#...this is probably going to be a lot nicer than my editing is if that's any indication

[ms-demeanor]

I apologize, do you know anything about "rugged" laptops? I'm an ADHD college student who has a lot of difficulty with spacial awareness and stuff so I have trouble with delicate laptops that break if you set them down too hard and I'd like something that can handle basic coding requirements (R studio, Jupiter Notebook, etc), and preferably can stream video for classes as well, though that's less of a requirement. I emergency ordered a cheap lower-spec used rugged laptop from eBay because my laptop isn't working, but I was wondering if a.) you think the whole thing is a gimmick and there's an easier way to get what I need and b.) if it's not a gimmick which ones actually do what they need to. Thanks!

Rugged/Ruggedized laptops are absolutely not a scam, they are incredible, it's just that the ones that are actually rugged are incredibly expensive.

I have a small collection of used Panasonic Toughbooks that are absolutely positively not functional as modern computers but work great for slowly connecting to the internet and running a word processor or programming radios. They are literally used lineman's computers and are supposed to be able to survive falling off a telephone pole. They're dustproof, so they're great to use in the desert. If I tried to edit raw image files on them they would go on strike. I'm pretty sure I could use one as a hammer.

You CAN get used or refurbished ruggedized laptops that are useable; here's a site that sells them. BUT. BUT. You're still going to be paying a high price for computers that are slower and more limited than a cheaper, more delicate computer.

So basically you're combining two separate needs here and they're not playing together great. A rugged laptop can be a great thing to have if you're the kind of person who drops your phone ten times a day (me!) But it's going to be slower and more cumbersome than a lot of what is on the market and it's going to cost a lot.

Honestly in your situation I'd probably focus on getting better performance specs out of a thinner, cheaper, lighter laptop and maybe maximize performance at the lowest price possible if you know you're a laptop destroyer (there's a reason my phones are always whatever's cheapest and in a protective case; I drop them so frequently and so creatively that I can't afford to have nicer phones).

Either that or throw power into a desktop and get a chromebook or something similarly cheap to carry around campus and have your real working computer live on a flat surface that never moves.

If you're trying to find a middle ground, business-class computers can take a bit more abuse than the flimsiest cheapie student computers because they're meant to last and are expected to move around. ThinkPads are my fallback rec for a bunch of reasons, and "sturdiness" is one of those reasons, but a business desktop is not going to tolerate being dropped. So it depends on what level of sturdy you need.

From an ADHD management perspective, you might want to consider your habits around how/where the computer gets moved; don't put it in a backpack if you're likely to drop your backpack on the ground when you get to class. Don't put it on the arm of a chair if you'll forget and knock it off the chair. Don't put it on your bed if you'll forget and sit on it. Make very specific landing spaces and very specific rules for how it gets moved and where it can go (my laptop can only go in one specific backpack and only if it's totally turned off; my laptop cannot be moved when open, i need to shut it before I carry it someplace; my laptop is not allowed on the bed or the center of the couch, it is only allowed on my desk or on the arm of the couch; I tend to set my laptop down hard so I don't set it down on my desk, it gets set on a stand. Etc, etc, etc)

Hopefully that's at least somewhat helpful. I wish that real rugged computers were more affordable and had better performance specs; if you can find one that will perform to your needs and you can function with linux, you may be able to get a toughbook or something like that for under a thousand dollars but you'll sacrifice processing power to get one that old. Good luck, I'm sorry!

[ghost-proofbaby]

a simple life (e.m.)

summary: you try to clean your depression room while eddie's over, but he keeps distracting you.

warnings: none except mentions of a dirty room and panties. also... a lot of nicknames. womp womp. not edited.

pairing: eddie munson x gn!reader

wc: 1.4k+

a/n: just a little sweet something i wrote thinkin' about eddie while i took on the task of finally cleaning my depression room after a few months of putting it off. idk. this is boring. i'm sorry.

“Where did you even get this postcard?”

“Eddie.”

“Or what about this choker? Is that a bat? It’s a- oh my God, babe. Why don’t you ever wear this? This is hot.”

Originally, you had thought it was a good idea. Invite Eddie over, allow the body-doubling tactic to work its magic, and voila – you’d finally have the clean room you’d been talking about achieving for weeks now, within a few hours. 

“Baby,” you scold, trying to reach across the bed to snatch the necklace he’d found out of his hands. It proves to be difficult, a small pile of laundry you’d been folding hindering you. 

“Sweetheart,” he mimics right back, quick to hold the necklace out of your reach, as if you were anyone near from stealing it back from him. 

“I asked you to come over to help me, not distract me,” you sigh, crossing your arms and trying to look as pitiful as possible. When you’d first invited him over, you’d assured him that he needn’t lift a single finger. You didn’t want him here to help by aiding in throwing away any of the trash that had begun to litter your desk or taking any dirty plates to the kitchen. No, the intention had been him helping with his mere presence – quiet presence. He was supposed to be working on a new campaign for Hellfire, not being so damn nosey and going through the few items you’d tossed onto the bed from the floor, “I just recently bought that necklace, I haven’t had a chance to wear it.”

His eyes light up mischievously, a small grin tugging at his lips, “Why not wear it now, then? Perfect opportunity, yeah?” 

“I’m not fulfilling any slutty maid fantasies you have, Eddie.” 

“What if I say please?” 

You huff and decide to give up the fight about the necklace, returning back to the laundry before you. You were almost done. You were almost done after a full day of cleaning. If your adorably curious boyfriend would just stop picking at your belongings, you’d probably be able to finish within the hour. 

He stands from the small space on your bed he had made for himself, a nest of sorts that he had taken from simply curling up into for a ‘nap’ (which never happened’ to sitting up as he had just been as he clearly grew more bored with each passing moment. “Want some help with folding?” 

“You just want an excuse to get your grubby hands on my underwear,” you grumble, folding a shirt with slightly more vigor to emphasize your point.

You’re right, of course. The first article of clothing he grabs is a pair of lacy black panties. 

“Guilty,” he coos jokingly, but to your surprise, he actually folds the lingerie. Neatly, at that. With careful hands, he folds it even nicer than you would have in your haste, going as far as walking to your dresser and putting it away into the correct drawer. And then, he takes it a step further, and begins to put away the other clothing you’d already neatly wrapped up, suddenly depleting the mountain of laundry by half, “You know, I don’t mind helping you clean.”

“I already told you, you’re helping by bein-” you start to protest, hands grabbing at a random jean leg but not quite yanking it from the pile. 

He’s quick to interrupt you, taking that pair of jeans right from you, “I don’t want to just lay there while you do all the work, contrary to all the sources that say men enjoy that.”

His face isn’t quite as taunting as it had been moments before. Some of the joking has vanished, replaced by something more serious yet somehow softer. The jeans are slung over his arms, neatly halved twice before he sets them to the side and looks at you. 

Your shame is palpable, though. You’d just gotten over the embarrassment of having him over when your room would get this filthy. Disastrous in the worst of ways. Dirty clothes strewn everywhere, plates left for days on any surface you could find in your laziness, coke cans and random trash littering the floor. It was embarrassing. You know he had promised to love you through the good and the ugly, but this was far uglier than he could have ever imagined signing up for. 

It was bad enough to have him see it, let alone clean it. 

“It’s embarrassing,” you finally say quietly. His head tilts, so adorable it tugs at all your heart strings, and you take it as your queue to continue in a near whisper, “It’s gross - I’m gross.” 

“Sweetheart, have you even seen my room?” he scoffs. He’s quick to shove some of the clean clothes up into a pile just enough that he can take a seat at the corner of your bed, quickly reaching out to grab your hands and guide you between his spread legs, “Shit happens. Life gets stressful, work gets busy, sometimes we just don’t feel like cleaning up. Shit happens,” his thumb is sweeping soothingly over your knuckles, clearing the impending storm you hadn’t even been aware of. Maybe he hadn’t either – a naturally caring and comforting aura has always been his thing rather than yours, “Out of everyone in this world, I am the least qualified to judge you.” 

You don’t really understand it. How he can sit there, looking up at you so dreamily when the two of you are situated in the middle of your still unkempt room, your neck still chilled with a layer of sweat and your hair tumbling out of the bun you hadn’t properly secured. But he is. He’s looking at you not as if he doesn’t see the mess, both of the room and of yourself, but as if he does and simply doesn’t care. 

“Besides,” his lips are splitting with another grin, his hands squeezing your hands three times, “It’s kind of domestic. ‘M kind of into it.” 

“Me? Doing laundry?” you snort, blinking away any fears that had crept up. It’s hard to feel inadequate with his eyes on you, spilling so many sweet nothings like it’s just another casual Tuesday conversation and not the fuel to your beating heart, “Didn’t you just say you don’t want to just sit and-”

“Us,” he cuts you off in correction, “Us doing laundry.”

“You… like the thought of doing laundry with me?” you say slowly, carefully, unsure of the words as they fall from your lips. 

Doing laundry sounded like the least romantic thing the two of you could ever partake in. 

“I like the thought of doing laundry with you,” he repeats with a nod, “I like the thought of doing laundry with you, of doing dishes together after we just made the world's most mediocre dinner ever, of you complaining when I won’t get up so you can make the bed on the weekend,” he tugs you even closer. You have no choice but to let a knee fall to each side of his hips, straddling his lap as he wraps his arms around you and he leans forward to press a chaste kiss to one of your collar bones, “Call me cheesy. I like the thought of a simple life, but only if it’s with you.” 

Something warms inside of you. The thought of a life of simplicity, of lazy mornings and boring afternoons, all brightened up by the boy in front of you. A boy who creates magical worlds with his words on a weekly basis, a boy obsessed with fantasy novels and all things adventurous, who wants his greatest life adventure to just be a mundane lifetime with you. 

You can imagine it would be anything but mundane with Eddie, but the tranquility still exists and blankets the two of you. 

You lift a hand, carding it through his scalp, careful not to let your fingers snag on his messy curls, “Does this mean you’ll do your taxes with me next week?” 

With a quick snort, he buries his face into your chest, shaking his head furiously, “Don’t push it, sweetheart.” 

You know he will, though. He’ll help you fold the laundry, he’ll help you wash the dishes, and he’ll certainly sit through the dreadful hours of doing taxes if they’re spent with you. 

A few beats of silence. His arms have wrapped just right so that his warm palm presses into your lower back, the other hand tracing a mindless circle over your shirt a few inches higher. Your breathing matches his, fingers rubbing a matching pattern into his scalp that has him humming periodically.

The laundry will get done eventually, but it can wait. For now, you just want to hold your boy, and let him hold you. 

“It’s a date,” he finally gives in, voice muffled, making you smile widely, “I’ll light candles and everything, sweetheart.”

eddie's taglist: @capricornrisingsstuff @thisisktrying @hideoutside @vol2eddie @corrcdedcoffin @ches-86 @alovesongtheywrote @its-not-rain @feralchaospixie @cheesypuffkins87 @thebook-hobbit @babez-a-licious @eddies-acousticguitar @aysheashea @kellsck @cosmorant @billyhvrgrove-main @micheledawn1975 @eddiesxangel @siriuslysmoking @witchwolflea @tlclick73 @magicalchocolatecheesecake @mizzfizz @nanaminswhore @mikiepeach @ali-r3n @hawkebuckley @alwaysbeenfamous @darkyuffie-blog @vintagehellfire @lilmisssiren @elvendria @loveryanax @stylexrepp @princessstolas @fangirling-4-ever @eddiesguitarskills @babez-a-licious @josephquinnsfreckles

[your-new-favorite-mouse]

Bite me!

Troy tells Lint that she's a vampire. Lint, maybe a little too excitedly, offers a taste of their blood.

edit: this is also on ao3 now

tw/cw for blood

GUYS I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT VAMP!TROY AND FREAKY LINT

A dim light from the ceiling is all there is in the room. Troy’s room. Lint and her hang out in here a lot, since it’s not like his dad is going to bother them. He’s busy working in his office. Even if their sight didn’t make its way over to look at Troy every two seconds, it’d still be too dark to read the words on the page. Troy is watching a top spin on the floor. He’s sitting with his legs crossed, and it looks like he’s got something on his mind. Which is rare for Troy.

Lint didn’t even realize he was staring until Troy spoke up, “Hey man? I think I gotta tell you something, broski. And it’s like, really important.”

Holy steam, is she about to say what Lint thinks he’s going to? Is there finally going to be hope that they might have a chance with Troy Lougferd?

“Yeah, man? What’s up?” Lint replies, although they needed to take a second to compose his thoughts. He hopes their face isn’t too red. Troy isn’t looking at them, it seems like she’s avoiding it, really. He’s fiddling with his hands, clearly nervous.

“So, uh… I’m a vampire. Me and my dad both. Just thought I should tell you, man.” Troy coughs.

Oh. That is not what Lint was expecting. That doesn’t mean he’s disappointed, not at all, if anything they’re just as happy as they would have been if Troy had said that he was into guys. 

Lint wonders what it would feel like for Troy to bite him, and their face is definitely red now. And without thinking, he says, “Oh… That’s awesome man! Do you- do you wanna, like, taste my blood?”

Cog, why did I say that? He’ll think I’m weird! Lint thinks to himself, as if it weren’t already obvious that they’re a strange individual. They’ve been obsessed with Troy for how many years now? And Troy doesn’t mind. It makes him like Lint more, actually.

“Uh- well, broski, that actually sounds- that sounds nice, man. Uh, but like, not in a gay way. You know.” Troy breaks the awkward silence that had filled the room.

She gets up and starts to walk closer to Lint, still sitting in the chair in the corner. Lint feels their heart start to beat faster as he approaches. His hands are shaking from excitement. That really doesn’t help prove his case of ‘not being a freak’, now does it?

Lint’s heart feels like it’s going to explode if it beats much faster than this. Troy’s mouth opens, revealing fangs that were previously not there. Or maybe they were just retracted. Is that how these vampires work? Lint doesn’t care, because this is really happening. This is actually happening and they’re more excited for it than ever.

Troy hesitates for a moment, the tips of his fangs just barely touching Lint’s neck, but in an instant her fangs are digging into their flesh and she begins to drink. It tastes sweet. Troy likes sweet.

And Lint, oh, Lint can’t do anything, and they like it. The second his fangs entered his neck, they felt content. They don’t just like this, he loves this. He can’t imagine a nicer feeling.

Troy’s enjoying the taste of Lint’s blood. Maybe a bit too much. She’s lost track of how much he’s taken, and he knows better than to take too much. Dad always says she’s ‘greedy’ with this kind of thing.

And so he pulls away. Lint is pale in the face, but it seems like he enjoyed themself. That’s good. He’ll probably be fine.

Lint is disappointed that it’s over, but they know that they couldn’t let her drink much longer.

Troy’s face is just a shade lighter than his bright red t-shirt, or at least that’s what it feels like. I don’t like Lint, do I? Not like that, right? Troy thinks to herself. He can deal with that later, though. It’s getting late, Lint should probably be leaving soon.

“That was- that was nice, dude! I mean, uh- your blood was, um-” Troy stutters, she never stutters. Why is he stuttering?

“Yeah, man, that was nice. Like, really nice, dude.” Lint talks over the other. Ordinarily, they would never talk over Troy, but nothing about this is ordinary, is it now?

He leads Lint to the front door with a smile on his face, and the second that door closes behind him, the house is silent again. Troy’s mind is all she hears, and all of her thoughts are filled with Lint. He doesn’t know what came over him, but he’d definitely like more of Lint’s blood. Maybe next time, Troy thinks.

[thosearentcrimes]

Read Too Like the Lightning, part of the Terra Ignota series, by Ada Palmer. I generally try to be a lot nicer about books written by living authors, on the off chance that they read what I'm saying. For example, I tried not to be very mean about the Baru Cormorant series, which I thought was pretty bad but had some strong points I could highlight, but I was perfectly willing to go in on Madame Bovary. All I can say is, I tried. You see, Too Like the Lightning is straight up terrible, and it is basically impossible to find anything nice to say about it at all.

Too Like the Lightning is an unbelievably stupid book. Now, I don't require total scientific fidelity from my science fiction, not unless the author signals I should. But I do think authors should be at least broadly aware of what laws they are breaking to get what they want, and Palmer very clearly isn't. Basically everyone has the predictive/prescient powers of Dune characters through mathematical oracles, despite this being provably impossible. Everyone travels in cheap supersonic private jets that probably also have VTOL capability, which are powered by Fucking Magic presumably, the author sure as hell doesn't seem to care. This wouldn't be as annoying if the book didn't spend so much time musing on the deep sociological effects of the FM-powered aircars, while entirely forgetting that evidently both Fucking Magic and oracles apparently exist and should probably affect society in some way also. There's also more minor points. At one point, the first of the aircars is analogized to the Nina and Pinta and Apollo XI, all of which were notable exploration vessels, not technical breakthroughs. The appropriate comparisons would be to something like the Kitty Hawk Flyer or Stephenson's Rocket or some of the Trevithick machines. Sure, it's a minor error, but for a novel this pretentious, all errors are serious. There is no appreciable narrative reason for this error either. If the book were edited, perhaps someone would have noticed.

The ideological and historiographical (more on this later) background is also just kind of dumb. The book is trying to make some tedious liberal points and also say that we need to have very serious discussions about like sexism and racism or whatever. What the content of these discussions is supposed to be is extremely unclear, and as far as I can tell simply the existence of them will basically fix things on its own because discussion is magic and leads to Truth and such, except, of course, when the narrative needs for it not to. Also destroying a book is kind of like killing a person, and other trite garbage. Anyway, where the book actually ends up is in my opinion quite far from the apparent intent, but unfortunately not in a very interesting way. Suffice to say, if I wanted to read kinda racist gender-normative rapey fiction with clockwork twists scattered around, where all the characters are secretly serial killers (notably Mycroft and the Saneer-Weeksbooths) because that makes them edgier or something I guess, I suspect I could still do a whole lot better than Too Like the Lightning, for example by reading self-insert Wattpad romance novels about pop stars, or werewolf erotica, or self-insert Wattpad erotica about werewolf pop stars. The incest is boring as hell and cowardly, too. It's a book that's trying to shock you, but the author doesn't know how to actually do that because, again, just not very good at writing at all. It doesn't help that the pacing is so horrible that none of the shocking twists actually land, especially since absolutely nothing keeps actually happening. Sure, Too Like the Lightning is the way it is for a reason, but so is the werewolf erotica, and helping other people jack off is a far more noble pursuit than jacking yourself off.

If the book is so stupid, why do a lot of fairly intelligent people seem to like it so much? Well, a lot of those people are Rationalists it seems (or close enough to it), and Rationalists have insanely bad taste in fiction for some reason. Actually Rationalists have insanely bad taste generally speaking but it's especially marked in fiction. And it's obvious why Rationalists would like the book, it treats intelligence as a comic book superpower the way they do, there's group homes and libertarianism and all sorts of other stuff they like. But there's a more fundamental feature that I think a certain kind of nerd loves about Too Like the Lightning. It's the omnipresent didactic tone, just like with Baru Cormorant, though here it's somehow even more obtrusive. Some people evidently like it when the author has a character read an encyclopedia entry for a paragraph or two for no particular reason, or pointedly make and then exhaustively explain a reference. I suspect it's because if they knew the reference, they feel like very clever students who read ahead, and if they didn't know the reference they feel like they are learning. I think it might be a form of high school nostalgia, the nerd version of student athletes unable to move on. Which is normal I suppose, I still think about doing amateur theater after all, but it does seem kind of embarrassing. To me, at least, the didactic tone always feels insulting regardless of if I knew the reference or not.

This insistence on transforming most of the characters into condescending lecture or encyclopedia entry delivery mechanisms understandably has serious consequences for the readability of the novel itself. It is impossible to believe that any of the supposed 10 billion people in the Hives that we barely ever see any actual traces of are actually persons in the eyes of the author or the narrative. Nor are most of the several dozen very important characters we do meet, to be fair. There is a single character, Eureka, who reaches the dizzying heights of "is an actual character" and she barely shows up. Thisbe is the only other one under consideration, but, eh, nah. Everyone else is functionally just a rhetorical device, because outside of the exposition most of the novel is poorly stylized as philosophical dialogue in Enlightenment style.

According to the Author's Note, Palmer sincerely wants to be participating in the Great Conversation. Now, this is a lost cause from the start. You cannot engage in a conversation by just parroting the words of others, and if you don't have any ideas of your own (and it is quite reasonable not to, there are so many people and so few ideas to be had), then a bare minimum would be the ability to rephrase or synthesize them. Now, maybe Palmer can do this, in lectures to students. Or maybe not, I have known instructors like that too (especially in history, lately). All I know is that Too Like the Lightning is no thoughts, all cliches. But if there were original ideas, the framing device would interfere anyway. You fundamentally cannot participate in a conversation while maintaining plausible deniability for everything by hiding behind your fictional characters, as Palmer does with Mycroft. Whenever I object to, well, more or less any feature of the novel, its fans can always say that actually I just haven't been paying enough attention to the unreliability of the narrator. This objection tends to be either false or irrelevant, but it's a pain in the ass to prove, and the only reason it is possible in the first place is that the author is actively refusing to stake out a position to be held to.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's out of cowardice. Palmer seems to have noticed that the tradition of the conte philosophique and the genres that take off of it includes a lot of different styles and narrative devices, and has ultimately decided to use most of them, invariably quite poorly. I've read conte philosophique, and it does not read like conte philosophique, sorry, the writing is all so painfully 21st century. Ironically, the one major device for philosophical stories I can think of that was not used, the travelogue, is the one I think is clearly most appropriate to the sort of worldbuilding-based speculative fiction Palmer is engaging in here, both from a practical and a historical perspective. The eclectic stylistic muddle makes the novel much longer without giving it any additional depth, the styles do not complement each other, and also the author very obviously does not have the skill required to pull any of it off. Authors, unless exceptionally competent, should pick at most one gimmick per work. Might not have helped here, but it's good practice either way.

One of the techniques that gets talked about with regards to the book is the unreliable narrator, probably because the device is referenced in the book right at the start. In fact, contrary to what people insist, it is not really present in the sense I would understand it, of a narrator styled as deliberately deceiving the audience in order to promote his own agenda. Since the narrator of Too Like the Lightning, like basically every other character in the novel, evidently only actually has an agenda or motive as an informed attribute, there is no way for the reader to reason their way to the implied meta-narrative of what "actually happened", because I'm pretty sure that meta-narrative doesn't actually exist. As far as I can tell, the only actual function of the extremely tedious and obtrusive in-universe narrator is to justify telling the exposition in a particular twist-preserving order, which, again, is not what the unreliable narrator is.

The novel really does consist almost exclusively of dry narration and loredumps. Nothing ever happens in this miserable 460 page slog. I really mean this, nothing actually happens and nobody really does anything except flit around irrelevantly at supersonic speeds. A bunch of characters talk to each other, or talk at each other, or read the encyclopedia at each other. But it turns out none of that actually matters, because enough of the characters are basically omniscient (except for all the stuff they can't know otherwise the story falls apart, even though there's no conceivable way they wouldn't know) that there is no appreciable difference between characters talking at each other and thinking at each other, which they also spend way too much time doing. None of the dialogue serves to develop the characters, because, as discussed earlier, there aren't any. None of the dialogue serves to establish the plot or stakes, because the plot gets retconned every other chapter with yet another tedious twist so there's no real point in following the intrigue, which I'm pretty sure consists mostly of plot holes by the end anyway. Worst of all, a consistent pattern in these retcons is that it becomes clearer and clearer that an alarming number of the conversations in this book are actually functionally just a guy talking to himself.

It kind of makes sense that the novel is more or less entirely people talking to each other (well that and poorly done metatextual horseshit) because it turns out the novel endirses a fundamental theory of historical change consisting entirely of people talking to each other, specifically, a variation on Great Man Theory that says change happens because the most important members of the very real and existing natural aristocracy get into a room together in order to figure out what's going to happen next by finding the smartest bestest boy from among them all and all just doing what he says, and then maybe some other stuff that doesn't matter happens after who cares, all of the actual persons have made their decisions. History of ideas people are basically all wacky, but this seems extreme even for them, so I sure hope Palmer isn't actually teaching anything like this. In addition to being based on a variant of it, Too Like the Lightning references and then explains its own reference to Great Man Theory, and naturally has its own Great Man in the narrative itself, the guy talking to himself from the last paragraph, and boy is he unbearable.

The guy in question, Y.U.D.D. MASON, is genuinely in the running for the most insufferable character ever written. I wouldn't mind him being written like a particularly annoying teenager with delusions of grandeur who has evidently somehow read both far too much and far too little philosophy so much if the novel did not take every single opportunity to make it absolutely unquestionable that this horrid little git is in fact an unparalleled superhuman intellect omniscient oracle capable of outright mind control through speech alone. And no, that's not a unreliable narrator thing. My understanding is that somehow this gets much worse over the course of the rest of the books, which I will not read because frankly 460 pages was an unreasonable test of my patience and commitment to reviewing everything I read and finishing everything I review. Apparently at the end he starts a civil war and becomes God-Emperor of Humanity or whatever, who even cares.

Look, a persistent obsession with Mars, nonsensical car-based revolutionizing of transportation, references to De Sade, excessive confidence in mathematical oracles, these are not the preoccupations of a serious thinker, these are the preoccupations of Elon Musk. Musk really is a convenient example of the sort of Great Man that actually exists by contrast to the ones you get in fiction and in Carlyle. Richest man on the planet, widely acknowledged power behind the throne of the most powerful state out there, owner of what was once (you know, before he bought it) regarded as the online public square, AI magnate, rocketman, surely here we have the Great Man of our time? Except, wait, we know him. We know him from his irrepressible habit of Posting, his now decades of pathetic self-promotion, his desperate need to turn himself into a living meme to get the attention he never got from his father, and which he in turn will not give to his two dozen kids. He is a massive loser whose aesthetic interests consist of the most accessible symbols of coolness and futurism that he can find, up to and including the glyph 'X' and memes that got old over a decade ago. What does it say about Too Like the Lightning that half of its aesthetic language is not only shared with this fucking loser, but is even projected out to the 26th century? Nothing good, that's for sure.

It is my opinion that novels should be edited. Unfortunately publishers do not seem to agree. Editing could never have made this book good, but it might at least have informed the publishers of the scale of mistake they were in the course of making. This novel was a lost cause the moment it was accepted for publication, which happened by a mechanism I am still quite unable to explain. The Author's Note does contain a very helpful list of the extraordinarily many collaborators allegedly responsible, of whom I would pick out for particular discredit the editorial decision-makers and the peers who apparently encouraged the creation of the work. That this book was written was a mistake, that it was published was a travesty, that it got sequels is an absurdity. The existence of Too Like the Lightning is an enormous embarrassment to the entire genre of Science Fiction, whose reputation was frankly already quite bad for very good reasons. Anyway, I'm never going to read Worm that's for damn sure.

This novel made me afraid to write my own intended stories, for fear that they will end up like this. Ordinarily, this is where I mention what kinds of person might enjoy the novel, recommend it to someone even if I did not like it myself. Frankly, I think I have provided enough information for people to figure out whether or not they would like it, but I have to confess that I do not think anyone should read this book, including the ones who would enjoy it. It's not for moral reasons or anything, I just think the book is that bad.

[vrystalius]

Can you do Shinjuro and Reader trick or treating? Just the image of Shinjuro in a costume is funny. You can pick the costumes.

Trick or Treating with Shinjuro.

Senjuro fell sick back home but insisted that you two should go Trick or Treating for him! You picked out the perfect costume for him: a cat!

Pairing: Shinjuro x gn!reader

He didn’t agree to this, being dressed up as a cat. Or at least you told him he’s supposed to be a cat, but after you assaulted the red strands of hair on top of his head with deathly amount of hairspray, those poor hairs are now shaped into cat ears. You said they looked adorable, Shinjuro thinks it will take hours to take it all out again. Besides, he looks ridiculous. But as long as it keeps you happy… once you got the flimsy DIY cat-tail out that was once a pillow case, he was done. Nope, no, nope, never. You are not attaching that to his pants, over his dead body. And put away that god damn make up, he doesn’t need whiskers and a painted on nose!!

It wasn’t so bad after going outside. Shinjuro didn’t feel as humiliated and embarrassed of himself after seeing the stupid looking costumes of kids and adults alike— he remembers how Senjuro and Kyojuro once dressed up as each ghosts, stealing Ruka’s sheets and poking holes through them. They scared the living shit out of him after hiding behind a corner and jumping out in front of him. Shinjuro let you go up front while walking up to houses, you’re much nicer looking and will probably score more candy than the neighbourhood drunk cosplaying an innocent kitty.

At the end of the night, you two dumped your full buckets of candy in front of Senjuro, who excitedly picked out Kyojuro’s and his favourites. He wanted to give his big brother lots of candy after he returns from his mission, perhaps they could share a pile while they talk! While the boy talked and inspected some chocolates, Shinjuro sneakily snatched some of his own favourite candy himself, stuffing them into the sleeves of his yukata. He deserves a little reward for letting himself be used as a dress up doll.

It’s so nice to be working on requests again! Also, my tamogotchi managed to defeat Kyogai and Enmu! I’m so proud.

Anyways, make sure to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK enough!!

Take care of yourselves <3

Here’s the Trick or Treat event! 🎃

Here’s my event masterlist! 🎃

Also, here’s the imagine of Shinjuro I had in my head (my editing skills aren’t the best)

[notbillyshears]

Ponyboy Curtis General Headcanons

Alrighty! Glad so many of you like the Dallas headcanons! Darry is next after Ponyboy then I will probably do another vote :)

Warnings: Spoilers for the book

I did literal scientific research just to figure out some of this stuff :,) I didn't have to but I still did

He is always thinking of the worst case scenario. Not always, but if he’s left alone long enough he’s decided that Darry got hit with a meteor and Soda probably drowned in motor oil. 

He was really gullible as a young kid, like one time Dally convinced him that he (Dally) was a vampire. But then he debunks what he learns pretty quickly. “I’ve never seen you drink blood, you don’t really have “fangs”, and you really like garlic bread!” “OK kid, ya got me.”

For being so young, he hurts his neck and back a lot. He sleeps a little weird, BAM neck pain! He sits upside down, POW his back aches. He sleeps in a soldier position and doesn’t move unless Soda moves him. He also always needs support for his back, usually sitting with his back to the wall or laying down. (Same though)

As we know, this little man smokes a lot more than just about everyone in the gang combined. Which is already extremely worrying on its own, but also really surprising that he manages to be a good track runner. I might ask some of my track runner friends later for info on how they breathe when running. But let’s just say he really enjoys running but also manages to end up wheezing at the end of every practice. He has to take like a 30 minute break after practice just to breathe normally. The coach just assumes he has asthma and probably hints that he needs to get checked out. 

To add a little more to the whole track runner thing, he doesn’t say track AND FIELD. Which means he is doing the track portion and therefore a whole lot of running. I’m still researching the science behind it on what type of running he could manage though. Long distance takes shorter breaths through your nose and enhances your stamina. Sprinters run for shorter amounts of time and need deeper breathing at a quick pace. So he would most likely be a long distance runner. *EDIT* I checked with my track runner friends, I'm correct he would be a long distance runner

Ponyboy is (most likely) left-handed in the movie. And I’m going to take that and run with it. Most items with handles are made for right-handed people. So I feel like Darry or Soda have several times heard a BANG and a small ow afterwards, walked into the kitchen and Pony has once again hit himself in the head with the fridge door. Scissors are also hard to use for him. He never liked arts and crafts.

He had imaginary friends as a kid. An entire cast of them to be exact. A part of him wanted more friends that weren’t just his brothers’ friends. He wanted to be less of a little brother and more of an equal if you know what I mean. He still has those feelings nowadays but he is more thankful for the gang.

He does have some friends at school but he’s more of the “third friend” than anything. So he spends a lot of time at school doing work, reading, or staring into space. The track guys and him are good company to each other but don’t really hang out at any other times. But Pony appreciates them nonetheless.

He writes a lot of notes in the most random places. Like random ideas he gets he just grabs a piece of napkin and scribbles it down. But then it gets left behind and taken out of context. Like Darry once found a piece of paper on a kitchen chair that just said “The ceiling tile shatters and hits him.” 

He has a really contagious smile. Like he starts grinning the rest of the gang can't help but start smiling too.

After Johnny and Dally’s death, he started to see people in more of a gray scale instead of just black and white. He realized there is more to a person than meets the eye. He can still be a little hater but he is a bit nicer about people. 

Him and Cherry started running into each other every so often and will ramble about the most random things, then just walk away like they didn’t just say some analogy between books and people.

He would eventually become a writer of books and own a library. He ends up offering free reading and writing classes for the kids like Dally and Johnny who never had/have the chance to finish school. He calls it “The C&W Program '' saying it stands for Creation and Wisdom program if you ask but the real name is Cade&Winston.

He still goes swimming even after the incident but he doesn’t ever go underwater. 

His favorite books that he constantly rereads are Great Expectations, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Pickwick Papers. But he also just likes most books.

(The girl he mentions at the beginning that called him a hood) I feel like she was a middle class teen similar in age to Pony named Esther. She hangs out with the soc girls more. She actually felt bad about calling him a hood since it just kind of rolled out of her mouth and apologized later on. It greatly surprised Pony and they ended up becoming really good friends. (Possibly starting a relationship later but that is up to you)

He never stops smoking all the way but after a wake-up call from the gang he starts smoking a lot less.

He learned how to read before he even started school. He just loved it and all of the worlds that are created through writing. The funny thing is, no one can figure out who taught him in the first place! Mr. and Mrs. Curtis just guessed he got a hold of some of Darry’s books or something. But Soda was actually the one to teach him. Soda is not in any way an extremely good student. But he is good at explaining things. So a really young Pony saw him reading the comics and asked how he knew what it was saying. Soda taught him the basic words in the comics and Pony went off and grabbed one of the novels from the family’s shelves. He then proceeded to teach himself how to sound each word out and then ask Soda what it meant. Soda was really happy when Pony got a hang of it very quickly. After a couple years, Darry noticed some notes in his books and took a close look at what it was saying. They were annotations IN CURSIVE. He didn’t write them, Soda never picks up bigger books, and their parents have their own books. Eventually Darry caught Pony doing it and was like “WHAT THE HECK??? YOU’RE A LITERAL 3RD GRADER???” 

One time he had to do a presentation in 5th grade about the life of a famous person important to them. People got extra credit if they dressed up like their person and he was extremely embarrassed because he was the only one to do so. He dressed up as Paul Newman. (This legit happened to me though, it was so cringey)

He has naturally wavy hair but he uses so much grease it looks stick straight. It’s also so greased that his hair is actually shiny.

Him and Steve start getting closer post canon as Pony gets older. Mainly because Steve sees him less as an annoyance and the gang is overall a lot closer together. 

If Johnny had survived ( I have a whole explanation that I will share later) Pony would help him out all the time. Johnny may be wheel-chair bound but Pony includes him in whatever he can. He is always there for Johnny since Johnny ends up with so many problems. (Johnny would probably be adopted by a couple who lost their child and have the dedication to take care of him) With spinal cord injuries usually comes respiratory issues, pressure sores, etc. He would help Johnny through the 5 stages of grief (many people who lose limbs or lose an ability do this) and help him set up a routine on how to get through everyday things.

He ends up being a middle ground between Sodapop and Darry when he grows up. Like height and build wise.

[xannador]

Thank you!

A big thank you to everyone who got a copy of Mostly (h)Armless! I think that for an obscure little fancomic it did really well! About 30 copies have gone where none can ever take them away again. I've also finally received my own version and I am happy about the quality.

I've now unpublished it but turns out you can never entirely take a book off the store once published. You can't edit it to be something else either. (which is what I had hoped to do, I have a bunch of unpublished original comics lying around). So it's just kinda going to sit there for all eternity, unavailable for sale. I sincerely hope it won't give me problems later on.

Anyway, if anyone is curious about one day printing their own comics, here are a few things I have noticed that I will definitely remember for my future printing endeavors:

Most glow and blending effects like Lighten, Color dodge, Hard Light, Linear dodge (add), etc don't look that nice in print despite looking awesome in digital.

Make your line art thick enough.

soft shading looks bad, cell shading looks good. (But it's better to fully fill shapes with a contrasting color rather than doing fancy lighting.)

Consider shading in black rather than color. (optional)

Details and soft lines are usually lost and a waste of time (Mostly in case of a colored book. Black and white may be different)

Keep panels spaced far enough apart.

Draw big panels. Small panels aren't as nice to look at and the eyes are naturally drawn to the larger panels.

Gradients don't look very nice either. Unless they have a light color.

Vintage comic textures and effects actually looks nicer in print than digital (which surprised me).

In dark scenes, rim lights are essential to make the character pop out. M(h)A would've looked like ass if I hadn't added those.

Stay away from the borders of your page, especially the left and right ones. Not just for the text but for the drawings too.

Keep track of which side of your page will be closest to the spine, keep a distance from that side especially. Because your book will be folded and part of the page will be hidden (the thicker your book, the more will be lost).

fancy panel compositions are cooler in digital...

contrast contrast contrast...

Don't be afraid to use pure black a lot.

Don't be afraid to use white a lot.

The 3D shake effect is also not that cool on print. But looks gorgeous on digital.

To myself… keep the font size consistent…

If text is outside a text bubble, it should have a high contrast stroke

Text should always be high contrast in general.

Motion blur is really cool in digital but not so much on print.

Keep black silhouettes black, avoid adding any kind of subtle glow or texture.

Text bubbles can have color but they should be light (again high contrast) watch out for saturated green or blue or red. Test in greyscale. Contrast should be more than 70%.

Line art should not be colored. Keep it black for print.

Hard borders are better than soft borders. On everything.

white panel borders are better than black panel borders.

But white borders with a black stroke are probably the best (cause more contrast).

Again light colors are better than dark colors. To do dark scenes it might be better to just use black and contrast with a lighter color.

Line art perfection is not that interesting, especially in regards to hard surface shapes like robots. (Might be personal taste though. I enjoyed looking at robots with messier line art more than those where I did perfect brush strokes.)

Beware dark blue and purple...

Compositions and colors of both the left and right page should always fit together. I think I did that pretty well here at least.

If possible make your total amount of comic pages devisable by 4. (so 24 pages total, or 28, or 96, you get the idea) not including the cover and back. Or else add a little extra drawing to fill the remaining pages.

I think that's about everything I can see based on my own print. I'm sure that a fair few of the things that I found looking worse in print than digital could be resolved by just being... better at converting your files. There's the whole CMYK color mode thing but in my personal experience that has been such a pain to work with, and each time my prints looked worse attempting to convert the file rather than had I just left it in RBG and let the printer do the guessing work for me.

So if you're like me and you're hopeless at this technical mumbo jumbo printing stuff, I think just avoiding the things I mentioned while drawing should get you well under way to having a nice print. The most important thing to remember is that digital and physical media are two entirely different beasts and if you are interested in getting your comics printed it's easier to adapt your workflow to that from the start rather than going back and altering. A lot of the mistakes I made here are rookie ones and I should have known better. But it's very easy to get lost in the process once you've started. I hope to improve my next print significantly. Once I can make RBG look good, I might try CMYK again.... Maybe. Potentially. No.

Hope these tips can be of service to somebody. They'll be a useful archive for myself in any case. If anyone wants me to elaborate more on a specific point, I'm happy to explain.

[luke-hughes43]

the gift that keeps on giving | luke hughes x stella zegras | insta edit

my final HHH fic and it's for my precious babies.

enjoy!

also, there is heavily implied smut in this but nothing explicit bc i don't know how to write smut. and this is probably the cheekiest thing i've ever written...

~

the devils had a home game for their final game before the holiday break. having moved in together, luke and stella were really looking forward to the holidays together.

they've spent a lot of holidays together in their 4 1/2 years of dating but this year is definitely more special because it's their first one in their first apartment together.

they decided against going home to michigan or to stella's parents in order to be together. which both of their families were ok with. stella's siblings are coming down on christmas but other than that they'll be alone for the holidays which sounds sad but it's truly what they want.

stella sends luke a text during the third period: do not bring jack to the apartment. you're getting your first christmas present when you get home. i'm proud of your game today and i love you. hurry home soon❤️

after sending the text, stella got changed into a new lingerie set that she bought just for luke and for christmas. it's bright red and highlights all of her best features and luke's favorite features.

she sits patiently on their bed waiting for luke to get home. growing bored in the waiting, she pulls out her portable polaroid camera and snaps some spicy pictures for luke.

but she hides them and saves them for later.

luke finally gets home to stella sitting and waiting patiently for him on their bed, in the arguably the sexiest thing he's ever seen on her. he stumbles over his words, "sweet girl, what's this?"

"an early christmas present! do you like it?" stella says smiling sweetly at him. he nods very quickly and swallows hard. he says under his breath, "fuck."

he quickly sheds his game day suit and approaches their bed. his voice drops lower as he says, "fuck you're gorgeous."

"do not fucking rip this luke."

"oh i'll be extra baby. i'm gonna unwrap you like the present you fucking are." he says kissing her to get his point across. she giggles, "you're so fucking cheesy."

"quiet. you've done enough talking for tonight." luke says and stella immediately stops talking and luke goes to work.

~christmas day~

after trevor, griffin, and ava leave, stella changes out of her nicer clothes into the lingerie and luke's shirt before joining him on the couch. straddling his lap and presses kisses all over his lips and jaw and neck. she says sweetly into his ear, "i have a surprise for you."

"yea?"

stella nods and pulls out the polaroids she took a few days earlier. she places them in his hands and studies his face as he carefully looks at each one. he mumbles, "fucking hell."

she giggles and he says, "you're gonna be the death of me aren't you?" she nods in response and pulls his shirt off her body to reveal the red set once again.

luke takes in the sight in front of him and says, "the gift that keeps on giving. you're fucking incredible you know that?"

"i've been told." stella says kissing his cheek and winks.

luke grips her hips and stands to carry her back to their bedroom. he kisses her and says, "well the night is young, i have a few ideas to kill the time. what do you think?"

"why don't you show me what you mean?" stella says flirty.

luke chuckles, "oh i plan to sweet girl. you on the naughty list this year?"

"i don't know, am i?" she says trying to rile luke up. he laughs again and kisses him. he says, "i'll be the judge of that." before dropping her onto their bed and undressing her carefully.

he did show her exactly how he felt about that red lingerie set with the accompanying pictures.

~

stellazegras_

📍Hoboken, New Jersey

liked by lhughes_06, trevorzegras, and others.

stellazegras_ a christmas to remember🎄❤️

Tagged: lhughes_06

Comments:

lhughes_06 merry christmas sweet girl❤️

stellazegras_ merry christmas lukey❤️ lhughes_06 next time, leave that last pic just for us pls? stellazegras_ but that's no fun☹️

trevorzegras MY EYES!🤬🤮

stellazegras_ grow up🙄

griffinzegras jesus stella😞😳

stellazegras_ hehe oops🤭

avazegras shit your pretty🤩🤍

stellazegras_ thats you sista🤍

jackhughes i'm deleting instagram🤮😳

stellazegras_ no complains here😁

_quinnhughes pls put clothes on😑

stellazegras_ eh, clothes are overrated🤪🤷🏻‍♀️ _quinnhughes no they are not.🤦🏻‍♂️

bellamurphy hot shit baby girl🥵

stellazegras_ hehe luke enjoyed it😉 bellamurphy i'm sure he did😝

averyjohnson_ hot tamale mom😍😇

stellazegras_ i try aves😜

[gamerbearmira]

Cryptid madrigals au-

I forgot to add, whether you get a gift or not, you're going to have some kind of ability no matter what, thanks to Alma's genetics.

So, what I've heard about the moth man, he can swipe people off their feet as he flies into the darkness.

Therefore, Mirabel is strong enough to lift people up without an issue while flying. She's not as strong as Luisa, but she can lift people up if need be. Only two at a time of course, maybe three if she's pushing it.

She's also really fast when it comes to flying. So, there's no point in running if you piss her off.

Mothman is described as being a human-bird hybrid larger than a normal man. So, Mirabel is taller than people her age without the amulet.

Canon Mirabel is 5'2, so in this au, without the amulet she's probably reaches her abuela's shoulders or a few inches above them.

Proximity to the Mothman causes confusion, extreme fear, and psychological distress that can last months and lead to death or insanity.

Mirabel can do that too but only with intent and so far, she hasn't been given a reason to kill anyone. She only needs to cause confusion, extreme fear, and phycological distress to villagers who need a humbling lesson. (I'm sure she probably gets this trait from Alma tho)

There's a movie called "Bodysnatchers" and basically these aliens take over people's bodies, and if these aliens know you aren't one of them, they'll point at you and scream.

Seeing as Dolores is a banshee, I can imagine her doing that. And from what I've read,

"Banshee, (“woman of the fairies”) supernatural being in Irish and other Celtic folklore who's mournful “keening,” or wailing screaming or lamentation, at night was believed to foretell the death of a member of the family of the person who heard the spirit."

So, give her a reason to scream if you want to, YOU are someone you care about is going to meet the maker in the clouds.

But let's be clear, no madrigal is a killer, if you don't prove as an actual physical threat to them, you'll just get "visits" at night to scare you into being a little nicer.

MORE STUFF YIPEEE❗❗

I'm not surprised that they get abilities. I mean Alma has some, so it's exoected that even without a gift, they have some kind of ability tied to whatever kind of cryptid they are. Her powers are pretty rad though, and you can obviously see where she gets her height from 💀💀

Dolores screaming is so real. I imagined she probably burst a couple ear drums, especially in her younger years when random grown people would just sneak into the house. Homegirl is trying to get sime water and some random dude is in Casita being tortured by Pedro 😭

Night visits, so real <\\33 ALSO. Is Mariano is in this au?? Or like the Guzmán's in general??? And are the cryptids too. Like. I need a reason 🙏🙏 silly idea where there are, albeit very, very few, cryptic families in the Encanto. Again, not many, and they aren't big families either. But they're at the very least known to the Madrigals. Idk, I'm spitballing again 🦀🦀

Dolores and then random drawings. Mirabel can't wear shoes, just ribbons, and Antonio acts a lot like an animal given he's a chimera. I also read that most chimera's breath fire so. Do with that what you will 💀💀 and then Félix, cause why not 🧯

You'll have to pry this damn family tree out of my cold dead hands because I genuinely love editing it to fit other aus. Like any given chance I WILL do it, even if its low effort 🙏

[ahgasegotarmy116]

The Art of Etiquette Part 2 | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: You try to back out on being a debutant so you can stop taking lessons with Mr. Jeon but your mother is going to do everything she can to make you follow through Paring: f!reader x Etiquette instructor Jungkook Word Count: 2k~ Warnings: Like one cuss word but thats about it lol a/n: Let me know how you guys are liking this! I was planning on posting this later but I wanted to see if posting around this time would be better :) p.s. roughly edited lol

"Mom! Mom! Where are you?" I yell as soon as I get home.

"I'm right here so please stop yelling, you know that there is no yelling in this household" she scolds. "Okay, then why did you yell at me when I got a bad grade on my midterm paper?" I throw in her face.

"Watch your tone y/n I am still your mother" she retorts. "Now what is it?" she says quickly turning the conversation back to it's intended course. 

"I can't do this" I say and start making my way to the living room with her soon trailing behind.

"Do what?" she sighs once we've both sat down. "This whole debutante thing, it's not for me" I say hoping it would pacify her but knowing for a fact that would never happen.

"You're doing it!" she says, wanting to end the conversation already. 

"No I'm not!" I argue back "I'm not cut out for this thing. This life of high society and playing nice with strangers, acting like you actually care about what they're saying. I just can't pretend to be someone I'm not" I explain but unfortunately she'll have none of it.

"Did something happen at your lessons today?" she asks, hoping to find the cause of my anxieties.

"Nothing happened" I huff, standing up and making my way to my room.

"Obviously something happened since you always seem to have something to say about everything even at the most inopportune times" she says, obviously exacerbated by the memories.

"Are you talking about the time I added 'Staying Alive' to the set list at grandpa's funeral?" I question chuckling at the memory. 

"See this is exactly why you need those lessons. It's time to grow up, and if you're not ready to do that yet then I'll just have you get a job and start paying your own tuition so you can learn on your own what it means to be an adult" she threatens.

"James said that he would pay for my tuition if I decided I wanted to go back to college. You can't take that away from me!" I argue and stop in my tracks, surprised and upset that she would even stoop that low. 

"Since you still feel the need to whine over small sacrifices such as these then it looks like we should probably start giving you some more responsibilities so you will grow up. Just take the damn lessons y/n, it would really make your father and I happy if we could introduce you to everyone properly" she explains softening her tone towards the end.

"But he-" I start, wanting to tell her what my instructor made me do but we're cut off by the sound of James getting home.

"How are my two lovely ladies doing?" he asks while giving my mother a kiss on her temple.

"Oh we're fine, y/n was just telling me how much she enjoyed her first lesson right?" she says giving me a stern face while James isn't looking, daring me to say otherwise.

"Oh yeah they were great Mr. Jeon seems like a very nice man" I say giving him a half smile, forcing the answer out of myself.

I hate lying to him, especially since he's been nothing but nice to me so far. A lot nicer than my mother that's for sure, so I would hate to mess things up with him. 

"Well that's great news! Especially since he called me just now and asked if you would like to take more lessons with him. It seems like he's taken a special interest in you and wants to really make sure you're set up for success. Would that be something that you would be interested in?" he asks, thankfully leaving the decision up to me but with the glare my mother sends me it seems like from her point of view there's only one obvious answer to this question.

"Whatever you both think would be best is fine by me" I say, doing my very best to sound as genuine as possible even though I'm dying inside. 

"Wonderful! He's asked if we could do three days of etiquette and two days of dancing lessons during the week and on days closer to events we should do dance lessons on the weekend before the event as well. That schedule work out alright for you?" he asks while taking out his phone to no doubt text Matthew to contact Mr. Jeon tomorrow morning so he's prepared for my newly scheduled lessons as well.

"Yes that's fine but where will I be taking my dance lessons?" I question now confused as to why Mr. Jeon would speak to James about them as well. "Oh I didn't tell you? He's your dance instructor as well" James says and leaves to his office to take a phone call. 

"No fucking way am I dancing with that man" I say turning back to my mother once he's out of earshot.

"Did he do something that made you feel uncomfortable?" she asks, just now deciding to finally ask why I didn't want to take the lessons.

"No he's just a dick" I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Really, that's the reason? What did you expect? He's meant to teach you to act like a lady and let's be honest, a nice and sweet approach isn't going to work on you" she says and makes her way to who knows where, to do who knows what.

With how big this house is it could honestly be anything. 

~~~~~~~~

"So is he hot?" Jesse asks, clearly interested in how things went yesterday.

"I mean I guess? He's too rude for me to even begin to pay attention to that" I huff, frustrated at the thought of him alone. "What's his name?" he asks, taking out his phone to look him up.

"I don't remember but his last name is Jeon" I say taking a bite out of my sandwich.

"J-o-h-n?" he questions, confused at the unusual surname. "No J-e-o-n. I'm pretty sure he's Korean" I say and slide over to his side to see what he can dig up on him.

"Jeon Private Etiquette Tutor" he types in and hits enter. "Woah" both of us say, seeing how many articles and pictures of him with actors, CEOs and public figures there are.

"This guy must be loaded" Jesse says, clearly stunned at who he's worked with. "And he's hot! Damn girl you really won if this Jungkook guy wants to see you five times a week" he says and keeps on clicking through everything he can get his hands on.

"And seven days a week when there's some stupid event I have to go to" I groan just thinking about how many hours of my life I'm going to waste with him. 

"He's only 27. I wonder if he's single" Jesse says winking at me. "For me or for you because you can have him" I scoff making him laugh.

"No take backs! Well, unless he's straight. Then you can have him back. No matter how heartbreaking that might be" he says, wiping away fake tears.

"Sorry to break it to you babe but he probably wouldn't go for either of us" I say placing a hand on his shoulder and getting up to leave.

"Hey! Where are you going? We don't start class for another half an hour" he yells after me.

"I gotta go change since he wants me to be 'dressed like a lady' when I come and I won't have time after class" I yell turning to face him as I walk backward for a second.

"Alright, have fun Barbie" he yells as I get further away to which I respond with a shake of my head as I make my way over to my car. 

~~~~

"Acceptable" Jungkook says taking in my form.

"Although the hem is far too short" he says looking down at my legs again before looking back up and making eye contact with me.

"It was all I could find on such short notice" I explain but unfortunately he isn't satisfied with my answer. 

"Excuses will get you no where. You either do it or you don't. I'm sure you could have put a little more effort into finding something more suitable if you had tried. Let's remedy the situation by the next class, shall we?" he finishes off sarcastically before turning his back to me and walking over to the sound system in the corner of the room and I take the chance to stick my tongue out at him in retaliation. 

"You do you realize there are mirrors in this room correct?" he asks, clearly not amused with what he had seen me doing.

"My apologies Mr. Jeon" I settle on, not bothering to give an excuse this time.

"But are you really?" he asks, walking back towards me slowly, his voice an octave lower, catching me off guard. "N-no" I answer truthfully, nervous with the way he stalks towards me with clear displeasure enveloping his entire existence. 

He leans towards me talking directly into my ear, clearly using tactics to show his dominance over the situation.

"Let us be honest with each other then. It would be a waste of both of our time if we were to do otherwise" he say sending shivers down my spine and I hate that it's something I couldn't have controlled even if I wanted to.

"Is that clear?" he asks, his warm breath hitting my neck making my mind feel clouded, leaving me confused on how to respond to him leaving me only being able to nod in response.

"Good" he says leaning back, giving what I had hoped for was a little more room to breathe. "Next time use your words" he says tilting my chin up just as he had done at my last lesson.

"Yes Mr. Jeon" I say quietly, leaving him satisfied with my cooperation and straightening back up to go back to what he had been working on.

'What the fuck was that? What the fuck was that? What THE FUCK was that?' I ask myself over and over and over again. I'm startled out of my circular train of thought when I'm met with what I can assume is some sort of waltz music running through the twin speakers on either side of the wall that the sound system is placed against. 

"I can't dance" I voice out, sticking to my word and answering the question before he bothered to ask.

"I thought as much. Ballroom dancing is a lost art amongst the youth of your generation" he says adjusting a few more things before coming back over to me. 

"You speak of my generation as if it was much younger in comparison to yours" I respond crossing my arms over my chest in defiance.

"Were you perhaps curious enough to inquire about me?" he asks finally turning around to face me, making his way back over as he had done before, having caught me red handed leaving me changing my position, holding my hands together and having them rest against my thighs.

"I had just assumed based off of how youthful you look" I respond, giving him a forced compliment, not wanting to admit to what I had done. Well, really what Jesse had done but again he would see right through me.

"Haven't we agreed to be honest with each other?" he questions reaching his hand out and easily pulling my hands apart. Placing one of mine on his shoulder and the other held in his hand, leaving his free one to rest on my waist. 

"Do as I say and hopefully we'll come out of this without any injuries" he says practically daring me to make a mistake. "But of course" I say and straighten my posture to match, following his lead as best as I can. 

prev / next Series Masterlist

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie @hehurst23 @caro134340lina @ye0nvibezzn @olimpiiaa @hrtsj1m @junecat18 @ellesalazar @babycandy111

Join my Taglist!

Feel free to fill out the form or just comment on any of my fics to be added :)

[starry-sophrosyne]

Started stressing out abt this idea when I read through crashing's and eldette's reblog of my reblog of pen's post (GO READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T BTW /srs HERES THE LINK.) so I'm gonna make this post for my own sake; and yes, even though it was so long ago, it's never left my mind.

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

I'm also gonna put this under a cut, despite my original plan not to, bc I've seen everyone sharing the same ideas about this whole "we might get found out" notion. However, this still is a conception abt/for myself that I sincerely want people to see and understand/to talk abt, even it's not directly related to the "rpf community exposure" itself, so yeah. While this post is definitely unnecessarily long, esp considering how long it's been since the incident that prompted me to write this, I still think it's worth posting; Especially considering the fact that I don't think the "rpf-community-exposure-situation" will get better from here. Either way, thank you guys for understanding and reading. /srs /gen

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

I've been pretty scared to reveal my really negative side within this community just bc of how I try to come off as/get perceived - i.e. the reason I use emoticons - so I haven't ever really fully crashed out in a post like I did previously. Even seeing Eldette's and Crashing's reblogs, they definitely put it a lot nicer than I did, which is fair and also credit to how probably they are irl; It's just that I think I'm very different regarding which parts of myself I expose to others, and you guys in particular, especially regarding my anger. I'm not going to edit that post because I think it's the blunt truth in the most unapologetic way possible, which is truthfully the way I am, but I hope that you guys understand that my negativity in those kinds of posts is not the same personality i have when I go about posting my regular things about the guys n stuff :_)

For that matter, I hope y'all don't see me differently or have a warped/changed view on personality/character. What I mean by this is that I'm hoping you all still like me despite seeing the bad parts of me. However, it's also something that's unavoidable, for people to not like you once they get to know the more uglier sides of you; So I guess what I want you guys to do more than genuinely like me is, that regardless of what y'all think now, you guys are all honest with me and yourself. If you don't wanna see "those" posts of mine bc they're a little extreme for you, but you wanna continue interacting with my other posts, that's fine, please do! I don't plan to post those seriously negative posts frequently at all. However, if you really find yourself really uncomfortable by those posts, esp knowing that I might slip up into that sort of personality in the future, please feel free to block me. I've blocked some pc crit blogs that I really wanted to see certain posts of theirs, but I couldn't stand seeing other posts they made, so I made a decision that was better for the both of us in the end, because I knew it wouldn't be worth it to continue interacting with them if that was how I truly felt. Either way, I won't take it personally if you do the same at all, because the truth is, if you don't like me, you just don't. Nothing I'm gonna do to try and change that, because more often than not, it's something that can't be helped. So uhh.. yeah- :,)

TLDR: If me crashing out in posts like this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to stop interacting; I won't be like that often but I do plan to let my true personality show a little more, hope you all still accept me despite what may be a very unnecessary fear of mine :)

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

This is a side tangent that was written after the initial post was drafted, it's more relevant to clearing up my identity and the differences between me, my personas and my self-inserts in aus. It's too complicated to be TL:DR'ed, however, so read at your own will; it's not as important for ppl to fully understand either as the previous point, but extremely important to me and my definitions. /gen /srs.

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

I've decided to label this alternate emotional state of mine (serious & comes out when talking about stuff regarding the pc rpf community, mainly as a whole/regarding the incidents that have and will continue to happen) as Rosyne, but not in relation to the april fools joke I did as "Rosyne". The personality of that "Rosyne" while blogging is more or less the personality of "Rosyne" as a character, rather than myself or my persona that's changed in regards to my self insert. I know that's all super confusing so let's just clarify:

Starry and Rosyne, by themselves, are just me; both part of my identity. Rosyne is my personality when I’m addressing serious stuff. Starry is my personality when I’m posting about anything else, aka my neutral state, and is (therefore) the name I go by on this blog. Starry and Rosyne, as self inserts, are representations of myself within fics/aus. They might have jobs/roles that are entirely inaccurate regarding my actual jobs/roles (or personal interests) irl, but they only have these in order to fit the narrative. Starry and Rosyne, as self inserts, are also two entirely different individuals, as it makes more sense than one person with two different identities. Either way though, they are supposed* to be genuine representations of myself, through and through. Starry and Rosyne, as general personas, however, are the designs of my identities; They still represent me, only giving me the ability to alter my appearance in a way I can't irl. However and more importantly, they also connect my self-inserts in aus to my identity, as they are the base design/reference for the self-inserts' appearances (which change depending on the au). I do have my general persona designs for both Rosyne and Starry, along with several self-inserts designs for diff fic aus, I just haven't posted them yet.

*This is where I've found this issue of some sorts. You see, I feel as if I've started to turn Starry and Rosyne into actual characters rather than my self-inserts within my writings about aus/fics. Especially Rosyne, although to a reasonable fault, as it's hard to characterize the part of you that only talks abt the actual pc rpf community issues. Either way, the writer side of me has become so obsessed with making them narratively-fleshed out that they don't really feel like direct representations of myself anymore; They feel more like ocs whose experiences & preferences are heavily influenced by the ones I have irl, and whose names are related to me, but they're unrealistic to what a direct 1-1 self insert/representation of myself would be.

I still plan to write about them, especially in regards to this post, but not only are "the-things-they've-experienced" not accurate to the things I've actually experienced irl, but they are also a bit more dramatized in general just for the sake of narrative/creative writing. Not to say that"the-things-they've-experienced" aren't influenced by my own personal experiences, of course. After all, aren't all of our ocs reflections of ourselves/our irl journeys/stories? Just expect me to continue anxiety tagging "dont-take-this-too-seriously!-(´ ᗣ ` )՞" in all my upcoming posts/drabbles about my TTOS "personas"-

[catsacrossthemultiverse]

I made this sideblog to share my art and then. didn't use it. so im doing that now!!

my friends and I have an ongoing trend of taking games that i'm interested in and fusing our OCs with the cast of characters, trying to make the lore align in a way where both stories get to show through!! I think it's both fun and great for thinking. And I get to draw all my silly critters in situations!!! And new outfits, and behaviors, with new story!! and references to things I like!!!

So.. here's a few of the things I drew!! Current hyperfixation game is In Stars and Time!! We decided to call the AU "In Claws and Time" because most of the characters are silly fluffy critters instead of humans!!! I'll explain a little bit about the characters and why I made the changes I did too :3 SPOILERS FOR IN STARS AND TIME WARNING!!! This includes twohats!! I don't remember exactly which acts have what lore, but just to be safe, if you're avoiding spoilers and haven't played the game all the way through, don't read!!

We've got our Loop design!! They're a little bit less energetic than Loop in the actual game, smoother lines n slightly less exaggeration, because Scribble (who's taking Siffrin's role) has a lot less energy in general. Still keeps the fun sarcasm charm, but with less of an "OMG!! Helloooo~~ Hi Stardust!!" way. More laidback I suppose. Sorry if i'm no good at explaining!! ^^'

Speaking of Scribble, here's the actual design for Scribble themself!! The king would call them Dark one instead of Bright one, because their species has a lot more focus on being darkly colored (I will probably elaborate on that more in the future, but Scribble and a couple of other characters are actually part of an original species I made up, my friends called them the Paradoxes and it stuck!!! I wrapped the Paradoxes into the lore of the Island and stuff, species rules and traits have been edited to mesh with ISaT lore better, and have nicer designs for style purposes. If you're curious about them, please ask!!! I love talking about these guys).

We also have replacements for the Change God!!! The original story with me and my friends' OCs and such had 3 gods. Dune (the little cat in the middle), Umbra (the little dog on the left), and Adair (the little deer on the right)!! They're triplets, and they have a whole bunch of little mythology stories prepared by me and Wyvern (One of my friends) that explain how their world came to be!!! In ICaT, they take the Change God's role, deities that don't really do much, but are still worshipped for being the higher beings, and occasionally giving a little bit of help!! The little symbols on their collars, while in the image don't stay consistent, they'll be changed to be little teardrop shapes, each with different detailing, showing the versatility of even a simple shape like a teardrop. Umbra with a little water drop, Dune with a cut gem, and Adair with a leaf.

We have characters matched up with various characters in ISaT that don't have designs drawn yet too!!

A few matchups we have that haven't been drawn are:

Tiger as Isabeau Windy as Mirabelle Leaverc as Odile Cauli/Cauliflower as Bonnie Creature as The King Phantom as the Head Housemaiden Masquerade as Claude (Mira's roommate) Petunia and Lizard as that one girl and her dog And many more!!!

There's a lot of characters!! And a lot of matchups!!! and even more to be made!!!

We'll also have silly little extra cutscenes, even more lore than there is in the original ISaT!!! To tell people more about our characters. All of this is incredibly self indulgent, it's just for fun!!! Expect a lot of canon divergence from both stories

I don't know if I'll be going anywhere with this, but it's fun to share regardless!!! I just want to get the ideas out there really

[okiroash]

i already blabbered about it before but i really love your take and direction with red because your direction with him really opens up a lot of perspective into his early life pre and post mt silver and just how much he was treated as rags to glory from his surroundings and how a title that is usually revered as a goal ended up suffocating him and how much it created a dampen on his livelihood that his last act towards the ones who love him for who he is is to leave them because he truly believed that his newfound reputation is already a nuisance to his mother and how he probably ruined the only friendship he had with blue when he saw just how he was rejected and pushed aside when red triumphed over him at their champion battle. just seeing the whole world around you change as you are lifted higher and higher that people treat you as more-than god to the point where all that remains at the top is you. everyone from up is just a part of the groveling masses who look up to you, with the only people who still treat you as human getting suffocated and trampled in the bounds of your popularity by your worshippers. and it hurts seeing them that way. to the point where you think that this sort of heaping mess is not needed in their life, and that mess is only there because of you. you are the reason their lives are more difficult. it's hard to look at them in the eye when they tell you they still love you. it's hard to look at yourself and say that you still deserve to be loved.

GRAAAHHHHHHH THERE RIGHT THERE.. YOU WORDED IT EXACTLY PERFECT,,, I'm really really happy to hear that,, ;; sometimes I feel embarrassed having rambled about my interpretation of red here.. so I'm joyful to receive these kind of asks... truly the title of champion had only brought suffering.. akin to a curse, having no one to blame but himself... "rags to glory" that's exactly the way to describe it!!! back then he wasn't regarded so highly and even looked down upon.. while not great- it was more preferable to red as it didn't give such a huge gap between him and everyone compared to being seen above people, it's just as dehumanizing, you wouldn't even be able to climb down from that popularity easily.. the drastic changes from mean looks to bundles of adoration.. to think the latter would be so much scarier

ohh those words near the end of the ramblings.. gosh,, I really love thinking about post-mt silver red having trouble with self-love and guilt.... that he feels like he's not punished enough for what he did, for abandoning them (but he's going through so much already, there's no need to) the constant shame looming over- of being unable to just live a life "normally"- of simply interacting with strangers had even become too scary (which in turn, makes it hard to go to a public area), of having forgotten on how to do some things because he hasn't done it in a long time.. of frequently feeling.. lost.. (edit: felt like this was vague, I don't think red cares whether or not he can fit in, it feels guilty only for this case because it made him feel like living in mt silver was nicer because of the constant of new struggles below, he couldn't imagine telling that to them... they're happy he's here and it's quite guilty when he's not) and seeing his friends help him through it- that too made him feel like a burden, he doesn't want to trouble them more!! accepting help and relying on other people is still difficult but he's working on it :') !!! healing era... this part of red's life is a tough rocky road... but he will preserve..

[darkspellmaster]

You've brought up to me before that you think that Ace is the male version of the popular mean girl trope? Why do you think that's the case? What evidence do you have? Especially for the fact that he's well off.

Okay so let me try to define this a bit better. To me, Ace feels like one of those teenage guys that can be seen as a mean girl, more akin to the type of character that seems to be a mix of Paul Walker's character in She's all That, and Freddie Prince Jr.'s (Zach) character in the same movie.

Ace in a lot of ways is a Henry Higgens. He thinks he's cleaver and smart and amusing, and likes others to think he is. It's shown in his attitude, how he treats Yuu, Deuce and the others in different vignettes.

He calls people names, or treats them as less than at times. Examples off the top of my head. The numerous times he's called Sebek a Loudmouth, his comments to Deuce -most especially during Book 5 and forcing him to eat the cake when he didn't want to, His treatment of Epel and basically sending him out to deal with Floyd knowing that he would get into trouble and also being willing to abandon both Yuu and Deuce during the prologue until Yuu comes up with plans. (He's gotten better but he can still be an ass.) Not to mention basically picking on Yuu and Grim at the very start because he thought he was better than them because of their job at the school.

Is he Regina George, no, but he does fall into that over all area at times with his behavior. Best example I have is how he treated his ex girlfriend, and rants about how she didn't like doing the things he likes, and again he shows his willingness to be rude and push others to do things he wants to in Playful Land, choosing rides that freak out Trey and Yuu. He later basically ghosts her, and when called out by her friends about it puts the blame on her. Yes he is a kid in middle school, but that's not at all how you break up with someone, and it's painted as a bad action.

He's a gossip and seems to enjoy the idea of getting information and having others do work for him. In some ways he's a nicer version of the Maurice Cole character, and in other ways he's seemingly Aldred van Envlio, the lead from RustBlaster. Tricking others into doing things for him seems to be Ace's thing. That's why I think he falls into this category and needs to grow to become a better person.

As for showing he's well off, and I'm not talking Vil money here, I'm thinking a range a bit less than Cater's and more like Trey's family has money as business owners, let's start with the fact that even Vil says he has a knack for knowing luxury brands, something someone like Deuce or Ruggie wouldn't really give a crap about. He mentions in his birthday Jacket vignette about the sunglasses that Vil gives him and gives a whole thing about how expensive they are. During his broom Bloom he mentions getting a limited edition of a parka that he wanted on the island, which he got for less, but still noted that it sold out online, meaning he was willing to pay a high price for it. While he was glad Ortho got him a pair of sneakers he notes that the cheap price is for a very expensive brand in his first birthday vignette.

He clearly has enough money to afford to pay for street style clothing, which, if we go on the Japanese style, this could cost a pretty penny for some of the more exclusive brands, which, judging by Ace's comments of liking luxury goods, indicates that he's going to have cash to spend on them. Not the amount that Kalim, Vil, Malleus, or Leona would, or even Idia, but he'd probably be able to purchase what he wanted. There's also his sneaker collection, which, depending on the design and brand, as he seems to be an enthusiast for them, indicates that he is willing to pay for them. Even with ebay or other sites, these shoes can range from $50 at the low end for the quality shoes to over $3000 dollars for newer ones. Limited editions can go from $500 to $22,0000 dollars, and be produced in limited quantity. Now I doubt Ace is going to drop $22,000 on a pair of shoes, but $3000 if he has to, yes, given he practically said he's interested in using the money he got in Book 6 for getting shoes and clothing. These would probably be exclusives. So the boy knows his brands, which means that he's either A) Really into fashion -which Vil points out isn't true because he ha know clue how to style the look that he wants, or B) his family is well off and has purchased goods of higher end quality. We get a hint of that too with his brother and the watch trick also mentioned in his birthday vignette. So while Ace is NOT Regina George, or your more Stereotypical Mean Girl, he's certainly within the area of being a mean girl type of person with the way he treats others. He'd probably be better known as one of the Mean Girl's groupie friends than directly the mean girl. And while he's not Rich in the same area as Vil and the other mega rich characters, he has enough money to throw it around for limited edition items and expensive sneakers. That at least tells me he's in the bracket of Middle class, or the lower end of Upper middle class. There's just enough small hints in what he says to imply that he has the money to get what he wants for himself at times, and he might have to save up for it, but he can afford it. Unlike Deuce or Ruggie who don't seem to have the cash. Also, remember what Trey said, this is a school that is host to a lot of rich kids, you don't come to Night Raven without having some money.

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update - Rescue Wheels Edition™

Slowly but surely, the Rescue Wheels merchandise has been popping up in stores here in the USA. Naturally, I've been keeping an eye out for them, so it's time to show off what I've found so far!

First off, I decided to put a background on my monitor again, just to spruce things up. I also attempted some better lighting by using a lamp instead of my camera's flash. Some pics still came out a bit iffy, so I apologize.

In any case, here's the first piece of Rescue Wheels merchandise I got! Nearly a whole month ago, in fact. I seen it listed on Amazon and figured why not go for it, since stores here in the USA were taking a long time to get them.

The vehicle, itself... it's not my favorite, I'll say that. It's just shaped a little too box-like, but the flame graphics are cool, even if they are just stickers. Strangely, the ladder water cannon on the back doesn't move at all. If anything, I do like the figurine. Not the best, but I still like it.

Next, the usual plush doll, which we always seem to get upon each new subseries or movie. They decided to go back to the old style, which is kind of a shame, since I liked what we got for The Mighty Movie and Jungle Pups better. It just looked cuter, imo. Ah well.

Now that's one cool-looking pup. Super cute! 😎

Next, a new "Pup Squad Racer" vehicle! With not-so-good lighting that I didn't notice until I upload these pics. I probably should've put it on something to get more of that background in the shot. Also, ignore the dust under the monitor... I forgot to get rid of that. 😅

As you can see, this is yet another one of those smaller vehicles. I'm fully convinced these are indeed meant to be replacements for those True Metal vehicles... which is perhaps for the best, since the last few we got were kind of cheap. These are a nice alternative.

Unlike the True Metal vehicles, the pup's head is a lot bigger, so it's a bit more detailed and nicer. I dare say it's pretty cute! And...

...Hey, wait a minute. Who's big tires are those? That doesn't look like Marshall's vehicle...

Wait...

Is it...?

BOOMER??

That's right! Boomer, the villain pup of Rescue Wheels, got his own figurine and vehicle! I'll admit, that's quite rare, since PAW Patrol villains rarely ever get merchandise of any kind. It's only happened a few times in the past.

If you remember that character spotlight post I made of Boomer, then you might also recall that I became quite a big fan of this pup after watching Rescue Wheels! Thus, when I heard he was getting his own toy, I knew I had to have it. Admittedly, I think his vehicle turned out a bit nicer than Marshall's. Don't tell anyone I said that.

His figurine's also nice, if you ask me. Even as a toy, this pup looks quite cool... and cute! I'll certainly have to add this somewhere to my Marshall collection. He'll go nicely next to Claw. Two of my favorite villains, hanging out. We just need this in the cartoon now! lol

Oh, by the way, if anyone's interested in one of these, know that they're exclusive to Walmart (at least, here in the USA). They also made one for Roxi, which I believe is exclusive to Target. Just an FYI.

But wait... that's not all! Even more surprising than the vehicle...

Boomer also got a plush doll! Wow, you really lucked out, Boomer! At this point, I'm hoping the kids asks their parents for these and his figurine & vehicle... that way, Spin Master will see him as popular and we'll see him again someday soon. Hey, let me dream. lol

That is also one cool-looking pup! Boomer! Boomer! Boomer!!! 😁

Alright, that's all for now. And a good thing, too... after all these purchases, my poor wallet is probably screaming at me again. Too bad I'll likely make one or two more soon, since Rescue Wheels got its own batch of mini-figurines in mystery boxes, of course. Sadly, Boomer didn't get included in that, else Marshall wouldn't be the only one I'd be tracking down. It's still crazy to see him get what he did though! Man, if only Claw got his own plush doll instead of Sweetie...

So... what's next? I wonder how much longer until we start to see merchandise of Air Rescue? Then again, the USA hasn't even aired Rescue Wheels yet, so no doubt it won't be until next year. Good... that gives my wallet plenty of time to recover. lol

[deepinthegroves]

oc-tober (shifting edition) day 9!

writing prompt – talking about my favourite "things"

i think i've already talked about my favourite things in my room for day 3, so i'll just take the opportunity to gush about my pets.

i have a dog, and 4 cats in my dr! i have a room dedicated to them with a door linked to my bedroom so they can sleep wherever they like. (i love them so much)

Rocco is a Doberman, and he's very friendly. He barks quite a lot, though he stops when i hold him, but continues after i let him go. He loves people, and loves to bother the cats – he wants them to play with him, but half the time the cats just side-eye him and leaves him alone. He's very protective too, and he tries to make sure everyone is safe (though i trip over him like most of the time – spider senses don't work on him)

Damian is a Bombay cat, and he has the typical gold/ copper eyes of one. He is probably the most grumpy cat out of all of them, but i love him anyways. One thing he loves to eat is chicken, so if i ever buy that home, he'd jump onto the table and stare at me till i feed him (which also means i have to feed everyone else). He lets me pet him though, and if you pet him for long enough, he drifts off to sleep.

Ebony is also a Bombay cat, and from the same litter as Damian. When I saw them, they were the only two left and i couldn't bear to separate them, so i adopted them both! She has green eyes, and is a lot nicer than her brother. She likes to keep to herself, though sometimes she'd just come over and demand pets and i can never say no to her.

Charlie is a Snow Bengal – he was originally bought by his previous owner who lived in the same apartment building but she ditched him in the lobby because the responsibility was too much. The options were to either put him down or send him to a shelter, but when my father told me about it (he owns the building), i offered to take him in. He was so skinny and peed everywhere at first, but eventually, he got used to it and i love him to bits. He's honestly really sweet, and loves food (he'd eat anything you give him), and it makes me so mad that he got ditched after the previous owner bought him just because he was "rare".

Maddie is probably the only cat that i've bought and she's a Ragdoll cat! My parents' friend's daughter was a breeder and since i was forced along to interact, i ended up just playing with the cats. Maddie's a sweetheart, she loves pets and food and is really friendly and relaxed. Apparently, there were a lot of people who wanted to come over to visit Maddie and see if they wanted to buy her, but i took the opportunity then and there to just bring her home with me <3

being a billionaire in my dr is extremely useful when it comes to taking care of all my pets. can you tell i love them? i love them.

normal prompt – answering basic q&a questions

"what are your hobbies?" – i love reading, writing, listening to music, watching movies, playing games and acting! it's pretty basic, i know, but it brings me joy.

"what are some of your favourite games?" – i like horror games, like the backrooms, poppy playtime, fnaf, etc., though i always end up flinching at jumpscares; interactive fiction and visual novels! also otome games, though they aren't my absolute favourites.

"do you have any siblings?" – i'm the youngest of five children so, yes. honestly, i respect my mother for popping out so many children 💀

"what's your favourite food?" – well, it's either herbal soup with rice (all the different chinese soups), or like, chicken chop with mushroom sauce. i like a lot of food, but i also dislike a lot of food.

"what's your dream job?" – well, obviously, i'd love to be an actress and i'm grateful that i have had the opportunities to act in some films, and have my own fashion magazine.

"are you a morning person or night owl?" – night owl, definitely. having to wake up early usually results in me being grumpy up until i shower/ eat breakfast. i also have more energy at night, being able to accomplish more things then.

wow this was a long post.