#Ben’s are all plants. cause nerd

[raeofgayshine]

*grabs my ocs on the top of the head like they’re in virtual families and drags them into a new genre for my bedtime story*

[fist-of-vengeance]

i need to start posting more of my lost aus and headcanons because my brain is going to explode if I don't release them. almost like pressing a button to discharge dangerous levels of electromagnetism....

anyway here are some of my random and hyperspecific ben linus headcanons:

ben definitely owns a ton of unnecessary stationary (including multiple color highlighters) because he's a control freak and needs to be organized. he also has a bunch of expensive leather notebooks he hasn't filled yet because he's married to his pretentious academia aesthetic

as a kid he's always shown wearing his glasses, but he rarely wears them as an adult, so my only conclusion is that he somehow got it in his head that they look stupid (i'm betting it's roger's fault) and now he's insecure about them

he doesn't watch a lot of movies but when he does it's usually old black and white stuff, he knows next to nothing about pop culture and he finds the sci-fi genre in particular silly and nonsensical (ironic considering he's basically living in it)

owned a bunch of rare tropical houseplants over the years and as a kid alex would assign them all names and personalities that ben struggled to keep track of. he would probably tell anyone else that naming plants is stupid but for alex he actually tried to remember them

total culinary nerd. he's constantly experimenting with new fancy ass recipes. for some reason i specifically imagine him making really good soup and also excessively elaborate pancakes and waffles

demisexual (although he doesn't know there's a word for it) and actively thinks sex is cringe. anytime he is forced to witness an overt display of sexuality he is going to be so judgemental. however if he fell in love with someone he would immediately become the world's biggest hypocrite while continuing to find other people's sex repulsive

buys tic tacs whenever he leaves the island cause he's paranoid about having bad breath and eats way too many

drinks several cups of coffee a day and his caffeine addiction is so bad that he gets debilitating headaches if he tries to quit. he's extremely ashamed of this weakness

lives in terror of his receding hairline. bullies john for being bald to make himself feel better

[flurrin]

Treasure Planet 2 rundown

@theskyexists sorry i’m consolidating into a post so it’s easier to read kldfshsj.

Jim is struggling socially but shares the top of the class with Kate, and they both think the other is just awful—Kate thinks Jim is a reckless hotshot and Jim thinks she's an uncreative kissup. Captain Amelia arrives with the opportunity to tour her newly commissioned ship, the Centurion, and mistaking them for friends, invites them both aboard for launch. As soon as the ship is off, it’s hijacked by Ironbeard and his crew, vying for the ancient technology the ship was constructed with at the behest of the royal family; all that remains of Flint’s legacy now that Treasure Planet is gone. BEN is the ship’s navigation system, literally built into it for comedy purposes, and accidentally tells Ironbeard basically everything the ship can do, which causes him to refocus on breaking into one of the most notorious pirate prisons in the Ethereum.

Jim’s character arc is that he needs to learn how to be a follower as much as a leader, so his loner type actions end up clashing with Kate’s lawful-good take-charge personality and it ends up messing with their escape plan so they end up crash-landing on a pirate backwater–which ends up being, of course, exactly where Silver has set up his own bar to keep his tabs on the pirate world without having to travel so much anymore (there’s really cute concept art of basically this saloon he’s built out of a beached ship). Jim’s instinct is to draw away from authority which is what is making piracy look so positive to him all of a sudden, especially when Silver, who’s worked with him before, lets him take charge on brainstorming. Kate absolutely hates all of this but she also knows the most about the Centurion because she’s a nerd for the Royal Family so her help is important in locating the ship again–after passing through the Ethereum Abyss, an action set piece filled with with leviathan anglerfish and bioluminescent creatures. The prison is set up at the very edge of this abyss, run off of space-whalefall flotsam, and Jim and co. blend in with the freed prisoners flooding the ship to get back aboard, except…one of those prisoners is Jim’s father, Leland Hawkins.

Jim is integrated directly into the crew and surprisingly welcomed. Kate and Silver manage to keep cover while encouraging him to use this to get close to Ironbeard, which works unfortunately too well–Jim, finding acceptance from this unlikely crew, is now fully onboard to take the ship with Silver for themselves once BEN, Amelia, and the other hostages are safe. Of course, Ironbeard discovers Kate and Silver and Jim is forced abruptly to choose to betray them. He does.

Kate and Silver end up marooned on the prison, which is where Silver’s crappy little ship is still moored. Naturally Jim saved their lives on purpose, but they’re still a little ticked off at him. Jim has to come to the conclusion himself that piracy isn’t for him, and the clincher is his dad’s presence: his former abandonment for THIS life of all things is what gets Jim straightened out again. His dad is not someone he wants to emulate.

He contacts Kate and Silver and they work together to make a plan, with Kate now taking the lead with her advantage of knowledge of the ship and actual warfare and evacuation protocol. Jim is able to carry out her orders from the inside while Kate and Silver standby to get everyone out and plant Silver’s explosive cargo. That’s pretty much the gist of it, I’m still thinking about the climax because it’s got a huge body count as is lol. I’ll probably have Silver fake his own death to get out of the climax, which would both bolster Jim’s feelings concerning piracy’s link with abandonment as well as giving Ironbeard an opportunity to appear ruthless and Kate some time to be independent. I also want to tie in the idea that the monarchy has corrupt elements, hence having this shady old pirate technology in the first place.

[silverhallow]

Bridgerton Season 2... my thoughts

It's going below the cuts because of Spoilers... and i apologise it's going to likely incoherent...

First up... the Featherington subplots... what the hell and what was the point. Once I realised what was going on, not gonna lie... i fast fowarded it. I did see Portia giving Jack the old heave ho and basically screwing him over and I have to yell "get the fuck in" i love protective mother's and that was just... very much a FUCK YOU moment and i loved it.

Can we talk about Colin's tan??? Jesus... it would have fit in on a night out in Newcastle... JESUS WEPT. I am sure at one point he was nearly orange... Colin babe i love you when you're not being an idiot... but dude... the tan... no.

I'm going to do a separate post on Benedict cause I just have to...

the marina/colin thing was meh i loved seeing Phillip and him being a babe and a plant nerd but i think again. i could have done without it this season but it was nice to see Marina happy and i'm kinda interested to see how they will do this... going forward...

I LOVE LOVE LOVED ALL the Bridgerton Family moments and A&B Moments in this were just... sheer perfection. it was clear you could see the Brotherly relationship, the difference between A&Bs relationship and that of A& C-H... it was clear they were the best of friends. Anthony went to Benedict for advise... and Benedict offered it. Anthony offered Benedict support as a brother... and tried to do the same with the Art Academy and just did it poorly but i can't wait to see more A&B In future.

VIOLET FUCKING BRIDERTON- what a fucking WOMAN. the flashbacks... GIVE RUTH GEMMELL ALL THE AWARDS. She was fucking REMARKABLE this season. seeing her pain... seeing her struggle and seeing her comfort Anthony... the scenes they shared... their moments... they were just beautiful and I loved them... and I cannot wait to see her as a bad as mother fucker she is in AOFAG... i can't wait to see her be the rock for Ben..

She is a goddess and I will not hear a bad word said against her.

Anthony's moments dancing with Hyacinth and seeing her dance albeit it briefly Benedict... then his chat with Gregory... FUCK THE FEELS... THE FEELS... I've watch that twice now and sobbed like a girl... it was so beautiful...

but to the main course...

First up... I love Edwina... for the most part... at times I felt she was a little wooden and stiff that may change with some rewatches. there were times she just felt poorly written and at times I felt, while justified, she came across a bit spoilt and petulant to me but again... I totally get it... she was furious with them both. With Kate... but the whole thing...

it was just a fucked up mess. the wedding it should never got that far but if i remove the book from my mind and look at it as something other than TVWLM and not the book and as a story.

BUT their make up scene... the conversation about "being true to oneself" THAT is the Edwina I know and loved from the book and I am so fucking excited to see her be herself in Season 3...

Kate and Anthony... my darlings... you both idiots.

I cannot physically put it into words...

the slow burn... it hurt

but Anthony simping over her... the way his brain stalled at seeing her leg, when he could smell her... it was just... breathtaking and beautiful.

the way he acted around her... their hand movements, their longing glazes. it was just beautiful.

Kate... you darling darling broken girl. it pained me so much. Simone is just beautiful and her acting was exquisite. I hate the pain she went through and you could see it in every glance you could see the pain and hurt she felt. the conflict she felt and the scene in the cupboard. her lonliness hits her like, pardon the word and pun, a wrecking ball... honestly it was like someone reached into my chest and pulled my heart out...

I know lots of people complained about the lack of sex but man i am not sure i needed it. it was hot, it was steamy and the moments we got, the montage of their first time. jesus christ i went feral.

Anthony you fucked up the first marriage proposal to her... dude you clearly didn't think properly you could have saved yourself a lot of pain!

Anthony's speech in the garden to her for the first time and this his love declaration...

it was just beautiful

I HATE that we didn't get more Kanthony and we didn't get their fucking honeymoon... 6 months! and we didn't get it but...

i love the ending. Lady Whistledown's silence and saying about knowing the moment went to talk... it has to be huge foreshadowing for her making up with Eloise...

and Benedict's closing the box... trapping down his artistic tendancies...

but the epilogue.

Kate and Anthony not giving a flying fuck about propriety and snogging in front of their family... fucking spot on. that is the Viscount and Viscountess I wanna see in Season 3... floating their happiness by coming in from gardens looking very dishevelled at balls and just dancing together all night and embarassing their family...

to summarise...

if you are a hardcore lover of the book and you go in expecting an adapation you are going to be disappointed... if you go in with open eyes and an open heart... then you will love it...

i have loved it and it's made my excited (yes weird i know) to see what they do with my beloved King and Queen when it is there turn...

[cyclone-rachel]

2022 Omniverse Rewatch + Episode Ranking

Part 7: Arc 7

assorted thoughts/observations:

• And it just happens to have a 5 on it. • That’s a lot of firepower. • I guess Solid Plugg moved on from Hokestar? • Oh my god. Why? • I love that Ben interrupts too. • Why not just not invite her there at all? Surely she could meet him in the RV or something. Unless he doesn’t have that anymore. • This guy is all over animation. • What qualifications does he have for going to the Plumber academy? • That’s a lot of plants. • How is it affecting morale? • Ben doesn’t have to try that hard to prove that. • So what do they wear instead of socks? • Damn. • He can’t be allowed to keep that, right? • He definitely did. • And you should talk. • Third occurrence of “do me a solid”. • You’re definitely not fine. • Yeah basically. • Are they actually friends? • And the Omnitrix shouldn’t be? • People have tried to take the Omnitrix many times. • What a coincidence. • Love the billboard up there that just says “Dang!” in all caps. • I don’t think Omniverse does full transformation sequences that often, but when they do, they’re really good. • That sounds like a terrible combination of flavors. • Never seen him do that with Feedback before. • It’s nice that she’s Max’s sister. • Yeah, she does. • Guess that’s a Revonnahgander saying. • And finally Jeff Bennett shows up! • So where would you take her? • Oh that theme song remix is so good! • Yup, you can see him getting on the ship. • Also that taking off looked really good. • People who go to airports have to arrive 3 hours early, probably. • Ben’s just going on Facebook? • I assume Ben has a lot of fan pages. • Rook Shar is so cute. • Why did it have to be underground? • Also what does “spoodle-heels” mean • It’s nice that they’re friends. • I don’t think he was talking about the smoothie, Ben. • That was unnecessary. • Rook, you’ve had your proto-tool destroyed before, it’s fine. • Also did he say it in the exact same way he did during Showdown part 2? • How is that less risky? • Obligatory joke time, Kundo voice: “this is why I HATE MACHINES!” • Those are definitely Pokemon. • So where’s he going to get new armor from? • Are you sure about that? • Yikes. • Way to go, you just polluted a river. • Did not know what that word meant until now. • A cool-looking abomination. • Awwww. • Is that even possible, for a class to be filled for 5 years? • That is a lot of people • Hex probably would have fangirls. • How big is this school anyway? • History 310? That’s an upperclassman-level class, Gwen is lucky she’s taking it as (I assume) she is still a freshman. • I mean, she has a lot of experience with that stuff, but I assume she had to get special permission. • “Professor Hex”, nice pun and/or crossover/fusion opportunity. • How’d she get there? • Not subtle at all. • The 9 realms? Is Norse mythology canon in this universe? • That wasn’t a long class at all. • You could at least leave her for the Plumbers to take care of. • Case in point. • Very smart. Also I’m glad he repaired his car. • Malt shop? • Ben needs to chill. Also I really like Hex’s new outfit. • So there were others before him? • Weren’t you working together in Alien Force? • I don’t remember if they interacted in Ultimate Alien. • I love those two nerds. • Were they really together for that long? • What does that really mean? • I always get nervous about people fighting in libraries. • Does Kevin have a Null Void projector in there? • That’s smart. • Awww, Zed is wearing goggles too. • Oh that’s terrifying. • A very good pun. • Kari, again, just killing it here. • Like Gwen was summoned by that word. • You are definitely not Invincible. • So how many books are left in there? • YEAH, GWEN • Aww. I love that you have a secret lair now. • So I guess his store got bigger once he started also selling alien food? • Gosh, I love even smoller Ben’s voice. • So he only just moved to Bellwood a little while ago and already he’s caused that much damage to his store? • Did shopping online exist back then? • Oh, it would’ve been real neat if this mermaid lady was voiced by Sue Blu (because of who she and Corey played in TFA, and their characters’ connection), although I’d understand if she wouldn’t want to do that for reasons. • WAIT THOUGH, if I had a nickel for every time Corey Burton and Gwendoline Yeo were in a thing together, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice. Because surprise they also interact in Clone Wars. • Ben, what are you doing. • Whose dog is that? • Come on, Ben, leave them alone, they’re not doing anything wrong. • You seriously need to chill. • That’s actually kind of nice • Also aww, Max bragged about him. • Would’ve been neat if we had gotten to see the Galactic Enforcers again. • So Max knows what’s going on here? • Did you really, now. • You don’t need to watch. • That is indeed very specific. And I’m surprised she was that coherent when falling unconscious. • Again, it’s nice that he trusts Max. • Yeah that’s real specific too. • You’re wasting his time; you should just leave him alone. • Come on, he deserves love too. • Fuck you, Vulkanus. • Oh man, OV-style Diamondhead in the OS timeline looks great. • Good job, Ben. • You really don’t need to do that. • What’s a Viscosian Polymorph? • Ben no. • So Vulkanus just literally put him in a Dumpster? • It doesn’t look like it’s grown back. • That seems like an exaggeration. • It’s been almost 8 full years and I still cannot fucking believe he met Azmuth. • So I guess Azmuth just gave him that suit from Secret of the Omnitrix, but repainted? • Also it would be interesting to compare how he says “Azmuth” to how Malware does. • I guess this is nice. • Seriously, Ben, what did you do. • I feel like if Malware and Maltruant had had a connection, this episode probably would have been set in the museum on Galvan Prime? Or like, involved artifacts from that museum being moved to this one or something. • Ben, you really should have figured out that she wanted that to be a date. • I’m sure at least Gwen would bring a date to a museum. • I love how Kai reveals herself to be not a hologram. • Gosh, Blukic and Driba are there in those pictures. • Shut up, Ben. • So her accent is supposed to be Italian? Or is it French? • Is Jimmy Naruto-running • You were losing? • That might be an exaggeration. • I’m sure Kai wouldn’t mind having Ester there as backup. • Spanner, back off. • You’ve only met twice. • This is so awkward. • You could at least try to eat them together. • Also you could make an effort not to call it junk. • And I’m sure that was on purpose. • Also please clean that stuff off your face. • How were you robbed of your dignity? • He can read? • Can’t believe they’re actually in a relationship. • Are you sure about that? • And now he comes out and says it. • What’s wrong with her being any of those things? • Definitely the thief. • Also if they wanted Ben to be interested in the museum, there could have been an exhibit on him/the history of the Omnitrix. • David Kaye vs David Kaye here, and not for the last time. • Again, Kai and Ester do have chemistry. • The key to time itself? Really? • Also do all Chronosapiens have German accents? • He’s wearing the wrong jacket, but yeah, it’s Ben. • I’m sure this must be real weird for the people getting robbed. • Is “ringing your chimes” a real saying? • He’s clearly stress-eating about it. • This seems very complicated. • So he is covering up the Omnitrix symbol. • Also maybe again you want to listen to Azmuth’s advice and be more gentle with it? And actually look at the Omnitrix before you choose an alien? • Gosh, someone is spraying the truck with graffiti. • How can they not see that? • He is literally a plant. • Do you even know what those words mean? • Obviously he’s not your bro. • That sounds like an argument for cannibalism. • He’s right. • Yeah that’s not going to work. • I mean, normally he’d never complain about getting Feedback, but still. • If Guy Fieri owned a spaceship, it would look like that. • So where do they want to go? • YEET • Must be weird, wearing a mask of your own face. • Oh, yeah they would figure it out. But at what point did they do that? • I don’t think he could ever go straight. • Where is he heading toward? • Okay, that is a fun power. • Whoa, Max. • Again, that was funny. • Maybe get out of the line? • Oh hey, Jennifer Hale. • Wasn’t Liam in jail with the rest of Fistrick’s bros? • What a terrible commercial. • Why, what’s he doing wrong? • How did he get free of Collectimus? • So, do you volunteer yourself as an employee? • Rojo is still cool. • It has indeed been a while. • Are they really friends? • That’s a lot of ice cream. • Very suspicious. • Simian is very soft-spoken now. • That would be offensive to him. • She won’t mind doing that. • The motorcycle is cool. • Yeah, Upgrade! • You can definitely upgrade it to make it fly. • That seems like overkill. • Damn, Argit. • Do we ever find out? • I can’t believe this worked. • I guess we find out now. • You really should lay down and take a rest. • Can’t believe that’s actually Steve. • So did they run out of names, or what? • I guess they did just divorce. • Oh good, Sandra is back. • Are they dating now? • Also could Ben and Rook not drive themselves? • Gross. • I guess there are public roads in and out of Undertown? That makes sense. • She really wanted both of them there? • I’m surprised she lets Octagon and Rhomboid even eat there. • He’s not a big fan of his own mother’s cooking. • So did he eat it all? • I guess not. • That would be the kraken. • Are you really? • Would’ve been fun if Ben had gotten a Vreedle form, and immediately hated it. • A lot could go wrong, as it turns out. • How did he get up there so fast? • Is this the first time we’ve seen that Bellwood has a zoo? • Are they trying to eat the bike? • Is that really him? • That was anticlimactic. And coincidental. • A lot of bubble wrap there. • They’re gonna run out of it at some point. • Is she really an intergalactic supervillain? • That was a good idea. • How’s it going to get back to the zoo by itself? • So did they die? • Goddamn. • It takes longer than that to shut off your phone. • You just had to say that, didn’t you? • Second time he almost killed Azmuth. • His lab on Galvan Prime? • How long is “a while” exactly? • That’s a lot of smoothies. • You believed something that someone said on the Internet? • Does the Omnitrix have a voicemail? I guess it does, it was used in Ben 23’s first episode. • “ticked off watchmaker’s emporium” is a good pun. • “major interdimensional crisis” is an interesting way to describe this situation. • He hadn’t heard Ben use his catchphrase? • XLR8 23 looks really good. • So, is Ben 23 just generally luckier than our Ben, and as a result more often gets the aliens he wants? • Was the intention to have Ben’s advice be contradictory to the aliens he gets? • That’s the best friend he mentioned, be nice. • Were you not also tech support for Attea? • “he is always too smart to be evil” okay that is interesting. • How does he know so much about alternate dimensions? Isn’t he just a time traveler? • You could only very loosely describe him as a hero in his debut. • Okay, good plan. • Classic sky-portal. • Very pointed use of the word “mad” here • Also how can Pakmar not notice that this is a completely different Ben from the one he knows? • Come on, don’t waste the water. • Maybe you might want to think about the obvious. • Does Ben 23’s Omnitrix have the original Omnitrix timing-out sounds? • If nothing else, this Ben has a great sense of style. • So, is “Vilgax the Benevolent” his universe’s version of Vilgax, or the prime version of him? • That was smart. • See, this could have been foreshadowing. • I like that Psychobos just jumped onto Maltruant. • Is that really a treasure? • Wait, it was already going, and you’re just gonna restart it? • So, did Mad Ben hear him say his catchphrase before, or has he met a version of Psychobos in his own timeline? • A pretty compelling argument. • I really like the design for this world. • Seriously though, what are they digging for? • And you use which term loosely? • I’d describe him as more than decent. • He does have a point. • Are they hiding out in a Mr. Smoothy? • Oooh no, so did Ben 23 originally not want to go on the camping trip with his Grandpa before he found the Omnitrix, or like did he complain the whole time? At what point in his timeline did his Max die, and when would he realize that he wished he could take back any complaints he had? • Were Malware, Khyber, and Attea really your lackeys? • That seems pretty self-explanatory. • Again, I’m sure Yuri was having a lot of fun doing this. • You literally said it earlier. • They don’t know each other’s aliens’ names. • I love how that’s a multiversal constant. • So where’s the water going once he turns back to human? • Missed the opportunity for the wildest Russian/Australian hybrid accent. Actually, it would be fun if all of his aliens had Australian accents in addition to whatever other accents they had. • Mad Way Big looks sick as hell. Also outstanding transformation sequence. • Can’t believe Ben still remembers/uses Nanomech. • Indeed. • It’s neat that the other Bens have different titles for their Omnitricies. Although I don’t think Prime Ben really has one, he just calls it “the watch” casually. • Also this is the closest thing he gets to being called “Mad Ben”, I guess. • Also Mad Ben has the Omniverse model Omnitrix? That’s very interesting, I wonder if this all happened fairly recently for him, or if he would’ve stolen that model from Azmuth or something. Also it would have been neat if maybe some of the other Bens besides Ben 10K obviously had worn different Omnitricies, like maybe one never let go of the Ultimatrix, one still had the Alien Force Omnitrix, one never took the OS one off, etc, all for different reasons. Although of course Albedo is a special case, and Gwen 10 and Ben 23 are the youngest of the Omnitrix-wielders there, so it makes sense that they’d have the OS model but in their colors. • Ben’s just like “hell no, I’ve had enough of my Omnitrix almost exploding.” • Anymore? You mean you’ve conquered wastelands before? • Awww. • “and do it like Maltruant” again, could have been foreshadowing. • Oh I would have loved to have seen that. • That’s very good. • Perhaps “or what”, sometimes. • God. Wouldn’t it have been neat if Mad Ben had been mentored by Khyber? It would’ve made sense, they have similar accents/aesthetics/vibes. • And again generally, where did Mad Ben’s Australian accent come from?

Arc 7 rankings: 1. It’s a Mad… Ben World, part 2 2. Charm School 3. Rook Tales 4. It’s a Mad… Ben World, part 1 5. The Ballad of Mr. Baumann 6. The Color of Monkey 7. Fight at the Museum 8. Breakpoint 9. Clyde 5 10. Vreedlemania

Basic thoughts: Again, a weird season? Had two very good episodes in the beginning, and a strong finale, and then some episodes that just didn’t hit? I feel like for the last 2 arcs of the show that were supposed to intertwine, they could have had at least one more plot episode, but that’s just me. Loved Charmcaster and Hex’s return, loved seeing Rook Shar as a Plumber and Jeff Bennett playing another villain in a show that has many of his fellow TFA cast members, loved seeing Ben 23 again and getting to see another Ben’s world, and most of the rest of the season was fine I guess and had funny parts, but overall I did not vibe with the lower half of that episode list. And again I’m reminded of a certain missed opportunity and unrelatedly how they did Kai and Ester dirty, but like. It’s fine. We’ll get to how they resolve that very soon.

Original rankings: 1. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad Ben World, part 2 2. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad Ben World, part 1 3. Charm School 4. Rook Tales 5. The Ballad of Mr. Baumann 6. Breakpoint 7. The Color of Monkey 8. Fight at The Museum 9. Vreedlemania 10. Clyde 5

[entertainment]

#BlackExcellence365 Spotlight: Hayley Marie Norman, Black People Like

You can catch Actress Hayley Marie Norman in Freeform’s social series, Black People Like. Trained as both a dramatic actress and comedienne, she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Upright Citizens Brigade. On the film front, Hayley starred in the comedy Fired Up and had a memorable breakout performance in Chris Rock's Top Five. She also co-produces and stars in the semi-scripted hit online series Hello Cupid and has had recurring roles on television shows like Crash, as well as abc's Selfie and BET's The Game. Other credits include Hancock, Our Family Wedding, Norbit, New Girl, Bones, The Exes, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Studio 60, and many more. A bonafide LA valley girl, one of Hayley's first jobs was as the Mattel's official "face" of the African American Barbie. She continues to perform with popular sketch and improv groups around town, and is a classically trained dancer and a long time vegan and animal rights activist. We got the chance to ask Hayley a few questions. Check it out:

In Black People Like Veganism, you said that when you went vegan, the Black side of your family staged an intervention. Now that you’ve been vegan for years, how (if at all) has your family experience changed, especially when it comes to food centered gatherings?

Oh I'm the most popular member of my family now. They all tryna get their hands on my recipes. Luckily for them, I'm forgiving. Haha. But for real though, they've all leaned towards a more plant based diet and on my mom's side we've even done all vegan Thanksgivings for the last decade!

What do you wish everyone knew about veganism and/or the food (farming, meat, dairy, etc.) industry?

I think a lot of people know the truth but they choose willful ignorance. It's time to look past our egos, excuses, and traditions and accept that global warming is an immediate threat to all of our lives and the number one cause is factory farming and meat production. 

What are some other topics and interests that you’d like to see discussed in a forum like Black People Like?

I'm dying to do an episode called Black People Like Ballet! Having been a young ballerina myself, the majority of my fellow ballerinas were mostly white and it wasn't an environment or art that was conducive to people of color. For example, the shoes and tights weren't even made for our skin tones not to mention the damaging microagressions from many of the teachers. I remember showing up and the teachers expected me to be there for the hip hop class but this lil brown girl just wanted to pirouette her heart out! Luckily, black ballerinas are starting to receive the recognition they have always deserved. I want to discuss the impact of this art form in our culture.

In Black People Like New Age you talked about astrology and star sign compatibility. What is your star sign, and what’s your strongest astrology related belief?

I'm a textbook Pisces; a dreamer, and a romantic who is often too sensitive for my own good. If you don't like this interview, I'm already crying about it. My strongest astrology related belief? I get a little tingle every time Mercury is about to go retrograde. I have literally called it every single time. Don't expect me to be happy about leaving my house on those days. ;)

What type of scripts and characters are you drawn to?

I love playing strong women across all genres. Especially weirdos, which is a type of strength in its own way. Every time I get to be off-beat and a kooky, it's the best feeling in the world to me. I try to bring some of that to all my roles. But my interests also swing from an Olivia Pope type character to Ben Affleck in The Town. I want to kick ass whether it's with some impressive legal jargon and serving you a summons or robbing a bank and then jumping in the back of a van.

What’s the funniest photo that you have on your phone right now?

My cat is a comedic genius so any photo of her.

Which Black People Like episode stuck with you the most? Why?

Black People Like Nerd Culture was definitely interesting to me because I admittedly had some very strong pre-conceived notions about people who play video games.

If you had to boil down all your experience in the entertainment industry to one piece of advice (either that someone gave you or you’d like to give), what would it be?

Do you, boo. Do you.

Thanks for taking the time, Hayley! 

[retroellie]

The Last of Us Headcannons

Summary: Headcannons about TLOU2 characters 

A/N: I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a bit, I’ve ben stressed so I thought I’d write for my comfort characters lmao 

Warnings: Slight NSFW mentions, TLOU2 spoilers 

Word count: 2.4K

Ellie

-This girl is the best girlfriend i swear

-She will always tell you she loves you when she leaves or even if she goes into the other room

-She’s lost a lot of people so she’s always telling you how much she loves you just in case

-Helping her when she has nightmares, especially after joel's death

-”Please don’t leave me.”

-“Ellie, I’m not going anywhere.” 

-She’s definitely a lover of old music

-80s and early 90s was definitely her favorite eras music and movies wise

-Gifting her records you found in abandoned buildings

-She draws you a lot, especially when you aren’t paying attention

-One time she couldn’t sleep so she drew you, she thought you looked peaceful asleep. That drawing is probably her favorite she’s ever done.

-You basically live with her in the garage she lives in

-Winters are always cold in the garage so y’all are basically attached to each other

-You both are cuddled up watching movies with tons of blankets on

-This girl is horny all the time, like if yall are alone she’s on top of you

-Dancing together at the dances

-This girl is so clingy omfg

-Ellie worries about the looks and comment yall get when showing affection in public so she tends to tone down her clinginess

-Joel loves you, point blank period

-When ellie tells you what joel did for her, you didn’t know if you should be happy or sad

-They were gonna take ellie away from you, you probably would've done the same

-”My life would have mattered.”

-”Your life matters to me.”

-You tried to make her feel better about it though, telling her that there would still be bad people and infected in the world

-Neck kisses from the back, my heart is melting holy shit

-She asks maria to put you on routes with her cause mama you are not going without her

-Puns, just puns all the time and you love it

-Definitely calls you babe and baby, you always make fun of her for it but she knows you loves it

-Yall make fun of each other but it’s all in good fun she will never take it too far

Joel

-You’re this mans baby idc

-No one hurts you or they will get tracked down and their knee caps will be gone

-Joel knows full well you can take care of yourself but he just gets so mad

-This man is so soft for you

-He tries to spoil you the best way he can, going out of his way to get you presents from abandon stores

-Teaches you how to play guitar

-He will have you sit in his lap and play the chords

-”Is it sounding better?”

-He just nods and kisses along your back

-He will sing you to sleep if you ask him

-This man has shown you some good ass music, yall sometimes just lay in bed and listen to old records

-He loves the way you look in his shirts, this man melts or bends you over the kitchen table

-He doesn’t cry often but this man is hurt

-The first time you saw him cry was when he broke down to you about ellie and the fireflies and what he did

-It hurt him a lot to admit it but he was so relieved that he could let go and someone be on his side for once

-Tells you all about sarah and how she would like you

-”She would’ve loved you.”

-”Yeah, casue i’m the coolest.”

-”You're a nerd.” He chuckled out

-He would happily tell you about life before the infection, what it was like to not have to look over your shoulder all the time

-He would never tell you about his time in boston

-He didn’t want to scare you, so you never asked but you had a good idea of what happened because of tommy

-Slow dancing in the kitchen while dinner is on the stove

-Forehead kisses in the morning when he has to leave for rounds and your dead to the world

-Calls you Babygirl and princess, IDK HE JUST SEEMS LIKE THE TYPE OKAY

-His voice in the morning>>>>>>

-Will watch you dance from a far while at dances

-Takes you out on little dates, he doesn’t even care about the stares yall (The age gap)

-He is prepared for anything to happen so he loves you like it’s his last day

-Talks about having kids with you but is okay if you don’t want them, i mean he’s not sure if he wants another one but hell, He said he wasn’t going to date anymore but here we are

-If you want kids he doesn't care hold old he is, he will try and try and try to give you a child 

-”Damn it i got my period.” 

-”Well then I reckon we gotta try again, huh baby girl.” He says with a smirk 

-This man has a daddy kink and that’s all i gotta say about that umm anyways

-He is madly in love with you and he shows it, he has lost too many people and he has the mindset of “Good things don’t last forever”

Tommy

-I love this man with all my heart, he’s my baby

-He’s very caring and will hold you anytime you need to be held

-He just wants to help people and make the world a little easier for them so he overworks himself to the max trying to keep everything in jackson in order

-”Tommy, it’s 3 am and you got rounds in the morning. Come to bed.”

-”Yeah i'll be in there in a minute, i just gotta figure out the food supply situation.”

-Having to drag his ass to bed

-He loves cuddling, he loves feeling close to you

- Your the fighter of the relationship, tommy doesn’t like to fight if he doesn’t have too so he lets you deal with the violent stuff

-Although tommy loves his brother, he has a hard time forgiving him for the violence he exposed him too

-He feels very undeserving of you and everything good in his life., you have to constantly reassure him that he is a good person and is doing a great job

-He does have nightmares of being in Boston but you were always there for him, he was so thankful for you.

-He loves your cooking, like it can be the most simple thing ever and he’d be like 

-”This is the best Cereal i have ever had, who taught you to cook like this?”

-He has mommy issues, like his mother wasn’t really around so he has a lot of issues with that ig

-He is the best kisser i said what i said

-He’s very passionate and possessive, it’s cute

-He gives you his jackets all the time, he thinks you look so cute in them

- This man is literally the softest i can’t

-He doesn’t cut his hair just because one time you told him you liked it long

-”Jeez honey, your hair is getting pretty long.”

-”Shoot, do I need to cut it again.”

-”No...I like it long, it flatters your face.”

-”I will literally never touch my hair again ever again now that you said that, Okay”

-You have expanded this mans music taste

-He only ever listened to country cause i mean he’s a simple man but then you came along

-You got him a walkman just so he can listen to the music you recommend him

-He tells ellie all about you and asks her for help because he doesn’t want to mess up anything

-He’s not good in relationships and he believes he’s not a very attractive man so he doesn’t really try but he sees himself marrying you

-Spoiler he asks you to marry him because he can’t see himself without you, he doesn’t want to imagine how the world would be so dark without you in it

-He’s not into cute nicknames so he’ll just call you honey

-After joel's death, he was broken and you didn’t think you can even put him back together, but your willing to try

Dina

-I think you would be dina’s first girlfriend but she would love you with all her heart 

-She kissed you at the dance and everything kinda clicked from there 

-She would sneak over to you house in the middle of the night 

-”Jesus, i could've killed you.”

-”But you didn’t silly, come on i’m cold lemme in.” 

-”You're gonna be the death of me dina.” 

-Your rounds with her were never boring, it was always an adventure with her 

-Making out behind building because she couldn’t wait till yall got home 

-This girl will tease you until your bright read in the face

-She will definitely love kissing you, like she will just randomly kiss you 

-She will try to smash you literally anywhere, when she’s wanting to do the nasty it doesn’t matter where you are she will pull you into a random room or bathroom

-She never bores you in bed too, she’s always up to do new things especially since your her first girlfriend 

-When she found out she was pregnant she wanted to give this child the best life so yall decided to move out into a farmhouse 

- Having a kid didn’t really change how she loves you

-She’s still crazy and wild but now she just has a kid on her hip

-You guys were co parents so you both would hunt and take care of JJ 

-You guys would do almost anything to make that kid laugh even if that was dancing like lunatics for an hour straight 

-You guys almost never get alone time so just laying in bed without the kid felt nice 

-Yall are cottagecore lesbians idc, yall are the best parents and i said what i said 

-From behind hugs and kisses, she will grab your hips and kiss your neck until you have no choice but to rip her clothes off 

-Vintage records and slow dancing with JJ 

-I feel like being in a relationship with dina feels like a vintage song about love 

-There's lots of dancing in this relationship because dina loves dancing 

-She’s always afraid that you will feel left out in the family though since your not JJs real parent but you always tell her you don’t mind and you love JJ just like how Jesse would 

-She finds it so hot when your all protective parent when it comes to JJ, as soon as he falls asleep mama yall wont get any sleep 

-Yall are the best parents, dina will fight anyone who hurts JJ and you make him feel loved 

-When he gets older you guys try to tell him about Jesse without making you seem like the outsider of the family if that makes sense 

-Taking care of the animals and plants as a family and reading books about how to while laying in bed 

-Dina makes the best food and she tries to teach you but it just doesn’t add up to what she does 

-Okay we don’t know much about her sister but by the picture we saw she looks hella cool and i think you would be like best friends with her 

Jesse 

- yall sleep on this man i swear, so this one is to all my jesse stans are there 

-He’s kinky, that’s all 

-He knows he’s hot and he’s super cocky about it 

-He’s not much of a cuddler ngl but he will fall asleep and wake up spooning you 

-Your really close to his mom, like she loves you so much 

-He’s very reckless and your kinda the opposite so you kinda tone him down abit so you think that’s why his mom likes you so much 

-Jesse isn’t much of a dancer and he doesn’t really listen to music but he does like to play video games 

-You always pick him up video games randomly and gets so excited 

-You force him to dance with you at dances and he’s so awkward about it 

-”I hate this.” 

-”Awe you love it.” 

-Always trying to grope you while dancing, like will have his hands on your ass and theres kids behind you like sir stoppp but like keep going 

-”Hey! watch those hands.” 

-”I have no idea what your talking about”

-You and dina are pretty good friends like even after their weird relationship, she’s happy for the both of you 

-Okay so let's pretend jesse didn’t die and he is alive and well 

-When he finds out dina is pregnant he freaks out, he’s still pretty young so he’s terrified he won’t be good enough 

-When the baby comes though he’s so excited, when he’s in the infirmary with dina your happy for him but you can’t help but feel an outsider 

-Dina is so sweet and tries to make you feel better 

-”You're gonna be the coolest step parent ever. I’m glad my son gets such a badass step mom damn.” 

-Dina does move out of jackson still though so yall only get JJ every other week, that was the agreement 

-He cooks in the morning for you and JJ while yall are laying in bed 

-I’m sorry but he’s literally the coolest dad, his entire life changes because of that kid 

-When JJ leaves to go over to his moms house Jesse won’t let you get out of bed, this mf hasn’t got any in a week

-He gets a bunch of cook books so he can better his ability to cook for little JJ 

-You guys decorate JJs room together and it’s the cutest thing ever 

-He takes you to romantic places in the abandon city when yall are on rounds together 

-Jesse has a lot of friends but he would much rather hang out with you 

-Yall call each other stupid and dumb a lot but it’s never used as an insult its just for fun 

-”Damn it, why do i always get the nasty ones.” 

-”Because your stupid, dummy.” 

-”That’s right, i forgot.” 

-Your guys bed is never made, you guys don’t even bother at this point. Like either the kid messes it up or you guys mess it up so what's the point 

-He picks you up when he hugs you, literally pick you up from the waist and lift you up 

!Credits to gif owners!

[octoberobserver]

I saw where someone else had made a post about that vine video where the one guys wakes the other up but then a 2nd guy was in the bed as well and no one knew. yea that for adult reddie

Hi nonnie, so sorry for the late reply on this! Thanks for this fun prompt, I had a blast. It ended up being 60% Hanbrough tbh, but I had fun with it ^_^

Read on ao3 Wake Up Call for Mr Tozier

Richie and Eddie weren’t subtle.

They were handsy.

And flirty.

And drunk.

But for someone able to concoct such elaborate stories (albeit with horrible endings) and create beautiful sentences (albeit among gore and horror), Bill Denbrough wasn’t always what the Losers would call…intuitive. At least not when it came to badly-kept secrets.

Common sense isn’t all that common, Eddie would shrug.

Dumb as a sack of hammers, Bev would reply.

King of the Himbos, Richie would conclude.

Which was how, on the eve of their second annual reunion, when all the Losers, (plus Patty, Don and Adrian - all officially new members) eventually retired to bed, where they were staying with Bill and Mike in his giant, seven-bedroom L.A. home, he failed to notice Richie and Eddie’s sleeping arrangements.

He watched, bleary-eyed, as the two ‘helped’ each other up the stairs, each as drunk as the other, doing more stumbling than anything, like two hammered Bambis. Suppressing his chuckle, Bill wound an arm around Mike’s waist as leaned in close, following his eye line.

“Did we put enough pillows in the guest room for Eddie?”

A slow smile spread across Mike’s face as he watched dumb and dumber stumble on the stairs, giggling like the two perpetual middle-schoolers they were.

“Something tells me he won’t need ‘em, Bill,” he murmured before planting a kiss to the side of his boyfriend’s head.

Bill frowned, turning to Mike, opening his mouth to ask why not.

“Come to bed.”

Bill’s mouth snapped shut, transforming into a grin.

~*~

Like with endings, (at least the literary kind), mornings were not Bill’s forte. But it had to be said, waking up next to Mike Hanlon, definitely helped.

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey,” a deep, low voice mumbled into his ear, a huff of breath causing him to shiver.

With a groan, he turned over and snuggled into the furnace-like warmth of the man beside him, burying his face in his shoulder, a pleased hum escaping his lips as he felt a strong arm wind around him.

“Do we have to make breakfast for everyone?”

His question was muffled and more than a little sulky, but Mike laughed all the same.“

We wanna be good hosts, don’t we?”

Bill groaned again, his head making its feelings known on that last shot of tequila he downed because Richie had dared him. (Maybe he was still a bit of a middle-schooler too.)

“I guess so.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Mike’s tone was warm, teasing, and alluring enough that Bill just had to look up and kiss him, right on the lips, morning breath be damned.

“Don’t talk about spirits,” he mumbled against his mouth, “my head hasn’t forgiven me for last night.”

Mike raked his palms up Bill’s sides, squeezing his hips. “No sympathy,” he grinned, eyes twinkling, “all self-inflicted.”

With that he gave a hearty smack to his ass, beginning to push him out of the bed. “Go on, you go wake up the kids. I’ll get breakfast started.”

Bill moaned, and not for good reasons.

“I hate having to wake Richie. He’s like a bear in the morning.”

Mike swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching, his sleep-shirt riding up and revealing a sliver of the very tantalising skin above his belly button, making Bill freeze mid-step.

“I feel like it’s my duty to remind you on Richie’s behalf that he is not a bear, he’s a...sea lion?” Mike paused, scratching his stomach, “No, that’s not right. An otter? Beaver? I don’t know man, something that swims, I think. Adrian was trying to teach me all the different kinds of gay—mmph!”

Bill cut him off with a kiss, leaning up and dragging him down into it.

“I love you, you giant, sexy nerd,” he grinned as the kiss broke, running his thumb under the hem of Mike’s sleep-shirt.

“I love you too,” Mike winked, smacking Bill’s ass again, “but don’t think it gets you out of waking the Losers. Start with someone easy, like Eddie.”

There was something in Mike’s voice, in his smirk, that had Bill’s suspicions flaring, but he sighed, pecking his jaw before resigning himself to his fate. Out of all of them, Eddie was one of the earliest risers, usually. It was a tie between him, Ben and Stan, most of the time. Ben, a frequent morning jogger, and Stan, an avid bird-watcher. So really, Bill knew Mike was right, starting with him.

Shrugging nto his slippers and robe, he dragged a hand through his bed-head and shuffled down the corridor, making a bee-line for Eddie’s room.

“Eds?” he called out quietly as he knocked. “Mike and I are making breakfast if you’re interested?”

Silence rang out. With a frown, he turned the handle and gave a quick glance around the door, eyes falling on the empty bed, so neatly made up, it looked like it hadn’t been slept in. Huh. Eddie must already be up. With a shrug, Bill closed the door with a snap and decided that it was best to just rip the bandaid off. Richie was going to be the one that gave the most pushback, so he may as well start with him. If he was his usual grumpy self, Bill could always move onto everyone else then loop back around.

With Richie though, he’d have to try a different approach than with Eddie. Something loud and annoying to get back at him for his part in Bill’s hangover. Quickly, he got fished out his phone from his robe pocket, turning to the guest room where Richie was staying, directly opposite Eddie’s. 

Counting down from three in his head, he hit record and flung the door wide open, spotting Richie asleep in one of the twin beds. Stifling his laugh, Bill switched on the light and yelled, “Wake up, Sleepyhead!”

He watched gleefully as Richie, with a serious case of bed-head, jumped, grumbling something like, ��Whoa, what’s goin—”

“The fuck, man?”

Bill blinked as Eddie suddenly popped up from behind Richie, his arm very noticeably thrown over his hip, both men very, very shirtless. The three friends stared at each other. A beat of silence passed.

Two.

Three.

Shock shot through Bill, his brain scrambling to make sense of this picture, a borderline hysterical laugh escaping his throat. He found his brain vividly flashing back to various moments, touches, shared smiles between Richie and Eddie and…oh. Then, with exactly zero input from his brain, his feet turned him around and led him right back out the bedroom door, a louder laugh bursting from him and carrying down the corridor, no doubt enough to wake the rest of the Losers.

Good. That gave him time to spill the beans to Mike.

Richie and Eddie blinked at the closed door that their friend had just bolted through.

“Well, that’s one way to tell him,” Eddie sighed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow, his arm tightening around Richie’s waist.

“Yeah, you popping up all Whack-A-Mole-style and scaring the crap outta him was one way to go, Eds,” Richie chuckled, turning around to face him and kissing him on the forehead.

“The man fought a murderous space clown. Twice,” Eddie grumbled into his neck, “I think he can survive seeing us in bed together.”

Richie snorted, settling a hand on his lower back, pulling their bodies closer together, he already in danger of falling out of the far too small bed.

“You know there’s a double in your room, right?” he murmured into Eddie’s hair. “Remind me again why we ended up squeezed into this tiny twin bed?”

Eddie poked him in the chest, prompting him to lean back to look him in the eye.

“Rich, we were so drunk, we’re lucky we didn’t end up trying to make these into bunk beds and sleeping in them, or something worse.”

Richie smirked. “That tub was looking appealing last night, not gonna lie.”

“And besides,” Eddie poked his chest again, softer this time, “I wanted to push the beds together to make a double. Like we did in middle school. But, you know, the tequila—”

“Ahh, the tequila,” Richie sighed wistfully, before leaning down and pressing their foreheads together.“Guess the cat’s outta the bag now, huh?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes before letting them close.

“All the others already know. Bill was just being slow on the uptake as usual.”

Richie bumped their noses.

“Told you, Eds. He’s a himbo.”

“King Himbo, I think you said.”

They shared a laugh before closing the short distance, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Richie hummed into it happily, (still tickled that Eddie apparently wasn’t as opposed to morning breath as he thought), brushing his tongue along Eddie’s bottom lip, the kiss deepening. Just as things were getting good, far too good for two people who were just called for breakfast, Eddie stilled, pulling away, his cheeks flushed, lips plump, and his eyes wide.

“Wait, was he recording us?”

[ren1327]

Pretty Boy ch.1

“Come on, Girl.”

If you asked Ben Pincus-Masrani to describe himself, he would respond that he was thin, pale, not very extraordinary. Not even normal. Forgettable wallflower was he.

And he liked it that way.

He smiled down at his little corgi with her extra stubby tail.

Bad tail docking and a “defected ear” had made her less valuable to her owner, but more loveable to him. He remembered when his stepfather had told him about one of his business associates giving her away. Ben had cooed at her picture and the very next day, Simon had acquired her.

She was a year old now, her tail a little bump and left ear still folded halfway down. He knew it could pop up one day or stay folded over.

He’d love her as is.

She had been his constant companion since he had started University last year.

Bumpy wore little green and white booties and a matching vest for her leash, excitedly sniffing at whatever she found on the pavement of the city street they walked down. Ben smiled at her as she waved her whole back half, barking at a dandelion that broke through the sidewalk.

He thought yellow would be cute on her. It was quickly approaching autumn and he was due to buy her some more little jackets and boots.

Ben groaned as they passed an overfilled dumpster in a large open alley, the smell of spoiled milk making him gag. Bumpy led him away, as if sensing his discomfort.

He made his way to a one story building, Bumpy jumping up the steps one at a time to join him by the wood and glass door. He opened the door for her and she excitedly waddled in, sitting by the counter as an old Latino man with his grey and black hair in a ponytail came over.

“Hey, Santi.” Ben said.

“Morning, Benito.” He said with a smile. “Morning, Bumpy.”

Bumpy barked and stood, her hips waving back in forth excitedly.

Santi’s husband poked his head out, curly blond hair held back by a headband and his glasses a little smudged.

“Oh, Ben! You just missed Sammy.” He said.

“Billy Brennan-Gutierrez.” Santi scolded playfully. “Sammy said he changed his shift. Twice, remember?”

“Right!” He said. “Sorry, Honey. Must’ve been distracted by that new exhibit Alan promised to invite us to.”

Santi rolled his eyes good naturedly and smiled at Ben. “This man.”

“It’s fine. Dad was getting ready to fly over to New York for some party, so I was video chatting with him and totally forgot to text her on the bus.”

“Bus?” Billy asked, walking to the counter. “How did you like it?”

“I took the green line.” Ben said. “More…clean.”

“Ah. The public access line your father is funding?” Santi said. “It’s been an amazing help around the community. City planning is really a gift.”

“Yeah. Dad cares more about customer satisfaction. He even asked if the animals at the zoo were happy.” Ben said as Billy laughed. “And right now I know he’s gonna charm new investors.”

“I get it. It’s always go, go, go.” Santi said. “Billy and I will take care of your pretty girl. Go on to work.”

Ben kneeled and kissed his dog on her forehead. She wigged and liked his cheek.

“Bye, Bumpy. I’ll come get you later, okay?” He said and gave her leash to Santi.

He waved as he walked out and set out to a nearby bus stop with a green leaf, taking a breath as he looked at a message from his parents saying they arrived safely, his mother resting in the hotel room and his father already in a meeting.

“You got this, Dad.” He text back.

 *

 Brew-tiful Roast was the only refurbished building not owned by the college but funded independently by several of the first alumni and John Hammond himself. It was a brick and glass building with a brick and iron barred wall around it, where a garden area and several outdoor tables with wooden benches under a thick iron and heavy waterproof tarp Professor Carr of the physics department had donated almost a decade ago. Several other alumni donated money to modernize the area for student comfort and relaxation when the library and cafeteria were too much stimulation.

The inside was open with many well spaced tables, cushioned booths and a back wall lined with tinted muffled noise square privacy pods in the back. Many plants and flowers decorated tables, soft slow blinking white and blue LED lights showing where charging stations were and orb shaped hanging lamps that lit the café up.

Finally was a large refrigerated black glass top counter and display where many sandwiches, pastries, packs of baked chips and crackers, packaged fruit and several salads were displayed along with bottled lemonade, teas, sodas and waters that were always sold at a quarter. They could be taken to the counter and warmed after they were bought or warmed in one of the three communal microwaves.

“One banana avocado smoothie with fiber and whey!” Sammy called, smiling as she handed back change.

Ben’s finger and hands flew over the ingredients as he chopped, scooped and mixed the fruit before throwing it into a clean blender with ice and cold cream, and letting it run. Mixing it a final time, he poured the cold thick mixture in large cup with a star drawn on by Sammy. He put it on the counter where a young Latina woman with large glasses waited.

“No whip, just how you like.” He said with a smile.

“Thanks Benji.” She said with a wink.

Her best friend, Franklyn smiled nervously from next to her.

“What brings you to the front?” He asked as Zia sipped her smoothie with a pleased hum. “I thought you didn’t like being up here where there are so many—too many in fact, people.”

“Professor Malcom said it’d be best for me to get a few months exposed to more people.” He said and mixed caramel into Franklyn’s sugar free French vanilla ice coffee. “So I got low traffic shifts after morning classes.”

“How’s going clean treating you?” Zia asked, eyes softening on her younger classmate.

“Ah…” He looked to the side. “Got a bit of a no sleeping issue some nights, but hey. More time to think up new smoothies and teas.”

“You are aware this is Brew-Tiful Roast.” Zia asked with a smile. “As in, coffee?”

“Good thing Mr. Van Owen and Gray love it. Plus,” He smiled and put a hand to his hip in pride. “Yours truly has helped increase sells with my smoothies and tea mixes.”

“Way to go, Plant Nerd.” Zia said and slipped a five in his pocket. “For Bumpy. Get her some of those yummy carob biscuits.”

Ben handed Franklyn his cup. “Thanks. But you know I’m fine for money. With Dad and everything, honestly, this is just so I...”

Franklyn nodded. “We get it, Ben. Normalcy is…admirable.”

“Besides. I get to use my earnings to get my own place. With my own money.” He said excitedly.

Franklyn’s watch beeped. “Oh, shoot! I got to get to my Mathematical Theory class. Professor Murphy invited Ian Malcom today!”

“Get me an autograph?”

“He’s got five of the same damn book in his bag. We’ll get ya one, Benji.” Zia said with a sigh. “If you need anything—”

“I’m okay, Zia.” Ben said. “But thanks.”

She smiled as Franklyn sped out with a wave.

“Man, seems like forever since she took you under her wing.” Sammy said as the line slowed, leaving only a few people at tables typing away at laptops or talking among themselves.

“Yeah. Both Malcoms at Hammond University. Bet you he’ll crash Professor Malcom’s class.”

“He’s a Dad.” Sammy giggled as she wiped down the counter. “He kinda has an obligation to check in.”

As if on cue, her phone vibrated and she smiled at a picture of Bumpy sleeping on her back, showing it to Ben.

“Aw~” He cooed. “Send it?”

“Already done.” She giggled.

The door chimed and Sammy smiled at the newcomers before her face fell.

“Hi Darius. Kenji.” She said.

“Hey, Sammy. Got anything good today?” Darius, a paleo-researcher and Sammy’s classmate in zoological studies said.

“I got donuts.” She said. “And chicken pesto sandwiches.”

“I’ll take two of each.” Darius said as his taller Asian friend sauntered over to Ben.

“Huh, never seen you around here, Pretty Boy.” He said.

Ben looked up and froze.

Tall, tan, muscular and very, oh so very handsome.

Ben could feel his cheeks heating. “Um, what?”

Sammy’s hands came on his shoulders and pulled him a bit away from Kenji.

“Ben here usually works in the back.”

“That’s a shame. I guess you’re why this place is called Brew-tiful.” He said with a wink.

“Ben.” Sammy said. “Can you do me a favor and get more cups before the lunch rush?”

“Oh.” Ben said, snapping out of his trance. “Sure.”

 *

 As soon as Ben went through the kitchen door, Sammy slammed a hand down on the counter.

“No.” She said sternly.

“What?” Kenji asked.

“Brooklynn told me what happened with your last three girlfriends and boyfriend. All in a week!” She hissed.

“What?” Kenji asked. “There wasn’t a connection.”

“Here’s a connection. Don’t just date people cause their cute!” Sammy said.

Darius looked between the two.

“Kenji. Come on, Man. Ben looks…fragile.” He said.

“He works in a coffee shop, Darius. You gotta be pretty tough to work in food service.”

“Kenji.” Sammy said. “Not Ben.”

Before Kenji could respond, his phone rang. He looked at his phone and sighed.

“I’ll be back another time.” He said. “Looks like Dad needs to see me in person.”

“I’ll get back okay.” Darius said. “You go ahead.”

Kenji took the bag Sammy held out, slipping a $20 on the counter.

“Tell Ben I said bye.”

“No.” Sammy said with a deadpanned expression.

Kenji saw Ben look through the door of the kitchen window. He smirked and winked at him, enjoying how Ben ducked his head and reddened.

Kenji left and got into his car, sitting for a moment to watch Ben come out and shake hands with Darius.

“Damn. He really is pretty.” He said as he started the engine, big pine green eyes haunting his thoughts as he drove home.

-------

feat. from JP - Ian Malcolm, Tim Murphy and John Hammond

 JP2 - Kelly Malcom, Eddie Carr and Nick Van Owen

JP3 - Billy Brennan

JW- Zia, Franklyn and Gray

Love me some side characters. Thanks for reading!

Stay Sweet~

[galacticidiots]

What are your top fave reylo fics?

[cracks knuckles] Let’s do this.

Disclaimer: I like my Ben soft and my Rey fierce. There will be no Supreme F*ckboi Kylos on this list, or any wilting flower Reys. There will, however, be plenty of sad space boy tears. 

Under a cut because it got long 

Janus (Modern AU)

I go back to this time and time again. It’s incredible. This... this one sneaks up on you. Before you know it, you’re reading the last few paragraphs and crying in the dark at 3am on a Tuesday. The initial friction between Ben & Rey melts into one of the most touching reylo dynamics I’ve ever read.There are some real soul-crushing moments of pure emotion. Ben’s story arc is brutal, but so beautiful. I wish I could befriend this Rey in real life. The premise, you ask? They’re neighbours. Swoon.

Sword of the Jedi (Canon Divergent)

[cries in ‘growing up together’ with a side of ‘Jedi Academy Reylo’] diasterisms is a genius. We all know this. This series is everything I want & need teen Ben & Rey to be. The attention to the detail, the perfect use of canon and EU elements, the scope of the story, the way their relationship evolves & matures.... *chef kiss* Prepare for the ending of the first part to break your heart (...second part will slowly put it back together).

Mirrorbright (AU, Canon-Adjacent)

We all know how I feel about Naboo. Politician!Ben has all my uwus and Jedi Rey is the babeliest badass. 

The Way to Tomorrow (Post-TLJ, Angsty)

Oof. Not only is this gorgeously written, it’s chock-full of the most incredible angst (mind the tags). The way they -- and their relationship -- heal & evolve is so beautiful and organic, I don’t think anyone could remain indifferent. Basically -- Ben is sentenced to exile. The Force bond remains open. Feelings ensue. Actual tears were shed during the reading of this. 

My wildest wind (come blow into my room) (Modern AU)

The writing. The WRITING. I want to weep, it’s so gorgeous. ForceTime vignettes. Incredible characterization. Will unapologetically blow you away and give you major writer envy, while also drowning you in feels. A+

we could plant a house, we could build a tree (Modern AU)

[cries in growing up together’, again]. This is one of the first Reylo fics I ever read, and it’s simply a delight. My heart skips a beat whenever I think about it. Preeeeetty sure it’s what caused my arrhythmia.

Miles From where you are (Modern AU)

Everyone and their cousin will recommend this — for a reason. It’s what modern AU dreams are made of. They meet online!! they’re Star Wars nerds!! It’s meta af. Love at first read, guaranteed.

here with me (Post-TLJ)

Picks up right where the movie ends. Rey & Ben start off being very catty to each other, but they slowly come around and their interactions are some of the best I’ve read. Major brownie points for delicious snark & sass.

-- a standout quote:

“You’re on a different ship,” Kylo says, unaffected by the change of scenery as he cranes his neck to look at everything. “It’s still a piece of junk, though. That’s nice and consistent of you.”

“And you’re still offering your unwanted opinions,” Rey says, raising an eyebrow at him. “Which is nice and consistent of you.”

-

Olive and an Arrow (Modern AU)

President’s daughter/Bodyguard AU. It’s just as wonderfully tropey as you’d expect and I love it 3000. 

Embers (Modern AU, Ex-Lovers)

I know it’s cheesy to say that a piece of writing can be life changing, but... a piece of writing can be life changing. Case in point: this story. Some stories just really resonate with you and touch you in a very special way. I could probably quote half of it back to you, because there are SO many incredibly introspective lines that are basically engraved on my brain. The writing ebbs and flows in the most beautiful way, lulling you into an incredible ocean of emotions. I laughed. I cried. I clutched my chest and gave thanks to whatever fanfic god made me find it. 

--a  standout quote: (THE WHOLE THING, honestly)

“Rey.” Ben’s voice was low and brittle. “Are you—”

"Yes."

An answer to a question that could have been anything. Are you still sure. Are you still here. Are you still mine.” 

-

Be still, my heart

Currently reading:

Composure (post-TLJ)

Wild Montana Skies (Modern AU) I’M IN LOVE, OKAY

Ashfall (Modern AU)

Other favs:

Anything and everything by sciosophia (I have a disgusting crush on her writing, nobody tell her pls)

Anything and everything by Ever-So-Reylo (one of my ALL time faves was actually Head Over Feet, which is no longer available. Woe is me.)

Anything and everything by diasterisms Obviously. 

Girl In the Mask, Boy in the Sand — Role reversal series! The FLAVOUR....

In the interest of keeping this from turning into a novel, I’ll end the list here. Let me know if you ever want more recs — I’m always happy to oblige!

[derryhawkins]

it starts getting cold out and richie rocks up wearing mike's blue sweater from st season 2 and eddie can't form a sentence for at least 15 minutes

i stared at this for a solid 3 seconds bc i was like “mike??? hanlon?????? in st???” before i realized,, i’m dumb i’m sorry sfjk but i made this into a little one shot/drabble thing idk what to call it, but hope this is ok (also it’s like…midnight…so like this might be shit)

Gay Panic

It’s the end of November. It’s just barely above freezing. It’s windy as all shit. The forecast for the up coming week is snow, snow, and more fucking snow. Yet somehow the group of seven came up the bright idea of spending their free Tuesday afternoon outside. If one considers their underground clubhouse outside which, for your information, Eddie abso-fucking-lutely does, and that’s the exact reason the sixteen year old is in a few warm layers of clothes with a warm winter hat with thing strings, gloves, winter boots, and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders because he refuses to get sick. Because, then his mother will be on his case and might possibly not let him outside the rest of the fall and winter months, and he can’t have that. The others, of course, are dressed similarly but not to the degree of Eddie.

There’s Bill, with a sweatshirt under a jacket and a pair of fuzzy socks on his hands because he lost his gloves the other day. Beverly, her slightly grown out hair put into the braids to keep her ears warm, a cute beanie on her head. Ben, with warm gloves he’s now lacking because he gave them to Beverly when her hands got cold a few hours earlier. Stan, dressed like Eddie but somehow looks neater and way more put together even though the other boy looks pretty put together, too. Mike, with his own winter hat and earmuff and gloves, and he wears a comfortable looking sweater that all the losers would steal if given the chance. 

Then there’s Richie. Eddie shouldn’t really care, but he does, because for once Richie’s wearing normal autumn and winter clothes instead of just a loose jacket over either a Hawaiian shirt or a long sleeve tee that does absolutely nothing against the cold weather. On this rare of occasion of Richie actually listening to his friends and parents about wearing something that’s actually warm, he’s wearing a sweater. And it’s something that isn’t that rare around Christmas time when he pulls out the ugliest sweaters that makes everyone groan and moan and complain - he got one a couple years ago that said, “ask your mom if i’m real,” with a winking Santa Claus just to wear it around Eddie - but this isn’t just an ugly Christmas sweater. 

Well, it is, Eddie thinks, but not entirely ugly because it suits Richie. It fits him perfectly. It looks good. It looks pretty. Richie Trashmouth Tozier looks pretty, of all things, and that’s why Eddie is sitting in the hammock with a comic book, brown eyes wide and glued on his long time crush as he obnoxiously greets the others after entering the clubhouse. Eddie wants to speak up, to say something like, “Nice fugly sweater you got there,” but he can’t because that’s a lie.

It’s a nice sweater! On an attractive boy! A boy Eddie has a crush on! And, sure. Yeah. Paired with the glasses, Richie also looks like a big fucking nerd. But a cute one. A cute nerd Eddie suddenly wants to kiss so bad that his grip on the comic book is crinkling the pages. And maybe he’s staring too intently or whatever, or something, because Ben is speaking up a few feet away.

“You okay, Eddie?” Ben asks, head tilted to the side the littlest bit.

All the teen can do is smile and nod because that stupid fucking sweater has some kind of effect on him where he can’t form words.

Ben’s brows knit together. “Alright. You just look tense, I was worried for a sec.”

Eddie opens his mouth to say something like, “I’m fine, don’t worry, just scared of getting sick because of my mom,” but nothing comes out so he clamps his mouth shut, gives Ben another closed mouth smile, and lays down in the hammock, ready to get back to reading the comic as the others talk above the low holiday music. 

Not even two seconds later Richie is crawling into the hammock and making himself at home beside Eddie. This shouldn’t be a problem - it never it, they’ve shared it plenty of times before - but it is somehow, Eddie’s vision moves from the comic he clearly isn’t reading and to the stupid fucking sweater, and somehow it’s all prettier up close - blues and tans and whites and maybe there’s a little green in there but it’s mostly just blue - meaning Richie is prettier up close - freckles are more noticeable and his brown eyes look deeper and the curls just really add to the look. Eddie’s mouth goes dry but there’s spit building up at the same time, and he’s pretty sure his shoulders are permanently tensed up by now because he can’t relax with his crush looking like that literally right beside him.

“Eds! Don’t you look fuckin’ cozy over here in, what, seven layers?” Richie teases, cheeks a bit pink because of the cold weather, and then he tugs at one of the strings of the hat Eddie’s wearing.

Eddie can only stare. He leans his head back a little to get a better look at Richie as he tries to get words to go from his brain to his mouth, but all he can think is, You look good. Kiss me, please fucking kiss me, can I kiss you? And, well, Eddie doesn’t want to ruin their friendship yet so he stays quiet.

Richie smirks. “Cat got your tongue? I know, I know, I have that effect on people,” he says. Then, he pinches Eddie’s cheeks, expecting the other teen to swat his hand away so when he doesn’t, Richie frowns. “Dude, really, you good?”

He lifts his shoulders and leans back against the flimsy side of the hammock. “Uh…” Eddie licks his lips, some weird sound of ‘yeah’ and ‘no’ morphed together that none of the others can understand.

Richie’s now concerned, and he leans closer to Eddie, which only makes Eddie try to back up more. “Eds, seriously, are you-?”

The weight of them leaning on more than one side than in the middle causes the hammock to flip, in turn causing them to flip. Meaning, they tumbled into a heap of lanky limbs on the wooden floor of the clubhouse, gaining everyone’s attention, and Eddie seriously wants to curse whatever gods are out there for having Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas start to play the exact moment his vision focuses above him only to see Richie’s face inches away from his own.

And if Eddie had any remaining control of his mouth he certainly has none now, because before he knew it - before Richie knew it, before the losers knew it - Eddie is planting one right on Richie for the tiniest second before scrambling out from under the taller teen and jumping to his feet, face beet red. 

“I’m gon- uh. I- you guys want… Did- wait. I- fuck. Hot chocolate!” 

Then, Eddie’s dashing out of the clubhouse, leaving behind a too stunned Richie and jaw dropped losers.

[reverseopossum]

Drunk Histories

(A decontextualized chapter from something I’m writing)

Nina’s forgotten that I don’t drink, and offered to get drunk with me. I appreciate the spirit of the offer enough that I don’t reject it. She and Ava and I sit at their kitchen table, an overturned ultralight shipping crate, and Nina steadfastly holds up her end of the offer.

Martian alcohol is pretty much straight distilled ethanol. You have to mix it, otherwise there’s a solid chance that your body will refuse to swallow it and you’ll aspirate pure alcohol, which is Double Plus Ungood. Ava brings out some powdered orange juice she’s been saving and mixes it in what I assume to be a sensible proportion. A variant on a screwdriver, we decide. A new, truly Martian drink, the Screw You Driver. I sip mine, which makes Nina laugh whenever she notices. I’m still on my first when she’s on her fourth. She catches me counting and Ava inching the pitcher further away, and says that watching me watch my country slide into fascism is stressing her out.

“It’s not just my country,” I say. “Haven’t you heard? They’re claiming ownership of Mars now. Citing the American people’s financial contribution under the old government. They’re demanding sole access to our data, control over our media and mail, and that we stop criticizing them. Apparently you’re all Americans now.”

“Should we be worried about that?” Ava asks. She does sound genuinely concerned, even appalled, but it’s the kind of concern you would have on hearing that a friend’s druggie uncle was arrested for peeing on the mailman. The claim is ridiculous, and probably impossible to enforce.

“What are they going to do?” I ask. “Bully the space nerds? Steal our lunch money?”

“It’s not like they’re going to send an invading force,” Nina says. “But they could stop us from getting supplies, couldn’t they? They own the space elevator.”

“I thought China was almost done building one,” I say. 

“They were,” Nina says. “But then it took damage from some stray debris, and the war distracted them from fixing it.” 

Well, shit.

“Good thing we grow food here,” Ava says, shrugging. In the pause that follows, I can feel her calculating what she would have to do to sustain all of us. Tear out the new trees and plant lots of potatoes instead, replace some of the air purifying plants with edible varieties, maybe task us with keeping some plants alive in our living quarters. Keep the tilapia tanks more crowded. Send a surface party for ice to supply the extra water. Do all that and ration calories to a bare minimum, and we might get by until the new dome is ready, if we abandon most of our research to free up labor for construction. We may or may not have to eat the lab mice.

Otherwise, our only real hope is that some other country will go to the unthinkable expense of a massive supply launch sans space elevator. That’s to say nothing of all the sides of Martian life I know nothing about: replacement parts for air recyclers, radiation shielding, and climate control. Without supplies, we can only survive if nothing breaks. It’s optimistic at best, laughable at worst. But it’s improbable that the new American regime would actually cut us off from using the elevator. Not when it would anger every country in the world simultaneously, and when we’re such a valuable symbol. 

“We should have a Martian Congressional Congress and declare independence,” Nina says with drunken conviction.

“Congressional Congress, Doctor?” Ava asks. (As a rule, Martians call each other Doctor or Professor only in dire sarcasm.)

“As an act of rebellion,” Nina says. “That’s what the old Americans did. Right, Jonah? Back when they had powdered wigs and shit?”

“Continental Congress,” I say, laughing in spite of myself. “For us, it would be a Planetary Congress. And if we’re going to declare independence, we should do it right. Who has really pretty handwriting?”

“Hang on,” Ava says. “This is my moment to shine.”

She darts into her bedroom and brings back, of all things, an expensive-looking calligraphy pen, a brand new ink cartridge, and a pad of thick creamy paper. “I told you I have the randomest hobbies,” she says, loading the pen. Nina and I stare in rapt attention as she writes the biggest, fanciest F and underlines it with an elaborate flourish.

Fuck you, she writes in enormous flowery script. She thinks a moment, and adds beneath it, Love, Mars.

“Well, folks, there it is,” I say. “We’re a country now. And the national anthem is Space Oddity.”

“Can I design the flag, too?” Ava asks, taking out her personal screen.

“Knock yourself out.”

The result is a tiny white rocket launching against a field of dusky blue. The plume beneath the rocket is vivid orange-red, and shaped like an enormous fist with an upturned middle finger.

“The blue represents wisdom, rationality, and an eye turned toward the infinite,” Ava deadpans.

“Red is for lust,” Nina announces. “With which, we assume, humanity will procreate among the stars.”

“Red is for Mars, dumbass.”

“How far can you zoom in?” I ask. “I’m thinking since it’s a digital drawing, you could add a little person in the rocket flipping the bird. Then people find it if they zoom in.”

“Or what about mooning them?” Nina asks.

“Dude,” Ava says. “And then if you zoom in further…”

“Um…”

“Not on the ass! I’m thinking he’s kind of looking over his shoulder, and if you zoom in on the face, you can see the other new flag everyone’s talking about reflected in his eyes. So they know who it’s meant for.”

“That’s too heavy-handed with the symbolism,” I say.

“Then why did your old government put the Illuminati on money?”

“That’s… you know what, that’s a fair point.”

“No pledge of ‘llegiance, though, ‘cause it’s creepy,” Nina says, slurring slightly. The drinks are catching up with her.

“We need a national bird,” Ava says. “Everyone has an eagle or some shit.”

“Ben Franklin thought it should be a turkey,” I say.

Nina blows a raspberry and points both thumbs down. “No turkeys on Mars,” she says.

“A lab mouse with mechanical wings?” Ava suggests.

“Guys,” I say. “I’ve got it. A spherical bird in a vacuum.”

“Beautiful,” Ava says. “Majestic. I’ll start drawing it. What about a national motto to put underneath it?”

“I’m not that kind of doctor,” Nina says.

“You don’t need a doctorate to come up with this shit,” I say.

“No,” Nina says, “that’s the motto.”

We hang the Declaration of Independence on the sample fridge in the neuro lab, and Nina makes the seal with the spherical bird her home screen. Someday we’ll be independent, but for now it’s impossible. For now, it’s a joke. 

[elliot-orion]

Can you answer 1, 5, and 44 for all those characters you mentioned?

heck yea! thanks! this is going to get very long tho so brace yourselves lol. I’m going to do them grouped by characters.

Ben

1. What is one word to shut them up?

I’m going to assume this means like a word that gets them to stop talking for a not so great reason and not just “quiet!” but i might be wrong and just be in the mood for some angst. For Ben, it’s kind of moot because they don’t talk, but saying anything at all with an angry tone would definitely get them to freeze up.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear.

Oh my god you have no idea how perfect this question is because fear is a Huge aspect of this story considering Ben is Nightmare and their powers completely revolve around fear. Ok so, surface fear is sleeping, which has a very not surface level reason, but i’d still count it. They will do fucking anything to not sleep (tho funny enough they don’t drink caffeine, it sends their powers all wack). A repressed fear... hmm im not sure if this means like a fear they don’t acknowledge or fear that they have but don't know the reason for. I’m going to go with it just being a slightly less bad but still big fear, and/or something they don’t know the reason for but still are afraid of if i can think of something. So for repressed fear, it’d be showing their wrists. They don’t know why it’s so anxiety provoking for them, they never cut and their only bad scars are on their neck not their wrists, but if they aren’t wearing long sleeves or dont have bracelets covering their wrists then they get antsy and anxious. For Deep Dark Fear, i could list just about any of the fears Carter left them with, sure, but the Carter shit really falls under the “trauma” category rather than simple “fear” category since the reason they are afraid of shit like making noise and people being mad is because of their trauma. So i’m going to go with their powers. Their powers scare the shit out of them, partially bc they literally see and hear everyone’s worst nightmares whenever they are near someone. they are constantly surrounded by fear and always have been. that’s fucking awful honestly. but also bc when THEY get scared, other people suffer since they are an empathetic type. and they dont want to hurt anyone. So... yea.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t?

We’re back to the sleep thing here. god this kid needs a five day nap, they are always exhausted. But dreams are Carter’s domain, and if they sleep, he can find them, hurt them, whatever he wants. So they can’t, not until Carter is gone.

Oliver

1. What is one word to shut them up? 

Ollie has a few words/phrases that almost always will send them into the past at some point. “Duck!” or “Grenade!” or anything that might be shouted on a battlefield, certain quotes from historical figures, some names or dates, stuff like that. He goes nonverbal when he’s particularly lost, so that’s a surefire way to get him to shut up.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear. 

Ok so, surface-level is ovens. He will not use an oven, or any microwaves, or any kitchen appliances that could start a fire. He also refuses to take a bath and prefers someone being in the other room when he takes showers. This is 100% because he gets lost in time so easily that he’ll forget what’s going on in the present time. I cannot stress to you how many times this kid has almost set his house on fire bc he got lost in 1620 and forgot he had the oven on. Baths usually make him head back to a time with lots of water, be it in the middle of a fucking ocean or during a flood or whatever, and he hates that bc usually, he doesn’t show up in a nice safe place and he’ll feel exactly like he’s drowning even if he isn’t physically drowning. Showers he slips a lot in for similar reasons, hence why he prefers someone who’s listening nearby. For repressed fear, he’s afraid of dying, even if he acts fine with it. No one acknowledges it besides the other Elementals, but Oliver is the Time Elemental. Time isn’t a recognized Element, but the Elementals just Know. Even though he’s just 18, he’s only got a few years left, and he’s just got to put on a brave face bc there’s not much he can do about it. For Deep Dark Fear, he’s terrified of losing the remaining time he’s got left. Even though he’s only 18, because of PlotTM, he’s only got a couple of years before he burns up, and he’s terrified to lose it.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t? 

Watch documentaries. Funnily enough, Ollie is a massive history nerd, always has been, and he used to watch a ton of documentaries before he got his powers. But even nature or space ones will inevitably make him forget when he is, and so he can’t watch any. He also can’t read any historical fiction books (which sucked when he was younger, his favorite book series had been the Magic Treehouse) for a similar reason. He can read history textbooks, though, since they just list facts and dont show footage or make it seem like it IS that time. 

Morty

1. What is one word to shut them up?

hmm. tricky... Let’s go with Hotspot. If you’ve read sparks fly, you get why.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear. 

Surface level is probably dogs. He’s been attacked by multiple dogs, multiple times since most animals don't vibe with his whole dark aura of death thing. But getting attacked by dogs is the one that stuck most. He gets nervous around Ollie’s service dog, Edison, but Edison is so well trained he just doesn’t care and being near him actually helps Morty with that fear. Repressed fear is definitely death. Which yea, i know, that’s weird considering he’s the death elemental but hear me out. 1 unlike sparky who gets overwhelmed by too much electricity, Morty gets basically drunk when he’s around too much death. Hospitals, battlefields, large graveyards, etc, and the thing is, he loves that feeling. and it scares him how much he loves it, partially bc he knows what the last death elemental was like and doesn't want to be like them (for reference, the guy went on a mass murder spree and started a couple of civil wars since the death elemental will live until the high rates of death stop, even if it’s past when Elementals normally die and you know they didn’t want to die). 2 Morty’s very existence is a sign that mass death is coming but there are no wars going on and that scares the shit out of him. 3 One Eye literally planted the fear of his powers, killing, and death in his mind to try and limit the damage he could cause and to prevent another situation like the last death elemental. For Deep Dark Fear, Morty is terrified that he can’t trust his own memories or even what he knows about himself. One Eye manipulated his memories and mind so so much and for so long. Morty’s always doubting what he knows and what he believes bc its not like One Eye HASNT planted shit, and he’s always on edge bc he doesnt even feel safe in his own damn mind.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t?

As of the start of the story? Be with Ben. For most of the time the two have known each other, they were online friends, until they both ran away together when they were 17. But about 4 months ago Morty left to go back to the SA headquarters, even though it’s literally part of his biggest fear to go back, because Ben was facing a double threat of either Carter getting them, or the SA, and Morty is determined to get the SA to leave them alone (ok technically the Supers Association and Heroes do leave them alone bc One Eye is scared shitless of Ben, but they send assassins like Scout and Hall after them all the fuckin time, and not all of them have sorta morals like the triad). In general tho, hear Ben’s voice. He just wants Ben to feel safe. (Morty is a fucking romantic no matter how tough he likes to act i swear)

I’ve got to do my interview now and this post is long enough as is, so I’ll do the same questions for Matty and Blue afterwards!! thanks!!

[kariachi]

Some more Levinstar, sequel to yesterday’s Applin story because

~~

Falkor. The absolute nerd named the Applin Falkor and it was taking everything in Mike not to just kiss him right there.

“You’re a disaster, you know that right,” he said instead, heart going a mile a minute as Kevin stepped out of the apartment in a pair of pants that shouldn’t have been legal, Tock at his side and Falkor nestled against his neck.

“I’ve heard rumors to that effect, yeah,” he replied and Mike was forced to return his smile. He couldn’t not.

He’d spent his entire life making himself as charming as a man could be, and this asshole outdid him with a nothing but a smile. It was awful.

Locking the door behind him, Kevin put out an arm for Mike to take, which he did as begrudgingly as he could muster. Just because he might have been falling in love with the man didn’t mean he was going to go around being soppy. He had a reputation. Not that Kevin seemed to be fooled in any way, smirking as soon as Mike had ahold of him as if the other man had swooned into his arms. Bastard.

“So, mess-of-mine, where are you taking me?” This was their second date. Mike had run the show for their first one, the day he’d given Kevin Falkor. It had had everything- a movie, dinner at a nice restaurant, and Kevin laughing at him both for going for the textbook, impersonal shit and for having, despite what rumor and his own constant flirting had to say, no relevant experience in dating. In the midst of damn-near pissing himself, he looked up at Mike’s pout, reached up to fiddle with his hair, and promised to show him how it was really done.

“Safari zone,” he said.

“That’s a two hour drive out,” Mike pointed out, raising an eyebrow even as the corners of his mouth twitched into something more devious.

“Yeah,” Kevin replied, his toothy grin not even trying to play at anything but active plotting. Mike snickered under his breath.

“They’ll probably be closed.” With a snicker of his own, Kevin pressed a kiss under his ear. Circling them, Amy peeped her approval.

“Don’t you worry about it, Sparkles.”

~~

It was dark when Kevin parked the car on the side of a backroad well away from the entrance to the safari zone, within sight of a large, heavy-duty chain-link fence. Dinner was retrieved from the trunk and in only a few minutes they’d made the arduous trek to the fence, which was just excessively tall in Mike’s opinion. There was no reason it couldn’t be dropped at least a foot. But alas. Slipping the bag with the food over his shoulder, Mike bundled Elissa into his arms and was standing on the opposite side in less time than it’d taken to get out of the car. Setting her down as Amy followed suit, he smirked at Kevin through the fence.

“Need me to come get you, Daffodil?” Unsurprisingly, Kevin smirked back. Without a word he began scaling the fence like it was nothing, pausing only long enough for Tock to use him as a springboard over the top- a maneuver that had Elissa purring up a storm- before all but flinging himself to the other side, a hand clapped firmly over Falkor. He did a flourish as he landed perfectly on his feet, which Mike actively refused to look impressed by, no matter how much he was. Kevin didn’t seem to mind.

“Come on,” he simply said, shaking his head and throwing an arm over Mike’s shoulder, “I know exactly where we’re going.”

Mike became aware of several things as they made their way into the reserve. That it was a lovely night, with clear skies and a full moon. Lovely array of stars. The temperature just right to be picnicking. Nocturnal pokemon were everywhere, a natural ambient backdrop. And most importantly, that Kevin’s arm fit around him like it belonged there.

They hadn’t even gotten to the ‘date’ part and he was already more impressed with this one.

Kevin led the way on what was a fairly long walk, sometimes on trails and sometimes not, up onto a ridge that made for one of the highest points in the reserve. He planted another kiss on his cheek as he admired the view, taking the food from him and laying out it all nice and proper before dragging him to sit on the grass with him. Roast beef sandwiches, pasta salad, brownies, in enough quantities to maybe not satisfy Mike’s appetite, but at least take most of the edge off it.

“Okay,” Mike said, again as begrudgingly as he could manage, “I’ll give you, this has been nice. Not quite five Michelin star, but I suppose you have to sacrifice something for the view.”

“Oh this isn’t all,” Kevin replied in a light tone that said he was no way fooled by Mike’s aloof act. “Give it another-” he checked his phone “-twenty minutes or so.” The information came with a pre-emptively smug expression and Kevin’s weight landing against his shoulder to stay.

That’s how they spent the next twenty minutes- sat there together, eating and talking about nothing (“Bet Ben he couldn’t get through one of my vegan lasagnas in an hour. Lost fifty bucks, but it was worth it to see him struggle to eat a vegetable.”) (“Found myself spending a half hour yesterday coaxing Feliciano out from behind the tub. I didn’t even know there was a gap there.”) It was, nice. Soft. With Elissa and Tock curled together in a mirror of them, and Amy and Falkor napping away. Scenic views, good food, Kevin’s awful breath against Mike’s cheek. He could be forgiven for forgetting there was supposedly more to the night until Kevin grinned and pointed to their left.

A topic that had come up repeatedly in Mike’s research had been the natural bond between magic users and fairy-types. Mike had never questioned the concept- in all honesty it explained a lot. Why Gwen had a Gardevoir and Togetic. Why Charmcaster’s team was eighty percent fairies. Even Argit had a fairy on his team, and Mike had two. It just made sense, the idea that they were naturally drawn together by some common ground between magic and the power fairies wielded. Explained a lot. Like why his breath caught when he followed Kevin’s finger to a clearing in the forested area down below and saw a cluster of green, orange, and white lights.

A colony of Morelull on the move, with three Shiinotic guardians. They could just barely hear their strange whirring, chiming calls over the distance as they made they made their way across the open space. Very quickly, for what Mike knew where fairly small pokemon. Within only a few minutes the clearing was dark again, the grass types safely back in protection of the trees.

“Do they do that every night?” Mike asked, knowing damn well he had a stupid smile on his face but not yet ready to drop it. A quick and forced glance revealed Kevin giving him the same look, so other than the probably-dangerous beats per minute he heart started getting it was probably fine.

“Every night I’ve been here,” Kevin replied, then nudged his shoulder with a quiet chuckle. “You’re not the only one who can do his research.” Actually concerned that at that moment meeting each other’s eyes might have been fatal, Mike kept his gaze of the dark little clearing and simply leaned his weight against Kevin.

“You know a colony of Morelull one almost caused a plane crash? Something disturbed them as the plane was going by and they released enough spores in self-defense that the pilots above were temporarily blinded.”

“Damn.” Kevin’s arm returned to its rightful place around Mike’s shoulders, pulling him in closer against his side. “So, a good date?” Mike hummed like he was considering it, smile taking on a sharper, more devious edge.

“An eight out of ten,” he said, “could use some work.” With a snort, Kevin reeled back in mock offense before diving at him. He easily knocked the unresisting blond to the ground, pinning his arms to his sides in a totally-not-hug and grazing at his throat with quick snaps of his teeth. Mike normally could’ve broken free, Mike normally could’ve broken his arms, but it just wasn’t possible through the laughter bubbling out of the both of them, especially as the grazing snaps turned to gentle kisses along his neck and jaw. Woken up by the commotion, Falkor began trying to break up the ‘fight’ with harmless tackles, which only made the whole thing worse.

By the time they were making their way back to the car, Mike slung over Kevin’s shoulder because he ‘couldn’t be trusted’, he was more than willing to admit this had been better than any of his ideas.

He was going to have to up his game.

[twistednuns]

February 2020

I managed to use my iPad as a second monitor for my computer. So tech savvy. Yay me!

Joking about developing a sex-based cardio programme with Manu. Powerfucking! Might help against aggression as well.

A late night phone call with Tom. Not saying much.

Making a huge pot of my grandmother’s signature veggie stew.

More Bon Appétit test kitchen videos. Chris recreating tacos. Claire making Ben&Jerry’s. Priya making her mum’s Indian curries.

Writing a letter to Lena. Drawing upside down bats (which makes them look like they’re having a wicked dance-off). Just the act of writing. I thoroughly enjoy looking at my handwriting.

Using the Salted Coconut handscrub by Lush. Especially now that I wash my hands so often when we’re working with clay at school. I feel like the peeling triggers some pressure points on my palms.

That Saturday productivity high. Cooking and preparing heaps of stuff, cleaning the windows, doing laundry.

Painting my nails like an expressionist artist.

Some portrait studies. Accidentally drawing Sirius Black.

Being really motivated to improve my Spanish. Working with Lorena, the Duolingo app and even starting my own grammar/vocabulary book.

This ultra quirky ASMR video. Also: watching videos with Erin an her boyfriend Chris. It’s amazing how well they work together. How you can almost feel their connection, how similar they are.

Carrot cake oats.

Seeing the The Darkness live again, this time with Margit. Justin’s outfit and personality, singing along, especially to Time of my Life, the band’s traditional first song after the show.

Meeting Chris. Having a Bramblette cocktail at Pusser’s. I like that place. Feels very old-timey with a rowing boat right under the ceiling. We made out in front of a tiger slide in a toy store window on our way to the next bar.

Peeling fresh carrots.

Pickling onions and making kimchi. My fermentation game is strong these days!

Looking through Dominik’s sketchbook. I loved the tree whose bark resembled a mole burrow with its underground tunnel system.

The flu. Yes, really. Fewer pupils at school. Quiet times. I’m actually surprisingly healthy. I’d guess my probiotics must play a role here… Who knows.

More sourdough experiments. Writing about it (DELICACY - a haiku. Oven-warm sourdough / salted butter, alpine cheese / and a strawberry).

Finding a really interesting list of SanFran hippie era book recommendations at the end of Robin Sloan’s Ajax Penumbra: 1969. In the mood to read Maya Angelou, Tom Wolfe, Jack Kerouac, Richard Brautigan.

Even more beautiful books: I really enjoyed Die weiße Stadt by Karolina Ramqvist, a feminist author from Sweden, and the graphic novel version of To Kill a Mockingbird. But two books that literally (well, figuratively obviously) blew my mind were Circe by Madeline Miller (mythology, loneliness, animals and plants, magic and monsters, some desperate kind of feminism, independence and strength) and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (magical realms, university setting, psychological depth, unexpected twists and turns). I haven’t read anything comparable in a very long time and I desperately hope that there’s more to come from these authors.

A beach collecting all the world’s single socks in The Magicians. Oh and of course seeing them break the moon. What a sight. The show is super confusing, obnoxious and absolutely fabulous at the same time. Best example: the Freaky Friday szene in which Margo and Eliot switch bodies. I love how the actors took on each other’s speech patterns and behaviour.

A new addition to my colour vocabular: celadon (a greyish green; there is a type of ceramics you’ll only see in this colour which is not surprising since the shade provides such an interesting contrast to the the earthy, rusty orange of burnt clay.)

Manu telling me that he had rarely seen people with more joy in their eyes than me (“Ich habe schon Freude in deinen Augen gesehen! So ein Leuchten kann man nicht simulieren.”) after complaining about being bored and lifeless. / Making curry with or, well, for him the other night. Drinking Liqueur 43 with cinnamon and milk. Playing the Jackbox party games for which you can use your phone as a controller.

Finding myself in a well-known sitation from the past. Lying in Frank’s bed in the early morning hours, not that tired yet, when he starts talking about his life and his depression. In English, obviously, because that’s our emotional filter. Relating, since I feel quite similar. Coming up with a suggestion for a reciprocal support system. Let’s see what we can do for each other.

Looking at travel photographs. The sea, the cenotes. Longing to go back to Mexico or Australia. Diving. Taking it all in.

Dreaming of my grandmother talking about her biggest regrets in life. Weirdly she was in a little bundle under a coffee table, much like Voldemort in the last Harry Potter movie.

My weird, weird brain. How both pleasure and pain enhance my sense of smell and increase my brain activity, almost causing hallucinations and fixations on ideas. Like geometric shapes in gloomy off-colours and a beige silicon-like surface the other night. All I could think of was a benchscraper.

Blue eyeliner.

Brainstorming three-letter-words with Frank since I’m thinking of getting personalised Nike Blazers. Sad cat. Yes but. Dat ass. Why tho.

Flying squirrels. Watching them wobble through the air. How they look like cute exhibitionist when they’re extending their limbs and thus stretching their, well, let’s just call it wings.

The fact that red cabbage has an intricate pattern like brain convolutions when you cut it open.

Talking to Sonja for the first time in over two years. What a strange person. Interesting, too. At least in homeopathic doses.

Ripe strawberries and nectarines. Oh my god. I love fruit.

Meeting Eve at Pub Quiz. She identifies as female, loves swing dance, used to be an animator and I love her style. Also, I realised that really like Betty. And Dennis wasn’t mean to me for once. I love my nerd friends <3 And I learned that Starbucks was named after the first mate in Moby Dick! Also, coincidentally they asked a question about the city where To Kill a Mockingbird takes place (Maycombe, Alabama) after I had read it the week before.

Inviting Lorena to the Botanical Gardens. I always feel very happy and very much myself when I’m there. I sometimes wish I was a gardener. Lorena was late so I walked along the Spring Path outside and it might have been the first time I’ve seen a brussels sprouts plant. Inside I learned lots of Spanish words and marveled at the incredible butterflies. The huge yellow one right behind the entrance was my favourite. Its delicate feelers were fascinating.

Washing my hands at the Keg’s bathroom. Looking into the mirror. Suddenly thinking of the perfect karaoke song… Rescue Me by Bell Book and Candle! I kept singing it for days on repeat. My neighbour must hate me (nothing new here) especially since my voice is too low for the chorus.

It isn’t hard to see how such attachment patterns can undermine mental health. Both anxious and avoidant coping have been linked to a heightened risk of anxiety, depression, loneliness, eating and conduct disorders, alcohol dependence, substance abuse and hostility. The way to treat these problems, say attachment theorists, is in and through a new relationship. On this view, the good therapist becomes a temporary attachment figure, assuming the functions of a nurturing mother, repairing lost trust, restoring security, and instilling two of the key skills engendered by a normal childhood: the regulation of emotions and a healthy intimacy. // An interesting article on attachment styles and why theraphy works; it makes me want to learn more about attachment theory. This School of Life video is a nice addition as well.

That dream. About a book shop modeled after my picture of Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore. There was an old man in a very narrow but high-ceilinged room full of books. There was no light source except for moonlight or some street lights. There were loads of stairs, very steep, leading to the back of the house. Upstairs the man would set out cat food and on the rooftop there was an old sailing boat. One day the man decided to open the door to the roof and let visitors see the ship, much like a museum; perhaps to attract customers. However, in the next night a cat-shaped ghost appeared who reminded me quite a lot of Kot Behemoth character in Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. The ghost was not amused about the old man’s decision and took away his key, a big golden one adorned with a red ribbon.

Toasted sesame makes pretty much every dish so much better.

Watching High Fidelity with gorgeous Zoe Kravitz (I adore her effortless style and her outfits), getting in the mood for making a playlist and listening to more music in general. There are all these great songs out there I forgot about.

Remembering the xkcd storm chaser comics.

Making a wicked good batch of Pho for Tom.

Spending a nice evening with Alex at Shamrock. Singing along to American Boy by Estelle. Confirming the hypothesis that the nerdy, quiet ones usually have a freak streak. That moment in the morning. Eye contact and kegel exercises.

Karaoke with Margit and Betty. Meeting Manu’s doppelganger. Same type, looks, voice. Eerie.

Making a BA Gourmet Makes meme for Steffen after he had passed his law examps. Strangely Gaby kinda looked like him after I was done with it.

Saturday morning in bed. Reading comics and graphic novels. Fresh bedclothes, surrounded by books. Since it was February 29 I thought about leap years and asked a few friends what their inner seven-year-old would have done that day (based on the thought experiment that your birthday was on February 29 and you’d age in 4-year-steps which would divide your age by 4 obviously).      

I came up with: visiting grandma / eating Cini-Minis / falling asleep with my face buried in a cat / beating my neighbour Anna at Memory / drawing while listening to a Bibi Blocksberg cassette.

Alex said he’d have been outside all day, building a snow igloo. Not noticing his mum telling him to come to dinner. If the weather had been bad he would have played with his dinosaur collection. His inner 7-year-old was a hopeless dreamer who got agitated whenever his parents had a fight. Who came home late from school every day because he forgot about time when he was talking to his friend next to a hedge with thorns that looked like tiny airplanes.

Lena said she would have been outside all day long, playing in the mud with the neighbours’ kids. Of course.

[peppermintvader]

Headcanons From The Obiana Jones AU P2

So I was marathoning the first three Indiana Jones movies yesterday on Netflix and it brought me back to the wonderful and lovely au that I love so much 💕💕💕 I got permission from Lauren aka @vulpesarctica to make the second set of hcs of a fic I'm working on for this au! It's based on her gorgeous art which can be found here here here here Part 1 of this HC set can be found here :

• Obi-Wan is such a nerd, he loves reading and learning about the history of all he artifacts he recovers!! He loves studying them!!!

• His name is Obi-Wan but he likes the name Indiana (just like the dog (i loved that scene )) so he stars calling himself Indiana and somehow Obiana just stuck so everyone calls him Obiana (although some do call him Obi-Wan and Satine does call him Ben).

• He has potted plants and succulents that he has named after famous archaeological findings and literary writers. Most of his potted plants and succulents are gifts from Anakin.

• Anakin has two cats R2 and C-3po and they are rescue cats!!

• Shmi was an adventurer too!! A famous one probably and sparked his interest in adventures and archaeology.

• He's not superstitious nor does he believe in folklore/myths, he believes in what he can see and study. Anakin on the other hand is superstitious and does believe in the folklore/myth of the places they visit/go on adventures to! It causes a few debates between them about superstition and folklore/myths. Anakin always says, "You just have to go on a little faith."

• Obi-Wan likes watching documentaries both. Nature and history ones!! He is also very much a tea snop and hates coffee, Anakin loves coffee and hates tea (both of them wonder how that is even possible how can anyone hate/love tea/coffee?????)

• Obi-Wan has a gun and a whip!!! But his secret weapon? His smile! He cam charm the pants off of anyone and he is a wonderful negotiator. But sometimes (shockingly) people are immune to his negotiation skills so gun fights and throwing whips to get away it is.

• Anakin also has a gun (he got after the last tike they got kidnapped and were going to become human sacrifices again (someone is always trying to kidnap them and/or kill them).

• Anakin often gets roped in to becoming bait (he's also the one who ends upnhaving to rescue Obi-Wan when he gets kidnapped).

• Anakin definitely once wrote Obi-Wan a love letter confessing his feelings but he never gave it to him.

• He also most definitely had a crush on Obi-Wan but it faded as he got to actually know him and they became friends and somewhere along the way they caught feelings for each other (both of them panicked and had a 'oh no he's hot and i have feelings for him' moment)

• There is an ongoing betting pool within the university they're at on whether or not they're together/when will they confess their feelings and put an end to all this pining. Ahsoka may or may not win the betting pool.

• He's scared of snakes but Anakin isn't and he'll just hold them/scare them away. One time while they were stuck in the jungle and sleeping outside a snake got on him and Obi-Wan was trying to tell him and Anim just through the snake off. Obi-Wan was sure he was gonna have a heart attack (he also might have thought, 'holy shit i think i'm in love)

• Their first kiss was when Obi-Wan was under a spell of sorts/not himself. Anakin remembers it but doesn't say anything to Obi-Wan because he doesn't want anything to change between them (he's afraid of what Obi-Wan might say about the kiss so he just acts like it never happened smh).

• But Obi-Wan does remember but never brings it back up because Anakin didn't and he thinks it didn't mean anything to him and he tries not to feel disappointed (it doesn't work bc he is in fact disappointed. Smh remember this is why it's important to talk about your feelings!!)

• Obi-Wan and Anakin are about to sleep together, and Anakin tells him he'll be the best he ever had to which Obi-Wan says he'll tell him in the morning, (and bc I was dying when I watched this scene yesterday:

Anakin: "The morning?! I'm not that easy Dr. Kenobi!"

Obiana: "I'm not easy either!"

Anakin: "Just you wait, Dr. Kenobi you'll be back in five minutes!

Obiana: "I'll be asleep!"

They both proceed to go back to their rooms and are pining and are being stubborn. And minutes tick by:

Anakin: *looking at the clock* I can't believe he's not coming.

Obiana: *looking at the clock* I can't believe he's not coming, I can't believe I'm not going.

And Obi-Wan gets attacked in his room bc he's Obi-Wan and this wouldn't be Obiana Jones if someone wasn't trying to kill/kidnap him.

• Whenever it seems like they're about to kiss/confess, someone always interrupts them no matter where they're at.