#....this may or may not have happened to our party. we just lost the last OG character to a sea serpent drowning incident today. oops.

[checkeredflagggs]

Secret Sweethearts

Pairing: pierre gasly x leclerc!reader

summary: las vegas was a lot more exciting then people think

a/n: my first pierre piece! This was requested so I hope you guys like it!!

a/n2: I love Kika but she had to go 😭😭

a/n3: Vegas is the race that keeps on giving

Masterlist | Taglist

Bluesky

user1: no no no you’re on to something

user2: thank god someone else noticed this! I thought for sure after he and Kika split he’d have a couple more months of wild parties…

↳user3: same! Instead he had like a month of pr problems then it went all silent…

↳user2: I don’t know what I miss most — Kika’s Pierre or Party Pierre…

↳user3: hmmm I’m gonna go party pierre cause he lost his T-shirt consistently

↳user2: good point good point

user4: is this a safe place? Can I say something?

↳user5: nope!

↳user6: do it anyway!

↳user4: ummm fuck you both??

↳user6: what did I do!?

user7: user4 was your thought the fact that the after party of George’s race win and Max’s WDC win in Vegas was the last of Pierre’s wild days?

↳user4: it absolutely was

↳user8: ok grandmas. Let’s get you back to your beds

↳user9: no no no let them cook

user10: ok but let’s say user4 and user7 are right?? Bets on the reason why?

↳user11: I’m guessing that he got his socials taken away — can’t have too bad of an image…

↳user12: I mean it’s Vegas…I’m guessing he got married

↳user13: A VEGAS WEDDING?

↳user14: not who I thought would have a Vegas wedding…

↳user13: right?? I always had money on Lando or Charles…

↳user14: same!

↳user11: ok but we don’t know that’s the reason why he changed!

↳user13: let’s be real this makes more sense…

↳user12: it does! If he had his socials taken away for pr, we probably would have seen him on other drivers posts but it’s been a near complete blackout since Vegas!

Private Messages, the Gasly’s and their mothers

Private Messages, y/n and Pascale

y/n_leclerc

liked by charles_leclerc, arthur_leclerc, lorenzotl, and 193,102 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, arthur_leclerc, lorenzotl, pascale.leclerc

y/n_leclerc: Christmas time! Featuring the best ugly Christmas sweaters you’ve ever seen! Mine won — both the worst sweater and the itchiest!

view all comments

user15: ugly sweater or not, you’re still the prettiest!

user16: oh to be y/n leclerc…

maxverstappen1: so how many of those presents are yours?

↳y/n_leclerc: I don’t know what you mean…

↳charles_leclerc: I don’t like your tone…

↳arthur_leclerc: nearly all of them…

↳charles_leclerc: arthur!

↳y/n_leclerc: 🥺

↳arthur_leclerc: as it should be! liked by charles_leclerc, lorenzotl, pascale.leclerc, pierregasly

pierregasly: Joyeux Noel!

↳y/n_leclerc: Merci Pierre!

carlossainz55: Feliz Navidad!

↳y/n_leclerc: Merci!

oscarpiastri: Merry Christmas

↳y/n_leclerc: thank you nephew!

↳oscarpiastri: I am 3 years older than you…

↳y/n_leclerc: and yet…

Private Messages, Pascale and y/n

y/n_leclerc

liked by user, pierregasly, maxverstappen1, and 824,294 others

y/n_leclerc: just some quiet days spent with you, my love 🩷

view all comments

charles_leclerc: What is this?

charles_leclerc: Who is this?

charles_leclerc: What is happening?

charles_leclerc: Answer your phone y/n!

↳user17: oh you know it’s a serious thing when he comments multiple times AND uses correct punctuation and capitalization…

user18: is this y/n leclerc…soft launching…a boyfriend??

↳charles_leclerc: Non!

↳arthur_leclerc: she hasn’t introduced him to us yet so he doesn’t exist and isn’t dating our baby sister!

↳user18: that is absolutely not how it works btw

↳charles_leclerc: yes it is

↳charles_leclerc: Also y/n_leclerc answer your phone!

user19: ok I know what everyone is gonna think but if I may…

↳user20: no. I refuse to believe you again!

↳charles_leclerc: What?

↳user20: don’t listen to her she’s a conspiracy theorist

↳user19: who has frequently been right!

↳charles_leclerc: What do you know?

↳user19: know? Nothing actually liked by y/n_leclerc

arthur_leclerc: Belle petit sœur, qui est cet homme et pourquoi vous impose-t-il les mains? Beautiful little sister, who is that man and why is he laying hands on you?

↳y/n_leclerc: ☺️☺️

↳arthur_leclerc: THATS NOT GONNA WORK THIS TIME!! WHO IS HE??

↳y/n_leclerc: 🥺🥺 why are you yelling at me?

↳charles_leclerc: Arthur stop yelling at y/n! And y/n, ma belle petit sœur, please answer me — who is that man?

pierregasly: little Leclerc has a man now?

↳charles_leclerc: No!

↳y/n_leclerc: yes 🥰🥰

↳pierregasly: he treat you well?

↳charles_leclerc: He doesn’t exist!

↳y/n_leclerc: Pierre, he does…

↳charles_leclerc: …Not! Exist!

user21: I did not have baby Leclerc giving her brothers heart attacks on my bingo card for this year?

↳user22: right? I thought it was going to be the car…

↳user21: oh big same

oscarpiastri: congratulations y/n!

↳charles_leclerc: NON!

↳y/n_leclerc: thanks nephew

↳charles_leclerc: Answer you’re phone please y/n!

user23: ok but does the pink heart mean anything?

↳user24: it absolutely has too… she’s a Ferrari girl to her core, it’s been red her entire life. To switch now?

Bluesky

user25: I’d say you’re crazy and to tell me more!

↳user26: well we know that the Las Vegas GP after party was Pierre’s last public party

↳user27: he has been suspiciously quiet lately

↳user26: right?

user28: wait was y/n in Vegas? I didn’t think she traveled too much for the races?

↳user29: she was! Charles mentioned it during one of the interviews — she just turned 21 and wanted to celebrate in Vegas

↳user30: ok that’s so girlboss slay of her?

↳user29: I guess?? I’m too old to know what those words mean

user31: so we know that Pierre and y/n were in the same city (known for its drunk marriages), Pierre dnfed pretty early on in the race…

↳user32: what are we thinking? That she slipped away from Ferrari to alpine?

↳user31: I mean I would? Better to hang out with someone I know to finish watching the race…

user33: I think it was Alex or Lando? Who posted that there was going to be a big after party — to celebrate both George’s race win and Max’s WDC win

↳user34: it was Alex! And he was also the one that had photos of Pierre cuddling up with some girl

↳user35: Charles posted a picture of the view from his hotel room very early in the night — everyone kinda took it to mean he left the party early cause he was mad at the race

user36: so we have them in the same location, more than likely at the same party, almost certainly with Charles leaving early…

↳user37: in a city known for drunken decisions?

secretly/n: wow you guys are through

user38: ok but what’s the evidence after Vegas? Like divorce exists…

↳user39: vibes mostly…

↳user40: and the pink heart!

↳user38: vibes and a pink heart??

↳user39: the pink heart! She’s always used a red heart (Ferrari forever!!) but when she finally soft launches a man it’s with a pink heart?? Pink like alpine??

f1gossip

liked by user, user, secretly/n and 824,193 others

tagged: y/n_leclerc, pierregasly

f1gossip: with the increased interest in Pierre’s newly quiet public life and the subject of y/n’s soft launch, here comes another twist! Recent pictures from Pierre’s social show the newest Gasly, Simba — while y/n’s latest story has an identical pup getting cozy with her! Could this be the confirmation we’ve all been waiting for?

view all comments

user41: awwwweeee 🥹🥹🥹 shared custody

↳user42: ok but Pierre got simba right after Vegas right?

↳user41: …oh my god you’re right!! They got a dog together!!!

↳user42: they got a dog together 🤗🤗

user43: I’m going to laugh when it’s revealed that they aren’t together…

↳user44: I’m gonna laugh when you release you’re wrong!

user49: ok but simba and the helmets is so adorable ☺️

↳user50: yes!

user51: I don’t know who I’m more jealous of…Pierre, y/n, or simba…

↳user52: it’s a big choice…

secretly/n: damn you guys are fast to put the pieces together…

pierregasly has posted a story, y/n_leclerc has posted a story

[dinner date][my valentine 🩷]

user54 replied proof of relationship!

user55 replied exactly what we’ve been waiting for!

user56 replied are you with y/n right now??

y/n_leclerc replied looking good…and the pizza looks delicious too

↳pierregasly 😆

↳pierregasly right back at you, jolie fille

↳y/n_leclerc 😘💋🩷🩷

charles_leclerc replied ohh? A new love?

↳pierregasly something like that yes…

↳charles_leclerc and you haven’t said a word *smh*

↳pierregasly not yet

user57 replied IS THAT PIERRE

user58 replied omg its happening!!

user59 replied YOURE MATCHING WITH PIERRE YES!!

charles_leclerc replied what’s happening right now? Are you at Pierre’s??

↳y/n_leclerc oh my god leave me alone!

↳y/n_leclerc I’m with my MAN

↳charles_leclerc who doesn’t exist!!

↳y/n_leclerc that’s what you think!

Private Messages, Charles and y/n

Private Messages, Pierre and y/n

y/n_leclerc

liked by charles_leclerc, oscarpiastri, pierregasly, and 2,183,193 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, lewishamilton, pierregasly, jackdoohan, maxverstappen1, alex_albon, liamlawson30, yukitsunoda0511, isackhadjar

y/n_leclerc: got to go to this cool event, met some weird people, and crashed a redbull family reunion

view all comments

user60: oh god that is pretty much the redbull family isn’t it??

↳user61: so much trauma all in one photo…

pierregasly: weird people??

↳y/n_leclerc: yes! where did all your hair go???

↳user62: she’s speaking for all of us!

oscarpiastri: I see how it is…you spend a couple of hours with your aunt and she doesn’t even acknowledge you…

↳y/n_leclerc: I’m so sorry dearest nephew. How ever could you forgive me?

↳oscarpiastri: I could do with some dog cuddles?

↳y/n_leclerc: sure!

↳charles_leclerc: stop giving away leo!

↳y/n_leclerc: leo?

↳y/n_leclerc: no! I’ll not be doing that

↳user62: she forgot about her nephew Leo and was offering time with simba… liked by secretly/n

alex_albon: A redbull family photo and yet Charles is right in the middle…

↳y/n_leclerc: come on we all know he and max are attached at the hip

↳alex_albon: true true

↳maxverstappen1: what are you talking about?

↳y/n_leclerc: don’t worry about it Yapstappen liked by alex_albon, charles_leclerc

user63: ok girl we see you posting the brother and the boyfriend

↳charles_leclerc: Wait what?? What are you talking about? Who???

↳y/n_leclerc: apparently no one because “he doesn’t exist”

↳charles_leclerc: good you’re learning

↳y/n_leclerc: how do I dislike a post

user64: ok but did anyone else catch the looks those 2 were sharing??

↳user65: no! They were legit gazing into each others eyes the entire night

↳user66: are we talking y/n and her man or Charles and his?

↳user65: yes

y/n_leclerc

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris, maxverstappen1, and 829,103 others

tagged: pierregasly

y/n_leclerc: posting my man while Charles is still busy

view all comments

user67: A HARD LAUNCH?? IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DAY??

user68: good lord what is happening right??

pierregasly: Je t'aime aussi, belle fille. I love you too, beautiful girl

↳y/n_leclerc: Vous êtes de loin la meilleure décision que j'aie jamais prise. You are by far the best decision I ever made

maxverstappen1: he’s gonna go ballistic

↳y/n_leclerc: haha yeah

↳maxverstappen1: you’re a chaotic little thing aren’t you…

↳y/n_leclerc: 🤣🤣

oscarpiastri: Hello. What is this?

↳y/n_leclerc: I believe the youths call it a hard launch?

↳user69: girl you are one of the youths

charles_leclerc: WHAT KS THIS?!?

charles_leclerc: ABSOLUTELY NOT

f1gossip

liked by user1, user2 and 790,469 others

tagged: charles_leclerc, pierregasly

f1gossip: Charles before he saw his sisters post and Charles after her saw his sister post during pre-season testing here in Bahrain

view all comments

user70: you could see the rage grow on his face…

↳user71: oh man could you…I could feel it from here and I’m not even in the same hemisphere

user72: he went through all 5 stages of grief, invented a few new ones, then settled on pure rage

user73: I’m so glad Pierre wasn’t on the track at the same time as Charles…

↳user74: right?

↳user75: I’m sure Pierre is feeling the same

Private Messages, the Leclerc Siblings

Private Messages, Pierre and Charles

f1gossip

liked by user, user, user, and 2,824,348 others

tagged: pierregasly, y/n_gasly

f1gossip: things got heated today during the Australian press conference where Pierre defended his WIFE??

view all comments

user76: I’m so…WHAT

↳user77: speaking for all of us right now…

user78: that interviewer was out of line

↳user79: he’s so lucky that Charles wasn’t there…

↳user80: ok but did you see Max and Oscar? Cause they looked like they wanted to hunt him for sport too

user81: that type of language has no use in today’s questions

↳user82: I’m with the drivers — how fucking dare that sexist piece of shit ask Pierre those questions???

↳user83: if anyone of them had kept at the man I wouldn’t have said anything

↳user84: he had it coming

user85: ok but are we all skipping over the fact THAT PIERRE AND Y/N GOT MARRIED???

↳y/n_gasly: that’s old news I’m afraid

↳user86: Wait? What? Why? When?

↳y/n_gasly: Marriage. Because I love him. Las Vegas!

↳user86: you changed your handle!

user87: this gonna go down in the history books — where were you when you found out that y/n is now a gasly…

↳charles_leclerc: SHES A WHAT NOW??

↳user87: you didn’t know yet?

↳charles_leclerc: KNOW WHAT??

↳user87: man I hate to burst your bubble…

↳charles_leclerc: 😤🤬

Private Messages, the Leclercs and the Gaslys

f1 posted a story, y/n_gasly posted a story

[All’s well now!][My husband and I 🩷]

user88 replied awww the in-laws getting along…

user89 replied my pookies

y/n_gasly replied I better not have to fight my brother for my husband now…

↳f1 we can make no promises…

user90 replied we love to see this!

charles_leclerc replied only temporarily…

pierregasly replied I love you, Lumière de ma vie

↳y/n_gasly I love you too, mon œuf

↳pierregasly 🙄🙄

charles_leclerc replied ABSOLUTELY NOT

arthur_leclerc replied TELL HIM TO GET HIS HANDS OFF YOU

lorenzotl replied how much are they yelling at you?

↳y/n_gasly ehhh I’m mostly ignoring my phone right now 😂😂

↳y/n_gasly they’ll get over it…eventually

Taglist

@anamiad00msday @suns3treading @daniskywalkersolo @awritingtree @justheretoreadthxxs @coral7161 @lost4lyrics @mastermindbaby @freyathehuntress @angelluv16 @nichmeddar @mxm47max @justaf1girl @a-beaverhausen @tallrock35 @elizamoe133 @imlonelydontsendhelp @jessica3478 @il0vereadingstuff @taylorrrrrrrrrrswiftttt @widow-cevans @1-of-my-many-obsessions @charlesgirl16 @elliegray2803 @anunstablefangirl

[imagine-horizons]

pairing: zoro x f!reader warning: none - but when zoro sees you all dressed up to go undercover, his hardened heart softens, and he realizes he would do anything to protect you

--------------

"Absolutely no way! You and Zoro are going to stay on the Sunny," Nami said firmly, to the pouting Straw Hats Captain.

"And why can't we go?!" Luffy whined. "There's an all you can eat buffet, and I'm hungry!"

"There's gonna be booze, isn't there?" Zoro huffed. He usually didn't care either way, but he for sure wasn't going to back down the chance for free alcohol. Their navigator stood in front of the highest pirate bounties with her hands on her hips, ready to hit them on the head for their gluttony.

"No! This mission is really important - we need information and both of you are going to blow our cover! You," Nami pointed at Zoro, "are going to get lost before you find the booze and you," she pointed at Luffy, "are just loud everywhere you go! This is a super fancy party, with some very high ranking individuals - hopefully we find out what we need, and maybe swipe some goodies on the side."

You happened to come out of the girls' sleeping quarters, hearing the commotion from the crew. Zoro's one eye flickered towards you, and you smiled at him in greeting. But his annoyance was evident as he barely gave you a nod at your appearance.

"What's going on?" You asked in confusion. "What's happening?"

"Ah y/n!" Brook greeted. "May I see your panties?"

BONK.

There was a sharp hit from Sanji who smacked Brook in the back of his skull, yelling at him to stop being so indecent towards you.

"Ah! There you are!" Nami grinned, as she hooked her arm into yours. "We're going to a party! You, me, Usopp and Robin. We've got some work to do, so we're going to have to dress the part. Let's go to my closet!"

-----------------

An hour before the party, Nami descended from the upper deck wearing a very extravagant dress sending Sanji shooting into the air from the pressure of his bloody nose. Robin and Usopp also looked very much the part, but all of this was barely noticed by Luffy and Zoro who were still grumbling about not being able to go for the free meal. The swordsman was brooding against the side of the Sunny, his arm crossed over his broad chest, still annoyed that he was missing out on some quality alcohol.

"Nami where's y/n?" Chopper asked.

"I'm right here, Chopper."

Zoro looked up, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat, as his steel gaze softened at the sight of you descending down the stairs. You were wearing a beautiful flowy evening gown, that highlighted your collar bones with the off shoulder features. Nami had leant you a necklace that she had swiped from their last adventure, and you had hair down in soft curls.

"Oh my," Brook said in admiration, as Chopper had to try and revive an unconscious Sanji. Your hand lightly touched the side rail as you came down to balance yourself.

"Supppper nice," Franky called out. "Y'all are looking super fancy."

"Y/N, you look like a princess!" Chopper gushed, as he tried to fan Sanji awake.

"It doesn't feel like me," you confessed. As you came down halfway, Zoro wasn't aware that his body moved on his own. He had left his spot and met you at the step below the one you were on. He held out his one hand , as the other one sat loosely on the hilt of Enma. You were shocked at his sudden display of protection in a non-battle situation - it was usually Brook or Sanji that would coddle over you. His grey eye was fixed on you, but nothing else from his expression indicated anything else.

"Watch your step," he said gruffly. You flashed him a grateful smile as your fingers gripped his hand, helping you down the rest of the way.

He didn't realize how small your hand was compared to his.

How soft your skin was against his own which was calloused and rough from training and battle.

How tall he was when he towered over you even being a step below you.

How good you smelled as the wind gently caressed your soft locks , catching the fragrance of your shampoo.

"Um Zoro?" Your voice broke his thoughts and he stared down at you.

"Yeah?"

"Um I think I'll be okay, you can let go."

He didn't realize he was still holding your hand, and he slowly dropped your hand, his fingers suddenly cold from the absence of your touch. As Nami was explaining the plan for the evening, and how she would kill Luffy and Zoro if they wandered off, Zoro realized he was not going to heed the navigator's strict instructions.

You were by no means weak, as he caught a flash of your dagger hidden under your dress when you showed Robin and Franky what you were carrying.

You had earned your place with the Straw Hats, and had gotten stronger , especially during their years apart.

But in that moment he realized, that he would do anything to protect you. Whether it was an attack from enemy pirates, marine, warlords - or if someone were to look at you the wrong way, their heads would be gone before they could say "One Piece."

"Zoro?" Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts once more. You were gazing up at him curiously.

"Huh?"

"We're leaving, I'll make sure to bring booze back for you," you teased. A smirk came across his lips and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Yeah, sure. Just be careful," he reminded you, and you nodded.

"Okay - wait for me then. Or Nami will kill you," you said before walking away, unaware of the swordsman's steel gaze on you and the words that came out in response to your warning.

"Tch - worth it. If it means keeping you safe."

End.

[liberalsarecool]

From Professor Christopher Robichaud, Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy, Harvard:

“I'll say this, and then I likely won't be saying much more on here for quite some time, to the relief of some, I'm sure. But my farewell warning is this.

Everyone in the days and weeks ahead will use this loss as an opportunity to seek validation for their own hobby horse complaint. Harris lost because she campaigned with Liz Cheney. Harris lost because she didn't embrace Gaza. Harris lost because she didn't choose Shapiro. Harris lost because she wasn't progressive enough (possibly my favorite one).

Take a good, hard look at the map, my friends. Trump has won the popular vote. Trump ran the table. Explaining that with your hobby horse issue isn't going to cut it, tempting and consoling as it may be. The problem isn't the electoral college. The problem isn't that we didn't have a full primary. The problem isn't Harris. The problem isn't that Dems didn't have the right message. The problem isn't even inflation or the border.

The problem is so much worse than any of those things. Those are all technical problems, with straightforward expertise fixes. If only it were so! No, our problem is not technical. It's very much adaptive. A party that embraced the Big Lie, supported an insurrection, and has been selling conspiracy-addled madness for years, [which] was widely and enthusiastically embraced. Voter turnout was profound! People didn't sit this out.

Simply put, the problem--as some of you have rightly posted--is cultural. America, culturally, has completely abandoned a politics of decency and respect and has embraced instead a politics of resentment, revenge, false nostalgia, and bullying. And if you look at the demographics, you also won't be able to comfort yourself that it's just a white thing, or a working class thing, or an education thing. It's multi-class, multi-gender, multi-educational, and multi-racial. That's what winning the popular vote means. That's what running the table amounts to.

A culture that has descended to this level of debasement is not easily fixed. In fact it may not ever be fixed. The timeline for changing something like this is decades--at best--not two-to-four year election cycles. You can extend that in this case, because with the GOP likely controlling all branches of federal government and the courts, they will ensure that mechanisms are in place to keep them in power long after their popularity has waned. You can count on that.

The GOP evolved into a party of rage, lies, and revenge--and it correctly diagnosed that there was and is a large appetite for that. That's what the country wants. At least enough of the country wants it to ensure broad appeal and widespread electoral success. The old GOP will never return, and the Dems have nothing to say to American culture at the moment. Nothing. They've been speaking to a country that's gone, like dust in the wind.

And that's my final thought, which my posts last night alluded to. The America I knew and loved is gone. This new America--nah, I won't even bother. I will say that cultural change is less likely to occur in politics or in the academy. You're not going to get people to see how vulgar they've become through a clever argument or a nice campaign speech, that's for sure.

This would be time for the arts, broadly understood, to step in. The arts can change hearts and minds. Too bad the arts have been systematically dismantled in education in this country, and on the other end, the tech industry's assault on the arts through AI is sure to hollow out any good-faith efforts that might emerge.

And for the rest of the world, America's rightward lurch is, I'm afraid, bad news for you too. I know you know this. Because it's not isolated, is it? It's just at the moment the most prominent example of a burgeoning trend. And this will embolden others in other countries, to be sure. We need not speculate what happens when countries become mired in lies, embrace resentment, and savor bullying. We know exactly what happens. Bloody conflict and global destabilization.

The first quarter of the 21st century will, therefore, in hindsight, be viewed as the seed-planting stage for the absolute shit show that's about to unfold globally over the next two and a half decades. Count on it.

Adopt whatever coping and endurance strategies you have available. You're going to need it.

I think that's all I've left to say.”

The least evolved. The most paternalistic.

The bully. The liar. The most resentful.

This is the reality we are in. FOX and Republicans have been repeating the script for decades.

The Dark Ages are conservative aspirations.

The abdication of values/principles is complete.

'Good faith' no longer exists on the Right. The more reprehensible the action/person, the bigger the addiction. Trump proves this.

Anti-paternalism, anti-fascism and anti-bullying are my paths forward. Join me.

[deconstructthesoup]

All right, quick rundown of our new PCs:

-While Maxwell seems to be continuing Murph's D20 trend of playing doofuses (only broken by Riz in JY because, well, he was reprising his very first D20 character), it looks like he might actually be our first balance between Murph's two different types of PCs---he's a reasonable, level-headed, intelligent guy who also happens to be a bit of a clueless rich boy. Also, to my knowledge, Maxwell may be our first instance of D20 having a PC whose class itself is homebrew---not just a homebrew subclass, like Pinnochio being a Destiny warlock or Gorgug being a Barbificer... barbarian/artificer, but full-on playing a homebrew class. To that, I say hell fucking yeah.

-Olethra is, of course, continuing Ally's trend of playing the most blatantly queer character at the table, and this time, their PC is a starry-eyed transfemme with a deep sense of wanderlust. I was, sadly, wrong about her being an Armorer artificer---at least, for now, and if I had to guess, I'd say that the mech suit is so she's not at a disadvantage as the only level two character in a party of level sixes---but honestly, I'm really curious to see how Olethra's gonna level up. I don't think we've ever gotten a straight martial character from Ally before, and if Olethra doesn't take some artificer levels (or becomes an Arcane Trickster), she might be their first. (Liam doesn't count, rangers are half-casters.)

-Daisuke appears to already be beating out Lapin and Ricky for the title of "hottest Zac character," and after that incredible introduction... oh, boy, do I fucking agree. It's so fun to see Zac play a genuinely smart and crafty character, which is honestly more common than most people think---Gorgug eventually found his smarts and confidence, Lapin was... Lapin, Skip was very intelligent and just needed time to get used to being in a human body, and Pib was obviously a little scheming stinker. Seriously, though, Daisuke is a delight, I love that he's a Gunslinger, and I think we all need to appreciate the poetry of the comedy sniper actually playing a sniper. Who is also an old divorced outlaw who kills people who try to mess with his ex-step-granddaughter.

-Marya Junkova, the woman of my dreams. Once again, Emily has created a character who I will become unreasonably obsessed with, and I am not just saying that because she's spooky (my favorite D&D character asethetic) and an artificer (my favorite D&D class). I love her accent, I love her look, I love the idea of her being a happy-go-lucky adventurer who has been turned sad and cynical by trauma, and I am so fucking excited to see the lore behind the crow-thing she's gonna kill. Also, I'm all in favor of the headcanon of her being undead... mainly because my current character is also a steampunk-heavy, spooky, undead artificer with a gun and weird pets. They have a mechanical heart.

-If it weren't for Iga Lisowski, Van would be a completely different direction for Siobhan, but I am so stoked to see her play an IDGAF old woman with a sweet, supportive husband again. She's a badass, she's a bicon, and I really wanna know how she lost that arm. Not much to say about Van as of right now, I'm excited to learn more, and I can't wait for Siobhan to repeatedly wreck everyone's ears with that whistle.

-And last but not least, we have a beautiful return to the Kingston Brown vibes with Monty, who doesn't really appear to have that "chaotic entitled" energy that Lou found so appealing after playing Squak, though of course there's something to be said about him playing a famous author again. I love seeing Monty be all warm and paternal and supportive, I love how he really encapsulates the energy of your archetypical nature caster, and I love how there's a little bit of chaos wound into this big, comforting soul. Though... that being said, I do hope he's got a decent subclass under his belt. If you're not playing a Gloomstalker or doing an insane multiclass build like Siobhan did with Rosamund, rangers can be tricky.

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine Katakuri getting a crush on you and Big mom arranging a marriage between you two

Big Mom: -takuri... Katakuri!

Katakuri: *snaps out of his day dream* Oh yes, Mama

Big Mom: where were you, you've been distracted during meetings for days.

Katakuri: It's nothing, sorry mama, it won't happen again. I have some paper work to attend to, may I please be excused?

Big Mom: yes.

Daifuku: *soon as Katakuri leaves* I believe he's fallen in love, Mama.

Big Mom: Ehh, with whom?

Perospero: With (y/n), they attended your last tea party with their father, who owns the largest vanilla orchard in the world.

Big Mom: really? Are they single?

Daifuku: I ... I'm not sure, Mama.

Big Mom: I'll look into it then, in the meantime look after your brother, make sure he keeps up with his work.

Perospero and Daifuku: Yes Mama.

Daifuku: *once Big Mom is out of ear shot* Did we just sign Katakuri up to get married.

Persopero: Probably, you know how mama is about securing ingredients for sweets. And unfortunately for our dear brother, vanilla is found in most sweets, from angel food cake to zingers.

Daifuku: but what if (y/n)'s father doesn't agree to join and marry of his only child?

Persopero: If that happens Mama will do a hostile take over, and either marry or give (y/) to Katakuri.

Later at Big Mom's residence

Katakuri: *arrives for a meeting only to find you in the conference room* Oh, what are you doing here?

You: My father has agreed to join your pirate group, and to marry me off into your family.

Katakuri: * sits next to you* ... Do you know who you'll be marrying?

You: not yet, but that's what this meeting is about.

Katakuri: *knows his mother only invites the child she wants to marry off to these meetings but doesn't want to scare you* no mater who you marry, I'll make sure you're taken care of and have everything your heart desires.

You: *gives him a weak smile* Thank you, Kata, you wouldn't believe relieved I am to hear that.

Katakuri: *extends his hand for you to hold* Mama, should be here soon.

You: *takes his hand and squeezes it with trembling hands*

Katakuri: You're shaking.

You: I've... just never not been under my father's protection, and I'm scared.... but I do feel better with you here with me.

Katakuri: *rubs the back of your hand with his thumb* Really? Even though we've only met a handful of times in the part?

Big Mom: *kicks open the door* (y/n)! I'm so glad you could come... Oh, I see you've already met your betrothed.

Katakuri: Me!?

Big Mom: *glared* You like them, don't you?

Katakuri: *blushes* mama! Please let's not embarrass me in front of our guest.

Big Mom: mmmr, very well, since you two are already getting acquainted I'll leave you to it. ... Oh, by the way the wedding is in five days. *Leaves*

Katakuri: Five days until we're married... *flops back into his chair and is lost in thought, coming to grips with the fact that he is to be married.*

You: ... I'm sorry about this I don't know what my father was thinking offering me up like this.

Katakuri: He didn't offer you up, Mama offered me up first. Mainly to gain your father's orchard, but that is beside the point. If there is anything I can do, please let me know. You probably won't be moved into my house until after the wedding, but I can have my sisters look after you.

You: You mean you won't be staying with me?

Katakuri: *takes your hands into his and presses them to his lips through his scarf* No, but only because I need to work double time, so you can have me all to yourself during our honeymoon.

You: ⁄⁠(⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠☉⁄⁠-⁠⁄⁠☉⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠)⁠⁄

Katakuri: *realizes how that sounded* Not that we have to do anything during our honeymoon that you don't want.... I'm going to go start on my work, I'll have Brûlée come and get you settled into your rooms, in the meantime please wait here.

You: Okay, and for the record, I look forward to... to having you all to myself during our honeymoon, if you catch my drift.

Katakuri: ⁠ ⁄⁠(⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠•⁄⁠ロ⁠⁄⁠•⁄⁠ ⁠'⁄⁠)⁠⁄

List of Up-and-coming works

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[vulnerary-prince]

From Harvard ethics professor Christopher Robichaud:

“Everyone in the days and weeks ahead will use this loss as an opportunity to seek validation for their own hobby horse complaint. Harris lost because she campaigned with Liz Cheney. Harris lost because she didn't embrace Gaza. Harris lost because she didn't choose Shapiro. Harris lost because she wasn't progressive enough (possibly my favorite one).

Take a good hard look at the map, my friends. Trump has won the popular vote. Trump ran the table. Explaining that with your hobby horse issue isn't going to cut it, tempting and consoling as it may be.

The problem isn't the electoral college. The problem isn't that we didn't have a full primary. The problem isn't Harris. The problem isn't that Dems didn't have the right message. The problem isn't even inflation or the border.

The problem is so much worse than any of those things. Those are all technical problems, with straightforward expertise fixes. If only it were so! No, our problem is not technical. It's very much adaptive. A party that embraced the Big Lie, supported an insurrection, and has been selling conspiracy-addled madness for years was widely and enthusiastically embraced. Voter turnout was profound! People didn't sit this out.

Simply put, the problem--as some of you have rightly posted--is cultural.

America, culturally, has completely abandoned a politics of decency and respect and has embraced instead a politics of resentment, revenge, false nostalgia, and bullying. And if you look at the demographics, you also won't be able to comfort yourself that it's just a white thing, or a working class thing, or an education thing. It's multi-class, multi-gender, multi-educational and multi-racial. That's what winning the popular vote means. That's what running the table amounts to.

A culture that has descended to this level of debasement is not easily fixed. In fact it may not ever be fixed. The timeline for changing something like this is decades--at best--not two-to-four year election cycles. You can extend that in this case, because with the GOP likely controlling all branches of federal government and the courts, they will ensure that mechanisms are in place to keep them in power long after their popularity has waned. You can count on that.

The GOP evolved into a party of rage, lies, and revenge--and it correctly diagnosed that there was and is a large appetite for that. That's what the country wants. At least, enough of the country wants it to ensure broad appeal and widespread electoral success. The old GOP will never return, and the Dems have nothing to say to American culture at the moment. Nothing. They've been speaking to a country that's gone, like dust in the wind.

And that's my final thought, which my posts last night alluded to. The America I knew and loved is gone. This new America--nah, I won't even bother. I will say that cultural change is less likely to occur in politics, or in the academy. You're not going to get people to see how vulgar they've become through a clever argument or a nice campaign speech, that's for sure.

This would be time for the arts, broadly understood, to step in. The arts can change hearts and minds. Too bad the arts have been systematically dismantled in education in this country, and on the other end, the tech industry's assault on the arts through AI is sure to hollow out any good-faith efforts that might emerge.

And for the rest of the world, America's rightward lurch is, I'm afraid, bad news for you too. I know you know this. Because it's not isolated, is it? It's just at the moment the most prominent example of a burgeoning trend. And this will embolden others in other countries, to be sure. We need not speculate what happens when countries become mired in lies, embrace resentment, and savor bullying. We know exactly what happens. Bloody conflict and global destabilization.

The first quarter of the 21st century will therefore in hindsight be viewed as the seed-planting stage for the absolute shit show that's about to unfold globally over the next two and a half decades. Count on it.

Adopt whatever coping and endurance strategies you have available. You're going to need it.

I think that's all I've left to say.”   

[mariacallous]

This is a gift article

“In normal times, Americans don’t think much about democracy. Our Constitution, with its guarantees of free press, speech, and assembly, was written more than two centuries ago. Our electoral system has never failed, not during two world wars, not even during the Civil War. Citizenship requires very little of us, only that we show up to vote occasionally. Many of us are so complacent that we don’t bother. We treat democracy like clean water, something that just comes out of the tap, something we exert no effort to procure.

“But these are not normal times.”

I wrote those words in October 2020, at a time when some people feared voting, because they feared contagion. The feeling that “these are not normal times” also came from rumors about what Donald Trump’s campaign might do if he lost that year’s presidential election. Already, stories that Trump would challenge the validity of the results were in circulation. And so it came to pass.

This time, we are living in a much different world. The predictions of what might happen on November 5 and in the days that follow are not based on rumors. On the contrary, we can be absolutely certain that an attempt will be made to steal the 2024 election if Kamala Harris wins. Trump himself has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election. He has waffled on and evaded questions about whether he will accept the outcome in 2024. He has hired lawyers to prepare to challenge the results.

Trump also has a lot more help this time around from his own party. Strange things are happening in state legislatures: a West Virginia proposal to “not recognize an illegitimate presidential election” (which could be read as meaning not recognize the results if a Democrat wins); a last-minute push, ultimately unsuccessful, to change the way Nebraska allocates its electoral votes. Equally weird things are happening in state election boards. Georgia’s has passed a rule requiring that all ballots be hand-counted, as well as machine-counted, which, if not overturned, will introduce errors—machines are more accurate—and make the process take much longer. A number of county election boards have in recent elections tried refusing to certify votes, not least because many are now populated with actual election deniers, who believe that frustrating the will of the people is their proper role. Multiple people and groups are also seeking mass purges of the electoral rolls.

Anyone who is closely following these shenanigans—or the proliferation of MAGA lawsuits deliberately designed to make people question the legitimacy of the vote even before it is held—already knows that the challenges will multiply if the presidential vote is as close as polls suggest it could be. The counting process will be drawn out, and we may not know the winner for many days. If the results come down to one or two states, they could experience protests or even riots, threats to election officials, and other attempts to change the results.

This prospect can feel overwhelming: Many people are not just upset about the possibility of a lost or stolen election, but oppressed by a sensation of helplessness. This feeling—I can’t do anything; my actions don’t matter—is precisely the feeling that autocratic movements seek to instill in citizens, as Peter Pomerantsev and I explain in our recent podcast, Autocracy in America. But you can always do something. If you need advice about what that might be, here is an updated citizen’s guide to defending democracy.

Help Out on Voting Day—In Person

First and foremost: Register to vote, and make sure everyone you know has done so too, especially students who have recently changed residence. The website Vote.gov has a list of the rules in all 50 states, in multiple languages, if you or anyone you know has doubts. Deadlines have passed in some states, but not all of them.

After that, vote—in person if you can. Because the MAGA lawyers are preparing to question mail-in and absentee ballots in particular, go to a polling station if at all possible. Vote early if you can, too: Here is a list of early-voting rules for each state.

Secondly, be prepared for intimidation or complications. As my colleague Stephanie McCrummen has written, radicalized evangelical groups are organizing around the election. One group is planning a series of “Kingdom to the Capitol” rallies in swing-state capitals, as well as in Washington, D.C.; participants may well show up near voting booths on Election Day. If you or anyone you know has trouble voting, for any reason, call 866-OUR-VOTE, a hotline set up by Election Protection, a nonpartisan national coalition led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

If you have time to do more, then join the effort. The coalition is looking for lawyers, law students, and paralegals to help out if multiple, simultaneous challenges to the election occur at the county level. Even people without legal training are needed to serve as poll monitors, and of course to staff the hotline. In the group’s words, it needs people to help voters with “confusing voting rules, outdated infrastructure, rampant misinformation, and needless obstacles to the ballot box.”

If you live in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin, you can also volunteer to help All Voting Is Local, an organization that has been on the ground in those states since before 2020 and knows the rules, the officials, the potential threats. It, too, is recruiting legal professionals, as well as poll monitors. If you don’t live in one of those states, you can still make a financial contribution.

Wherever you live, consider working at a polling station. All Voting Is Local can advise you if you live in one of its eight states, but you can also call your local board of elections. More information is available at PowerThePolls.org, which will send you to the right place. The site explains that “our democracy depends on ordinary people who make sure every election runs smoothly and everyone's vote is counted—people like you.”

Wherever you live, it’s also possible to work for one of the many get-out-the-vote campaigns. Consider driving people to the voting booth. Find your local group by calling the offices of local politicians, members of Congress, state legislators, and city councillors. The League of Women Voters and the NAACP are just two of many organizations that will be active in the days before the election, and on the day itself. Call them to ask which local groups they recommend. Or, if you are specifically interested in transporting Democrats, you can volunteer for Rideshare2Vote.

If you know someone who needs a ride, then let them know that the ride-hailing company Lyft is once again working with a number of organizations, including the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the National Council on Aging, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, and the Hispanic Federation. Contact any of them for advice about your location. Also try local religious congregations, many of whom organize rides to the polls.

Smaller gestures are needed too. If you see a long voting line, or if you find yourself standing in one, report it to Pizza to the Polls and the group will send over some free pizza to cheer everyone up.

Join Something Now

Many people have long been preparing for a challenge to the election and a battle in both the courts and the media. You can help them by subscribing to the newsletters of some of the organizations sponsoring this work, donating money, and sharing their information with others. Don’t wait until the day after the vote to find groups you trust: If a crisis happens, you will not want to be scouring the internet for information.

Among the organizations to watch is the nonpartisan Protect Democracy, which has already launched successful lawsuits to secure voting rights in several states. Another is the States United Democracy Center, which collaborates with police as well as election workers to make sure that elections are safe. Three out of four election officials say that threats to them have increased; in some states, the danger will be just as bad the day after the election as it was the day before, or maybe even worse.

The Brennan Center for Justice, based at NYU, researches and promotes concrete policy proposals to improve democracy, and puts on public events to discuss them. Its lawyers and experts are preparing not only for attempts to steal the election, but also, in the case of a Trump victory, for subsequent assaults on the Constitution or the rule of law.

For voters who lean Democratic, Democracy Docket also offers a wealth of advice, suggestions, and information. The group’s lawyers have been defending elections for many years. For Republicans, Republicans for the Rule of Law is a much smaller group, but one that can help keep people informed.

Talk With People

In case of a real disaster—an inconclusive election or an outbreak of violence—you will need to find a way to talk about it, including a way to speak with friends or relatives who are angry and have different views. In 2020, I published some suggestions from More in Common, a research group that specializes in the analysis of political polarization, for how to talk with people who disagree with you about politics, as well as those who are cynical and apathetic. I am repeating here the group’s three dos and three don’ts:

•Do talk about local issues: Americans are bitterly polarized over national issues, but have much higher levels of trust in their state and local officials. •Do talk about what your state and local leaders are doing to ensure a safe election. •Do emphasize our shared values—the large majority of Americans still feel that democracy is preferable to all other forms of government—and our historical ability to deliver safe and fair elections, even in times of warfare and social strife. •Don’t, by contrast, dismiss people’s concerns about election irregularities out of hand. Trump and his allies have repeatedly raised the specter of widespread voter fraud in favor of Democrats. Despite a lack of evidence for this notion, many people may sincerely believe that this kind of electoral cheating is real. •Don’t rely on statistics to make your case, because people aren’t convinced by them; talk, instead, about what actions are being taken to protect the integrity of the vote. •Finally, don’t inadvertently undermine democracy further: Emphasize the strength of the American people, our ability to stand up to those who assault democracy. Offer people a course of action, not despair.

As a Last Resort, Protest

As in 2020, protest remains a final option. A lot of institutions, including some of those listed above, are preparing to step in if the political system fails. But if they all fail as well, remember that it’s better to protest in a group, and in a coordinated, nonviolent manner. Many of the organizations I have listed will be issuing regular statements right after the election; follow their advice to find out what they are doing. Remember that the point of a protest is to gain supporters—to win others over to your cause—and not to make a bad situation worse. Large, peaceful gatherings will move and convince people more than small, angry ones. Violence makes you enemies, not friends.

Finally, don’t give up: There is always another day. Many of your fellow citizens also want to protect not just the electoral system but the Constitution itself. Start looking for them now, volunteer to help them, and make sure that they, and we, remain a democracy where power changes hands peacefully.

[dumpywrites]

Random BTS story prompts (Request open!)

a/n: seeing the positive feedbacks from my prev writings, I decided to write more and I want your involvement! <3

Request away with a number and a member name!

Strikethrough/crossed = prompt is taken

One number per request

Done requests will be linked here!

Requests may take a while as I do write according to what catches my creative flow first. I don’t want to force write any story :)

Bold number with link means it's done!

Fluff

“Tell me your name.” “No.” (Taehyung)

“You look familiar, like that one guy from BTS.” (Namjoon)

You kissed someone at the party last night… but who? (Hoseok)

“Do you wanna see my cat?” You’re not actually lying but he thinks it’s a sexual innuendo. (Yoongi)

Costume party comes into disaster when you mistaken your crush as your friend. (Taehyung)

You wake up in a strange alternate universe where everything’s the opposite. (Hoseok)

Sworn enemies by day, restaurant mascot by night.  (Jin)

Your friend arranged you on a date with a BTS member. The catch is, you have to pretend like you’re not a fan.  (Jungkook)

“How does one incite a first kiss?” (Yoongi)

Watching a concert is fun, until you get knocked out by the idol's mic. (Jungkook)

How to make an annoying guy fall to his knees 101. (Jin)

Beauty privilege exists, that's why you're selling your hot best friend. (Jungkook)

"Aren't we done?" (Jungkook)

The classic let's pretend to be a couple for just a while. Nothing bad will happen, right? (Jungkook)

"Oh, I'm chilling. It's just the best sex I've ever had, nothing big!"

Angst/slight angst

“Treat me like yours again for a week before you let me go.” (Yoongi)

He doesn’t love me back but I’m fine with it. (Yoongi)

Your friends locked you together for an hour so you can make up. (Yoongi)

He only comes to sleep with you and you accept because your heart allows you to. (Yoongi)

You both deleted your memories of each other. (Yoongi)

Love and business don't mix, and so do both of you. (Namjoon)

Your husband who you’re about to divorce, lost his memories.  (Hoseok)

“It’s weird but can you please take care of my son while I’m away?” (Taehyung)

“This wouldn’t change our friendship, right?” (Namjoon)

A crippled and a convict, what a mix. (Namjoon)

Partners in crime, one mission ruins it all. (Yoongi)

a/n: I will be adding more prompt later if the inspiration strikes! 💜

[shiningmystic]

Edit: sorry for the delay but here is the reading!

Hello lovely people, I hope this finds you at a good time. A soul family to me are the people we connect to deeply in life even if we are unrelated by blood they are seen as 'soul' family. This reading is meant to help you identify if any of these people are in your life now or it will give you information about them.

These people are meant to connect to our soul even our souls purpose for some of us. Whatever and whoever they are they will align with you in some way.

Close your eyes and pick a pile out of three. Ask your body which pile is for you and visualize your heart and the pictures. See which number or pile is connecting to your heart space. If you can't visualize then just pick which image you would choose to be in.

If you enjoyed this reading and it resonated, support me by reblogging and liking this post. If you would like to try out my services or to leave a tip check out my ko-fi!

Ko-fi I Shmfeedback I About Me/Pinned post

6 of wands (rx), Ace of pentacles (rx), 10 of cups (rx), knight of swords (rx), 10 of wands (rx), Ace of wands (rx), 9 of cups, 6 of swords (rx), king of pentacles (rx)

For the people who picked pile one, I see your soul family (probably like you) has never had it easy. The phrase “they were never handed anything” plays over and over in my mind so I see for starters they are very hard workers and earn their bread. These people also had an estranged family life, I get the feeling your soul family and you are “the odd ones out”/this feeling of never being understood fully by even the closest people.

From this information I see your soul family connecting to you by your struggle. You all had to earn your keep and I see you sharing this love you have desired from your real family with your soul family. Your chosen people will also share the same love back and you will all learn from then how to truly have someone to lean on.

The 9 of cups as a final card is a huge statement to me. I see that it will feel like a fun time when you have parties or get togethers with these people. These close bonded friendships you will have will lift you all up by one another and you won’t feel the need to defend your arguments and opinions with facts because they will understand even without an explanation. I see huge confidence issues in this pile and I want to say to not underestimate yourself and this family that you build will be that for you. They will help you on the path to know your weaknesses and help you reach a place where you feel like a better person.

Your soul family will help you believe that the good of life can happen to you as you all explore the world. I sense a lot of long distance and individual energies here so you pile one, your soul family won't all know one another or become close friends but they will all matter and love you all the same.

I am also getting a sense that your soul family will challenge you in a good way. They will have different opinions and many of them will be jaded from life until they meet you. I see a lot of work and time being put into these relationships and they will last you a life time, I’m very happy to see such good hardworking people ready to support you and prop you up. This support between you and your chosen family will be unbreakable.

8 of cups, temperance (rx), the chariot (rx), 5 of pentacles (rx), judgment (rx) 3 of pentacles (rx), The moon, page of cups, temperance

Many of your soul family pile 2 have been abandoned by others and these people find it easier to just move on from hard conversations and thoughts and just have a good time. I sense some of your soul family have struggled with an physical ailment for a long time and struggle to find a place they belong. Like pile one I sense some black sheep energy, but this one is not about family but their friendships and general connections with the world at large. You may have a tendency to feel lost like these people and you will connect on this feeling.

All of your dreams require you to work together with another so I see some financial partnerships here as well as healing from past betrayal and learning to trust. Even though I didn’t pull it out I sense a 10 of swords energy; from your connection you will all realize that you can rely on each other which fills my heart with smiles :) through your life these people struggled with identity, belonging and feeling secure on there own. This pile talks about independence and how relying on one another won’t be a crutch but a helpful hand that gets you to a higher place and closer to your true goals.

With you pile two, you will recognize them from their fun and creative natures. With the moon card they will laugh at there flaws and teach you how to let go (there is a lot about you and them learning together in this spread). These people will help you find a balance of enjoying life and its beauty while also learning/ teaching you how to face your own darkness as they face theirs. Finding your 'people' is a big part of your life pile two, your soul family members may be afraid to face there own darkness but they will stand by your darkness and see your light for you if you need help.

I see them being slow to connect but when their shell is broken (or yours whichever is first) they will be welcoming, loving and a powerful ally. I see plenty of healing and understanding energy and even though you may enjoy your space they do to! They won’t bother you but you will know there love all the same on days they do. When you find each other, life will become much more open and this lonely path you may be on won’t feel that way anymore.

page of swords, the moon, judgement (rx), 10 of swords, page of cups, 6 of cups (rx), 5 of pentacles (rx), temperance

I sense pile 3 that this person/people may already have trickled into your life. Some of the people that will stick with us through time can be in our lives before we even know they are special. I see through online communication that this is where you speak to many of them (maybe through txts or even phone calls). Some of your soul family will be pleasant surprises that trickle into your life very soon. These people are creative, thoughtful and sensitive. All these traits are probably similar to yours and if not then you hold these parts without realizing it.

For a few of you I get this feeling that you may have had crushes on one of these people once upon a time if you know who it is but have stayed friends. If not then that message is probably not for you.

These people that your heart connects to will bring a lot of clarity into your life. I see you doing things you never thought to do, and going places you never thought you will see. This is the complete and utter transformation pile even if you haven’t connected with any of the information thus far, I see lots of character building inside you if you are open to these people being in your life.

I see the past habits and betrayals don’t hold them down and that inspires you to be strong yourself and move on. These people are great communicators and will never leave you in the dark about their thoughts and feelings. These people will say it like it is and they will feel comfortable around you and your truth (as I have said in the other piles, you may act similarly to them but that doesn’t have to be the case for all).

Overall these people will be a shining light in the dark for you and will be pretty clear if they are a ride or die. Always trust your gut then you will know who these people are.

[swiftsrqmantic]

Hi! Outer Banks request here:

Could you please write a JJ Maybank smut where the reader is John B's ex? One day JJ is at a party without the pogues and he's a little bored because there nothing really interesting going on, so he goes to the only familiar face he sees: the reader.

and it's their first time seeing each other after a looong time, and idk maybe the reader has like more confidence than before so they start to drink together (just a bit not enough to get drunk) and they ended up having like giggly sex.

make-outs & mai tai’s — j.m.

summary : you, john b’s ex, happen to run into jj maybank- john b’s best friend. will a couple of mai tai’s cause you to explore your deepest and dirtiest fantasies, or will you remember that “bro-code” does exist? 18+, smut,

pairing : jj maybank x fem!kook!reader

a/n : first of all, i’m horrible at writing summaries 😭 but second and most importantly, thank you so so much for being my first request!!! and my first story!!! i can’t wait to write so much more but for now, i hope you all enjoy this story!!! reblogs are greatly appreciated :) !!

you were a kook. he was a pogue. you lived on different sides of the island, and were never supposed to be seen with one another. that was until he showed up at your job for the third time asking for your phone number.

if you were to ask anyone, they would say you and john booker routledge were absolutely inseparable from that point on. the two of you were seen around the island almost every day; going on dates, hanging out at the beach, and all that fun stuff.

that was until john b meet sarah cameron, the kook princess. they began to hang out every day, which used to be a plot to get information about the royal merchant, until they shared a passionate kiss on the ferry dock.

although you two ended on good terms, you rarely spoke, which means you didn’t speak to any of the other pogues either; at least not until tonight, where you were going to attend the annual bonfire. you sat at your vanity applying your lip gloss when you got a text from your friend.

savannah: be there in ten!

you grabbed your purse and made your way to the white jeep pulling up to your doorstep.

“ready to get shit-faced tonight?”, savannah asked rolling down the passenger side window while you rolled your eyes and opened the door. “no one is getting shit-faced tonight, especially not you”, you replied buckling your seatbelt as she stepped on the gas.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

savannah pulled up to the lot as you put your phone in your purse and squinted at the bright fire that burned ahead. “ok so before we get out, some of the girls said that john b was gonna be here”, she said unbuckling her seatbelt and turning towards you.

“okay, whatever i guess”, you said chuckling and pulling your compact out of your bag to check your makeup one final time.

“so you’re not bothered by that? because if you want to leave then we can totally leave, your call.”

“we’re not enemies, savannah. we ended things on good terms, remember?’

“okay then, let’s get our party on!”

you stepped out of the car, scoping the scene, before making your way over to your other friend, emery, by the cooler. she greeted you with a warm hug and a canned mai tai while the three of you got lost in conversation.

meanwhile, on the other side of the fire, the pogues were drinking beer out of plastic cups, looking around at their rather drunk peers.

“ok, i’m gonna be honest and just say that this is seriously lame”, jj maybank announced to the crew and took the last swig of beer out of his cup. “you didn’t have to come you know”, an annoyed kiara replied. “but he is right jb, this is pretty lousy”.

“look, sarah’s here and there’s plenty of beer to last a couple more hours, so why don’t we at least try and have a good time”, john b replied as he threw his arm around kie. jj rolled his eyes and looked towards the cooler, when he saw you holding a can, laughing and talking to some other kooks. he smirked and made his way towards you as he saw your friends running off with topper.

“care for another mai tai, m’lady”, jj asked as you turned around, shocked at the sight in front of you.

“well, well, well”, you smiled, letting a tiny laugh escape from your lips. “if it isn’t jj maybank.”

“in the flesh”, he smiled, extending his arm out to hand you another can. “i noticed you were standing alone; thought i might give you some company”.

“well please accompany me somewhere more quiet”, you said laughing and taking a sip from your new can. jj smirked and said “come on, i have somewhere we can go”.

you took his hand as you guys walked down the lot towards the beach. “so, what brings you to this party”, you asked jj. “because if i’m being totally honest, i did not expect you to be here”.

“why not?”

“i don’t know, i just…i guess i thought that things like these weren’t really your scene.”

“they’re not.”

“then why’d you stick around?” you took another sip.

“i was going to leave” he paused, “but then i saw you.” you glanced over at him and smiled lightly while taking another sip.

“so, how’ve you been? it’s been a while y’know?”

“good, why’d you ask?”

“i don’t know, i’ve just been thinking about you lately.”

“aww, i’ve been on your mind, cupcake?”

you smiled and took another sip of your mai tai. “maybe just a little.”

jj laughed to himself as your feet hit the sand. “just a bit further”. you eventually found a nice spot on the sand and wobbly took a seat.

“woah there, pretty girl, don’t fall now.” you laughed, sipping your mai tai once more and looked him in his eyes. “why do you keep giving me all these nicknames?”, you ask, slurring your words and taking the last sip of your drink.

“do you want me to stop?”

“you could do anything you wanted to me and i would never ask you to stop,” you said with a chuckle as you moved a little closer to him.

“well someone’s feeling a little confident tonight, aren’t you?”

“oh c’mon j, somewhere deep down, i know you know i’ve always had a little thing for you.” and whether it was the mai tais or not, you know what they say: drunk words are sober thoughts. and with that being said, jj swiftly put his hand to your cheek, and pushed your hair behind your ear.

“did you really mean that?,” he caressed your cheek as you leaned in closer to him. “when you said i could do anything i wanted, and you would never ask me to stop?”.

“well we’re here now, aren’t we?”

jj stared at you, and as he opened his mouth to say something, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. while he was surprised, he moved both of his hands to your hips and kissed you deeper. both of you continued to deepen the kiss as jj took the reigns and laid you down on the sand.

“wait, wait, wait,” you said as jj kept kissing your neck. “what if john b finds out?” jj raised his head and thought for a second, that swift thought followed by: “well that’s not really his problem now, is it?”

“i guess not, pretty boy,” you pulled him down to you buy his collar as you continued kissing each other, more hunger and passion followed by each kiss. you unbuttoned his shirt while he started taking off your shirt. “lift your hips for me, baby,” jj asked, unbuttoning your shorts to follow. if you weren’t already drooling at sight of him, you were positive you were now. you tried to hold back your moans as he swiftly pulled your shorts and panties down your legs, but with how close the two of you were, jj was sure to pick up on every last sound you made.

“oh no, cupcake, don’t hold back now. i want to hear all your pretty sounds,” he kissed a trail down your body as he buried his head in between your thighs. you moaned and tugged his hair as he kissed your heat and licked up and down your sweet spot. your body began to convulse as you felt yourself reaching your release.

“j- fuck, i’m almost there,” you moaned out, not caring about your volume as your back arched in immense pleasure. “let go for me, sweet thing.” your breath hitched as you sucked in a sharp breath, allowing your eyes to roll back in pleasure, finally reaching your climax. you steadied your breathing while jj kissed his way back up to your mouth.

“that was…amazing,” you spoke, regaining your breath. “oh, we’re not done yet, baby girl,” jj replied with a shit-eating grin. “trust me,” you said, reaching down to unbuckle his belt, “i know.” jj let out a small chuckle as he released himself from his boxers, smirking at your reaction to his length. “mmph, i want you so bad,” you moaned out as you kissed him, a string of saliva attached to your lips as you broke free from each other.

“you sure about this, cupcake?,” jj asked, caressing your cheek. you wrapped your arms around his shoulder and kissed him once more. “i’m absolutely positive, j. i need you.” without a second thought, jj slid himself inside you, both of you moaning at the sensational feeling you just shared.

“geez princess, you feel so good,” jj moaned on your neck, his warm breath sending shivers down your spine. you moaned as you gripped on to his shoulders, tapping twice to signal faster pace. as jj sped up, you could feel yourself tighten around him as he twitched inside of you.

“j, i’m close,” you whimpered as you felt him graze your g-spot, eyes rolling back at the glorious feeling.

“i know baby, me too, comin’ up right behind you,” jj replied, slurring his words. he sped up a bit more, making him more and more irresistible to you. your nails scratched down his back as you tried to utter out the words “i’m coming”, but instead were muffled by your pleasurous moans. jj pushed deeper inside you, following close behind. you two shared a breathy kiss while jj started to kiss down your neck, helping you get cleaned up. once the two of you regained composure, you sat up and watched the waves.

“that was… truly something,” you said sighing. jj looked over at you and chuckled, saying “trust me, i know.” you and jj watched the waves for a second before you both looked over to see the bonfire spot emptying.

“looks like everyone’s heading out,” you mentioned, while checking your phone to see two text messages from savannah. “shit, my friends are about to leave, i should probably go”.

“me too, me and the gang have an early surf sesh tomorrow,” jj mentioned while he stood up, extending his hand for you to grab as he pulled you off the sand. you two held hands and walked towards the bonfire, but you stopped him before you got to close to the crowd.

“hey thank you for tonight, i had a lot of fun,” you said swinging your interlocked hands back and forth as jj spotted his friends near the parking lot. you looked down as your feet as you said “it was nice getting to see you again. i probably won’t for a while.” jj laughed as he let go of your hand and grabbed your waist tightly, pulling you towards him. you choked on a breath as you abruptly placed your hands on his shoulders for support, looking deep into his eyes as he caressed your cheek. “you’re a very funny girl, you know that?”, jj questioned as your eyebrows tilted in confusion.

“you think after tonight i’m just gonna let you run off with some other guy?” you tried to tell him off but stuttered as he forced deeper eye contact between you two. “you’re mine now, cupcake. and if i have to see you every single day to remind you, best believe you’ll be seeing a lot of me.” you smirked as jj pulled you in for the last kiss of the night. “you have a good night,” he winked as he walked off towards his friends. you exhaled as you spun on your heels, walking to go find your friends.

little did you know that tonight would be the night you became jj’s girl. forever.

[selfindulgenceisthekey]

What plot points are you going to hit in the story, what is the strawhats and sanjis personal end goal with our mc. And will there be any outside interference to the strawhats?

A/N: so! this takes place about 2-3 months after reader first wakes up back on the ship! stuff has happened between then and this which I have eluded to, so know that stuff is hinted at! but this ask made me very excited! so have this!

The town was loud, excitement evident through every nook and cranny. The sun was setting, but the towns-folks had lit lanterns to counter to the darkness, the scent of various cooking foods wafting through the air. You’d been on the ship when the others were fighting, locked away in your bedroom. For your safety, they had explained. You knew it was to lessen the chance of your escape.

But you’d gotten smarter within the last few months. You’d looked at the situation you all had landed in. A small island with one town, thick jungle surrounding the lived in area, rough waters surrounding the island as a whole. If you ran— where would you have gone? To the jungle to be eaten by wild animals, or to the sea to be drowned and lost forever?

So you stayed pliant, listening to the sound of yelling and fighting through the thick walls of the Sunny. It had taken a few hours, and then you heard the door unlock. Sanji had strolled in, loosening his tie and looking somewhat annoyed. He was a bit roughed up, but overall appeared unharmed. Not that you cared.

The crew had won the battle, and the tyrants who had ruined the lives of the towns-folks were gone. It reminded you far too much of how your meeting with them had gone, and were grateful for his continued blabbering being a distraction.

They were apparently throwing a party in celebration of their freedom, and to show their thanks to the Straw Hats. Which is how you found yourself outside, feet touching solid ground for the first time in months. You may have been walking arm in arm with Sanji, but you almost couldn’t care.

“Let me know if anything catches your eye, okay?” Sanji was practically glowing as you two walked, “I’ll get you whatever you desire, my love.”

Your truest desire was for them to leave you on this island and sail away and never return. You couldn’t voice this, however, so you just hummed with a nod.

There were stalls and booths, almost hastily sat up. Kids, small and skinny, were running around, smiles lighting up their faces. Their clothes were dirty and they played with an air of hesitation, but they appeared happy. The adults were similar, smiling almost tentatively at each other.

“They offered us all free stay in their finest inn until we set off,” He pulled you gently towards a stall, eyeing the flowers that were being set out for sale, “Most of the crew’s rather ecstatic at the prospect, so we’ll probably be staying for a few days.”

He handed the woman some berri, ignoring her protests for the payment, and turned to you, still beaming. He had bought a single xeranthemum, gently tucking it into your hair behind your ear. Once he deemed it secure, the two of you continued to walk.

“The town’s got walls on the outskirts, the locals say they’d built them decades ago because of the native animals here. Tigers the size of elephants, snakes with venom strong enough to boil a person’s blood.” He spoke so casually of the wild life that surrounded you, and you headed the warning. If you tried to run you’d more than likely face a painful end to the animals living near you all.

You said nothing, but your arm tightened around his, a shiver running up your spine. He definitely took note, if going by the sudden pep in his walk.

“Of course Luffy’s trying to convince Zoro and I to help him hunt some of these animals to cook for dinner,” He sighed dramatically, “Rubber bastard wants us to risk our lives for meat no one’s ever tasted. Though for him that makes sense I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t suggest your crew do that,” You both paused as a voice called out, turning to see a woman seated at a booth, watching the pair of you with her head resting on her hand, “There’s a reason no one’s ever tasted that meat. Those who hunt it have never returned.”

She appeared about twenty years older than you, but she was rather beautiful. Ethereal, almost. Her hair was a stark white, and her eyes were glassy, almost milky. You would have assumed she was blind, but she appeared to be staring right at you.

“Oh? Thank you for the warning, my dear,” Sanji responded, voice light and playful.

The woman just hummed, head tilting. “Would you two walk over to me?”

You took a small step back, not wanting to get closer to the mysterious woman. Sanji, however, ignored the tug on his arm, walking forward with confidence, you in tow. The woman’s smile grew as you two grew closer.

“My— what an interesting young couple you two make,” Up closer you smelled the strong scent of lavender, “You two haven’t known each other long, have you?”

“You can tell by just looking at us?” Your voice was quiet, and you asked despite yourself.

She laughed, light and airy and your grip tightened on Sanji’s arm. Bastard was probably enjoying your discomfort if it meant you retreated into him more.

“I may be blind, my dear, but I see more than everyone surrounding us. It’s a blessing and a curse.”

“You’re a devil fruit user,” Sanji spoke, clarity in his voice, and the woman laughed once more, nodding enthusiastically.

“The yogen-yogen fruit. When I was a teenager I ate the fruit and gained my ability, I used to be the booth to visit whenever we held festivals, it was a major attraction for tourists. This is the first time in years I’ve seen my people as happy as this.” You took note of the shine on her eyes, tears dancing in the lantern lights, “Which is why I’d like to offer you two a free reading.”

“A free reading? Like reading our palms?”

“No, my dear, much more than that. My powers give me the ability to show someone a glimpse into their future. Though I must warn you; what you may see is one of three options. You may see the future you fear the most, a future you dream for more than anything, or your actual future. I cannot differentiate which is it, and it’s short.”

She placed her hands forward, palms up.

“If I touch you both at the same time, I can show you a possible future for the two of you together. If you turn me down, however, I won’t be upset.”

Though she says that, her tone made you think she would be. You recall Robin explaining the fatigue she’s felt when she doesn’t use her abilities for an extended period of time, so you could assume this woman was probably feeling that.

Still… you didn’t know if you could stomach seeing a future. What would your worst future even be? Would you still be stuck on the ship, living in a deluded fantasy of theirs? Would you be cuffed to a bed once more, hidden away from the sun and the sky?

And would you handle seeing the future you wanted? Freedom and a life of your own? Only to have it ripped away once it never came true.

“I don’t see the harm in it!” Sanji was excited, that much was clear from his voice and the light in his eye.

“Sanji—”

“Splendid!”

Sanji turned to you, the smile still clear as day, but his look hardened slightly. You swallowed, lowering your gaze away from his. Of course, if he wanted the two of you to do this, then why would you argue?

Why would he listen?

So together, you placed your hands into hers. Sanji moved with more excitement, meanwhile your movements were shaky.

Her hands were cold, almost like touching ice. You wanted to jerk back from that alone. It was silent for a moment, and you began to wonder if the woman had been lying or exaggerating when—

“Do you think they’ll have Sanji’s eyebrows?”

Luffy was laying on his stomach, feet kicking behind him as he stared, eye level with your stomach. You snorted, covering your mouth with your palm.

“I told you to get out!” Sanji sent a kick his captain’s way, his heel connecting with Luffy’s head and sending him flying off the bed onto the floor, “Rubber bastard! Let her rest!”

“Aw, Sanji!” The captain popped up from the floor, rubbing his head with an exaggerated pout, “I wanna talk to the babies!”

“Well I’m sure they don’t want to hear your loud voice!” Sanji moved to stand above his captain, hands on his hips, “Go bug the mosshead or someone else!”

“You’re so mean, Sanji,” But Luffy complied, standing up and stomping out of the bedroom.

You could hear his flip-flops hitting the floorboards as he called out for Zoro, voice still childish and whiny as he did so. Sanji turned to you, running a hand through his hair.

“I swear, he’s more of our first child than our captain,” But his exasperation melted, gaze softening as he looked at you, “How are you feeling, my love?”

“Tired,” Your voice was quiet as you admitted this, fingers fidgeting in your lap, “Scared. I suppose.”

He nodded, taking a seat in front of you, taking your hands into his, “I understand. But you’re in good hands, Chopper’s already studying up on pregnancies and birth details.”

Your heart pulled in your chest, and you smiled, attempting to push out reassurance with your look. It was enough for him, and his gaze was dropping to your stomach now.

“I love you so much, my dear. You’re giving me a family,” He whispered the word as if it would disappear if he spoke too loud, tears building in his eye, “I’ve never been happier.”

It was you who ripped your hand away first, choking on a gasp as you stumbled back, ripping your arm away from Sanji’s.

That— that had to be your worst future, right? There was no way that was some dream you had. Or maybe it was Sanji’s dream? It had to be.

He was standing still, arm still outstretched, hand touching nothing. The woman had pulled her arms back, silent as she stood. Sanji blinked, turning to you slowly, teary eyed. Much like he had looked in—

No.

“That was—”

“It doesn’t— she said it wasn’t for sure a set future,” You spoke quickly, quietly. You were trembling, arms wrapping around yourself.

“She said that it could be, though,” His words were such a simple argument against yours, and yet they made your heart drop to your stomach.

You may see the future you fear the most, a future you dream for more than anything, or your actual future.

…or your actual future.

That couldn’t be your actual future. There was absolutely no way that—

“Oh my love!” Sanji’s arms were around your waist, hauling you up and twirling you around.

You found your head spinning, a mixture of your thoughts and the momentum. He put you back down, though didn’t move his arms from where they rested around your waist.

“Everyday with you makes me so happy,” He sounded choked up now, a watery smile on his lips, “Even in our future.”

“Possible future—”

He wasn’t listening, turning quickly, “Thank you, I—”

You peered around him to see why he’d cut off, only to see the woman was gone. The silence that stretched only lasted a few seconds before he was turning back to you, beaming now.

“You’re a dream,” He cupped your cheeks, leaning down to place a kiss on your lips, soft and sweet, the faint taste of cigarettes and wine on his breath.

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[thisittybittykitty]

Phew! I finally read the first arc myself! No more basing my opinions on MAPs or any of that stuff! And boy do i have a lot to say. Let's start with the man himself. Firestar. Now i want you to note a few things, one, this is gonna be unbearably long, because i ramble a lot about the stuff i'm passionate about. And two, this is only gonna be on the first arc. On second arc, third arc, fourth. No Firestar’s Quest. None of that. Just arc 1 Firestar. Let's start with the questions we should always ask about a character!

'Who is Firestar?' He's an adventurous, curious, strong-willed cat. Brave, conscientious, compassionate, determined. Oblivious and nosy but loyal and understanding. He is the kind of cat that would do what he believes is right even if it's against the Warrior Code. Already, we run into a problem. This argument has been used a 100 times, but it's still kinda valid. Firestar has very few flaws. He literally entered the ThunderClan camp, and got bullied for being a kittypet. Especially by this one warrior named Longtail. Now what does our main character do? A. Ignore him. B. Defend himself calmly. C. Quietly take it. D. Tell Bluestar. E. Jump down and beat him up. Wanna know the best part? Firestar literally won his first ever battle, with no training, or experience. Just pure reflexes and instincts. This meme is literally them.

On one hand, it's good that Firestar defended himself. But violence will make things worse for both parties. That entire scene, for me, felt ridiculous. It didn't make Firestar look strong, just make Longtail look pathetic, and that’s sad.

'What is Firestar's dreams and goals? How is he willing to achieve it? And what is stopping him?'

His dream and goal is to explore and learn and be free, hunt in the wild and run in the wind. The Clan gave him that and gave him another goal to work towards. Being a warrior. Why does he want to be a warrior? What kind of warrior does he want to be? Why not a medicine cat? These questions are...not exactly answered. And then there's the biggest of them all, why did Firestar want to leave at all? Curiosity? Childish impulsiveness? Did he ever miss Smudge or Princess or his kittypet friends? Did he ever miss kittypet life in general with its simplicity and convenience? We have a 'kind-of' answer to that last question. In Fire and Ice, and The Darkest Hour, it tackled how Firestar felt like he's an outcast. Like he didn't belong in the Clan. Princess was able to provide this sense of belonging since...she's his sister. And was also a kittypet. In the Darkest Hour, it talked about how Firestar, he may have missed, and even envied the kittypet life with its simplicity and safety, but also told himself that kittypets would never know the satisfaction of learning warrior skills or fighting alongside his friends. Which is...okay? Everyone is different. Another question i would like to ask is

'What motivates Firestar to do what he does? Why is Firestar the character that he is?'

This is where i'm lost.

You can say that his reasons for doing what he does is because of what he believes is right. Right? Now that can be interesting, when the character isn't right all the time. I'm not sure about that with Firestar. Most of the time, he's right. I say most of the time because, thankfully, there are a few times where Firestar made dumb decisions, as few as they are. Spottedleaf (Enough said) Underestimating Sandstorm and not giving her Tawnypelt. It's not wrong to make a moral compass kind of character. It's just hard to make them interesting. And Firestar is...unfortunately an example of that. Few flaws, few mistakes, little growth. Another thing is that, we don't get much backstory from him. You can say that he was a child when the series started so the backstory is what happened. But i want to know what happened before it. Now, does a character need a backstory? Not really, no. Does Firestar need it? Yes and also no. I'm conflicted if i want him to have one or not. At one hand, i'd appreciate if we got a little story that shows us why he is who he is. But also, i feel like i'm asking for a lot, since characters don't always need a backstory and a reason to be shown or told. Maybe it's more fun when it's up to the fans to interpret it. Maybe that's what the writers were going for? I don't know.

I'll stop here since this is already long. I'll continue it in the future. Just a few things. 1. I'm not a writer. I want to be, but i'm not. I'm just using what i know from videos i watched. 2. It's okay if you like Firestar. I like him too. Just hope there was more done with him. 3. Again, If i got anything wrong or missed anything, please tell me. Anyway, that's all i'll share today. Next topic is gonna be about the relationships Firestar has with everybody. I'll only talk about notable ones though. Toodles!

(edit: i think i should have added this since it is pretty important. But better late than never)

'Did the journey Firestar take in life have any impact? Did he change? Who was he before and who is he now?'

The journey from kittypet to leader was most definitely interesting. Fun fact, Firestar never wanted to be leader in the first place. It's always fun to see characters learn and grow. And Firestar learned, and grew. At the start of his journey, he was ridiculed for something he wasn't able to control. Being born as a kittypet. Even when he became a warrior, that mockery stayed. However, not all of it was negative. He had his friends, his mentors, and apprentices to support him. There was most definitely some hardships. Firestar’s life wasn't easy. He lost a lot of his friends, and experienced horror with the dog pack, and was given responsibility he never asked for. I know that this might be confusing since i sat earlier talking about how Firestar needed this or that, and he does, but that doesn't mean i don't like him. He just, again, feels more like a plot-device than a character. He has his moments, being irrationally afraid of Brambleclaw, being stupidly nosy in Mistyfoot and Stonefur's heritage, being confused on why the Clans always fought for seemingly no reason, being kind to everyone, even to those who he knows dislikes him, helping those from enemy Clans even though it got him in trouble. There's a lot to Firestar and yet little. Which makes me conflicted about him. I always kinda feel like i'm overlooking or missing something, or maybe i'm being too harsh? Maybe i said something contradictory? Someone please tell me if what i said was accurate at all or if i'm making stuff up.

[magentacat]

RWBY: Their Kingdom Come

(Note: This is a mixed pitch of Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come and Monty Oum's RWBY)

Once Upon a Time, Twenty Years Later

Yang sat down at the café in Argus, waiting for Weiss to show up. Almost twenty years, and she's never missed a meeting for tea and pastries. But yet, Yang couldn't help but feel uneasy. Despite keeping contact, they have grown appart so much.

She looked at her prosthetic arm. The finely varnished oak was a gift from Blake for their tenth anniversary. It had the logos of the entire Team RWBY engraved on fire on the forearm.

Sighing as she kept waiting, Yang thought back to the war with Salem, and with some guilt, can't help but feel nostalgic.

"Lost in your thoughts?" Weiss called, making her cane hit the floor to catch Yang's attention.

"Weiss," Yang got up calmly, hugging her friend.

They sat down as Weiss ordered for them, knowing full well the mix of coffee and whiskey Yang had ordered every single time, as well as a generous helping of spicy fried bits.

"To our poisons," Weiss cheered, lifting her own tea to meet Yang's mug. "So, how is everyone doing?"

"Well, Blake sends her regards," Yang shrugged.

"Still living on Patch Island?" She asked, getting a silent nod in reply. "And Raven still lives with you?"

"With dad," Yang rolled her eyes. "They keep trying to make it work, then breaking up, then making amends." She sighed. "They're worse than Ren and Nora."

"Speaking of, they expect you to visit them this time." Weiss took another sip, closing her eyes to better enjoy the infusion's taste. "They're still sore you didn't your last time here."

"I know, I know," she looked down in guilt. "It's just I lost Jaune's track, and I didn't want to meet them emptyhanded."

"And you found him this time?" She leaned over, eyebrow lifted in curiosity and worry.

"Anima, he keeps traveling." Yang scratched the shoulder over her prosthetic.

"You sound worried."

There was a pause before Yang took a larger sip of her beverage.

"He's wearing the armor again," she finally sighed in defeat.

"No..."

"Found him in mom's old bandit territories. Apparently, the bandits took exception to him preventing their raids."

Weiss immediately reached for her cane, activating the rotating chamber of her old weapon.

"Calm down," Yang raised her hook. "He's more than fine." Weiss retracted Myrtenaster back into a cane. "When I got to him, the camp was basically destroyed, and he was tending them."

"Tending...?"

"Yeah." She snickered. "Imagine this big scary guy, full plate armor, bastard sword in back, and all gently tending the guys who just tried to kill him." She sighed again, this time sitting back on her chair and finishing her drink. "He's still that boy from Beacon wanting to be a hero."

"But the armor." Weiss inquired.

"I didn't address it, and he neither." Yang leaned in, resting her elbow on the table and her head on her hand. "Not gonna have that discussion for the millionth--" She picked up her friend's worry face. "He'll be fine. We dropped the bandits on the next town, and they all broke a party for him. Guy has gotten famous."

"Still..." She was unsure. "How about Ruby?"

"Getting harder to track too, but not that much." Yang raised her hook to the waitress to ask for another drink. "I just hopped by small towns until a Grimm happened. Not even a whole minute before the place was covered in rose petals and the Grimms thoroughly dismembered."

"Did you get her to talk this time?"

"Had to get into the fight for that," Yang lifted her left arm, revealing half of Ember Celica from under her sleeve. "I may be rusty, but It's like riding a bike."

"I wish she came to visit too." Weiss shook her head, looking more disappointed than worried.

"Me too." Yang thanked the waitress as she took another large sip of coffee and whiskey. "Dad and Blake haven't seen her in about a year by now."

"Same with dad," her friend admitted. "He always tenses up when the news talk about a Huntress."

"Oh?" Yang cracked a soft smile. "How's your stepdad?" She teased.

"As good as your uncle." Weiss rolled her eyes, but unable to hold back the laugh. "Qrow is fine," she said while coming down from laughing. "He and mom went on a vacation with Winter and Whitley."

"But not you?" Yang asked.

"I had to tend the Foundation..." She said. "It's always hard work, you know."

"I know you still have to be around your family too." Yang quickly glanced at her wedding band. "I know I do."

They stood in silence for a while, not wanting to restart the same discussion they have had so many times already.

"How is Oz?" Yang finally spoke.

"Living," Weiss sighed, finishing her tea. "He moved to Menagerie, saying he preferred the warmer climate anyways."

"You believed him?" Yang lifted her eyebrows.

"I believe he still needs to find himself," Weiss looked at the window, staring at the sea.

"Yeah, still figuring out who's who." She also looked at the sea, both contemplating the oddity that was their friend.

"That just leaves us with Emerald, who I guess still works for you."

"I keep saying she doesn't need to, and she always brings up my leg." Weiss frowns, looking down at her lap. "One of these days I will bash her with it."

"Oh, please call me if you do." Yang gently slapped the forearms of her prosthetic. "We can have a duel of wooden limbs."

"Oh, I actually upgraded mine." With a cheeky smile, Weiss lifted the rim of her dress, just enough to show her own prosthetic leg, made out of a pitch black obisian.

Yang whistled. "That looks expensive..."

"It was a gift, actually." Weiss let the dress fall over her leg again. "From Ash, of all people."

"Wait," Yang suddenly got up. "You finally got her to speak!"

"No," Weiss sighed, sadly. "But I was visiting the orphanage and telling Ren I may need a replacement for the wooden one. Next thing I know, she's waiting at the exit, with the whole leg already assembled and polished."

"But not a word?" She asked.

"Not even a grunt."

"I wish she knew we forgave her years ago." Yang shook her head, sitting down as if defeated.

"Ren says she knows," Weiss replied. "It's just she hasn't forgiven herself."

After that, the evening was quieter. The two former Huntresses simply enjoyed each other's company, promising to meet more often, but knowing this was the only pace either of them could manage.

Came the night, and Emerald picked them up, dropping Yang by the bullhead port, then driving Weiss to her home, at the shadow of the Polendina-Nikos Foundation.

From the distance, the small figure covered in red smiled at them, happy to know they were fine.

--

Part 1: Thus the World Kept Spinning

Part 2: Kindly Scattered - Part I

Part 3: Kindly Scattered - Part II

Once Upon a Time, Twenty Years Later

[misteria247]

2012 Gravity Falls lake:

Tate Mcgucket stared out into the water, his thoughts a whirlwind in his head. A few days ago he'd received a phone call, from California. And on the other end were two children no older than 12, and what they'd told him had left him floundering.

'Is this Tate Mcgucket?'

'Who's asking?'

'Um well, you see me and my sister we were going through our grandpa's attic a few weeks ago, and we'd come across a photograph. We.....we think it might be a picture of your dad.'

'What?!? How in tarnation did you get-'

'We actually um-'

'What Dipper's trying to say is we think our families were connected back in the day the photo was taken!'

'.......What y'all say your names were again....?'

'Oh shoot! My name's Mabel, and the boy who spoke was Dipper. Last name Pines!'

It was hearing that name that made Tate quickly make up an excuse to hang up. But not before Mabel insisted he had their number. The girl was persuasive he'd learned real quick. After he'd hung up, he may or may not have thrown something to get rid of the outlet of emotions he'd felt. The fisherman let out an exhausted sigh as he came back to the present, his light brown eyes scanning the lake. Maybe if he was lucky, one of those sirens might come by and drown him. But given his luck, he highly doubted it.

Pines.

Of all the people in the world to contact him, it had to be from that family.

'Why can't they just leave well enough alone? Damn em....'

Tate thought feeling frustrated. It wasn't that he hated the Pines family, it was that they'd left a tidal wave of emotions behind for the older man. After all, it was because of those Pines boys that his father came to this God forsaken place. And yet.....

Tate could recall the memories of an older man that went by the name Pines and an elderly woman who accompanied him. Could recall the search parties that they accompanied his ma, Emma May on. Both stricken with grief just like his ma and him.

It wasn't Stanford and Stanley Pines' fault that Fiddleford Mcgucket disappeared. They, too, were victims to whatever the hell happened in that awful year of 1981.

The Mcgucket family were not the only ones who lost loved ones. Who had family disappear into thin air, as if they never existed in the first place. Taking a deep breath, Tate reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that contained Mabel and Dipper Pines' phone number. It'd be so easy to toss it, so easy to pretend that he never got the call but......

Tate wasn't the only one who wanted to find loved ones. And by God despite the feelings he felt he'd be damned if he didn't help somewhat. He couldn't leave those kids empty handed. Not like how he was left that way all those years ago.

'Alrighty Mcgucket, get a grip. We've got a call to make and a cold case to break.'

With that thought Tate Mcgucket turned away from the lake of Gravity Falls and headed back to his fishing shack, ready to dial the number of the newest set of Pines twins.

Hopefully, it won't come back and bite him.

[jeannereames]

Considering Alexander’s official version of history vs what historians know today, what is the thing Alexander was trying to hide the most?

Quite an interesting query. There’s one big problem with answering it, however: we don’t have Alexander’s official releases. That would be Kallisthenes’s account, and it’s among those early Alexander histories lost to time.

A quick reminder: our earliest still-existing Alexander history is Diodoros’s, and he was writing in the middle/late first century BCE. His last known work dates to 21 BCE, and the Bibliotheka Historika (World History) dates between 60-30 BCE, with the Philip/Alexander/Successors portions (Books 16-20) written around the middle. (The full Bibliotheka was 40 books; only portions of it survive.) Alexander died in 323 BCE…almost 300 years before any of it.

What survives is one part luck and one part quality and another bit of luck, part II. We have (maybe) a quarter of what was actually written in ancient Greece and Rome.

While Diodoros, Plutarch, and others may have used parts of Kallisthenes’ reports, it wasn’t their primary source. Arrian tells us that he preferenced Ptolemy and Aristobulos, Diodoros used Kleitarchos, while Curtius also used Kleitarchos as well as others, including Kallisthenes, and Plutarch used a mishmash of what he could get his hands on. THEN they modified it. This isn’t like a lazy high school student’s term paper, cut-and-pasted from 19 different places. I kinda wish some of them HAD worked like that. Ha. They’re all writing to show off their own literary mastery, which meant, yes, showing how well-read they were…then do something new and unique with it. It’s more akin to that annoying friend who has to pepper conversation with quotes from Shakespeare or other literary giants. Arrian even went so far as to write the Anabasis in the same dialect of Greek as Xenophon wrote his Anabasis, then to write his Indika in the same dialect of Greek that Herodotos wrote the Histories. That’s some serious showboat mimicry going on, no?

But none of it is exact copying.

That means, even when we know/strongly suspect they’re lifting from Kallisthenes, we can’t be sure it’s Kallisthenes’ actual words, or even the gist. How have they repurposed it?

For instance, if your annoying Shakespeare quoting buddy claims someone you both know is “but mad north-northwest,” they just mean the person is off their rocker sometimes (and maybe deliberately pretending), not that they’re a prince of Denmark in a play about revenge. So, they may be relating things about Alexander gleaned from Kallisthenes, but using that information in completely new ways. (See the embedded video below where I explain lost sources in a little more detail.)

So, what that means is that we can only “suppose” what Alexander’s official version actually WAS…and the specialists may disagree about it.

Let’s take the Burning of Persepolis. Here, archaeology reveals the actual fire was controlled, contradicting accounts in the sources, which either gloss it, or exaggerate it into something like a drunken frat party gone horribly wrong. So how did that wild story get started? And why was the tossing-of-torches led by an Athenian courtesan (Thaïs)? WHERE did that story come from?

Apparently, Kleitarchos. But where did Kleitarchos get it? He wasn’t there.

I’d propose we look at what really happened: a controlled burn of the royal platform after everything of worth had been carried out or pried off the walls, specifically aimed at erasing (damnio memoriae) the hated Xerxes. Darius the Great’s stuff was left untouched. That was a message for the Persians. But it’s not the message Alexander wanted to send back to Greece. So I’d propose that the “official” (Greek) version was that the palace was burned down not just by an Athenian, but an Athenian “whore” at that—the ultimate insult!—in revenge for the earlier Persian burning (by Xerxes) of Athens.

“Mission Accomplished.”

Kleitarchos got a hold of it and turned it into a Dionysian komos. (His history was, we know, rather sensational—probably why it was so popular. The ancient version of The National Enquirer or The Daily Mail.)

Not all my colleagues would agree with that reading. I’m reconstructing it based on what’s in the sources, what we know from history of Greek attitudes, and what the archaeology tells us. Someone else might reconstruct it a different way. We don’t actually know what Kallisthenes wrote about it, to send home to Greece.

So, the answer to the question is…I’ve no idea what he might have put out as the official version in order to hide something else. We can only guess. What we CAN say is that he was a master of propaganda—but not everybody in Greece bought into what he was selling. And some (as with Demosthenes & Friends, like an ancient Fox&Friends) would have hated anything he did because he was a Macedonian and Philip’s son.

I should probably add, the companion video to that one above, about the lost historians themselves:

[robinette-green]

Robin's Inside the Pizza Plex DCA Romance Fics

These are fics I've started that take place inside Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizza Plex. The call is coming from inside the plex!

A Door You're Unable to Close:

(tag)

My best friend talked me into coming with her as moral support to her little brother's birthday party. I hadn't wanted to go to that stupid birthday party to begin with and now I'm trapped in a video game, a horror video game that might kill me. I thought at the time that it was ironic that a kid named Greg had gone missing in a Chuck-e-Cheese of all places but this is taking things much too far.

Invisible:

There's nothing like working for a corporation in a capitalist society to remind you that you are nothing but furniture and need not be perceived unless needed. Even the animatronics in this place are treated more human than I am. At least I'm on the same level as the staff bots… that's a plus? Though usually, people prefer to speak with a staff bot over me, so I suppose 'even' is the lie I tell myself. I've worked for Fazbear Entertainment at their pizza plex for about a year. I do a little bit of everything. Cleaning, repair, sales… even security sometimes. Most of the human workers have been replaced with robots to cut down on employee costs. Sometimes I think I'm the last human working here, but then I remember Vanessa still works here too. Sometimes I wonder if they just forgot to fire me or tell me I was fired, but I'm still getting paychecks, so… yeah. The time clock beeped an acknowledgment as I punched in my employee number. "Attention! Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex is closed! Have a pleasant evening!" Sighing, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and took a long swig of my coffee.

The Star Dome (LateNight DayDreams):

An OC named Fey is a new animatronic that has been added to the plex.

Another Daycare Story:

This is another of your reader x Sun/ Moon Pizza Plex daycare stories. We start with a 20-something individual getting a job in the daycare and having to overcome a fear of animatronics. There will be some angst with Moon. Then the romance will begin. Eventually, we'll hit the events of the game and go through all that fun, but until then, this will be mostly random fluff and angst shenanigans in the loose shape of a story as our main characters fall in love.

Little Assistant:

MC is the assistant to the CEO of Fazbear Entertainment. As Vanessa kidnaps and kills children while attempting to bring Springtrap back to life, MC is forced to clean up the mess and cover up the disappearances. MC is also tasked with keeping an eye on the Daycare attendants, keeping them in line as they are forced to help kidnapping children. “Did you do it? How do we know if it worked?” “We’ll have to test out some command code on him. Everything uploaded without issue, but they do have minds of their own. He may put up a fight.” I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, wanting as little to do with this as I could get away with. They had already forced me to help with so much, cleaning up all that mess, all that red, covering up the disappearance. Shuddering, I looked through the glass into the daycare beyond. Deep in the dark, I could see two red eyes glaring out at us, furious. I couldn’t blame him. The virus they had activated in the night mode daycare attendant was going to be used for something horrific.

Lost Time:

The reader, already in an established relationship with Sun and Moon, dies and wakes 5 years later in the body of an animatronic. The pizza plex was rebuilt after the collapse and fire. Due to some miracle, all of the animatronics had survived the disaster and were now back to work, entertaining the general public as though nothing had happened. After everything fell apart, children stopped disappearing, but the missing children were never found. Business was booming, and everything seemed to be better than ever. With the massive influx of money, Fazbear Entertainment decided to invest in a new animatronic, a drummer for the band, to add to the rock and roll feel of the Glam Rocks. But in the way of all things with Fazbear Entertainment, the acquisition of this animatronic was very confidential. Several none disclosure agreements were signed, and the whole thing was very shady. None of this mattered to me, of course. I was more worried about my new role in life. Well, it was life in a sense. I had finally woken up after 5 years to find myself strapped to a chair in parts and services, having been turned into an animatronic.

Lost in the Dark:

Working third shift for security wasn’t so bad. I spent the first few hours patrolling the halls of the upper floors, that being what I had been assigned. Then I would spend the rest of the night at the security desk in the daycare, cameras pulled up on the computer screens and keeping an eye on the ‘crazy’ animatronics that inhabited that colourful playground. 6 months of working night shift in the daycare, and I am unfortunate enough to have developed feelings for two clueless robots.

Bad Day:

I stopped with my hand on the door. I had come all this way on my day off and now I wasn't brave enough to push the doors open. Today had been a hard one. A nightmare the night before and some rough conversations had made my insides feel all squishy and tender. All I really wanted to do was lay on the floor and cry but something had brought me here, to the daycare.

Taking Time:

They needed a robotics expert and I needed a job. I had been between jobs. I had actually just been let go from my last job and was frantically looking for a new one when I had received an email from Faz Bear entertainment. They were looking for a robotics expert to run their parts and services lab. The pay was phenomenal but I would be the only one working in the lab and would be expected to keep the staff bots, animatronics, arcade games and all the automated systems in working order. I didn’t even hesitate a moment before I sent them a reply and agreed to an interview for the following day. Great pay and an entire lab to myself? Yes please.

Why is it Spicy?:

okay so... this is an AU of my Unpleasant Nightmare fic. I started this as a joke for myself but now we're here. The general idea is the same. Stuck in Security Breach and need to find a way out but Sun and Moon are extra flirty and handsy.

Out of Place:

Fosters and Green is an up and coming robotics company and is the talk of every news station in the world. They haven’t even released their first line of robots yet but people are already clambering to get their hands on a robot made from Foster and Green. They plan on releasing a few household bots that will work as cleaning staff or secretaries but they also plan on releasing a line of child care bots. Why hire a nanny when you can have a live-in one you don’t need to pay. My designated number is D-375, I have been dubbed Kate by the technicians who ran all of my quality assurance checks. My dreams of working with a family of my own were quickly dashed. Foster and Green decided that they wanted to place a bot somewhere in the public eye where people could watch it at work and so had partnered with another company who also made robots, though they specialized more in animatronics that were designed for entertainment. The two companies decided to put one Foster and Green’s N-90 models in the daycare center of Fazbear Entertainment’s PizzaPlex to work alongside the child care units that Fazbear Entertainment had created.

Taking Over:

They needed a robotics expert and I needed a job. I had been between jobs. I had actually just been let go from my last job and was frantically looking for a new one when I had received an email from Faz Bear entertainment. They were looking for a robotics expert to run their parts and services lab. The pay was phenomenal but I would be the only one working in the lab and would be expected to keep the staff bots, animatronics, arcade games and all the automated systems in working order. I didn’t even hesitate a moment before I sent them a reply and agreed to an interview for the following day. Great pay and an entire lab to myself? Yes please. I was hired on the spot. This wasn't surprising seeing as I had worked in robotics for most of my life and had some hands-on experience with these kinds of animatronics. The AI units that Faz Bear uses would be new to me but I was sure I could figure out the new tech quickly enough.

Unpleasant Nightmare:

My best friend talked me into coming with her as moral support to her little brother's birthday party. I hadn't wanted to go to that stupid birthday party to begin with and now I'm trapped in a computer game, a horror computer game that might kill me. I thought at the time that it was ironic that a kid named Greg had gone missing in a Chuck-e-Cheese of all places but this is taking things much too far.

Some of these won't be finished and some are OLD writing of mine. you have been warned. Please don't let that stop you from reading these and enjoying them <3