#I'm hoping to go back to my regular schedule after this which means hopefully a one-shot tomorrow

[greycappedjester]

December/New Year Update Plans

Hey, everyone! Happy Holidays!

So, a bit of a life update along with what I'm working on with my writing schedule coming up. For life, I'm in my final PhD year (yay!) which means I've been working on finishing my dissertation (much more stressed yay!) which is why my writing schedule these past few months has been a lot more spread out.

The good news: My data is pretty much collected and my first draft is near complete so I'm hoping I can get back to my more regular updates

The less good news: My diss still has to be my priority rn and sometimes things come up unepectedly that I have to handle urgently so it might still be screwing up the schedule some. I really always and continually appreciate all of your support/patience when the schedule gets behind.

My overall plans for the upcoming year is to work on finishing Keiji Akaashi and the Department of Mysteries, (hopefully) finishing Past is a Mirror, and finish up the current chapter arc (Death in the Family) in After the Fall of Olympus and start on the next one. These are my priorities; my "in the wing/next-up" expected writing projects are likely to be a Flash Facts short story, the next Cards story, another Investigations Inc story, and a new story in the Dr. Stone fandom. All of those are currently taking a back-seat to my mentioned current onging fics; but, I'm hoping I get to add one or two of those going next year while still keeping a regular update schedule.

For the near future, I'm working on fixing something up outline-wise with HqHp so I'm expecting an update schedule to look like....

#1 ATFO Ch. 23 (last in Year 9: Death in the Family arc)

#2 Department of Mysteries Ch. 12

#3 Past is a Mirror Ch. 4

#4 Department of Mysteries Ch. 13

[genericpuff]

L:R NOTICE

Hey y'all! Just to keep you updated on things going on IRL, March is gonna be a pretty bumpy ride. I'm preparing for the Island Entertainment Expo at the end of the month; this convention is requiring me to travel which means I'll be away from my home computer for 4 days so I'll be hustling to prep episodes ahead of time to hopefully avoid missing any updates. I know it's not the end of the world if I do miss one (y'all tell me all the time not to push myself too hard lmao) but I like keeping the schedule consistent when I can. The weekend after that I'll be moving to a new apartment! I'm super psyched for the new place, not psyched for the fact that it requires packing up all our stuff (for the second time in the past year) and rebuilding it all again (and relocating our cat who's very much NOT going to be happy about it).

SO here's the schedule for this month, this is potentially subject to change if I'm not able to keep on top of things but for now , this is what I'm hoping for:

March 11th - LORE | REKINDLED stream @ 7 PM EST, EP 9 goes live @ 8:45 EST

March 18th - LORE | REKINDLED stream @ 7 PM EST, EP 10 goes live @ 8:45 EST

March 24th-27th - Island Entertainment Expo, if anyone's in PEI during these dates come find me at Table #44!

March 25th - LORE | REKINDLED stream CANCELLED, EP 11 goes live @ 8:45 EST

April 1st - Moving apartments, LORE | REKINDLED stream CANCELLED, EP 12 goes live @ 8:45 EST

Regular streaming schedule resumes April 8th!

In the meantime, I'm also trying to make room for commission work as this month is also very financially taxing due to the moving costs, travel and overhead costs for the convention, etc. (and I'm not guaranteed to make it all back at IEX as this is my first table convention, I will consider it a win if I sell even a single print LMAO) So if you're wanting some custom art, shoot me a line on my main Ko-Fi page , I'd love to make something for you! <3

[ryanmillerprocess]

Visual Presents

October 14. 2023.

Today was spent working on the creative brief and mood board for this new assignment.

October 16. 2023.

Today was spent thinking of how to create an informational package on Rooster Teeth that would align with their ideals and style. A video is really the only thing that makes sense for a video production company.

The plan is to create a video filled with references to the company while providing information on the company.

October 18. 2023.

I am struggling with coming up with a way to make this work that I'll be happy with. I don't know how to work the videos into the narrative I'm trying to write.

I've been looking through old videos to help remind me of the older videos I used to watch, and that is helping, but I still don't know how to make it work. Just have to keep at it I guess.

October 23. 2023.

After thinking it over all weekend and scrolling through 13 years of YouTube content, I am finally starting to see a clearer picture of what I could do to produce something I can be happy with.

I picked out a few videos that I can replicate that were moments from the history of the company that stood out in my mind. I've been trying to write a script to help layout how I'm going to use these videos, but 3 rough drafts later and it's starting to get frustrating. This writing stuff is hard. I'll keep with it, but I'm running out of time and I need to start shooting so I'll have something to work with.

October 25. 2023.

Finally started shooting for this project. I spent a couple hours setting up and shooting short videos for the compilation I'm making. I always forget how fun it is to just experiment with setups and throwing something together to make it work. I feel much better about the project, and I'm looking forward to doing the rest of it.

I have a rough schedule for the rest of my shots, and locations to take them in. I still have a lot to do, but it's getting closer to something I can be happy with.

October 30. 2023.

Spent the weekend shooting for the project. Got shot by some paintballs, got some regular balls thrown at me. productive weekend.

Today we played Jeopardy instead of having a quiz, so that was fun. Our team won and earned a 48 hour extension on a project of our choice. Hopefully won't be needing that.

November 1. 2023.

Last night I tried rewriting the script and couldn't do it, so I went back to watching videos for inspiration. I think I have a way better idea, which unfortunately means I am going to have to re shoot a few things and completely start over on the video editing. I'm glad I like doing this stuff otherwise I'd be panicking right now. Probably going to need that extension though.

The idea is to recreate the intro of the first episode of immersion and then go straight into the videos I've shot. I recorded the originals without considering the audio because I was going to voice over them while talking about the history of the company and my introduction to them. Now that I've scrapped that idea, I have videos that might not work with the new idea. I'll see if I can make it, but hopes are low, maybe that'll let me surprise myself.

November 3. 2023.

The project is due today. I have made a lot of progress and I'm feeling very good about this project. It's still not what I want, but it's better than before. I also thought of remaking the original case of the season 1 DVD for RVB. Just more work for myself, but it's more authentic and fun. Feeling grateful for that extension right now.

November 4. 2023.

The last stretch of the project is always the most stressful. I need to get better at gathering all my pictures and information in the same place throughout the whole process of the project.

Progress Pictures

[quicksilversquared]

How to Fake a Marriage: chapter 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  10

(AO3) (FF.net)

As it turned out, the dresses weren't the only things that the tabloids noticed. There were more than a few pictures of Adrien and Marinette at Fashion Week popping up in the racks in the grocery check-out lines. Some were taken out of context- seemingly intimate photos of Marinette standing close to Adrien and adjusting his lapels before he went on the runway, him giving her encouraging pats on the shoulder, both of them ducking into the changing rooms. The headlines made him blush- Model gets cozy with intern and Romance behind the scenes at London Fashion Week? and Agreste heir finds love?. When Adrien worked up the courage to flip to the article while they waited in line at the grocery check-out, he could tell that more than a little attention had been paid to the fact that he was a last-minute sub in the show. There was a lot of speculation about why the other model had been replaced by him, and most of it involved claims that his father had disowned him (insert photo of his father looking angry; Adrien suspected that they hadn't had to look particularly hard for that kind of picture), so he needed money for his "rebellious" dash to freedom in a physics program in London and his "girlfriend" had set him up with a modelling contract so he could pay for a lifestyle that would no doubt continue spiraling downwards with more rebellious acts such as drinking, smoking, and partying hard.

Yeah, it was a bit of a stretch, especially when they could have done a bit of research and found that the other model was still laid up with a broken leg.

"Oh, there's the wedding photoshoot pictures," Marinette said as they cooked dinner together that evening, and Adrien looked up to see Marinette looking through another magazine. Her colleagues (and Madam Rosalie) had found and bought pretty much every tabloid that had mentioned them and had come stampeding over earlier that afternoon to offload them on Marinette. According to her, they had been grinning deviously when they presented the giant pile to her. "This one's claiming we secretly eloped and used the photoshoot as a cover so your father wouldn't find out."

Adrien snorted and paged through his own magazine. rolling his eyes at the ridiculous jumps in logic that the writers were making. He could see how writers might have thought that he was dating someone if he showed up with a girl on his arm out of the blue, but Marinette had been his friend for forever. It was hardly strange for him to hang out with a friend.

As expected, Adrien got called by his father later that night. Gabriel wasn't furious, which made Adrien guess that Nathalie had already done some damage control (he owed her, like, a dozen boxes of gourmet chocolates), but he wasn't happy that Adrien had ended up in one tabloid, never mind nearly a dozen.

"Like I told you before, the previous model was injured and I just happened to be the right size and walk into the building about ten minutes after they got the call that he wouldn't be able to make it," Adrien explained. "So that's why they didn't call the agency up. And of course I couldn't say no, Madam Rosalie is a friend of yours and mom's, and Marinette is my friend. I couldn't just leave them hanging."

"Yes, yes, I know that," Gabriel said impatiently. Adrien could hear the sound of his father's fingers tapping impatiently on his desk on the other end of the line. "The pre-runway show photos I can understand easily enough. But then they have pictures of you and the girl attached at the hip during the rest of Fashion Week. Arriving together, walking around to presentations together, sitting together during runway shows-"

"It is customary for people to spend time together when they're friends," Adrien said dryly, trying to not let too much sarcasm slip into his voice. "I don't really know people there, and Marinette couldn't really track down her coworkers in the crowd. Besides, we enjoy hanging out with each other."

Gabriel snorted. "They have photos of you wrapping your suit jacket around Marinette and then practically hanging all over her. And kissing her, no less."

"On the cheek," Adrien clarified helpfully. He frowned slightly- he hadn't spotted that photo. It must have been in one of the magazines that he hadn't looked through yet.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"The show area was a bit on the chilly side Thursday morning," Adrien explained, figuring that this was no time to joke around. Of course, with his father, there was really never a good time to joke around. "Marinette was shivering and the button-up I was wearing under my suit jacket was on the heavy side, so I gave her the jacket. And then I was a little cold, so cuddling was an obvious choice."

There was a long, exasperated sigh on his father's end of the line. "And the kiss?"

"We're French. Cheek kisses are a thing that exists." He and Marinette had been messing around, teasing each other before the runway show started. Marinette had been pretending to complain about Adrien hanging all over her and so he had nuzzled her neck in retaliation before pressing a friendly kiss to her cheek. She had only laughed more and pushed him away with a finger on his nose. It had been fun at the time, being able to tease each other freely like he often did with Ladybug when he was Chat Noir, but maybe Adrien should have known that there would be photographers nearby who weren't only interested in the clothes.

It was a pain being semi-famous, really. There had been a duo straight-up making out before one of the shows a few rows behind them and they hadn't had their pictures splashed all over the tabloids, yet a little cuddling on Adrien's part and suddenly it was some kind of Big Deal.

Gabriel let out a long, exasperated sigh. "You know that's not the way the tabloids saw it. You aren't a child anymore; you need to consider how others might interpret your actions. I suppose there's no real way to prevent the tabloids from twisting things, but do at least try to keep from doing anything that would give them real ammunition."

Adrien was sorely tempted to say "aww, so I'm not allowed to spiral into a life of drinking, smoking, and partying hard?" but he suspected that his father probably wouldn't be particularly amused.

"Of course," Adrien said instead.

"You may get approached by gossip 'reporters' because of these pieces." The disdain in Gabriel's voice was clear. "Nathalie is sending you a list of ones that won't twist your words quite as much as others will. You only need to talk with one to get things straightened out."

Personally, Adrien didn't particularly care if things got straightened out. It wasn't as though the tabloids were trying to say hurtful things about him- Marinette was his friend, after all, and anyone would be lucky to date her- and it wasn't as thought their words actually affected his life. Still, it was probably better just to do what his father wanted. If his father wanted him to give the tabloids the real story and explain that he and Marinette were just friends, then that was what he would do. They could save the snuggling for movie nights in their apartment when they didn't have other people over.

(Plagg would still tease him about it, but it was better than getting a lecture from his father.)

"Is he angry?" Marinette asked as the call ended and Adrien set his phone down with a sigh. She wandered back into the living room and flopped down to join him on the couch. "The articles weren't your fault."

"He's not happy, that's for sure," Adrien said with a grimace. "He said that he understood the pictures that were during the run-up to Madam Rosalie's runway show, but all of the ones during the rest of Fashion Week..."

"But those were just of us sitting together, right? That's normal friend stuff."

"They got pictures of me giving you my jacket." A pause. "And pictures from when we were messing around and I was hanging all over you."

Marinette groaned at that.

"But I don't know why they're making such a big deal out of it," Adrien said, frowning. "Friends hang out. Friends hug each other." He caught Marinette making a slight face and he frowned. "Don't they?"

"The hugging...it depends, really," Marinette said slowly. "I mean, Alya and I hug each other all the time. Some people don't."

"Is it weird?"

"To some people it is," Marinette admitted, shrugging. "Some people aren't very touchy. You're very touchy."

Adrien frowned in confusion and tugged Marinette over so she would be sitting right next to him on the couch, practically curled up against his side. "Touchy? Like, oversensitive? What does that have to do with the photos?"

"No, no, not touchy like oversensitive. Handsy would be a better word, I guess. You like having your hands on people."

"No I don't," Adrien argued, draping his arm over Marinette's shoulders to tug her even closer and arrange her against his side. "My parents raised me to be a perfect gentleman. I keep my hands to myself."

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. Adrien raised his eyebrows right back until Marinette glanced down at his arm, still hanging over her shoulder. He blinked, then groaned, pulling his arm away. Marinette laughed and pulled it right back before he could go too far.

"I don't mind, really," Marinette said as she settled his arm back into place. "It's nice. But did you seriously not realize that you do that all the time?"

"Do I really?" Adrien asked, completely dismayed. He hadn't even noticed. "Shoot, I didn't mean to get up in strangers' personal bubbles-"

"Oh, you don't do it to strangers," Marinette assured him hastily, patting his hand reassuringly. "Like, maybe there's the occasional shoulder touch with people you kind of know, but it's not like you go around cuddling random people on the bus all the time."

"You don't know that I don't," Adrien teased, relieved that she wasn't bothered by it. "I take the bus to and from school every day by myself. You don't know what I might do during those rides."

"You guzzle down something with caffeine on the way to your classes and review your notes on the way home," Marinette said, grinning as she poked his side, making him squirm. "Don't tell me you don't."

That was actually...surprisingly accurate. He didn't review his notes on the bus, but he did try to take a chunk out of his assigned readings while heading back after his classes were over. He had had conversations with people on the bus a couple times, mostly when there were fellow classmates he recognized on the same bus or when someone talked to him first, but for the most part he kept to himself or tried to hold a hushed conversation with Plagg.

"Have you been spying on me?" Adrien teased, giving Marinette's shoulders another little tug. "Because that's what it sounds like to me."

"No, you're just predictable."

"Oh, shush. I am not." At least, he was pretty sure that he wasn't. A thought struck him, and he grimaced. "I bet the people at school won't think so, not after all the tabloids. So much for people not knowing who I am here."

  Paul was smirking when Adrien walked into his second class of the day on Monday and Adrien found himself repressing a groan.

"You look like that cat that ate the canary," Adrien informed him as he set his bag down on the desk. "Stop smirking, it's disturbing."

"I don't know if I can," Paul said smugly. "You see, I was grocery shopping this weekend and happened upon this most interesting magazine."

Yeah, Adrien could definitely see where this was going. Fabulous.

With a grin, Paul brought out one of the tabloid magazines that had gotten Adrien in trouble. "See, I didn't hear that you were going to be doing Fashion Week! Someone kept that a secret- well, until his face was plastered to every magazine at the end of the grocery lane. My sister was heartbroken to hear that you were apparently already married."

"Oh, is that the story that they're trying to sell with that one?" He vaguely remembered seeing something along those lines in the magazines he and Marinette had gotten. He had stopped paying attention after the first few. Plagg could probably recite the articles of by heart; the small god had been delighted by the pile of magazines that Marinette's coworkers had brought over and once Marinette was gone, he had settled in to read every last one of them. Adrien wouldn't be surprised if Plagg started quoting bits of the articles soon, just to be annoying.

Paul laughed, flipping through the pages of the magazine. "That's what it seems like. You have to admit, it does seem a little suspicious, with those wedding pictures. Even I could tell that there was something different with that photoshoot."

"If you say so." Adrien certainly didn't see it; after all, the photos had turned out lovely and everyone ended up looking very natural. Sure, it had a variety of body types, but Adrien was fairly sure that that was on-trend right now. Besides, they chose the interns that they did based on who fit the dressed Madam Rosalie had on hand. They had been planning to have variety in the photoshoot anyway.

Besides, the runway switch-out that that the tabloids were currently throwing such a fit over? Things happened to models all the time and replacements were hardly uncommon. Designers normally had a little more warning when a switch was needed, but the switches themselves weren't that unusual. His father usually had at least one model switch per runway show, usually two or three. Considering that that was higher than the industry average, Adrien suspected that the high turnover rate of their models probably had something to do with his father's demanding personality and harsh criticisms.

"You know, I've never really been one to read gossip magazines before, but if you showing up in them is gonna be a regular occurrence I might just have to do it more often." Paul smirked at the look on Adrien's face. "What? I'm just saying. This is absolutely hilarious, and the others are just as good."

"Please don't tell me that you decided to actually buy more than one of those magazines."

"My younger sister bought them," Paul said cheerfully, pulling out another magazine and waving it at Adrien. "Well, she and her friends. And then my mother confiscated them because she said they were trash rags, and then I got them from her for teasing purposes."

"Marinette's coworkers practically buried her under all of the magazines and articles they could find about us," Adrien admitted. From what he had heard by text from Marinette this morning, it sounded like her coworkers were trying to make a scrapbook with every tabloid article and picture in it. It would be funny if it weren't so embarrassing. "And then the daily paper apparently had a section devoted to daily sightings of celebrities and for some reason they included Marinette and I-"

"And did a daily update on you two being spotted together, I know," Paul said, still snickering. "I was going to text you and ask if you knew about it, but then I figured that the two of you would probably get all stiff and weird around each other if you knew people were watching you. And then it wouldn't have been quite as amusing."

"Thank you, you're so considerate," Adrien said dryly. Paul was right- he would have probably tried to put a little more space between himself and Marinette and he definitely wouldn't have done the snuggling and the kiss on the cheek had he known that people were apparently watching them- and while it wouldn't have been as fun, it would make trying to explain things during any interviews easier. As things stood, any interviewers would probably think that he was trying to hide a secret relationship because of the faux-wrestling and cheek kiss.

"I think I would get along with Marinette's coworkers," Paul decided as he tucked the magazines away. "If they're teasing the two of you, they're good in my books. Are they putting together a CD or anything of all of the times they showed the two of you together on TV?"

Adrien froze. All the times they showed him and Marinette on TV? "What?"

"I mean, mostly it was short clips of the two of you milling around looking at things or sitting waiting for the runway shows to start, but-"

"Did they have clips of us watching the runway?" If they did, that could be bad. Adrien had had his arm thrown around Marinette's shoulders for more than a couple shows, and then if they had any clips of him watching Marinette as she watched the runway...

Yeah, those looks could definitely be misinterpreted.

"No, they were a little more focused on the clothes, oddly enough," Paul drawled a bit sarcastically. "And from what I could tell, it was perhaps a little too dark in the rest of the room to be bothering with trying to record people's expressions. Why, were you up to something?"

"No, no, dark lighting can just make things look more intimate than they actually are," Adrien said hastily before Paul could get any ideas. "And the press likes making big deals out of shadows and claiming that there's a hand where there's actually a wrinkle in a jacket or something."

"If you say so." Paul shrugged and changed the subject. "So are you ready for the rest of the semester? I don't know about you, but I have projects for all of my classes and I'm not looking forward to trying to juggle all of them and studying and, y'know, having a social life."

"I don't think it'll be that bad," Adrien said with a small grin. "I've been looking at the write-ups for some of those projects and there's a couple that are pretty short. As long as I don't leave them all until last minute, I think they'll be fine." He had had to deal with projects before for his business major, and they only ever caused problems if he left them off until last minute, got too panicked about them, or- rue the day- if he got stuck in a group project. He was already halfway done with two term-long projects.

He could get anything done and still have time for weekend excursions as long as he had good time management. It was something he had had drilled into him throughout his life (and then driven completely home when he had to try to get all of his planned activities plus fighting akumas plus homework done) and thankfully he hadn't let himself slide at all once he headed off to university. From what he could tell, more than a few of his classmates had trouble with the concept, even including Paul at times. They spent too much time partying or procrastinating and then had to stay up late to get their studying done. Adrien preferred to try to get things done- or at least mostly completed- before going off to do other things.

"I started working on two projects over the break," Paul said. "So, y'know, it really wasn't much of a break. But I guess it really wasn't much of a break for you either, right? Because you were working?"

"Only on one- okay, two- days," Adrien pointed out. "And it was interesting to see some of the fashions going on right now."

"And now you have to deal with the fallout from being there. How soon d'you think the reporters are going to start to swarm? I'm surprised they didn't pounce on you while you were still at Fashion Week."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll turn up soon." Adrien glanced at the window. He was about 90% percent certain that he would run into at least a handful after class was over, hounding him as he tried to head to his class in another building. "Honestly, it's just a matter of time."

  Adrien stepped out of the building to see a whole horde of reporters from various tabloids and gossip shows waiting for him right outside the door.

Great.

There was a general cry as they spotted Adrien, and he abandoned his momentary panicked idea of jumping over the side of the stairs and making a desperate break for it. He had faced the press before as himself just fine (and as Chat Noir numerous other times), and just because he didn't have Nathalie at his side this time didn't mean he couldn't do it. He didn't have to answer any questions now, which put him more at ease.

The ball was in his court. He didn't have to tell them anything and they knew that, and they knew that he knew that. As long as he didn't show his nerves, he could handle this.

"Adrien! Can you comment of your relationship with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Mr. Agreste! Is it true that you and your girlfriend left Paris because your father didn't approve of your relationship?"

"Mr. Agreste-"

"I am not taking questions right now," Adrien said, cutting them off before they could really get going and attract any more attention than they already were. His voice carried easily enough over the clamor of the reporters, much to his surprise, and it also sounded disturbing similar to his father's. He let his eyes scan over the crowd, trying to figure out who exactly was there. He had spent an hour the previous night reviewing the lists Nathalie had sent so he could identify which reporters he should and should not talk to. It hadn't been enjoyable, but it had (rather unfortunately) been necessary. Unlike in Paris, where he knew all of the reporters on sight, Adrien wasn't familiar with the British tabloids at all.

"But Mr. Agreste-"

"I'll talk to one person," Adrien said firmly. "And not now. I have classes I need to be in right now."

The reporters didn't look particularly happy. One- someone who Adrien recognized from Nathalie's 'do-not-talk-to-under-any-circumstances' list- was more vocal than the others. "But this is important! Other things can wait-"

"I beg to differ," Adrien shot right back, letting his tone grow frosty. "My education is far more important than providing gossip to a bunch of tabloid reporters about my friend and I. Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to be and so do the other students."

With that, he strode forward briskly, sending reporters scattering as he did. Adrien kept a carefully neutral expression on his face- if he looked annoyed, the reporters (if he could even call them that) would no doubt interpret it as annoyance that his so-called "top-secret relationship" had been discovered. As he passed the last reporter in the group, he paused and turned halfway, making eye contact with the one reporter that had shown up that Nathalie had approved of.

"Madam Addison, I'll speak with you later. The rest of you needn't stick around."

And then he was gone.

  As soon as he was settled in his next class, Adrien pulled out his phone to text Marinette. She had already said that she wasn't going to speak with reporters- and Adrien believed her, she was definitely strong enough to not crack under the pressure of dozens of reporters crowding around and throwing questions at her- but it wouldn't hurt to give her a heads-up. If she wanted to go out for lunch, she might find herself surrounded by pesky tabloid reporters.

"You did good," Plagg commented as Adrien sent his message. "Did you learn that from your father?"

"From Father and Nathalie," Adrien admitted, keeping his voice hushed. He could tell that there were more eyes on him than normal, so he had to be extra-careful. "And you know that Ladybug and I had to deal with the press all the time before we defeated Hawkmoth."

"They didn't bug you about your personal relationships, though."

"They did, actually. They asked if we were dating. And when we said no, they asked if we were dating other people. And somehow they thought that they would get a different answer if they asked a dozen times a year." Actually, it was more like five dozen times a year by the time they defeated Hawkmoth. He could have understood it if it was all different people asking- both reporters and kids, for example- but the question came from the same small handful of reporters nearly every time.

Thankfully Alya had only asked once and then let it be. Adrien suspected that she had noticed the looks of irritation on both Ladybug's and Chat Noir's faces when they got the question from others and decided that there was no point in probing them further. After all, she already got the scoops and seemed to be on Ladybug's good side when it came to getting interviews. There was no point in risking driving the superhero duo away by irritating them with probing questions about their love life or lack thereof.

Adrien's phone buzzed quietly and he checked it. Apparently Madam Rosalie had already chased away several reporters that were poking around, and Marinette had brought her own lunch in anticipation of the problem so she wouldn't have to go outside until the end of the day. There still might be an issue of particularly persistent reporters hanging around to pester her on her way back to her flat- and good lord, they were probably going to make a bigger deal out of the fact that Adrien and Marinette were neighbors than it really was- and if he went to escort her for the few blocks between the Rosalie's Fashion building and their building so that she wouldn't be making the walk alone and followed by harassing reporters, they would make a huge deal out of that as well.

Perhaps she could walk home with several of her co-workers, since several others lived in the same building. They could keep the reporters from crowding in too much. Adrien texted the suggestion to Marinette and then put his phone away before anyone decided to make a big deal out of him texting Marinette and then go trotting to the press to get their two seconds of fame.

He didn't want to think badly of any of his classmates, really, but he just didn't know all of them well enough to be positive that they wouldn't do such a thing. Besides, tabloid reporters sometimes offered money for information and, well, uni students and money...

As he waited for class to start, Adrien mentally reviewed what he was going to say in his interview. It wasn't as though he was trying to come up with some sort of cover story that he would have to keep straight or anything, it was just that he knew that it could be overwhelming to have to answer questions under pressure and have his answers come out in ways that couldn't be misconstrued, especially since he would be doing the interview in English, not French. If he knew what he was going to say in advance, there was less of a chance that he would be left fumbling for the right words to answer a question.

Even if the woman he was going to be talking to was one of the more reasonable reporters in the gossip business, Adrien wasn't particularly inclined to trust them not to blow things out of proportion if given the chance.

Class went too fast, and then he was leaving again. There would doubtless be more than just the one reporter waiting outside- they would be looking for reactions to their questions, even if he didn't actually answer anything verbally. It was annoying- really annoying- but at least he was prepared for it.

Well. Somewhat, at least. He hoped.

Half an hour later, Adrien had managed to dodge the questions from the still-lingering reporters and was on his way to Madam Addison's studio in her car. The woman was clearly thrilled to be granted the exclusive interview, but she was doing her best to remain in check. For his part, Adrien was trying to keep the nerves from showing.

Yes, it had been a good idea to get the whole circus off campus. If he wanted the whole thing to blow over, he had to keep the visible fuss to a minimum. Magazines on a rack could be ignored; a horde of reporters obstructing the doorway to the academic buildings could not. Still, they were definitely moving onto Madam Addison's ground now, and he couldn't just walk away from her questions like he had with the other reporters.

"We've arrived!" the driver announced as they pulled up to a building, and Madam Addison sprung out, waving Adrien out as well. She steered him into the news building and up the stairs, past staring workers and whispering interns. They ended up in Madam Addison's office, where she settled in her chair behind her desk and gestured for Adrien to sit in the chair opposite of her desk. The cameraman- well, camera lady- sat in another chair and turned her camera on.

"So, Adrien," Madam Addison started. "All through last week, you were spotted looking cozy with an intern from Rosalie Fashions during Fashion Week. It raised a lot of questions, but let's begin with the start of last week. You ended up replacing a Rosalie model very last minute."

"I did. I went into Rosalie Fashions on Friday around noon and found out that they had just gotten word that one of their male models had been in a car accident and would be unable to walk the runway. Since I've had experience walking the runway and was pretty much the same size, it was an obvious choice for me to step into his place."

Madam Addison's eyebrows rose. "And you just happened to be going to Rosalie Fashions... why? To visit a special friend, perhaps? A girlfriend?"

"To visit a friend," Adrien corrected. "Marinette gets very focused and forgets to eat sometimes, especially during crunch times such as the lead-up to Fashion Week, so I went to bring her lunch."

"That is a very boyfriend-like move, many would say."

Adrien shrugged. He wasn't going to get defensive, because he knew how that could be- would be- read. "Perhaps to some people. I'd do the same thing for my other friends if they were stressed and I had time to visit...and if we were in the same country," Adrien added. He knew full well that without the qualifier, he would have people trying to tail him to see if he actually visited anyone else with lunch, never mind that it should be obvious that the majority of his friends would be back in Paris.

"If you say so." Madam Addison glanced down at her notepad. "So that explains why you replaced a model last-minute, but then you were spotted throughout the week together."

"Marinette and I are friends," Adrien pointed out again. "We've known each other since collège. And friends, y'know, customarily hang out with each other. I had the week off, so I decided to spend it with Marinette instead of just hanging out alone in my apartment."

"But surely you've seen enough fashion shows in your life, for someone who isn't interested in fashion?"

"I'm interested in fashion," Adrien corrected again. He wasn't quite sure where this perception had come from that he wasn't interested in fashion. Maybe he wasn't crazy gung-ho about it, but it wasn't as though it bored him all the time. "I'm not one for designing, but I do enjoy looking at the finished product." A stretch, maybe- he could get tired of looking at the finished products, especially when they were old, rehashed ideas or just a little too weird- but it was close enough that the little white lie could slide.

Madam Addison was looking as though the interview was perhaps not going quite the way she had hoped, but she pressed on. "So you claim that there isn't anything of a romantic nature going on between you and Marinette, and yet we have photos of you throughout the week acting very much like a boyfriend...or something more." She pulled a stack of photos out from an envelope and spread them in front of Adrien. He leaned forward, interested, and then had to quench the urge to roll his eyes because really? They were really going to make a big deal about him filling Marinette's water bottle and getting a wrap for her to eat?

They were reaching, but then again, when were they not? There wouldn't be any news for the tabloids to sell if they didn't make up some of their own.

"Running errands, practically being plastered to her side throughout the week, giving her your suit jacket, cuddling, and-" she pulled out her last photo. "- a kiss."

"On the cheek," Adrien pointed out immediately. "We're French. It's a thing."

"I was rather under the impression that cheek kisses were for hellos and goodbyes, not while waiting for fashion shows to start."

Adrien mentally swore. He should have known that the reporter wouldn't let that slip past her that easily. But he could play that game too. He lounged comfortably in his chair, looking as comfortable and un-ruffled as could be. Sometimes model training came in handy. "I wasn't aware that cheek kisses came with rules."

Madam Addison laughed at that before turning her attention back to the photos. "Fine, then. A friendly cheek kiss. And what about these other pictures, then?"

"Workers really don't have the time to step away and get things to eat or drink before or when the runway show they're involved with is going," Adrien said, pushing the first two photos to the side. "Or directly after the show finishes, for that matter, because they have to clean up their backstage space and move out in time for the next designer to set up. So I decided to be helpful and run a few errands so that Marinette wouldn't get dehydrated or hungry." He moved to the next few photos. "And there's so many people at Fashion Week that if you go there with someone and don't stick to their side, you'll lose them pretty fast."

"You really do have an explanation for everything," Madam Addison said, sounding less than impressed. "And the jacket and the cuddling?"

Adrien couldn't help the smile. "Well, there was a fairly obvious answer to all of your questions. As for the jacket and the cuddling, it was a bit on the chilly side in the runway room that morning, and Marinette had a light top on, so I gave her my jacket."

"Just like a boyfriend would. Or a husband."

She just wasn't giving up, was she? And what was with those husband comments? "My parents raised me to be a gentleman, and a gentleman doesn't let a lady freeze."

His father would appreciate that comment, if he ever saw it. Of course, it had been his mother and not his father who had been the one to teach him manners, but details like that didn't really matter to Gabriel.

"And then a gentleman tries to squish a lady by hugging her?"

"Well, then I was cold, and she was a wonderful source of heat." Adrien shrugged. "We've been friends for forever, and we joke around sometimes. Occasionally that ends up with us acting a little ridiculous."

"My sources said that you and your friend live in the same building, just across the hall from each other," Madam Addison said, collecting her photos again before sitting back in her chair. "Normally friends don't go to the effort of getting flats right next to each other."

Adrien couldn't help but laugh at that.

"That was actually a complete coincidence, actually," Adrien admitted with a grin. "The building has a lot of Madam Rosalie's interns and workers living there, since it's so close to their workplace. And I didn't actually select where I was going to live- I know it sounds awful, but my father's secretary actually found the place for me. I had no idea that Marinette was even in the same part of town, let alone the same building." That they had just happened to be neighbors was still nothing short of a miracle. "And then I accidentally ran right into her as I was leaving my flat on my first day in London. She had been here for a couple months already, so it was great to have a friend here who could show me around."

"Do you explore the city together as well?"

"Of course, when we both have the time." There was no point in denying it. If he did and then the paparazzi saw them traveling places together, they would make a bigger deal about it than if he just admitted it outright. "It's much more fun to see the sights with someone else. She sees things that I don't, and I see things she doesn't. And sometimes the she wants to go somewhere I wouldn't have gone on my own, and then we both end up having a great time."

"So we're likely to see the two of you out and about together," Madam Addison filled in. "Now, there was one other burning question we all had. There was a wedding advertisement a few months ago that, I think, largely flew under our radar. I think everyone in London has seen it now. It features you and Marinette as the bride and groom, surrounded by what my sources say are her coworkers."

"It was a very fun photoshoot," Adrien said with a smile.

"Yes, it looked fun. But I think people were wondering why the models for the shoot were such a mix. I understand that having normal-sized people in photoshoots is a hot new trend- and a welcome one!- but this shoot had a bunch of normal men and women and a single supermodel. It was an odd mix."

"It was," Adrien acknowledged, but he didn't say anything further. He didn't particularly feel like digging himself into a hole with the wedding photoshoot. It was better to get a feel for how much Madam Addison knew before he gave away too much accidentally.

"And even more recently, other photos have popped up," Madam Addison continued. "And the most interesting of the photos was this one." She held up the photo of Adrien dipping Marinette and kissing her full on the lips.

Adrien couldn't help the impish smirk that danced across his lips. He shouldn't have been smiling, really- as far as photos went, that was pretty damning- but at least he looked pretty cool.

"And only this morning, I learned about a video that was taken during the so-called photoshoot," Madam Addison continued when she didn't get the response she wanted out of Adrien. "We have the highlights of the video compiled here." With that, she turned her laptop around so Adrien could see it. It was short and focused on the vows, the signing of the "official" paper, and the kiss.

"So we seem to have fairly definitive proof that you and Marinette are married," Madam Addison finished, with a wide grin at the camera. "And the photoshoot was used as a cover-up so your father didn't find out."

So much for the photoshoot cover. Clearly someone had leaked the video.

"Well, it would have been a bit pointless as a cover-up, since I posted that video to my Facebook," Adrien said, letting his smirk slip onto his face. Honesty was probably the best policy here. It was a prank, and it was a prank that people would probably find pretty funny. "My father was meant to see it."

Madam Addison's brows shot up. "Is this a confession? You're actually married?"

"No, not at all. The wedding thing was one part photoshoot, one part prank." He flashed a winning grin at the camera. "I felt as though I wasn't being trusted to not make any bad decisions while I was studying here in London, so when the opportunity for a wedding photoshoot popped up right after I arrived in London, I hopped on it." He pulled out his phone and opened his Facebook, scrolling downward. The actual posts would confirm his story. "We then extended the basic photoshoot to make it look like an actual wedding, and then I pranked my father by claiming I had just met someone and immediately gotten married." He handed his phone over to Madam Addison so she could see the screen. He could only hope that she wouldn't take the opportunity to try to go through the rest of his phone. There wasn't anything particularly incriminating on there, but the more information tabloid reporters had, the more they could take out of context.

"Oh, this is hilarious," Madam Addison chortled, laughing as she scanned the photos. "You really pranked your father? Your father, Gabriel Agreste?"

"It was fun," Adrien said with a grin. "Madam Rosalie was 100% behind it, which was great. And we only told the people involved and Marinette's family. All of our friends got pranked as well, and their reactions were hilarious."

"For those who are wondering, the earliest post here says, 'Just ran into her yesterday and we decided we had to get married' and it has a whole album of photos from the wedding," Madam Addison said. She scrolled up. "The next one has the full video and says, 'Some wonderful people took a video of our special day so we could share it with everyone who wasn't there! Apologies for not inviting friends and family back in Paris, but we just couldn't wait!' You were really laying it on thick there, weren't you?" Madam Addison asked with a laugh. "Very romantic."

"It worked better than I expected," Adrien admitted. "There were a lot of people who thought we were actually being serious."

"Including your father?"

"Including my father," Adrien confirmed. "And our friends seemed to believe us too, for some reason. They were ticked off that they weren't invited. We got quite a few texts from them complaining about it."

"Perhaps they believed you because they thought that you were already dating?" Madam Addison suggested. "Or that you should be dating?"

"I think it had more to do with the fact that they knew that we had known each other for years," Adrien said with a shrug. "But my father read the post like I meant for him to do, and so he thought that I had only known her for a day."

"That you had only- oh! 'Just ran into her yesterday and we decided we had to get married!' Very nice suggestive wording! I thought it was maybe a little awkward considering that you knew each other, but that makes sense!" Madam Addison was really laughing now. "And then here's your last post: 'Thanks to everyone who helped us pull off the impromptu wedding! In case you haven't already guessed, it was completely fake. I'm slightly concerned by how many people thought we weren't kidding though!' How many people thought you were serious?"

"Too many," Adrien admitted. "There were friends, there were models, there were other people that worked with me and for my father. I was really confused about why they thought that I would just up and marry someone I just met."

"So the photoshoot, then," Madam Addison said, composing herself again (a few more giggles slipped out anyway). "Was it originally meant to be all typical people plucked from the business?"

"I'm not sure," Adrien admitted. "It might have been. I never asked."

"And was Marinette originally supposed to be the 'bride' for the shoot?"

"She was the only person I knew would go along with my crazy plans to prank my dad," Adrien said with a grin. "And to be perfectly fair, she did try to talk me out of it at first. But I brought her around."

Madam Addison finally let out a somewhat defeated sigh. "So it sounds like you and this girl are great friends and partners in crime- or at least in pranks- and we'll see more of these kinds of interactions between you two. You're going to drive all of the gossip reporters insane, you know."

Adrien shrugged. He knew that. He also didn't care, unless his father really thought it was necessary for Adrien to make a statement every time some reporter decided to make a fuss about his and Marinette's friendship. Then it would just be irritating.

"Well, you'll keep things interesting, at least. You do know that people will keep seeing a relationship between the two of you- a romantic relationship?"

"They're trying too hard to see something, then," Adrien said simply. There was nothing else to say about it. "They're just making a mountain out of a molehill."

[galactic-pirates]

Fandom, Creation and Me

With it being NaNo tomorrow I am doing update posts, and planning posts, and basically sorting everything out. It's also something I do at the end of/start of every year. It's part cleaning house, part goal setting.

This has been a funny year with moving house dominating all of it. I was just going to update my art goals, only to discover I didn't make my customary end of December post because that was during the madness. Then I remembered I didn't think I updated here either. I checked the archive and I did say I'd finally moved on September 13th but as to my fandom plans not a whisper. So I'm going to talk about it now!

Mid-April I made a post in which I said:

SO! My mission, should I choose to accept it bwahaha is to write EVERY SINGLE fanfic idea on my list (that I still want to write when I get to it) before the end of the year. Deadline December 31st. After that the slate is wiped clean. 

This started to go off the rails when I stopped writing in the summer. Some people write more when they are stressed as an escape. I wish I could say I was one of them but alas I unfortunately do my best turtle impression instead and basically very little gets done.

When I moved into my house that was a fresh start in the biggest way possible. I want - no I need - to make the most of that. I had to think about what serves me, and ultimately I decided to make my clean break then. So yeah, no more fanfic from me.

I have a few WIPs on my HD but thankfully due to my policy these days of not posting until stories are complete, that doesn't matter. I do feel... I wanted those ideas to be brought to life as I do like them, but I had to make a choice about what was best for me, and wistful thoughts about what could have been aren't going to change my mind.

So am I quitting fandom?

No.

I'm still co-mod of Saffi Prompts and I intend to help with that if it comes out of hiatus. I'm still running Saffi Bingo, in as much as I sent out the cards months ago but nothing seems to have happened. I'm helping put together the 13th anniversary event for Bering and Wells next April.

I also just signed up for a Leverage Bingo Card because you see while my fanfic days are over, my fanart days are not.

I want to get into art in a big, big way. I feel like fanfic helped me a lot with my writing journey. Fanfic helped me see projects through from beginning to end, helped me produce on a schedule, helped me keep up the practice when my mental health wouldn't permit me to write other things. I owe fanfic a lot. It's my hope that fanart might fulfil the same function in terms of getting me started.

Now I know I've promised I would do art in the past and then haven't done it. For years I have made it a goal to do 1 piece a month and I've never got close. I think the best I ever did was at the start of 2021 when I think I made it to April before I stopped.

That was before though, and the start of my writing journey was a similar tale. I went through a time when I wrote once a year - for NaNo - and didn't write at all the rest of the time. It's unthinkable now but that's how it was. So just because I didn't draw on the regular in the past, despite saying I would, doesn't mean I will always fail at that.

TLDR

No more fanfic from me. Expect fanart - eventually. I want to work through some art courses I have first before I go back to trying to draw what I imagine. Hopefully this will mean when I attempt those imagined pieces they will be better, and not as cringeworthy when I look back later as to how I ever dared post them on the internet.

P.S. What about gifsets?

Nearly forgot about that. Fandom Friday will not be returning. I don't have the time. However, I'm not ruling out making sets when/if I feel inspired to do so.

[threewaysdivided]

I was screaming when I saw the update notification in my inbox! (And I might have done a little embarrassing dance, too). Every part of this chapter was well worth the wait! The tone and plot read like something you would find in S1 of YJ, and I loved every minute of it! I have to say, one of my favorite moments was when Phantom accidentally gave everyone a brainfreeze 🤣 That was unexpected, but definitely added some levity to the situation haha! Thank you for the excellent chapter dear author!

Thank you so much! The number of people who've told me they yelled/ gasped/ jumped or otherwise went absolute wiggly bonkers on seeing the update note for Deathly Weapons Chapter 18 has been utterly delightful. After so long I was mostly expecting to be met with a mix of crickets and "oh huh. guess you're not dead then. cool".

Hopefully 21K worth of mission is sufficient apology for my frankly overlong absence.

There was a time when this fic had a regular upload schedule but these days I feel like I've evolved into an odd sort of cryptid. The Loch Ness monster's saltier cousin who occasionally whale-breaches out of the lake to canonball novella-length updates into the water before disappearing back down into the murky depths of container gardening and writing analysis from whence I came.

I've been really gratified to hear so many people say the Black Gold mission felt like it could be a proper YJS1 episode. Arc II is definitely where YJ:DW swings more Young Justice story-wise and it's sort of my little love letter to Season 1 so it's nice to know that I'm coming somewhere within swinging distance of capturing that style.

I'm also glad this one seems to be carrying itself pretty well as a semi-self-contained plot - I was kind of worried that it was going to be a bit of a wet fish to drop after 2 years of silence. Don't get me wrong, Chapter 18 is doing important structural things but (to me, at least) it's not as significant to the characters or long-term plot as the missions I have planned to follow it (ironically contributing to the catch-22 of it taking so long to write).

One of my favorite moments was when Phantom accidentally gave everyone a brainfreeze

Fun fact: that odd little scene of telepathic tomfoolery came about mostly because I wanted to set up Wally calling Phantom "an actual headache to work with" in a later chapter. Behold the lengths I am willing to go to for absolute nonsense!

While I wouldn't call Black Gold an especially funny chapter on the whole there were definitely some little bits that were just plain fun to write. Top picks include:

Sphere rattled her plates in a way that made it clear she felt she was being babied.

“Uh, yeah, just… have you ever cut through a construction yard after dark?” - the Boy Wonder’s affirmatory noise was echoed by Artemis - “Well now imagine it’s full of people who want to kill you.”

Wally attempted a suave lean as the men slid to the ground.  “These guys bothering you?”

Just for a moment, he considered that he might be insane.

“Wasn’t he tied to a table?” “Yeah, and?” the speedster gave a magnificent shrug.  “He still is.”

“Besides,” Kid Flash shrugged the item on experimentally, colour eye-watering against his stealth-suit, “you know me: moves like a shadow.”

Can you tell that I just really, really like writing Wally?

also this one:

“Maybe you should re-re-count. You know, make sure you’ve got your facts straight?”

which isn't all that funny but tickles me because oh the shade, the backhandedness of it all.

In somewhat related news, I am very excited now because Chapter 18 being done means I get to move onto Chapters 19 - 21, a trinity which astute readers may recognise as Flashpoints, Combustion and Equilibrium aka that Wally-heavy trinity whose outline I've been going nuts over for literal years.

And also: it's already got a rough outline! Which, with luck means I might take less than 20% of a decade to get it to you. Golly, imagine that!

Hope you'll come along to see 💜

[dangan-happy]

Password: I want Mikan to have wheelies to escape her feelies (yeah, me too, Mikan)

To: Izuru, Celeste, and/or Mikan [TW for brief mention of d//ath due to c//ncer]

Hey there. It's me again, RiRi, and I'm back with more crap in my life. Hopefully, this will be more organized compared to my last one.

So this past weekend was okay (better than last week, at least), but today's already been a cruddy day (which most likely means that this week will be terrible as well). Considering my insomina is still terrible and my sleep schedule is nonexistent, I fell asleep at some point during my first two morning Zoom calls. Oh, but get this. My dumb ass woke up sometime after my second Zoom call officially ended, looked at the time, and thought for some flipping reason: "Oh, I'm done with my morning Zoom calls. I can sleep in now!" Yeah, plot twist: My dumb ass forgot about my third and final morning Zoom call, and instead of attending it, I straight-up fell asleep and missed the whole thing. So go me, I guess.

I saw my counselor earlier today, and well, I got two things revolving around that. For one, in the near future, I'll have to go from seeing her twice a week to just once a week (she explained why, but I don't wanna bore you guys with the details). And for two, we further talked from our last appointment, and from scrolling through the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition), she came to the concluding diagnosis that I have Bipolar 1 Disorder (which I acknowledge and accept, as lots of certain things/experiences make sense now). And now, she wants me to try and step up by scheduling an appointment with my doctor for a mental health consult. She made it sound so easy, but my social anxiety and immense hopelessness is already making me decide to just... not make the call and forever sulk and rot away. Or to just hopelessly rely on my mom, who's too busy to really do much for herself anyway.

To (hopefully) wrap this up, my excuse of an uncle was supposed to leave either yesterday or today. Well, after connecting the dots, I realized why he's still here. A relative of mine passed away from cancer on Saturday night. I wasn't even close to her, we didn't love each other, so while the sympathy+empathy is there, I'm not emotionally affected whatsoever. But now, my excuse of an uncle is staying longer in order to attend the funeral, and now, I'll have to waste my time that could be spent on more important matters (aka school) at some funeral instead, which is slowly but surely building up anger within me.

Kind of like last time, not big on advice. I mean, if you have some crucial advice, then share away. But for the most part, I just want some comfort/reassurance, encouragment, and a hug or two. Sorry for another long ask from me, and I hope you guys have a good day.

Hello again RiRi, don't worry about being organized, your last ask was just fine, but I do appreciate the extra attention to detail. You're a lovely person aren't you? I am glad to hear that your weekend was better, although I am sorry to hear that things are less than wonderful for you now. Let's see what we can do about that, shall we? First of all, do try to keep a positive mindset. Just because one day wasn't the best doesn't mean that the rest of the week will be. Sometimes having that outlook actually can make things worse, just something to keep in mind. Oh dear, while sleep is good, that doesn't seem to be the best time for it. I would maybe talk to a medical professional, such as a sleep specialist to potentially help with that. Additionally, I would try to set alarms for each of your classes, so even if you do fall asleep for one, you'll wake up in time for the next one. Maybe you could also find a way to keep yourself awake during class, but just make sure it's a safe method, and it doesn't harm you.

Talking to a counselor is a wonderful thing my dear! Even if you have a lot of emotions surrounding the events, it ultimately is a good thing, and this will be very beneficial in the long run. I am pleased you have a diagnosis, as this can lead to more specialized treatment that will help you more than regular treatment. Yes, I do agree. Stepping up to talk to your doctor is the best next step. I'm sorry you're feeling anxious. If I'm being honest, you don't have anxious about if we're rationalizing things. By all means, don't rot away. You deserve so much better than that. If I could, I'd make the call for you to ease that anxiety. It does sound like this is something you'll have to do yourself, since you mother is so busy. I know you feel hopeless, but you're easily capable of this my dear. If you're confident enough to talk to me, you can talk to your doctor too. I count this as necessary advice, so do listen up. Perhaps write down what you want to say before hand, so you can just read that during the call instead of having to think of it as you're calling.

It sounds like you're not to fond of your uncle, so I am sorry to hear that. I am sorry for your loss, and while this may sound strange, I'm pleased to hear that you're not especially impacted by this emotionally. It doesn't make you especially cold or inhuman, you said you weren't close, so you're reacting perfectly naturally. I'm sorry your time is being impacted by this. I would try to alter your schedule until the funeral is over so you can maximize your work time so you can get as much done as you can. As hard as it is, try not to let the anger grow too much. Try to vent it, just get it out so it doesn't explode out of you. Yes, this is terribly inconvenient to you, but in reality, attending this funeral is the least you can do. This is a sort of closure, and even if you aren't especially impacted, it is a closure to this person's life, and as soon as it is over, your life can continue as normal.

Yes, all the advice I said here is crucial in my opinion, but I did try my best to keep it minimal. You most certainly have a lot on your plate, but I have complete confidence that you will do absolutely fine with everything. You're an intelligent, strong person, even if you don't feel like it. You have my full confidence that you can step up and handle any of this that's coming your way. Everything will be alright my dear. The funeral will be over before you know it. You will ultimately get help for the other things that plague you, and while it may take some time, you will survive this and come out stronger and better than ever. No need to apologize for the long ask. As you can see my answer is quite long as well. I'd be happy to give you two hugs! You can have all the hugs you want my dear, just ask. I hope you have a wonderful day too my dear, and an even more wonderful life.

[lesbiancarat]

Yay!! Im happy to hear that! Hopefully you can rest up well from your semester!

Ahh by that I meant like you know how kpop albums have concept pictures included? Thats how I view what the TTT magazines are just minus a physical disc cx sorry for the confusion!! Honestly this is all so new and interesting, seventeen never really done something like this. Yes we had mixtape songs but not in this way so promotion will be different. I saw wonwoo and mingyu are doing a song but that isn't related to spider so that means its like jun's and minghao's songs. Which makes things a bit confusing lol, not complaining since hey more content for us ^_^ but yeah guess we have yo see when the next solo actually is. Oh and seventeen coming back!! This is the kind of news I needed, I'm shocked they actually have their own usa site to buy stuff (sort of like nct has) because I know bts nor txt don't. Well bts USED to but that was before bighit decided to shut it down in favor for weverse which sadly I don't see the need for (plus call me old and weird but I don't trust buying stuff from apps? Like I feel a bit more comfy on a computer which Ik doesn't mean its not safer but meh, apps make me fishy lol) also Walmart is selling the albums, bless my family uses Walmart alot (like we used it last night xD) so maybe I can squeeze it in next time? Granted I want to wait for the concept photos first because while I do like a surprise, its also just nice knowing what the vibe is. Or be the complete opposite of what the mv will be about lol.

Ahh as much i was being hopeful and had her eat, sadly my bunny didn't make it =c she passed away on the weekend. She was a strong bunbun, she tried her best to make it out but alas she didn't win. I'm a bit happy my gut instinct told me to spend time with her because at least I got to be with her for her last hour. It kinda sucks because I feel slightly guilty because I couldn't get her the proper help so I feel like I let her down (especially after I found out from reviews the food I bought for her is actually not good for bunnies and can cause problems so I feel dumb) I shouldn't since I gave my bunny the best love I could give while caring for her so she wasn't in a bad place with me. Still can't shake that off, feels weird not waking up and seeing her around or like when I play games she isn't near me chilling. Healing takes time of course so I'm making myself busy with enjoying content from my favorite artists. I made a lil promise that I would finish a game that I played alot while she joined me (it sounds silly but I viewed it as like "our game" ya know?) For her in memory. Sorry for babbling about this bsksbsjd. Losing a pet isn't fun at all. I am so sorry about your cat *hugs you* im sure that furry buddy was well loved!! If I may ask of course, do you have a favorite memory of your cat? Like any funny moment or cute ones?

ahhh ok i get what you mean! it will definitely be interesting to see how it all plays out since SVT haven't done a project like this before. I'm really curious how spread out all the solos are going to be. esp with a cb coming up it seems unlikely we'll get a TTT solo any time soon? but then again SVT are always surprising us these days. but i wonder if they'll come out just whenever a member happens to prepare it or if it's all scheduled out at semi regular intervals 🤔

but yeah it looks like bittersweet is part of the power of love project as opposed to TTT... it's getting complicated real fast! and yeah SVT is definitely expanding into/focusing more on US promotions now... it will be interesting to see how it all plays out! but i totally get what u mean about preferring to buy things on the computer it's funny how that is sometimes djfkgj i had been thinking about preordering the other day since it seemed like we wouldn't be able to pick the version we want anyway, but now that there are some shops that let you i definitely want to wait and see the teaser photos. every day i keep expecting them to start releasing but we get a different surprise instead OTL

I'm sorry to hear about your bunny :( but it's good that you were able to spend time with her at the end, I'm sure it made her feel safe to have someone who cared for her by her side rather than being alone <3 try not to feel too guilty about it, since what's done is done and there's no way to know for sure if it was the sole reason for her failing health. it's good that you're able to recognize and work through your grief, and i think finishing that game is a great way to do that and to honor her memory :')

and thanks, we lost her a little while ago now so luckily thinking about her is more nostalgic than sad. but as for a funny story Riley was a gremlin. she got up on the counters and kitchen table a lot when we weren't looking. she also liked eating paper and we had to be careful where we left things bc once she ate my sister's homework. which, ok, she didn't eat the entire paper but she did eat a corner of it and sort of ripped and crinkled the rest. i can't remember if my sister turned it in like that or if she had to redo it djgkgj

here's a picture of the frame/shadowbox thing my mom made for her after she died with photos, her collar (which she hated and hardly ever wore dhfk), and her favorite toy ;-;

also u didn't ask but here's my other cat liberty from a few days ago :P (she's getting older and has arthritis and kidney issues but she's still alive and kicking!)

[trashcat-hiss]

Everything is in flux and I think I may have gone back to some old habits to cope.

My partner was finally able to find work again, but at the end of a 12 week training he/we could be assigned anywhere in the US. It's software dev work, so our assumption has been that we'll end up near a city, but really it could be anywhere.

I'm living in the future--hoping that my mental/emotional symptoms will ease once we're not living with his entire family, hoping that doing house stuff only (and not panicking about using the washing machine, dishwater, oven because I can't know when one of the other people will be using it) can bring me to a place of schedule and regularity, hoping that we'll bring few enough things that I can learn how to keep a place clean, the not so secret hope that we'll move to a cannabis-legal state so I can get relief when flashbacks or physical pain are overwhelming... I'm not really present, or able to take steps toward that close future.

There's also the possibility that we don't change metro areas. In my state the house just passed a bill basically banning CBD flower, which doesn't bring the same relief as full fat cannabis for me, but it can ease things a point or two and that's not nothing. Why is my state going backward? I can't understand why (in our capitalist system) they'd abandon what could be an amazing source of revenue and tax. Hemp and cannabis grow well in this climate. Blerg.

With all that up in the air (uncertainty is triggering enough), I found that I gave in a little to the covid19 scare and bought 20lbs of rice, two bags of dry milk, and cans of tomatoes and beans... "just in case" I told myself. Because I know food scarcity in my core, the fears never really go away. But after the purchase (that we couldn't really afford rn) I realized that buying and living on staple foods is how my mother lives. It's how she coped/s with having been through scarcity. But she doesn't eat fresh food, and the parts of me that are still harboring healthism worry. I also fear flashbacks from tasting rehydrated dry milk. I don't want to think about my mother. I don't want to think how I'm reliving this trauma by choice. I justified the purchases (we rarely get through half gallons of milk and maybe dry milk will mean less waste), but trauma brain can justify anything.

My partner has been taking care of the dishes for the... four? years we've been together because it's a likely place for me to get hit with an ugly flashback, but he's been so busy doing homework for this training that there's not much left for me to use. Every day I wake up and try to convince myself that I can do the thing, but I go to bed not having been able to push myself to risk that kind of flashback in front of his family. I want to be working as hard as he is, he's not pushing me, I'm pushing me... but I can't make it happen. I'm holding out for the future when I'll be the only one home (with my alert dog) and can work through dishes trauma without having anyone to witness a breakdown.

I hate being in this paralyzed limbo. It's natural and maybe healthy to look forward to something new and hopefully better for me, right? I want stability and safety so I can work on things like trauma (and the old executive function tbqh). But how do I get from here to there?

[aquarianlights]

I'm happy and sad. happy that you've been happy about your field and doing stuff. sad because imu :c

I’m sorry. :C I know. I’ve actually been so goddamn busy that I literally haven’t had time to talk to anyone except my roommates and I only talk to them because, you know, they are right here and I can talk to them while I’m doing stuff.

I love this. I absolutely love the work I’m doing. I love what I’m learning. I love the people I’m meeting. I love the connections I’m making. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am.

The only problem is how much fucking pain I’m in every day. I was very literally in tears today even with meds in me and a heating pad on me because my fibro and ehlers danlos is so flared from overexertion. The physical pain is practically unbearable when I get home. But when I get home. . .I have just barely enough time to eat something and watch maybe one episode of something and then I have to get to work. Immediately. And if I sleep, then I have to wake up at 8am, no later, so that I can start working on stuff by AT LEAST 8:30 and leave the house by AT LEAST 10 to be on campus by AT LEAST 10:30. But, I usually just get up and get ready and then leave and do my work on campus before my first class if I’m not doing anything before that. But I’ve had a fuckton of appointments and other things going on, too.

Ie; Tomorrow? I have an appointment at 8:30. . .and then class, then I gotta stay on campus after classes to work on a bunch of stuff that’s due, then I have another appointment later in the evening and then I have to drop off some letters and run some errands and then when I get home, I have to take a shower and immediately get to work on more things. And then Friday, I formed a study group with my first and second class and we’re all meeting up in the library because we have 2 exams back to back in each class. I mean, I personally, have an exam in EVERY SINGLE CLASS Monday... but everyone in our study group has 2 exams back to back that we are all studying for on Friday. And this weekend is Pride. And I’ll be experiencing my very first Pride. And uh. . .the rest of this weekend is just hardcore fucking studying..... You have no fucking idea. And then monday is.......ugh. Doomsday. And then the week literally just...starts again with a whole bunch of other stuff due while the exams are going on and all that.

That’s just a small example of why I’ve been out of touch. That’s, uh. . . the more toned down version? I can’t even describe what my schedule was like yesterday and today. It was literal craziness and that’s why I ended up crying from pain because of the overexertion. I didn’t have time to stop. I just didn’t. And that was even with good time management skills. So I’m like. . . Ergh. Alright.

My first professor taught at Berkeley and he also went to Berkeley, so he literally started off the semester being like “If you’re not ready to learn at this pace and this level, you need to get out of my class. Now.” Four people have already dropped to this point. And I mean, there is a little note in all the syllabuses for science major science courses (ie: a bio course for sciences majors versus a regular bio course for gen ed studies) that if you find out your science course is “too hard” for you, the drop date for science major courses is a little tiny bit later than everything else because they’re apparently just ridiculously hard. Which. . .Ngl, I’m finding that out. The pace is ridiculously fast even for summer accelerated courses. I mean, I’ve been taking accelerated courses and summer courses since I turned 18. I have only taken one single summer off since I turned 18 and entered college. But uh. . .these accelerated courses are speedy compared to the “normal” level of speedy. It’s exciting and fun and makes me very happy.

The stress is a good kind of stress. It’s the stress that gets me excited and makes me smile and be in a good mood, just...ALL the time. I literally bought labels the other day and I’ve been going home and colour coding my notes to make them all pretty and stuff and agh. Doing extra things that I do NOT have time for LOL.

But uh, I mean, colour coding notes really helps. Turns out. I didn’t study at all for our first quiz, BUT since I went home and took the time to colour code the notes, the top three students ended up getting bonus points on the test for our pop quiz. Well, when the end results showed up on the board (We use an app called Kahoot which tracks the progress of each student and ranks us all as we key in our answers), I was in the top 3 of our class, so I’m getting bonus points on my exam! So turns out colour coding really pays off. I’m retaining a LOT more when I colour code versus when I don’t. I finally learned the way of studying that is right for me and I just happened upon it by accident. Lol. I guess I’m an aesthetic learning and THAT ISN’T EVEN A THING LOLOL. I guess that could be filed under visual, but it’s a very specific type of visual for me. Coz not a lot of visuals work for me. Pictures and diagrams don’t really work for me. I’m primarily kinesthetic. So saying I’m a visual learner wouldn’t be accurate. But uh... an aesthetic learner would deff be accurate. HAHA. THAT ISN’T A THING, THO. BUT I NEED IT TO BE BECAUSE IT FUCKIN’ WORKS!

Ugh. Bruh. I’m just SO. MOTHER. FUCKING. HAPPPPYYYYYYYYYY.

But.......exhausted physically. And I want to sleep for eternity. But, alas, I cannot. And I had the absolute worst fucking nightmare this morning when I finally drifted off that woke me up crying. All I remember is No Face from Spirited Away turning into Slender Man, only they were both in this weird mime-striped uniform and they were both on the wall and their heads were like... upside down and they looked like giant stringy spider-people. More spider than person. But definitely person. And they just kept staring at me and following me wherever I went and they wouldn’t fucking stop and they could hear everything I thought and I somehow knew they would punish me if I thought the wrong thing. Like a thought-crime in 1984. But it was also sort of controlling my thoughts. I was thinking my own thoughts, but it was also bending my willpower in a way. And all I remember after that is something REALLY fucked up. I remember...I think it was either my mom or my roommate holding this orange cat that almost looked like HER cat, but I somehow was distinctly aware that it wasn’t her cat and that it was this spider person’s evil familiar and that it wasn’t actually a cat. I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a cat. But I do remember pounding the cats head in with a hammer, but it didn’t lose the shape of a cat. But I somehow was both viewing the cat and this No Face/Slenderman/Spider creature on the wall with an upside-down head and black-and-white striped body just staring at me both at the same time. Like a two panel comic? I could see both happening. And I could feel my chest fucking caving in and my heart pounding as pink brain matter splattered out of this cat’s head and that’s when I woke up sobbing and frantically grabbing at my pillow and trying to look around at all the corners of the room and the walls and the ceiling to make sure the thing still wasn’t fucking there. I still don’t know whether the thing made me bash in the cats head or if I did that on my own, but man that was a fucked up dream and it scared me to death and every time I close my eyes I can see that fucking thing just staring at me. Silently. Just silently fucking perched on the wall up in a corner high above me. Fucking creepy.

UH ANYWAYS. I DIGRESS! I’m gonna head off to bed now coz I’m FUCKING EXHAUSTED AND IN PAIN. And I have an appointment at fucking 8:30 in the goddamn morning so... good fucking night, I hope. Ugh.......shoot me.

I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch with everyone, though. When I finally settle into this new routine, I hope it’ll be better. Gimme a few more weeks and hopefully things will be back to normal. For those of you that stick it out with me, bless you. For those of you that don’t.... [shruggy emoji].

[agl03]

The thing that jumped out at me on the new poster was Fridays this *WINTER*-- November definitely isn't winter 😬 do you think we're back to a 2018 premiere? I can't wait until NYCC-- hopefully we'll get something decent so I can stop overthinking every piece of news! (Also Tumblr is the WORST and randomly unfollowed you!! Guess I'm gonna have to go check and see who else they did that to *glares at staff*)

Hi @accio-the-force

Ugh, I hate the random unfollow…so I”m totally sorry to anyone Tumblr unfollowed and I haven’t realized it yet!

I’ve been staring at that poster all day because I know there is a clue in there.  This is the first poster of the Season and though its minimal, there will be something there!  From the shape of the pipes, to the space base/prison/condo, to the industrial/mechanical look.  So yay, more for theory mountain!

As for the date, we still don’t know when we’ll be back for sure…I’m not sure if ABC knows yet either.   We only know they come back right after Inhumans ends, which if it airs with no interruption will be done Nov 10 meaning we could be back literally on the heels of them on the 10th or the week after on the 17th.  I’ve also been keeping my eye on the ABC calendar and so far Inhumans will be running uninterrupted through Oct 20th putting them on episode 5 of their 8.   I think it will all depend on what they want on the schedule during November Sweeps.  

They may have kept the wording as Winter vs Fall to help avoid confusion.  If it said returning this Fall people would think it would be premiering now with everything else.  And its totally a mental thing for me but November is winter in my head…there is snow…its cold…its winter.  

My hope is we’ll get a premiere date at NYCC next week…NEXT WEEK!!!  And though I doubt they would drop a poster like that if we weren’t back until January, part of me is still braced for that.

Also a clue to the timing, there is a formula here and they need to be careful when they release stuff.  Not only do they not want to put too much out too soon but they have to keep us interested.  We got the Hunter return a couple of weeks ago and now the poster.  Keep dropping those teases that get more revealing as we get closer..  I know I totally sass the promo team on a regular basis and will continue to do so, they have dropped the ball more than once, but there is a plan here.  I have higher hopes for this season purely because they’ve had a lot of time to put together a proper marketing campaign.  Had time to get the footage they need ready for a trailer sooner than a week out.  Maybe just MAYBE one of those sizzle reel things at the con.  I know me and my expectations need to reign themselves in.  

Last year we got the Ghost Rider teaser poster about 2 months before we premiered.  This came out in the SDCC blitz which confirmed what we had been suspecting thanks to the Trolley, Ghost Rider.

And if my math is right…we are looking at just under 2 months to coming back in November.  Meaning NYCC is where we’ll at least get some sort of direction where things are going….hopefully.