#ANYWAYS. I just have too many thoughts about Rich and the idea of coming home and this popped out unplanned out of nowhere

[queen-lance]

I just wanted to come home... I wanted to come home so bad.

Words by @electraheart2012

[allpiesforourown]

I know people hate “bully/victim” ships so IM SORRY theres just a silly modern au bully bingge idea i’ve been thinking about a lot lately .

cw for the above mentioned dynamic!!

Luo Binghe getting into some exclusive academy after finding out about his family’s inheritance. He immediately hates all these out of touch rich people… all of them except for Shen Yuan. 

They have a basic meet cute. Shen Yuan spills Binghe’s coffee and offers to buy him a new one, giving him a tour of their campus while they’re out. He introduces him to the librarians and the office staff. Binghe is certain this is way too good to be true, and Shen Yuan has got to have some ulterior motive. 

One some base level he knows Shen Yuan is a good person that is being kind for him for no particular reason. He’s seen him do the same for other people. But the idea of him being just one of the many people Shen Yuan is friendly with makes him feel bitter and self-conscious. So he’s like fuck it, I hate Shen Yuan actually he’s gotta be a green tea bitch or something (because if he’s not it will literally shatter his world-view if he finds out not all people are greedy and bad) 

Hear me out . listen. Pushing someone around is something that can be so homoerotic

Bingge picking on Shen Yuan and being super, super aroused the whole time. He’ll dump water on shen yuan as a joke, then ignore everyone else laughing bc shen yuan’s shirt is sticking to his skin and his nipples got hard because the water was cold-

Or he’ll take shen yuan’s glasses and hold it above his head so shen yuan has to stand on his tip toes and come really close to try to grab it back (one time he even tripped and fell against binghe’s chest!!) Because he’s nearsighted, sometimes Shen Yuan will even forget to put distance between their faces and be within kissing range while he argues with Binghe. 

Once he snuck into the changing room and stole shen yuan’s clothes so he would have to walk back to his dorm in his swim trunks. He definitely didn’t take pictures of Shen Yuan’s blushing face walking back to his room half naked and he definitely didn’t keep the clothes and sniff them like a weirdo haha…

It’s an average day for them (Binghe takes shen yuan by the wrists and holds him against the wall and calls him a fragile little princess and taunts him by saying he’s not strong enough to break out of his hold. Prime bullying tactic for someone you’re in love with 1. Binghe gets to see live reaction of sy’s face when he’s pinned down and struggling and can save that image for later use 2. Physical closeness, they’re practically pressed together 3. Shen yuan bruises easily and seeing binghe’s handprints on his wrists for like a week is super satisfying 4. Binghe can call him romantic pet names like princess or wife and shen yuan will just think binghe is calling him effeminate as an insult) 

Luo Binghe even lifts Shen Yuan’s hands above him to catch both wrists with one hand and says, “You can’t even get out if I only use one hand?” It makes Shen YUan flush red from humiliation in suuuch an adorable way. 

So anyway, Binghe is picking on shen yuan in the back room of some office somewhere, doing his whole routine because he’s been hurt too many times in life to be vulnerable with someone again and this is his only way to achieve intimacy with the person he loves. He’s been saving the “are you sure you’re a man? Maybe I should check” card for a long time and he’s so excited to use it. He’ll even say something about Shen Yuan’s dick being so short, he should just wear a skirt and become a real man’s wife, and that’s BULLYING, it’s NOT a kink, binghe does NOT jerk off to the thought of Shen Yuan wearing short dresses and greeting him home, he DOESN’T. (he does) 

Before he can fulfill this amazing plan, Liu Qingge, another man in their year, barges in?? Obviously, they fight and Binghe’s chance to feminize his crush slips through his fingers

The worst thing is ??? Liu Qingge rescued Shen Yuan like some righteous prince saving the damsel in a fairy tale. Shen Yuan is not allowed to have a storybook romance with someone else! He hates Liu Qingge so much it’s unreal

It becomes impossible to corner Shen Yuan and get some time alone. He and that Qingge guy are together more and more often. Liu Qingge is in the library carrying Shen Yuan’s books now? Now they’re always hanging out on the grass having lunch?? They’re discussing what electives they can take together?!?! 

It’s been like a month since he’s gotten to properly tease shen Yuan and he needs it bad. If he doesn’t pull down shen yuan’s pants in public to embarrass him (and see his ass) soon, he might actually die. 

Then he spots him: Shen Yuan walking to class. Unaccompanied.

Luo Binghe is so overcome with exhilarated relief, he doesn’t even think about what he’s gonna do. He just runs over, ignores Shen Yuan’s screaming, throws him over his shoulder like a bag of rice, and carries him away. 

Shen Yuan freaks the hell out because, okay, petty insults and light fighting are one thing, but he’s straight up getting kidnapped?? That’s not bullying anymore, that’s a crime!! 

Binghe knows he only has so much time before Qingge manages to find them. He needs somewhere he can hide – he races back to his room before he can plan any further. He throws Shen Yuan on the bed, locks the door, and sighs in relief. 

Shen Yuan is sure he’s gonna die. He has no idea what he ever did to piss Binghe off so bad. Yes, he spilled his coffee, but he got him another one! 

Binghe takes a seat on the bed as well. He averts his eyes away from him bashfully, but glances back periodically like a maiden trying to play coy. Shen yuan has no idea how to navigate whats happening. He backs up on the bed until he hits the wall and holds up a pillow like a shield, except- there’s something underneath. 

It’s the cucumber patterned gag boxers he got as a joke from airplane. No one in the world would buy them. “Is- is this my underwear?” 

Binghe lunges at him to knocks the evidence out of Shen Yuan’s hand, but instead pushes him onto his back and ends up with his hands on either side of Shen Yuan’s head. 

Shen Yuan is shocked in place. Binghe, on the other hand, is in bullying-cute-boy withdrawl. He sees Shen Yuan's beautiful face flustered by their position, on Binghe's bed, and POUNCES.

Now that Shen Yuan finally understands his feelings, Binghe has permission to torment him! And he does. For hours, with various tools and against every surface. 

[spacebagfullofstars]

Evolution X-Men meeting Deadpool for the first time

An idea for the first episode Deadpool would appear in the show. It'd take place during early season 2. I don't have enough ideas to write the whole thing but here's the introduction

After the Brotherhood fled and the old warehouse was empty once more, the X-Men could finally focus on their unexpected guest. Through the darkness where he stood, they could see him sheathing his katanas and stretching his arms.

"Phiii-ew! Nothing like a good workout after a mind-numbingly boring sail home!" He said, rolling his neck and shoulders. "Warms my cold, unfeeling heart to see the streets just as crime-infested as I left them!"

After a second, the man stepped towards them and into the light. The younger members of the X-Men couldn't help, but gasp when he revealed himself to them.

The person who joined their fight was wearing a red and black costume that covered his whole body, including his face. Outside of the twin katanas on his back, he had two gun pouches attached to the sides of a multi-pocketed belt. His white eyes stared at them with unclear intent.

"You?!" While Kitty, Rogue and Kurt were intimidated by his presence, Scott and Jean stood their ground. They appeared to be more disgusted than afraid. Surprisingly, the man seemed to recognise them as well.

"Jeanie! Scottie! Long time no see! Come here and give uncle Deadpool a hug!" He said, spreading his arms. Before he ran at them, Jean used her powers to throw him into the air. His enthusiasm faltered.

"Cold. I guess you don't want all the radical gifts I bough you abroad!" He said, starting to levitate upside down. "Do kids these days still say it? Do they say 'radical'? I hate that word. I hope it'll die out quickly."

"You know this weirdo?" Kitty whispered to them.

"He calls himself Deadpool." Jean stated. "He used to break into the Institute regularly."

"That's all you have to say about little ol' me?" Deadpool interrupted, then traced a line from his eye down his cheek. "You can't see it, but I just shed a sad tear. I thought we were friends."

"We're not-"

"As (I'm pretty sure) my pop used to say, if you want something done right, do it yourself!" The mercenary clapped his hands, interrupting her again. He kicked his legs and pushed himself back up so he could face them properly.

"I go by many names! Deadpool is one, but some prefer to call me the Merc with the Mouth!" He stated, pointing his thumbs at himself. "The world-famous mercenary willing to do any kind of job for a good pay, weapon expert, master of all known fighting styles and three times Champion of Hot Dog Eating in West Virginia! This city used to belong to me, but the merc job is unforgiving and I had to leave it for like twenty years!"

"We haven't seen you in two years." Scott corrected.

"It felt like twenty to me, so it must've been! Now I come back and see that you X-Dorks grew in numbers!" Deadpool continued, then crossed his arms and looked away. "Not that I'm bitter, or anything. I can do so much better than your little rich kid houseclub anyway."

"... Wait, he was an X-Man?!" Rouge asked, baffled.

"Professor tried giving him a chance once." Jean sighed. "He almost blew up the mansion."

"Like that old thing doesn't blow up every other week, am I right, guys?" Deadpool snorted and rose his hand. Outside of the distance between them, no one was willing to give him a high five. He waited a few more seconds and then high fived himself.

"Is it bad that he kinda reminds me of Kurt when he has too much sugar?" Kitty snickered.

"Don't even joke like that!" Kurt didn't like that.

"The only difference is that Kurt isn't..." Scott began, then whistled and swirled his finger around the side of his head.

"I believe the term you're looking for is 'able to think outside the box', three eyes." Deadpool overheard them and air quoted. Without any warning, he disappeared in a small flash of energy.

"What the-?!" Kurt cried out as they all stepped back in surprise. After a second, the mercenary reappeared behind them.

"And who those adorable new faces might be?" His voice startled them all. "No, no, don't tell me! You look like Jessica," He said, pointing at surprised Kitty. "Your super power is shrinking. You look like Bridget and you love being different!" He pointed at Rogue, making her scoff at him. "And you look like Elvis! You have an eternal bad hair day!" He said, pointing at Kurt.

"What?" The blue boy squinted.

"Deadpool, stay away from them!" Scott warned, flashing his visor in readiness. "Whatever you came here for, you're not getting it from us!"

"Look at you all grown up and shouting orders like a boss man! Relax, kid, I have no quarrel with you today. I just wanted to catch up and meet new people! Speaking of..." Deadpool said, then reloaded his gun that he suddenly grabbed. Something darkened in his eyes. "Where's Wolverine?"

The other X-Men could see Jean and Scott getting tense. It seemed that despite their distate, they were scared of the man after all.

Suddenly, Deadpool seemed to hear something and his head perked up a bit. They could almost see a smirk forming on his face.

"Right on the clock." He mused. He spun his gun in his hand, then without any warning, whipped back and fired a single shot.

Wolverine had entered the warehouse and managed to sneak behind them. He quickly released his claws and slashed the bullet mid-air. Before other X-Men could stop him, Deadpool switched, pulled out his katanas and teleported again. He reappeared right in front of Logan and took a swing at him. His weapons and the mutant's claws clashed.

"Kurt, get everyone outta here!" The X-Man shouted. The boy nodded. The kids came closer and he teleported them away, leaving the two alone.

"I had a feelin' I smelled a rottin' brain somewhere!" Wolverine growled.

"You're the one to talk, dog-breath!" Deadpool retorted, trying to slash him again. Wolverine blocked him. "Dog, or bear, or some other animal that smells bad! I don't want to say badger, because I feel like I'd be beating a dead horse at this point-"

"I miss the silence already!" Logan said. He roared and tried to throw a punch.

Meanwhile, the group reappeared outside.

"What does this Deadpool guy want with Logan?!" Rouge couldn't help, but grow concerned.

"They have... history." Scott explained. "I'm pretty sure they hate each other."

"Like he and Sabertooth?" Kitty asked.

"Honestly? We have no idea." Jean admitted. "It's best to just stay out of the way and let Logan handle it. He always does."

As soon as she said that, they heard an explosion that made them jump. Suddenly, Wolverine fell out of a window with a trail of smoke following him. Deadpool jumped after him and skilfully landed on the ground. When he stood up, the kids saw that he was holding a bomb with his face painted on it.

"He has explosives?!" Kurt shouted, tugging his hair. Logan returned on his feet, smoke from the explosion still dancing on his body.

"I thought you were done takin' bounties on me!" He shouted.

"I am, but it's an emergency!" Deadpool said, throwing the bomb from hand to hand. "I need this money more than I need food and water!"

"A sellout through and through!" Wolverine said, then charged back. Deadpool let him get close, teleported, and then tried to throw a bomb at him from the distance. Logan kicked it right into the ocean and it exploded in the water.

The mercenary quickly switched back to his katanas and charged with full force at his opponent. There was a lot of slashing, dodging and rolling involved. Neither of them managed to reach each other for a good while. Finally, Wolverine used an opportunity to pin Deadpool to the ground with one arm behind his back.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" He cried. "That's foul play! You're disqualified for being a bad sport!"

"Cry me a river, Wilson." Logan tsked. "Whoever hired you must've not known that you always lose to me."

"Yeah. That might be true." The mercenary said, another almost visible smirk appearing on his face. Little did Wolverine know, his free arm was trying to reach for a hidden pocket in his costume. "By the way, don't think that I forgot to bring a souvenir or two for my bestest friend. Why don't you let me go so I can show it to you?"

"I ain't lettin' you go that easily, bub. You're gonna tell me exactly who sent you and what kinda money made you break your promise."

"Oh, I love to talk! Especially with you!" He quietly unzipped the pocket and reached inside. "But you know I can't talk about my employers. Merc 101. Buuuut, I can tell you all about the crazy places I've been to for the past two years! I learned like three different languages! Do you want me to say something in Chinese?"

"If you're tryin' to make me angry, it ain't gonna work. We've been doin' this song and dance long enough for me to know when you're lookin' for a distraction."

"Awww, you care about me enough to know my strategy! You so deserve that little treat I bought you!"

"Logan, look out!" Rouge shouted, but she was too late. Logan felt a sharp sting in his leg. He gasped and quickly pushed himself off Deadpool. He looked down and saw a dart sticking from his thigh. The X-Men were ready to intervene.

"Do not get involved!" Logan snarled, sensing their intent. His head was already beginning to spin.

"Yeah, you better listen to Papa Wolvie! This is between us adults!" Deadpool shouted, looking at them as well. The mutant suddenly fell to his knees, trying to fight whatever Deadpool injected into him, but it seemed stronger than his healing factor. His eyes started feeling heavy, and finally, he fell lifelessly on the ground.

"Logan!" The kids yelled. Jean was already floating whatever she could to throw at Deadpool.

"Don't worry, X-Kids! I promise to give him back as soon as I get my money! Follow your dreams and stay in school!" Deadpool gave them a peace sign before he kneeled in front of Wolverine and teleported away with him.

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics in which one or both of the main characters meeting the family plays an important role in the fic as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis/Harry -

🍍 Darling, so it goes by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 195k, Grace Kelly au) Harry Styles is a world-famous actor at the height of his career but a personal low point when he meets His Serene Highness Prince Louis of Monaco by chance. He doesn’t think they’ll ever see each other again, but after striking up a correspondence, it turns out they have more in common than he thought. 

🍍 Like a Bullet in the Dark by @vurdoc

(E, 99k, Will and Kate au) Prince Harold Edward Styles Lancaster is second in line to the throne of Great Britain. He is also your average Uni student- or he tries to be, anyway.

🍍 Let Our Hearts Collide by @crinkle-eyed-boo

(M, 76k, While You Were Sleeping au) When Harry, a lonely transit worker, saves the life of the handsome commuter he's been secretly pining for, an innocent mistake results in Liam Payne's family believing that Harry is engaged to their son. In the Paynes, Harry finds the big family he's always longed for...and a love he never saw coming.

🍍 Them Butterflies by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry

(E, 68k, falling in love) This is the extraordinarily ordinary AU where Harry falls in love for the first time and Louis learns how to fall in love all over again.

🍍 Brasswood Boys by Tomlinsontoes / @pianolouis

(M, 59k, royal) the one where Harry doesn't realize his boyfriend is a prince until he takes a "royal soulmate" quiz online and has to decide if he wants to pack up his life and try to fit in with royals.

🍍 take my hand (my whole life too) by beckywritesthings / @beckydoesthings

(E, 43k, royal) a Crazy Rich Asians AU with a royal twist where Harry is a prince, Louis is most definitely not, and there’s a royal wedding to attend.

🍍 The Happiest Season by @sadaveniren

(E, 37k, movie au) “You’re going to spend Christmas - and your birthday - with his homophobic WASP parents? That’s gonna be hell.”

🍍 If I Stay by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings

(M, 37k, A Walk in the Clouds au) Harry and Louis agree to a temporary arrangement that Harry can't seem to walk away from no matter how many times he tries.

🍍 I Keep Looking For Magic by @lululawrence

(NR, 36k, Christmas) Harry cannot go home alone when he had promised to bring a significant other again. This leaves him with little choice but to find someone to pretend they are his fiance.

🍍 Find You Home by @kingsofeverything

(E, 35k, fake relationship) When Louis lies to his family and says he’ll bring his new boyfriend home for Christmas, his best friend and roommate Harry agrees to play the part. It’s that, or be left alone over the holidays.

🍍 I Just Want You to Stay by @sadaveniren

(E, 34k, omegaverse) Louis and Harry have been roommates for four years, comfortable in their routine and their relationship. But all of that is about to change.

🍍 From the Start by @allwaswell16

(E, 32k, fake relationship) Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.

🍍 my kingdom for a kiss (tonight you're on my mind) by @leighbot

(E, 30k, royal) the one where Zayn and Louis make a friendly wager and it goes too far, Harry's a baker with a heart of gold and really great hair, Liam is an overworked PA who just wants to enjoy his holiday and Niall is completely at ease, as always. An accidentally married AU mixed with a splash of modern royalty.

🍍 Turn and face the strange by orphan_account

(E, 26k, royal) the one where Harry is going to be King, Louis can't handle it like he thinks, Zayn is finally happy, Liam's a massive geek and Niall's marrying a princess.

🍍 What Side Of Love Are You On? by @fallinglikethis

(T, 25k, movie au) Ever since Harry finally made the decision to come out to his mother as bisexual, she’s been foisting women on him left and right, determined it’s just a phase. But when she puts out a personal ad to find the perfect partner for her son, things really get complicated. 

🍍 bring out feelings in me i never show by orphan_account

(M, 24k, fake relationship) Louis accidentally hires a felon to be his fake boyfriend for Thanksgiving. Or, the fake boyfriends au no one asked for

- Rare Pairs -

🍍 It's simple and it goes like this by yourlionheartx / @djtommotomlinson

(G, 3k, Zayn/Liam) Liam and Zayn have been fake dating for almost a year to get their parents off their backs. Liam’s a closeted lesbian and Zayn’s a trans woman who is also not out to her parents. It seems like the perfect plan to give them both some peace, until feelings get involved.

🍍 Fine Line by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(G, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) Telling his family was always going to be a big deal, but doing it alone was a sacrifice he could make. He never thought they’d fall about laughing.

[spirkkock]

Going to be diseased about the modern au jopson/little/tozer idea forever. Legit sounds like the perfect story omg. There’s so much potential that I actually can’t stop thinking about it and now I want to know all the little details on how they would all interact,,

(Also if you somehow haven’t already then I’d highly recommend reading Renovation by ktula on ao3 - similar broad premise but very different details.

I was going to just say this all as a comment but I got shy lol but regardless! Very good concept, your mind is so massive for it tbh)

Omg!!! I was 100% inspired by ktula’s Renovation! I just read it last week and it’s all I can think about for real!! That fic rewired something in my brain, legitimately. I didn’t realize how much I was into Sol until I read it - he’s just so rough I need him to top me ASAP.

You don't have to feel shy! I'm just a dumb nerd who likes to think about cold boys warming up together :) say hi any time!

ANYWAY I loooove all of their dynamics so much. i have thought about this A LOT so here's way more details!!!!!!

[[PART 1]]

Nepo baby Nedward comes from a big family with lots of money. He works hard but he’s so shy and sad he couldn’t have gotten where he’s gotten (idk maybe something in finance?) without that Oxford legacy admissions because he’s such a big mopey doofus otherwise. And he’s quite ashamed of it, really, because he recognized his privilege but he can’t help it. And he’s a little out of touch because of it all but trying his best. But when grandma died no one else wanted the (modest but now, with real estate prices like they are, quite fancy) Victorian house because it’s practically falling apart, so it’s his now.

Jopson obviously also went to Oxford but on scholarship and had to work his ass off for it. He learned how to put on a wealthy affect to blend in with all the rich kids. But none of them liked him except Ned, who trailed around after him like a morose puppy begging for scraps of attention. And it pissed Tom off so much at first but eventually he realized he liked Ned - a lot actually. And he likes being in control, which is what Ned needs more than anything. And the rest is history! He’s perhaps some sort of organizer for housing justice. He’s home when he’s not yelling at city council for their proposed cheap developments that will displace entire city blocks of people for years.

(I think perhaps they’re not actually married yet. Tom doesn’t believe in marriage. He watched his father leave his mother and he’s watched too many “good men” leave her subsequently. But he and Ned make a show of it like they are - of course the Littles are less than thrilled that their only son is gay and seriously dating some kind of activist.)

Sol….. poor Sol…. He’s down on his luck for sure (not as bad as he is in ktula’s fic but still). He has a tendency of mixing business with pleasure, which really screwed him over when his former coworkers (and lovers) turned on him. It’s tough being queer in construction. So he lost his job, and now he’s taking odd jobs to do electrical work, but he’s certified for much much more than that.

Sol is also a sex fiend!!! He can’t help it, honestly, it’s just his nature. And the dry spell is killing him, but he knows he has to stay focused and snag this opportunity to work on this big beautiful house. But it’s soooo difficult because Nedward is 100% his type and his cute little husband isn’t bad either, even if he is a little unnerving. And he's constantly putting his foot in his mouth by accidentally saying something stupid and horny but it always makes Tom's eyes go dark and Ned turn a glorious pink so he keeps doing it.

At first Sol thinks Tom doesn’t trust him - his work (other than electrical) isn’t insured, since he’s not with a company, and Tom seems to know enough about housing to know that might be a bad idea. But he’s certainly cute, and he’s always buying Sol lunch from the chippie and asking him what kind of music he wants Tom to put on and eventually Sol thinks they’re maybe friends. But, by god, he’s always walking around looking like a snack in those tight, too small t shirts and booty shorts showing off the dark hair on his thighs and belly. And when he catches Sol looking he always responds with the most indecipherable, sultry expression that goes straight to Sol's cock - this environment is NOT conducive to GETTING WORK DONE. He goes home every day and jerks off thinking about what Tom and Ned might look like in bed together.

And don't get me started on Ned - he's an absolute mess of a man. He's big and a rough around the edges, obviously, but so well mannered and polite at the same time. He's always trying (and failing) to butch it up for Sol - he invites Sol to watch sports (working men like sports, right?) and drink a beer (men like Sol drink beer, right?), and maybe barbeque when the garden is finished (come on - grilling meat and drinking beer... right? Right?). And it's so misguided and silly but Sol finds it totally endearing, especially the time when Ned super excitedly offers him the most disgusting oatmeal stout he's ever had the displeasure of drinking, and so they both end up having some of Tom's Cab Sav instead. And then, of course, Sol wants to talk about notes and wine pairings with Tom and Ned goes the most alluring shade of scarlet because he's spent so much time and energy going down the WRONG avenues to woo Sol.

And Sol doesn't know this until later, but Ned gets off so hard after the fact when Tom teases him mercilessly about making a fool of himself in front of Sol. He absolutely gets a shame boner any time he embarrasses himself, and it gets so much worse (better) when Sol and Tom start screwing because it makes Ned feel like a voyeur and a pervert. He loves hearing all the titillating details of their salacious affair. Of course Tom knows all of this and completely milks it. His favorite thing to do is drive Ned into a mild moral panic. And it's just too easy easy with regard to Sol.

[rae-enstars-translations]

Koikoi Love Cafe | 01/⁰⁶

| next >

Early February. Hallway near Café Cinnamon

NIKI

Hmm-hmm-hmm~ Hmm-hmm-hmm~♪ As You Like It~♪

Ahh, I ended up working overtime again today. But that doesn't even matter to me right now!

After all, I've been coming up with the special menu for Valentine's week… It’s the kind of job that gets my skills tingling, and I lose track of time!

That said, I've been working way too much lately, so I'd like to take it easy once I get home...♪

Hmm? What's this... individually wrapped candy?

And not just one, there are many of them.

...Why are there candies scattered in the hallway? Weird things happen often around ES, but someone seems to have put a lot of effort into this...?

(Oh, could this be a prank?)

No doubt about it! The candies are scattered so blatantly... It's too obvious~♪

(This is different from when I was tricked during Sweetling Seekers. It'd be polite of me to pretend to fall for something like this!)

Haha! I'm finally getting used to my work as an idol.

Well then, without further ado...♪

-

Scene change: staircase

-

NIKI (speaking loudly)

Huh~? That's strange~

I don't know why there's so much candy lying around, but today sure is my lucky day!

(By making an obvious setup, it's likely that the prankster will reveal themselves!)

(...Alright, they should be coming soon! If I do it now, I can at least give them a reaction -)

TORI

Gotcha!

NIKI

Wooaah...!

I...I, uhm, didn’t expect you to come from behind, Himemiya-kun! What a surprise!

TORI

...What's with that calm reaction? You could’ve been like... "Whoa!" or "Yikes!", or-

Oh, you were expecting a prank and were ready for it, weren't you? You're so obvious!

NIKI

Mmm... was I no good? I thought I was pretty spot-on with acting surprised...

TORI

It doesn't matter. Not like I'm trying to teach you a lesson on...'the harshness of showbiz', or something.

Anyway, I have a favor to ask, so - will you give it a listen?

NIKI

...Ahah. Since you’ve got me in a solid grip, I don’t think you’ll let go even if I say "no".

So. What's the favor?

Since you called me in particular, is it something related to cooking...?

TORI

Naturally!

You know what's coming up, don't you? That's right - Valentine's Day!

Therefore, I’m granting you the honors of making my Valentine’s candy!

NIKI (flabbergasted)

What... Honors...? I don’t really need such a right - do I even need permission?

TORI (frowning)

But it is an honor! Be a little more excited!

NIKI

Mmmn.. But I’m wondering, still, do you really need to 'grant' such a right?

If you want to eat delicious chocolate, Himemiya-kun, you have plenty of options, right?

You’re rich, so you can get any exquisite confectionary without worrying about budget or availability.

Plus, there are many chefs better than me, so there’s no need to go out of your way to ambush me for something like that.

TORI (shaking head)

No, only Shiina-senpai can do this.

It's true that the Himemiya family’s wealth allows me to buy all the sweets I want - but that’s not the point.

Do you know that the price of chocolate has been rising lately?

NIKI

Oh yeah, I heard it’s been skyrocketing. Something about trouble in the main exporting countries... I heard it from the store manager where I work part-time.

TORI

Yes. Because of that, Fine decided to postpone Chocolat Fes to springtime.

Given the situation, I thought it would be disrespectful to give chocolate to Eichi-sama.

TORI's voice raises

So, please! Lend me your wisdom!

TORI's voice calms

If it’s Shiina-senpai - the one who comes up with various seasonal menus at Café Cinnamon - then you must be full of ideas, right?

NIKI (smiles)

Ah, I see. You want to prepare sweets that don’t use chocolate.

Understood. If it’s okay with me, I’ll help as much as you need!

At Cinnamon, I always think about recipes while considering ingredient costs and budgets. But, since this is a direct request from Himemiya-kun, I suppose there’s more flexibility in the budget, right?

TORI (smiles)

Of course! I’ll provide as much money as you need, so make the ideal sweets!

NIKI

That’s generous~✰ Alright then, let’s head back to the dorms and start planning!

There’s this ingredient I wanted to use, so I’ll explain that to you...♪

[hugemilkshake]

hii! okay sooo....

seeing you write a Yandere Ancients x Reader....that got me thinking....what if it was the Dragons? YANDERE dragons? OMG SCREAMS AAAAAAAARGRHRGRRGRH ( im obsessed...i love yanderes sm they make me crazy MUAHAHHA i crave for more yandere dragon cookies content YUMMY )

same plot, basically the dragons (yandere) react to reader's rejection to them and pushes them away or something? or what if reader prefers someone else? i would really LOVE to see their reactions heh....IF U SEE THIS I BEG OF YOU- it would be the happiest moments of my LIFE if u do this RAHHHH anyways...THANKIE AND GOODBAI COOL PERSON !1!1 *skedaddles away*

(ok seriously i love they way u write the dragons. i crave more of ur amazing content hshshshsh)

Enjoy the milkshake! I’m a slow writer lololol and also my jaw hurts-

I would do Lychee and Longan but I can’t think of any ideas for them rn </3

Pitaya, Ananas and Lotus getting rejected

-Romantic-

!TW! Under the cut there will be stuff like guilt tripping, arson, punishing innocent people, forced starvation, implied cheating, manipulation and obsessive behaviors

Pitaya Dragon

You were already happy with the cookie you were with, your life was practically perfect.

But The Great Red Dragon thought that you’d drop everything just to be with them. I mean imagine being with one of the strongest characters on earthbread! You’d be treated well!

But… your more loyal than the dragon thought.. Your loyalty was something admirable but Pitaya hated that it wasn’t for them. You saw the dragon try to play it off normally but there was and underlying rage.

A month goes by you lived your normal life, the confession occasional coming up in your thoughts. Today was an average day, a clear sky and cool wind.

But then… you smelt it… smoke..

Smoke and the stench of burnt butter. You eyes gaze up at the sky and you see the smoke drifting across the blue sky, staining it in a dark gray. You look and spot that the smoke is coming from the local village, that same village your partner was visiting…

—————————————

When you rejected Pitaya, they were very angry. For days they burned and destroyed their cave.

But after they cooled down a bit they cleaned their cave up. Not because they accepted your rejection, but because they had a plan

They see how horrified you were at the sight of burnt cookies and homes, but most importantly… your partner being held up by the collar.

You had an ultimatum. Either save your partner and go with Pitaya or you let your partner and more cookies die, I mean… you wouldn’t want to be the cause of so many deaths right?

If you go with Pitaya, you are always in their vicinity. The dragon is quite clingy to you. They have their tail wrapped around time or your resting in their lap

They feel a little bad for forcing you to come with them, but not bad enough to let you go.

Ananas Dragon

A rejection to The Golden Dragon is quite the insult, but a rejection in favor for another? That’s just blasphemy.

After your rejection, your tribe started to suffer. Fruit stoped being produced, fish avoided the tribes hunting grounds and cookies started getting sick.

No one knows why, other tribes aren’t experiencing this, so why is yours?

Some cookies start to suspect that you have something to do with it, why else are there so many golden treasures and trinkets around your home?

Some cookies think about sacrificing you to the Golden Dragon, others think you did something to anger the dragon… which is exactly what Ananas Dragon wants…

—————————————

Your rejection was the most disrespectful thing Ananas Dragon has heard. I mean, you would be spoiled in riches beyond your wildest dreams! And yet, you choose some.. BORING old cookie over them?! Blasphemy.

The only thing that they could think of is to punish you. Your tribe had it good for too long. It’s time to bring some trouble.

All food sources started to die out. Anything you’d grow would die, all and any fish would be no where to be found.

Cookies of your tribe had to start rationing food and even eating plants that wouldn’t be considered edible, just to avoid starvation.

But due to the food situation, cookies were starting to get sick.

But while this happened, the more gold was left at your house. Cookies started to think you had something to do with this

The more who think you did something… the quicker Ananas Dragon will get you in their grasp…

Lotus Dragon

This confession didn’t happen immediately. It happened when you were head over heels. Yes, you have a partner but that doesn’t mean you can’t fall for someone else right?

It’s slow but Lotus is very patient. They can wait for their wish to come true. But while they’re waiting… why don’t you listen to them play their mandolin for a bit?

Don’t worry about your partner! They didn’t think about coming with you, they might not be as loyal as you think… but that’s probably not the case!

Right..?

—————————————

Lotus knows you’re loyal to your partner, and they know that you’d reject them, so unlike some other dragons, they would make you and your partner fall out of love.

Friendship. That’s where all love usually starts.

To befriend a dragon is quite a great feat. Others are envious and amazed at your friendship with the wish giving dragon

But… Lotus whispers doubts about your partner… like why don’t they spend time with you? They don’t seem to notice when you’re upset so why do they stay with you?

And unknown to you (and lotus) cookies tell your partner that they aren’t good enough for you since you are apparently friends with a dragon.

In a matter of time… you and your partner are broken up and you actually accept Lotus Dragons confession

But be warned… if you even come close to figuring out that they aided in breaking you and your partner up… you might get locked up…

[weaselbeaselpants]

Lorch opened her big stupid mouth again and decided to lean into "addicts are all awful and deserve to die" territory. How adorable.

My father functionally drank himself to death after he finally drove us away for good with his constant rage sessions, bouts of anger, stalking, suicide baiting and threatening us with guns, and all of this after a period of hightened emotional and verbal abuse we were subjected to after the death of my grandmother which lead him to self-medicate even harder than he already did throughout my whole life. I get really pissed at the idea that drugs, ANY drug or substance, can "save" you. It can't. You have to save you and self-medication can kill and does kill. It ruined my life because it ruined my dad's life and it ruined his immune system to where he died of bronchitis. I know from watching my dad's brother, my uncle, who did do HARD drugs and had the same issues as my dad, that hard drugs are easy to get into after you keep clearing hurtles to escape pain/feel higher, and then DANGEROUSLY hard to escape from. No Lily I didn't need Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting to tell me that though I've heard from people that both those movies are disturbingly accurate about heroine, which is horrifying. No one should go through what happens in those stories and they sure as hell shouldn't be blamed/shamed/treated like 'filth' for being in that position at all.

The thing is, people are responsible for themselves. Not taking prescriptions right is bad. ALWAYS talk with a psychiatrist they are literally there to hear how you're doing on your drugs; never drink/smoke/toke and drive or handle machinery. It is absolutely not worth it get your friend or family to do it PLEASE even if they're annoying (at best) and chast you for that. If there's any way in which weed can directly kill you -Lily- it's through this. Wait till you're home; I'm not telling you this crap because I'm your mom, stranger on the internet reading this. I'm telling you this as a person with my own vices who lives around other people with their own vices; take care of yourself as best you can. You can do better, but you can never be perfect and that's okay. Don't abstain from stuff you can't quit but please be responsible. And godspeed to people dealing with addictions to hard drugs. I wish you the best - you can do it and as impossible as it may seem you will find the things you need in life to escape your pain without your addiction. I wish...so much that vibes and prayers and good thoughts could do more for you; especially the people dealing with drugs and homelessness right now which is SO MANY in my county alone. My government is screwing you over. You deserve to live and you ought to have your story told no matter what.

Anyway fuck you six ways to sunday Lily Orchard in the name of HUMANITY. You miserable, awful woman- wishing death and eugenic talk onto addicts for the crime of being an addict. You're the kind of person who doesn't just get uncomfortable+scoot away at a clearly tripping person on the bus, you actively say vile things abt them under your breath and scream at them if they even come near you. You have no empathy. I pray to god you never come across a homeless person. You must think the same backward garbage about them too.

Also speaking of vices and lecturing people on them, I find all this rich coming from the woman who wrote incest-laden cp left and right in her heyday, blames other people for it and very likely has accounts full of visual cp under your sockpuppets. I don't drink, smoke or take heavy drugs myself, Lily. But, just looking at what your good old friend Tara (who is not Sai. We both know this I don't even like Sai and I know it's not Sai) has hidden on the web I kind of want to now just to get those images outta my mind. "Quit at anytime/just NOT do the dangerous this" clearly doesn't apply to you. Predator.

[sundove88]

MHA: Heart of Glass Chapter 5: Crystal Clear

The very next morning, Ochaco woke up at home, her beautiful dress from the night earlier on a mannequin nearby, with its many accessories safe in the drawers of her closet. And everything was business as usual, as if nothing had ever happened- well, almost. “Guys, I think had the time of our lives last night.”, Ochaco said over the phone, grateful to the friends who had accompanied her to the gala. “And I think that you have something to remember the party with.”, replied her mother as she pulled out one of the dancing shoes from Ochaco’s pocket. “Mhm. I have Best Jeanist to thank for all of it.”, replied the grateful girl as she held the shoe close to her heart. Although the gala was over, Ochaco’s memories of it were crystal clear, even going as far as to take many pictures of her and her friends enjoying the evening.

At the same moment, at U. A. High, All Might was busy pondering over the shoe he held, with its transparent blue hue, pearly pink satin rose, and glitter sprinkled throughout the footwear. “What are you doing, Toshinori?”, Midnight asked as she approached the number one hero in all the world. “You know, I think I might just have an idea on how to find the winner of last night’s sweepstakes.”, he said as he presented the shoe. “With a shoe? Ok, now you’re just being silly.”, replied Endeavor as he combed back his scarlet hair. “Nonono! What I meant was that we can go around town to find who fits the shoe, and whoever fits this very shoe is the winner of our sweepstakes!”, All Might replied as he presented. “You know; I think that’s a pretty good idea!”, replied Present Mic as he sketched out the plans. “Yes, but you have to consider the amount of people that attended the gala…”, replied Aizawa, gulping down a coffee. “I hope we can find the shoe’s owner.”, said Eri, holding a unicorn toy.

Mere hours later, Aizawa and Hizashi were running all across town, taking the dancing shoe near and far to be tried on by all the people in the city, just to find the winner of the sweepstakes. But they both forgot how many people were at the gala the night before, and they all wanted that dancing shoe. But no matter how big or small the size of their feet were, they couldn’t even come close to placing the dancing shoe on perfectly. “This is gonna take longer than we thought…”, Aizawa replied, seemingly close to giving up the search. They had gone through rich fellows, poor folks, youngsters, seniors, and everyone who had been at the gala the evening before- but none fit the dancing shoe. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”, replied Present Mic as they cleared out an area.

Finally, they came to the area where Ochaco lived, and were exhausted to the point of giving up, but they persevered and hurried inside anyway. “This very dancing shoe was left behind at the Hero Gala last night. Whoever fits it is also considered the winner of the sweepstakes.”, said Aizawa. “Then let me try it on!”, replied Twice as he excitedly ran forward. But try as he might, he couldn’t get his toes into the dancing shoe- because the shoe was tailored only for a specific person. “You know, Twice, you should really consider cutting off your toes. That way, it’ll be much easier to get your foot in.”, All For One said, taking out a butter knife. “What?! That���s nasty! I’m not risking it!”, replied Twice as he gave up easy. “Then I might as well try it on. After all, I might get the chance to finally attend U. A.!”, Toga said as she placed her foot into the shoe. Although her toes slid in perfectly, her heel couldn’t. “Toga! Do you mind if I cut off your heel to help fit?”, Overhaul said, holding the same butter knife that All For One held moments earlier. “What?! No!”, Toga shouted as she took the shoe off.

The duo was just about to leave the area, when a voice came over. “Wait!! We know the owner of that shoe!” It was Izuku. “Hold on, you attended the gala last night too, eh?” Replied Hizashi as he and Aizawa approached the gang. In seconds, they had brought Ochaco down, who was excited to place that shoe on her foot. “Go on, try it on.”, replied Aizawa as he showed the shoe. “Tch. There’s no way that a SCULLERY MAID like her can fit in that shoe!”, replied Stain as he watched onwards. The other villains laughed heartily, but their laughter soon turned to shock when the dancing shoe fit Ochaco perfectly. “It fits…!”, replied Overhaul as he fainted. “It fits!”, shouted Ochaco’s parents as they ran over, filled with joy. “It fits!!”, sang Best Jeanist as he appeared. “Then that means…”, replied Shoji Mezo as he walked up. “You won the sweepstakes!”, Denki Kaminari yelled. Ochaco smiled as she took out the other dancing shoe, much to everyone’s sheer delight and the horror of the nearby bullies. “This is amazing, Ochaco! You won the sweepstakes!”, cheered her father. “And the fact you and your friends will be attending the most prestigious school for heroes in the world… we’re so proud of you!”, replied her mother.

Ochaco just smiled humbly as she and her friends helped pack up her family’s whole apartment (As well as the dress she wore to the gala) so they could move to a neighborhood much closer to the school. And even better, they were escorted in a charter bus like no other to the school, where they would attend very soon. And so, a poor young girl with a beautiful heart ended up attending the most prestigious hero school of all, where she found the happiness she deserved. And everyone lived happily ever after- except for the bullies, who were now forced to do the same housework chores that she had once done.

The End

[nex-kyit]

This post is entirely me rambling about The Knight from Will Wight. Spoilers below.

I REALLY LIKED IT. Up until the last 10%, I would've said it was my favorite book Will has written, but the last 10% is just too fast paced for me. Honestly I feel like the D'niss threat could've been streched into another book, and just have this book deal with Esh'kinaar summoning, or at least have the entire last fight to be with Esh'kinaar, and not this Esh'kinaar 2.0. This is the only thing I didn't enjoy about the book. For now, I will say this is my current favorite Will Wight book, but thats rlly because I haven't reread Cradle in a while and I can't remember which book was my favorite.

Raion. Raion in this book i rlly rlly love him. Theres so much I want to say about him that I probably am going to forget to say stuff in this post. I could write essays about him and I already have many fanfic ideas

The scene where he is being tricked by the senators was so painful to read. How uncertain Raion was if what he was saying were the right words or not, knowing *something* was up, but not being able to read the room well enough to know what hit way too close to home. Honestly Im struggling to come up with the right words to describe the masterpiece the was chapter 24 to 31. It will stay in my mind forever. And then the D'niss come and the Perfected and Raion just blames himself?? Raion wants to take responsibility for everything and going after Esh'kinaar even though he knows for a fact that he died doing the same thing before??? The way he even had words planned and they were the SAME ones as before my heart-

Anyway I need to stop thinking about that scene or else I will never finish this post. Some more scattered thoughts

Varic was definitely the rich kid who thought he was special and talented enough to make it into the arena, only to be brutally humbled. "I had visions of myself following in her footsteps and setting records in an arena." -> immediately gets demolished by Kyri. Ahaha it didn't last long I hope we get to see more rich kid Varic in the future.

Speaking of Kyri, I really liked her character. She only appeared in a few chapters, but her arc was so interesting to read. I really like characters like her, where they just feel so real despite having so little screen time. Also, Kyri x Doctor Cryce.

Also, a small detail I noticed: In the Captain, Varic said he was a prize fighter on Visiria, but he clearly wasn't. It could be that he was actually a better fighter, but just did poorly against Kyri, but I feel like it would've been pointed out that he does win fights. I wonder if he returned to the arena after leaving the Titan Knights, assuming the D'niss haven't reached Visiria at that point yet.

I love how theatrical Varic can be. He 100% gets this from his Spellbinder life. "That was a cue if I ever heard one" -> attacks a child. Hey thats the second Will Wight protagonist to beat up a child!

"It wasn't uncommon for me to wake in the middle of the night" Ah so Varic's sleeping problems have resumed. This works well for some fanfic ideas I have...

I love how Horizon keeps dressing Varic up as his alt. lives. I am so looking forward for Varic in a suit or whatever he wore in the MoS life.

Horizon this book was just great. She was so pathetic it was hilarious.

OH and Benri being sus. I think the reason why he gave up the Zenith Cannon so easily is because of how the Vallenar Corporation is benefiting from the aftermath of the Starhammer's downfall. Benri was inspired by the Iron King, so he's trying to expand his influence. Its simple, if the crew has the Zenith Cannon, which the Vallenar Corporation can't use anyway, theres a larger chance that they cause some destruction, and the Vallenar Corporation can just pick up whatever was displaced. No more Advocates? More power in the Free Worlds. Going after the Galactic Union? Time to get ready to pick up some new planets.

[webbywatcheshorror]

Webby Reviews Horror: Saw (2004)

You (probably) know what Saw is. On the slim chance you're one of today's lucky 10,000 who doesn't, it's a movie about a serial killer who puts his victims in deadly traps in order to teach them a lesson about valuing their lives, asking them what acts of violence or self-harm would they commit to keep themselves or their loved ones alive?

I won't lie to you. Saw is one of my favorite movies of all time, above almost all others. I've mentioned on a few other reviews how much I loved them, how much they influenced me, but this one blows them all away. It came out on video around when I was 15 or 16, and back then I hadn't had a lot of real experience with horror as a genre, but I thought I knew enough about it. And I didn't care much for it. (I used to be a huge wuss. I still am, but I used to be, too.)

Then my dad brought this movie home, and when I finally got around to watching it, I was entirely and irrevocably altered. Suddenly I realized that I knew absolute jack shit about horror. Its potential, the kinds of stories you could tell, the effects it can have on an audience. Without Saw, I would be an entirely different person, and I know how that sounds. I really do. But it's the truth.

Anyway, I said all that to impress upon you how very incredibly biased I am when it comes to this movie, so you can keep it in mind as we dive into more specific things during the review.

Another thing to keep in mind is that I am looking at this as a standalone film, and not the first of a franchise of films. (I might, sometime in the future, review the series as a whole, but not today.)

Review under the cut, and as always beasties and ghouls, SPOILERS ahead! (Yes. There are people who haven't seen this movie. Why they'd be reading this, I have no idea, but that's their business.)

Where do I even begin with Saw. I could talk for hours about it, the characters, the tragedy of it all, the in-universe details and the real life behind the scenes stuff. I am fully enamored with this film.

We'll start with the cinematography, since I'm not very knowledgeable on the topic and I'm less likely to ramble endlessly about it.

The scenes of the other victims in their traps, where it speeds up, really gives them a sense of mania, of panic. It really adds to the terror of the situation and gives these characters we get to see so briefly some needed characterization with the camera work alone. In fact, every time they do the choppy editing, it lends a feeling of tension that permeates the entire movie.

There's a scene, one of many, that has stuck with me these past 19 years, and it's the shot of little Diana Gordon sitting up in bed, half her bedroom shrouded in the darkness. On first watch, it's deeply unsettling, but even after you know who it is, it doesn't get any less fucking terrifying. One of my fears is the dark, not being able to see into a room or the entire room, because of scenes like this.

The characters. Good god, do I love the characters in Saw. They're complicated, flawed, neither good nor evil but a secret third thing: deeply human. (Except John Kramer, but we'll get to that.) They're all just People, trying to make it through the day, however they can. Adam, trying to pay his bills and keep himself fed by spying on people; Lawrence, dealing with the stress of being a doctor and a father who's lost his joie de vivre and decides to cheat on his wife about it; Tapp, wracked with guilt over losing his partner and letting Jigsaw escape, throwing everything he has into stalking the wrong man at the cost of his own health. The more we learn about these characters, the more fascinating they become to me.

Let's talk about John for a moment. More articulate people than I could tell you, in rich detail, about why he's not a savior, but I tend to just boil it down to this: you can't 'fix' people with trauma. I think John is evil, or close to it. Look at the people he chooses to punish- Paul, who cuts himself; Mark, who claims to be sick but is also seen out and about; Amanda, a drug addict. Paul could have depression or some other mental illness. Mark could have an illness that is only debilitating /some/ of the time. Amanda has an addiction problem. You know what would have actually helped them? A fucking support system. Some understanding. Not additional issues, JOHN.

John is, despite his tendency to target those already struggling, still an interesting person, as Zep says. He's also a hypocrite of the highest degree. Shaming Adam for being a voyeur, but drugging himself so he can lay in the middle of the bathroom floor for who even knows how many hours just so he can watch Adam and Lawrence fumble around? Pot meet kettle situation.

(I'm trying to keep this from becoming an entire-ass essay, I really am, but as I mentioned, I could do this all day.)

Adam and Lawrence's transformation throughout the movie is so intriguing to me. Lawrence, the logical Father Knows Best guy, used to always being the one in control of any given situation. Adam, low on the social ladder, prone to emotional outbursts, used to being kicked when he's down. By the end, they've become entirely different men.

Lawrence changes into an unthinking mess, acting on his out of control emotional state to an extreme degree, while Adam becomes a man who not only finally wants to live, but puts in the work to prove it, attacking Zep and killing him, with the kind of determination he hadn't shown until that moment.

The twist is still just so good. It was mind blowing then, and it's a great story beat today, almost 20 years later. When John sits up, Hello Zep playing in the background... it still gives me chills. To think of how Adam must feel, alone in a room with nothing but the dead for company, waiting on the promise of a severely injured man, thinking it's finally over.

Adam's screaming into the darkness breaks me a little, I won't lie. The horror of his situation finally overcomes him and all he can do is scream. That sound is burned into my brain, possibly for life. Then, the credits roll, with the calmness of the credits, Adam's cries still echoing before the quiet music begins to play, and the audience is left stunned. No relief for us, no relief for Adam.

In the years before the sequels, there was so much talk among my friends and I about what could have happened afterwards. Did Lawrence make it out? Did Jigsaw ever get caught? Did Adam die alone in that grimy bathroom? I used to make up possibilities in my head about ways Adam could be saved.

You see, I've always identified with Adam. Struggling to keep going, feeling outcast, chained in a place we didn't want to be, having to rely on others for help getting out, dismissed as juvenile, clinging to people that hate us because it's better than being alone, and wasting our lives because we weren't living them the way others thought we should, regardless of WHY. I had always hoped he made it out. Maybe in some other reality he does.

Anyway enough about that, let's move on. One thing of many I love about this movie is how it makes you think, really think, about what you would do if this happened to you. Would you, could you, crawl through a cage of razor wire to save yourself? Could you kill the family of a co-worker to save your own skin? Could you maim or dismember yourself?

There's an excellent podcast, Jigsquad Pod, that talks about this next point, but I have to mention it also. Jigsaw feels like a boogeyman figure. He sees your every sin. He judges you, then takes you from your place of safety- your house, on the way home from work, and punishes you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. He can't be caught, can't be killed. He's a phantom. I love that feeling in this movie, the almost campfire story of it all, the way you might tell it to your friends in hushed voices at a sleepover.

I give Saw X ghosts outta ten. It may not be the movie James Wan and Leigh Whannell set out to make, it may have been rushed and stitched together out of all the footage they had and then some, but it's a masterpiece in my heart. It changed me, in hundred of ways I can't begin to understand, but I'm glad it did. (Not all of those ways are for the better, probably. I mean, I did spend several hours once, thinking up- in detail- what my personal Saw trap would be.)

As much as I love the entire franchise overall, cop-centric soap opera that it is, if it had stopped at just this one, I'd still be satisfied. I hope it never gets a remake, because there's no way it could ever be made more perfectly than it already is, flaws and all.

[yakultii]

Well, just a normal question. I don't want to bother haha

What would be the most awkward moment you've had when traveling (in your country or abroad?

hahaha this is such a good question !! … god knows there’s probably been so many but at the same time I’m such an awkward person in general to the point that I feel no shame about almost anything and it would be awkward for the other person to feel awkward bc it’s too far gone/I tend to make other ppl feel comfortable being their weird awkward selves around me or so I’ve been told !! I’ve communicated w so many diff ppl even when there has been a total language barrier and I’ve found that laughter overcomes just about any barrier even ones u wouldn’t expect :,) …now if we are gonna speak about moments that I cringe at a little looking back it would probably be when I coulda had me a Swiss gf by now but my brain was hella lagging and I was talking ab my ex fml I SAW the shift in her facial expressions and it was over LOLOL actually it wasn’t over cos she planned for us to meet up again like 9 months later in my city cos she was about to go home earlier than expected and I was too mentally ill to get outta bed and said I was sick and I think she thought I didn’t like her again but anyway turns out she was going home early to be admitted in the mental hospital for the next yr so maybe we had too much in common anyways miss her love her she’s so pretty hope she’s doin better …OR maybe my first time in Bali I got completely scammed and stalked except I knew it was happening before it happened but I almost always travel on my own so I was like ehhh oh well rite of passage and let them take my money lmao idiot :,) also not an awkward moment but a kinda funny moment was in jakarta this random old guy was like can I have ur shoes for my daughter and I was like yeah sure (cos I was going home the next day and I had just bought a cheap kmart pair before leaving aus) and so I literally took em off my feet and gave them to him in the middle of nowhere LMAO. OMG actually I just remembered a kinda awkward situation one time at airlie beach I was also on my own.. I had no card on me cos it was on my phone on Apple Pay, my phone had died like permanently because I got sand and water in it on an island and even the charger wouldn’t bring it back to life and it was night and I had to check in to a hotel within like the next 30 mins before they shut their office (it was like a hotel connected to the owners house) which I needed my phone for google maps cos I had no idea where it was and needed to pay them also and also had my plane ticket to go home the next day digitally on my phone, also hadn’t eaten all day and couldn’t buy food it was a disaster and I was running up literal hills to find this hotel and asking random people on the street and almost in tears and out of breathe and I finally got there like 2 mins before closing time and I had to like convince the owners to let me stay there overnight and let me pay in the morning bc my phone was broken and they were kinda cranky about it and by some miracle my phone turned on at like 2% and wouldn’t charge anymore the next morning but I was up and awake super early like 5am bc I was so hungry so I thought I’d go get breakfast and then come back before I checked out and then on my way to breakfast I ran into the owner of the hotel and it looked like I was scamming them omg

omg this also made me think of on that same trip to Airlie beach I was literally walking for a few km back to my accomm one night cos it was on the outskirts of town and it was in the dark already and my phone had died (this was before it fully broke it was just flat or maybe I just had no reception I don’t remember) I suck at directions and can never retrace my steps and I was just vibing and I thought I had to walk through these rich ass houses and ppl were driving out for a night out so the gate had just opened so I walked right in… uhhh turns out it was like a lil gated community type vibe which was a dead end.. so I turn around and the gate is fully automated locked up behind me like the highest fence like 3X my height with all those spikes on top of it..like noone was around to ask to open it and it was pitch black and I was on my own I was like fuck I’m not getting out of here but luckily I’m literally a ninja and somehow managed to climb up over the fence with all the security cameras looking at me I was like omg I’m gonna be on the news it looked so suss hahahahagot stabbed a lil bit but mostly it was overruled by relief and I jogged the rest of the way home literally through the bush land bro it was a scary time AHAHA …but not as scary as when I was stuck 5kms out in open sand dunes in a thunder lightening storm or on the edge of a muddy cliff in a rainforest inside a mini bus as we had to use human balance to get one person out at a time before the bus slipped down lmao ..ok none of these were awkward but I had to think cos I don’t remember nothing ever im sure some much crazier shit has occurred idek what I’ve done in this life actually I’m starting to remember many things I have so many travel stories none rlly awkward tho that’s just not a concept for me :,)

[astrallouis]

Question for Miles is a moron, what do you think the throat spray actually was? Do you think he actually thought it was covid protection? Do you think he knew it was nothing and just used his image to lie to his friends to get what he wanted?

GREAT fuckin question. i havent thought on it too much since id mostly seen it from the filmmaking perspective of acknowledging covid in-universe without the everything that came with early covid and no vaccines yet but now u have me thinking.

(this got so long so im gonna put it under the cut oops)

first i wanna say im really mostly talking out of my ass since that scene was the last concrete point abt covid we really have outside of mentions like why miles has the mona lisa lmaooo anyway:

like i said miles really is a moron. everything he takes credit for he either hires someone for, steals their work, or lets them interpret his bullshit (like lionel w the faxes). so i think theres a couple possibilities.

he almost definitely went to someone to develop the throat spray, and its possible he actually asked or expected it to be Real and actually protective. but it being so early in the pandemic and over a year before the irl vaccine wld come out they probably told him its not possible. and theres the point where he could have done a couple things.

he could have 1) pushed whoever to just make it work like we see so many bosses and rich assholes like to do and it IS actually protective [very unlikely but we REALLY dont know much about what happens after the movie covid wise and how far rian johnson changes reality here]

b) done the above and whoever he hired lies to him and says it works when it doesnt, and he believes it works like you mentioned [more likely, but thats putting a moral decision on a person i made up two paragraphs ago lol]

iii) they told him it wasnt possible and he just told them to make a placebo instead and knows its fake like you said, using his image as a genius to manipulate his friends [most likely in my opinion, given everything else he does]

i really do think the last one is what happened. the efficient man doesnt answer blanc's question about what the spray is. all he does is say “youre good,” put the little slap bracelet on blanc, and move on. and we dont know much of miles' actual opinions on masks and covid iirc, besides being friends with both ppl like lionel who properly masks up and asks for elbows instead of a hug from birdie, and with duke who doesnt wear one at all and is. ukno. him. so theres that

all of this to say. miles bron really is just an entitled asshole who thinks he makes change when he doesnt and doesnt care abt consequences. i personally think he actively knows the spray didnt do shit but couldnt stand the idea of going a year without getting his ego stroked by those shitheads and would do anything he “could” to make it happen. this is also the same guy who just sent the 50 people it takes to run the island “home” in the middle of the pandemic which has implications about commuting and pods i dont even want to go NEAR since this is already too long.

tldr: hes a moron AND a manipulating and gaslighting bitch. the spray was probably just saline or whatever and he knew it. shithead

[cavefilllingcorporation]

The Last Karen

Jake Adams looked at the shell of a building that once he called his place of business and home. The Corporation had gutted everything, the kitchens, the conveyor belt, even the tables and chairs. Some of the stuff wasn’t theirs though, but stuff he bought with his own money. The Corporation had assured him though that the stuff he bought he would get to keep, though most likely a lot of it would have to be sold off. He could probably use some chairs and a table or two for his own place, but he couldn’t keep the dozens of pieces of furniture he had. He did hear that there was an open market for this kind of thing, so he should be safe. It would be weird, not being able to have his own schedule… not that he really had one anyways, but he really didn’t know what working in the cafeterias would be like. He knew one thing for certain though, he wasn’t going to leave his fellow chefs. Nico and Jodie were practically his family now, and he wasn’t going to leave them alone.

However, as he started to walk towards the ship, he heard the chilling scream of a 40-year-old white woman: “Don’t you dare leave!”

Great, it was Karen. Karen wasn’t a stereotypical nickname that he handed out to a rude customer. In fact, he had no idea that she represented her namesake until he started to move out. To be fair, this was because she didn’t really cause too much trouble back when she was an infrequent customer. She never came alone either, always being dragged along by her husband, who was a government minister. Not high enough to create the problems that plagued the land, but enough to profit from them. She would always order fries, onion rings, and anything that didn’t involve meat products, as well as a very complicated assortment of desserts. The desserts orders were really annoying to make, but Jake made do by increasing the bill for the trouble they gave him. This never really ended up causing a stir, as one, the couple were excessively rich due to their relation to their government connections, and two, he didn’t start coming until after inflation hit. His prices stayed the same despite it thanks to the Corporation’s assistance, so nothing was wrong with the prices from a hasty first glance.

That all changed during this week, when he started to inform his best customers about leaving, and the job offer. Many of them did, but a lot of them just ignored him, or just went away. They weren’t ready to just leave, not yet. Worse, some of them he couldn’t get a hold of. It was a massive shame for sure.

And of course, there were people like Karen, horrified that they would abandon them for the Corporation, and did not treat him well because of this. Most of them cut ties with the restaurant, and some of them even tried to get him canceled and thrown out before he could finish moving out, though fortunately those efforts were thwarted. Karen was absolutely the worst though. She kept nagging and nagging on him, calling him unpatriotic, evil, greedy, and all sorts of worse names. The worst part was that she probably wouldn’t have cared if her favorite Vegan restaurant wasn’t also owned by the Corporation and was moving out, doing the same thing that he was. Hopefully she wouldn’t delay his departure for too long.

“Jake Adams! You will not join that foreign Corporation!”

“I am sorry, but there is nothing you can do to change my mind. With the political climate, I can’t operate my business anymore. I’m not going to be able to cook food for you again.”

“You got that last part right. I gave you a warning, and you ignored it! It’s time to get what you ingrate deserve!

With this, a police car drove in, and a massive hulk of a cop left the vehicle. Great, she actually followed through with her last threat to get him arrested. He had thought she was just bluffing, but apparently, she was that entitled. Fortunately for her, the police car did not have its sirens on, which meant that things would go easier for him. He had expressed his concerns to the Corporation regarding the threat, and they gave him the exact words to say in a situation like this.

As the cop came close to him, Jake recited what the Corporation said for him to recite in a calm manner.

“I would not do that if I were you.”

He then pointed upwards, revealing to the cop the half dozen Corporation employees flying above the restaurant. Most of them were unarmed, but a few of them held unique objects. They had the length of firearms, but were thicker in both directions, and looked more like a science-fiction blaster than a true firearm, especially with all of the lights and such on its side. He suspected these were the mining lasers that the employees had. This surprised the cop and Karen, but they did not back down.

“So, you are resisting arrest, huh?” Said the giant. Fortunately, Jake had a response to this too.

“No, they aren’t the people you should be worried about. You should be worried about the dozens of Corporation layers who will be more than happy to get you fired on account of this unlawful arrest.”

Upon hearing this, the cop recoiled in fear, before slumping his head down and walking back towards his car. Jake was concerned that he would have to do more than this, but the cop, despite being willing to listen to a Karen, wasn’t willing to risk being caught.

“Sorry ma, I can’t do it.”

“You ingrateful child! Come back here and do what a son is supposed to do for her mother!”

As Karen kept yelling at her son, it made sense to Jake where the cop came from. He knew he wasn’t a local, as the vast majority of the cops in the region, who were frequent customers of his, decided to join the corporation once they heard about the news. He also knew about Karen’s child, who she kept bragging about to anybody who would listen. He was from the capital and was most likely transferred here to along with a bunch of other policemen to fill in the void that the police station now had. He felt bad for the chief, who did not deserve to have the arrogant type of police in his station, but his sense of duty prevented him from taking the call. He just hoped that later he could find a way to escape and get a new life.

He had hoped that Karen would be too focused on her son to realize he was walking towards the Packbox, but sadly his hopes were dashed when she turned around and yelled at him.

“Do you feel proud for what you did! For abandoning your country! For abandoning everybody that you care about!”

“Ma’am, everyone that I cared about was given the chance to leave with me, and most of them have. I have no regrets for leaving for a better future.”

The Karen then screamed with anger, but also with desperation.

“You can’t leave us! You can’t abandon your customers! You can’t abandon me! Who will feed us when you are gone! Who will occupy the restaurant when you have left!”

Jake then looked back at Karen, then at the secondary key to the building, before tossing them in her hands.

“If you want the restaurant, go ahead. It has no value for me anymore. Might serve you well when your fleeting world crumbles around you.”

And with Karen too dumbfounded to speak, Jake walked into the packbox, before the door closed and it was lifted up into the crate above. He just hoped that this was the last time in his career that he would have to deal with a Karen like that ever again.

[shadowdavutoglu]

On one hand, Bora thought the idea of a masquerade party was stupid. It was an excuse for the rich to buy even more outlandish outfits, to pretend that any attempt at covering their faces would be enough to disguise them (and then there was Charlotte, who was baring more than her face), and of course to flash the diamonds and gold that with any luck would be going home in some JR's pocket.

But, on the other hand, if the masks did their job, it'd cut the risk of getting recognized, and especially for a job like this, Bora would take any help he could get. Besides--there was something about seeing Yelena dressed like this, the red suit and tusked mask so unapologetically her amid all the glamour, that might even have made attending worth it on its own. Anyway, she seemed to like what he was wearing, too. Standing so close to her, he could almost pretend they weren't surrounded by people, and forget about work for just a moment. After all, they were just killing time until Elias gave the signal, right? Smiling at her words, not quite aware of how much his eyes softened as he looked at her, he said, "You should come out to the barn again. He likes you." Bora liked the light tug of her fingers in his jacket, carelessly intimate, although he wished he didn't have so many layers between her hand and his skin. "I thought he might forget he's retired and try to take off when the races started." It was mostly a joke--but this was the first time Bora had ever put Tulpar back in a racing environment, and it had been impossible to know what memories would kick in.

Echoing her quiet laughter--it was so easy to influence each other's mood, and maybe he should have been suspicious of that, but he wasn't--he said, "Well, maybe they've seen you spilling wine. Or maybe it's the tusks." A light touch with his free hand to straighten the mask where she'd shifted it picking at her cut--and then, as her fingers trailed down his arm, he turned his palm over slightly, catching just her fingertips in his own. "I don't know," he murmured, "Maybe I can find someone to go home with me. Know anyone who might be interested?"

The party was fine. It was only ever going to be fine and Yelena went because it was work, sure she had an amazing new outfit to show for her efforts, but she would have liked to be elsewhere tonight.

A very particular elsewhere, actually. She and Bora had a bottle of vintage shiraz to finish. Could have been enjoying that instead of wandering through a sea of rich folk.

Oh well, she thought, he was here. As long as he was here it didn't matter. There's always tomorrow night. And the night after, and the night after-

He was taller than her by a bit, wider too and the difference in their size sent a shocking thrill right through her when he approached. Under the mask, she bit down on her lip hard enough to mark it. It was a familiar dance by now. Lingering glances, longing filled touches. Yelena often found that it didn't help that she couldn't really do anything about it in public. To her, Bora was just begging to be kissed half the time. Especially when he was grumpy.

In particular, tonight, in his fancy new suit that she was growing very fond of. The colour suited him. It made his eyes shine like sapphires. She hummed softly after giving him a once over, in approval.

"Of course I did." She had reclined back slightly, elbow perched on a chest high barrier that stopped them both from careening out and onto the main floor below. Yelena angled her head up again, body all but caged between his and the glass panels behind. "Tulpar was beautiful. He always is." Yelena reached out and slipped her fingers into his jacket, smoothing her thumb along the pretty black trim of his lapel. Under the mask, her eyes shone for him. "I could watch you train that horse all day, you know. You look so happy on the saddle."

Yelena laughed softly and had half a mind just to take the damn mask of her face so that she could really smile at him, really let him know just how happy his mere presence made her. "-not at the moment. Can you believe I've been at this thing for hours now and no one wants to take me home." she pouted, playfully "-isn't that a shame." Her hand slipped free of his jacket then and she tried not to make a show of it, of how her hand lingered a littler longer on the bicep of his right arm, how it slid down the rest and how her long fingers brushed the back of his hand. The briefest of touches, feather light and teasing. Her voice is low when she spoke then, accent more pronounced "And you krasivyy? what are you're plans after we all eat the rich tonight?"

[let-me-tell-you-something]

02-25-2023

I think the hardest thing I will ever face in my life is letting go. Let me explain.

Imagine you’re me, in the mall with my family. You head to a coffee shop after buying clothes and sit down. You’re sitting there, writing down ideas for a comic class activity. While waiting for your orders, mom tells your sister to not buy too much clothes to save money, so they can…build a new house? You’re intrigued at first, until dad comes back from the cashier, sits down, and adds that…your old house will be demolished so a new house will be built on top of it.

Yep, that’s exactly what happened to me earlier, or should I say ‘yesterday’ as I’m writing this at midnight. The moment I heard that our family home will be demolished and renovated, I stopped. I thought my parents were joking, but no matter how many times I asked, they said they weren’t.

And then the tears kicked in, slowly but painfully.

Can you imagine? My family home holding mga fifteen years worth of memories…gone just like that. It may be just a house to most, but to me, it held a great sentimental value I can’t describe. Sure, the new home will have two floors and a roof deck, a music room, workshop, shared office, and I get to have my own separate bedroom…but I’d throw it the fuck away if it meant keeping the old house. The yellow walls, the iconic floor tiles I’ve always associated with my own home…it’s irreplaceable.

The new house would have soo much white walls and floors and it looks empty, like…hella empty. Plus, it’s not like I plan to live in this otherwise rich guy-looking house because I plan to live alone with my sister and best friend. It’s not like I’ll stay here forever, unless my friend is allowed to permanently settle with us here.

They’re planning to move to a temporary home near where my sister and I would be studying for senior high school, and then start the demolition either later this year or the start of next year.

What does this have to do with letting go? To put it simply, I tend to either hold on to things very close or forget them entirely. This one, my house? I don’t want it to go. It’s my childhood home. It’s my life. Like I said, this house is fifteen years worth of memories. FIFTEEN YEARS. Fifteen years of joy, sorrow, anger, fear, hate, love…

I don’t want to think about when I’ll sleep in my cluttered but comfortable room for the last time. 

I don’t want to think about when I’ll sing songs in our old living room for the last time. 

I don’t want to think about when I’ll get to take in the sight of my first bedroom (now my parents’ room) for the last time.

I know it had to happen eventually, and my only prayer is that all this will be worth the trouble. The fact that 2023 will be the last year I’ll get to be with our old home is…I don’t even know anymore…

Anyways, time to distract myself…