#{STICKS; IC}「This Place Has Gone Crazy」

[themissilesilo]

"Thank you all for coming to my conference, "Knuckles: Engineered Superweapon of Echidna Secret Society or Spontaneously Generated Mutant Chao-Child of the Master Emerald?"

[hedgehoghavoc]

— TAG GAME !

Search “your name + core” on Pinterest, then share 6 images and tag 6 more people

STICKSCORE

TAGGED BY NO ONE, TAGGING NO ONE, STEAL IT

[themissilesilo]

The badger's immediate reaction to the physical contact is to jerk away from it, mostly just startled by the sudden feeling of something on her shoulder. It does break Sticks out of her thought loop at least, but now she's just giving the hedgehog a skeptical look. She could tell Sonic meant well, and she knew better than to underestimate what the hero was capable of. The reassurance that he had her back was nice, but felt tainted by the feeling of yet more dismissal.

"...sure, whatever you say." Of course he doesn't get it. He hasn't done the research. Poor sap. But it just goes to show she can't let herself get in a panic when the ignorant, helpless masses are going around thinking that everything's hunky-dory with the moons. Someone's got to have their head on their shoulders around here.

Oh, she gets worked up over this kind of stuff. Alright, he didn't expect that. To be fair, never really interacted with a conspiracy theorist before either. So, in an effort to help her, Sonic softly places a hand on her shoulder in the hopes of the physical contact being able to ground her to reality, and a reassuring smile is given to her in hopes of showing he meant what he was going to say.

" Hey, you don't have to worry about any of that, alright? Negative Chaos Energy doesn't really work like that, and Dark Gaia's slumbering for another thousand years. Even if he's woken early, I have a good relationship with Light Gaia, so he can be put back to sleep easily! Promise, everything's alright with the moons. "

[agroupiewhore]

Some random headcanons about what it would be like to date Enzo and a little imagine with him. I haven't wrote anything in ages so apologies if this is shite. Please no hate but let me know if you like this etc. I am always welcome to feedback/ thoughts/ comments/ concerns. Sorry in advance for grammar and spelling and punctuation

🐟🐳🐙🔵🪱

(THIS MANS JAWLINE IS MORE STRUCTURED THAN MY LIFE)

*Disclaimer: This is my own work and my own self-indulgent ideas, none of this is based in reality. And warnings for making out etc, nothing too explicit (PG-13)

✨️ There is no way you ever have to carry your own bag. This man is rushing in to help you. Whether that's your handbag on date night or all of the shopping bags after your weekly grocery shop run. And yes, he refuses to make 2 trips to the car.

✨️ Speaking of weekly shops runs, Enzo is that boyfriend who always pushes the trolley/ cart.

✨️ Matching Adidas trackies. Never quite knowing whose joggers/ t shirts/ jackets that belonged to.

✨️ Wearing his boxers after sex to go down and make a fresh batch of coffee.

✨️ Is always entertaining you with unusual facts and information about Uruguay and is keen for you to learn and embrace his culture and he is keen to learn more about yours.

✨️ Matching your nail varnish to his bow tie/ tie/ shirt colour etc.

✨️ Midnight beach walks where you tell eachother all your hopes and dreams and desires, all the 'deep stuff' you feel you can't tell eachother when it's daylight as it seems to real.

✨️ This man can dance. He has so much natural rhythm and is such a natural. He'll always be the first one up on the dance floor at parties and cast parties and would much rather spend the time on the dance floor with you rather than talking. Also at home will put on whatever dance music he wants and will just start dancing with you.

✨️ Dressing up as Kylo Ren and Rey for Halloween. "Well I mean... I think we should go as them, it would look good" "Fine"

A Perfect Day

You went to open the fridge to find the pouring cream for your iced coffees but were distracted by the note attached to the front, wrote in Enzo's beautiful cursive handwriting. You smiled to yourself as you read it. He always left the most beautiful love notes and this one was no exception. It simply read "You're my happy place". You took the note off the fridge and folded it neatly and placed it in your dressing gown pocket. You were saving them all, for what you weren't sure, but you pictured a future for you and enzo, maybe one day sticking all the notes down into a scrap book and passing it onto your daughter. To show her how much she should be loved by another. You smiled at the thought and opened the fridge, finally, to find the pouring cream. After Enzo had finished filming, touring and surving the awards season the two of you finally had some time and moved in together. The first thing he had done was gone out and found the most fanciest coffee machine. You guys hadn't even bought a bed yet at that point. You finished making your drinks and went back upstairs. Enzo was sat up in bed, shirtless.

"Well damn, it's hot this morning." You laughed as you sat back in bed next to him, being careful not to spill anything. "Here my angel." You passed him the iced coffee. He carefully took it from you and took that first heavenly sip.

"Hmm, perfecto." He said closing his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face. "I do not know how I survived without having you around, only you can make my coffee right."

"I'm sure there is someone else who could, I could always teach them, it's not too hard. There aren't any crazy secret ingredients." You replied "I just make it with love, I think that's why it's so good." Enzo leaned over and kissed you. "I love you so much, mi amor." He said as he took your hand. "What would you like to do today?"

"We need to go shopping to get a couple things and I was thinking maybe we could have a go at making our own pizzas for dinner?" You suggested, admiring him.

"You always have the best ideas, I have a couple more things to add to the list so please don't let me forget my love." Enzo said as he got out of bed. It would never get old seeing how beautiful he was. It was like he had been sculpted by the world's most incredible artist whose attention to detail no one was able to match. You felt so lucky to not only be with one so handsome but to also have discovered someone with a soul that was equally as beautiful. Enzo gave all of his love and time to you. He was always there, his strength and resilience gave you strength. He was so honoured and humbled to have been given such an important role in the film and the sincerity in which he handled his part was inspiring to you. He never got angry when you would call him in the middle of the night due to the time differences or when he had come home to see that you had used his entire bottle of his most expensive cologne. You had missed him a lot while he was away filming so decided one night to spray a little of it on to the pillow next to you, then a little onto your wrist; just to make it seem like he was there with you, however next thing you knew you'd unintentionally sprayed the entire bottle around the house and it was now empty. Enzo found it to be a most romantic gesture and when he left again to complete filming took a pot of your lip balm to apply each night so it could feel like you'd just kissed him. You heard the shower turn on and got up from the bed again to decide what to wear for today. It was a simple errand day so you grabbed a pair of Adidas joggers and a black long sleeved top.

"Wow, you look so beautiful." He said staring at you.

"What? These?" You laughed. "It's a step up from pajamas."

"You look perfect, I love it so much I will also wear mine." He said as he began looking in the wardrobe.

"Maybe one day you could surprise everyone and wear Nike." You laughed. You admired him once again as he got dressed and then you both finished your coffees. Ofcourse Enzo insisted on driving and you sat in the passenger seat and played DJ. Enzo was a cautious driver, especially whilst you were in the car. He could never understand men who drove dangerously to try and impress their partners. How could he risk your life? He couldn't live with himself if anything happened to you, especially if he was the cause of it. You thought is was sweet how he was always so gentle and careful with you. He parked up outside the supermarket.

"I can get my door." You said quickly, opening it as soon as he turned off the ignition. A few times Enzo had managed to run around to open your car door whilst you rummaged around for your handbag or wallet. He was always the gentleman.

"You know I love opening it for you." He said sweetly as he linked his hand with yours. "I'll push the cart."

"I wasn't even going to try." You laughed. Enzo had to push the trolley. He just had to, it wasn't an option for you ever. It made him feel helpful and supportive. You took the list out of your pocket as you walked in with him and began looking down the aisles.

"We have to get these crisps, you'll love them." You said, standing on your tip toes.

"I got it baby." Enzo said, barely having to extend his arm to grab the pack. There were times when his height came in handy and this was certainly one of them. One time the two of you had a fight that had started off as a result of something so small and petty and then seemingly didn't stop and just kept getting worse and worse. It was the first night the two of you went to bed without apologies or saying how much you loved one another. The next day you didn't say a word to him, you'd returned from work and Enzo had moved all of your favourite snacks and drinks to the top shelves so you had no choice but to talk to him.

"And can you get those ones as well, my love. That flavour looks good too." You said pointing to the packet next to it.

"Anything for you." He said, grabbing everything you asked for. You carried on walking through the supermarket getting everything you needed to make pizza later.

"I'll get this." You said, putting your card on the card reader first.

"No, no!" Enzo insisted. "Baby, we talked about this".

"I'll pay." You said "It's fine honey". Enzo muttered in Spanish about how he should be the one paying. The two of you walked back to the car and together loaded the shopping into the back of the car and drove back.

"Are you going to let me carry any of the shopping?" You asked.

"Not a chance." Enzo laughed and leaned over to kiss you. You kissed him back and gently tugged on the back of his hair to be able to kiss down his beautifully structured jawline.

"I love you so much." You said, between kisses.

"I love you so much more." He said. He kissed the tip of your nose and rested his forehead against yours. His soft eyelashes gently brushing your skin. "I got the shopping, don't worry." You got out of the car and opened the door for him. Enzo grabbed all the bags and followed you in.

"Baby, one day all the bags are going to break and I don't know what you will do." You said as you began putting everything away. "Leave the pizza ingredients out, my love."

"Anything for you, I will cut mine in to a heart shape." He said, doing as you asked him. You smiled at him.

"I might try and do a star or something, I don't know." You said. "Maybe the shape of a coffee bean."

"You know me so well." He said smiling as the last of the shopping was put away. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was turning a beautiful pink colour. You went out onto the balcony and looked out. The view was beautiful, just like your life now. You heard the doors slide open and Enzo stepped outside. You continued to look out as you felt his strong arms wrap around your waist and pull you closer. He kissed your neck gingerly taking in the smell of your perfume and moisturiser. The two of you fitting together perfectly, the final missing piece of the jigsaw to your life.

[return-of-the-queen-au]

Just thought of the funniest level mod for a hat in time

Disclaimer, if this ends up actually being a thing it'll probably take LOTS of effort and I'll kiss whoever did it because I can't code or make levels for shit

But imagine. You know those mods that have multiple levels? Okay that, but pre disaster subcon.

like we get multiple levels where we get to interact with the people of subcon, the guards, the flower girl, the town folks and even get inside the manor without worrying about a crazy ice monster killing us.

And the levels are just more silly versions of the normal levels we have of subcon.

(Obviously the interpretation of the characters are my versions, but obviously I don't mind seeing how others see things.)

Contractual obligations:

We meet the prince and he greets us right before entering subcon. He notices that we're a foreigner and that we're looking for a specific object. He says he hasn't personally seen 'em, and that he'll help you find them by checking places we can't go in, but days to ask people around to see if they did see the time piece.

And it turns into us doing various (and really easy) tasks for the townsfolk, while also knowing some lore which is just them talking about what's happening rn and their personal lives.

in the end, we get this kid going to us saying he found this hourglass shining and that he noticed we were looking for it, so he gives it to us.

The subcon well: apparently there's some problems in the well, it's clogged and everyone is annoyed about it.

as we go around, the prince jumpscares us by popping out from somewhere (probably an ally or something like that.) doing the iconic snatcher "WHY HELLOOOOO THERE! you didn't forget about me, did ya?"

Before he says anything, he apologies for scaring us. He says how it was really just a prank he found funny. He giggles about it.

But either way, he needs our help.

He noticed how we were really helpful with his subjects and he thought he could ask us a favor to help him too.

he rambles about how he would have made us sign a contract but since we're a kid, he has to stick with shakes of hands and pinky promises.

Then he tells us how the well, or any of them in subcon, are clogged and it's bothering everyone. Especially Vanessa because the well is connected to the pipes in the manor and now they're clogged too (and Vanessa can't take a hot shower and she hates it.)

So he's asking us to help unclog the well (and the pipes) so everyone is happy.

"Normally" he would have asked an actual plumber, not a random kid who is ALSO a foreigner, but for some reason none of them are available and there's no way he's touching the well any time soon. It's too dirty in his opinion.

anyway, the level is similar to the original one from this point, we get the time piece from unclogging everything.

Mail delivery service:

Once again with the prince scaring us to death at random when we start exploring the place.

he apologies again, but not for the scare but because he's asking us again to do stuff. Yes he laughs again at hat kid getting scared.

This time he complains about how literally no one is available and that he bets he soon will have to ask you for your help again.

but this time he has a good offer.

We have to deliver some letters and packages (but this time it's dlc style where we have to deliver under a timer.)

He says that if we do him this little favor he'll give us a time piece he found in a random bush around the manor.

Once we're done, he thanks us, saying how he really needs to hire a new mail man because the last one has gone *poof* for some reason he doesn't know either.

Toilet of doom:

the public bathroom is acting funny. we notice because there's a line with way too many people that passes through the entire town.

once we reach the end (or start.) of the line we see two guards.

When we go talk to them they sound worried, saying how they've been waiting for the guy in there to come out so the others can use the bathroom but guy has been there for HOURS.

They tried asking both the queen and prince but both said they refuse to go near that bathroom, they think it's too filthy (and smelly. Especially smelly.)

when we go and reach for the bathroom door to open it, you struggle and it doesn't open. So we beat it up with the umbrella until it opens and a boss fight happens.

it's pretty much the toilet of doom boss fight but we see everyone around us occasional complaining about the smell.

Queen Vanessa's manor:

Vanessa centric level! We don't see the prince in here.

We basically get asked by two guards to go to the manor because the queen wants to see us, and so we do.

We get all vibes of the queen being some cold hearted dictator and when we enter we head the famous "WHO GOES THERE?!" From Vanessa.

We don't run (because we can't) and when we see Vanessa come in we see the pre monster Vanessa, who immediately recognizes us and goes "oh hello there!!!!! You're the foreigner my dear prince told me about!!!! The one who helped my subject and was kind enough to.....unclog that disgusting bathroom..."

In general, we see Vanessa as some really sweet and kind woman. She even offers us cookies (that aren't poisoned!)

We talk to her for a bit and then she tells us that she asked us to come over because she needed help.

the entire manor is a MESS and normally she would just ask her maids to help her clean, but they would take too long because the manor is big, and she needs the manor squeaky clean because the prince is coming back soon from his studies abroad. (Which is why we don't see him on this level)

So the task is to once again go around the manor, but instead of hiding from Vanessa, we clean around. (There can be maids around, like 2-3. Definitely looking the same or maybe the only difference is the hair.)

Anyway, just like in the og, we can snoop around Vanessa's diary and we get the time piece in the attic.

The final boss fight/your contract has expired: basically right after the whole misunderstanding mess.

We see everyone frozen and the manor doors open.

Stealth little game as we roam around with Vanessa (very angrily) looking for people and crying about the prince cheating on her.

We have the choice to go to the cellar and see the prince freezing there, we can't talk to him but if we're quiet enough we can hear him sniffle and quietly cry.

Anyway!! Once we reach the second floor we see Vanessa and there's this whole chasing part until we go out of the manor. From there we start getting chased AGAIN until we just run away completely from subcon.

The storybook from the time rift will probably be town folks centric during the whole disaster, we see the flower girl and any character we helped in the first level and how they ended up (likely dead and frozen.)

[slocumjoe]

how would companions be at the beach? who gets sunburnt for a week? who tries drowning who?

Companions have a Beach Episode

Cait; is kicking ass and taking names at volley ball. Any who step up to the net are swiftly executed, either by shame of their devastation, or Cait spiking too hard and beaning them in the head. Being a ginger, this girlie is 2x vulnerable to sunburn. Doesn't put on sunscreen, thinks its dumb. Regrets this immensely. But before her skin starts peeling off of her like an onion, and in between claiming victims, she's throwing back fun beach cocktails. Doesn't drink water. On a hot, sunny day. When she's exerting herself. Also comes to regret this. This could have gone much worse if she didn't gorge herself at the BBQ. She wears baggy swim shorts and a loose tank top.

Codsworth; Hangs out at a gazebo with a makeshift kitchen/bar area. He's not risking sand getting in delicate places, absolutely not. No, Codsy stays nice and cozy, and makes those aforementioned cocktails, as well as other cold drinks and food. When he isn't serving something or cooking, indulges in some sort of activity, like a puzzle book, a normal novel, something like that. He enjoys the energy of the beach, the sand and sun and surf, but practically...he just really wants to take a broom to it, y'know? Just...just to see if he could...but that's rude to nature. So, it's best he keep to a more manageable area. One that doesn't give him cleaning itches.

Curie; Sets up a beach towel under an umbrella, and relaxes with a good book and iced drink. Despite not going out in the sun, puts on sunscreen to set an example. Periodically chases people down with a bottle if they've yet to apply it. You are not allowed to get skin cancer on her watch. When she isn't hunting Cait for sport, Curie is simply enjoying the beachy soundscape, warmth, and general chill vibes. Will get up and check on everyone, make sure they're drinking water, et cetera. Half of her time is spent relaxing, the other half Mama Hen-ing. These people lack self-preservation instincts and it kind of drives her crazy. Wears a pastel blue two-piece with ruffles.

Danse; is in his element. Warm weather, fishing, grilling, bright-colored, gaudy-patterned shirts. This is his happy place. Gets a cooler of beer, a pole, and sits by the shore, soaking up sun like a cat. Lives out his ideal life as an old beach bum and for once, has a good day. This is Danse at his peak. He shows up in knee-length khaki shorts, socks and sandals, and a borderline-neon floral button up. Anything he catches, he grills over at Codsworth's gazebo. Spends his day fishing, bbqing, and drinking, and shocks everyone with the fact that, yes, Danse is capable of basic joy and relaxation. Just...very sparingly.

Deacon; Redhead. Unlike Cait, knows the divine agony that is a bad sunburn, and lathers himself in sunscreen. Wears a speedo, crocs, and an obnoxious sunscreen streak on his nose. Participates in volley ball, wrist is sprained by a hard serve from the Red Menace herself. Afterwards, lets Piper and later, MacCready, use him as a sculpture base. Seeing as his day was spent underneath piles of sand, didn't do much. Had a lot of drinks, though, courtesy of Piper engineering a long curly straw for him. Has to be dug out for BBQ against his will, wanted to spend the rest of his life as a mermaid. When he emerges, is caked in sand and looks like a golumn. All that sunscreen turned against him. For the next week, greets people with "Hi, I have so much sand in my ass, how ya doin'?"

Gage; Tends to dislike casual, hang-out activities on principle. Whereas Danse doesn't like them due to his social anxiety and gets nervous around people. Gage doesn't like them because he doesn't like people period. The beach is one such activity, with the added bonus of causing him physical pain. Due to his half-blindness, prolonged exposure to brightness really strains the one eye, so he sticks to Codsworth's gazebo for shade. The ocean is basically a giant disco ball and that shit triggers migraines for him. Spends the day observing the others and chainsmoking. Keeps tally of Cait's various volley ball crimes. Plays catch with Dogmeat until the pooch collapses from exhaustion. Generally does what Gage is always doing—keeping tabs and making notes. Also, mooching off free food.

Hancock; the thing about Hancock, is that it's difficult to keep him in order. You're rarely going to see him in a group, doing group pre-ordained stuff. He sticks around the others for maybe ten minutes before he wanders off to see whatever he can find. Comes back a while later with his pockets full of rocks, shells, even bones. Codsworth empties a bucket for him to put his treasure in, and Hancock's back out on the hunt. Spends his day beachcombing. Brings back stuff for MerDeacon, gets a big clump of kelp for the hair, and seashells for modesty. Hancock just paces up and the down the beach, pondering shit, collecting shit. Basically this image;

MacCready; didn’t intend on sculpting a mermaid onto Deacon, but God presented him an opportunity. MacCready has based his entire life on taking opportunities given to him. Has so many fruity drinks as he crafts his masterpiece. Whereas Piper is more interested in forming the excavation site around the corpse of this behemoth sea monster, MacCready's more interested in giving the Deac very crude and childish features, such as breasts in the image of Deacon himself. But wait, aren't mermaids seals? Seals have multiple nipples, right? Guess we have to make more Deacon tits! This descent into madness might have something to do with the copious pina coladas he put away. Getting beaned in the head by Cait also probably didn't help. Wears gym shorts and a tank top.

Nick; Curie had the right idea. Only, Nick improves on it by moving his spot much, much farther down the beach. Takes a radio, wine coolers, and various books that he goes through over the day. Reads shlock romance pulp fiction, because he felt it more thematically appropriate to the beach. Has a few towels down for cushy-ness, being an old man. Needs his back supported. He wears shorts and a long, thin-material cardigan, almost like a robe. Wouldn't look out of place telling an officer he most definitely didn't kill his husband. Nick appears later at lunch/dinner/dinch, but until then, he's sequestering himself under an umbrella and he's having a moment of peace. Considered participating in whatever the others were doing at one point. Decided against it when he saw whatever the hell was happening with Deacon.

Piper; was almost a victim of Cait, dipped when a volley ball went past her head and it sounded like an actual bullet. Wisely moved out of the firing zone and began construction of a sandcastle. She blinked, and there was Deacon, and six nipple-Deacons. Doesn’t know how it happened. Didn't question it. Turned her castle into the excavation site of a prehistoric sea creature, washed ashore and buried beneath the sand. It pays to be adaptable like that. Piper spends a good chunk of the day pissing, as she's the type to need so much water when its hot out. She doesn't start slinging back fun cocktails until its lunch/dinner/dinch. Then, it's a cocktail for every hotdog, burger, serving of fish...and Piper can put away bbq. Wears a red halter one-piece.

Preston; is the only one to consistently survive Cait's bloodbath, so he keeps her busy, so as to let the others escape her rubbery death blows. Basically just plays ball with her until she gets tired, same as Gage with Dogmeat. Preston takes some breaks, and drinks water, but its a matter of attrition. Its an endurance test. He passes by the skin of his teeth. The game ends once Cait is lured away by bbq and alcohol. At that point, Preston is better considered a husk than a man. Drops an ice pack on the ground and lays face-down on it, and takes a nap like that.

X6-88; shows up in his usual black trench coat and not a single bead of sweat forms. Haunts the gazebo for sugary drinks and treats. Everyone tries to ignore him because they get second-hand heat stroke just looking at him. He's loathe to get near the water and loathe to get sand in his clothing. Becoming the Phantom of the George Foreman Grill was the only outcome for him. Backseat sous chef, constantly questioning Danse and Codsworth's methods or choices. Codsworth politely takes the criticism, and ignores it. Danse just chucks candy into the bushes to lure him away.

[airanke]

I crave to know Agaria, Svanhild and the Leo crew (Alanna, Howitzer, Mikino and Miraj)

I HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY A LIST OF CHARACTERS

AGARIA!

Flower: Seaside daisy <3 They're so beautiful and grow by the sea and that's very Agaria of them. Gemstone: Sea glass! I know it's not a gemstone, but TBH Sea glass is much better for her than literally anything else haha! Element: Earth <3 Stalwart, hardy, and strong! Color: Salmon pink, the color of the sky when the sun is setting and sometimes rising <3 Word: sillage, "the scent that lingers in the air, the trail left in water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone; the trace of someone's perfume", fits beautifully with her adventurous heart. Food: Crazy Shake! Weapon: Gauntlets for maximum PUNCHING POWER!

SVANHILD!!!

Flower: Skeleton flower... delicate and exposed in rain like she is <3 Gemstone: Quartz! Clear and beautiful and reflects the light in lovely ways. Element: Ice. She leaves a chill on those that meet her, a mix of her poise and her way of speaking. Color: Jagged Ice (D5ECEF WHATEVER THIS BLUE IS, THAT'S HER)! Word: petrichor, "the scent of rain on dry earth". Food: Candied grapes!!! Weapon: Wakizashi! Svanhild is definitely the backup weapon, or a weapon that one might not expect to be there <3

ALANNA!!!

(Also all of Leo's family have specifically chosen flowers that I will tell you why at the end HUEHUE)

Flower: Coneflower!! They are low-maintenance and attract beautiful things and we know this is true of Alanna <3 Gemstone: Granite. I don't know why, I could not TELL YOU WHY, HOWEVER... IT CAME TO MIND, AND I'M STICKING WITH IT. Element: Lots of Earth here. Strong. Supportive. The land beneath Leo's feet. Color: Red - like. R E D . PASSION. Word: eunoia, "beautiful thinking; a well mind" YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!! Food: Popcorn!! Especially like, caramel corn, or like you know luxury popcorn??? If that's even a thing?? Popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkles!!!! That's Alanna!! Weapon: You already she's a lance, the Warlord that she is.

HOWITZER!!

Flower: Hosta!! Honestly mostly for the leaves, this plant comes with some GORGEOUS leaf options!!! Gemstone: Obsidian. I'm noticing a theme here and it was a little unexpected haha! Element: I know it's not TECHNICALLY an element, but Smoke. This man is all mystery and tricks (given that he's a fucking Soul Hound) Color: Dusky blue - like when fog covers the sky right as it's starting to get dark. That's the color Howitzer is! Word: querencia, "a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self" is so this man. Food: watermelon salad. With mint. Very specific, but Howitzer is so laid back and relaxed that he would definitely be a refreshing food <3 Weapon: I said dagger initially, but he would be a balisong hands down (y'know, a butterfly knife).

MIKINO!!!

Flower: Hens and chicks. It's a succulent. It has spikies on it but it's PRETTY. Like Mikino. Gemstone: Ruby. A beautiful red to go with Howitzer's OBSIDIAN. Element: Fire. Oh my GOD fire. Color: Wispy gray - she's fog over an early morning sky, maybe with hints of pink in that melancholy gray! Word: ephemeral, "lasting for a very short time" (... you know why. I mean she's not GONE, but... y'know) Food: Salsa - technically not a food, but the variety of things you can put salsa on, and it potentially having the option to be made like, with some sweetness?? Like a mango salsa!!! Spicy and sweet! (Also I say technically not a food because to ME personally Salsa is more of a dip. Like you wouldn't eat a bowl of salsa and call it a meal y'know?) Weapon: not a weapon per se, but a Gjallarhorn suits her. Because Banshee.

MIRAJ!!!!

Flower: Cosmos!! They're so pretty and look delicate but you know Miraj is a tough bean <3 Gemstone: Pearl... lovely little man's, cared for by big ocean father before Leo aaa yes. A little pearl <3 Element: Water. I think. It fits him best, especially given what Time-worn children do (IYKYK). Color: Sunshine yellow!! Joyous color for joyous boy!!! Word: mudita, "taking delight in the happiness of others; vicarious joy" Food: ICE CREAM!!! Weapon: Shield. Unexpected face smack TBQH!

All of their flowers are known for being very resilient and difficult to get rid of 😏

[themissilesilo]

"Yeah, yeah, fiery warrior princess and all that."

"Prove to me you're not possessed by a demonic god in the next five minutes or I will crush both of us with fifteen metric tons of Himalayan salt."

[hedgehoghavoc]

"I am a girlboss, I am a war criminal, I am a lunatic. I am clinically insane and the next Light Gaia and I am never going to die."

[themissilesilo]

"Hey! Mobius to Sonic! Snap out of it and pay attention, I haven't even gotten to the part about the Time Eater."

Not sure what the badger is talking about... but they sure are cute.

[hiccanna-tidbits]

@jackunzel-time

Jackunzel Month Week 2 - Coming of Age

***

"Okay, can I look now?"

"Not yet!"

The kitchen is once again filled with the sounds of Rapunzel banging around, plates and dishware clattering as she searches the fridge. Jack's got a sneaking suspicion this all has something to do with the huge, tinfoil-covered mound on the top shelf.

For an entire week, Rapunzel insisted they put every ounce of leftovers in the bottom half of the fridge, ignoring the Mysterious Object™️like a leaky faucet you handn't gotten around to fixing. Not that Rapunzel doesn't occasionally need her home fridge for work-related things, but she isn't normally cagey about it.

Jack once again resists the urge to peek out of the blindfold.

"Come ooooon, Zellie! This anticipation is going to kill me before our starving artist lifestyle does."

Rapunzel laughs. "Starving? I'll have you know, sir, that I've had no less than 5 whole french fries today!"

Considering it was 9 pm, this was not an ideal french fry quota. Rapunzel definitely had time to eat more fries today.

Jack wonders idly if Rapunzel's just getting too caught up in her work to take lunch breaks, or if her manager is crunching her deadlines again.

Before he can get too far into plotting how he would swap her boss's salt and sugar without getting Rapunzel in trouble, he hears the distinctive sound of a lighter.

"Are you torching our apartment?" he asks. "Because if so, I'm very offended I wasn't invited to participate."

Rapunzel scoffs. "Don't be silly! Like I'd set the place on fire without getting home insurance first. And it isn't as though either of us can afford that."

"You're still making me nervous. Usually I'm the one who plays the pranks."

"Hmmm, well...that would have been a good idea, actually." Rapunzel sounds a little regretful. "But no tricks today, I promise. Now open your eyes!"

And at last, Jack gets to see what all the fuss is about.

A stunning, snow-white cake sits in the middle of their dining room table, covered in sparkly silver candy orbs and carefully sculpted fondant snowflakes. All around the side are little hand-painted winter scenes, meticulously crafted by an icing brush in a process that must've taken hours. On top, a "2" and a "6" candle sit ablaze.

Rapunzel, of course, spends all day at work decorating cakes. It's her career. (Or, at least, it has been for the past 6 months--the longest she's gone without leaving a job to date.)

It still seems like she went the extra mile with this one.

"What--" For a long moment, all Jack can do is stare with his mouth hanging open.

"What the hell," he says finally. "How did I forget today was my birthday???"

Rapunzel's surprise quickly turns to laughter.

"Oh my god, how did you forget?"

Easy for her to say. Back when Rapunzel lived with her crazy mom, who practically kept her a prisoner in her own house, birthdays were easily the most interesting thing that happened all year. Birthdays with the Overlands were always much more...lowkey, so to speak.

"In my defense!" He holds up his hands. "Nothing interesting happens when you turn 26. Pretty much all the milestones are finished, so it's just another orbit around the sun."

"Nonsense!" Rapunzel sticks her lip out in disapproval. "That's no way to talk about your coming-of-age ceremony!"

"Coming-of-age?" He raises his eyebrows. "I think we missed the cutoff for that a while ago."

"Well, 26 is your age now." She crosses her arms, chin up defiantly. "And you have come to it. So therefore you have come of age."

He chuckles. "Is that how that works?"

"Why not? Teenagers and college kids shouldn't get to have all the fun!"

"My point still stands, though," he argues. "You don't really...unlock the same kind of stuff in your 20s that you do when you're younger. It's not like there are new magical adventures that you suddenly have access to when the clock strikes 12 on your 26th birthday."

"Says who?"

His girlfriend's conniving smirk sends a wave of excitement through him. What is she plotting?

"Did you find an elite 26-and-over club to join?"

"Not exactly." She leans over the table, smirk widening. "But someone did have a chat with your boss about how many great snowscape photo opportunities there are in the mountains, and how you're going to need to not come into the office for while to get all the best shots."

Jack's eyes widen as her meaning dawns on him. "And Mr. North was cool with that? Me taking a vacation right before the holidays?"

"I mean. He could hardly resist the offer of having his best photographer out getting festive snapshots for the December issue of the magazine. You'd do more good on the field than stuck behind an editing desk, right?"

"No kidding."

Jack sits down, getting ready to blow out the unexpected birthday candles. He pauses, something occurring to him.

"Wait, what about you? I'm not about to go off and leave you to handle the bakery's holiday rush on your own!"

Rapunzel hums thoughtfully.

"Well, funny thing. I told our head baker that I just hadn't been feeling very inspired lately. And if I went somewhere, say, fresh and exciting, then the muse was sure to strike again and I'd pump out a collection of the most beautiful winter cakes the bakery's ever known. Ones to really send that holiday profit flooding in."

"So...you snuck around and got us both a week off for my birthday by spinning it as a work trip? And on top of that, you just casually whipped out the most gorgeous birthday cake I've ever seen in my life?"

She nods, beaming.

"You're my goddamn hero."

He stands up and sweeps her into his arms, pulling her into a kiss worthy of being the Big Dramatic Finale to any coming-of-age film. All these years later, and it still feels like cameras should be spinning around them with rock music building into a triumphant crescendo.

Maybe that's cheesy, but to hell with it.

"Have I ever mentioned I'm in love with you?" he murmurs against her lips.

"I would hope so, Overland. We've been dating for 9 years now."

***

Half a hazelnut chocolate cake and two celebratory hot cocoas later, Jack finds himself being dragged toward the car in the encroaching darkness of 5:30 pm.

"Zel, what--"

"Come on! I booked us a night in a cabin, and we need to take off before the roads get icy. It's supposed to snow in a couple hours!"

"But what about--"

"I packed the car while you were at work." Rapunzel doesn't miss a beat. "Don't worry, I grabbed all your favorite sweaters! Your snowboarding stuff too. And the sleeping bags. And the cozy socks. And the snow chains. And the binoculars. And the sled. And the scarves."

He doesn't have time to form a reply before he's being bundled into the front seat and covered in one of his favorite fluffy blankets. The sheer amount of alpine field guides and brochures on the car floor make him do a double take.

"You have an itinerary?" he asks, surprised.

She hums uncertainly as she pulls out of the driveway.

"Well...nothing too rigid. No coming-of-age road trip of self-discovery can be that structured, or else it might get in the way of spontaneous epiphanies about who you truly are, right?"

"Right."

Rapunzel looks like she's about to burst open with what she isn't saying.

"I sense a 'but' there."

"I did find a really cute place for us to sled." The dam breaks as Rapunzel pulls out of the driveway. "And there's this secluded little mountain animal rescue we have to see. And this four-star cafe we can stop at for hot cider and soup, and this really pretty snowy hike that I don't think is too tiring. Also this ski and snowboard slope we can check out if we have time, with this really cozy lodge, and--"

She cuts herself off mid-sentence as soon as she picks up that all this might be a little overwhelming.

"Buuuuut," she amends slowly. "It's not like I've put down a deposit for anything. We could just drive through the mountains and stop whenever we feel the urge. Find the best secret spots and have them to ourselves, you know? Have deep conversations and be alone with nature and reconnect with our humanity and our sense of purpose. Or something like that."

He can't help but laugh at the way her brow scrunches as she goes deep into thought.

"That sounds great."

"Do you...have a preference?" She gives him a searching look as they pull onto the freeway, already glowing with streetlamps and taillights. "Agenda or no agenda?"

"Whatever you're down for, I'm down for. Hell, I'm just happy to have an unexpected week of vacation."

"I guess that's the thing about these types of 'finding yourself' stories. You kind of have to figure them out as you go along."

"Then let's do some figuring!"

Rapunzel hits the gas, and off they go into the winter sunset, bound for their next coming-of-age adventure. One to perhaps be followed by many more, depending on how many future ages they deem it significant to "come to."

***

Tfw you keep aging but The Blorbos™️do not, so the only logical solution is to force them to age with you XD God dammit, if I have to be in my mid-20s, then so do my comfort characters!!!

Fr tho, I often find myself wishing there were more aged-up AUs in the RotBTD fandom. Most fandom olds returning to (or who stayed in) the fandom aren't the teenagers we were when we first got into the big four anymore, so...why not let them grow up with us??? It's not like their canon ages are some sacred, set-in-stone thing that can't be changed since people do in fact get older as time passes ajdnlshbf

And like!!! Don't get me wrong, I love a well-done high school or college AU, and they can be a lot of fun!!! But I think as I've gotten older I wonder more about how the RotBTD kids would navigate adulthood, and how they would change/adapt and how they would stay the same throughout their lives.

Jackunzel I feel like would be one of those couples who would just be it for each other. Like they get together in late high school--probably junior or senior year--and everyone keeps waiting for the spark to die in college and for them to get stir-crazy (as people who get into committed relationships young often do) or bored of each other, and they just. Don't. MFs hit 30 and are still in the honeymoon phase with no sign of getting out XD

Rapunzel is so right here btw. Twenty-somethings DO deserve to have indie coming-of-age dramas made about them!!! Kids and teens and college students shouldn't get to have all the fun!!! Besides, there's plenty of growing/maturing still to do in young adulthood, so why stop writing stories about that just because the people in question are out of school??? Tbh I'm so tired of movies with adult protagonists being either fluffy (hetero) romcoms or a drama about Some Guy with a wife and kids like??? There are other types of adults besides straights in the dating pool and middle-aged people with tidy little nuclear families!!! I promise!!!

Guess I'll just have to write all those funky little RotBTD twenty-something AUs myself ajshdkuys

Shout-out to the RotBTD discord for giving me the idea of having Rapunzel be a cake decorator and Jack be a photographer! I sometimes struggle a bit with future career ideas for the RotBTD kids, but these fit really well :D Jack definitely seems like the kind of person who would like something freelance and loose-scheduled where he basically gets paid to capture the beauty in the world around him :O And we know Rapunzel can bake, and she likes art, so...

CAKE ART CAKE ART CAKE ART CAKE ART

VERY happy I found that snowflake-and-orb cake, because that definitely seems like something Jack would enjoy 🤍❄️ And now I kind of want to try it 👀👀👀I DO have to wonder how they did that little picture with the tree and the car :O

As always, moodboard pic credits available upon request!

[too-pirate-to-function]

about to go off on a Pearl Boy rant, just read the ending and I have Thoughts. trigger warnings in the tags, please read

1. chapter 79 and 80 ruined this story for me, watching Dooshik lead a gang rape after all the trauma that he’s watched Jooha go through was one of the most jarring experiences i’ve ever had in reading. how did we get here? Dooshik is the guy who always fucking saved the victims, whether he knew them or not. the idea that he organized and supervises a gang rape, comes up with this method on his own, and doesn’t even flinch is crazy to me. i thought he was going to join in at one point, that’s how bonkers this story got. the fact that Jooha finds out about it later is so so fucked up. this could’ve easily been just a torture scene and that WOULD have been in character for Dooshik! nothing else would’ve had to change, Jooha could still find out, the twins could’ve had their big moment, but no, Dooshik had to become a rapist in the final season and destroy everything his character stood for. generally i don’t complain about SA in bl stories because it’s so rampant but this is a crime against characterization

2. why didn’t Jooha get to kill Pilwon??? i thought the story was building to this from the moment Dooshik put the scissors in Jooha’s hands! he even goes to Pilwon’s house to kill him! confronts him on the roof yet the only thing he gets to do is act as the damsel! and then Pilwon gets killed offscreen by a side character!!! i cannot believe the writer fumbled the story when narrative satisfaction was right there.

3. why the two drownings?! if they were always going to die why did they drown twice?! first when they jumped off the cliff together and then a second time for no reason after they had found a bitterly sweet happy ending. it feels redundant and honestly it cheapens the second one which was already the weaker one.

4. Jooha died twice. first when he lost his memories after falling, but hey he got to fall in love all over again without the trauma or understanding of what he’s gone through with the man he loves. then he dies for real after chasing his cats onto thin ice. i cannot. pick a tragedy lane and stick to it goddamn it. Jooha was who i finished this story for and i was so upset to see how dirty this finale did him. when he walked out on the balcony with Dooshik and Pilwon and a chain around his wrist i thought maybe we’d get another badass Jooha moment where he whips that chain into Pilwon’s stupid dick face. hit his other eye. or at least he’d inherit Pilwon’s fortune after he dies since there was some adoption paperwork in place?

5. the main characters die after Jooha chases their cats out onto thin ice. wtf. where did that come from?! it honestly fucking feels like the writer gave up and slapped us with her balls on the way out the door

6. Choonbae briefly appears to fight Jooha because??? and then that doesn’t even fucking matter since Jooha loses his memory!?! the friends Dooshik has and his family literally don’t even matter which is so frustrating because i enjoyed his host friends so much and i wanted to meet his sister.

7. Choonbae was another character done so dirty because the manwha introduced him and made him seem like he was going to get more involved with Pilwon right before it dropped him harder than me as a baby. if Jooha wasn’t going to kill Pilwon then Choonbae would’ve been an acceptable replacement, especially if he saw what a monster he really was.

8. the pearls completely lost their significance the last season, but i think if the world saw that one revenge porn video then Jooha’s secret might’ve come out? plus by the end Pilwon isn’t even doing this for the pearls anymore, not even as a creepy memorabilia type thing. i just feel like the importance of the pearls to the villains and the danger of people finding out got strangled by the narrative

9. the author’s note at the end that claims this story was written out beforehand, i call BS. i feel pretty confident i can tell what storybeats were planned out and which ones were slapped together and this dumb tragedy ending where they drown together after chasing their cats is obviously the latter. it’s so frustrating to see this story fumbled in the third season, in the final act.

10. WHO IS RUNNING THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT IF THE LEADERS ARE ALL ON VACATION. I JUST WANT TO KNOW.

[bookloveravenue]

A Novel of Elfhame (book 1): The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black.

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge. 

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years. 

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61209246-the-stolen-heir

********

January 10, 2023

My Review: 5/5 Stars

Been waiting a while to dive back into this world! And this time we get Oak and Suren's story. The last we saw these two, they were just children in the middle of a war. Oak, our prince and heir to the throne of Elfhame. Being protected the best he could by Jude and Cardan. And Suren was a child queen with a bridle on her head. Now, years later so much has changed. Suren was freed of the bridle and fled to the mortal world where she holds memories of those she called her family before the Court of Teeth dragged her away. And when it looks like the storm hag, Bogdana comes to fetch her to bring her back, Oak appears. And he comes with a surprise. He needs her help. He is on a quest north to the Court of Teeth and Suren is his best chance to gain what he seeks. Such a wild ride and crazy ending. I need the next book as soon as possible! It's such a fun world to be in and it was so interesting to see Oak all grown up. Gone is the small child and in his place, someone who has learned the ways of the fae and raised by those he calls family. I loved also seeing the flashbacks of Wren and Oak when they were kids and their first meetings. There is a friendship that was built so many years ago, but it's hard for both to find the trust that had easily come back then. Lots of twists in turns in this one, but that is always to be expected when it comes to the world of fae. Definitely looking forward to the next book where I'm hoping we'll see some other familiar faces rather than just hear about them. 

[maciedeclines]

My Personal Chart Review (26/4/23)

this is biased but still anyways

So, this week was a bit of a mess. We had the Beyoncé album bomb fall off slightly, with Tiësto replacing it. The top 5 remains mostly unchanged, with TRUSTFALL down 1 to #5, Can’t Tame Her down 1 to #4, but then we have Flip A Switch. up 15 places to #3 due to the Coi Leray remix, with 10:35 up 21 at #2 thanks to album boost and finally, of course, I Go Dancing at #1 for a 10th week.

Our losers this week were all over the place. Kill Bill slipped 16 down to #18 due to the remix boost falling off, while Before The Night hit #20, Commander slips to #22, AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM dropping to #25, plus Body Better just can’t keep up as it falls 15 to #31. Also, updown hits #34 but will likely rise next week due to the fumble release boost. Meanwhile, Crazy What Love Can Do continues to slide off the 52 week boost to #35, and CUFF IT completely falls off the album boost to #36. If We Ever Broke Up & Whistle both slip 13 places respectively to #42 & #43, Sing It Back & Oh Baby drop 12 to #45 & #46, with Bad Vibe continuing its radio falloff to #47. We then have a few consecutive drops, those being Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 at #51, Dancing In The Dark at #52, All By Myself at #53 and B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All) at #54. Then, Red Ruby Da Sleeze slips 11 off the big rise last week to #60, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) hits #65 and Stay The Night hits #67. Finally, Lost The Breakup & Calm Down take heavy drops to #74 and #75 respectively.

As for our songs exiting the top 75, CHURCH GIRL slips hard off the album boost from #32, Do U Want Me Baby? completely tanks out from #36, Like A River drops out the top 100 altogether from #42 (however it’ll most likely re-enter soon), SUMMER RENAISSANCE is out from #54, Home For My Heart slips to #76 from #57, with The Ocean & Don’t Come Back To Me out from #60 and #61 respectively. Continuing on, About Damn Time is gone from #65, Never Gonna Not Dance again also has continues its radio falloff from #66, with 16 Again underperforms as it exits from #69 and Beyoncé loses PURE/HONEY (#58), ENERGY (#59), THIQUE (#67) and HEATED (#72).

As for our returns, Options continues its radio run at #72, Karma surging in virality to #62, Easy Lover is back in at #50 and the rest are all from Tiësto, those being All Nighter at #23, The Business at #19, Don’t Be Shy at #16, The Motto at #9 and Hot In It at #7. As for the gains, Mary Jane. surges up to #58, AM:PM jumps off the debut to #15 and Lay Low surges 35 places to #10 due to the album boost.

Now, debut time..

#61 Jimin - Like Crazy

So, it’s not often that K-pop has any success on my chart.. let alone from a BTS member. Set Me Free Pt. 2 is absolutely godawful, but this really surprised me. I really really dig this. There’s something about it that I just really like and can’t figure it out, but this has been just under the top 75 for a few weeks now, and it’s gaining fast.

#56 Tiësto ft A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - Chills (LA Hills)

I don’t know what I was expecting with this tbh, but yeah it’s good enough. Not my favourite from Tiësto but it’s solid, however I doubt it’ll stick around.

#44 Tiësto ft AR/CO - Back Around

I liked this one more than I thought I would. Again it’s a solid track but I don’t see it lasting more than 1 week due to a low replay factor.

#38 Tiësto ft Freya Ridings - Bet My Dollar

3 Tiësto debuts in a row, huh? So, upon original release I thought this was okay. Nothing special, but not awful either, however it’s grown on me a bit since the tracking week begun, hence the higher debut. I like Weekends more than most people, and tbf the whole vibe of this song seems Weekends-like, so that’s probably why. Overall the best new Tiësto track.

#37 Ice Spice ft Nicki Minaj - Princess Diana

This really is Ice Spice’s year it seems. I liked this when it was released, however it didn’t get a high enough replay factor and only made it to #96, however it also grew on me this week and therefore made its way here. Both rappers’ flows compliment the beat extremely well and it’s a song that’ll easily get stuck in your head. Pretty damn good.

#30 FIFTY FIFTY - Cupid (Twin Version)

So, we’ve got two K-Pop debuts this week, with this becoming the highest charting once since Pink Venom. Upon first listen, I just found this average. However, due to one of my friends liking it so much it got to #1, and growing support for it, it ultimately grew on me quite a lot and yeah, this is an absolute bop. 100% worth a listen if you haven’t already.

Well, that concludes this week. Best of the week goes to FIFTY FIFTY with “Cupid (Twin Version)”, whilst Honourable Mention goes to “Princess Diana” by Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj. Next week, expect new entries from the likes of Sudley & piri, Sonny Fodera & an album bomb for my aunt. We love nepotism. 😍

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (300): Tue 10th Jan 2023

Up early despite it being my day off as I wanted to take the motorbike to get the left footrest fixed. The guy at the garage said that he should have it fixed by the end of the day and to call him up at. teatime to ask about the progress. It did mean that I had to walk all the way back up the hill in my full motorbike gear and carrying the helmet which wasn’t ideal but made more tolerable by listening to Margaret Miller’s Beast in View which I listened to on audiobook. Every time I read a book that I like I buy an audiobook of it and Beast In View was the first book in the Edgar Award winners challenge I read that I fucking adored. I phoned the guy at half 1 and he said that it was already fixed and I could come and get it. I asked how much it would be and he replied £40 which almost made my eyeballs pop out of my arse out of shock as I was expecting him to charge me hundreds. Before going to collect the bike I got the bus to the town so that I could deposit my cheque into the bank. The bank has gone through massive renovations with the row of cubicles with the bullet proof glass being replaced by…a single desk with a bloke behind it. It’s crazy because every time unused to go nun there is see a queue and one bank teller at one cubicle. So their way of dealing with this problem is to completely eliminate the other cubicles so that disgruntled customers can’t say “Why can’t you open another counter?” anymore since there are no other counters. I went to Yo Sushi and had some vegan chicken sushi which was lovely and I also popped into the market to buy some gloves since I left mine in the house and I didn’t want to ride my bike home with no gloves on as they would probably drop off from the cold by the time I got home. I got the bus back to Southwick and walked back down the hill to the bike place to pick up the old girl and the shop had done a great job as the footrest was firmly fixed back in and you couldn’t tell there was ever any damage to it. I also asked the guy if I needed to go to BDS to get it serviced every time or if I could just bring it to him and he said he’d be happy to service it when the time comes. Glad that’s sorted and next time it snows I’ll leave it until a good week after the last of it has gone just in case there’s a little shithead patch of ice that decides to stick around and make me slip off the bike again like last time.

Tuned into tonight’s Hollyoaks.

I was hoping that this year they'd start introducing interesting new characters but even I wasn't expecting a long lost McQueen who's a living Christmas tree!

There was some come comedy early on in the episode as Oscar gave Darren a cape with a big D on it and Darren spent the episode pretending to be a superhero. Oh I hope they do a storyline where Darren gets a head injury while wearing the cape and when he wakes up he believes he actually is a superhero. Later on Darren and Nancy had a bit of a talk outside the school gates and while they did an extra walked past carrying a chair into the school. Why? What was the point of that?

It always makes me laugh to see the unnecessary things they have extras do in TV shows. This extra must've turned up thinking they were going to be playing a pivotal role but they showed up and were told "We need you to carry this chair and don't show your face"

The bulk of the episode featured the culmination of the Eric the incel storyline. At the start of the episode Eric kidnapped Maxine, locked her in his caravan then headed to The Dog with his crossbow to carry out his manifesto. At the start of the show when Eric took Maxine to his family’s farmhouse which has been left abandoned for years what would Eric have done if he took Maxine to the cottage and there was a gang of smackheads with guns in there? The hostage crisis at The Dog where Eric took everyone inside prisoner was a little bit intense but not as intense as it should have been because Eric’s weapon of choice was a crossbow. Why would you choose something that takes 20 seconds to reload with you when taking a group of people hostage. Hell there was one moment where he was sat crouched down with the crossbow pointed at the floor. Why didn’t they all just rugby tackle him to the ground? The episode ended with Maxine arriving and calling Eric out for being a pathetic loser and Eric shot an arrow at her as a police swat team broke in and arrested the creepy bastard. As the episode ended I thought to myself  Maxine better not be dead or else I was done with Hollyoaks for good and my Twitter page was going to change to “Silly Home and Away Tweets” but in the tease for tomorrows episode we see that she is still alive so we’re good. This was a great episode and amazing culmination of this incel storyline but shame on the show for not actually giving Verity a funeral. Two years on the show (plus being unnecessarily killed off) and we don't even get a proper goodbye for her, they just go straight to the wake? Bullshit

[phthalominekitty]

relapse.

9/7/2001

[5] you may just be everything to me. i can't shake this feeling of remorse. i sit in the shower on the mildewed tile and think about how you used to touch me. the light may burn out, but the darkness only offers shelter from my frothy emotions. unexpected darkness is like an unexpected hug. i thought about you twice, tonight. we were spinning, all dressed in white. all the while in perfect syncronization of emotion, until the first disturbance. as she walked by, her presence jarred our perfection as your eyes beheld her curves. and i was sodden, discarded. the realization that i meant nothing moved me to understand that, i had in fact not felt the exstacy. i'd only imagined it. and so, with the pelting of this cold, the wetness fails to penetrate me. for my heart is hot, it couldn't be anything less. i've been scalded by the best of them. and i want you in my arms.

[6] smooth kiss against pale nothing don a medieval grin ascend ancient staircases let your cape flow red against false darkness torch this feeling i can't live with such grace.

the rise and fall synthetic hearts beat one misplaced step places you on the brink of eternity the smile is now gone from here only determination reeking of falling away.

[7] a rythym in motion, crying softly in the corner. she remembers her beautiful past life. she dreams, she doesn't want to fall in love. but she needs someone. she needs someone like him to tell her she's good. someone to dress up for.

(playing in front of a mirror, stripped down in a black slip, slinky-like and tantalizing. she hopes, and the song plays in the background that drives her crazy-mad, mad with emotion. the scarf, the necklace, the spoon. each becomes her lover, and she loves each one so dearly, in that special moment. who is behind the mirror? something must witness those gorgeously private acts of bedroom dancing.

she licks her lips. the tears slow.

to a trickle… this can't be over. why is it over… ?

she stands up. walks across the room. and opens the door to the ice.

[8] i greet him, and right away he wants my phone number. "i lost it… i lost everyone's number." (you mean, you don't know it by heart, silly?!) so i give it to him, on a ripped piece of neon-magenta paper, decorated with stars-like, and he looks at it with a sly smile, sticking it into his back pocket. (don't lose, it, now. i decorated it just for you, and EVERYTHING.)

i say goodbye to him, and it's a nice embrace when we hug. because i waited, i get to hug him on the stairs. so we ascend them to the outside world, in which i grab his hands (you don't have gloves!) and rub them a bit, as if that would really stimulate warmth. i just wanted to touch his hands. they're nice hands. (you have no exuse not to call me, now. so you better do it!) "oh, i will. i'll call you." we give each other a parting embrace, while he goes inside to get his gloves. what a doll.

sandy speaking, to me. "sophie, who hugged who?" (i don't know. we hugged each other.) "he likes you. he has that look in his eyes, when a boy likes a girl." (no… really? really. ooh.)

all i can say is… things are never over. especially when they've yet to begin.

[9] japanese characters infused with charm bite her in the back of the neck as she pulls up her stubborn white kneesocks. her visionary drugged up schoolgirl face is reflected into the monitor, hovering with a deadpan expression. gone in an instant, replaced with a grimace. 2:47 am, like that's working. her reality is twisted because of time's supposedly linear existance…

what she needs, is a schedule

[10] in a leopard coat, scuffy converse led the way to the cold. surrounded in magenta lights, strung up by one foot, blippity blippity… on i go. white car waits, hums just for me and we put on add n to (x) and listen to robot new york. the drive is nice. he is quiet. the car screams. what a nice thing a firebird is. milk the holiday cheer for all it's worth.

scramble.

a dark room, a dark chair. i'm reduced to remembering sobs from a year ago, crying when i never needed to. i was so lost. now i don't know what i want but i'm singular. i am not lost withen him.

being confused never got me so good.

[11] raw throat parades around the darkroom, trying in vain to print picture after picture of the pretty boy. she doesn't feel pretty herself - he's in lipstick, she's got messy hair. seventy-one degrees, icy water to dip her hands into. her eyelids flutter and her grip weakens. magenta plastics of filters and such spin down to the ground, ruined on contact with the grimey floor.

"you. you are not worth this." she rips up his sultry, upturned face and stalks out, water running, lights flashing. on the way out, she gave the radio a swift kick. jeff buckley needs to die, anyway.

[12] she spun, full of flounce the music liquid her arms rise and fall languidly like the changing tide

her dark hair casts shadow across her face her movements syncronize the music plummets as does she

a swirl, and a light shines releasing the dark visage she smiles, a black smile

she stops and the music doesn't knowingly she whispers, "shh."

what happened to the way i write? all of this was from a year ago…