#87 years later!!

[ratatatastic]

i think a lot about the time i was reading a book about a journalist gathering mundane accounts of peoples lives on december 28, 1986 and somehow hockey got mentioned and somehow sibney is also here because of course but like girl what are you doing here we are 300 pages deep into this what the hell man this technically fucking predates you why are you here

[aberooski]

Hearing character's voices when I write really helps curb the "he wouldn’t fucking say that" problem.

[scortchedtoast]

I'm gonna self publish my book

[magnesiumxp]

k going back to sleep again zzzzzzz (its 3 pm) lalalala

[elprupneerg]

I’ve officially survived* another trip to visit my relatives in Iowa!

*survived does not mean “unscathed”. If you can avoid spending 8 hours in a car in one day I highly recommend it

[wooskirbyplushie]

Our Little Secret ~ K.HJ

✰ idol!hongjoong x fan!reader where the guys catch hongjoong not so secretly slip a paper into your hand at a fanmeet

✰ word count: 3.6k

✰ warnings: some cussing (nothing crazy), pet names (love), female!reader, glasses!hongjoong cuz that’s enough to drive me insane tbh, she/they pronouns used for reader

✰ a/n: hey so i randomly got this idea one day and decided to execute it lol. tbh im not sure if i’ll keep updating this or not just because it was only supposed to be a little drabble but im 87% sure i’ll continue it just so my friends don’t hold me at gunpoint to finish it😭😭

✰ italics are used for inner thoughts, bold italic is just to emphasize words, also don’t pay attention to the timestamps for the texts later on k that’s it

dividers are created by @cafekitsune tysm !

you were late, you were so late, and you couldn’t blame anyone but yourself.

today has been marked in your calendar for almost 2 months, the day that ateez finally had a fanmeet in your city. you had saved up for the event for so long that when they announced it you didn’t hesitate to snatch your card out of your wallet to buy tickets for you and your best friend, kaylani.

but today you completely fucked your schedule up. oversleeping was not in your plans and neither was having to iron your outfit and rush to catch the train, just for it to delay for 15 minutes. in addition to the 5 minute bus ride from the station turning into a 30 minute walk because the bus you and your friend needed to catch didn’t run that day. who knew?

by the time you finally got to the venue, security were already trying to lock up the doors. i mean, it made sense considering they started meeting fans almost two hours ago.

“hey!!” kaylani shouted to try and get the guards attention. one of them looked up, utter confusion on his face as he watched two young girls jogging at them from across the parking lot.

“please we- we have tickets. the train made us late, but we cannot miss this event” you breathed out as fast as possible, trying to catch your breath at the same time. lani shuffled around for her phone to pull up the virtual tickets before the guards shrugged and scanned both tickets to let you in. “you girls either have really incredible or really horrible timing” one of the guys commented and told you to have fun.

you both squealed the second you got inside.

following the arrows and signs, you reached the auditorium that ateez was having their fanmeet in. now usually, fanmeets had a show in the first half and the actual meet in the second. but thankfully this time around it was swapped, meaning you guys didn’t miss any of the actual show. would it possibly be delayed because you were late? ehhh you’d cross that bridge when you got to it.

“we’re really here holy shit that’s ateez 20 feet away from us-“ you started rambling before lani cut through your thoughts with another squeal. she saw her bias, that had to be the only reason

“ITS JONGHOOO AHHHH”

“wow kaylani, it’s almost like he’s in the grou- AHHH LOOK ITS HONGJOONG”

kaylani rolled her eyes and mocked you. “wow y/n it’s almost like he’s in the group.” touché.

it wasn’t long before you realized they had changed quite a bit for this fanmeet. for example, the boys weren’t sitting in age order, or what you and lani called “fanchant order”. jongho was first and hongjoong was last, which didn’t really matter, but you knew your heart would race more and more as you got closer to your bias.

joong was your ult bias and had been for 4 years. you loved all of the members (duh) but the thought of possibly holding that man’s hand sent you over the moon. sure he held other girls hands, but this was gonna be your moment.

“bro. bro we’re next” kaylani whisper shouted while gripping your shoulder.

“unhand me you fein- oh god that’s jongho like he’s real.”

“RIGHT THATS THE CHOI JONGHO. 4TH GEN VOCALIST AHHHH” if you couldn’t tell she was a jongho ult before, it was super evident now. and because of that, you let lani go first.

******

if she could’ve, kaylani would’ve talked jongho’s ear off for 40 minutes. luckily he seemed intrigued by what was being said, laughing and giggling along with your friend. and now you wish you went first instead.

eventually she moved to wooyoung and was out-yapped, while you talked to jongho, really just telling him all of your favorite runs and verses he had. then you moved down again, and again, got to san and almost forgot your morals. he had you giggling for your life and the blush on your face was impossible to hide. he was THE ateez flirt.

but you and kaylani kept moving. to be real, since you were the last people in the room, there was no real rush but you decided to be mindful of the boys time.

yunho and yeosang were adorably nerdy and a hint of shy in real life, seonghwa really knew how to catch you off guard. one second you were talking about his lego collection and the next he was spewing out compliments and grabbing your hand. you tried to turn your face to hide your blush again, but you turned right into hongjoong’s direction and almost screamed. he was staring at you, and hard. what you hadn’t realized was kaylani whispering how much you “loved him” and how he was your “ultimate bias and first choice for a husband.”

yea you were either gonna go back to jongho and tell him how she brought his photocard to prom, or you were going to murder her.

you finished with seonghwa and slowly moved to hongjoong while lani stood off to the side and snuck a few pictures. “so. i’m your ult huh?” hongjoong questioned, arms folded across his chest.

you gulped, “y-yea you’ve always stuck out to me,” your voice came out in a whisper. hongjoong chuckled and leaned forward a bit.

“i’m your ult but you have no problem flirting with san and seonghwa in front of me, yea?”

“i don’t see the difference between that and you holding a bunch of fans hands, flirting with them.”

your mouth worked faster than your brain could, and you regretted it the second you finished the sentence, slapping your hand over your mouth.

hongjoong tilted his head and raised an eyebrow over the rim of his glasses. god he looked good in glasses. “quite the mouth on you…”

“y/n” you finished his sentence.

“y/n..” he trailed off like he was letting your name marinate on his tongue. “really pretty name for a really pretty person”

now you were really blushing. you didn’t care if it was fan service, he was servicing the hell out of you and you were eating it up. “thank you joong..” and he smirked in return.

******

you talked for a while (ok like 5 minutes) praising joong just like you did all the other members. he asked you what your favorite songs were, and san jumped in when he heard you mention desire. “honestly such a hater, desire is a masterpiece!!” you exclaimed as the top desire defender in tinyville. joong and san laughed before san walked off backstage and hongjoong picked up his sharpie, doodling while you talked.

you just kept going, your level of yapping surpassing kaylani while she was talking to jongho. hongjoong was eating it up though, especially when you started listing your favorite rap verse from him, even saying you could tell an ateez song by his signature giggle.

“it’s a bit embarrassing but i’ve listened to the songs so much that i just know? your music saved me, genuinely.” you trailed off before joong grabbed your hand.

“i honestly think it’s adorable.” he replied with a genuine smile. his smile was warm and bright, like lights on a christmas tree in december. you were soon brought back to reality when a guard told joong he had to wrap up with you so they could move on to the show. he nodded while messily writing something on a small piece of paper with his non dominant hand, still holding your hand with his other.

“well i guess this is goodbye, y/n. it was really nice talking to you and your friend” joong said, subtly crumbling a paper up in his hand before going to slip it into your own.

you weren’t dumb, you played like you didn’t even realize, following along with his skit. “it was really nice to meet you joongie,” you replied with a soft smile before you both got up and walked in your respective directions.

******

“you aren’t slick joong, i saw that.” san whispered while the group got dressed for the next part of the show. he was putting on a school boy uniform, adjusting the blue tie that went with it. hongjoong sat next to him, tying the shoes that he swapped into.

“doesn’t matter if you saw it, managers didn’t see it.” he responded with a shrug. joong knew him getting caught would mean having to change his number and most likely block you if you ever reached out to him, but in his head it was worth the risk.

“if i saw it, how do you know they didn’t see it captain?”

“because i waited till they turned around. and to be honest, i don’t care if they saw. i liked her.”

“liked who?” wooyoung asked as he walked over to steal san’s cologne. “because if you mean the last two people that came in, i don’t blame you! the last one was extremely pretty..”

joong just shot wooyoung a side eye before grabbing his phone, letting out a small sigh at the sight of no notification from you. he thought you guys had a little connection, right? then again-

“she probably just thought you were servicing her. ya know, your job.” san said stiffly, fixing a few stray strands of hair. joong clicked his phone off and threw it to his side with a slight head shake. maybe san was right, you probably didn’t look much into it considering it was his job to service his fans. maybe the managers did see him and they took the paper after you were out of joong’s sight. he was getting stressed over a girl he just met and even though his friends were talking to him in logic, hongjoong refused to learn that language.

he let out another small sigh before ruffling his hair and clapping his hands together to gather the group to get on stage. he had to clear his mind so he could perform. “alright guys let’s do this. hana dul set,”

“fightingggg!!” the boys yelled in unison and cheered, hyping each other up for what was to come. one by one, the boys started leaving the dressing room to take their places in the wings of the stage curtains.

seonghwa made sure everyone made it out, before looking back to see hongjoong lagging behind. “you coming bub?” joong looked at hwa, then his phone on the couch, and back to hwa before sending him a quick nod and walking out the door.

he’d be able to make it through the show.. right?

******

“soooo we’re just gonna ignore what happened back there? you know i saw that right love?” kaylani pressed you while fixing her lip gloss, making you jump out of your thoughts.

“what happened?? we just had a normal conversation!”

“normal my ass. you talked for like five minutes and then KIM HONGJOONG SLID YOU HIS-“

you slapped your hand over her mouth. you were in the empty bathroom but there was no reason to take any chances of a manager, or even worse, a fan overhearing and reporting back to one. “kay, i love you. dearly. but please lower your voice love…”

she sighed behind your hand and obliged before complaining about you smudging her lip combo. you rolled your eyes and pulled the crumbled sheet of paper from out of your jacket pocket to show your friend. the numbers were a bit wayward, but joong was writing with his left hand so it was understandable. he somehow still managed to make it legible enough for you to understand though.

“it’s his kakao talk im assuming. i still have the app from when you and i had to use it when i was in seoul.”

“do you know for sure it’s his number ?”

“of course i don’t know for sure kay, im trying not to lose my mind right n-“

“text it.”

that may have seemed like the obvious answer but you were still extremely nervous about getting caught. and the idea of getting caught by a manager was still circling around in your brain. “there’s a chance that he’s waiting for your text ya know. just text it and see.” kaylani finished with a shrug, her lips popping as she finished up her lip combo. you took a deep breath before shakily grabbing your phone and opening your kakao talk.

what were you even going to say ? hi ? that sounded basic but there really wasn’t much else to do. there was no reason to say your full name because, well, what if it wasn’t truly him ? lani must’ve gotten bored of watching you stare at your phone without typing anything because after a few seconds your phone was in her hands as she drafted up and sent a message for you.

“KAYLANI !???”

“it’s fine, i just said hey and that it was the girl from the fanmeet. unless he’s going around giving his number out to every pretty girl like a whore, he’ll know it’s you.”

she handed your phone back to you before throwing her hands on your shoulders and flashing you a slight smile. “it’ll be fine ok? now let’s go watch our boys do the utmost embarrassing shit!”

you nodded in response and stepped out of the bathroom to make your way to your seats.

now what your best friend didn’t know when you bought your tickets was that you saved enough for front row. and the surprise was pretty evident by the screech she let out once you dragged her to the seats in front of the stage.

“no way no way we’re this close HOLY- y/n forget hongjoong will you please marry me???”

you just laughed and playfully pushed lani towards her seat, “get off of me and sit down goofball.”

******

“2 minutes to showtime!!”

the lights were dimming as the members stood in the wings of the stage, mic packs being adjusted and pinned onto the boys. wooyoung was humming some vocal warmups to himself before he walked over to hongjoong. “jeez captain, lighten up. you look like yeosang told you that hwa was his favorite hyung and not you…”

hongjoong jumped, unnoticeable to wooyoung, and scoffed in response to his statement. “please, as if that would ever happen.”

“ah you’re right. you look like your mom told you that bumjoong is the favorite child.”

“is there a point to your escapades or do you just enjoy annoying me?”

a look of fake hurt flashed across wooyo’s face in response, “ouch. you must really be missing your pretty girlfriend to talk to your best friend like that joongie.”

hongjoong spun towards wooyoung and gave him, yet another, death glare. “keep your voice down are you insane ? listen, we have a job to do, get focused on that.” and with that he stormed back to his place on stage. just take a few breaths and it’ll be fine… no reason for you to snap on your members.

“places guys; 10 seconds!”

he didn’t think it was possible, but that 10 seconds was both the longest and shortest time of hongjoong’s career. he knew you were in the crowd, he knew he had to do his best just for you. but what he wasn’t expecting when he scanned the crowd was to make direct eye contact with you and your friend in the front row.

oh he was soooo fucked.

so fucked that hwa had to elongate his intro and improvise an extra end part to get joong to snap out of his daze.

“ah i’m sorry, i got caught up looking at all of our beautiful atiny! hi guys, my name is kim hongjoong, captain of ateez!!”

the crowd seemed to take it well, i mean his job was fan service. but in truth, he was lying, he was only looking at you. and to his surprise, you were looking back; in fact he could feel your eyes on him frequently, and anytime he didn’t it was just because you and your friend were laughing together.

hongjoong kept finding himself on your side of the stage, often sending you flirty glances and winks during his verses; and god you were eating it up. not to mention how obsessed he was with getting you to smile. unfortunately for him though, he had to give that same energy to everyone for his actions to not be so obvious. even more unfortunately for him, san and wooyoung were on his ass the entire time, which caused seonghwa to send suspicious glances joong’s way. fuck.

hwa approached joong halfway through the show, once they were offstage during yunho and mingi’s unit performance. “fess up, why are you clinging to one side of the stage and why do you keep zoning out?? it’s not a good look and it’s making us look unorganized on stage.“

hongjoong just toyed with the hem of his sleeve in silence. to be honest he was trying to focus but he was drunk on the thought of being able to make you smile. there wasn’t anything he could say to get hwa off of his back, so he opted for a shrug.

“are you not feeling ok? you should’ve said something beforehand joong-“

“i’m fine.” please just drop it…

“fine.” hwa started, preparing his mic to get back on stage. the irritation was evident in his actions, but his voice was still soft. “but you’re the leader, just know this shit is on your shoulders if management says something.”

hongjoong just nodded in response, following seonghwa’s actions in fixing his mic. “that’s 50,000 won for calling me leader and not captain by the way.” he retorted with a smirk before running back on stage to meet the audience’s cheers.

******

“okay atiny, you guys enjoying the show?” yeosang asked, receiving a loud roar of approval from the crowd.

“i take that as a yes! but unfortunately…” jongho started his sentence, and atiny realized that the show was coming to an end. “hey hey we don’t want to leave either, but we have one more performance for you guys! are you ready??”

the rest of the guys were set up on a prop couch for the last song, each of them holding a red or white rose, as they waited for jongho to join them. once he did, the speakers started playing the instrumental of seventeen’s “ready to love” and seonghwa started off the cover, the crowd going insane.

eventually the boys got to the ending and handed out (or really threw) their roses to people in the crowd. and to no one’s surprise, hongjoong sat on the edge of the stage and handed his white rose to you, his fingers gliding over yours during the hand off, causing a goofy smile to take over your face with a light pink blush. kaylani teased you after making sure to get the entire interaction on video, you simply rolling your eyes and covering the camera in response. joong winked before getting up to join the members for their final bow and go back to their green room.

“thank you atiny!! we’ll be back soon” san yelled as the curtains closed and yunho and mingi peaked out to wave one last time.

******

hongjoong was the first one back in the room, his mind filled with your smile and whether or not you texted him. he loosened his tie and jogged over to the couch where he left his phone, anxious but also eager. but when he heard the members following close behind, joong grabbed his phone and rushed to the bathroom; mostly to avoid being teased by wooyoung, reprimanded by seonghwa, and shamed by san.

“you ok captain?” mingi asked from the other side of the door. “you left kinda in a hurry..”

“y-yea i’m fine, drank a lot of water earlier.”

mingi just shrugged it off with a low “okay” and went back to the other members, hongjoong letting out a small breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. he clicked his phone on and surprisingly saw a kakao notification from an unsaved contact. hongjoong’s face lit up brighter than his phone screen as he opened the app to reply.

but wait. was it you or a stalker?

did someone else possibly see the paper he gave you?

was he overthinking? yes. but most of it seemed logical.

joong sighed before he reread your message.

?: hey

?: it’s the girl from the fanmeet

still he had to confirm it was you.. and he had a pretty decent idea of how to do it.

joongie: really? then say something i said to you earlier

joong figured you would take a while to write back but you actually replied right away.

?: “really pretty name for a really pretty person”

joongie: i’m glad you texted me y/n :)

he just smiled at his phone, thinking of what to text you next. should he ask to facetime you maybe? should he flirt or was it too early for that? joong’s mind had a million tabs open at once but he really wanted to live in the current moment-

until wooyoung decided to be obnoxious and bang on the bathroom door like the police.

“hey some of us actually have to pee ya know!”

open tab number one million and one, strangle jung wooyoung…

[evermore-grimoire]

The Evermore Grimoire: Dragons

Meleys called the Red Queen, was a she-dragon ridden by Princess Alyssa Targaryen and later Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. She had scarlet scales and pink membranes on her wings, for which she received her alias, the Red Queen. Her crest, horns, and claws were bright as copper. The dragon was described as "splendid" and "magnificent". In 75 AC, Meleys was considered to be one of the swiftest dragons in Westeros, easily outpacing Caraxes and Vhagar. She resided in the Dragonpit in King's Landing, never ridden before. That year, the newly married Princess Alyssa Targaryen decided to become a dragonrider. She initially wished to claim Balerion, but the dragonkeepers convinced her that he was too old and slow, and that she would prefer a swifter mount. Alyssa claimed Meleys, and afterwards rarely stayed away from the Dragonpit for long. In 87 AC, Meleys was claimed by Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. In 89 AC, Rhaenys flew on her to Highgarden, to accompany King Jaehaerys I Targaryen further on his royal progress to the Shield Islands. When Rhaenys married Lord Corlys Velaryon in 90 AC, she insisted on arriving to the wedding flying on Meleys. Rhaenys rode Meleys during the "Dance of the Dragons", on the side of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and the blacks, versus King Aegon II Targaryen and the greens. In 129 AC, when Rook's Rest was besieged by the greens' army led by Ser Criston Cole, Rhaenys flew Meleys to the castle to lend aid.

artwork by Samuel Cuadrado

[yaderyngoch]

Of course Tim’s fleeting peace had to be interrupted by the walking headache that was Jason Todd. Tim continued to stare out at the city even as Jason came near, looking up only when the flashdrive was offered to him. He took it with a nod of thanks, though he chose not to address the comment about how tired he seemed. Tired these days was his natural state of being.

“Thanks. I’ll give you what I have on the case next time we run into eachother.” He hadn’t been expecting to run into Jason tonight, so he hadn’t thought he should have anything prepared to give to him. 

“Any progress on getting to know Ethan and Brady?” Tim asked, returning his gaze to the skyline. 

His own progress with Wells was… limited, mostly consisting of a short chat after class to ask a question about one of the problems. A question Tim knew the answer to, but Wells seemed willing to briefly explain things. At least, he regarded Tim with some sense of neutrality rather than his usual vague disdain, though Tim couldn’t tell if that was new or not. Wells’ class was one of the very few where Tim mostly just sat in the back and took notes and rarely directly interacted with the professor, so as far as Tim knew Wells didn’t have much of an opinion of him.

Ordinarily with professors, Tim could use his good reputation with the university as a whole to network with everyone else, but Wells seemed to exist on this weird little island, isolated from the others. 

“None of the other faculty members really seem to know much about Wells at all, and I’ve asked quite a few about him. I mean, there are always some professors that like to keep to their own, but this guy doesn’t seem to want anyone to know anything about him at all.” Tim shifted his position, one knee hanging over the edge of the building, with the other bend and his arm perched atop it. “Which, given what he’s involved in, I can imagine why.”

Tim looked down at the hard drive in his hands, partly wondering why Jason had brought it to him at all. Surely these files could be sent over digitally, but Jason had gone out of his way to find Tim and hand it to him in person… why? Jason never went into this part of town. He stuck firmly to his territory, and though his case was now bleeding into Tim’s… this was different. 

An electronic file transfer would be faster, easier, and Jason now had Tim’s phone number so if he wasn’t sure where to send them he could’ve just asked… but instead, he’d taken the time to get a hard drive, to download all those files onto a physical copy, and to venture far out of his own territory to find Tim and give it to him for person. For what reason? Tim was sure Jason would just tell him if he only asked, but Tim didn’t want to ask. He had a feeling Jason was a far more complex puzzle to solve.

Birds of a Feather

(closed RP with @muuuumin)

Things were not going according to plan. 

Tim really didn’t like it when things didn’t go according to plan.

Sadly, that was the nature of Gotham City, which was exactly why Tim had backup plan after backup plan, accounting for every conceivable variable. He’d written an algorithm just for this case. There was a stack of paperwork heavier than Tim was. 

And yet, somehow, none of that accounted for faulty construction of the barrier along the route Tim expected to chase the criminal along, and just like that all 27 of Tim’s backup plans went out the window, and he and this thug were tearing through the streets of Gotham City. 

Fortunately, Tim had always been quick. Maybe not quite as strong as some of the other bats, but he was balanced in agility, which was useful when it came to jumping over the wooden palettes that had been knocked in his way. 

He’d been chasing this guy for months, the leader of a trafficking ring that made Tim’s stomach turn with each new detail he learned. Finally, Tim had him… nearly. Weeks of careful planning were reduced to instinct, fueled by the base knowledge that whatever happened, he had to catch this guy. Because of that, he wasn’t particularly paying attention to where the man was running, only that Tim needed to catch up to him.

Tim was getting close. His chest burned with it, but he was closing the distance. The leader was about three times Tim’s size, but that made him slow, which Tim used to his advantage. 

One last turn lead them down a long alley with far fewer obstacles to jump over, and Tim took that as his chance. Putting one last burst of energy into moving forward, he could reach out and touch the man before him. So, he did. He leapt forward and used all his momentum to send the both of them tumbling to the ground, pinning the man’s arms behind him. 

“Get off- you little shit,” the criminal squirmed violently, pinned face down as he was. Tim was fully sitting on his back, using his entire body weight to keep him down and frankly unconvinced that was enough. Tim was strong, but he couldn’t hold someone like this forever. “I ain’t getting taken down by some pipsqueak-ass kid. I’ll fucking kill you.”

Tim used his position to secure handcuffs around the man’s wrists, trying to catch his breath. He might’ve secured them a little tighter than necessary, but knowing what this man did Tim frankly didn’t feel bad about it. 

Things hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but Tim had gotten the criminal in the end. This would just serve as… something to keep in mind for the next time he had to make a plan. Always double check the strength of the barricades along the predicted potential chase route.

Breathless and full of adrenaline, Tim forgot another much more important rule: Always pay attention to where your target is leading you.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

On August 20, a little before dawn, 87 year-old Lidia Martinez was abruptly jarred awake by an unexpected knock on her door. The longtime activist who for over 35 years has worked to expand voter registration among seniors and veterans in south Texas, cautiously peered out the door. Standing on her doorstep were nine police officers dressed in tactical gear and carrying firearms. After showing her a search warrant, Martinez’s home was searched as she was forced to stand outside in her nightgown in her driveway in full view of her neighbors. Martinez was later questioned for three hours after which the police seized her phone, computer, personal calendar and more.

[...]

These bad faith searches orchestrated by Paxton were predicated on the claim that the people being investigated were registering non-citizens to vote—despite zero evidence presented of wrongdoing. Very alarmingly, if Donald Trump and House GOP have their way, these types of raids would be happening nationwide with federal law enforcement under a GOP President.  That is why GOP House Speaker Johnson is now demanding the proposed SAVE Act be included in any deal to provide funding to keep the government open.

To be clear, federal and state law already makes it a crime for non-citizens to vote. But this new federal legislation would establish criminal penalties for registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentation proving U.S. citizenship.  That means that what we are seeing in Texas is coming attractions of what the GOP wants to do nationally.

Keep in mind despite Texas AG Paxton’s two year investigation, no charges  have been filed against any of the people whose homes were searched.  Indeed, there may never be charges because even Paxton’s basis for the search is BS. In his press release announcing the investigation, the Texas AG presents no evidence of wrongdoing. Instead, Paxton makes baseless claims like these organizations have set up voter registration booths outside state agencies where people could register inside. Paxton’s press release literally includes this question with no answer: “Why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside?” But nowhere in his press release does he even allege any criminal conduct—only questions.

And Paxton—a close ally of convicted felon Trump—showed his bad faith earlier in August on a radio show when he peddled lies about non-citizens voting. Paxton declared, “There’s a reason Joe Biden brought people here illegally. I’m convinced that that’s how they’re going to do it this time, they’re going to use the illegal vote. Why were they brought in, why did he bring in 14 million people?” adding, “He brought them here to vote.”   That is nothing more than the type of BS you hear on Fox News. But now Paxton has weaponized government by targeting people registering those he believes will vote for Democrats. The backlash to Paxton’s actions have been swift. LULAC requested that the Department of  Justice investigate Paxton's office for Voting Rights Act violations. LULAC CEO Juan Proaño and the group's national president, Roman Palomares, summed up well what is really going in their letter to the DOJ: "These actions echo a troubling history of voter suppression and intimidation that has long targeted both Black and Latino communities, particularly in states like Texas, where demographic changes have increasingly shifted the political landscape.”

The Texas GOPs voter intimidation tactics are based on the faux outrage campaign against noncitizen voting.

[lellalombardiapologist]

it pains me to no end when i see people make those tragic f1 rivalry posts and they start from prosenna, but prosenna would be nothing without villeroni

alain prost received phone calls from gilles villeneuve when he was upset after what he perceived as a betrayal at imola in '82, if you're familiar with the phone calls senna made to prost ten years later that's gonna ring a bell (no pun intended)

alain prost saw gilles villeneuve die at the next gran prix without ever making peace with didier

alain prost would not have stopped the '84 monaco race in the rain if it hadn't been his car upon which didier pironi's ferrari impacted horribly in the rain at hockenheim two years earlier, getting airborne in a tragic repetition of gilles' accident and resulting in didier' legs being horribly mangled (he had to undergo more than 30 surgical operations, never recovered full functionality and thus could never race cars again). alain himself said that he used to like racing in the rain before that.

alain prost probably knew that didier pironi had his house filled with photographs of him and gilles and alain kept very little f1 memorabilia in his study, except for ayrton's helmet

alain became the first french world champion only because didier's accident gave way to keke rosberg's championship win in '82

alain was also aware of didier's death in a powerboat crash in '87, and is probably aware that the narrative between him and senna is more nuanced than the gilles/didier narrative in popular journalism and media because he is still alive to tell his version of the story after ayrton's death, while didier isn't here anymore and most remember him as a traitor to gilles.

[theblobmaster]

i've been thinking about omega jason for a while now. specifically why he'd be an omega.

jason was TINY before his dip in the lazarus pit. his death certificate says 4'6" and 87 lbs (137 cm & 39,5 kg) which at 15yo is very, very fucking small.

and then after lazarus pit he's now 6' and 225 lbs (183 cm & 111 kg). so that's a big difference from what is hinted to be an adjustment of his stunted growth because of malnutrition in his early childhood.

but back to omegaverse, now i normally don't really like the whole omega = small, alpha = big, because that's fucking boring and very heteronormative. BUT let's say that because of that course correction the pit did on his build would indicate that jason was supposed to be an alpha.

so what if, in an omegaverse au, because of his malnutrition, because of how he grew up, his biology changed. knew he no longer would be able to grow into that big ass alpha that his genes promised and instead decided to develop the more latent omega genes and after he begins to find a place at the manor to feels safe, a place where his body feels like he would be able to present in, he goes into heat not long before he dies. maybe he only has that one presenting heat and not really finding his footing with his secondary gender before he dies.

and then he comes back, the superboy prime punch, and then the wandering on the streets before talia finds him, and it would make sense if he didn't have any heats in that period because of the heightened stress his body was going through so he's not producing a lot of scent pheromones and omega hormones.

when he comes to himself after the lazarus pit, and his body starts to adjust to his new growth spurt, focusing his energy on that and still not producing any of those obvious omega pheromones and hormones and talia never learnt his dynamic before he died. (maybe bruce didn't know, maybe he did and just didn't tell who knows)

and if we go with the whole body not going into season when it seems like it's not safe. his years training with all of those expert teachers of how to kill ect he wouldn't get a heat.

just jason thinking he lost his secondary gender when he died, and not finding it important because there's nothing indicating he'll ever go into heat again. maybe it was just a fluke that first time?

and he comes back to gotham, and he has his showdown with bruce and it goes to shit. but then it starts to settle and jason starts to find a footing and places he feels safe in, finds teams he can count on.

with that his body starts producing those hormones again, people around him starts to notice a change in his scent, but jason doesn't notice how they also change with that pheromone change from him.

until one day where he is at that one safehouse, that's more home than the others and bam he's in heat and he has only experienced that once before, it's been a lifetime and many years since he was holed up in his room in the manor and had alfred making sure he had food and water and a hotpack for the cramps and for a short moment he panics. wants to reach out and call alfred, ask for help, but isn't sure if he'd get it

idk i have a lot of feelings about omega jason. and i think there's so many interesting ways to explore omegaverse and the way it can function through omega jason.

(also because i love them, dick coming to see if jason can help with a case and instead discovers his little wing sweating profusely and curled up and he can't not help out. he's not ready for all of those heat pheromones, but he takes it in stride and decides to work through how jason is apparently an omega later and instead just makes sure that jason is hydrated and takes care of him until jason is lucid enough to be embarrassed and kicks him out)

[mizgnomer]

Behind the Scenes of The Giggle - Part Fourteen

Excerpt from Benjamin Cook’s article in DWM 599:

In the back garden of a lovely detached house in the Cardiff suburbs – “Not a mansion, but enough to make you go ‘Ooh’,” Russell’s script specifies – David Tennant is giving Bonnie Langford a bear hug. “Welcome back!” he’s saying. “How long’s it been? Thirty-four years?” What a touching moment. “Yeah! And then she sort of blew it,” David tells me later, laughing, “and said, ‘Oh, no, I was here last year!’”

In a timey-wimey twist, today – Friday, 17 June 2022, another scorcher – is Bonnie first time back on Doctor Who since 1987… bar a fleeting cameo in 2022’s The Power of the Doctor. She’s carrying an apple crumble through some patio doors.

And there are the Nobles – Donna, Rose, Sylvia and Shaun – gathered around the garden table, beneath the pergola, about to tuck into pots of curry and cauliflower cheese. (Anything but tuna madras, please.) Sat with them, joining the familial fray at Donna’s new gaff, is the Nobles’ lodger: the Doctor, like we’ve never seen him before. So relaxed. So happy. “He’s not really save-the-world Doctor right now,” Chanya tells David. “This is an off-duty Doctor.” He’s regaling his adopted family with The Eyebrows Story that he’s probably spun a hundred times before. He’s almost at the bit with the Warrior Queen of the Felooth when –

“Am I late?” Enter: Mel, wearing a Reiss dress covered in pink and white flowers. It’s a floral riff of her Time and the Rani ensemble (“They put me in white trousers in a quarry,” winces Bonnie, when I ask her about that ’87 gear. “What the hell was that about??”). “Sorry, the door was open, you don’t mind?”

“Mad Aunty Mel!! I was so happy when I thought of that,” says Russell. “At last she’s got a home, a story, a history. I suppose this house is Donna and Shaun’s, living with mum and grandad, and the Doctor as the strange lodger in the attic. They were promised compensation by UNIT at the end of The Star Beast [after their home was ravaged by Wrarth Warriors].

“Or maybe Bonnie Langford should move into Bannerman Road?” adds Russell, tantalisingly. “I wouldn’t object. MAD AUNTY MEL.”

For Catherine, working with Bonnie must be the equivalent of David partnering with Ncuti? Is there a sense that they’re kindred souls? “Oh I mean,” she says, “I’m just not as deep as that.” She explodes with laughter. “We didn’t even discuss it. I didn’t know she was a companion! I was literally going to David, ‘Bonnie Langford was in Doctor Who?!’”

“Bonnie’s quite unusual, certainly from the old show, in that she was probably better known for other things,” David reasons. “That’s quite rare. This show tends to cling to you.”

“That’s the thing about Doctor Who. You can run, but you can’t hide,” says Catherine. “It’ll get you. It’ll bring you back in the end – happily.”

Catherine has no regrets, then, about returning for these 60th Anniversary Specials? No, not one, she insists. Best of all, Donna finally gets the happy ending she deserves – the delightful fate of Donna Noble. “I think it’s just amazing that Russell has found a way to do that,” says Catherine. “I was convinced he was going to have the Doctor and Donna die in some terrible, spectacular way and everyone would be sobbing. But no. We sit in a garden and eat apple crumble with Bonnie Langford. Ha! Which is so perfect.”

When Catherine read the script for The Giggle, she was “a little bit taken aback, actually, at what happens,” she told us two issues back. Now she explains: “That was when it fell into place for me. I realised, the need to want the monumental was the actor in me. That’s not what Donna wants. Donna doesn’t want the drama. What she wants is to bring the Doctor home and to ground him the way she needed to ground herself. That’s how she saves him. For me that’s Russell’s brilliance, that he sees beyond the showiness.”

Catherine texted Russell after reading the script. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, we sit in a garden having a barbecue,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, Donna gets the ending she always wanted.’ I thought, of course, that’s what she wants. She wants her best friend. And obviously,” says Catherine, smiling cheerily, “they get the best of both worlds, because there’s a TARDIS in the garden as well.”

“I really like that this is part of the garden,” says David, pointing across the lawn to where his TARDIS is stood. The Doctor’s TARDIS, by the patio windows. For now. (He took Mel to New York last week. And Rose Noble to Mars.)

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

For other posts in this set, please see the #whoBtsGiggle tag. The full episode list is [ here ]

[pomefioredove]

Hi!

Can I have a sugar cookie, #13, with chocolate drizzle, please? :3

- [|87

I SWEAR YOU GUYS ALWAYS CHOOSE THE BEST ONES

order #13, sugar with chocolate drizzle

*ੈ✩‧��˚ a new deuce

tropes: exes to lovers characters: deuce additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is not yuu, this is so cute word count: 800

You had known a lot of very, very different people.

Deuce Spade is two of those.

It had been, of course, a few years since you'd seen him last; after you broke up with him, you didn't want to be friends.

When he left for Night Raven College, you didn't want to write.

You had tried to forget about it. About him. It was nothing but a silly teenage romance, you told yourself. And it was for the best. He had a lot of growing up to do, after all, and your family really didn't want you spending time around a...

...Well, a delinquent.

Not that you thought of him like that.

On the contrary, you saw something of him that was good. You saw the Deuce Spade that loved his mother, that stood against unfairness, that cared about you.

It was a dream, and a happy one at that, but all dreams end eventually.

You couldn't waste your life waiting for him to grow up.

"Hi! Hi, hey!"

You look up.

Though the voices in the crowd of White Rabbit Fest blended together into one symphony of laughter and shouts and bugles, you could have sworn that was-

"I can't believe it's you!"

Out of the crowd comes a very... festive looking Deuce Spade.

You wouldn't have recognized him if it wasn't for that silly smile- his hair is combed and no longer banana-yellow, his voice has deepened, and he's wearing...

Bunny ears.

You blink. "...Deuce?"

"Ah-ah, sorry. You probably didn't recognize me in the costume," he says.

That's the least of it, you think.

"What're you doing here? I thought you're going to-"

"-To Night Raven College, yeah," he beams. "I'm just home for the weekend. I brought some friends for the festival."

You look over his shoulder, half-expecting to see a biker gang, but it's... a silver-haired boy dozing off against a topiary, a small robot chatting with a petite lavender-haired girl- no, boy, and a person with a whining direbeast tugging at their coat sleeve.

They're all very... pastel?

"...I see," you say. "...So... um, how's school?"

"It's great! I'm learning lots, and meeting so many new people. I'm on track to becoming an honors student! Well... um, kind of, anyway. How's town? How's your family? And school, how's-"

You hold a finger to his lips, which effectively silences him.

"Slow down," you say, withdrawing your finger. "...I think your mom needs you."

Deuce turns to see Dylla waving at the two of you, a knowing smile on her face. You wave back.

"O-oh. Right. I'll catch up with you later, then," he says, reluctantly returning to his school friends.

Quite honestly, you weren't expecting to see Deuce after that.

His group looked pretty busy, and with the news that they'd entered the traditional race against a different group of delinquents, and won, you were sure he'd have forgotten about you.

It seems that today is just full of surprises.

"H-hey, wait up!"

On your sunset-lit walk back home, after the festivities had ended, he catches up.

You stop and turn to see him panting, having run all the way from the town center. Before you can say anything, he shoves a bunch of flowers in your hands.

"Listen!" he says, a familiar look of conviction on his face. "I-I want to apologize for the way I acted when you knew me. You deserved a boyfriend you could be proud of, not one like me. I'm not that person anymore, I'm a new Deuce, and, um... you're... um, really, really great, and you deserve the whole world, and even though I couldn't give that to you back then, I hope the boyfriend you have now can! If not, I'll... uh, I'll write him a very strongly worded letter!"

You blink, listening to his rambling. He's all over the place, as per usual, but you can somehow still keep up.

Slowly, you smile.

"Deuce,"

He's still panting, both from the run and his long-winded speech. "...What?"

"I don't have a boyfriend,"

It's his turn to stare. Then, he smiles.

"Good. I-I mean, not good. I didn't mean it like- Damn it, I meant-"

You effectively silence him with a kiss on his cheek, a method you used many times when you were together.

Deuce blushes and stammers, his fingers grazing over the place you'd kissed him. You're happy to see it's still effective.

But this time, it feels more... genuine. More him. More like the good boy that you saw hidden behind his tough delinquent years ago.

You can't help but wonder what else has changed.

The sun is getting lower in the sky, and you know your family will be calling you for dinner soon. You look back at Deuce with a smile.

"I'll write you, okay? You'll have to tell me everything about Night Raven- and yourself... I'm eager to meet this new Deuce, you know,"

[meazalykov]

please (don't) go

salma paralluelo x reader

summary: friends to lovers, and lovers to strangers

warnings: angst

the first time salma held your hand, her thumb grazed over your knuckles like she was afraid you’d pull away. 

you didn’t. 

instead, you interlocked your fingers tighter, smiled up at her, looking at her brown colored eyes which sparkled with love. your heart raced inside of your chest in a way you hadn’t known was possible.

that moment inside of the barcelona locker room was the beginning of something beautiful, something you hadn’t expected to happen but somehow couldn’t imagine living without.  

a few months go by and that spark did not dim. 

if anything, it burns brighter. salma has a way of making you feel seen, like the rest of the world fades into the background when she looks at you. on the pitch, she’s this force of nature…speed, power, and precision. 

off the pitch, she’s your salma. she’s soft, affectionate, and always knows how to bring a smile to your face, even on the hardest days when you feel like you have no energy to do what you needed to do.  

winning the champions league together for the first time back in 2021 was something out of a dream. 

the night before the final, you barely slept. obviously, you and salma were not going to be starters since you both were callups from la masia.

however, it was huge being on the lineup. you tossed and turned in your bed and salma noticed, of course she did. she always notices.  

“you okay?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the hotel air conditioning.  

“yeah,” you lied, staring up at the ceiling.  

she didn’t buy it. salma rolled over, propping herself up on one elbow as she looked down at you. 

“you’re not. talk to me.”  

salma says in spanish.

you sighed, turning your head to meet her gaze. her brown eyes were warm and filled with concern, and it made your chest ache in the best way. 

“i just... i don’t want us to lose tomorrow. it’s such a big game, salma. what if…”  

“stop,” she interrupted gently, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“if we get any playing time.. most likely it will be you since we need another right back.. you’re going to be amazing.” 

her words settled over you like a blanket, calming the storm in your mind. 

“are you saying this because you think i am a good player, or because i am your girlfriend?” 

you teased. 

“shut up!”

salma laughed. 

“no.. seriously?”

you smirked. 

“its both, okay!”

salma and you laughed. 

you reached up to cup her cheek, pulling her down for a soft kiss. 

“i love you,” you murmured against her lips.  

“i love you more,” she replied, her smile so radiant it made your heart skip a beat.  

the final was everything you hoped it would be..and more. 

the crowd, the adrenaline coursing through your veins as you sat on the bench for 87 minutes before being subbed on, the way your clearance in the 90 + 2 minute sent the stadium into a frenzy. 

you dropped to your knees at the final whistle, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all. la masia became your home a few years ago, when they brought you over from your childhood club. an amazing right-back you were, it was going to be time before the senior team needed your 18 year old self.  

salma found you seconds later after the whistle, pulling you into a tight hug as tears streamed down both your faces. 

“we did it,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.  

“we did it,” you echoed, holding her like she was your lifeline.  

your first champions league title.

the celebrations that night were unforgettable. you and salma danced in the locker room, champagne soaking through your jerseys as the team sang and laughed. at one point, salma grabbed your hand, spinning you around like you were in some dumb cheesy rom-com, and you couldn’t stop laughing.  

a few days afterwards.. the trip to ibiza was the perfect way to unwind after the season. just you, salma, and the sun-soaked beaches. the two of you rented a small villa with a private pool, thanks to the bonus of winning the champions league.

all you and your girlfriend did was spend your days lounging in the sun and your nights exploring the island’s vibrant nightlife. you're young, of course you guys wanted to have fun without one of the older barcelona girls watching the both of you.

one evening, well the evening before the start of the next season.. you both sat together on the barcelona beach, her arm draped over your shoulders.  

“i do not want this to end, as much as i love football,” you said softly, leaning your head on salma’s shoulder. 

“it doesn’t have to,” she replied, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

two years go by, and its the world cup in australia. it was your first, and the excitement of representing your country on the biggest stage was unparalleled.

you were one of the few barcelona girls that did not play for spain. so, you had to be seprated from salma throughout this whole thing. that was okay though, you understand the concept of space and so did she. 

however, salma’s world cup journey would last way longer than yours. after holding two of your teammates on each side.. you look ahead at the scoreboard on the stadium screen.. the clock hit full time, and the score was still level. 

your legs felt like they were made of lead, your lungs burning with every breath. this knockout game had drained every ounce of energy from you, but there was no time to dwell on the fatigue. 

penalties. 

it was all going to come down to penalties.  

as the team gathered in a huddle, your coach spoke quickly, assigning the penalty takers. you weren’t first, but you were on the list. 

you could feel your heart pounding in your chest as you nodded, trying to steady your breathing.  

“we’ve got this,” your captain said, her voice steady despite the tension radiating from the group. 

“trust yourselves.”  

strangely.. you weren’t thinking about your girlfriend throughout all of this. it just was not the time.. but salma’s voice echoed in your head: 

you’re an incredible player. trust yourself.

that is something she used to tell you before barcelona games. 

however, it was hard to believe it now, standing on this stage with so much at stake.  

sweden took the first penalty, and your goalkeeper dove the wrong way. 

1–0.  

your teammate stepped up next, slotting the ball into the bottom corner. 

1–1.  

the tension was unbearable, every kick feeling like a dagger to your chest. you watched, helpless, as sweden scored their second, then their third. 

when it was your turn, the weight of the moment hit you like a freight train.  

walking up to the spot, the noise of the crowd felt distant, like it was coming from underwater. the ball sat there, mocking you, as the swedish goalkeeper stared you down. 

you tried to block out the sound, the pressure, everything, focusing only on the ball.  

the twenty year old penalty taker… you…took a deep breath, ran up, and struck it.  

the sound of the ball hitting the post was deafening.  

you froze, staring in disbelief as it bounced away. your heart sank, and your legs nearly gave out as you walked back to the center circle, your head hung low. your teammates patted your back, whispering words of encouragement, but none of it stuck. 

all you could think about was that missed opportunity, that moment where you let everyone down.  

sweden scored again, and now it was all riding on the final kick. your goalkeeper needed a save to keep your team in it.  

she guessed right, diving to her left, but the ball was just out of reach.  

the whistle blew, and it was over.  

you stood frozen as the swedish players erupted in celebration, their cheers drowning out everything else. the way that the wave of yellow stormed the pitch seemed to be mocking. 

your teammates collapsed around you, some crying, some staring blankly ahead. 

someone grabbed your arm, emily you think…trying to pull you into a hug, but you couldn’t move.  

your chest felt hollow, your vision blurred with tears you refused to let fall in front of the crowd. you were not going to let the opposition get the joy of seeing you in tears. 

you had given everything, left it all out on the pitch, and it still wasn’t enough. the sting of failure was unfamiliar, and no amount of words or gestures from your teammates could dull it.  

you sank to the ground, your knees digging into the grass as you buried your face in your hands. the weight of it all…the missed penalty, the heartbreak, the dreams that ended with that final whistle…crashed down on you like a tidal wave.  

the swedish players walked past, some offering gestures of comfort, even fridolina. 

the barcelona player, your club teammate, stayed with you as you sat on the grass. you zoned out as she told you how amazing you still were, and to please not be discouraged by this moment. 

it didn’t matter. nothing mattered in that moment.  

you felt a hand on your shoulder and looked up to see your captain crouching beside you. 

“y/n,” she said softly, her voice thick with emotion. 

“it’s not your fault. you hear me? it’s not your fault.”  

it felt like it was. no matter how much she said otherwise, no matter how much your teammates tried to console you, the guilt was suffocating. you had trained your whole life for this, dreamed of this moment, and now it was gone.  

when the team finally made its way back to the locker room, you sat in silence, staring at the floor as your teammates cried and tried to comfort each other. someone handed you a water bottle, but you barely noticed. 

the noise around you felt distant, like you were trapped in a bubble of your own despair.  

your phone buzzed in your bag, but you didn’t have the energy to check it. you already knew who it was. 

salma. 

she was probably watching the game from her hotel room with the rest of your barcelona teammates like alexia and aitana. 

the thought of her seeing you like this, knowing how much you were hurting, made the tears finally fall.  

you wiped them away quickly, not wanting anyone to see.

that night, you checked your phone. you had to. 

of course you were not going to doom scroll at the thousands of tweets that rae probably bullying you.you just wanted to see salma’s name lighting up the screen. 

it did, and  you answered immediately, her voice soothing as it filled the silence.  

“hey, amor,” she said, her tone gentle. 

“i am so sorry..”  

salma frowned. 

“its whatever,”

you sigh. 

“its not ‘whatever’, i know exactly how you are..” 

salma says. 

“huh?” 

your eyebrows flared. 

“you’re going to come back to barcelona and think about that penalty for months. you cannot self-destruct over that. you still did great throughout that match, trust me when i say that you were the best defender on that pitch.” 

salma explains. 

“still wasn’t enough.. it did not pay off.” 

you mumble, laying in your hotel room bed, staring at your packed luggage. 

“it didn’t now, but it will later, amor.” 

“i don’t think the future is important right now, salma,” you admitted, your voice thick with emotion. 

“i feel like i let everyone down.”  

“stop that,” she said firmly, but not unkindly. 

“you didn’t let anyone down. you gave everything you had. that’s all anyone can ask for.”  

you didn’t respond, your throat tightening as tears threatened to spill.  

“i wish i was there with you,” she continued. 

“to hold you and tell you how proud i am of you in person. since i can’t be, you need to know this: you’re an incredible player and an even more incredible person. and i love you, no matter what.”  

her words broke the dam, tears streaming down your face as you whispered, “i love you too.”  

salma stayed on the phone with you for hours that night, talking about anything and everything to distract you from the pain. however, you made her go to sleep at some point since she still had the world cup to win.. even if it was not you. 

when spain went on to win the world cup, you were in the stands, cheering louder than anyone else. seeing salma lift the young player of the tournament trophy was a moment you’ll never forget, her smile so bright it could have lit up the entire stadium.  

a year later, at the start of the 24/25 season.. you were heartbroken. 

it started after the champions league final against lyon. it was supposed to be another high point for you and your girlfriend.. another moment to celebrate together like back in 2023 and 2021. 

somewhere in the aftermath of victory, you felt her slipping away. 

the texts became shorter, the kisses less frequent, the way she used to look at you, like you were the center of her world, was gone. you tried to convince yourself it was just the stress of the season, and the upcoming olympics.. that maybe she was dealing with something she didn’t want to share yet. 

however, the distance grew, and with every passing day, you felt more like a stranger in her life.

especially when you won the olympics with your country and salma did not win anything. she sent you a simple, “congrats.” but with no excitement or happiness added. you were happy for her when she won the world cup, why can’t she be happy for you here? 

in your apartment. she was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone, barely acknowledging you as you stood in the kitchen, watching her. 

you had spent the entire day trying to think of what to say, how to bring it up without making it worse. as the silence stretched on, the knot in your chest tightened until you couldn’t take it anymore.

“salma,” you said, your voice quiet but firm.  

she looked up, her brows furrowing slightly. 

“yeah?”  

“we need to talk.”  

salma’s expression shifted, guarded now. 

“about what?”  

you took a deep breath, walking over to sit across from her. 

“about us. about how... distant you’ve been. i don’t know what’s going on with you, but it feels like you’re not here anymore. not really.”  

she sighed, putting her phone down and leaning back against the couch. 

“i’ve just been busy, y/n. especially with the injury.. it’s nothing personal.”  

“it feels personal,” you said, your voice breaking despite your best efforts to stay calm. 

“you barely talk to me anymore. you don’t hold my hand, you don’t kiss me, you don’t even look at me the same way. i feel like i’m losing you, and i don’t even know why.”  

“you’re not losing me,” she said quickly, but the words felt hollow.  

“then why does it feel like you don’t love me anymore?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.  

the spanish woman’s silence was deafening. she looked away, her jaw tightening, and in that moment, you knew.  

“salma,” you said, your throat tightening as tears pricked at your eyes. 

“do you still love me?”  

she hesitated. that hesitation was worse than any words she could’ve said. when she finally spoke, her voice was soft, almost apologetic. 

“i don’t know.”  

the air left your lungs, and for a moment, you couldn’t breathe. 

“you don’t know?”  

“i’m sorry,” she said, her voice cracking. 

“i didn’t want it to get to this point, but i’ve been feeling... off. something’s missing and i don’t know how to fix it.”  

you stared at her, the woman you thought was your forever, and felt your heart shatter. “i love you,” you said, hoping that it would be enough to bring her back to you.  

she didn’t say it back.  

salma’s silence was the final blow, and you felt tears streaming down your face as you stood up. 

“i think you should go,” you said, your voice trembling.  

“y/n—”  

“please,” you said, wrapping your arms around yourself like you were trying to hold yourself together. 

“just go.”  

she left without another word, and as the door closed behind her, you collapsed onto the couch, sobbing into your hands.  

doing anything with the barcelona team became unbearable after that. seeing her every day, pretending like everything was fine when it wasn’t, was a constant reminder of what you had lost. 

salma was always there…laughing with your teammates, scoring goals in practice, living her life as if nothing had happened. 

meanwhile, you were barely holding it together.  

every time you heard someone mention her name, your stomach twisted. when esmee casually mentioned seeing her on a date, it felt like a punch to the gut. you plastered on a fake smile, nodding along like it didn’t matter, but inside, you were breaking.  

your performance on the pitch started to suffer. you couldn’t focus, your touches were off, your passes lacked precision. it wasn’t long before people started to notice. 

your coach pulled you aside after practice one day, his tone gentle but firm.  

“y/n, is everything okay?” he asked.  

you nodded quickly, avoiding her gaze. 

“yeah, i’m fine.”  

“you don’t look fine,” he said, his eyes narrowing. 

“you’re not playing like yourself, and i’m worried about you.”  

“i’m just tired,” you lied.  

he didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push it. 

“if you need to talk, my door’s always open.”  

later that night, your agent called. 

they had noticed too, and after a long conversation, they suggested you needed a change.  

“as long as you’re in barcelona, you’re not going to be able to move on from your ex,” they said. 

“you need a fresh start, somewhere you can focus on yourself and your career without all this... baggage.”  

you were stunned. leaving barcelona had never crossed your mind, but the more they talked, the more it made sense. 

every day here was a reminder of salma, of what you had lost. maybe getting away was the only way to heal.  

when the winter transfer window opened, an offer from bayern munich came in. it was a good offer, one you couldn’t ignore. sydney, one of your friends outside of the barcelona team, played there and has for years. the thought of having a familiar face in a new city was comforting. 

after a lot of thought…and even more tears…you made the decision.  

telling your teammates about your leave was one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. after practice one day, you gathered everyone in the locker room, even salma.. your hands shaking as you tried to find the right words.  

“i, uh...” you cleared your throat, looking around at the faces of your teammates, your friends. 

“i just wanted to let you all know that i’m not staying with barcelona after the winter break.”  

the room went silent.  

“what?” alexia asked, her brow furrowing.  

“i got an offer from bayern munich,” you explained, your voice trembling. 

“and i’ve decided to take it. it’s been an amazing five years here, but... i think it’s time for a change.”  

your teammates were shocked, but one by one, they came up to hug you, telling you how much they would miss you. you felt tears pricking at your eyes as you said goodbye to each of them, the reality of your decision hitting you all over again.  

salma stood off to the side, her arms crossed as she watched the scene unfold. the woman’s expression was unreadable, but you could see the sadness in her eyes. 

when it was finally her turn, she stepped forward hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.  

“you’re leaving?” she asked, her voice cracking.  

you nodded, avoiding her gaze. 

“yeah.”  

“why?”  

you hesitated, unsure of what to say. 

“i need a fresh start,” you said finally.  

salma’s face fell, and for a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something more. 

she didn’t. 

instead, she just nodded, stepping back as keira came up to hug you.  

the day you left for munich, you stood in the airport with your bags by your side, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. 

sydney had already called, promising to pick you up with georgia when you landed, but it didn’t make leaving any easier.  

as you boarded the plane, you couldn’t help but think about salma. about the way she used to make you laugh, the way she held you after games, the way she looked at you like you were the only person in the world.  

that was all in the past now.  

back in barcelona, salma sat alone in her apartment, staring at the empty space where your things used to be. 

it hit her all at once…the weight of what she had lost. you.

she thought back to the fight, to the distance she had put between you, to the moment she hesitated when you told her you loved her.  

for the first time, she wondered if she had made a mistake.  

masterlist

[hysteria-things]

✿ PROMISE? ✿ PART SEVEN.

ʚ♡ɞ 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 | 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 ʚ♡ɞ

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: chris x fem!reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you’re invited to the pits, which is a summer party that takes place in your hometown. however, you didn’t know what you were walking into.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: ALCOHOL/DRUG CONSUMPTION/SMOKING, swearing

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,614

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: like stated, this part contains consumption of substances! just warning you as much as possible!

just a refresher, this series tackles some deep stuff. other than that, enjoy :)

y/n.l/n just posted a photo.

y/n.l/n

christophersturniolo

liked by matthew.sturniolo and others

y/n.l/n bitch stole my cap :/

view all 87 comments

user is this actually THE chris sturniolo or is that their long lost quadruplet?

↳ y/n.l/n i don’t kiss and tell🤫

user where tf did you come from😭

↳ y/n.l/n go ask your mom

christophersturniolo what a stud • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

nicolassturniolo cutie pie • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

↳ y/n.l/n we NEED to hang out

↳ nicolassturniolo I AM BEGGING

_.paige.m the little girls are going to hate you😭🙏 • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

user don’t like how jealous i am right now

↳ user GIRL SAME

matthew.sturniolo where’s my invite? • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

↳ christophersturniolo you’re just my uber bro • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

↳ matthew.sturniolo 😐

jaiden975 this is insane i thought we hated him😒 • ‪‪❤︎‬ by author

↳ y/n.l/n he said he was sorry☹️

⋆⁺₊⋆ ✿ ⋆⁺₊⋆

𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃. 𝐈𝐓 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 like the good old days whenever you talk to the triplets over facetime calls and group chats. you haven’t spoke to them since last night, but you missed it a lot.

your parents are in the pool while you’re getting ready in your room. when you’re about to throw on a bathing suit, you get an incoming call from paige. you answer, putting the phone on speaker and placing it on your desk. “hello?”

“i have something to tell you,” she says.

you raise a brow from the suddenness. “are you pregnant?”

“over my dead fucking body.” she scowls, rustling being heard on the other end. “there’s something called the pits happening tonight. are you down to go? finn and i are, and i’ll call claudia and jaiden after i’m done with you.”

clipping the top to your bikini, you look in the mirror before answering. “what the hell are the pits?”

“it’s where rebellious delinquents like we drink, smoke, and do other shit in this big-ass field. it’s an annual thing that happens in the summer.”

delinquents is a stretch, but you decide not to say it out loud. the thought of alcohol and weed catches your attention, but you still need more pieces on whatever this is. you’re not going to ask though; you’ll keep on keeping on like you always do. “sure, i’ll go.”

paige cheers and claps her hands. “awesome! i’ll text you more details. the only thing i can tell you right now is that finn will be driving all of us since he has the biggest car. i’ll talk to you later.” she explains, hanging up the phone.

after putting on your bathing suit cover and grab a towel, you approach the back deck to see your mom sitting in the pool with a white claw in her hand. your dad is at the mini bar mixing up whatever drinks he can think of, your chihuahua chichi — named by five-year-old you — prances around like she owns the joint.

of course, you’ll be heading toward the hot tub that is cozy in the corner of your backyard. the happiest place on earth, in your opinion.

“good morning!” you beam, making your way down the porch steps.

“mornin’!” your dad exclaims, taking a sip of his beverage. you place the towel down on one of the chairs next to the hot tub. with a hair tie on your wrist, you put your hair up into a high ponytail before placing yourself into the heaven of bubbles. you sit on one of the built-in seats, enjoying every second of what is surrounding you.

“how did i know you were going into the hot tub?” your mom asks sarcastically. you give her a warm smile, leaning back to absorb the warmness. your relaxation is soon rudely interrupted by a vibration from your phone. groaning, you check the notification.

paige😜‼️

jaiden and claudia are in too

we’ll pick you up at 7ish

be ready for one hell of a night ;)

⋆⁺₊⋆ ✿ ⋆⁺₊⋆

𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍 is heard outside as you rush to put in your earrings. “mom, i’ll be back later!” you shout from the top of the stairs.

you start to run down them, but you get stopped by a figure. “wait, wait, wait, wait!” your mom says rapidly when you look up at her face.

“mom, i need to go. my friends are outside.”

“where are you going?” she asks, eyeing you up and down with her arms crossed. “who are you going with? the triplets?”

“no, not tonight. i’m going out with jaiden, claudia, and paige.”

“okay. but, where?” she stares at you for a beat. she is not letting you out of this until you tell her. see, your mom isn’t one to be strict and on top of you at all times, but whenever you go out late, she worries. the thing is, she’ll bury you six feet under if you tell her the truth. “i’m not sure yet. for now, we’re going to drive around. maybe go to some stores or get some food.”

“okay.” she sighs, more in a relief. “have fun, sweetie.”

another beep comes from the car as you shut the door, waving the group in the vehicle off to indicate that you are coming. you jog down the stairs and make your way into the backseat. as your friend said, finn is driving with paige right next to him. claudia is in the middle, meaning that you and jaiden are by the windows. “sorry. my mom was asking me a bazillion questions.” you explain as finn starts going 40 on a 20.

“are you prepared for the best night of your life? this is my favorite part of the summer.” paige says, turning her head towards you.

“sure, I’m beyond thrilled; but how come this is all of a sudden an annual thing and i’ve never heard of it?”

she shrugs. “okay, maybe this is the first time, but it’s going to be an annual thing.” she mumbles, a snicker tickling your throat. “and maybe you’ll meet a boy. who knows?” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

the place is already filled with people when you arrive. it looks like the age gaps went from high schoolers to people in their mid-twenties.

finn parks the car in the gravel parking lot that was split by a huge fence around the field. some people are in the parking lot, sitting on the hood of the cars doing all sorts of drugs, or making out against them. in the middle of the fence is a wide-open gate. you all get out of the car, paige zooming towards the wide opening. “paige! seriously?” finn shouts, sprinting to catch up with his girlfriend. claudia and jaiden link arms and sashay to the entrance. you stand back for a moment before finally getting the motivation to follow them. you’ve been to multiple parties, but this one is beyond any function you’ve been to.

the voices of at least a hundred people get louder the closer you get. there is a whole-ass DJ booth on one end, rainbow light illuminating it. the dance floor had a handful of people on it — the dance floor in question is a patch of dirt. you get a glimpse at the multiple ‘NO TRESPASSING’ signs around the place.

“y/n, y/n!” a voice shouts from behind you. you turn to see who it is. “i didn’t mean to book it like that. i was grabbing a drink.” paige explains, holding a whole glass of alcohol. “come here.”

before you can get a say in anything, she grabs your wrist and drags you through the dancers to a less crowded area. there are giant rocks stacked on top of each other with a rigid-looking table in front of them. the rest of the group is sitting on the rocks with their beverages and other things. there are other partygoers there, too, but you have no idea who they are. glass bottles of different types of alcohol are scattered on the grass next to the beat-up piece of furniture. the closer you get to it, the more you realize what’s on it: cocaine, weed, and bongs.

oh, shit.

“this is where the cool people are at,” finn announces, extending his arms as if he’s stretching. “pick your poison.”

you kneel to the liquids and pick up the bottle of smirnoff. “you want a cup?” he asks, holding out a red solo cup for you.

giving him a face, you shake your head. “i’m not a pussy.”

finn smirks and looks at paige. “she’s cool. i like her.”

moments later, you are all bent over the table inhaling the white powder into your nostrils. the glass of smirnoff is already half empty; alcohol slowly starting to affect all of you. claudia passes over the bong, the large group howling with laughter at god knows what. you take a deep hit, blow it out, cross your arms on the table, and rest your head on them. this feels fantastic.

with your eyes half closed, you manage to make out two figures that stand out to you from afar. one of them is way taller than the other. they are walking and talking simultaneously, becoming closer to where you’re seated. you pick up your head and tilt it, trying to examine them more before they come into the tiny illuminating light from a streetlight. you look at the others, who are either still ingesting things or in their conversations. the two boys lean on the rocks next to you, and your vision makes you see more clearly.

the tall one catches your attention first. he has piercing blue eyes and brunette hair that isn’t too short or too long. you can see his cheekbones so clearly. you can’t explain it, but his face is so… perfect. high or not, he is by far the prettiest boy you’ve ever seen.

on the other hand, the one standing next to him is a few inches shorter. he has black curly hair that covers the lids of his brown eyes. both of them look like complete opposites. tall boy is cleaned up nicely and shortie is more on the IDGAF edgy side.

now that you think about it, they both look oddly familiar. maybe you’ve seen them on one of your summer walks, but that still doesn’t make sense to you. you stumble to your feet with a groan. “i’m going to try and find a bathroom.” you slur to nobody in particular.

you’re walking past the boys when one of them gasps. “no fucking way. y/n?”

dizzy, you look at them and stop in your tracks at the mention of your name. it feels like the drugs and alcohol you consumed have left your body. no wonder he was the prettiest boy you’ve ever seen. the one and only kevin butler is standing in front of you.

the kevin butler you had a crush on from middle school to freshman year.

the kevin butler you embarrassingly wrote about in your journal all those years ago.

next to him is this kid named elias. he went to high school with you, but you don’t recall talking to him much. you’ve only seen him in the halls and at parties. “i can’t believe it’s actually you.” elias says.

“huh?” that is all you can get out.

“you’ve been quiet after high school. i thought you lowkey died,” elias says smugly, the dimples from his smile decorating his cheeks.

“cut it, wright.” kevin hisses, smacking his friend on the chest.

“um, yeah.” you scratch the back of your neck. “what are you guys doing here?”

kevin shrugs. “we got invited. i didn’t want to come, but this guy forced me into it, and i’m glad that he did.”

his eyes dart down your body. the world is more beautiful with him in it. you forgot how gorgeous he is.

elias takes a box of cigarettes out of his back pocket, places one in his mouth, and lights it. he guides the box towards you and you take one. putting it in your mouth, you lean forward for him to ignite the small flame from the lighter. you puff out the smoke and sigh. “so, uh, how have you been?”

“living the dream.” kevin says, which is the most cliche response to that question. “working, pretty much. nothing too crazy.”

you pinch the bridge of your nose with a sniffle. “well, it was great to see you again. i need to go to the bathroom. sorry to cut this short.” you quickly — but carefully — walk in the opposite direction. you nibble on your bottom lip, flustered at what just happened.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ✿ ⋆⁺₊⋆

𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 in a circle. you are in the same area as before, but this time on the ground. jaiden and claudia are giggling about something, finn and paige are whispering to each other, and you sit in silence with your knees to your chest.

you’re too out of it to do anything.

“we’ll be right back,” paige says, she and finn getting up with their hands interlocked.

“where are you going?” you stammer, looking at them with your bloodshot eyes.

“the car.” finn winks. paige giggles before they quickly jog away.

jaiden’s phone gets a message shortly after. “my brother is here.” she tells claudia and then looks at you. “we would leave with you guys but my mom will kill me if i don’t get home soon.”

“It’s fine,” you mutter. both of them leave, just like paige and finn. is it fine? you’re honestly not sure. you feel so euphoric, but also like shit at the same time.

and here you sit, alone at a place you don’t know. you are having fun, but you need to escape. your head is pounding to the point where you can’t think, and beyond that, you’re exhausted. you’re surprised you can find the contact in your phone from the state you’re in. after a few rings, they pick up. “hello?”

“matt?” you grumble.

“yeah? are you okay?” he asks with concern. “you don’t sound like you’re home. where are you?”

“big ass field, that’s where.” you slur.

“the pits was tonight, wasn’t it?” you can hear scurrying on the other end, keys clinking together. “okay. i’ll be there in a few minutes. stay put, please. i’ll text you when i’m there.”

“mhm.” you hum. matt ends the call, and you lean your head back on the rocks as if it is the most comfortable pillow on the planet.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ✿ ⋆⁺₊⋆

matthew🫠

i’m here

i would go in to try and find you but i’m too scared

gaining balance from grabbing onto a surface, you manage to stand up. the music is obnoxiously loud as you stumble down the pathway to the entrance. you see the minivan's headlights in the distance with matt leaning against the driver's side. “matt,” you mumble.

you’re surprised he hears you since his head perks up from the device to look in your direction. “jesus, y/n.” he whispers, jogging over to be at your aid. he wraps his arm around your waist to help you get to the car.

matt leans over your body to fasten your seatbelt. he closes your door, going around the front of the van to get in on his side. he starts the car, but instead of driving, he looks at you. “are you going home?”

you curse under your breath, followed by a facepalm. your mom will kill you if she sees you like this. “you know what,” matt starts, changing the gear to drive. “you can stay with us for the night.”



𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!

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[alphynix]

Gaiasia jennyae was a tetrapodomorph – an amphibian-like relative of early tetrapods – that lived about 280 million years ago during the early Permian in what is now Namibia.

Although it's only known from incomplete skull and vertebral column material it probably looked quite similar to the colosteids, a closely-related group of tetrapodomorphs with elongated bodies and small limbs. If it had the same sort of body proportions as these relatives it would have been huge, the largest known stem-tetrapod at potentially around 4m long (~13').

It had a wide flat head with a short boxy snout, and large interlocking fangs on the roof of its mouth and at the front of its lower jaw. It would have been fully aquatic and probably not a particularly fast swimmer, instead likely being an ambush predator using suction from rapidly opening its jaws to pull prey into its mouth before clamping down with its fangs.

It's also notable for living considerably later than most other stem-tetrapods, and in an unexpected part of the world. While its close relatives are all known from the tropics of the Carboniferous, Gaiasia was in a location that was much closer to the South Pole during the early Permian (~55° S), inhabiting an immense freshwater lake in a rift valley with a cold-temperate climate.

Its presence in this habitat may suggest that other stem-tetrapod lineages survived and thrived in high latitudes for much longer than previously thought, while the true tetrapods were all diversifying nearer the equator – or it might represent a Paleozoic equivalent of Koolasuchus, an isolated straggler lurking in a cold refugium.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Marsicano, Claudia A., et al. "Giant stem tetrapod was apex predator in Gondwanan late Palaeozoic ice age." Nature (2024): 1-6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07572-0

Naish, Darren. "'The whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth.' Prehistoric swamp monster with toilet-seat head dug up in Namibia." Discover Wildlife, 3 Jul. 2024, https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/gaiasia-jennyae

Stollhofen, Harald, et al. "AAPG Studies in Geology# 46, Chapter 6: The Gai-As Lake System, Northern Namibia and Brazil." (2000): 87-108. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255979661_The_Gai-As_Lake_System_Northern_Namibia_and_Brazil

Wikipedia contributors. “Gai-As Formation.” Wikipedia, 8 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gai-As_Formation

Wikipedia contributors. “Gaiasia.” Wikipedia, 8 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaiasia