#<- saying this myself before anyone else does

[yourtypicalhuman09]

Beyond The Bat

(Neglected reader x Yandere batfam)

Prologue: Why me?

TW!!! Cursing !!Dark AU!!

Why is this happening?

The woman in front of me stood close. Too close. A hand was outstretched in an attempt to comfort me. I don't want her fucking comfort. I want answers.

"Why..."

The word left my lips before I could process it. My world was crashing. The room was spinning. It was getting hard to breath. I knew I sounded pathetic. I know I look pathetic. God I'm pathetic. Why can't I fight for this? Why does it seem like the only thing I can do right is fall behind as the world moves on without me.

"I'm sorry (Y/N), but we found someone better suiting of your position. We had no choice, the whole student body petitioned for Tim to become president of the student body."

Tim Drake. God I loathed that name. Every time I have something good one of those bat bastards has to make my life miserable again. For as long as I could remember I had been alone. I had to be the perfect child and yet I was never praised for the things I've done right, only punished for the things I've done wrong. Is this another punishment... Did I linger too long during diner yesterday? Did I not provide a good enough reaction during Damian's beating? Did I not hide my exhaustion well enough? Did I accidentally start a scandal?

"God (Y/N) what are you still doing here? We both know you have things to do at home. Plus you're not needed here anymore."

I heard his voice before I saw him. His condescending tone never ceases to send a chill down my spine. I steeled myself and turned to face my brother.

"I'm sorry Tim. looks like I lost track of time, I'll head back now"

I returned his dark look with a cold look of my own. I will not let him, or anyone for that matter, have the pleasure of seeing me break. I may have lost but I will not give him the chance to laugh and jeer at my failure. I turned and left the room, my posture straight and my head held high. I don't know what I'll do now but I will not let myself be seen as some pathetic hopeless child with no potential or worth. I ignored the feeling of Tim's calculating gaze boring holes through my figure and continued to walk on. Maybe I should take that person up on their offer. Maybe I could use their help...

Authors note: Omg prologue is done! Thank you all for participating in the polls and reading! I hope this is a good prologue, I'm super excited for this story. Thank you all for your support and please feel free to send me any asks I love hearing y'all's thoughts! Anyways with nothing else to say I wish you all a good day/night and I'll update you all on chapter 1 soon, until next time!

@simpingpandas

[elsaclack]

took a day or so to wait on this just to make sure i wasn’t talking out of my ass here but

the censorship on tiktok has ramped up significantly since service was restored to americans

i’ve been active back on here long enough to note that the level of censorship on tiktok that was present before the ban was a joke on here. words like “unalive” are stupid and ridiculous (and in certain cases when it comes to filtering specific words, downright dangerous) to non-tiktok users, but the reason words like “unalive” and other heavily coded language came to be so ingrained in tiktok users’ vocabulary is because the platform itself would either flag videos with the actual words like “kill” or “murder” or “dead/die/died” and remove them from the platform, suppress the video to the point where large creators were getting maybe 20-30 views (when their norm is 20,000-30,000+), OR it would shadowban not just the video, but the user themselves. tiktok’s user base linguistically developed into the heavily coded version of english that the public sees (and in many cases, rightfully makes fun of) today specifically to get around the platform’s arbitrary and ill-defined censorship rules to reach the widest possible audience they could reach on the platform. it sucks and it’s stupid, we think so too, but it’s what we had to do to make the platform what we wanted it to be.

now that tiktok is back online for americans, i’ve seen a lot of people testing whether the algorithm is still working by saying things like “trans rights are human rights” and “universal free healthcare” and things like that, and the algorithm itself does appear to be working as comments on those videos assure the creator that their video was on the fyp and found their target audience. HOWEVER. many users, myself included, have noticed that comments speaking negatively about trump specifically are being forced through a creator-approval process when that NEVER happened before. additionally, videos discussing trump in a negative way are now limited on the number of times they can be shared in-app, meaning that if i wanted to share one, the platform would limit me to only 5 shares before it tells me that i’ve reached the max number of shares. instead of being able to send a post to a sixth friend’s tiktok dm, i would have to copy the link and send it to that friend outside of tiktok, and that’s assuming the platform would allow me to copy the link at all.

one creator even tried to include a clip of trump HIMSELF FROM HIS OWN RALLY IN DC saying IN HIS OWN WORDS that he rigged the election, and their video was flagged and taken down. does it annoy me that i watched one creator say, verbatim, “d.t. just admitted that he rigatoni’d the electioni (pronounced ee-leck-tee-oh-nee)”? YES THATS SO ANNOYING. but it’s also the only way we can communicate there now, and the implications of that are terrifying. mass deportations start in the next 24 hours along with the 100+ other HORRIFIC executive orders trump is signing the second he’s back in office, and the biggest social media platform in america was essentially just gagged by the platform itself. i am BEGGING any american citizen (or anyone else!!) who reads this to not allow your biases against tiktok blind you to the reality of what’s happening directly in front of our faces.

[morganaawriterr]

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ Coming Down;

Pairing; fem!reader x old lover!Nishimura Riki also fame hunger!Nishimura Riki Synopsis; You battle the lingering pain of your first love and heartbreak, only to face the unexpected return of the man who once shattered you. As past wounds resurface and kisses are shared, you are torn between the ghost of him and reality. Genre; Angst and slightly suggestive; Warnings; Mentions of smoking cigarettes; mention of God and the Devil; heartbreak; make-out session; Words; 1k — Based on the song "coming down" by Halsey. MASTERLIST;

A/N: I cant seem to write the fucking requests for some FUCKING reason. So here's something else while I make myself write them! I hope you enjoy getting your heart broken!

You find yourself reminiscing about him again, your eyes fixed on the star-filled sky as the night settles, its dark embrace comforting you better than anyone ever could—anyone but him, your first true love, your first true heartbreak.

As you take a long drag from the cigarette between your fingers, you close your eyes and imagine him beside you. His tall frame looms over yours, his addictive yet playful cologne wraps around you, and his deep voice urges you to put the cigarette down. And you would—if he asked.

Your heart aches at the thought of him, a pain so sharp and heavy it momentarily takes your breath away. You miss the way his cold fingers gently held your hand, the way his hair fell into his face, soft and wild. His blonde roots and brown tips made him recognizable no matter where he was.

You exhale a cloud of smoke as his name echoes in your mind, a name deeply tattooed on your heart: Nishimura Riki. The nice guy who grew shy in your presence, the nonchalant guy who couldn’t resist kissing you in front of everyone.

To you, he was almost God. His warm heart and endless patience made you want to surrender to him—not in a bad way. He was the good boy who made you want to be good too. You knew he hated that you smoked, so you tried to stop. He hated when you self-isolated, so you tried to share your feelings before you spiraled too far.

But he was also your Devil. His intoxicating lips left you craving him constantly, despite his aggressive words. His insatiable hunger for fame consumed everything. He knew your dreams were small—you only wanted to escape your abusive parents—yet he tried to push his need for something bigger into you.

You lay back against the roof, tears prick your eyes as you recall the last time you saw him. No more Oreo hair. No playful cologne. No love. The hotel room had felt like an endless corridor, and the closer you tried to get to him, the further away he seemed. The more you spoke, the more he avoided your gaze. The more the corridor stretched.

His sweet smile, the one that once absolved all your sins, was gone. Ni-ki didn’t even glance your way as he left, slamming the door behind him.

Your voice wouldn’t leave your throat as you screamed, clutching your shirt because the ache in your chest was unbearable, as if your heart was being torn in half. And it was. He took it with him, like a broken amulet, a reminder of you.

The cigarette burns down to its end and after that, you crush it against the rooftop and toss it away. He always comes to mind when you smoke. Maybe you should quit, so his ghost will finally leave you alone.

Climbing off the roof and into your tiny studio, your sanctuary offers solace once more, and Ni-ki fades away. You wipe the tears from your cheeks and take a deep breath. Today is the day you stop smoking.

You grab the last pack, step outside, and toss it into the bin by the staircase. A faint smile touches your lips as you imagine his lingering presence leaving with it. But the relief doesn’t last.

“I’m glad you’re quitting,” a familiar deep voice says behind you.

You freeze, closing your eyes and muttering a curse under your breath. Why does your mind insist on playing tricks? When you turn around, ready to see his image vanish, he doesn’t.

Riki stands before you, tall and real, with flushed cheeks and eyes stained red. Your hands tremble, your heart races, and you swear you’re imagining things. But then his strong, cold arms wrap around you, and his familiar cologne pulls you under, back to him.

“Ni-ki, what are you doing here?” you whisper, your voice fragile.  Your hands instinctively reach for his familiar face.

��I failed and came back to you,” he replies with indifference, before leaning in to capture your plump lips in a bittersweet kiss.

Your lips meet his reluctantly, but soon your hesitation fades away as you're completely consumed in his presence. Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer as his lips mold perfectly against yours. Just like they used to.

With a stable hand on your lower back, Ni-ki guides you both inside your studio, taking slow steps, so your lips can remain connected. You briefly parted to close the door behind you, a small smile forming on your sore, wet lips while gazing at your handsome lover.

Ni-ki sits on your bed and pats his leg, inviting you to sit on his lap. Shyly, you avert your gaze as you walk toward him, settling yourself atop him. Your head is spinning as you do, your heart jumping eagerly to the sigh of your lover.

Riki wastes no time—his delicate lips chase yours, hungry and impatient. You let him devour you whole, his tongue exploring every inch of your mouth, evoking the touch you missed so much.

Your hands weave into his soft hair as Ni-ki breaks away, lowering his lips to your sweet neck. You tilt your head back, giving him access, and his skilled mouth begins to leave wet marks on your soft skin. The sensation sends shivers down your spine.

You close your eyes and savor the moment. His delicate hands grip your waist tighter as your hips begin to move weakly against his, not being able to resist his tempting touch. When Ni-ki lifts his head from your neck to moan softly near your ear, he whispers, “I love you, Y/N…”

Suddenly, you wake up cold and alone in your empty roof. The night breeze brushes against your short hair as you sit up, disoriented.

The cigarette in your hand is almost finished, but extinguished and completely chilled. Did you just fall asleep on the roof? Did any of that really happen?

Quickly, you climb down and return to your small studio. The only light comes from the TV flickering in the living room. Your eyes scan the space, and you soon realize no one is there.

It was all a dream.

Tears well up in your eyes as you throw yourself onto the bed, taking a deep, shaky breath. It all comes down to you quickly; Ni-ki won't ever come back to you. It's too late now; you are paying the price for loving him.

Taglist: @grandlightcandy @seokseokjinkim @strxwbloody @enhasunghoonishot @contyynishimura @heewanrik @ranwonbin @leanderexists @lovelyyf @youngheejay @crimson-reaper576 @rikifever @mrsjjongstby @laurradoesloveu @babyboomysweetie @mintchocos-things @nxzz-skz @saphiranishimurashan @ikeupups @yangjungwonnie @xiiaobaoo @itsuen @laylasbunbunny @mellowgalaxystrawberry @firstclassjaylee @questionsdearreader @greeyjre @en-doll @riqomi @lovingvoidgoatee @mitmit01 @miuwonis @aureliaaaa555 @han-to-my-minho @heeweenie @vixensss @ro-diares @hoonvinx @immelissaaa @jiryunn @quilevyt @vrusha01 @kkamismom12 @skzenhalove If you wanna be added or removed from the taglist just comment below!

[crowsofdarkness]

Moment Of Weakness: Chapter Twenty

-gif not mine. credit to owner-

Pairings: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Content Warnings: language, 18 + smut, angst, fluff, affair, cheating, violence, kidnapping, faking a pregnancy.

Summary: Reader is the assistant to New York's most feared mob boss, James Buchanan Barnes. He had the picture-perfect life: status in the mob, friends, and beautiful wife. So why can't he keep his mind and eyes off of reader?

Authors Note: I just wanted to remind everyone who reads this, there are heavy moments of cheating/having an affair in this story. You might not agree with the actions of "reader" or Bucky but it does pertain to the storyline. If anyone is interested, tags are open for this! Just send me a message or comment!

Tags: @cjand10 @generalmoonpolice @sapphirebarnes @baw1066 @nameless-ken @minami97

The tension in the small office was too thick, it enclosed around my throat and I was unable to breath at times while feeling his stare bore into my back. His heated gaze would follow my every movement as I walked around the open area, doing my best to work and keep myself from locking eyes with him. 

It worked; for the first few hours. 

Today was the first day back at work after wallowing in my own self pity for the last week and a half. Needless to say, from the second I stepped foot inside, it had been so awkward to be around Bucky. He kept to himself in his office, the door opened half way, but when he saw me arrive at my desk he didn’t bother to talk to me. He knew that it would only result in one thing. 

Either me smacking him or yelling at him. 

He was right. 

If it wasn’t for Steve, I probably would still be home in my bed and staining my pillow cases with more tears than arguably necessary. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

I didn’t bother to look over my shoulder in the doorway, knowing who was leaning against it with their arms crossed over his chest. 

“How’d you get in, Steve?” I breathed. 

“The spare key you keep hidden under the mat,” he informed. “You do know you’ve been gone for the last week.” 

“Nine days,” I corrected while pulling the covers closer to my chin. “You can let yourself out the same way.” 

Steve sighed and was soon kneeling in front of me, his gentle fingers brushing the hair out of my face. My eyes fluttered shut at the feeling and for a moment, I forgot about the pain I had been in. 

“He’s not worth all of this, Y/N.” Steve motioned to the current state I was in. 

Unwashed hair, sunken eyes, tear stained cheeks, and my body buried underneath my piles of blankets on my bed. 

“I made a fool of myself,” I let out a shaky breath. 

Steve’s large hand began rubbing comforting circles on my back. “You do foolish things when you’re in love.” 

My eyes widened. “I’m not-.” 

He didn’t bother to let me finish, explaining how I was not in love with Bucky Barnes. 

“Why else would you consistently go back to him, Y/N? After all the hurt he put you through?” 

I parted my lips, wracking my brain to come up with a good answer, but they seized shut when nothing came out. 

As much as I didn't want to admit, Steve was right. 

I was in love with Bucky Barnes. 

My hand cupped his cheek. “I let the best guy go, huh?” 

A chaste kiss was placed on the inside of my palm before Steve yanked the blankets off of me. The cold air from my open window danced around the barness of my legs and I whined, wanting to feel the warmth yet again. 

“You have twenty minutes to get ready, otherwise I’m dragging you into work kicking and screaming.” 

Thankfully Steve didn’t have to drag me into work, I came willingly. Much to the dismay of the screaming voice in my mind that this was a bad idea. 

Some people may think that a job isn’t worth seeing your ex lover almost every day but when there’s one person there that makes it bearable, you don’t want to leave them. 

I glanced up towards the office across from my desk where Steve was lounging on the couch, sketch book in his lap. He looked away for a moment, eyes catching mine, and gave me a small smile. My heart dropped, knowing that with my own stupidity I had let him go, ruining any chances with him. 

“Idiot,” I muttered to myself. 

The front door opened and bounding inside with a bright smile was Natasha as her soft voice called out a hello to everyone.

I turned my back and continued working on the schedule for today. 

“Oh, Y/N! Did you hear the news?” 

I cursed under my breath before spinning around in my chair and gave her a nod. “I did. Congratulations.” 

“It’s so exciting! I’m still so early so it’s a bit scary telling everyone but I can’t help it.” She sat in the chair across from my desk, making herself at home. 

My lips pulled in a tight line. “Yeah, I bet.” 

“Bucky is going to be such a great dad. He’s so excited that he’s been looking up baby names on google.” 

Ignoring the stinging pain in my heart, I did my best to make sure she noticed that I had a lot of work to do by pointing to it. 

“I really should get back to work. Bucky left a list of things for me to catch up on that I missed.” 

Natasha waved me off. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if us girls talked for a few minutes.” 

I sighed, defeated. “Sure.” 

“So.”

She started to ramble on some more about how excited she was that she and Bucky were finally starting a family. According to her, they have been wanting kids for years but Bucky never felt that they were in a good spot in the marriage to start. 

“What made him change his mind?” I forced myself to ask, secretly wanting to know. 

Natasha tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “If I’m being honest, it was an accident. He’s always been safe, using a condom every time, but that night he couldn't contain himself. Practically threw himself at me.” 

I swallowed thickly, the pain becoming too much for my fragile heart to handle Although, there still was something else I needed to know. 

“How far along are you?” 

“Only six weeks so we still have a long way to go,” she smiled. 

I curled a brow with confusion. “Bucky told me you’re a few months along?.” 

Natasha’s face twitched as her shoulders dropped, but she quickly recovered by waving her hand around. “Oh, same thing. Is he busy?” 

She was quick to change the subject which only made the alarm bells in my mind ring even louder about this whole situation. 

Suddenly, Bucky’s presence was felt behind me which caused Natasha to quickly jump to her feet and wrap her arms around him. As they shared a kiss, I forced myself to look away like I did so many times before. 

“I thought I heard your voice,” Bucky said. 

“I was in the neighborhood and thought to have lunch with you.”

Bucky shifted on his feet. “Why today? You haven’t shown up in the office since last week.” 

This caught my attention and I peeked an ear to listen. 

“So what do you say, lunch?” Natash asked yet again in hopes of avoiding another conversation. 

“Y/N?” 

My eyes landed on Bucky, hearing my name fall from his lips made my heart skip a beat. 

“Hm?”

He wrapped an arm around Natasha’s shoulder. “How does my schedule look this afternoon?” 

I gave him a small smile. “You’re actually booked up. Mr. Stark is coming in to sign the contract for your new project together and Dr. Banner is at two o'clock so he can present his idea to you.” 

Bucky’s eyes lingered on my lips before he nodded, giving Natasha his attention yet again. “Rain check?” 

“You can’t spare even ten minutes?” She pouted. 

He shook his head while placing a kiss on top of her head, this causing me to look away again. 

“I’ll make it up to you with dinner.” 

They conversed for a few more minutes before Natasha reluctantly left, leaving Bucky remaining in his previous spot behind me. I kept my eyes trained hard on the screen in front of me, not bothering to give him an ounce of attention. 

“Y/N,” he breathed my name. 

I continued to ignore him even though my heart began to hammer hard in my chest, especially when he knelt down next to me, his hand resting on my knee. 

“Can you please talk to me?” 

The wheels of my chair scraped against the floor as I pushed myself away from him. 

“I have a lot of work to do,” I simply stated. 

He let out a low breath before standing to his feet and began following me as I walked into the breakroom, the door shutting behind us. 

“I missed you.” 

I spun on my heels. “Dont.” 

His eyes were filled with so much angst and sorrow that I almost fell for it. 

Almost. 

“You were gone over a week, I want to make sure you’re okay,” Bucky said. 

I shook my head with a set gaze. “You don’t get the right to ask me how I’m doing or say that you miss me when it’s your fucking fault that I’m like this.” 

“Y/N.” 

“Leave me alone, Bucky. Please. You need to focus on your family now, stop worrying about me,” I said while tears pricked in my eyes. 

“All I can think about is you. I miss you.” Bucky leaned against the counter in the room. 

I held firm, only giving him a nod. “Well it seems like it’s a one sided feeling because I don’t miss you.” 

His eyes narrowed. “Bullshit.” 

The inside of my cheek caught between my teeth, knowing that my lie was detected right away. 

“I’m not going to keep doing this dance with you, Bucky,” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m only here to do my job then go home at the end of the day; alone. Or with someone, depending on how I’m feeling.” 

He pushed himself off of the counter, a shaky breath escaping him as his ips pulled in a tight, angry line. 

“You’re already seeing someone?” 

I scoffed, eyes drilling into him deep. “If I was, it’s not your fucking business.” 

“Is it Steve?” 

The way his voice cracked at the name echoed in my ears but I continued to stand tall in front of him, not letting him see how bad I had been hurting. 

“No, I lost that chance because I chose you. And look where that got me,” I admitted while looking at my feet. “Fuck this, I’m going back to work.”

We stared at each other for a few beats before I walked past him, ripping my arm out of his grasp as he reached for me. 

[physalian]

"Dear Newbie Writers"...

Mmmm I really want to critique this article but the rest of it is behind a paywall and attacking only the first half of his argument seems petty.

But fuck it I’mma do it anyway, because I saw the headline and I couldn’t resist.

The furthest I am able to read without paying for it is:

—

Here’s the four-step process to writing success that’s being passed around the Internet as if it was a jar of pickled wisdom:

Choose a niche.

Publish consistently.

Gain traction.

Profit.

And here’s what it usually ends up looking like:

Choose a niche.

Publish consistently.

Wonder where the heck everyone is.

Keep publishing.

Hello?!

Keep publishing.

Anyone out there?!

Keep publishing.

Keep publishing.

Keep publishing.

Get sick of publishing.

Give up.

Crickets.

Consistency, consistency, consistency. That’s what everyone preaches. And there’s nothing wrong with it per se. But consistency alone won’t necessarily get you somewhere. If you consistently walk down the wrong road, you’ll just end up in the middle of a desert, reciting your philosophical…

—

And my issue is this that writing is an art, first, before a means for profit. So my advice is instead:

Dear Newbie Writers: Stop going in with the mindset that you’ll become an NYT Bestseller on your first try, and if you measure your success by your profit, you’ll lose your love for your art blaming your empty wallet.

If that’s what this man goes on to say, good on him (and he might very well have, I don't know), but he’s put his article behind said paywall and his tagline is a doozy.

If you want to write 100 versions of the same exact trope, because you really really love that trope, fucking go for it. Does it make you happy? Are you proud of what you created?

Yes, gaining an adoring audience is every artist’s dream, but you can’t scry your way into figuring out the magical formula for success, and that magical formula might be antithetical to what you want to write.

I could absolutely write a romantacy smutfest and make bank as an SJM copycat. But I hate romantacy smutfests, and writing one in the style that her fans will read would make me miserable. And, by the time I get it published, who knows (though I do wish) if the sub-genre has already fallen out of favor and now I have this book that no one wants and that I’d be loathe to put my name on.

If writing what you love means you never find your audience, you can’t control your audience in the first place. I get frustrated myself when I don’t make sales, but it could be from any number of reasons. I know one of those reasons is not because I’m a bad writer and it’s a bad book.

I just likely haven’t found the pocket of readers who would not only enjoy it, but would then tell their friends all about it, get them to read it, tell all their friends about it, and so on.

It could be the wrong time for my genre, or it’s just buried under other books’ marketing campaigns, or I’m not on the right platform, or my SEO isn’t optimized, or my own campaigns aren’t clicking, or people are just caught up reading something else or simply doing something else.

Am I going to give up because I’m not making money? Nope. I’m doing what I love, and I do have some readers who like my work. That’s success to me. Being published, getting through that process, even if I only have 5 sales (and I do have 50), is success to me.

Bare minimum, "it's pointless if you haven't found a formula that works" is just

You are gaining experience publishing. You are still writing. You are still learning. You are still creating.

If you’re in it for profit, you’re in the wrong game.

And if that is what the above article goes onto say, then I'm not the only one who knows this, either.

[wielderofaquill]

🎉HAZZAH🎉 I GOT MY FIRST TROLL ANON! I’ve made it to the big leagues! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

All jokes aside, though…even though a part of me wants to be petty AF and light these mofos up because I am a smartass by nature and sarcasm is my native tongue lol…I’ve made the executive decision to NOT post that trash on my blog. That’s not why I am here.

No shade to anyone who does post and respond to the troll anons, I promise. To each their own, as it should be!

Freedom of speech is wonderful, is it not? Literally NO ONE will infringe upon my right to speak freely…here or anywhere. And I will not infringe upon yours, whether I agree with you or not. But on my posts, all I ask for is that we keep it fun, respectful, and healthy. Nothing harmful to anyone. Dare I even say, mindful and demure? 😝

Now, with all that being said, have I commented on some of these posts? Have I reblogged these posts because I agreed with another blogger’s response to a troll anon? Of course I have! I’m not “holier than thou,” if you will, and will never claim to be. Sometimes I get fired up and get a tad spicy because, like most of you here, I too am a passionate fan of our 2 lovebirds, and Bridgerton, and so on. I share my thoughts and opinions like everyone else, and I enjoy showing my support for bloggers whose posts align with my beliefs as well. I do not have hard facts like everyone else here because (unfortunately, lol), we do not know them personally, nor do we know their families/friends personally. We are fortunate to get what we do get from them, considering how chaotic this fandom can get at times.

Anyway…it is on MY posts that I choose not to give the trolls any undeserved attention. I cannot bring myself to indulge in that kind of negativity on my posts, because it’s a waste of my time. Do I win something if I do? No? Okay.

As I said in my first post, trolls need not waste their time here. Channel that energy into something more productive. You can enjoy your side of the fandom without shitting on mine. Besides, I’m not budging from where I sit on this lovely ship. 🛳️

Allow me to clarify a couple more things before I sign off—I DO NOT discourage anon messages, and I DO NOT discourage varying opinions. In fact, I look forward to receiving your messages and discussing things with anyone who wishes to do so! But if it is laced with hate, bullying, or any other form of vitriolic fuckery, I WILL NOT share it here.

I’ll leave you all with this, the #1 rule of the Internet:

DON’T FEED THE TROLLS.

Xx ✌🏻

[isa-ghost]

Just finished the Patreon episode of Shut Up I'm Talking about Dream and. God, watching them both just be so speechless eventually... Man, same. Jack's right, I'm just perplexed. And disgusted. And tired.

I dunno man, I've said I wish I could have some kind of genuine chat with Tom before. He's gone through so much, lost so many mentors and friends, and put up with so much shit. He's so exhausted with all of it, and I don't blame him one bit. But as someone who's watched him since 2020 and seen how much he's grown and matured in so many ways, it sucks to see him so demoralized by everything even if it's totally understandable.

Forgive me for sounding so parasocial, but I just really wish I could tell him what it's been like to be a fly on the wall for going on 5 years now, and to give him some appreciation for persevering through all the bullshit and coming as far as he has. Because like. Hearing that stuff from your family and friends probably means more to you, sure, but you kinda expect the praise from them, y'know? But when a stranger you don't think twice about, if at all, tells you something so meaningful, it sticks with you more, at least I think. I know I have a bunch of personal anecdotes from high school like that myself. There's a word for this specific experience but I'm drawing a blank on what it is.

Idk, I think that's a long-winded and weird way of saying I just wish there was something Tom could hear that would breathe some joy back into things for him. Not just from me, but from literally anyone. Because it's one thing to be aware in the back of your mind that what you do has had and still has the impact it does, and helped so many people and has built like. Huge core memories for them and stuff. But it's another to be told that face to face, and to see it in a form that isn't just text from some rando on the internet. The former isn't better than the latter, but it still sticks with you harder and feels like a stronger reminder that it's all worth it. Like seeing the good you've done in tangible form just makes it more real, if that makes sense.

I wish all the bullshit yapping from garbage people like the ones Tom has had to put up didn't overshadow the astronomical amounts of good his involvement with YT has done for an unfathomable amount of people. I don't know how else to explain how it feels to bystand all this.

[whentherewerebicycles]

my baby is eight months old and every month of his wonderful little life has been better and more joyful than the last (which is saying something, because every month has been so good). he is still very Baby but he is also suddenly blossoming into a little kid before my eyes and it’s so much to handle 😭 he has always been an expressive talker but these days he has the most delightfully animated little conversations with himself, full of complex baby feelings like surprise and delight and shock and glee and of course spluttering indignation (you would not BELIEVE the wrongs done to angelic little babies these days! they have to take naps in their CRIBS!!). he laughs and gasps and hoots and fake coughs, and then he looks at you with a sly little expression to see if you think he’s funny. he is silliest with me by far (he still gets a bit shy and reserved around new people) but he also absolutely adores Liz & A and his nanny and breaks into the most bashful gummy little grin as soon as they walk into a room. he is still bald as an egg but NOT FOR LONG, as he wakes up every morning with more dark fuzz on his big round noggin. this month he learned to sit up and now he wants to be sitting up playing with his toys all the time (he is over the moon to have discovered a mother-approved alternative to accursed tummy time). he has developed strong preferences for certain toys along with the motor skills to select the objects he wants, and he is quite discerning—last week’s toys are so last week and he gets an impatient expression on his face if you try to entice him with formerly beloved objects that are just like sooooo over, mom, pleaseee don’t embarrass him in front of his friends (the dogs). speaking of the dogs it is his most cherished desire to pat them but they give him a wide berth except for the occasional facewash sneak attack. he spends a lot of time bouncing up and down in his seat reaching longingly for them while they ignore him completely. he has the chonkiest most solid little baby feet you have ever seen in your life and little fat bow legs that curve down to his chonky little feet and perfect fat little baby hands that he loves to slam repeatedly against his tray or his mat or your face. he has one little razor-sharp sliver of a front bottom tooth and I genuinely CANNOT handle it, it is just too much, he gives you his square little gummy smile and then you see the TOOTH and you’re like that’s it, I’m dead, this killed me. he had perfectly shaped little orecchiette ears when he was born and I am delighted to report that they remain absolutely perfect and when you nibble on them he acts like you’re tickling him and does his little turtle-in-a-shell teeheehee reaction. I would say that his basic temperament is the same but perhaps tends more towards a happiness default than the reserved watchfulness of previous months. he is still quite watchful—in all the daycare videos I get he is sitting with the big kids observing them play with a totally focused expression—but he is also delightfully silly and laughs a lot, especially at home. if he’s not hungry and has napped reasonably well, he is easygoing, adaptable, and game for pretty much whatever. he is such a good sleeper I can’t tell anyone in my offline life about it except liz whose baby is also a unicorn sleeper… but honestly I think that’s probably the root of his default good mood (if I slept 12 hours a night I’d also be the best possible version of myself). let’s see what else… idk this month has just been so fun. he’s just a little person now and I genuinely enjoy hanging out with him. I just think he rocks.

his favorite toy in this exact moment: his stacking cups, especially when you put a plastic ball inside of them for him to tip out onto the floor. his most beloved object: his squishmallow, of course, which sends him into transports of delight when he sees it. his favorite food: with the exception of arugula this child has never met a food he didn’t like. he LIVES to EAT. words his daycare teacher most frequently uses to describe him: “Owen is SOOOO hungry!!!” other favorite activities this month: kicking in the bath or in the pool, watching trees go by on car rides, slamming his hands as hard as he can against his high chair tray, watching the dogs wrestle, being swung slowly back and forth like the pendulum in a giant clock, gazing at his beautiful reflection in the mirror, kissing his beautiful reflection in the mirror, having mom make his squish swoop down from high above to CHOMP him, chewing on the edges of plastic bins, and scritch-scratching the rock wall outside of our house. he’s perfect. my beloved little kiddo.

[lookingfts]

You're telling me this AU could give us queer Anthony, jealous Kate, a consensual Kanthony sex tape, danger in exotic locations, one bed, protective Anthony fighting with stubborn Kate about being reckless.... This AU is a goldmine! (Hehe, Au is the symbol for gold on the periodic table of elements. I made myself chuckle 🤭)

Please write this!

(If you want to, of course. 😇)

Ha! There is a lot of dig into here. I'm not ready to commit to another multi-chap just yet (there's so much else going on in my life and my brain is so full) but it's fun to tease it out a little. As always, I so enjoy hearing all your thoughts and ideas!

I'm kind of laughing at the idea of something biting Kate and Anthony freaks out like he does in the show, but instead of a bee it's a poisonous snake. They could really have some bonkers adventures.

I was literally just wondering if you've ever written a sex tape fic. Send very in your wheelhouse. Imagine they're getting carried away and Anthony pauses to turn off the camera but Kate stops him and asks if they can keep it on and Anthony's head explodes (in more ways than one). Ooh ooh ooh is their first time going to be recorded??

"Don't," she says softly, and Anthony stills, his hand halfway to the camera. The tension between them is so thick that she can't breathe, recklessness swirling in her blood, but she wants to remember this. If everything falls apart after, if this is just a strange moment out of time never to be repeated, she wants something to hold onto. "Leave it on."

Anthony stares at her, all flushed cheeks and parted lips, and Kate has never wanted anything, or anyone, so much as she wants him. "Are you sure?"

"I trust you," she answers, and she does. Implicitly. Anthony has been by her side for a third of her life, through so much, through everything. He would cut off his own arm before he would do anything to hurt her.

He hesitates for a second, then withdraws, stalking toward her with dark eyes. Kate shudders a little under his predatory gaze, willing prey, and exhales heavily as he unbuttons her linen shirt and slides it over her shoulders. "You always did look so beautiful on camera."

[energievie]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

Thank you, dearest Jess @jrooc 🤗🥰 Watch me completely butcher it 😅🤦🏼‍♀️ Anyways, a look at 2024, you say...

---

Name: Evie

Age you are mentally: mid-20s

Top 3 fics that came out last year (that you can remember at this point lol): Oh boy 😣 I think I remember quite a lot of the stories that came out for the Masquerade and for the Summer Camp. I think. Does this answer count?

Add in any authors who you read all of their things: I mostly read one-shots, so, with this caveat in mind, Deena, Jaclyn, Sam and Ray.

Fave artist/band/singer/group your discovered last year (has to be new to you, not new): Nick Rich

One thing you learnt last year that you’re taking into 2025: took a whole ass course on leadership (on-site in UK, three three-day modules throughout the year) and I learned a lot of stuff I'm applying almost daily.

Was it a good year or bad year? Good, but Q4 was simply exhausting.

Is there anything superstitious you do to try and continue that vibe or absolutely change it? No, not really. I just try to take one day/week at a time. Sometimes I fail 🫤

Fave WIP you're following into this year: I rarely read WIPs - I'm an impatient binger, so I prefer reading stuff in one go.

Are you doing any January ‘get healthy’ things? Less sugar. Less fast food. Gained some weight during the holidays and I know that if I don't do something now I'm gonna regret it come spring 😅

More random questions~~ Did you consider yourself an avid reader before you found fanfic? Yes. I still am, at least in theory, because work has been extra hectic in the last couple of months, so I don't have too much mental energy in the evenings and the weekends are for spending time with the kid.

Do you read books as well as fanfic? Yes or No: fanfic or die

What are you doing to survive this January so far? Honestly, taking one day at a time and waiting for it to pass. It's always been my least favourite month, so I'm kind of dragging myself through it 😋

---

Tagging @suzy-queued @sisitrip @sgtmickeyslaughter @look-i-love-u @too-schoolforcool @michellemisfit @deathclassic @jrooc @guinguin1984 @sickness-health-all-that-shit @lupeloto @doshiart @wehangout @iansw0rld @ian-galagher @gardenerian @sleepyfacetoughguy @atthedugouts @creepkinginc @catgrassplantdad @crossmydna @spacerockwriting @lingy910y @deedala @firendeavor @heymrspatel @thepupperino @blue-disco-lights @francesrose3 @ms-moonlight-inn @transmurderbug @darlingian @vintagelacerosette @gallapiech @palepinkgoat @stocious @mybrainismelted @burninface @spookygingerr @gallawitchxx and ANYONE else who'd like to play 😎

[another-argo]

I didn't expect to see any demigods here. I specifically chose this convenience store because of that. It's far from camp. And it's one I always went to. I love the sweet lady who runs it.

It's always open and has some very odd things for a convenience store but as a demigod that's the dream right? Chains, metal baseball bat, a weirdly vast variety of medical supplies.

And besides all that, it's familiar. It's far from camp and in the years I've gone here I have never met a demigod. That's how I avoided going to camp for so long.

So why does he have to be here?

Argo hasn't been at camp but he could have been anywhere in the world so why here?

I sense him before all else. Catching up with the sweet lady at the cash register is fun, suddenly sensing death and an ancient entity is not.

After excusing myself from the counter I made my way closer to the feeling. I already knew who it was.

Only one person felt like this. Soul brand new but tainted by something ancient.

Aisle after aisle I make my way down until I find him.

Or maybe he found me because I have a knife to my neck.

- @daughter-of-thanatoss

"Why are you here?"

He says, backing her into a wall- but making sure it doesn't have anything on it so there isn't noise.

"You are not taking me back to camp. You will die in this convenience store before you're able to even tell anyone my name."

It feels slightly nice to be threatening someone again. After being sick and barely able to move for days, it's nice to be back.

[peoplesrazor]

Okay, haven't voiced an opinion on any of this, but now I have some questions for you @starlit-soothsayer. Your blog says "drama posting" on it. If that's what you do there, then surely you have had asks like Ant's before. It pretty much goes with the territory.

So, my first question is; why answer in a way that doesn't address what was asked. Like, one totally normal answer would be, I haven't posted any wrong info about you. If you want a more detailed response, then list some things you have said, and say, which of these things is false.

Best case scenario, this settles it and puts the whole thing to rest. I mean, if the things you are saying are true, you are putting the onus on asker to prove those things are false. At worse, the asker does come back with proof. This will lead to more posts, which both your followers will see.

More drama posting, see?

Why skirt the question? Why answer in such an evasive way? That just makes you seem like you did post wrong information. I basically see no gain for you that way. Like even if you did, why stop lying and start dodging at this point?

In case you are wondering why I didn't do this as an ask myself; Because I don't see you bothering to answer it. Why should you? I'm not on your little hitlist. You have no idea who I am. I'm not one of your targets. At worse, I've seen some of the shrapnel from your attacks near me, because I have a small Lily Critical blog. Possibly, I reblogged something from someone else about you, likely because they were saying something I agree with.

Otherwise you're just a name I see attacking folks and doxxing folks on Sai's discord. I'm not on Sai's discord, so, I'm not likely to have been on your radar. I'm nobody, why bother.

I am, however, as anyone who has interacted with me or my blog posts can attest, a goddamn pedant. Proud of it, too. The unnecessary evasion in your response just flipped that switch in me. Like the frigging bat signal of true nerdom, that was.

Maybe you won't respond to this. That's fine. I mostly wanted to point out that you didn't address any of Ant's concerns. Maybe you will come for me now. Also fine. Give me something to read when I get home from my treatment this afternoon.

Now you are just spreading wrong info about me without any critical response.

People spreading wrong information about you? I can't possibly imagine how that feels.

I'm hardly spreading anything when I have a dozen followers and most of my posts have 0 notes. The only people spreading things around are the people insisting they don't care about me and I have nothing important to say while showcasing the opposite.

[aromantichc]

Aromantic Character of the Day (27/7/24 BONUS) is.....

Hobart "Hobie / SpiderPunk" Brown (ATSV/Spiderman comics) !

Admin headcanons thon as arospec. Grr does NOT use labels, but he is on the aromantic spectrum somewhere. They feel attraction in theory, but typically become repulsed by romance when things get too close. He is allosexual. They would describe hirself as queer and punk dislikes the term unlabelled for zeirself. It likes anyone sexually and romantically (in theory) and he is transsexual (ftm) and uses any pronouns EXCEPT she/her. He is also AuDHD and has BPD and POTS. Xe uses a mobility aid at times.

Part of this post is CANON Hobie CANONICALLY does not like LABELS in any way. Everything else mentioned is purely HEADCANON.

[800db-cloud]

spare some spy hcs? 👀

OKAY. ok. so i have been putting off answering this ask because i’m admittedly very shy and very afraid of sharing my headcanons. and also because i have A LOT OF THEM.. but here we are!

here are my headcanon spies :) René works for RED and Jacques works for BLU!

where to start, where to start… i have a LOT of headcanons for them, i’ll be talking for FOREVER here. i’ll just start with story because why not! xP

René’s parents were also agents/spies, so he was always destined to be one as well. And he lives up to his parents’ legacies! He’s most notorious for destroying gangs and mobs and the like from the outside in. He was brought to America years ago to take out a dangerous mob boss, but unfortunately found himself infatuated (and involved) with the boss’ daughter. Luckily for him, the boss’ daughter wanted the guy dead, too.

René’s story is honestly a lot more fleshed out than Jacques’, but here goes anyway:

Jacques’ father was a very rich and powerful man in politics. Jacques himself was the result of an affair, and to keep it hush-hush, his father decided to raise him. Raise is a strong word, though— but he did help his father gain intelligence and blackmail on opposing political parties. Jacques proved to be a promising spy since childhood.

If anyone has any suggestions/ideas for Jacques’ story, let me know haha x) he didn’t have the greatest upbringing per se…

last thing on this section i wanna talk about is the Scouts. René is related to both of the Scouts; he’s RED Scout (Jeremy)’s biological father, and he’s BLU Scout (James)’ adoptive/step-father. Jacques has no relation to either scout, but acts as a guardian figure to BLU Scout.

anyway, this is the part where i continue talking about other miscellaneous headcanons! and these come with doodles :)

You couldn’t catch René DEAD without his mask, or his suit! He’d neeever take them off around other people (‘other people’ is mainly just Scout. For obvious reasons.) Meanwhile, Jacques is pretty lenient in letting his teammates see his face! Everyone on BLU’s seen his face at least once.

A big part of why René refuses to strip down is also due to the fact he has a LOT of tattoos. No doodle for this one because I’ve yet to decide on what tattoos to put on him (ideas are very welcome!!), but yeah! Most of the tattoos were ‘forced’ onto him/he had to get for jobs and ‘fitting in’ with bad crowds, but a good few of them were of his own accord, too.

Jacques doesn’t have tattoos, but he has a myriad of another thing: scars! Lots and lots of scars on this guy. Faded and old, sure, but they’re there. Most prominent ones are the one around his neck (from when the RED Medic beheaded him) and the ones on his forearms (those are from the LAST time he was imprisoned— looong story…)

René doesn’t cook very often for his team, but when he does, everyone’s always BLOWN AWAY by this guy’s cooking! René’s really bad at taking compliments, though— (“Cooking food that’s remotely edible isn’t a compliment, it’s basic survival.”) —but rest assured he’ll be thinking about it for the next month. Jacques, however… Do NOT let this guy into the kitchen. Ever. The BLU base has a special fire extinguisher “In Case Spy Decides To Turn On The Stove”

oooh, this one is an hc and a HALF to me. René much prefers working alone. It’s just in his nature, being isolated and whatnot. He likes to deal with things by himself– maybe he doesn’t want to burden others? On the contrary, Jacques NEVER works alone. It’s a trait he’s had even before being hired to BLU. You never know when things could go wrong, so it’s best to have someone else to fall back to… or someone else you can blame!

these hcs both have something to do with how René and Jacques show their trust in other people :) it’s a bit convoluted but it gets there:

René is, amusingly, very bad at remembering names. Almost laughably bad. There have been many-a-story of his days before RED where he’d get a target’s name wrong, even after he’d repeated it in his head dozens of times over. Names are difficult for him, so if he remembers yours, it means you mean a lot to him! He prefers using his teammates’ names rather than their titles. René is unaware of how charming this specifc trait is to his coworkers (they saw how much work and effort it took for him to memorize their names, they’re just happy with how far he’s come!)

Jacques has a… to put simply, very complicated relationship with food. But the one thing he’ll never turn down is sweets. His favorites especially being chocolate bonbons. Jacques has a hard time eating in front of others, let alone sharing his food! But if he genuinely likes and trusts you enough, he’d have half the mind to share with you. Admittedly, he hasn’t brought himself to share with most of the members of his team yet, except for a select few. Mostly BLU Medic and BLU Sniper.

—

and of course, eventually, EVENTUALLY, these two also become friends! it took a little bit but believe me, they both respect each other’s skill in their job :)

AHHg i could go sooo much longer about them— from things like their physical traits (how much teeth they have? it’s a pressing question) or different periods of their life (why did rené have to leave his family? why was jacques imprisoned for the last time?) BUT this post is so… so, so long. My fingers hurt from typing

If you’ve managed to read through this Beast, THANK YOU RAAHH!!! thanks so much for asking this, too. i hope to spare more hcs someday. hehe ^_^

[b-blushes]

thursday quest - no physical therapy today - make and eat lunch sooooo early but i can do it!!!!! - get ready for wedding - attend wedding! yay! (: - decompress well when i get home <3

[my-current-obsession]

To be fair, the whole, “I’ll come back to you even if you don’t promise to wait,” is a line pulled directly from OG FFVII. It’s mentioned late game by Cid (who hilariously went to see a showing of loveless in Midgar but fell asleep then woke up just in time to view this ending scene 😂). But if you wanna deep dive on the meaning of this line, it’s worth noting that a version of the line is used in FFVIII in reference to the main ship of that installment — Rinoa and Squall — who also happen to be another mage/swordsman pair. And if you wanna go big brain square enix energy, there’s also the famous, “I’ll come back to you; I promise…I know you will,” between Sora and Kairi in Kingdom Hearts when he goes off on another journey while she awaits his return. If you go down those rabbit holes, it seems square really has a type for their main pairs, no?

I don't remember that line in OG FF7, but it's been years since I played it so I'll take your word for it. But you're right that similar lines/sentiments pop up frequently in other FF and KH games, so yeah, Square has a type. I still think the conversation between Cloud and Aerith in KH2 is the quickest and easiest parallel to make here though, considering the same pair can have basically the same interaction, in an entirely different game. Yes, Cloud could also have this conversation in the play with T or Y. But only Aerith's would have the added depth of being a potential callback/reference to another moment the pair shared.

And considering this game liked to callback to several moments between Cloud and Aerith in the previous game (him remembering their first meeting being what snaps him out of Sephiroth's control, the "will you be okay getting back", "if I said I wasn't" in the ending...) I think it's totally reasonable to assume that Square might have subtly referenced at least one Clerith moment from outside the compilation.