#Benji's pinned post

[drunken--raccoon]

New pinned post since my old one disappeared (😐)

Hi! My name is Benji, and I'm 25. I'm anorexic, and have been for 14 years. I'm supposed to be in recovery but uhhhhhh I'm not LOL. I'm also diagnosed with depression, anxiety, BPD, PTSD, and ADHD. I mainly use my blog for memes and venting

Stats below the cut lol

HW: 158.0 lbs

LW: 104.8 lbs

CW: 117.2 lbs (BMI 22.9)

GW1: 120.0 lbs

GW2: 115 lbs

GW3: 110 lbs

GW4: 105 lbs

GW5: 100 lbs

GW6: 104 lbs

UGW: 65 lbs (lol)

[catb-fics]

CATB Interview: Lorne Falls Festival 2016

[nlsonsprings]

hi im [benji]. '98 liner

i like a lot of things <3

https://nlsonsprings.carrd.co/

[benjipup]

Benji - She/They/It - 20 y/o fat autistic lesbian doggirl

(nonbinary feminine-aligned AFAB)

MINORS DNI!!!

Hi! I’m Benji!! I wanted to make a tumblr for me to be myself more.

I have an anxiety disorder and am very anxious and scared, but I really want to make friends, so feel free to say hi!!!

NO TERFS!!!

Other stuff under the cut I guess!

My special interests are Project Moon, Pokémon, and natural sciences like ecology, phylogeny and paleontology!!

I’m a submissive bottom, if that’s important to anything.

I’m also a virgin so…

[benjineedssleep]

I WOULD DIE FOR YOU OMG--

honestly tho sam can totally vouch toward the fact i've put an insane amount of effort into this fic y'all. the 3 am rambles, complaining because i can't get a scene right, the ruts and blocks and genuinely just the amount of TIME AND EFFORT I'VE PUT INTO IT

this fic means the world to me and i just really really wish i could share it already but i CANT it still needs so so so much work (and also needs to be finished...)

anyways live laugh love stardew valley and sambastian or smth

Currently losing my mind reading parts of @benjineedssleep 's fic and I swear ya'll it is so good oh my god

READ IT WHEN IT'S POSTED!!!!

YA'LL MUST!!!! IT'S SO GOOD!!! FJAJDJAJFJSJDJDJXJSJJDNDJAJDJSJSJFJS

[benthan-week-forever]

Benthan Week 2024 Themes

The votes are in! There were so many fabulous themes, both beloved classics and shiny new ideas, and the voting was neck-and-neck. See the final results below 👀🌈

Monday, August 12

Day 1: Old injury flare up

               Alternate theme: One vanishes (either of their own accord or against their will) and the other stops at nothing to find them

Tuesday, August 13

Day 2: The good ol’ Ethan sees Benji shirtless

               Alternate theme: Amnesia

Wednesday, August 14

Day 3: Enemy spy wears a mask of Ethan or Benji, the other has to notice (a “who is the real one” situation)

               Alternate theme: Unwanted sexual attention towards one and how the other handles it

Thursday, August 15

Day 4: Bickering over something, like old married couples do

               Alternate theme: Hurt Ethan and protective Benji

Friday, August 16

Day 5: Fake relationship

               Alternate theme: Getting turned on at an inappropriate time

Saturday, August 17

Day 6: Let Ethan retire/have his happy ending/walk away from the IMF

               Alternate theme: Getting frisky on a mode of transportation (boat, train, etc.)

Sunday, August 18

Day 7: Fake/Wrong date (ex. Ethan thinks he’s meeting someone for a mission, Benji thinks he’s on a date)

               Alternate theme: Going on an undercover mission, wearing costumes to blend in

We've got about two months to start creating! (Though, if you're anything like me, it'll be a panicked two AM writing sesh the night before the first day 😅) In the meantime, feel free to drop a message if you've got a question not answered by the FAQ, which you can access here, at the top of the desktop blog, or via the pinned post on mobile.

Have fun, everyone!!

[sunfish-exotics]

He has some mud on his head... but still so shiny and pretty! He's also gaining confidence really quickly! Still a little on the thin side of things but he is looking a lot better. He's gonna be a great little ambassador / educational animal as an adult!

Benji - Male Russo pin bp

I've had a few people ask me if he is a spider- I'm far from a bp morph expert but I would be willing to make a little post about the visual differences between spiders and pinstripes. Just a small reminder that pinstripes are a robust, healthy, and ethical pattern morph- but they do look similar to spiders especially if you're new to the morph animal game. Might add that to the to do list!

[ohgaylor]

LOVER ERA 🌈 WARDROBE MASTERPOST

Taylor in Entertainment Weekly, during the Lover era

Easter eggs can be left on clothing and jewelry. This is one of my favorite ways to do it because you wear something that foreshadows something else. And people don’t usually find out this one immediately but they know you’re probably sending a message. They’ll figure it out in time.

Note: This masterpost will export both the vibrant rainbows present during the era, and the far more serious tones that eventually crept in, with more dark blacks toward the latter half of the era.

March 14, 2019 — iHeart Radio Music Awards

playsuit (link)

butterfly shoes (link)

April 24, 2019 — Leaving apartment

pastel shirt (link) (see also Billboard rehearsals and YNTCD bts)

April 25, 2019 — Spotify video

rainbow t-shirt (link)

April 25, 2019 — Me! announcement on GMA

rainbow dress and rings (link) (link)

April 26, 2019 — Me! music video

rainbow rings (link)

pink tulle gown (link)

April 26, 2019 — social media post with Benji

rainbow shirt (link)

April 30, 2019 — Instagram story

rainbow “awesome” merch shirt (link)

April 30, 2019 — Billboard rehearsals

same rainbow tie-dye shirt (link)

May 1, 2019 — Billboard Music Awards

rainbow rings (link)

May 2, 2019 — Spotify video with Me!

rainbow tie-die shirt (link)

May 7, 2019 — Capital 1 Radio interview

bisexual colored plaid shirt (link)

May 8, 2019 — Paris

rainbow shirt (link) (see May 14th)

May 9, 2019 — Entertainment Weekly cover

rainbow flag heart pin (link)

blue and pink outfit (link)

May 14, 2019 — Instagram Story announcing Ellen interview

Free People rainbow shirt (link) (link)

May 23, 2019 — Spotify Playlist by Me!

Bella Freud, rainbow heart sequin shirt (link)

June 1, 2019 — Wango Tango

rainbow outfit (link)

Stella McCartney shoes (link)

June 2019 - in studio

rainbow shirt and shoes (link) (link)

June 17, 2019 — You Need To Calm Down music video

rainbow earrings and rings (link) (link)

more rainbow rings (link) (link)

shoes (link) (link)

bi-colored hair (link)

bts same rainbow tie-dye shirt (link)

Aug 11, 2019 — Teen Choice Awards

rings (link)

rainbow after party dress (link)

Aug 22, 2019 — Lover music video

butterfly dress (link)

rainbow heart jacket (link)

Aug 23, 2019 — Sirius XM

Stella McCartney black jeweled jumper (link)

Aug 26, 2019 — MTV Awards Afterparty

black sequin outfit (link)

Aug 31, 2019 — Apple Music Ad, celebrating UK #1 album

rainbow sequin dress (link)

black star shirt (link)

Oct 7, 2019 — SNL Promo

rainbow outfit (link)

Sept 9, 2019 — City of Lover Concert in Paris

black outfit (link)

Nov 6, 2019 — Fan Event in Tokyo, Japan

black jumpsuit (link)

sequin jumpsuit (link)

Nov 10, 2019 — Fan Event in Tokyo, Japan

Dark velvet blazer (link)

Nov 11, 2019 — backstage in China

grey dress (link)

Nov 12, 2019 — Fan Event in China

rainbow dress and shoes (link) (link)

Nov 24, 2019 — AMAs

Dark green dress (link)

Dec 8, 2019 — Jingle Bell Ball Interview

black outfit (link)

Dec 12, 2019 — Billboard Women in Music

black jumpsuit with chains (link)

Dec 13, 2019 — Jingle Ball

Dark gold dress (link)

Dec 17, 2019 — The Today Show

black Oscar de la Renta dress (link)

Jan 5, 2020 Golden Globes After Party

black dress (link)

[thecodywanzine]

Negotiator Bundle Giveaway!!!

We’re so excited to announce that we’re hosting a GIVEAWAY for a Negotiator Bundle of New Beginnings: A Codywan Zine!

All you need to do to enter is follow us and reblog this post!

The winner will be chosen once pre-orders end on April 7th!! Read below for more details on what exactly the winner can expect to receive.

The winner will receive 1 (one) free copy of the Negotiator Bundle:

A digital PDF copy of New Beginnings: A Codywan Zine

a physical copy of New Beginnings: A Codywan Zine

one bookmark by eneris

one sticker sheet by @ninjigma

one sticker sheet by eneris

two die-cut stickers by Benji Robi

one die-cut sticker by @bytebun

one charm by @lychgate

one charm by @owliix

one enamel pin by Benji Robi

one button pin by eneris

one art print by @three-fold-symmetry (featured in the zine)

one art print by @owliix (featured in the zine)

one art print by @amikoroyaiart (featured in the zine)

Any Stretch Goals that have been unlocked by the time pre-orders end

If the winner has already purchased anything from our shop, they will be refunded, and can still receive the winning full bundle!

Details:

Giveaway Period Open From 3/20/23 - 4/7/23

To enter: follow our Tumblr account, like, and share this post.

One entry per account per social media platform. You can have one entry from a Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter account.

One winner will be randomly selected among all entries from our Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

The winner will receive 1 (one) free Negotiator Zine Bundle with free shipping.

If the winner has already purchased a zine bundle they will have the option to have their initial purchase refunded,

Entrants must be 18+ years of age.

Click here to head over to our website. Preorders are open until April 7th, 2023!!

[empressofmankind]

BEGGARS SHAN'T BE CHOOSERS - Part I

[Crocodile x F!OC]

SFW

(A/N) Better known as the 'Impel Down' fic, I kept mentioning the past two weeks. This is Part One. Of five? Of ten? I've given up. The total draft was > 12k. So, I split it in 3x 4k. And then, I noticed today the 'first part' had grown to >7k. So, I've split it again. I have a clear end in mind, but how long it'll take me to get there...

Originally, this fic was meant to focus around Buggy, but then a 2.53m unit of absolute bullshit got in the way. Shivs and her world class plans, good gods. Post-Alabaste, the mens are stuck in Impel Down. Shivs is dead set on springing the clown from prison. However, she'll first need to figure out where they're keeping him. On account of his devil fruit powers, she suspects level 6. And she has an excellent alibi to demand visitation to level 6. For once, the legal quagmire of technically still being married to Crocodile is going to work for her. Right? RIGHT??

In this first part, we'll join Shivs and Benji (and Mani!) as they get ready to, and make their way for, Impel Down. That's it, that's all that happens, and it took me near 4k. I am so long-winded. It's a terminal condition, I know.

Tag(s): Considering this is the entré, there isn't actually much to tag for? There's fluff and humour. There's a 10-year-old running around saying the absolute funniest shit as things go straight over her head. We got Mani the scaly golden retriever Bananawani along? Oh, and one (1) good marine.

🐊 🐊 🐊 

Beggars Shan't Be Choosers - Part I

“They're stupid clothes,” Benji said, her brow wrinkling with petulant annoyance. She was wearing a crispy white dress shirt, a green-on-ochre striped vest and grey slacks. She'd refused a dress of any sort. Her flame orange hair was neatly brushed and her small face wasn't covered in grease paint for once.

“I think you look handsome,” Shivs said as she pinned her own red hair up with a two-pronged kanzashi fashioned with golden lotuses whose inlaid blue diamonds had not seen the light of day in years.

“I look stupid.”

“Look. I am not comfortable in my clothes either,” Shivs said and indicated the mid-thigh sheath dress of black lace on dark grey broadcloth she wore. She'd decided on sheer stockings to go with it, but no gloves. 

“You look pretty in them.”

Shivs turned back to the mirror to finish pinning her hair and adjusting her bangs to fall neatly from under the strings of her eyepatch. “That is the idea, yes.”

Benji put her hands in her pockets, kicking her foot, making squeaky noises against the deck boards. “What am I supposed to look like? I don't want to be pretty.”

“You are supposed to look like the most capable and well-behaved child to ever grace the Blue.” Shivs pinched her cheek, gilt bangles jangling. “And you do when you don't stand with your hands wearing out your pockets like that.”

Benji took her hands out of her pockets. They idled a moment, undecided, but then she clasped them behind her back. “Your neck looks naked.” 

Shivs laughed at that because the bateau neckline of the dress could certainly use something. “Yours too.”

She plucked one of Buggy's patterned neck scarves from a drawer and tied it around her daughter's neck, tucking the ends into the vest. “There.”

“You should wear a pretty necklace,” Benji said, though her eyes were on the scarf. She seemed to like that, at least.

Shivs didn't have all that many necklaces conventionally considered ‘nice’. Going through the few she had in her thoughts, she picked up her modest jewellery box. Then paused as her gaze lingered on the bottom drawer of her vanity. Maybe she should… She pulled the drawer open and reached among clothes she rarely wore, patting around until she found the old music box.

Its silver had blackened with age and negligence, but even so, its delicate engravings of waves and tall ships were fine. If she polished it now, the oxidation remaining in the fine creases would help pick out its details better than ever before. She didn’t, of course. And she didn’t open the lid either. She couldn’t remember if it was wound up, and didn’t want to hear its melody if it was.

Instead, she held it with both hands and turned its engraved body as if removing a lid from a jar. With a click, the top section came off. Within the tiny compartment revealed lay a small, gold hoop with a bent hinge. She’d long since let the earlobe puncture it used to occupy close. Taking a thin string from her jewellery box, she suspended it from that instead.

“Like so?” Shivs asked, drawing Benji’s attention as she fastened it around her neck.

“Don’t you have anything sparklier, like your hair thing?”

Shivs brushed the kanzashi. Though the era of having such things aplenty was long behind her, she was loath to detract from the last one that remained to her with lesser gems. Besides, he’d notice.

“Sadly, no.”

“Oh?” Benji gave her the thumbs up. “Gold is pretty too, I guess!”

Part of the reason she’d picked it was that it was 24-carat gold. Just like the kanzashi.

“Can I do your makeup?”

“Only if you do not turn me into a clown,” Shivs said as she sat down at her vanity so the girl could reach her face. Benji grinned and set to work.

When Benji declared she was done, Shivs turned to the mirror and had to admit the little girl was now officially better at this than her. She’d gone for a dark burgundy smokey eye with a flawlessly thin line of gold right at the root of her eyelashes and a touch of white on the waterline. It made the hazel of her good eye pop like nobody’s business. She was pretty sure the dark red lipstick was Buggy’s favourite to use himself.

“I like it,” Shivs said and Benji beamed. “Now, I just need shoes.”

“I'll fetch some!” 

Benji was up and running out of the cabin before Shivs could protest. It was only a few minutes before the girl returned, clutching shoes in her arms. And not just any shoes, either. She held up gold-tinted, faux leather gladiator sandals with six-inch stiletto heels that would be a trick and a half to walk on. Where had she even found those?

“These will look awesome with your hair thing and necklace!”

She didn’t disagree as she put them on, but hoped the floors of Impel Down would be neatly packed concrete and nothing else. She hadn’t walked on heels like these in half a decade. Throwing a long bridge coat the rosy beige of dunes about her shoulders, she turned to the floor-length mirror.

Benji looked her up and down with the pinched expression of a critical, pint-sized costume designer grading their latest creation. “You look very pretty.”

Benji wasn’t wrong. She did look nice. Her mood sank, settling like an anchor in the pit of her stomach. She looked like his wife.

“Why is it OK to lie today?”

“It's not a lie.” Shivs shook the morose feeling and picked up her small black bag, its gilded chain rattling as she double checked its content. “More like, hm.”

“Make believe?”

“Yes. Yes, I suppose it is,” Shivs said as she snapped the bag closed and hung it from her shoulder. “It will be easier to convince them to let us visit if we look the way they’d expect.”

“Why would they let us visit uncle Crocodile? Aren’t those visits for, like, if you’re his mom or sister or baby or something?” Benji’s small face was filled with healthy scepticism, hands in her pockets once again. “We should pretend he’s my dad.”

Shivs flinched and struggled to keep her smile from faltering. “Well, only if we have to.”

“They’d have to be pretty bad people to stop a kid from visiting their father.” Benji took her hand. “I hope uncle Crocodile knows where dad is.”

“I am sure he knows.” Shivs gave Benji’s hand a squeeze. She’d no idea how she’d find out where Buggy was if Crocodile didn’t know. She couldn’t exactly demand that information on legal grounds like she had done with him. “Is Mani ready, too?”

“Yes! I scrubbed her squeaky clean and even picked her teeth and scales. She’s eaten and done a big poop.” Shivs tried to let the girl’s bubbly chatter lift her spirits. “I borrowed one of Richie’s sparkly collars and she looks flashy in it!”

“Sparkly? That sounds amazing.”

“It is! She likes sparkly things.”

“Let’s fetch her then and go before we are too late.”

Benji glanced up at her as they left the cabin. “How can we be late for an appointment we didn’t make?”

“We can be late for the only ship going there today.”

🐊 🐊 🐊 

Benji had wanted to stand upon the prow as the government ship approached the Gate of Justice out of Enbies Lobby, because the skipper had said the Tarai current that would see them to Impel Down was chock full of sea kings. Shivs sat on a deck chair with a glass of wine, watching the girl run back and forth with binoculars she’d weedled from a matelot. On account of the seastone laminated hull, she doubted they would see any. However, there was no need to dunk on her chipper mood.

They were not the only visitors, more had trickled aboard to form a modest but motley company on the deck. She’d caught snippets of conversations as they walked by: a mother visiting her son; a brother, his sister. And she had a good guess what some of them were whispering about as they stole glances her way. She’d neglected to list any details regarding who they’d be visiting, but, in hindsight, she supposed the pony-sized bananawani lounging beside her gave it away. 

She’d tied Mani’s rhinestone-infested lilac leash to her chair leg, to discourage the reptile from wandering or - worse - deciding to take a swim. Not that she had any illusion as to its ability to pull the chair straight from under her if it wanted to go. But Mani was a creature of habit and minimal effort. A minor inconvenience such as this would be enough to keep her snoozing on the deck.

“Spotted any big ones?” Shivs said when Benji came towards her for a sip of lychee ramune.

“Not yet.” Benji plopped down beside Mani, putting her skinny arm around her scaly neck as she slurped lemonade. “Did you know bananawani hunt sea kings?”

“Really?” 

Shivs remembered the way the casino halls would darken as they swam by, their shadows passing beyond the glass as they glided towards the feeding platform. The unwitting sea king never stood a chance.

“They are their only known predator and totally hunt them,” Benji babbled happily while enjoying her drink. Mani’s eyes were still closed, but she’d shifted to lean into the little girl’s petting. “Do you think sea king tastes good?”

The water would run red but only for a short while, only until the currents whisked it away. Theoretically, the creature could make it out for the Rainbase oasis connected to the Sandora river.

“I bet Mani would prefer sea king chow,” Shivs said.

“I don't think they sell that at the pet stores.” Benji pouted as she hugged Mani. “She won’t be able to have a sea king snack until she’s big enough to hunt them herself.”

Hopefully, that would take a while yet. Bananawani could grow to colossal sizes, dwarfing mid-class tall ships. Shivs had no idea what they were supposed to do with a fully grown one. Or how to afford feeding the beast if there was no prey for her to hunt on her own. Rain Dinners’ bananawani never hunted alone.

Benji emptied her bottle with a big, noisy slurp, waking Mani. “Maybe we should have brought something?”

“A deck would have been nice,” Shivs said as she watched them. “We could have played slapjack.”

“No, I mean, for uncle Crocodile?” 

Shivs flinched.

“You always say that it is nice to bring something when you visit someone. Especially if you want something from them in turn?” Benji scrunched up her face, rubbing Mani’s thick scaly neck. “I have, like, half a bag of marshmallows, but I didn’t think to bring them.”

“I have something for him, don’t worry about it.”

🐊 🐊 🐊 

Impel Down was a fortress as ugly as it was unimaginative. It spilled onto the rapidly approaching horizon as a grey stain overtaking the limitless freedom of the open sea. And as they drew near on the Tarai current, its squat towers and crenellated battlements came into ever sharper focus until they dominated their entire surroundings. Curiously, there were no cannon embrasures, machicolations or any such defences one might expect from a proper bastion. 

A fleet of warships rested at anchor along the approach to the underwater prison. The modest passenger ship they were on was dwarfed by the marine dreadnoughts they passed as the current pulled them inexorably towards the prison’s colossal gatehouse.

Benji had returned to the prow for the approach, and Shivs joined her there.

“It’s so huge!” Benji stared wide-eyed at the thick walls as they sailed under the barbican and into the secured harbour proper beyond. Mani sat beside her, holding her own leash.

“The vast majority of the complex is actually underwater.” Shivs counted the cannons peeking down at them through the embrasures, out of habit more than anything. She wondered if they had a standing firing crew to man them.

“Are we going underwater?” Benji hopped from one leg unto the other. “The Calm Belts are supposed to be full of Sea Kings! Maybe there will be a window, and I can see one? Maybe there will be wild Bananawani too!”

“It is a prison, so I don’t think there will be windows,” Shivs said in an attempt to calm the girl’s excitement and avoid utter disappointment if that turned out to be true. “It does reach quite a ways below the water surface. A few kilometres, perhaps? Yes, I think so.”

“Wow.” Turning to Mani, Benji added: “Let's find a window, I bet there will be wild Bananawani! You can say ‘hi’!”

Shivs took her by the shoulder when she saw the other visitors disembark. “Come, let’s not be late.”

Benji glanced up at her as they walked to the gangplank. “For the visit we didn-?”

“Don’t say that,” Shivs interrupted her with a quelling look.

“Right.” Benji smiled again and took Mani’s leash. “Come on Mani. Can’t be late!”

They were funnelled through the gatehouse and into a courtyard patrolled by marine sentries. Here, too, cannons peered through embrasures on all sides. Evidently, the prison was more concerned about threats to its security rising from within than without.

“Visitors for level 1 and 2 inmates, that way,” a young marine officer said as he gestured to a colleague. “Level 3 and up, with me.” The few people that joined them as they went to the marine officer gave the juvenile Bananawani plodding beside them a wide breadth. 

The officer led them up steps and into an wholly uninviting lobby. With its worn plaster walls and dirty grey linoleum floor it did its very best to make you want to leave as soon as possible. No seats, no plants, no windows, no nothing. 

“Registration check.” The marine officer motioned them towards the looming concrete counter on the other side of the unpleasant space. “In an orderly manner, gentlefolk.”

Benji put her arm around Mani, leaning into the large reptile and putting her nose against its scales as she eyed their casually hostile surroundings.

“What’s his name?” The marine officer’s tone was amiable, conversational.

“Hers!” Benji said, holding on tighter to the Bananawani.

He tried to catch her gaze with a smile. “Big girls, both of you.”

“Her name is Mani.”

“Ah, ‘she who averts harm’,” he said, and Shivs appreciated his attempts to make Benji feel comfortable. “A wise choice for such a hardy animal.”

“She’s very sweet and tough,” Benji agreed as she snuggled Mani. “I love her.”

“I am sure she loves you very much too.”

“What is your name?” Benji asked. “Mine is Benji!”

“Nice to meet you, Benji,” the young marine said. “Mine is Toby.”

By then it was their turn, and Shivs approached the desk. It was higher than such things normally were, for she was not a particularly short woman and yet she need not bend down to meet the registrar’s gaze.

“State your name and purpose?” the woman said, hands poised to take down the information.

“Figarland Seonaid. Conjugal visit,” Then added when she saw her transcribe it as ‘Sheona’: “That is without the H, and spelled with N-A-I-D.”

The registrar gave a sign of neither interest nor recognition. “Visiting?”

“Crocodile Niall.”

The woman paused when she heard that name. And Shivs ignored the whispers she could not quite catch from those behind her in line.

“Niall. N-I-A-L-L. Not ‘Nile’.”

The registrar flipped through a thick binder, finger running down a table packed with dense handwriting. “No visitation registered.”

“Preposterous,” Shivs said, overacting an affronted tone. “A signed request for visitation has been approved weeks ago.” 

“There is no record of it, ma'am.”

Benji let go of Mani to fling her arms around Shivs’ waist instead, and gave the registrar and marine officer her most watery of wobbly baby looks. “Mommy, I want to see daddy!”

Shivs rubbed her shoulder, giving the registrar the pleading look of parents the world across trying to desperately manage a child on the brink of wailing. Benji's little sob into the fabric of her dress was very convincing. Mani paced around them, uncertain but riled by the sudden change of mood.

“Can't you put in an expedited request?” Shivs suggested, trying her damndest to sound sincere. “She'd been looking forward to it, and we get so few chances.”

“No registration, no visitation,” the woman said as Benji took in a breath to start a wail.

Toby shook his head. “Let me see what I can do,” he said as he produced a small, earpiece Den Den Mushi and put the sea snail against his ear. A few transmissions later, he turned to the registrar and held up his hand. “Two visitor badges, please.”

With due reluctance the registrar handed them over to him and he turned to Benji. “There you go, kiddo,” he said as he gave her one, and then Shivs as well. “Courtesy of the vice-admiral making the curator see reason.”

“You're the best!” Benji beamed. “Look, mom, I am number 17! What is yours?”

Shivs looked at the scuffed 13 on the badge. It reminded her of a poker table she used to deal at, and the memory settled in the pit of her stomach like a fetch of cannon balls. “Not as high as yours, sweetie.”

“Come, I will see you two down to the right level,” Toby said, and led them to the elevator room beyond the lobby. There were four, two on the left and two on the right. He took them to the far right one, the doors opening as they approached.

“Awesome!” Benji said as she rushed inside, Mani hot on her heels. For the elevator was made entirely of armoured glass and provided a grand view of the ocean sprawling all the way across the horizon. The afternoon sun kissed the waves, setting sparkles to the white-capped water. And Shivs felt it beckon in her bones. 

Benji gave him a hopeful look. “Are we going underwater?”

“We are,” Toby said as he put a key in the control panel and turned it.

When the doors slid closed, Shivs suppressed the sudden and overwhelming urge to get out, to leave and never look back. To stay at the surface, where they belonged. I have to, she told herself as she clenched her hands into fists around the chain of her handbag. Bugs is down there, and he hates the dark beneath the waves.

The elevator jolted to life and Shivs closed her eyes, ignoring the sound of the lapping waves against the glass as they submerged, focussing on Benji’s excited noises instead. When she opened them again, they were enveloped in blue. Sunlight still penetrated, sending curtains of light through the water. Less so with every foot they descended, as the blue grew deeper, darker.

“A Sea King!” Benji screamed, spooking Mani as she glued herself against the glass. In the far distance, blurred in the shifting hues of the blue, swam a long, serpentine creature, its body undulating as it made its way from somewhere to elsewhere. 

“It could be the Prince of the Deep,” Toby said as he came to stand beside her. “It has about the right shape. Colour too, perhaps.”

Benji glanced at him, her eyes large and eager. “Prince?”

“Yes, because he is a prince among his kind. The largest Sea King in this part of the Calm Belt,” Toby said. “Ten times larger than Coral Grove, our largest dreadnought.”

“Wow.” Benji pressed her face against the glass. “Mani could snack on that for years.”

“Wouldn’t it be tough for her to hunt such a large creature?” Toby said, not without humour.

Benji rolled her eyes. “Not right now, she’s a baby. But she’ll be big and strong one day! Bananawani hunt Sea Kings, did you know?” she said and babbled the poor marine’s ears off about the large reptiles for some minutes.

As the armoured glass elevator descended to deeper water, their surroundings became steadily darker. Shivs put her gaze on the glass floor and the pitch black abyss below. It was easier to face the darkness approaching than the light receding, the sparkle of the sun on the water surface dwindling as you sank. The sea has never been friendly to man.

Beside her, Benji had put her arm around Mani as she looked up. No more sea kings down here.

“The 6th level is also called ‘The Basement’,” Toby said, making the girl glance away from the ever more distant sunlight. “Do you know why?”

Ghosts in the attic and monsters in the basement, Shivs thought as she recalled the sailors’ idiom about grief with its haunting memories and stowed feelings.

Benji eyed him, holding on to Mani still. “Because it's dark and far down?”

Because nobody goes there if they can help it. Shivs stared at the watery dark beneath their feet. The sea floor might never come and she'd not be surprised.

“Nope!” Toby said, his smile bright in the dimming light. “Because it is where all the cool people stay.”

Benji’s mood lit up. “My unc- Dad, is super cool! He's actually made out of sand, like, for real.”

“Are you made out of sand?”

Shivs gaze snapped onto him like a hawk. He was looking at Benji, fondness soft on his youthful face. He couldn't be much older than 20 or 22.

“I don't think so?” Benji let go of Mani to brush at her clothes, then glanced at him. “Do you want to pet her?”

Toby smiled. “Absolutely.”

🐊 🐊 🐊 

Horny hell seat reservations - @tiredemomama @smut-goblin @ruledbyproblematique @momodwriter @littlemountainwolf @fanaticsnail @feral-artistry - except there's no horny. Croc isn't even in it either. I feel like a cheat.

[cpunkwitch]

Herb Drying Extended

[herb drying extended]

Herb drying(link)

Answering Benji in an extension to my last post on the topic!

best method, best tea

depending on the herb you use to make your tea, any of the three methods i talked about can work just fine for making a tea blend from.

it's most a matter of time as each method and plant have a different time span of drying out.

air drying by hanging is likely the longest but is most commonly used for flowering herbs like lavender or even sage, mainly for the lingering scent they give off while hanging.

you could very well use the microwave method for a faster batch of dried herbs.

when it comes to the herb youre using for tea, leaves and buds could be crushed up or steeped whole, so regardless of the method you choose however you go about making your tea from dried herbs is fine and completely up to you.

of course things like how ling they sit to dry and loose theor moisture can effect how they might taste when sitting in hot water but not by very much, the amount of time they sit in the water can be recommended differently depending on the plant or part of said plant as well.

its perfectly fine to experiment until you find the right combination that you like best.

there are plenty of other methods for drying tea herbs as well, some onclude the oven rather than the microwave or the stove, or you can use tools like a dehydrator if you have one. no one method is best over all, its very much up to opinion.

whatever method you find best is a-okay.

moldy stash

how can herbs expire after storing and drying if the idea is to do that so they last longer?

a lot of things have a different length of shelf life, canned goods included.

if you dont keep your herbs tightly seald and stored awat from sunlight and moisture, you risk them rotting amd molding. they are dead plants after all and dead plants do eventually rot away at some point.

the average shelf life for dried leafy herbs is 1-3 years before it looses its flavor, 4 years for seeds and a week to 6 months for fresh (ground) spices. salt is really the only thing that lasts indefinitely.

after the dried herbs loose their flavor theres really no use keeping them around as anything with them will just taste bland or very very mild if at all.

the herbs will start to lose their colour and brown after being stored for that long so its best to throw them away at the 3 year mark.

i hope this helped! if theres anything else i can expand on please let me know.

@benji-screem @kodiescove @writingbrainrot

(thought you might like to see)

I'd for banner in pinned

[nlsonsprings]

benji ✰ 25 ✰ he/him trans + bi ! heartstopper + dan and phil + bts + shitposting lol history major that's obsessed with British history

carrd! // ao3!

[the-golden-comet]

For the OC/WIP Ask game:

Tell me a bit about the world of this (Peter Hart) and how politics or general cultural stuff works within it!

Ramble about the relationship between Peter and Benjamin, (e.g. how they met, how different/similar they are, etc)!

Tell me some cool/random/fun facts about one of your WIPs (you choose which one)!

Yay! More Peter Hart questions!! Thank you for stopping by, @mysticstarlightduck ! 🫖✨

1. Peter Hart is set in 17th century Great Britain, as is both a historical and fantasy pirate adventure. That is to say, the setting is on Earth, and uses both real locations and fantasy locations (some of the islands and provinces I made do not exist in the real world, while others did. Also mermaids, sea monsters, and cursed trinkets existing in this novel). The main government is the British Parliament, and Peter goes out of his way to make the Royals’ lives a living hell. He is very chaotic, anti-authoritarian, teetering on psychopathy with a smile on his jovial face 😂🏴‍☠️✨

2. Peter and Benjamin knew each other in childhood, as they grew up in the same port. Benjamin met Peter through bullying—that is, to say, Benji was part of a cohort of bullies that tormented a young Peter. Prince Benjamin was not the ringleader, nor did he ever hit or physically attack Peter, but was not above holding his status as a wealthy prince above Peter’s head. (Benjamin was a brat. He still kind of is xD)

Peter left the port at 12 years old to join his father Captain Johnathan Hart on his pirate ship: The Phoenix. Though, that wasn’t initially the plan, because a young and mischievous Peter originally crafted a raft and wanted to set sail to the fabled Isle of Gold…only to get marooned, washed up, and found by the Phoenix Gang in a twist of fate.

After Peter’s father died when Peter was 16, and left the crew in the hands of his only son, Captain Peter Hart and his gang of adoptive dads visited Port Mayor to pay his mother Mary a visit. While on his short stay, he reunited with Benjamin 14 years later….by abducting the prince from his bedroom and forcing him to experience an epic pirate adventure with himself and the Golden Phoenix Gang.

They start as enemies, and gradually grow to lovers through twists and turns throughout the novel. As they learn more about their personalities, and reasonings behind their childhood traumas, they’re able to relate to their experiences a little too well….beinging them closer and closer to trusting one another.

I high recommend you read the full novel! I made it free on Archive Of Our Own, or if you want to support me further, it’s on Amazon Kindle eBooks for $5.00. Link in my pinned profile post 🏴‍☠️✨

3. Sure! Uhhh let’s see….YWIMC was inspired by Disney’s animated Aladdin….but gay. Because all my novels are BL romances—Big Gay Love Stories 💛💫✨

Thank you again so much for your ask, and be sure to read Peter Hart to get the full experience of these beautiful pirates✨

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober 2023 master post

This is all written for my links meet au called Link between Links, and strangers across eras, with other aus sprinkled across it. NONE OF THIS IS LU SO DONT TAG IT AS SUCH

~~~~~~~

Day 1- swooning: lbl, Minish gets a concussion and Legend helps him out

Day 2- they don’t care about you: sae, Leon get a fever from working to hard in finding his son.

Day 3- solitary confinement: lbl, spirit is held hostage and is losing his mind.

Day 4- shock: kotg, Ammon and Orman are exploring a ruin with Terrako, suddenly all technology goes out in an electrifying way, including Ammon’s prosthetic.

Day 5- debris, pinned down: lbl, Warriors gets trapped under rocks after an explosion, and he and Hyrule hope they can get out.

Day 6- alternate prompt, reluctant whumper: original loz au, Link hurts himself and doesn’t want Beck to know.

Day 7- alternate prompt, shaking: vw, Vio brings Shadow back and he’s not vibing.

Day 8- outnumbered: sae, wolfos attack and Rusl refuses to fight one, even when it’s trying to kill him.

Day 9- mistaken identity, you’re a liar: lbl, Wild and Windy meet a fake Hyrule and get abducted by the yiga.

Day 10- alternate prompt, panic: lot, Rusl is teaching the kids how to fight, but the idea of fighting monsters scares Talo.

Day 11- captivity, no one will find you: kotg, young Ammon and his brother get kidnapped by yiga during an errand.

Day 12- insomnia: original loz au, Zelda can’t sleep and Link accompanies her alongside his cat biscuit.

Day 13- infection: thof, Link has an infection but he refuses to let Groose or Farore check it out.

Day 14- water inhalation: lbl, Sky goes to rescue Twi after he disappeared underwater for six hours

Day 15- makeshift bandages: lbl and sae, Rusl accidentally throws a spear at mermaid Legend.

Day 16- flatline: kotg, continuation of day 11, Ammon and Georgie try to escape, but it doesn’t go well.

Day 17- collar, touch aversion, leave me alone: sae and vs, Vaati and Ghirahim accidentally kidnap Linebeck.

Day 18- blindfold, tortured for information: lbl, continuation of day 9, Windy gets tortured for information on Hyrule, but he’s a tough cookie.

Day 19- floral bouquet: TCOD, Maria and Link visit his parent’s grave on the anniversary of their death.

Day 20- found family: tp, RUSL ADOPTS LINK DBSJSBSKSBK

Day 21- restraints, don’t move: vw, after Vio brings back Shadow, he accidentally brings another, dangerous person back as well.

Day 22- glass shard, vehicular accident: sae, Kass finds Linebeck with a concussion and Benji impaled with glass from a boat crash.

Day 23- shadows, stalking, who’s there: lbl, Twi finds a kitty and defends it with his life.

Day 24- alternate prompt, aftermath of a failure: AOC, Revali teaches Zelda how to use a bow so she can use the bow of light.

Day 25- alternate prompt, betrayal: sae, Ingo takes over the ranch in Time and Talon’s absence.

Day 26- working till exhaustion, you look awful: lot, Link has a fever but works till the point of collapse.

Day 27- matches, scars: sae, Leon and Linebeck find themselves trapped in a cave, and Leon discovers a nasty scar that Linebeck has.

Day 28- bloody knife: lbl, Hyrule gets attacked by a puppet of the puppeteer and gets poisoned with magic draining poison.

Day 29- troubled past resurfacing: lbl and sae, Wild meets Ammon and it goes as well as you’d expect.

Day 30- bridal carry: lbl and sae, Time and Talon find Malon in Gerudo desert. Some of the boys reunite with their dads!

Day 31- emptiness, setbacks, take it easy: lbl and sae, the rest of the boys reunite with their dads, but something bad happens

~~~~~~~~~~

Art!

Whumtpober days 1-7

Whumptober days 8-14

Whumptober days 15- 21

Whumtpober days 22-28

Whumptober days 29-31

[rorywritesjunk]

WIP TITLE GAME

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Tagged by @galaxycunt

I am also gonna tag @operationroots @hey-august @lostfirefly @fanaticsnail

Okay ready for the excitement (I am not really creative with document names)

"Untitled Document" is Taron and Buggy smut. I'm quickly doing an edit on Chapter 2 before I post it today or tomorrow.

"Tumblr Prompts" is where I work on requests/prompts. There's only one in there so far and it's Buggy and her Husbands for the Swap AU.

"slow burn request" is Cupcake x Buggy. I'm working on Chapter 15 to get the smut going again. There's a possibility I could break 20 chapters with this story Im realizing.

"400 follower story" is slowly getting worked on. It's the story I had people vote for some things for it and am prolly two pages in? It's going to be fluffy and smutty.

"bakery story" is Birdie and Buggy. I don't imagine that one going past 12 chapters.

"Untitled Document" is my Howl's Moving Castle AU. Still working slowly on that. I think I'm going to set aside a day for me to just hash that out and get it finished to slowly share it.

I actually have a file called "WIP" where I throw in chunks of writing that I didn't like for something but wanted to keep around just in case. It's over 100 pages. Some included things were a bit more angst for stories that I didn't want to add in. There's enough angst out there and I didn't want it in my writing necessarily.

Things that I cut were a misunderstanding between young Buggy and Sunny caused by Benji being a little shit. Benji told Buggy that Sunny had a date with someone else when he showed up one day so Buggy assumed he was being led on the entire time. The two had a fight over it. It involved Sunny quitting Miss Pins' and leaving. I couldn't find a good way to fix the situation so I cut it.

Another thing was Buggy suggesting to Birdie he leave her on an island somewhere until the baby was born because why not, he didn't want to leave his ship and be on land while she waited out the rest of her pregnancy. But I didn't want to undo some of their growth. They'll still have some misunderstandings but I felt that was too much.

And Cupcake and Buggy had many hiccups. I decided I didn't like how I was writing Cupcake so it changed to misunderstandings in the bedroom instead of Buggy losing his temper all the damn time and Cupcake crying constantly.

[benthan-week-forever]

Voting is complete, and the dates and themes for this year's Benthan Week are...*drumroll*

Monday, August 7

Day 1: Ethan and Benji practicing together (sparring, interrogating, etc.)

alternate theme: The ultimate relationship test: Shopping at IKEA

Tuesday, August 8

Day 2: Dead Reckoning (theme around the new movie)

alternate theme: Brushing hands (first accidentally, later on purpose)

Wednesday, August 9

Day 3: Co-workers finding out and being shocked that they’re married/together

alternate theme: Hurt/Comfort

Thursday, August 10

Day 4: For the duration of a mission, they cannot talk, they can only rely on non-verbal communication

alternate theme: Last minute confession (e.g. it seems like they’re going to die or other pressing circumstances)

Friday, August 11

Day 5: Benji using his tech skills to mess with Ethan (bonus points if people think Ethan’s losing his mind)

alternate theme: Benji gets Ethan to participate, watch, etc., something geeky/nerdy

Saturday, August 12

Day 6: Benji getting hurt on a mission because of something Ethan does (direct or in-direct); Benji having to assure Ethan he’s not blaming him

alternate theme: Confession over comms

Sunday, August 13

Day 7: Accidental confession

alternate theme: 5 + 1

So many awesome themes this year! Now, we have about two months to start creating (though, of course, we support the noble fan tradition of creating our works the night before 😉).

As always, if you have any questions please check out the FAQ or pinned post, or drop the blog a message if you can't find the answer there!

Remember to share this post to spread the word! <3