#I'm not entirely sure what my point is I'm just thinking the way covid is handled it's like they're just waiting on everyone to die

[bumpscosity]

i'm gonna be honest i'm doing pretty bad rn. i'll live but somethings gonna snap sooner or later

[halalgirlmeg]

Also something that I've been thinking about in regards to masking is like...no matter your preference masks cost money and there are people who can mask and choose not to. But like there are people who can't mask consistently like, can homeless people mask all the time? And like what if they want to like go get something to eat or go indoors somewhere when it's really cold or raining? Or what about people in prison/jail? Like are masks available and knowing how prison works they're not free, nor is testing readily available. Like these are 2 groups of ppl who probably have a hard time getting access to good Healthcare for one reason or another they're actually more at risk

[mxstellatayte]

pretty please: chapter two.

pretty please masterlist.

chapter two warnings: covid happens :(, avoiding big emotional conversations, phone sex (not graphic,) i definitely deleted any and all covid social distancing rules when i was writing this but it'S FOR THE PLOT, oral sex (f receiving, not graphic,) LEWIS IS SUGAR DADDY!!!!!!!! (but there's also feelings but we don't want to admit that yet hehehehehehe)

chapter two word count: 3.7k

taglist (crossed out means i could not tag you/no blog was found): @pear-1206 @vivi-81 @irishmanwhore @lucycowr @benstormy

@anat33-blog1 @Xoscar03 @tremendousstarlighttragedy @nenamalenaa @champagneproblems17

@marknolee @toby33b @theendofthematerialgworl @soloqualcosa @sassyinchident808

join my taglist here!

take my hand while we dance on the edge of a knife

tuesday, 3 december, 2019

your phone chimes in the formula 1 radio tone, a custom ringtone you'd set just for lewis. glancing away from your computer screen, you see a simple text.

Hey.

what should you say? "hey yourself?" no, too sassy. "hey, thanks for the mind-blowing sex a few days ago. i think i'm into you, do you wanna go out?" way too forward. "hey!" too excited.

you settle on a simple "hey." in response.

for good measure, you add on a second text.

Thanks for the flight yesterday :)

his response? a simple "Yeah of course!"

"alright. so i'm going to have to be the one to bring it up. gotcha."

so this was the dance that you'd be doing. you'd just move on from the most life-changing sex you've ever had with four texts. you'd take a step forward, try to ask about what this would mean for your professional relationship, if anything, and he'd have one-sentence answers before moving on to a different topic.

that's fine.

it totally didn't make you insane.

definitely not.

instead of thinking about your client-slash-friend-slash-maybe-fuck-buddy over your winter holidays, you opt for drowning yourself in advance work, opting to make your contributions to the february 2020 issue the best the world has ever seen. your articles for the january issue are long submitted, but now that you've submitted everything for finalization for the next two months, you have a staycation at home with your cats, crochet, shitty reality tv, and a lot of alcohol filling up your schedule for the next two weeks (and a short visit to your parents up in leeds for christmas, but that's naught but a short interruption to your routine,) and you don't intend on letting work interrupt a single moment of the next two weeks.

the key word in that sentence being intend.

although, is it really considered work if it's just texting back and forth with someone who's a client-slash-friend-slash-maybe-fuck-buddy and not exactly a coworker?

"girl, i swear down on my nan's grave," amelia begins, and you grin, already knowing you're about to get a true amelia lorenz lecture, "if you don't make a move on him before new year's, i will, and i don't think he even knows my name!" she continues by weaving an intricate web of every single sign she's seen that points to the mutual attraction between yourself and the driver, and you're not sure when the right time is to tell her that you've already had sex with him. luckily, you find an opportunity when she stands from your couch to refill her glass of whiskey and pauses her monologue.

"is now a good time to tell you that we shagged after abu dhabi?"

amelia's head whips around so fast you're surprised it doesn't snap off of her neck. "you what?" you grin sheepishly, any and all confidence you've ever had in your entire life having evaporated in a microsecond. when she sits down opposite you on the couch, her left leg tucked into her crotch and her right hanging off the side, she has to set her glass on your coffee table so that she doesn't splash the whiskey everywhere. you both know what's coming purely based off of her body language. she takes a deep breath, then presses her hands together in a prayer-like stace and rests the nook of her nose in her fingertips. "let me get this straight." she pauses. "you." her right hand points directly at you as she says your full name. "shagged the lewis hamilton. and you didn't tell me immediately?"

"why do you think i wasn't on the flight back?" amelia's eyes widen in realization, and a grin spreads across her face.

"he flew you back on his jet?" you nod, taking another sip of your drink, and amelia squeals with delight. "i need every single detail. start talking."

friday, 13 march, 2020

your phone vibrates on your desk, and you glance over at it, unlocking it when you see the f1 logo on the notification. your heart sinks when you see what the notification reads, though.

"formula 1, fia and agpc announce cancellation of the 2020 australian grand prix"

"shit," you mutter, switching your phone off and resting your head in your hands. it won't be long before the lockdown reaches london, you know that, but it's difficult knowing that lewis was looking forward to being in the car again, especially with some of the new regulations that he hoped would lead to closer racing.

you send him a text before you go to sleep- it's almost 3 am.

Sorry to hear about the race. I know you were looking forward to driving.

by the time you've fallen asleep, though, lewis has seen your text and he gnaws at his lower lip, his thumbs hesitating over the keyboard of his phone's screen. yeah, he was looking forward to driving, but as the pandemic numbers increased, his anxiety about the race weekend did, too.

Thanks. I'm glad they called it off, though. The numbers were getting too high too fast.

months pass. your interviews with various drivers at the monaco and british grands prix are moved to video calls. the world gets thrown into lockdown, eases out of it, and then gets thrown into lockdown once more. dolphins are spotted in the canals of venice. george floyd's murder sparks a revolution that reaches all corners of the globe.

you don't go a day without texting, calling, or video calling with lewis.

it's sickening, really, how much his smile is keeping you sane. well, if you're being honest, it's a combination of his smile, your medication, and going on a lot of walks around your neighbourhood. leytonstone is a lovely part of london, yes, but there's only so many different routes you can take around the neighbourhood before you start itching to jump on a train and go anywhere.

in early june, you get the email. you'll be traveling to silverstone for a set of interviews with various drivers for the 70th anniversary race. it's the fifth of seventeen races on the updated calendar, and the email states that you may be sent to the abu dhabi grand prix, as well.

wednesday, 29 july, 2020.

you're practically vibrating with excitement as you board the first of four trains that will take you to your hotel. you're leaving a week before you're due in silverstone, though, because why wouldn't you take advantage of the double header race? you've never been to a race purely as a spectator and your giddiness makes you laugh. how going to a race has given you the butterflies in your stomach that you haven't felt since you were a teenager, you'll never know. sure, with the fia's no-spectator rule, you aren't really sure how people are planning on watching the race, but you're sure you'll learn as the weekend progresses. either way, you're one of many fans taking the train up to silverstone despite the rules stating that no fans could enter the paddock or the grandstands, many hopeful that simply being in the same general area might get them a chance of seeing any of the drivers in person. a few of the racing fans on the train even recognize you, one timidly holding the july 2019 edition of vogue.

the edition where your first interview with lewis was published.

"could you sign it?"

your jaw opens and closes beneath your mask a few times before you're able to regain your composure, accepting the magazine and sharpie from her with a smile.

"what's your name, darling? here, sit with me." she does, sitting across the aisle from you and nervously tucking a curl of ginger-brown hair behind her ear.

"kathleen. but you can call me kat," she adds, and you smile as you write a small note on the inside cover, adding your signature afterwards. "are you interviewing lewis hamilton this weekend?"

"i don't have any interviews this weekend. just next weekend." you look more intently at kat's outfit, and you smile below your mask. she's wearing a mercedes hoodie and baggy jeans, and you notice that her outfit reminds you of someone. "i like your outfit. it reminds me of some of lewis' outfits, actually." kat beams beneath her mask, her eyes scrunching up into happy crescents.

"thank you! he's kinda the inspiration behind my outfits for the weekend. i'm a huge fan of him, have been for years. i'll be honest, i didn't read much about fashion until you interviewed him, but i really liked your article and looked up some of your others. the one you wrote critiquing paparazzi for stalking celebrities was incredible! you wrote it so freely. i loved it." kat catches herself, noticing her rambling, folding her hands in her lap nervously. "sorry. i talk when i'm nervous."

"you have nothing to be nervous about. i'm just another human being." you hesitate a moment, leaning over to her as you pass the magazine and sharpie marker back. "can i tell you a secret?" she nods. "i was terrified the first time i interviewed lewis." kat's eyes grow wide, and you nod. "i was so nervous. i almost got sick a couple of times, actually."

"really?"

"mhm. i'm surprised i didn't."

"i definitely would."

"i doubt that. lewis is as nice- if not nicer- than he seems. after the first five minutes of talking to him, i knew i had nothing to worry about."

the two of you spend the remaining time on the trains talking together, and she animatedly drags her father towards you and you shake his hand, introducing yourself.

"pleasure to meet you. my name's dan. thank you for being a role model for my little girl." your heart swells with pride at the praise, and you nod.

"you're raising a very fine young woman, dan. she's got a bright future ahead of her." dan nods and thanks you, grinning behind his mask. you know, from what kat's told you, that dan has been a fan of formula 1 since the michael schumacher days and that he's been to three grands prix in his life- silverstone 2003, silverstone 2004, and germany 2008. this'll be his fourth. you also know that the white and papaya t-shirt he's wearing is from the most recent race he's attended. "do you happen to have instagram, dan?"

"i do, why?" his eyes narrow slightly, and you can understand why your question seems a little strange.

"i'm writing a piece about fan presence at recent grands prix, since there's been the 'no fans allowed inside' order from the fia, and would love to interview you and kat before and after the weekend," you lie. "i'd be willing to keep you both anonymous, if you'd like. if i can message you on instagram, it wouldn't be as much of a hassle as writing emails to communicate."

"i'd prefer we remain anonymous, but i'm sure she'd love to be interviewed."

you can't tie me down, but you can tie me up

thursday, 30 july, 2020.

the next morning, you call lewis, the hotel's breakfast menu next to you on your bed and your notepad perched on your lap, your pre-weekend "interview" with dan and kat in just over 90 minutes. lewis picks up the call on the third ring.

"hey!" you have to bite your lip to keep yourself from smiling too much, a rush of dopamine flooding your brain at the sound of his voice. "can i call you back in half an hour? i've got media stuff to do in about five minutes."

"i'll be fast. can you get two paddock passes made for sunday under the names kathleen and dan gallagher?"

"they'll have to be media passes, but yeah, why?"

"you'll see. i'll text you the names so you have them. see you in a few days!"

after texting bono a quick message regarding your own pass and ensuring that he would keep it completely and entirely a secret from lewis, you flop backwards onto your bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "what the hell have i gotten myself into?"

since the pandemic began, your relationship with lewis has been... well... less than professional.

your daily phone calls and texts with him have contained topics that still make shivers run up your spine and a flush of heat fill your cheeks and neck when you think about them. there have been many nights where you've been on a call with lewis and you're both breathing heavily, clothes messily strewn across your respective beds in a rush to lay back against your pillows and touch yourself to completion, obeying each other's commands and wishes.

there have also been many nights where you're tucked into your beds, roscoe fast asleep next to lewis and your own furry companions, pipsqueak and garfburger, the latter of which amelia named, curled into a ball of rare calmness next to you. the two of you ultimately fall asleep on the call, the idea of having someone with you, even if not physically, helping soothe your anxiety.

both types of calls are incredibly intimate and beautiful, each in their own way.

four days later, you're meeting up with bono outside the paddock to get your own pass and messaging back and forth with dan, attempting to figure out where you can meet him near the paddock entrance. trying to explain to him why you need to meet up today when your scheduled interview time is tomorrow without giving too many details proves to be a difficult task but you're thankfully able to manage. five minutes after bono appears, three media passes in hand, you see dan and kat round the corner. you wave him down, a smile on your face, and kat immediately comes running over to you. today, she sports a pair of baggy jeans, a hamilton jersey over what you assume is the same mercedes hoodie she was wearing on the train, and an incredibly well-loved pair of black platform converse.

"good morning to you both," you say, a bright grin on your face beneath your mask. from the way kat's eyes scrunch up behind glasses you can tell her own smile outshines your own.

"good morning! dad said you had some mid-weekend questions for us?"

"well..." your eyes flick back and forth between dan and kat, and you can see the gears turning in dan's head, but kat remains oblivious. "the mid-weekend questions were a bit of a lie, but i think- i hope- that what i have in my jacket pocket is enough for you to forgive me." with that, you pull the two black and purple media passes out of your jacket, check which one has kat's name on it and which has dan's, and hand them to their respective owners. "kathleen and dan gallagher, welcome to the formula 1 silverstone paddock."

"are you serious?" dan says in disbelief, and when you nod, kat squeaks in delight and throws herself at you, wrapping her arms around you in a vice grip.

"thank you thank you, thank you!"

"you're very welcome. are you ready to go see some cool cars?"

"is that a joke? of course!" kat looks at her father, hoping for some small nod of approval, and, when he does, you think the girl still glued to your torso might just combust from excitement. you can tell that dan's barely containing his own joy, his eyes mirroring the amount of joy you see in kat's.

"in that case, let's go." after about an hour of walking through the paddock, finding spare headsets in the mclaren garage, and smiling as kat and dan can't control their own amazement at the works of engineering in front of them land sheepishly asking a few drivers for photos,) you make your way, finally, to the mercedes garage. "re you two hungry at all? care for a coffee or tea? mercedes has the best food in the paddock. "

"i'd love a coffee, actually." dan says. "kat? you want anything?"

"a cuppa sounds perfect, thank you."

"i've got it. here, have a seat, i'll be right back, " you say, attempting to sound as casual as physically possible when you know you're about to blow their minds. they sit at one of the tables in the small cafe, and you go up to the barista, ordering dan and kat's drinks before ducking away and making your way to lewis' driver's room, knocking a few times and stepping back, smiling when the door opens and you see him, fuck, he looks good. "hi, lewis."

he knew you were going to be in silver stone for the 70th anniversary race, but that isn't until next weekend. "you've here early," he says, leaning against the doorframe. "why's that?"

"i can't want to see my favorite driver at his home race?" you cock an eyebrow and cross your arms, but there's sarcasm evident in your voice. "plus, i missed you. can i tie up your schedule for a bit?"

"it depends. how is my schedule being tied up if i agree?" lewis is matching your own bass, and you smile.

"just some people i'd like you to meet. remember those passes i asked you to have made? well... they're in the cafe and i think the cherry on top of their day would be meeting you."

"in that case, you can tie up my schedule, but i only have fifteen minutes before the strategy meeting." you grin brightly, and your eyes squishing in the corners makes lewis smile in turn, "before we go, though, i do have a little request. come in for a quick minute?" he steps to the side and you gladly follow, turning towards lewis when you hear the door click shut behind you. he's taking off his Mercedes- branded face mask, and you take that as permission lo take your own off. "you know..." he begins, stepping towards you. your breath catches in your throat as all of your senses one immediately overwhelmed with everything lewis. his left hand comes up to hold your and check you gladly lean into his touch, the gentleness of his touch a stark contrast his calloused to fingertips. the next words he says ring in your head, repeating like church bells.

"i missed you, too." those words are the last thing you process before lewis' lips are on yours and every ounce of tension leaves your body.

"mm, lewis, " you say, pulling away from the blissful kiss much to your dismay. "our guests are waiting." lewis groans, and you giggle.

"fine, but after we've done with that and i'm free from my strategy meeting, we're coming back here and finishing what we started."

"deal."

kat and dan are, obviously, completely and entirely dumbfounded when you return to the cafe, six-time world champion in tow.

they're even happier when they watch lewis cross the line in first place, five seconds ahead of max verstappen.

after the podium and post-race interviews, you find yourself crowded against the wall of lewis' driver's room yet again. your kisses are hot and messy, desperate hands wandering around each other's bodies. sometime in the lust-addled haze, you're laying back onto the couch pushed against the back wall and your jeans are being thrown somewhere across the room. whatever, you don't care where they are or how wrinkled they're going to be because lewis is eating you out again and, within minutes, you're cumming on his tongue again as his nose bumps against your clit. when he kisses you, your cum smears on your cheeks and chin and nose and it's so, so filthy, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

"are you coming to any other races this year?" lewis speaks up, his voice echoing through his chest. he's found you a pair of joggers that you'd slipped on after another set of blissful kisses and a messy (but very perfect) handjob. he's laying on the couch and you're resting on top of him, your arms wrapped around his torso and his own surrounding your shoulders. your socked feet are tangled with lewis' own, and his fingers, unusually absent of any jewelry, run gently along the curve of your shoulders.

"i'm not sure. i haven't gotten any race assignments yet from upper management, and traveling is really difficult right now if you don't have a work visa."

"i bet i can send some emails." you can almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"lewis," you scoff, burying your face in his chest. he smells like forests and jasmine and safety. "you're going to be the death of me."

[eggwriting]

Kevin McCormick, how to not mischaracterize him:

this is a rant about my favorite background character and I first want to start it with my first complaint; PLEASE STOP MAKING KEVIN AN ABSENT OLDER BROTHER WHO HATES HIS FAMILY AND RUNS AWAY WHILE LETTING HIS SIBLINGS DIE.

Look I get it, kevin has like 6 scenes in the entire 26 seasons of sp while karen has a centric episode and vurnble scenes that make you get to know her better therefore making her easier to characterize than kevin+ kevin hardly interacts with kenny. But here I am to tell you that making him absent is way more of a mischaracterization than making him be there with his siblings but not interact as much.

"But egg, when kevin was fighting with his dad, Carol said that they were both drunk pices of shit while holding a crying karen!!" Kenny also gets high all the time and has shown to have an addiction to it. Sure, kenny as a character has never shown to be violent like kevin has but it is implied that he also has beaten his parents as mystyrion.

"But Kenny was doing it so he could protect his siblings!" Guys, I'll hold your hand when I say this; kevin has shown multiple times that he cares a LOT for his siblings I want to point out:

notice how when Stuart starts screaming at karen for wanting ice cream Kevin is the first one who gets immediately angery but then shows empathy and worriedness when kenny runs after her

Alsooo Kevin is the one who when they put in the orphanage is looking around all worried and suspicious

I think Kevin truly does care about his siblings but he has a hard time expressing it so instead he tries his best to protect them even if that means he'll look like a 'bad' guy in front of his siblings.

If you still are struggling with Kevin's character a more easy guide is to think of it as kenny if he had anger issues. Kenny and Kevin have a LOT of similar traits (I.e when Stuart and Carol start fighting they both start laughing, they both love food, thay both are willing to hurt other ppl for their siblings etc) but kevin is more short tempered which tbh is to be expected; he is a teenager living in a house where screaming and fighting is normal, a house where he can't be listened without screaming (mind you, heard and listened are two VERY different things). He is in a part of his life when he is brimming with emotions and to add onto that he has one-if not, the shittiest home situations in south park.

this audio I'm going to link is how i see kevin's character has been hinted to be: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCPq8AkNBR6/?igsh=dmNtaGl6dm8wcmVh

AWS here are some of my hc for my baby;

Okay VERY far fetched hc but; when Kevin gets mad his voice deepens and it makes him sound more intimidating so what if a reason Kenny deepens his voice when he is mystiorion is bc he wants to sound more intimate like his big brother.

he really likes arts bc in the episode where they go to the circus while everyone else was getting bored Kevin looked genuinely entertained and when mop was performing everyone else looked terrified ecxept kevin who was just enjoying his time and supporting his brother's dreams.

Another farfetched hc; I think that it's more likely for Kevin to have smth sort of the same curse as kenny bc he seems very Pernoid and scared most of the time same like kenny.

he has absolutly no sense of fashion and frankly...he dosent care, hell wear what the heck is in front of him as long as it keeps him warm. (smth that probably runs in his blood bc tell me why both kenny and kevin looked like they just came out of a trash can in post covid)

He has veryy thick brows bc in the show even though e doesnt talk a lot (like kenny) we understand what he is feeling cuz his brows are constantly showing. which leads me to the next point...

he has a hard time hiding emotion. he is so expressionante- when he gets angry he clutches his fists and looks at the ground, his brows frown hard and he grints his teeth (and how i mentioned earlier that his voice gets deeper ). when he is worried it seems like all the mountness layers and threatning words melt down and so does his face. he looks way younger and he hides away behind the other kids (as seen in the scene where that one kid was getting doctor peppered in the orphange episode)

if you read this thank you so so much and i really hope one day there will be more fics where kevin is a good brother who works through his issues with the help of his siblings and gets as much attention as karen.

with love, egg.

[evilwriter37]

20 Questions for 20 Writers

Tagged by: @howtodrawyourdragon. Thank you!

1. Is writing a hobby or way of life?

100% a way of life. It kind of has been since I was a child. I was sick all the time and had story ideas, so I started writing them down when I was too sick to go to school. I got bored of just reading and wanted to make my own.

2. A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

Well, currently I have folders upon folders of notes for my fantasy novel, but obviously I would like a clean, completed manuscript at some point. The entire work is 28k words at the moment.

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

My special interests for sure. Obviously How to Train Your Dragon, but when I get into something, I really get into it. Lol, one could say autism is my writing inspiration.

4.Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

Probably someone I idolize reading my first draft. I'm getting a lot better at receiving rejection and critique but it's still very hard for me. I had a good singing voice before I had covid. (The band teacher and the chorus teacher in high school would fight over who got to have me. I chose band.) Covid has absolutely wrecked my singing voice, but I think I can get it back with practice. So yeah, I'll take someone listening to me sing over reading my first draft.

5. Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

I don't think so, no.

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

Ao3. One time ao3 logged me out and I was like: "What are you doing? I live here!" I do have fics on tumblr that have over 100 notes and I have no clue how that happened, especially when I look at interaction now. Interaction and fandom as a community are just dying on this website. Oh, and fanfiction.net was so horrible that I deleted all my stories from there and never looked back.

7. AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

3,125,805. I'm more than satisfied. I'm stunned. And for some reason self conscious? I've had people call me crazy for writing so much fanfic, especially for the same fandom, and it just hurts, because this is my passion. What did you think I was going to do? Hit 1 million words and stop writing? No fucking way.

8. What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

Movies and shows: How to Train Your Dragon, Good Omens, Teen Wolf

Books: Hard to say because I only really recently got back into reading. I haven't written fanfic for a book since I wrote a single Captive Prince fic. Oh man, Captive Prince was so good. Thank you pro censorship people for recommending it! (People got so mad about it and the themes in it that I decided I had to read it. So worth it.)

Fics: I'm so, so gripped by @lifblogs Bad Batch fic: Brother, Hold Me Up. That thing is an absolute work of art.

9. What's the highest compliment you could ever be given, and have you been given it?

I think the highest compliment I got was someone reading Infernal Fascination of all things with their book club. Like, this person would give me updates about what was said during meetings and they just devoured it. It was awesome.

10. What defines your writing style?

Visceral description and poetic prose. I like to think.

Tagging @wyked-ao3 @the-bar-sinister

[bellaxgiornata]

Who wants a Covid special of my internal dialogues with the boys? I've missed writing them so I needed to give them a little love this morning. I'm also attempting to get that part of my brain working again to prove I haven't entirely lost my writing ability this week because that would be tragic. As always, it's below the cut.

Matt: Put orange juice on the list.

Mikey, raising a brow questioningly at Matt: She has almost two bottles in the fridge already...d'ya really think she needs a third?

Matt: Yes. Put it on the list. And more Tylenol.

Frank, leaning on the kitchen counter: Think she's been cravin' spaghetti so I'm gonna make some.

Matt: Pretty sure her family is dropping off a Thanksgiving meal tonight. She doesn't need you to cook, Frank.

Frank: Fine, then I'll make it for her tomorrow night, altar boy. Point still stands, I'm making her some damn spaghetti soon. With garlic bread, too, because that's the only way her son will eat it.

Mikey: That’s a good idea actually, she hasn't been wantin' to eat lately. Maybe we should make her more things she's been cravin' to get some food in her.

Frank: And maybe we should put somethin' in her diffuser to make her finally go to sleep.

Bella, on the couch: I can hear you three from over here, you know.

Frank, calling across the room: Good, go to sleep. Stop thinkin' about that damn Christmas story you have half written for Red here.

Mikey: He's right, ya need your rest, pet. Ya were awake in bed last night for two hours just thinkin' 'bout that story.

Bella, sheepishly: ...I blame Covid. But I was also thinking about your Christmas fic, too, Mikey.

Mikey: Ya need to rest, love. Worry 'bout the stories later.

Bella, pouting: But I miss you all.

Matt, making his way to the couch and sitting down: We haven't gone anywhere, sweetheart. We're all still here, just waiting for you to get better.

Bella, muttering: Fine, but I still miss you all.

Matt: Is there anything else you want at the store? Mangoes?

Frank: I doubt you're gonna find some good mangoes this far north at this time of the year, Red.

Matt, glaring over his shoulder at Frank: Watch. Me.

Mikey, annoyed: Alrigh', enough bickerin' the both o' ya. Is there anythin' else ya want from the store, pet?

Bella, sitting up: Yes.

Matt, leaning closer: What do you want, sweetheart?

Bella, grabbing Matt by the collar and pulling him closer: For the love of God, please bring me back some vanilla moose track ice cream. I beg of you. I can't stop thinking about it.

Matt: That--that might be a bit cold for your sore throat right now.

Bella: It's incentive for me to get better, Matty.

Frank, calling across the room: It's on the list, darlin'. Don't you worry. Now you cuddle with your cat and get some rest, we'll take care of the groceries.

Matt: I'll send Mittens over to cuddle, too. He misses you.

Bella, wide-eyed: You're going to let me cuddle with Mittens?

Matt, grinning: Whatever gets you to go to sleep. Go rest already, he's on his way over. Then when we get back you can drink more orange juice.

Mikey, muttering: Always with the damn orange juice.

Matt, annoyed: Because it helps!

[not-goldy]

More and more sources reporting Jikook will both exclusively stay together at 5th division for the entire 18 months confirmed. They will be deployed to a unit together on the 5th week, cause they enlisted as companions in the buddy system & won't separate, but likely not Jin's area & won't be made public, but at least they will for sure be together until they release. Not that there was any doubt, but its nice to see it in writing. They chose the buddy system together for this reason. They could have just went to 5th division as individuals or anywhere else with anyone else, for that matter, but they wanted to do it as companions to stay together and everything is working out for them. They didn't want to be separated and they are not gonna be. Also, can we take a minute to think about this, cause Like holy shit. Jikook worked so hard behind the scenes in silence and set this up for themselves, while they were being mocked, ridiculed, their bond trashed, horrible rumors about not being close or even friends who have each other's numbers and really pulled off the biggest FU ever. They didn't let anything or anyone get in the way of their goal of staying together. Good for them. I didn't think Jikook could surprise me more, but damnit, They did.

Hopefully some who were still trying to convince their followers they were gonna split after 5 weeks and Jk go to where other members are cause he's dating them, gets their asses handed to them by their followers for continuing to purposely gaslight them and lie to them. I would be in their face screaming right now, making sure they don't get a good night sleep. Some of these tkk really been thinking Jk was gonna leave and this was just temporary. These idiots with their 'My boyfriend's, girlfriend's, mailman, who has this 1/4 korean friend told a friend of a friend who knows korean" bullshit, need to be gone. This fandom needs to start weeding out these manipulators and liars, starting right now and clean house for the next 18 months.

I always say, we can sit here and talk and tear their relationship apart and put it back together, doesn't matter. They are doing the relationship.

Seems people don't understand at this point what a relationship actually is. They are there making PLANS together in ways that COUPLES WOULD.

It's not about the oh they went out to drink with this person or that person, or they went to see a concert, or they wore the same jewelry or bracelet or jacket.

ITS ABOUT THE BIG IMPORTANT DECISIONS LIKE GOING ON A TRIP TOGETHER BEFORE ENLISTING, DECIDING TO ENLIST TOGETHER KNOWING VERY WELL THEY WILL DEFINITELY REUNITE AS PART OF A BAND AND WORK TOGETHER STILL AFTER MS

I like to see these two actually get sick and tired of eachother cos right now it seems we have to pull them apart kicking and screaming.

I said years and years and every year their attachment to eachother is borderline unhealthy and that they could use a bit of independence- then covid hit and they pretended to live independently only for them to pack their bags to hell together. As their therapist I'm sick of them🤣

[doctorjuvenile]

Things from WtA The Book of Hungry Names you should know pt. 2

pt. 1 here

I'm about to start my fourth playthrough lol

5. The coordinates Daphne sends you for investigating the Pattern Line are a real location in Northampton, Massachusetts.

> I’m willing to let you condescend to me if you’re willing to help me out CrestFolder180IQ Your terms are acceptable. CrestFolder180IQ Meet me at 42°25'50.3"N 72°40'49.3"W at 10:30 PM.

Right at the tip of this path. (sooo IRL Garou meetup when?)

6. By my best estimates, the game takes place over the course of 2022-2024.

Now, the game plays pretty loose with exact dates, and I'm sure the ambiguity is intended. What we know for sure though is that Book of Hungry Names takes place over two and a half years (from beginning to epilogue).

Nonetheless, because I'm obsessed, I'm basing my assumption off of some strong hints:

The game definitely takes place after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, since Stormcat literally refers to it once you're in the second half of the game (foreshadowing the Jigsaw Plague chapter)

Will Northampton be ground zero for the next pandemic? Even I do not know.

2) Honestly, my biggest clue here are the years Melodie and Harmonie graduated high school (2016 and 2013 respectively), and the fact that she is 23 when you retrieve her from Ashfield.

Harmonie Palys graduated Berkshire Regional High School in 2013. Her sister, Melodie, graduated in 2016.

Melodie, who is twenty-three, angrily sips her Kir Pamplemousse.

Going off of the North American education system (where I myself graduated high school in 2014, and am presently around 27 years old), and assuming no skipped or repeated years, Melodie should be about 25 by the game's epilogue, which must take place in 2024. Harmonie would be 28 if she were still alive today.

Working backwards, that means it's 2022 in the first half of the game (where Melodie is stated to be 23). The timeline just works perfectly.

3) In the second half of the game, Nin will "talk your ear off about the new Blood Ceremony album." The album (The Old Ways Remain) dropped in 2023, thus further perfectly fitting in with the 2022-2024 timeline.

7. Speaking of guessing character's ages, I have a good idea of the rest of them...

Elton: I tried guessing Elton's age and he's anywhere from 24-26 over the course of the game to 29-31. My clues here are how you can find a picture of him and Katherine in a newspaper after arriving in Northampton early on and researching in the library. The photo states he's 19, and the photo itself is "maybe five to ten years old."

...the picture is labeled "Linus Harrowman, 46, Elton Dey, 19, and Katherine Aslanian, 20, have opposed the Broad Brook expansion, which would--" Then it turns into a more randomized babble. The photo is in color, the newspaper maybe five or ten years old.

Player Character: I am certain your character starts the game at 20 years old. The ID Daphne gives you shows your real age, which is below the legal drinking age in the U.S. (i.e. 21), but by the time a year passes in-game, you are now able to drink legally.

[Early game:] To your considerable irritation, the birthdate on the ID is the same year as your real birthday, which means you can't get into most bars. [Second half of game, one year later:] Armed with your Massachusetts State ID that finally says you're 21...

You, Podge, and Nin: Regardless, the whole pack drinks together in the epilogue at the last Hog Throne show, implying your entire pack is now at least 21 (legal American drinking age). So by this point, I think PC is 22, and Podge and Nin are legally 21, meaning they would be about 19 or 20 at the start of the game.

8. Intelligence isn't just tied to your book-smarts or occult knowledge, it also influences whether you can catch pop cultural/musical references.

I mean, my first two characters (galliard/December and theurge/October) had good-to-excellent INT (3-5pts), so the text described Elton's Mezzanine shirt, Highlander halloween costume, Podge being dressed up as the girl from the "Everyday Is Like Sunday" music video, Nin's Sophie Scholl hoodie, etc all by name or direct reference.

But I noticed with my third ahroun (January) character, whom I deliberately kept at 1 INT the entire game, that she didn't catch ANY of that -- the Mezzanine t-shirt is a "white t-shirt with a black insect scrawled across half its surface," she thinks Elton is dressed as the Scarlet Pimpernel, that Nin is maybe wearing a hoodie with her own face on it, etc. (You can get some pretty funny extra dialogue out of being so clueless.)

This makes sense when you consider that your Academics and Intelligence tutor in this game is a badass art teacher who used to be in the '90s demoscene.

[foster-the-world]

Just learned

Just learned about the Harry Potter bakeoff show. What lovely news. The Weasley twins have turned out quite attractive. My daughters are going to love this news. Bee was obsessed with baking shows and Harry Potter for a long while there.

Now to find time to watch it. My SIL and her family are coming in Sunday. So we are all booked up for the next ten days. We are surprising the girls with a day off school to do tourist things with their cousins. We will tell them after baby boy heads out on the bus. They are going to be so excited. They are going to see Elf. So thankful for a really great SIL. She's very easy to get along with. Her kids are wonderful. All around lucky.

Book club meeting at a delicious/low key Indian restaurant tonight. We had moved to online during Covid and never went back. I much prefer the chance to get out of the house. Sending the husband to PTA meeting tmrw night. I was on the Exec board the last two years. Which meant he had the harder job of bed time alone for all three kids. I felt bad going to the meeting tmrw night since he'll be on his own tonight. Then I remembered he can go instead of me since I'm no longer on the Board. I've been slacking at doing school stuff. Def deserve a break after two years but plan to get back to after we get baby boy's school figured out.

We have a tour tmrw for an inclusion school model. 30-40% of the students are black. Every other special ed school has had maybe 2 other black students in the entire school :( This is NYC, filled with tons of diversity, having only two black kids in a school is ass backwards. Lots of different kinds of needs with gen ed kids also included. Down syndrome, physical disabilities, etc, etc. They just provide a lot of individual support for kids with extra needs. Fingers crossed the tour goes well. Its downtown- pretty far from our house. Which I hate. They will bus him but I don't like him being far away. I love that I can walk to his sisters school from work. I feel a little better that my husband works downtown so he'd be nearby if an emergency comes up.

That's the last school we plan to tour. We have a meeting with a lawyer in Mid-December to figure out how strong our case is. Fingers crossed it goes our way. Its the #1 lawyer everyone always recommends. She's known for only taking cases she can win. If she says no we have to figure out if we want to go with someone else who may be more willing to risk losing.

Right now I think we will only apply to the one 2e school with a Kindergarten and the inclusion school (assuming the tour goes well). There are other options if he does not get into one of those. They are more restrictive then I think he needs at this point.

I am also going to verify the DOE will not let him go into the Nest - Autism class (4 ASD kids 8 gen ed kids). His Neuro said it would be great for him but I'm 99% sure they won't let him without a ASD diagnosis. Why can't the DOE create the same program for ADHD kids??? I'd 10000xxxx prefer to put him in a DOE program. I do not want to go through this entire private school suing process. This is terrible. I hate every second of it. I hate the idea that some kids get fancy schools (paid for by the govt!! attended by rich kids whose parents can afford to sue) and some kids do not. It makes no sense. Its not fair. I'd take any other route available to us. I just don't see one.

At bedtime I always tell baby boy I love you so much. He's started asking "Mom, do you love me soooo much?" It melts my whole heart. I'm ready to be over the little kid/need to watch you every second stage of parenting (which is much longer for him then other kids) but I'm going to miss the cuddly baby stage so much. I'm convinced no one will every love me as much again. There's is something so complete and absolute about a mama's boy's love.

[itsraining-honey]

its the second anniversary of my type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

i know i dont NEED to write these out, who wants to relive bad experiences, right? i like writing these because i can reflect back on the two years ago today when i was in the hospital and see how much i've grown from then.

this happened way before i've gained new friends and followers, many are in the dark of what happened. short story, i was sick and now have a life long condition.

its extremely serious. everyone hears diabetes and goes "its all that sugar". in some cases but not all. well, now i NEED all that sugar to live.

two years ago, the week of halloween, i was extremely sick. i didn't know why. i thought i had gotten COVID at first but i realized it wasn't really a respiratory problem so the next conclusion was the flu.

unbeknownst to myself, my mother, and brother, i was dying for a whole week. my pancreas failed, shut down and i was dying. my bathroom floor would have been where i died if i never went to the hospital. on november 1st, i was told what was happening to me. i was in DKA and needed to go to the ER immediately.

i had no idea what DKA was. for those who don’t know, it stands for diabetic ketoacidosis. i was mostly throwing up, trying to rest (which i hadn't for an entire week/ ended up hallucinating on halloween night after everyone went to bed which i find highly ironic lol), and drinking up as much water i could.

my stay in the hospital was filled with agony, lessened from the medications and insulin they gave me. at that point, i also found out i had air in my chest due to a hole in my esophagus from throwing up constantly and violently. it was scary.

at some point, i knew i was gonna die. i was scared at first. my mom had me shower and i couldn't even move. i couldn't get up. i was so shaky and light (again, ironic since im a fat girl). when i was in the shower, i sobbed and sobbed over the past. my relationship with my father, my friends and my family. i couldn't take it.

when we got to the hospital, i accepted i was gonna die. i was so sure of it. and then i didn't. i survived and i am continuing to survive. no matter how high my blood sugar will spike from eating or when i'm fixing a low, i think back to that week and think about how proud i am.

there are points i want to give up. throw the towel in and throw away my insulin, my CGMS, my pumps, all of it. i want to give up all the time. i want to stop taking insulin and just be normal, like i used to be. now having this condition, i don't want to be normal anymore. it took me a long time to accept my diabetes, it's apart of me now and i've learned it up and down, side to side and in reverse.

no one understands diabetes like someone with diabetes and even then, everyone else's diabetes is different. somedays are bad, somedays are good.

i'm happy to be alive. i'm happy to be online and still making art, listening to new albums, reading comics, making new friends on tumblr and twitter, seeing my oomfs talk about huntress or just their interests in general.

i am SO happy to be here and experience my life past 17. i'm 19 now and got to experience halloween and fall again for the second time without dying. so thats cool :D

thank you for reading and being here along with me on my journey, my friends💜

[strawwritesfic]

Avengers Guys Taking Care of You When You're Sick Imagines

Hello! I caught some sort of very fun disease doing work-related things last weekend, so I came up with these imagines! I thought I'd post them for funises and because making you think of the dialogue yourself is way easier when there's very little oxygen entering my brain.

Disclaimer: I don't really do imagines, so I'm not even 100% sure that's what these are. They might just be headcanons? Listen, man, I'm an old person on the Internet. I don't know what I'm doing.

Also, I wrote these starting in the middle of the night after having only eaten marginally for three straight days and sleeping about a total of two hours over the course of 48 hours. Also, I didn't proofread them on account of the cinderblock shoved up my nose being very distracting. (But if there's something wrong, do feel free to bring it to my attention, and I will change it.)

Pretend these are in a world where COVID isn't a concern. I didn't feel like dealing with masking and isolation.

Let me know if you'd like to see later phases or groups!

EDIT: I forgot Clint. I blame the cinderblock. He's been added.

Enjoy!

Tony Stark

Let's face it. This guy is not in any position to play nurse. He hardly knows how to take care of himself; you're a different person entirely! Plus, he's not exactly into the idea of catching your cooties. Once you've got the ick, he is out of the bedroom and camping in his lab until you're no longer showing symptoms.

But that doesn't mean you're facing this alone. If this is before Pepper takes over Stark Industries as CEO, Tony's got her and Happy running around making sure you have anything you want--anything. More cold medicine? Done. A house call from your doctor? Called them 20 minutes ago; they're on their way. An authentic pizza directly from Italy? It's yours. If it's after, he will go get everything for you himself; it's just going to take a lot longer, and it'll probably take him five trips to actually get the right thing.

He won't leave you completely alone either. He'll call you up on one of the tablet phones and talk to (or at) you for hours. Heck, if you're bored, he might even set it up so you can watch him tinker on the suits from bed.

James Rhodes

You don't want Rhodey to find out you're sick. He's a busy guy, whether he's working with the Air Force or the Avengers. But he's gonna find out. Maybe he isn't able to call you as often as he'd like, but as soon as he makes contact, he's going to know you're sick from the word "hello."

He hates that you're often sick when he's quite literally half a world away. He doesn't want you to deal with your illness alone--and you won't. If he's still working primarily at the Air Force, you're on base with loads of fellow military officers and their spouses, and soon you've got more casseroles than you know what to do with. If he's with the Avengers, things are a little trickier. He can't ask Dr. Cho to fly in from Korea for a cough, and it's not like FRIDAY can answer the door for Uber Eats. Pepper and Tony aren't going to let one of their best friend's SO suffer, though! They love you, too. One or both of them is going to make sure you've got a house call from a doctor very soon.

As soon as Rhodey is off work, he's back with you. He'll cook dinner--something healthy that he knows you like. Then you'll both head to the couch or bed, snuggle up under a big blanket, and watch old movies until you fall asleep beside him.

Thor Odinson

Asgardians don't get run-of-the-mill illnesses, and any illness they do get is way more spectacular than what Midgardians deal with. Because of this, Thor finds your run-of-the-mill illness fascinating. Like, almost annoyingly so. Although he's fine to leave you to go on missions or the like, he is otherwise right there with you, delighting in every cough, sniffle and sneeze. If anyone on the team points out that you're, you know, sick, Thor is quick to remind them how incredibly tough his SO is. He knows you'll pull through!

Still, he doesn't want you to feel awful, so he's going to seek out advice on what he can do to help you. The results that come from this depend on who Thor decided to ask. Dr. Strange? Probably earn you some decent medications and/or treatments, even if Thor isn't 100% sure exactly how to use them. Loki? Then you're probably going to end up with Thor trying a dozen different things that don't make you feel worse but definitely don't make you feel better either. Hey, Loki's got no vested interest in helping out his brother's SO.

At the end of the day, at least you won't be left alone very often, and there is something endearing about a guy who thinks it's cute when you're so full of snot you can't think.

Loki Laufeyson

Loki is a much less...obtrusive companion than his brother is. Sick Midgardians are boring. They just lay around all day, producing the most horrible liquids from every part of them. He's got better things to do than sit around all day watching that...

...is what he wants everyone to think. He knows you don't like be smothered either. So Loki does go about his day as usual for the most part, but that doesn't mean he isn't checking in quite regularly. He'll slip into your room every few hours or so just to make sure you're resting. He won't wake you if you are. And the things you need have a funny way of appearing on your bedside table whenever you wake up: the remote control, a container of hot tea, even clean pajamas if you aren't feeling capable of walking to the bathroom for a shower.

But just because you don't like being smothered doesn't mean you want to be alone the entire time. Loki knows that. He's probably not going to crawl into bed next to someone who is coughing and sneezing and already warmer than they want to be, but he's perfectly content to pull a comfortable chair over to your bedside and sleep there. And when you get bored of watching TV or just need something quiet to fall asleep to, he's always happy to read aloud to you from whatever book he's reading.

Steve Rogers

Steve may no longer have the ability to get sick, but he remembers being sick when he was skinny, and he knows it's no fun. He also remembers the things that Bucky did for him that helped, and he'll try all of that on you. This leads to a bit of quarreling when Tony reminds him that they live in the 21st Century and have better ways of helping people with sore throats and coughing. But Steve eventually relents, and you get a good combination of things that make you feel better.

He's good at compartmentalizing, so he can put worrying about you aside when he needs to lead the team. The second they don't need him anymore, you're back at the forefront of his mind, and he's headed right to wherever you are. Even if you don't need anything he can provide you, he wants to make sure you're okay.

Since Steve doesn't get sick, he's 100% ready to cuddle. This is great when you have chills, and not so great when you're having hot flashes. He respects you if you ask him to please get the hell out of the bed. He lets you rest when you need rest, and is perfectly happy to just hang out in the room with you, quietly drawing in his notebook so he's there if you do need him.

Bucky Barnes

If Steve remembers getting sick, Bucky remembers being the one to take care of Steve when he was sick (after Steve's mom died). He does not handle seeing you sick well. At all. He cannot stop worrying about you at all. Never mind that all you've got is a stuffy nose and a cough, he's pretty much convinced that you are going to die on him any minute.

He's very reluctant to leave your side when you're sick. Even if there's some world ending-crisis that the team needs him for, he'd rather stay with you. Oh, he'll go to help with the world-ending crisis, but he's going to be thinking about you the entire time. Everybody on comms is going to get real tired of him using any downtime to wonder aloud if this will make [Name] feel better.

If you're lucky, Natasha or Sam or Steve might take pity on you and insist that Bucky take some time away and quit worrying so much. But unless they take him on outing to get you something (food, flowers, medicine, etc.), he's not going to want to go. Unless he's directly looking at you and confirming that you're okay himself, he's just not going to be able to settle. Until your fever breaks, don't expect Bucky to leave your side for very long, if at all.

Clint is a very normal guy wen it comes to his SO being sick. He's not too pushy or too distant. When you wake up with a sore throat, he makes you a cup of hot water with lemon juice in it, brings you a small breakfast in bed, and checks the medicine cabinet before he leaves for work. If there's anything you're low on, he'll make sure to pick it up on the way home. He'll call you at lunchtime to check on you, and if you say you need anything then, he'll pick that up on the way home, too.

If he has to go far away for work, of course Natasha is there to run errands and check on you. And if they're working together far away, you might get a very rare, very strange visit from Director Fury delivering cough syrup. Coulson pops by, too. Clint's got a pretty big support network willing to fill in any gaps he can't when he's working.

When he's at home, Clint mostly leaves you alone. He knows you need rest. There's plenty of work for him to do around the place anyway. But whenever he takes a break, he'll pop into the bedroom and ask you if you need anything if you're awake. He's always quick to tell the streaming service you're still watching, too, just so it's still going when you wake up. And he buys loads of your favorite takeout to tempt you to eat.

[mariamegale]

Finding a way to make the pieces fit

Burakhovsky, Rated E, 10,696 words

“Sutures,” Daniil tells him sharply. His hand hasn’t moved, but it’s not moving, staying still between Artemy’s leg like the worst kind of tease. “If you move too much, they’re going to tear, and I’m telling you this once: I will not lay with a bleeding man. Do you understand?” “Oh, fuck you,” Artemy groans, entirely on shortsighted instinct. “I’m not going to die from—” Now the hand is moving, and he finds his jaw being grabbed again, Daniil squinting down at him. “That is a perfectly reasonable boundary to have, Vorakh,” he says, “and if you’re going to challenge it, we’re pausing this until I take the stitches back out.” The threat leaves him at a crossroads; he can choose to argue, which he knows would be stupid, because if there’s one thing Daniil isn’t known to him for, it’s empty threats. On the other hand, not arguing would feel like giving in, and Artemy doesn’t like giving in. So he settles for what he thinks is a middle ground, which is sourly saying, “if I’m not allowed to move, how exactly are you thinking this will happen?” What he doesn’t expect is for the question to be met with a smile. Or is it a smirk? He can’t exactly tell, but combined with the kiss to his cheek that comes next, he’s left blinking in confusion. “I’ll show you,” Daniil tells him calmly, seemingly perfectly happy again, “but only if you do what I tell you.” “That sounds an awful lot like blackmail,” Artemy points out. His bedpartner laughs, and now he’s fully confused, if admittedly intrigued. “Oh, dear Haruspex.” It’s a sigh, spoken against his ear as Dankovsky leans in close, and if the shivers weren’t enough to keep him silent, the nickname surely is. He only thinks Daniil’s called him that once before, and it was when he was trying to make the hardest decision in his life. The contrast is stark, and it takes him out of himself for a moment. “I think there is a lot you could learn.”

Read it on AO3!

Tags: Porn Without Plot, or there is plot, but it's mostly plot about the porn, Getting Together, Dom/sub Undertones, which eventually turns into quite the overtones, Switching, Bratting, Sort of?, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, daniil is a master at giving head change my mind, idk he just has that vibe, Dirty Talk, like half of this fic is JUST that, peak "jerk off while i tell you what i want to do to you" vibes, i've sexually weaponised the banter, consent checks, Resolved Sexual Tension, Enemies to Lovers, Part 2, Language Kink, Obedience Kink, Possessiveness, CMNM

a/n: don't ask me what i'm doing. I don't know. if you want to ask if i'm okay, the answer is probably. I haven't written this much since I last had exams and had to do four research papers in a week, and even then this is like.... twice as long at this point. I fear covid made me go insane.

Anyway I blame this on all the fanartists who have inspired me relentlessly for two weeks with their brilliance, so truly, patho fandom, this is on YOU

[deconstructivesurgery]

plspls PLEASE tell me anything youd like about owb...... im playing through nv for the first time and have yet to get to the dlc.... i have a passing knowledge of it but not much, and i am obsessed with these mad robobrain 2.0s and their relationships with each other and the courier

oh god almighty i don't even know where to START. i have gone insane over this specific DLC in the past to such a ridiculous extent that i'm in the middle of making an actual informative essay about it. styled the same way i write actual academic papers. i think i hauve COVID or whatever.

Off the top of my head, one of the things I love the most about OWB at first glance is the way it beautifully ties into the world of the Mojave itself and the other story DLCs (minus Honest Hearts) in subtle and yet fascinating ways that are a lot of fun to discover yourself or to tie together. Playing the NV DLCs, you'll find Big Mt.'s work in places you'd barely expect- slowly piecing together with every new bit of information the extent to which some of their work "breached containment", so to speak. You'll also find ties to other DLC stories scattered throughout the DLC area itself, keepng a beautoful, believable coherence between OWB and the outside story. It's an absurd, comedic terror of a DLC, to be sure- and yet, it's so grounded in the world of Fallout that I find it doesn't wreck your disbelief. Like some OTHER bizarro Fallout content has for me in the past. Looking at you, "Zetans" bullshit that I hate.

I'm also a big fan of the environmental storytelling throughout the entire DLC- something as simple as exploring the homes of the Think Tank in their secluded little vault-esque shelter (where I presume they sheltered out PART of the war before transferring to the brain tanks for longevity, OR which they potentially just lived in Pre-War) can tell you so much about their characters that you'd just never really pick up otherwise. The characters are simultaneously hilarious and... I mean. Heart-wrenching if you're willing to let your heart bleed for a bunch of demented amoral scientists whose entire Pre-War job was to try and resolve the war in America's favour in the nastiest ways possible. I personally find something so compelling in the unique ways their memories and personalities are equal parts warped by the passage of time and the recursion loops impacting their thoughts, and true to the people they were Pre-War.

(If I'm being vague about a lot of this, it's because I think some things are fun to find yourself and if I explained everything I liked about the DLC I'd probably just end up rehashing every single character and most of the plot points in the entire thing.)

Also it's just straight up fucking yonkers over bonkers. You get called a Lobotomite. You get to watch the world's worst co-workers (who have been cooped up in robot bodies living in a state of induced dementia together for the past god-knows-how-long) argue with each other like the world's pissest pack of schoolchildren. You get to hear some guy shriek at you about the terrors of Communism and the horrors of his high-school nemesis RICHIE FUCKING MARCUS for a solid five minutes. The entire thing starts off with an absurdly long insane conversation cutscene. One of the Think Tank members also like canonically cums in your gun. What's not to love, I guess.

[ingravinoveritas]

Hello! I hope you are doing fine! I am *definitely* going to add to you overflowing askbox, so I apologise in advance.... (I didn't know where to post this, and I seriously don't know how to feel about this post)

Hi there! I...wow. Okay, I clearly turned off my Anons just in time, or at the worst possible time (I'm not sure which). But this was a hell of a thing to see first thing this morning, and after seeing the notes on that post, I think this person was right to send this question via a throwaway account, because they knew they would get flamed for it.

First of all, whether or not this person should have even asked Neil this question is entirely up for debate. GO season 2 is done, it's in the can and about to be released, so it's not as if there is anything Neil can do about Peter and Ty being in it. I can also understand Neil likening this person's concern about the casting to people saying prior to GO season 1 that it was a huge mistake to cast Michael and David. I could see him equating the two, in his mind, and feeling like this is déjà vu all over again and thusly responding from that vantage.

However...I'm really at a loss as to his opening sentence, in which he describes the person's question as "creepy." I've read and reread the person's question multiple times, and for my part, I did not think there was anything creepy about this question. The person seemed to take great care in asking it--especially with English not being their first language--and did not make any threats toward anyone, nor say anything inappropriate (again, as far as I could tell). This leads me to think that Neil very deliberately used that word, setting the stage for and tacitly encouraging what he alluded to but did not say aloud--that this person is silly and stupid for asking a seemingly harmless question and deserves to be treated accordingly.

There was one part of the person's question that Neil homed in on (and that seems to be a common refrain in the notes and on Twitter), which was that this person cannot separate the characters from the actors, nor tell fiction from reality. Yet I also did not get this feeling from their question, and was taken aback by Neil seemingly twisting around what the person was actually trying to say. The specific focus on this part of the question also seemed to serve the purpose of steering discussion away from the heart of the person's question, which was about nepotism. And it's here, at this particular point, that Neil's response does not really seem to stand up to scrutiny.

First of all, the comment about "a season that hasn't even been commissioned in parts that haven't been written" is disingenuous at best, as not even a week ago, it was Neil himself who said that Georgia was offered a part in season 2. So this is not really a hypothetical concern, as Georgia actually was offered a part. I also thought it was interesting that Neil conveniently did not mention the bonus episode of Sandman, in which both Georgia and Anna had voice roles in scenes with their respective partners. So again, not a hypothetical, but something that actually previously happened. And in both these cases, it does not seem that an audition was required, but rather that the roles were offered to Georgia and AL because they happened to be there/it simplified things since Sandman was recorded during Covid times.

Another thing that has been overlooked was David himself at the Basingstoke Comic Con this past weekend being asked about his favorite scene in GO 2. After mentioning that his son is in the scene, David also says his father-in-law (Peter) is in the show. The interviewer then asks, "And your wife and your neighbor?" to which David's response is "They are not in it, but it’s a sore point, so don’t dwell on it." I thought that was an interesting choice of words, because if everything involving offering Georgia a part did go exactly the way Neil described, why would it be a sore point? If Georgia researched the role and had absolutely no compunction about turning it down, why would she be annoyed or upset? It seems like something small, I know, but it just makes me question some of the things we're being told.

In terms of Peter and Ty's roles, I do understand that Peter is a fixture on the acting landscape in the UK, so I fully get Neil offering him a part, but I find his answer regarding Ty to be extremely dubious, at best. Neil and David have been friends since 2017--so, six years now--and is he truly expecting us to believe that he has no idea what David's son looks like? Even if they haven't had occasion to meet in person, does it really make sense that David would have never shown him a picture? Especially given how he beams with pride when talking about Ty and his accomplishments. Also, I realize the days of traditional audition tapes are long gone, but does it seem at all plausible that Neil wouldn't have seen Ty's name on the clip he watched, or that if he'd seen the name "Ty Tennant," it wouldn't have rung a bell?

But rather than address any of this, Neil--for reasons I can only begin to guess--decided to respond to this person as condescendingly and dismissively as possible. The bit about "shattered the fragile illusion and revealed to people that the David Tennant and Michael Sheen who play Crowley and Aziraphale are actors" was beyond insulting (as if we don't know that Michael and David are actors?), but what really grates my cheese is the fact that it opened the door to people in the notes accusing people who have had concerns about these issues of being "in an echo chamber." I would argue that the people who are somehow not aware of these concerns are the ones actually living in an echo chamber, because there has been a LOT of talk about this ever since Neil shared that cropped photo two months ago. (Also, I am aware that a combined 146 votes is by no mean a representative sample of an entire fandom, but if the results of the two polls I recently posted are any indication, a lot of people seem ambivalent (in the case of Ty and Peter) or outright against (in the case of Georgia and AL) these casting choices.)

Overall, I would say that I am deeply disappointed in this type of response from someone I've always thought was a brilliant writer and a really cool guy. I fully acknowledge that Neil can say whatever he wants, of course, but it's really strange to me that someone who has been so tight-lipped and "wait and see" about everything GO 2 up until now is suddenly delving into details. For months, Neil gave no answers regarding a trailer or character names or even a crumb of plot, so I'm just downright confused as to why these particular questions merited an answer. Neil could've even simply said, "Your concern is noted and appreciated, but everything is fine", or not answered this question at all (which I think probably would've been the better route), but instead, he went the way he did, and here we are.

So those are pretty much my thoughts on this whole thing. I am still looking forward to GO season 2, but this has definitely colored my perceptions to a degree. I guess we'll see what happens...

[antiendovents]

heyyy its ussss! its r (or maybe Eva idk) (nope yeah its r) and I just wanted to say you're awesome!!! (EVA GET OUT) we think you are super cool,sorry, but evalynn wanted to say smth to ya.

hiiiiiiii I think you're so cool and um I'm back and feeling way better and anyway yea love you (platonically) you're so cool yeah 💕💖

well that was rather embarrassing. the love letter we were referencing was our second message to you, in which saturn got way too in detail about me.

we are not dating lol, I have a gf (well, me and Eva share her, I think Saturn is aroace and evalynn is a child so yeah) (and our other alters almost never front) (cept one but I do not want to introduce her to you because she sucks and I really hate her) (shes very abrasive and generally assholey, she yells a lot at r and the rest of us).

anyway uhhhhh yeah I have like a quick question. can an alter have a backstory that's basically me but kinda tweaked? so evalynns backstory is basically mine (I'm the host), except I have a lot of trauma from COVID so for her COVID never happened. shes like forever in third grade, before COVID started and um kinda like a fictive but from real life. she also hates reminders of COVID so I'm gonna make sure she does not read the rest of this message cuz her mental health is already sorta iffy!!!

OH I NEED TO WARN YOU BOUT SMTH. my parents raised me z!onist and I'm not anymore cuz like... a lot of very obvious reasons, but evalynn does not have the skills to process this, so she generally does not talk about any of this. I've been doing my very best to make sure she doesn't know anything, so she may be a bit oblivious. we were never the sort of z!onist who wanted to like, kill everyone (tho I know some of those) we actually thought that the west bank and gaza should be allowed to be its own country even when we were younger, but she is still very connected to israel (we are Israeli, but again, stand for Palestine) so ummm please ignore her lol anyway bye lol (insert nervous laughter)

PLEASE DONT HATE US

-🌌🌠

hi again you two!! Thank you so much! You seem cool too (all of you) :D

And hi Evalynn! You're awesome and I'm glad you're feeling better now! Love you too (platonically ofc!) and I hope you have a great day(or night depending on where you are in the world!)

Also I didn't even notice that lol! When I go back now yeah that kind of was a love letter lol! but I guess a platonic love letter since you have a girlfriend and they're aroace?? Either way it's kind of cute (like in the way where you see best friends or siblings give eachother gifts or care about eachother a lot and you just go "awh")

And don't worry about that, we kind of get that! We'd probably introduce ourselves too if we didn't switch so much, infact we still need to work on introductions on our personal blog, we just don't know who to do cause they either stop fronting for a long time or cant be bothered to do it (and also we have a few alters like that, so we get why you might not want to introduce her to us, but either way you should know she's welcome here even if she is a bit "assholey")

And yeah, it is possible for alters to have similar but different "backstories" or whatever one would want to call it! I'd assume it would be that your brain just witholds memories of COVID from her due to it being too traumatic or stressful for her to handle, which might explain why she only seems to remember what happened before COVID and why she doesn't like reminders of it? (I don't know, I'm making assumptions based on how our system works a little, but our point is yeah it's entirely possible!)

And that's fine, we don't hate you for that. You cannot control how you were raised or what your parents believe in or even where you were born, you've changed and recognised that the belief is harmful and that's good enough, that's literally all you can do. It's understandable that some alters may not be able to fully process it, sometimes these things can be incredibly complicated and trying to change what you grew up with is hard, we're proud of you for doing it anyways, even if not all of you understand it perfectly

[wutheringmights]

So I finally finished rereading "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin, and-- actually, hold on. I need to start from the beginning.

The first time I read "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin, it was early COVID. Quarantine was in full swing, and my university had gone fully remote. I was taking a seminar class entitled "Ethno-Futurism," which focused on analyzing the ways in which sci-fi novels and short stories have discussed and commented on contemporaneous racial issues through the lens of sci-fi. Alongside other works like Octavia Butler's "Kindred," we were assigned "The Fifth Season."

I was actually pretty good about getting my readings done. But by the time Jemisin rolled around, it was the end of the quarter, and I was exhausted. I decided to strategically skip reading the book to focus on other end of the quarter projects.

Except, one of those projects was for an informational sciences class I was taking for my degree specialization. I had spent the entire quarter creating an info graphic about the diversity of Hugo Award Winners for best novel and short story. Jemisin is not only the first Black American to win the Best Novel award, but she went on to win it three times in a row for the Broken Earth Trilogy. You know, the trilogy that begins with "The Fifth Season."

Day before the reading is due, the sheer stupidity of what I was doing hit me. Why the fuck was I going to skip out on reading the book I had been researching the controversy behind for the past how many weeks? Am I that stupid?

So, yeah. I buckled down and read all 400+ pages in 24 hours.

Reading for academics is different from reading for pleasure. While I understood the plot and the characters, I was focusing more on stuff that was related to the seminar (primarily, racial castes). Which isn't to say that I didn't derive any pleasure from the book. On the contrary, I was blow away by the way Jemisin not only built this rich, complex world, but how she also deftly handled unique play at shifting narrative perspectives.

I knew at the time that if I was going to finish reading the series, I would have to start over and reread "The Fifth Season," just so that I could pay more attention to the characters and world building.

Cut to now. I had bought the last two books at a bookstore a few months ago. Now felt like the time to finally go back to the first book and actually read it for pleasure.

So... what did I think about it?

I like this book. I like it a lot. But it might not be made for me.

I'm not big into complex world building. Surprise, surprise: I prefer character drama. That's not to say that the book doesn't have fantastic characters (it has incredible characters, each one more fascinating from the last). But the world building is so intricate, there is always exposition that has to be given, to the point where I felt like I didn't get to see as much of the characters as I wanted.

To me, Essun and Damaya had the most interesting story lines. Essun's story moved really slowly, so much so that I felt like nothing much happened. In fact, nothing really happens with her by the end of it. We also see very little of Damaya. I think she has four chapters to her name. Maybe five?

Syenite has the most to do, and it feels like we linger on her the most. But as much as I like her and Alabaster, I never really got into her story line. Again, I felt like there was so many character moments I wanted them to have that kept being set aside in favor of the world building.

The story all together moves really slowly. In the end, not much as really happened. But at the same time, Jemisin is really obviously running a marathon. I have to give it time, even if it takes all three books.

For me, the most interesting part of the book is the way the prose plays with narrative perspectives. It's great. But I wonder how effective it is when the story feels so out of balance. Does the structure make sense when the novel reveals it's proverbial hand? Sure. I feel like I understand [redacted character name] really well, and they're definitely going to go on to be an icon character in the sci-fi /fantasy canon.

But... I don't know. Something feels missing. Maybe it's just lost some of its shine, now that I know the twist?

Part of the reason why I wanted to reread "The Fifth Season" now was that I wanted to study how to world build from nothing. That's an area I've always struggled in. I was hoping for some kind of epiphany moment where I would learn the secret to great fantasy/sci-fi. But I don't think I learned anything new. It's the same lesson about pacing out exposition and lore to not overwhelm the reader. I think I'm a bit bitter about that.

All that being said, I respect the hell out of this book. I don't even think that this is a book that needs people to like it. It's so confidently itself that I can feel it telling me that is I'm not the ideal reader why should it try to impress me?

And it's right. I can't be too hard on a book when it's made for people who like the extensive world building stuff. My opinion is pretty worthless here.

Overall, this is a 4.5/5. Almost perfect. Now let's see if I can finally get to those other two books.