloring/drawing, writing, cleaning, showering, exercise, nap) these don’t fix ur problem ofc but itll distract u from the big feelings and unhealthy coping skills, and eventually (hopefully) you will regulate & be safe! a lot of people on this side of tumblr dont realize the distractions we use to avoid e@ting are usually good for us. deciding to go on a walk or take a shower instead of r3lapse in soemthing?? hell ya

-problem focused coping skills! (ex: asking for help, text/call a hotline, deep breathing, establishing boundaries outloud “i will not ___” or “i am not ____” etc) these are harder to do when ur having big emotions because your brain doesnt think “yes lets do some hard self refelction!!

but i wanted to give some examples so you have some incase you can’t think of any rn.

like i said, write it down. that way when this happens, or even other negative things, you have all ur tools in one spot. notes app, a journal, whereva 🩷

besides that, sometimes its alr too late to choose another coping skill. i can only recommend if you give in and you know youre gonna, to try these things

-put the f00d on a plate (small ones r best for me in this situation) that way im not having a whole bag of cookies/chips its just a couple on a plate

-i also get rid of any f00ds that would be dangerous during a b1nge for me lol. ik some people live with others and they can’t do this, but when im rlly hungri my only options these days are strawberries or carrots with hot sauce 😭 so maybe thatll help? if theres no f00d, theres no b1nge?

-watching true crime or g0re helps me bc it makes me unable to e@t the f00d in front of me 😭 sorry if this is crazy but… like maybe when ur upset like that and you have tried to do the healthy coping skills and just still wanna b1nge… you could just watch some true crime? 😭😭

-managing ur daily 1ntake could also help. ik sometimes even if ur full you can get the b1nge urges, but yk it genuinely could be that ur not having enough per day to function and ur stomach is sending those urges to ur brain.

kinda all over the place ik. i havent been active for a bit im going through it 🤭 anyways i feel so bad for u why tf is ur person ignoring u 😭 idk what i would do 💔 i hope this was a little helpful atleast’

ily stay safe xoxo🩷

[zmediaoutlet]

happy ww, I am so glad you are back :)

I didnt have any unique qs except I was rereading the archivist a few days ago (as one does!!) and it got me thinking how in your fics and late season domesticity, they just...love & accept each other, as people. So. What are the activities that you think Sam/Dean have zero interest in individually but do it for each other? Esp post 15.19!

happy wincest wednesday-on-a-friday! <3 I'm partially back at least, haha. The things, they are Busy, but it's good to check in with the buds. :)

You know late-seasons domesticity is my jam! And people doing things they don't necessarily like but will bear for the sake of the beloved is my ultimate jam, or indeed preserves! My marmalade!

Leaving naughty options that have been discussed before to the side -- let's do a random hc for each --

Dean finds true crime weird as shitttt. Our lives our true crime, why are you consuming it as a hobby?? Sam starts out trying to claim that it's work-related, and also did you know that we got covered on this podcast when the serial killer Leviathan-- ? But then with the benefits of late-seasons casualness he just shrugs and says, what? I dig it. And so Dean does occasionally deign to let Sam play the podcast at full volume in the car on the long drive from Kansas to Augusta ME, and because he is who he is, he inevitably gets involved in the characters etc and wants to hear the next ep. But then he remembers that those are real people, with real tragedies, and gets an uncomfy little -- ick -- but Sam's focused and fascinated and Dean puts away the ick and goes, well. If the killer ever shows up again as a ghost or demon, the Winchesters will know ever single detail of how to handle it.

Sam suffers more than Christ for his brother-best-friend-husband, lol. Every day is another listen through of the Black Album or a stop at a diner that last passed a health inspection in 1979 or what Dean thinks passes for singing in the shower. But so what. All the benefits of being Dean's brother outweigh the horrors. (Most of the time.) One in the post 15.19 era that he truly just Does Not Like is Dean's obsession with trying to hit all the restaurants he can on the Diners Drive-ins and Dives list. I mean jesus christ -- not only were they often sketch greasebombs to start with, now that they're famous they're even worse, and crowded, and he does not want a triple-stack waffle-and-fried-chicken heart attack on a plate -- ! But Dean grins so big, and honestly, if anyone's earned cholesterol Sam guesses it's Dean. So he orders whatever's least gross on the menu and resigns himself to another afternoon of trying not to watch Dean eat. (But he will, after enough cajoling, take a bite of whatever the star thing is on the menu. Sometimes it's good.)

[nepenthean-sleep]

Hey hey! For the character meme Gideon!

hello thanks for the ask :)

favorite thing about them i love how she speaks. someone said once that everything she says is like the wrong option in a video game dialogue choice list. all of tamsyn's characters have incredible dialogue but gideon is so goddamn funny especially. like it wraps around from being cringe to being funny again. her narration is excellent.

least favorite thing about them i'm gonna say what i said for harrow, everything about her makes sense for her character and her role in the story.

favorite line given the first answer here you can imagine this is extremely difficult for me. however. i'm going to go with a decidedly unfunny one from chapter 25 of ntn because it makes me feel insane.

Nona had never seen anyone so sad in her whole short life. It made her nearly afraid to die. “Nobody locks me up anywhere,” said Kiriona.

she says!!! while locked in her corpse by her dad!! after being locked in harrow's brain for a year by harrow!! after being locked in drearburh for 18 years by the ninth!! ohhhhhhh my god

brOTP sorry i'm going with gideon and ianthe because they hate each other and i just find that endlessly amusing

OTP griddlehark sweep

nOTP don't really have one, just don't like when she's shipped with men

random headcanon after she goes to canaan house she starts getting freckles because it's her first time in sunlight

unpopular opinion idk i don't really see people talking about this much but like she's an asshole. she has a mean-spirited streak. and like yeah i guess if your opponent in the cartoonishly evil contest is harrow it's gonna make gideon look like a much better person but like. idk everyone was shocked by her being a dick in ntn but it's not really that different from how she was before?

also i really really hate the fandom himboification of her turning her into a one-dimensional horny fuckboi vehicle for harrow to have 36 orgasms or whatever. or the opposite where they make her a loyal idiot golden retriever. butches often have personalities that are not either of these things, actually!

song i associate with them it is 100% absolutely from hell with love and sweet true lies, both by beast in black. not only do they sound like songs i think gideon would listen to, like, the lyrics are so.

Killed my light To serve your delight Now see me ripped apart Ripped apart

Another voiceless cry Another hopeless try I wish you'd open your wings and take me inside From hell with love I write Confess my passion crime Cause to my heart, soul and mind, you are kryptonite Oh babe

like cmon.

Baby, baby tell me more of your lies Say you want me for a lifetime I believe you even when I know it's a lie Love's so blind Sweet true lies

AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! thank you @oceanwrath for introducing me to these songs with your tlt art.

favorite picture of them again i can't choose just one there's so much good art in this fandom but my favorites are this FUCKING STUNNING kiriona piece by @nil-elk and this amazing one by @battletailors and this incredible piece by @notedchampagne and this one by @may12324 and this one by oceanwrath and listen ok i just really really like gideon nav 😭

thanks for the ask!

[life-winners-liveblog]

Ok, for the song thing (if you’re still doing it), I’ve got quite a few:

Bang! By AJR

How far we’ve come by Matchbox twenty

Little lion man by Mumford & Sons

Lotta true crime by Penelope scott

Rät by Penelope Scott

Take me to war by The Crane Wives

Villain by Stella Jang

Touchy feely fool by AJR

Room where it happens from Hamilton

(You don’t have to do all these I just wanted to give as many options as possible)

-Raven

(Good thing for you is that I know almost all of these, so I am going to do those... it might take a while XD)

~~~~~~~~

(Bang)

Scott: Ok nice start, very rythmey.

Grian: Those lyrics "come hang" "let's go out with a bang"... is this one of those songs that have a cheery tune but have like deep stuff in the lyrics?

LimL!Jimmy: Oh I wasn't feeling it at first but that electric oh-dee-la-de-do just hit and wow.

Pearl:... Let's go out with a bang... thats a bit of an on the nose reference to Double Life.

Grian: What-

Pearl: You'll see when we watch Double Life.

~~~~~~~~

(How far we have come)

Pearl: Another fast one, nice!

LimL!Jimmy: 🎶Let's see how far we've come, 🎵let's see how far we've come🎶. It's catchy.

Scott: I feel kinda sad? It gives the vibe of an ending song... An end in general... But endings don't exist do they? we know now that even death isn't one... Everything just goes on wether or not you are there to experience it...

Grian: Though...At the same time everything ends doesn't it? Everything dies, everything is eventually destroyed, mountains erode away and stars die and black holes evaporate...

LimL!Jimmy:... Why are you guys getting philosophical... It's a song... Don't take it so seriously....

~~~~~~~~

(Little Lion Man)

Scott: Oh this one is slower...

Pearl: I don't need a song telling me to weep and what's with the lion man thing?

Grian: Oh ... That... Oh... (The "It was not your fault but mine, i really fucked it up this time didn't I my dear" really hit Grian in the feels)

LimL!Jimmy:... I mean, if you mess up enough times you eventually get used to being a failure, speaking from experience eventually you just accept it.

Scott: You are not a failure... Jimmy. No matter what mistakes you might have done.

LimL!Jimmy:...

~~~~~~~~

(Rat)

Grian: Like a daddy should? My parents litterally left me so yeah, thats not true, think again... Did...I say that out loud?

Scott:... Uhhhh...this is akward... Do you want an hug?

Grian:... Kinda.

Pearl: ... ... ... Anyway.

LimL!Jimmy: *alward hum* 🎶Take me to the moo-oo-on🎵

~~~~~~~~

(Villain- english ver)

LimL!Jimmy: What do you mean pretend? I am the hero!

Scott: Oh the way "so many shades of gray" is sung is just so suave... This is very nice.

Pearl: 🎵I am villain why pretend🎶 that it isn't true? 🎶Didn't realize what an awful little devil I could be.🎵

I am going to have this in my head for a while.

Grian:... It's alright I guess...

~~~~~~~~

(The room where it happened)

Scott: Good start already has a beat.

LimL!Jimmy: All you had to do was to die? Aha we are already dead!

Pearl: Are they just gonna keep calling him the immigrant, did we miss something?

Scott: It's from a musical I think so probably context we don't have.

Grian: *humming at "no one else was in the room where it happened"*

LimL!Jimmy: ...I know none of these names... (Logical result of making 2 British people, a Scottish man and an Australian listen to a song about people from the American Revolution).

Pearl: Me neither.

[luffyvace]

STRAW HAT HEADCANONS

YUP YUP

as a thx for being patient for me not posting all day-

you get the whole crew!! :)

(some of these are based off true stories i’ve heard of from my friends 😭🧍‍♀️)

Luffy

never a peaceful day goes by

hes the type of guy that has to make noise if it’s “too silent”

like bro can’t we get some peace and quiet??

thrives in chaos

his eye to hand coordination is on point bc this man doesn’t think before he does ANYTHING

steals things from his crew even

if he sees something he likes he just takes it

he goes into the bathroom, puts boogers on the tissue then leaves

doesn’t even take it off or flush it

the next person who has to use that bathroom is mortified

when nami finds out and holds a whole meeting to find out who did this terrible act of crime

they find out it’s him he just laughs

per usual

stop this madness.

(he doesn’t)

Zoro

also a menace

not as straightforward with it though

its more like if he gets water everywhere when washing his hands

or spills his drink when pouring it

or pee all over the toilet

he’s kinda like oh whoops

(for future reference- my apologies for who ever you simp for here bc these headcanons don’t hold back)

anyway

sometimes he doesn’t shower after he trains

and just walks in the kitchen full body REEKING 😭😭😭

seriously dude take a shower

”i’ll cool off eventually”

THAT AINT GONNA GET RID OF THE STENCH

it makes me doubt he changes his underwear often enough

he leaves empty water bottles everywhere

it’s worse in the crows nest trust

Nami

thankfully this poor victim isn’t nearly as much as a menace

as long as you pay your beli

is genuinely willing to wait as long as it takes to get that money

and if you die she’s taking your life insurance

if your a pirate and have none she probably just takes whatever money and belongings you own

if it’s gems she’ll keep them but otherwise

she sells your clothes and other stuff that’s not worth much

smells like flowers

yes i said it

every time she comes out the shower something chaotic has happened

ah what a refreshing shower..

WHAT DO YOU MEAN LUFFY UPSET ANOTHER GOD 😱

😡✊ 🤣 💥 😓 😑

you can guess what happened

Usopp

his luck heavily fluctuates

sometimes he can get away with stealing. from. nami.

wow.

to other times getting blamed for farting

by luffy

and no one likes that feeling

has a better fashion sense but just chooses to dress how he does

no reason really

he can do hair and paint nails

nail painting he learned from kaya

would love horse back riding if he tried

he would suck at first tho

likes little children but they always end up beating him up for some reason

‘his cooking isn’t that good!’

‘let’s jump him!’

‘yeah!!’

besides the usopp pirates—they just do

Sanji

he could pull if he just stopped simping so hard

opla sanji is proof

his favorite thing to cook is spicy foods

him and chopper bond over spices bc some are good for your health and all

chopper sometimes recommends new herbs to put in foods

and vice versa for medicine

he helps chopper shop for herbs and such

if zoro wasn’t his big brother it was def be sanji

i love this duo it need more screen time

Sanji is a natural with children

which is why i wanna know why he ain’t wifed up yet?!

still hasn’t had his first kiss

prob would’ve genuinely married pudding if she was regular girl or at least not a big mom pirate

Chopper

sweetest person ever

looks up to all the straw hats

so he picks up bad habits from them

and is influenced by them easily

they use him as a tie breaker for stuff

they all bribe him to picking they’re option

usually robin, nami, sanji or zoro wins

robin bc she uses her psychological knowledge

nami bc she offers to buy his doctor stuff (which is rare)

sanji bc they have a close bond and relate to each other

and zoro bc they’re bond too (and bc he scares him sometimes- like that time in water 7)

asks people to help him with his doctor research

everyone was willing until the time usopp had diarrhea

then he could only convince luffy to do it 😭

Robin♥︎

her stare scares the rest of the straw hats

if it’s not a genuine smile and more like a distant stare that is

shes always observing and watching

theres no hiding secrets from her

she’s knows all

she actually reminds me of a friend i had irl and idk how to feel abt it

she wasn’t a bad person

she was just

just like robin 🧍‍♀️

anyway

i wonder if robin would read stephen king?

she would prob big up the book

only for them to find out it’s pretty dark

she prefers tea over coffee any day

its healthier w more health benefits

it just suits her taste pallet more

plus it doesn’t stain your teeth yellow n stuff..

Franky

SO LOUD

the second he gets up-

SUPERRRRRRR

its kinda annoying

he doesn’t care much if you don’t like it

Luffy is louder ok

your fine

wants robin to think he’s cool

if you don’t get something he said he doesn’t feel like repeating himself

either leaves out more details the more he explains it

or stares at you until you get it

constantly requesting american food for dinner

he doesn’t mind noodles and other around the world dishes

but can he get some pizza??

is that too much??

actually such a kind and considerate person

can relate to sanji on his kindness and empathy being his superpower

♡♡BROOK♡♡

needs so much more attention

the only one who still laughs at his skull jokes are luffy and chopper

sometimes usopp if it was a good one

loves to exchange books with robin but..

sometimes they’re a bit scary

(dude your a skeleton…YOUR SCARY-)

robin listens to him well bc he has a wealth of knowledge

he is 90 after all

maybe brook gets his clothes tailored??( bc who makes clothes so skinny a skeleton could fit them?!)

can play instruments no ones ever even HEARD OF before

randomly re-realizes his generation of people is dead

like now he has to accommodate with the youngsters 😭

i mean people in one piece live pretty long

but still they’re not out here kickin it n allike they used to

like rayliegh-

except he’s younger-

way younger-

ok so maybe whitebeard

but he was still jukin-

IDK MAN

one piece people are weird..

JINBEI

idk much about him especially but imma try

he’s so cool

he can prob cook really well

has very good survival and leader skills

plus instincts

wait how old is he??

ok

looked it up he’s 46

so he’s the 2nd oldest

technically would be first if brook wasn’t a moving pile of bones

yohohoho!

my apologies your right this is jinbei.

ok

i feel like he can dance

like he knows traditional dances of all sorts

i mean he could travel under water pretty fast

he should be able to visit different places right?

besides, he was a warlord

of course he did!

i feel he wouldn’t be a simp

as in for boa specifically

like he’s like i got too much going on to simp over some youngster

ik he ain’t real old or anything

but my dude a grown man

bro ain’t got time

he’s too busy being himothy

i feel he’d like poems

jinbei’s was like the most serious one. and that was still all over the place itself-

i take it back probably chopper or robin

this was fun but it took so long. it’s ok u guys enjoy :). i’m off to watch some anime 🏃‍♀️

oh my GOODNESS. so many tags 🤓

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of lawn care

10:30pm, sunday, may 26, 2024

cut the grass today, and then went and spent two hours lolling around outside, sitting on a blanket that even now smells perfectly of summer

reading just finished kj charles' the henchmen of zenda (thank you @yogurtforever for mentioning it to me! please overlook the fact that i'm about to go off) and i have to say, surprisingly, this was a rare kj charles miss, for me! i still finished it, i still think i'm glad i read it, but from an author who i've adored all of her other work, it's odd to realize i didn't have as much fun here as i would have liked. two reasons for this, possibly, one that i think it was an early work for her [edit: nope came out in 2018] and two that i actually had read the source material of which this is an au, and i found it continually grating that this book's whole tone and style is set up to be cynical about the original prisoner of zenda novel. if you want the critique to really, actually matter, don't change so much! don't make your case by actually rewriting the entire personalities of the king and player-king, who in this turn into strawmen because they've literally been restructured to prove monarchy is awful. the other option, b), would be to step further away from the source material, in which case you need to stop quoting the original book and integrating so much of the original language. bah. this leaves us open for one of my most irritating little meaningless quibbles, which is that a character gets very self-righteous about what the original novel's narrator meant by using the term 'well-bred', to the point that i think ends up actually being ahistorical and weakening the overall critique we're trying to produce here.

charles is also trying to introduce more time and personality for the female characters (moderate success) and insert some revolutionary, 'hey wait a minute the best answer here is not a continuation of the monarchical system where everyone sucks' sentiment (middling to poor success). i just...found i really hated the idea that every character was Worse, Actually than in the original novel, although in fairness it is believable that the pov character here would think that, i guess. you chose a narrator who's going to take a cynical view of everything, and are trying to show how he allows himself to trust and/or like certain very few people, and it didn't make for a great reading experience.

the same, however, can't be said for the other two books here, although arguably they are also dealing with a narrator who is a) damaged and grieving b) gay. katherine addison's the goblin emperor was a christmas/birthday gift for me in...2022 and was such a gem, a gift in multiple senses, and this spring i have finally indulged in the two companion (?) novels, which i read voraciously on Eclipse Day and the weeks following, and then have turned around and listened to in audiobook almost immediately. the world of amalo is no less full of horror, death and injustice and corrupt or infuriating structures of power are a big part of the inciting action, but the time we spend seeing the people who are kind makes these so much more. pleasurable to read. plus the details of the city, the public transit, the tea houses, the opera, the belle epoque prague vibes. there's comparatively more death, more 'true crime' style mystery solving, more small vignettes of crime (reminding me that she does like writing cases like this, and making her her sherlock holmes au angel of the crows, pictured in ilcb 05/12/24 but not discussed, fit into place in a new way), but the lack of cynicism matters.

listening a lot of podcasts lately. had reason to try and sum up my podcast habit recently, and realized that i am really almost constantly listening to one, of some variety. i go through different moods and will switch between shows to find the right vibe rather than try to finish one all the way through. that being said, the list i tell people when asked 'oh what do you listen to?' is, like, 99% invisible (genuinely really enjoying the robert caro the power broker read-along, despite not reading the book-- it's fascinating) and articles of interest and ologies, whereas this week i think it was primarily no such thing as a fish, followed by normal gossip, followed by i hate it but i love it followed by some npr and crooked media pods (god help me, i do still check in on their election takes and will probably continue to do so out of morbid curiosity). the maxfun shows i listen to? are like family to me, and may be just as overlooked-- but you can bet that's where i'm turning first when stuck on a long subway ride.

watching had reason, last week, to sit down and watch the entire new season of gamechanger start to finish. y'all heard about this shit? gamechanger? anyone? yes? i bought dropout for myself and a few friends last year, and it has been the best possible investment. i love feeling the, like, increase in energy and stakes and creative chaotic potential in each new episode, each new show that gets added to the roster, but i love gamechanger til death do us part. hard to pick a favorite bit for cast psychic damage and resulting peak performances (second place?? bingo?? the timeloop??? sam says????) so let me here give a shout-out to the lesser memed episodes this season, the drawfee collab and the newlyweb game (scream) and beat the buzzer, all of which were so fun while featuring people i knew less or not at all. the little sam reich matryoshkas absolutely killed me. can we hear it for the motherfucking ART DEPARTMENT.

playing having beaten one of the colosseum of fools tournaments in hollow knight, i've gone back for round two and am now emotionally trapped until i can win this second one. since i need the pale ore from it in order to upgrade and do anything more challenging. so it goes. this has also meant that i turned back to other games, after not wanting to continue to die so very much. chants of sennaar was there waiting for me so politely, and i got through the third language and felt pretty accomplished after puzzling slash brute-forcing it i had to do to make things work. was not expecting the uh. the jumpscare, as it were, at the end of the bards' level. but look how gorgeous.

making made a pretty passable banana bread today. the ratio of banana to other ingredients was a little off, so it's largely just 'bread' and isn't too sweet, but it's more than edible.

working on ignoring my email inbox, ignoring my article revisions, ignoring my chapter edits--forgot to send out the email with discussion questions for our panel discussion which we meant to send out this friday, fuck! trying to make progress on paid tasks and stay on top of those hours before i leave, trying to also organize my trip which has meant, like it or not, getting back to some of those emails. also i found an article in welsh which i had been unaware of which will be Extremely Good to have read, even if it doesn't tell me anything too new, just so that i can prove i did. my footnotes always feel so anemic. hopefully this helps, and hopefully i speed up--currently reading about two pages an hour if i'm lucky.