#One reason to stay alive until 2025

[strawberrylemonadesoda]

WE HAVE A NAME! WE HAVE A NAME!

Me right now:

Varang 😮

Miles...? 😯😯

LYLE?? THAT YOU?? 😲😲😲

Visual concepts shown today at D23 Expo.

[monster-disaster]

[orc] Your boss +1

orc!boss x curvy!human!Reader Good to know: mention of sex, nudity

Previously: [orc] your boss [orc] your boss +1

Summary: You spend the last hours of the year with your boss.

A/N: This is my last story for 2024. 🎉 I want to say thank you for all your kind words, reblogs, likes and follows. I hope you will stay with me in 2025 and Happy New Year! 🎆🥳

The air is thick and heavy, carrying the unmistakable scent of sweat and sex. The heady musk clings to your damp skin, filling your senses with every breath as a reminder of what just happened. Your legs, still sprawled wide and nestled in the tangled mess of blankets, tremble uncontrollably with the fading echoes of your climax. Every inch of your body is alive, tingling as if each nerve ending has been set ablaze. You feel raw and overwhelmed. Your chest rises and falls in shaky, shallow breaths. Each inhale catches slightly as you try to steady yourself and the still thrumming beat of your heart.

“Are you alive?” The orc’s deep, gravelly voice rolls through the quiet room. The deep rumble wraps around you like a blanket, sinking against your every curve and making you quiver all over again.

“Barely,” you murmur, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.

Your gaze follows his towering, muscular form as he crosses the room. He is bare under the dim light of the city that filters through the large windows. The amber glow illuminates the hard plates of his board chest and every powerful line of his body. His cock, soft and spent, bobs between his thighs with each step he takes, and you can't help but stare.

"A picture would last longer," he teases with a lopsided grin.

When he climbs back onto the bed, the mattress dips under his weight. There is wet cloth in his hand, and you shiver even before you feel it. He leans forward, lowering the rag toward your still-sensitive heat. The soft press of the fabric against your tender skin is overwhelming, and a cry slips from your lips as your hips jerk, arching into his hand.

“Hey!” you exclaim, but the orc only leans over. His rough lips find their path across your chest. His mouth trails slowly between your breasts as he works his way up until he finally meets yours in a slow, calming kiss.

"Maybe there’s another round in you?" he teases.

“Oh, no way,” you laugh breathlessly as you push his head away. “One more, and you really will kill me.”

"That would be a tragedy,” the orc sighs with mock regret, his eyes glinting with humor. He gives one last, gentle wipe between your thighs, letting the rag soak up the final remnants of his handiwork, then tosses it aside.

But even as he leans back, his attention doesn’t waver. His eyes roam slowly over your body. He takes in the sight of you, lingering on the peaks of your hard nipples, the rolls of your stomach, and the inviting curve of your hips. His gaze drifts lower to the fullness of your thighs and finally rests on the swollen, glistening flesh between them. He looks at you as if you are the finest work of art he’s ever laid eyes on, and he can't wait to worship you again. Your heart races under the intensity of his admiration, and every inch of your skin tingles.

"I will never let you go out of my bed," he murmurs, settling down beside you. His firm, solid frame presses against your side, his legs tangling with yours, and in one smooth motion, he rolls you gently into his arms, cradling you against his chest. His large hand slides down to your backside, and you can feel the roughness of his fingertips as they caress the tender skin there. He draws slow circles over the skin he spanked not long ago.

“How will I work then?” you ask, snuggling closer and pressing your face against him. The hair covering his chest is soft under your still-flushed cheek.

“Why would you do that?” the orc grumbles.

“How else would you see me in my skirts all day?” you reason with a mischievous smile creeping onto your lips.

He pauses, considering, then lets out a deep, thoughtful sigh. “Ah, yes. Those tight skirts of yours…” His hand stops its gentle caresses as if he's deep in contemplation, and then, a grin spreads across his face. “Fine. You can keep being my assistant."

"Good," you say, laughing softly as his arms hold you just a little tighter.

For a long while, neither of you speak. You simply bask in the warmth of his body and the steady rise and fall of his chest under you. His hand, ever so gentle, continues its slow exploration. First, it drifts down to your bottom, then glides up across your spine in smooth, lingering strokes.

Time seems to stretch, the world outside fading away as the two of you exist in this calm, content bubble.

Then, the night sky suddenly bursts into life. The distant crackle of fireworks fills the air, followed by bright flashes of color that illuminate the room. You both turn toward the window, where the dark sky is set ablaze with brilliant hues. Blues, reds, and golds explode above the buildings, lighting up the night before fading into the darkness just as quickly as they appeared.

"It's midnight," you hum softly, the words slipping out in a whisper as you gaze out at the fading fireworks.

"Hm," the orc murmurs in response, shifting you slightly in his arms just enough to look down at you. "Happy New Year."

You crane your neck, your breath mingling with his as you whisper, "Happy New Year." The words fan over his lips before they meet them in a deep, all-consuming kiss.

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Headcanon/Preference # 37

Gifs NOT mine.

Rating - SFW

Reading time (roughly) - 12 minutes

Year posted - 2025

So yeah I totally killed the reader off in this one... Wanted this one to be angsty. Enjoy.

----------------------------

• Obi-wan Kenobi •

• Obi-wan knew he shouldn't have let you join him on this particular mission.

• He knew something was off about this mission, he had sensed it in the Force.

• But he'd let you join regardless, and now you lay at his feet, bleeding out.

• He quickly dispatched of the enemy, and pulled you into his arms.

• "My love stay with me, you're going to be okay."

• He cradled your head in his free hand, trying desperately to assure you that everything will be okay.

• While also trying to fool himself into thinking you'll be able to pull through.

• As your breathing turned shallow, he kissed your forehead, smiling through the pain.

• He needed to be strong for you.

• And as your eyes fluttered closed, and your chest stilled, Obi-wan felt as if a part of himself had died with you.

• Only then did he allow himself to cry, and Obi-wan Kenobi was never the same.

• Becoming a shell of the man he once was, he eventually leaves the Jedi and roams the galaxy, feeling utterly lost without you by his side.

• Anikin Skywalker •

• Anikin thought he could protect you from anything.

• His one truest love, the one person he would have done anything for.

• This is the most dramatic turn of events for Anikin, the moment when he gave into the dark side.

• Cradling your lifeless body in his arms, Anikin screamed and cried.

• "You can't leave me (Y/n), you can't!"

• And with the aggressive flick of his wrist, he killed those that had taken you from him.

• He was merciless, unforgiving, and beyond angry.

• Anikin felt as if he'd died alongside you, and in many ways he did.

• Alone he laid you to rest.

• His once beautiful blue eyes turned to yellow as he watched you disappear from his life.

• Anikin felt as if your blood was on his hands, as if he failed to protect you.

• He also felt as if he failed you, because if you hadn't loved him as deeply as you did, maybe then you wouldn't have given your life for his.

• The day you died, was the very same day Darth Vader was born.

• Qui-Gon Jinn •

• Qui-Gon knew he shouldn't have grown attached to you, he knew it wouldn't end well.

• The rules about attachments, about love, were in place for this very reason.

• Quickly he took care of the man that had fatally wounded you, and held you close.

• Try as he might with the help of the force he attempted to heal your wounds, unable to do so he tried his best to be strong for you.

• He pecked your lips, and brushed back your hair.

• "You're going to be alright darling, just breath. That's it, just keep breathing."

• His hands shook as he placed his free hand over your wound, trying weakly to stop the bleeding.

• Again he tried using the Force to at least try to ease your pain, to make this easier for you.

• "Just relax my darling, we'll see eachother again."

• Qui-Gon promised you with a weak smile, his heart breaking at the sight of your own equally weak smile.

• His heart breaking further as he felt your breathing slow down considerably, the light in your eyes fading with every shallow breath.

• If there was anything Qui-Gon was grateful for, it was getting to hold you in his arms one last time.

• Darth Maul •

• Maul was foolish enough to think you were untouchable, that you were both untouchable.

• And his world crashed around him as you collapsed to the ground.

• Maul thought he knew pain, but all that he's been through, all that he's done. It was nothing compared to losing you.

• "You'll pay for this!"

• Maul growled at the man that was daring enough to hurt you.

• Ruthlessly he slashed at the man, cutting him limb from limb, and keeping him alive until he was satisfied.

• His rage blinded him, and only subsidied when he heard you wheezing in pain.

• "(Y/n) my star."

• Without another thought he dropped his saber, and rushed to your side, cradling you against his chest.

• He was unfazed by your blood seeping into his robes, firmly placing his hand against your wound, desperately trying to at least slow the bleeding.

• "I'll find you again my star, nothing can keep me from you, nothing."

• Maul promised as he rest his forehead against your own, the connection between you both through the Force, assuring him that he could keep that promise.

• He also swore to take down anyone and everyone that was involved in your demise, whoever that man worked for was as good as dead, and anyone else Maul deemed guilty.

• Maul will destroy worlds to avenge you if he must.

• He kept his eyes locked with yours as you slowly slipped away, his hearts thundering with heartache.

• "We will be together again."

• Maul promised before you gave your final breath, a rage filled scream escaping him as you died.

• And all who knew of Darth Maul, learned that after your demise, the Sith could be far crueler, far darker than he had been when you were still alive.

• Maul eventually turns to the traditions of the Zabrak, and finds a way to reunite with you through the magick of his people.

• It isn't enough, and it'll never be enough, because it is simply a ghost of you.

• But until his demise it is all he can manage, and he will accept that while he cannot hold you anymore, he can at least still see you and speak with you.

• Feral Opress •

• Feral is heartbroken beyond belief.

• You were the only truly good thing in his life, you were his and he was yours.

• Savage had witnessed the whole thing unfold, and for the sake of his brother, he struck down the man that dared to harm you.

• Feral wasn't sure what to do, so he acted on instinct, and laid beside you, pulling you into his arms.

• You had once said laying in his embrace was your favorite thing, the thing that brought you the most comfort.

• And he knew that's all he could do for you, comfort you as you slowly succumbed to your wounds.

• "Sh sh my sweet, just relax, I'm here, I've got you."

• He brushed your hair back in a soothing way, ignoring how much it hurt him to feel your blood painting his skin.

• He peppered kisses across your paling face, his hearts breaking with every kiss.

• You giggled in a pitiful way, coughing a moment later, blood oozed from your mouth.

• And Feral, delicately, lovingly wiped it away.

• "It's okay my sweet, look at me."

• His lip quivered a little as your glossy eyes peered into his own.

• "I love you, don't you ever forget that."

• He pecked your lips, tears escaping him when your final breath wheezed out from your lungs.

• Savage Opress •

• Savage instantly saw red, his hearts filled with rage, and regret.

• He ripped the man who hurt you limb from limb with his bare hands. The man's blood only cooling his temper a little.

• Dropping the carcass carelessly to the ground, he rushed back to your side, and as gently as he could he picked you up and cradled you against his chest.

• With you in his arms, Savage walked carefully across the tundra of the desolate planet you were on, unable, unwilling to just leave you on this wasteland of a planet.

• "Oh little one, my sweet stupid girl. You should have just let me handle him."

• He meant well, he really did. But he was hurt that you would do something so reckless, so selfless.

• You had once promised him forever.

• You giggled weakly, reaching up to caress his handsome face. And Savage melted into your touch.

• His hearts broke, knowing he couldn't save you, not this time.

• His blazing eyes locked onto your pale face, he wanted to commit your face to memory, despite the fact that he already has every part of you committed to memory.

• "I'll see you again little one, through the magick, the Force, I will see you again."

• He promised as he cradled you close, the chill of your skin finally breaking his resolve.

• Savage cried as he held you close, falling to his knees as you struggled to breathe.

• He grew darker that day, much darker. Swearing to fight to the bitter end, until he could be reunited with you once more.

• Kylo Ren •

• The moment you collapsed before his eyes, Kylo felt as if he would die alongside you.

• With a rage filled cry, Kylo cut down the man that hurt you, and threw the rest over a nearby cliff with the Force.

• He fell to his knees beside you, watching helplessly as your blood stained the snow around you.

• "Starlight what have you done?"

• He breathed out as he pulled you into his arms, tears of heartache and rage streaming down his face, his helmet long since abandoned.

• "I couldn't- couldn't let you get hurt."

• You had wheezed out, desperately clutching the deep gash at your side. Kylo's hand rest over yours, desperately hoping to stop the bleeding.

• "I can't live without you."

• Kylo whispered in a broken voice, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

• He squeezed you tighter, as you grew colder and colder in his arms.

• "Don't leave me, please, I can't go on without you."

• Kylo shook in his sorrow and rage, as your breathing became shallow.

• Despite the fact that you were literally dying, you still tried to comfort him, brushing his hair back weakly, your blood staining his pale skin.

• This only served to break his heart further, how can he possibly go on without you?

• Kylo is the most likely to rage an all out war, in hopes of getting himself killed so he could be reunited with you.

• But that's not to say he won't fight to the bitter end.

• Armitage Hux •

• It took everything in Armitage to stay standing, to not collapse and cradle you in his arms.

• If he had done so, he knew your sacrifice would have been in vain.

• But the moment the man is killed by his troopers, he's falling to his knees and pulling you into his arms.

• "GET A MEDICAL DROID NOW!"

• He barks at his men, who rush to follow out his order.

• But it's too late, your once bright eyes are dull and lifeless, having died on impact.

• That doesn't stop Armitage from deluding himself into thinking you'll be okay.

• He's crying, and begging you to wake up, but you don't respond to any of his attempts to stir you.

• "Please angel, wake up, come on."

• He's shaking you, kissing you, and eventually in his desperation he's beating on your chest in an attempt to get your heart pumping again.

• By the time a medical droid comes, he refuses to let you go. His troopers eventually have to tear him away from your body.

• He's kicking and screaming, red in the face as he fights them. But it's no good, they are to strong.

• Armitage has to control himself during your funeral, every instinct in him screaming to not let you go, to fight to bring you back.

• He is much harsher after this, starting arguments more and more with Kylo, and taking every ounce of pain when Kylo throws him across the room with the Force, as if he deserves to be punished.

• He's even trying to goad Kylo into killing him, but the man has a little more restraint than the General had thought.

• Armitage is the most likely to give into his dark depressive thoughts, and take his own life.

• His final thoughts are of you and you alone.

• General Grievous •

• You were his most prized "possession" so to speak, nothing in all of the galaxy meant as much to Grievous as you did.

• "My treasure, no you can't do this, you can't leave me I forbid it!"

• He's killed the man before you even hit the ground, where you lay for mere moments before he's cradling you in his arms.

• He's gentle with you, as he quite literally sprints you to the nearest medical bay.

• "Get out all of you!"

• He barks at the droids, not trusting them to fix what cannot be undone. Certain that he'll be able to save you.

• He's frantic in his attempts to patch you up, almost unaware of the way you gently touch his arm.

• Grievous froze in an instant when you weakly called out his name, his attention now solely on your face, cupping your hand in two of his.

• "What do you need treasure?"

• He asked in a soft voice, ignoring how his voice shook with emotion.

• You simply smiled at him, as if taking in the sight of him was all you cared about in that moment.

• "I-I lo-ve-"

• You tried croaking out, only for your breath to be stolen as you slipped away, dying before his very eyes, trying to declare your love one last time.

• The very ground shook with his scream of despair and heart retching agony.

• From that moment on he took out every ounce of pain and anger at losing you on anyone he deemed a threat.

• Sometimes even on innocent people, who would unknowingly remind him of you.

• He fought dirty and ruthlessly, uncaring if he would get himself killed, or if he would even succeed.

• Grievous also travelled far and wide across the galaxy in an attempt to find some way to bring you back to life.

• He cared not for whatever it might cost, or what he might have to do, who he would have to kill.

• If there is a way he can bring you back, he'll find a way, not matter how long it takes.

----------------------------

[akajustmerry]

hey merry! i noticed you just started the show, so how're you liking dark winds so far?

I started and finished it in less than a week. suffice to say, I really enjoyed it! here's some quickfire thoughts (note: I'm Aboriginal/First Nations "Australian" so I'm speaking as a non-Native to the so called US) <3

Something I loved about it as an Indigenous person is that every character has a different relationship to their ceremony and cultural beliefs. You have Bern who's totally immersed, Joe who wants to but struggles because of his grief, and Jim who's skeptical af. I liked that so much because it's very real. at least in my family and community. Everyone's degree of belief is different for different reasons!!

Bern and Jim oh my FUCKING God. I was GIGGLING and KICKING MY FEET. a+ culturally specific slowburn. when he asked her about her tribe?? when she gave him the protection medicine? when he says there's nothing on the rez for him and she says "I'm here"? WHEN SHE LEAVES AND HE RETURNS THE PROTECTIVE JEWELLERY??? 🥹🥰🥹🥰

I preferred the first season to the second. I think it was shot better and had a better executed mystery. The cinematography in season one was so gorgeous. It had a very distinctive almost sunny yet gothic feel, but the second season was shot more conventionally. I hated the colour splash sequences.

Emma's sub-plot of helping other women avoid forced sterilisation was so awesome. Deserves its own show to be honest. That sequence where she tells the patient in Dineʼ (under the guise of translating for the white doc) that she should not have her baby in hospital because the white doctors will sterilise her? One of the best character intros I've ever seen, and I love how it tails off in season 2 with her agreeing to go public with what's happening.

I love Bern so MUCH. Jess Mattern is so GOOD. her encounters with the witch are CHILLING. Her pure dedication to her cultural beliefs is so inspiring. She's also one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and I'm so gay. My only thing is......in WHAT universe is becoming a BORDER PATROL officer gonna mean you encounter LESS injustice. smh!!!

Kiowa Gordon as a 1970s suave FBI deserter turned hire out of a highway hotel private eye full of love for his community?? That's my dream gender!!!!!!! Also......it must be said....i need him.

Finally, even though I could tell Graham Roland and the writers made HUGE efforts to shift the white gaze of the novels Dark Winds was based on, there was just some moments/attitudes in the series that felt Off. maybe I'm over sensitive to copaganda idk but yeah there was just a little too much.......rampant individual American heroism and pro-cop/military stuff at times that made me roll my eyes as a non-usAmerican viewer

anyways, looking forward to having a reason to stay alive until 2025 (when season 3 comes out!)

[rascalentertainments]

"What if the legend of Peter Pan you know, was more than one story?"

2025 is finally here, and I wanted my first new post to be something entirely new. Aside from making Wish Granted, I've been brainstorming a non Wish related project focusing on a reboot of Peter Pan. There's been so many versions of him over the decades, that I thought it would be awesome to create a story where nearly all the versions of him are combined into one trilogy of movies! Hence why I made a redesign of him seen above. He does looks a bit similar to the Disney version, but I wanted to add a little more modern parts to him, like having a leaf patterns referencing his original book counterpart.

The idea here is to have a three part story covering Peter's life from an ordinary boy getting taken by pirates, growing slightly into a teen and becoming a hero on Neverland, meeting Wendy and the Darling children, and going through a character arc of what it means to grow up by the end. Its something I haven't seen and want to tackle myself.

I don't have a full outline for this story yet, but I have gotten a lot of Story beats and twists on the characters I'd like to share.

•The three Titles are Peter Pan: The Starcatchers, Peter Pan: Neverland Hero, Peter Pan: The Last Pirate.

•Peter starts out as a 12 year old boy in the first movie, and turns 15 by the end and through the second and third film.

•Peter is voiced by Kaiji Tang.

•While he can't read, his favorite story he's listen to is Puss in Boots. The story later becomes his inspiration to become iconic version of Pan we know, and as a hero to the residents of Neverland.

•Additionally, this version is a combination of DreamWorks Puss in Boots, Gojo Saturo and Jack Frost all mixed together to create a new take.

•He's the first lost boy. The others boys become part of his crew after he rescues them from Hook, acting as an older brother.

•Peter was alone on Neverland for two days, until he uses stardust to bring his shadow to life so he wouldn't be alone anymore. Shadow and Peter grow up together and become inseparable on adventures. They consider each other brothers.

•People in Neverland don't age, unless they leave the island. Peter ends up only staying 15 because that's when he actually stays on Neverland as his new home.

•His mother is alive.

•His character arc will be learning what it means to really "grow up". He must make a choice between staying in Neverland and remaining as he is, or live a new life with Wendy.

•Wendy keeps getting nicknamed "Darling" by Peter. 😂

•He's from the 1930's and by the time he meets Wendy, it's 1990's. Its a shout out to Steven Spielberg's "Hook".

•He's very disoriented by the big city, especially with all the cars around and way more people than in his own time.

•Captain Hook is voiced by Ian McShane

•Hook was the one who took Peter as a child to work on his ship. In that time, he does show the boy a few pirate tricks and how to take things right underneath someone's nose.

•One Hook's crew members, Alf becomes a father figure to Peter by teaching some survival techniques, and eventually defects from Hook after growing attached to him.

•There's a different reason Peter cut off Hooks hand, and its not a practical joke.

•Tick-Tock the crocodile is in the second and third film, and is still an enemy of Hook. In this version, he's been fed so many clocks by Hook that the magic in them fused with his body, turning him into a walking, ticking beast. He's also anthropomorphic and can speak.

•Design wise, he's 8 feet tall, sharp claws and pointed teeth. He has small clock faces sticking out on his body, with his eyes looking like traditional clocks, with the little hands pointing in whatever direction he's looking.

•He's voiced by Jim Cummings.

•Tick Tock starts out as Hook's prey, but after Peter stops him from eating the Captain, he makes Pan as his enemy as well.

•Tinker Bell finds Peter when he's on Neverland, unbeknownst to her at the time that she and Peter were born at the same time.

•She has feelings for Peter as years pass on, but he only sees her as a sibling.

•Tink can be understood by humans, but she chooses to speak like a bell in front of Wendy to trick her, and it annoys Peter. .😂

That's what I got for now, and I wanted to share something non Wish related, like some of my friends. I haven't forgotten Superzeroes, its just that this has been sitting in my brain and I want to just tell it finally! There's definitely much more to develop cause it's a work in progress, but I hope you want to hear more or see more designs soon!

@your-ne1ghbor @tumblingdownthefoxden @snackara @chillwildwave @oh-shtars @jojo-ker06 @thesafireartist @uva124

@kenihewa @ishadow246

[mincyberr]

welcm to cy's hot takes, where my takes might fire back at me 😭

sorry in advance! 😭

this hot take is about each book of the series doing movie next hot take

Hello my children, sorry for being inactive for... Two months. Happy holidays, happy new years people! Anyways enjoy this heavy ass hot take that took me a few weeks to get out due to being busy and stuff!! YAYAY

Maze Runner: This book I will re read them later in 2025 after Death Cure and Cranks Place. But what I remember in my doc of 80k+ words. The book is amazing. They did each character but Ben justice for the first book. Reason I say not Ben because I don't know much about him in the books but his a builder. For the characters, Thomas was amazing, Teresa sounds amazing at first until you read the other books, Minho and Newt were amazing as well and shown enough to be told they are gonna stay alive untill the end. And then... Gally and Alby are werid for this. Alby died so fucking stupidly. And Gally.. OH GOD. He's the perfect amount of annoying. But 'died' in a confusing way.

10/10 book, favorite quotes:

"Everything is gonna change." - Teresa

"You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck there ever was." - Minho

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────

Scotch Trials: the book is amazing, but a bit confusing at the end since I read too fast but I am gonna re read 36-65 since my notes have it all crumbs. But from what I have, it's good but the ending is werid with Thomas blanking out in a room in WCKD. Then there's the fact that Group B and A collab with the fact Thomas, Aris and Teresa are fighting like donkeys. And OH GOD, Teresa and Aris are a shit couple. FUCK THEM. Brenda and Thomas becoming one slowly like a slow burn is cute. I like it. Newt getting the flare did hit hard tho.

6.9/10 book, fav quotes:

"If I'm gonna die, I want to die with the rest of you." - Thomas

"If there's one thing I've learned in the Glade, it's that we can't predict anything. Not even ourselves." - Minho

This was 1/2 since I'm finishing Death Cure and getting into Cranks Place

Bye bye loves !!

cy/cyber - stan minho!!

[xaieia]

Candies and curses will be alive even in 2025... The work you do for this gandom

Anyway, some Molly headcanons?

aww I'm flattered thank you

now come off anon so i can thank you personally bc srsly getting this ask warmed my heart

I honestly feel like I don't do enough publicly sometimes since most of the stuff I do rn is writing which I don't post, but hopefully I'll have some more stuff for everyone next year.

still, Thank You :'>

anyway, Molli HCs

13

Bi (solely bc her hair looks like the bi flag and nothing else lol)

Actually isn't interested in a candymaking job but stays there for a bit to make sure Candy King recovers to a decent mental state, then lets Benny take over the role.

Closest with Lilly out of all the mansion residents, because they both have an interest in magic , but also pretty close with Benny

Despite being very popular at school she chooses to keep a pretty small circle of close friends and is just pals with most other people

Likes sour candies the most (though of course, she will take almost any candy you offer her lol)

She's been friends with Suzie for less than 3 years (otherwise she would've met Olly prior, I imagine) but they're already very close

Doesn't have a concrete idea of what she wants to do in the future (but like she's got time so it's fine)

Being in the manor did scar her (mentally) a little, but she tries not to show it and mostly deals with it on her own (but Olly's there to support her too)

She's also pretty stubborn but unlike Hector it's not in an unconstructive way, more in a "she will follow her stated goals to the end no matter" she's fine with switching stuff up until she finds something that works

I think she ended up keeping most of the weapons and charms she got in the manor but gave a few away to other people (generally Olly or the other manor residents)

still maintains some sort of contact with Hector and Paige though not as much due to obvious reasons

And as I am a Molliver shipper I must spread my Molliver agenda

Molli was the one who fell first

[goshikko]

Hewwo, I’m still alive! I apologize for the sudden months of inactivity.

If you haven’t seen my announcements on my Bluesky or Discord server, I’ve been very, VERY busy with 2 jobs for the past 3-4 months and I’m currently taking breaks after everything I’ve been through. I wanted to thank all of you for being extremely patient with me while I’ve been busy with 2 jobs.

I’ve tried to juggle everything as much as I can between my Discord server, art on social media, streaming, and my 2 jobs all at the same time, but ever since October hit, things haven’t been easy since I was focusing on my training at work at my 2nd job (Eventually I’m planning to resign from one of them by the end of January) and from November-December, I’ve been covering for 2 of my coworkers at my 2nd job and til this day, as of Jan. 5th, I still am. All of it has been stressful and draining my energy and motivation to do any more art, animations, and streams, but hopefully after Jan. 13th, 2025, I will continue get back on uploading newer artworks, animations, and streams! I will continue to post here on Tumblr again after Jan. 13th.

There’s also been a lot of plans and events that happened that I should’ve announced months ago, but due to how busy I’ve been, I haven’t been able to. Here are the things that I’ve been planning for myself, where I’m more active on, and what will happen to my art, animations, and streaming content:

1. TWITTER TO BLUESKY MIGRATION (AND TUMBLR)

2. PATREON’S 30% APPLE FEE

3. DISCORD SERVER CHANGES

4. ANIMATED CONTENT FOR MY YOUTUBE CHANEL (& THE STATE OF TIKTOK)

5. TWITCH STREAMS & OFFICIAL DEBUT DATE

TL;DR: These are all updates and plans on server changes and website news that happened. Bluesky, Tumblr, Twitch, and YouTube will be my main platforms to post art, animations, and streaming content and my Vsona’s Official Debut will be on Nov. 11th, 2025.

I hope you guys are just as excited as I am on what I've been cooking behind the scenes! I want 2025 to be an exciting year for Nijima's debut and I will take my art, animations, and streaming content more seriously on Bluesky, Tumblr, Twitch, and YouTube while working at my job. In the meantime, please also follow my VStreamer blog @nijimathey2kdemon for streaming and life updates as well!

1. TWITTER TO BLUESKY MIGRATION (AND TUMBLR)

Since Oct. 17th, I decided to leave Twitter for good and move officially to Bluesky. From now on, Bluesky, Tumblr, Twitch, and YouTube will be my main platforms to post art and content. On Nov. 15th, 2024, Elon Musk allowed Al to steal everything we post (Posts, Art, Data, etc.) like what Instagram has done. I believe this decision was the best choice for me as an artist/creator and my mental well-being.

After leaving Twitter, my mental state felt more "free" than when I was using it since February 2017 up until then. I won't be returning to Twitter, even if most artists and Vtubers are still staying on that platform (I honestly think all artists and Vtubers should migrate so that their supporters/mutuals can move on and support each other on other platforms). I can't take anymore negativity constantly at that place all the time and I can't stand seeing Elon making everything worse over there. I would rather wait until there's a convincing alternative platform for both artists and non-artists to band together and support each other. Instagram I have also left, but have been treating it more as a personal account now and have been sharing memes, other artists' art, and animations that i like on my stories (Same username: @/Goshikko). I'm still staying on IG mainly because most of my irl and online friends and artists are still active there (And finding small businesses is easier to find on IG than anywhere else), but I'm never ever posting on IG again for the same reason Twitter is doing. I feel more free not worrying and pressuring myself to post art on social media anymore and feeling pressured to getting bigger numbers and pleasing the Twitter algorithm all the time. On Bluesky, at least it does feel that way imo. It feels refreshing to start all over again even if it may suck at the same time after all the years I've built up a following, but it's better to learn that posting for yourself and why you started doing it since the beginning is a positive thing to have in mind.

2. PATREON'S 30% APPLE FEE:

Since November 4th, 2024, Apple required Patreon to raise 30% of its fee to use Apple's in-app purchase system, which includes a 30% App Store fee.

This will not discourage me and stir me away from Patreon, but I will warn anybody who has an Apple product, whether it's an iPhone, iPad, etc., DON’T pay to creators using the app! It's very disappointing that Apple forced this change to happen which will make artists' and creators' lives even more difficult since patrons will cancel their financial support because of the 30% Apple fee. All I can suggest is to not pay using the Patreon app if you are using an Apple product if you are interested in supporting me or any other artists/creators on that platform. That is the best I can advise at this point.

If you are not comfortable at all supporting me on Patreon, you can also support me on Ko-fi as an alternative. Remember that you are not obligated to support me if you are struggling financially or don't have the funds to do so!

3. DISCORD SERVER CHANGES:

I will keep this one short since this part is only necessary for my friends and supporters who are in my Discord server. If you want to know what are the changes and you’re interested in joining my server, please DM me for an invite.

The only thing I can really say on this part is that new emotes of Nijima and Rybiis (Representations of my supporters) will be coming soon after my debut so do keep a close eye on big changes that will come to this server!

4. ANIMATED CONTENT FOR MY YOUTUBE CHANEL (& THE STATE OF TIKTOK):

During the New Year of 2025, I really want to focus on my passion for animation again after being hesitant to share my OC projects for so long after graduating college. I have been coming up with many AMVs and animatics of my OCs, but haven't had the time to draw any of them. This includes projects such as my Vsona debut and many other animation ideas I've held in for this whole year (Mainly Mahito x Aiko ideas and other OC animations from personal series projects I kept secret for a long time). Animation content will be posted on YouTube and updates of those content will be on my Bluesky, Tumblr, Patreon, and Ko-fi!

As for the state of TikTok, as much as I hate it for a number of reasons, I genuinely wanted to gain a following over there, but have been hesitant to do so. Not to mention, I find "vertical styled" videos much more difficult to deal with and create since it’s just not something I'm used to doing myself. I also just never had any free time to edit any VODs or any art videos either. Since TikTok is going to be banned here in the U.S. by the government by Jan. 19th, 2025, I won't be uploading anything over there and my TikTok account will remain abandoned.

So in 2025, I want to focus more on creating animation content of my OCs, Mahito x Aiko, etc. and upload them on YouTube. I wanted to take it seriously and make it more convenient for myself as well as testing how uploading on YouTube will turn out without relying too much on other social platforms like Twitter and Instagram.

5. TWITCH STREAMS & OFFICIAL DEBUT DATE:

Art and gaming streams will still continue on Twitch and I will continue to stream as Nijima the Y2K Demon! My Vsona's debut will be on my birthday Nov. 11th, 2025 to give myself more time to complete my Ending Soon Screen and Animation Lore/Introduction before that date. I've recently been considering on not following through my sona's lore script and make something else entirely different than what l initially planned since the beginning of 2024. I wanted to make something short and doable that represents the aesthetic of "colorful 2000s nostalgia" that Nijima represents rather than her full backstory of how she became the Y2K Demon. I realized over time how animating the whole script as one animator would be a lot of work and it would cost a lot of money if I have to hire more 2D animators and voice actors for this debut project (I also reconsidered that I really don't want to make it only an animatic because I feel it shows that I haven't "worked hard enough" for my passion and I think that will look bad on me). Not to mention everytime I read the script, there is still a lot of flaws when it comes to dialogue and just... The flow of everything. Keep in mind that I started this lore script since late 2023 and has been completed in May 2024. It is now December and I really wish I had taken more time to go back and revise some things in the script. It'll be a lot to explain in text alone what specifically is wrong with everything, but after my debut, I will eventually post a PDF of the script publicly on my server and my Patreon if you guys are curious to read through the original lore of Nijima.

As for my stream schedule, after I resign from one of my jobs by Jan. 31st, I will only be streaming on Mondays, Thursday nights, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sundays will be my break days. My motivation will depend so my streaming schedule will subject to change if anything does happen in the future. I also didn't forget about streaming Slime Rancher 2 in the future so do keep an eye on that! There are many different games that I really wanted to enjoy playing and everything will be planned in the future when I have time!

[localbidepalcryptid]

2/3/2025

Today was really hard. I barely slept last night, and the sleep I had was dominated by the strangest dreams. In my subconscious, the world is always ending. I've watched civilizations liquidate and bodies pile. And it's just a dream, I know, but sleep is no longer a relief. It hasn't been for a long time. My bed is just the place I lie in.

I finally decided to get up and do something. Sitting in myself wasn't working. Move a muscle, change a thought, right? I cleaned like my mother used to. I think I get it now. I got so much done this morning, and then I sat on the couch scrolling and scrolling until my thumb took over and my eyes hazed over. Lately, everything makes me feel sick to my stomach. I don't remember what triggered it, but I couldn't stop the tears. This time, I decided to let myself sob. I curled up in bed and cried so hard my stomach hurt, and then I felt buzzed. I would stop crying for a bit, and then the feeling would overtake me again, and I would convulse and heave.

I lie there for hours after, stoned on oxytocin. I got up. Showered, washed my face. Forced myself to eat a meal. This feeling terrifies me. I can't get rid of it. I can't sit with it. I'm afraid that one of these days, I'll make a decision I can't take back. I don't want to. I want to feel better. I'm completely alone in this. I have no family. The grief is crushing. I'm only 18. I don't feel old enough for this. I keep holding onto this future thing, I'll pick some event a reasonable distance away and stay alive in the hopes that it will change things. Maybe I'll feel better when I go back to school. Maybe I'll feel stronger when I go back to work. I don't. I feel more alone and hopeless than ever. This is not the life I wanted for myself. I tell myself that I will build my life brick by brick if I have to, but my sureness is wavering. I feel damned.

The thing about estrangement is that no one gives you a medal. Sometimes, I think I'm the only one who cares about my safety. It took balls to cut my mom off. I won't ever let her torment me again. No more bruises, no more hurled words. I won't endure what I don't deserve. No one gave me a sticker. No one cheered. The isolation is my only reward. I'm safe from her, but with that, I've lost everything. I don't have a dad anymore. I google my brother to check up on him. My bedroom is a different color. My stuff is long gone. I guess that's just the way it goes. I made my choice. I did what I had to do to protect myself. That doesn't make it any easier. It's just me here, at the end of the day. Horizontal, stiff on my mattress. Earnestly dreading sleep and the day ahead that demands my participation. I want to be held, but he took my body from me, and I've flinched ever since. Nothing is mine except my suffering, and what I choose to make of it.

[bruiseslikeblueroses]

The State of my Unions

I rediscovered Tumblr. Switched over to Bluesky. I feel like a social media refugee. I feel bad for the real refugees in Los Angeles. It seems like the city is burning to the ground. I’m really worried about my bestie. She sounded panicked when we talked last night.

As far as things go, I’m fine. Missing my new husband terribly. I can’t wait for him to move in here, Only three more weeks. This bed and end tables gets switched out for his larger set, which I am all for. My previous domestic partner died on this bed. It’s just too sad. A fresh start is a good thing.

My father wrote us up a dream lease, at least I say this without having seen it yet. Casey, bless him, will be paying 90% of the house expenses with his larger income and I will be taking care of food and tradwife stuff. That sounds quite agreeable. I don’t mind being a housewife at all. I do that anyway, because I like living in a clean house. Eating decent food

The words are coming easier now. She was right, Jami Attenberg's 1000 Words of Summer. This is a good exercise. 200 words without really thinking about it. Of course I am all hopped up of Cold Brew from Casey’s forgotten appliance. That is may secret summer survival tool. I forgot how caffeinated this stuff was, also. Two pint glasses and I’m ready to write the great American novel spew. It feels good.

Now I’m a forth of the way through. A good feeling. There is a lot of history I have with Tumblr. I am happy to see familiar faces there, as well as on Bluesky as people flee Threads. Some are staying, like I thought I’d stay at Twitter/X. I haven’t posted anything but cross promotion there is what feels like years. At least a year. 

Time moves differently now. Faster. It’s 2025 and I’m throwing away cans of food in my pantry that expired in 2019. Trying to get the place cleaned out for Casey. I love him. I love him so much. We want to get old and grey together and I am all about it. I pamper him because he is such a jewel. I made him an apple pie the other day. It’s still siting in the fridge, looking lovely. Should be delicious. He loves my cooking. He’s so nonjudgemental and loving. He’s the one.

415 words. Anything else? It’s two am. Suddenly there are so many more interesting things to do then play video games. It feels like coming alive. I could really use a bath, a nice morning soak. But I’m flying on caffeine and don’t really want to sit still for that long. At lest my hair is okay. Doesn’t need to be washed. I cut my bangs a lot shorter. They look a lot better.

I cut my own hair, I’ve been doing it that way for years. Since I moved to Reno and stopped spending a fortune on my hair and nails. The right thing to do.

Sure, the high life with Larry was nice, but I love Casey so much more. He is so much better in so many ways that I feel like we can really be happy together into old age. I am actually excited about spending the rest of my life with him.

I’ve had many lovers, paramours, wives, booty calls, but Casey is my special loving husband with the same value structure I have. That means the world. I am so happy about him moving in at the end of the month.

Today the cleaners comes and do a deep cleaning on the place. I am so glad. I am so very thankful to my parents for paying for this. I should be awake. I have to be awake, actually. I will have to find various strategies for rooms to hide out in. As the weather is chilly. Near freezing, lately.

I take out my meta glasses. Ask them the forecast. It’s 29 degrees right now. Below freezing. I wonder if it snowed tonight. I got a warning on my phone that it might. 

For some reason my glasses will only play podcasts. I fiddle with them until my Spotify Upbeat Mix comes on. Lady Gaga, Born this Way. The morning seems even more sparkling now. Music is everything.

The changes in Meta’s policies as they try to appeal to the upcoming Trump regime are disturbing. I have no stomach for bullying. As they are explicitly targeting LGBTQIA and mentally ill people, I am going elsewhere digitally for a while.

I can’t afford to leave Reno, Nevada. My psychiatric medication, my wonderful house, my five cats. My new husband. Everything is wonderful except Los Angeles is on fire and the incoming. regime I strongly disagree with. 

Hopefully I can fly under the radar. Keep my head down. Survive.

Yes, I am a bisexual woman who chose to marry a man after two wives did not work out. He’s not my beard, although he has a nice dark beard. We met on OK Cupid. It was all over once I’d read his profile and we started talking. I cleared my schedule till our first date and put on my Bettie Page heels.

I’m listening to Todrick Hall, a regular on Ru aul’s Drag Race. He makes amazing dance music. Casey said I listed to gay club music and he was not wrong. Broadway musicals, Lana Del Rey and remixes they might put on at the Abbey on underwear night. 

Discovering Violet Chachki’s musical output was a revelation. Dominatrix disco.

Since The Vivienne passed, I’ve been watching that All Stars All legends Season. Drag perfection. The Viv turns amazing looks. She looks so radiant and animated on television, it’s hard to accept that she’s gone.

Death, aging, time, change. I have no solution for my fleeting middle age, except don’t stop. Don’t stop writing. Creating. I need it more than ever now.

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: Lovely day for it..

So last night I played We Happy Few, checked socials and found... Retrospring will shut down in 2025.

So retrosprings a sort of a q/a social media site and they've announced they will be shutting down next year. Screenshots taken from the site.

So We Happy Few, the game that can be summarised as modern britain simulator. Before launch, the game was garnering some attention with a lot of folks being fascinated with what looked like 1984 meets bioshock. Of course when the game did launch... it was a buggy, tedious mess of a game and wasnt great to play.

Now, the idea of a survival game were you need to play along and conform to societys quirks in order to blend in is an incredible idea that I feel isnt explored very much in games and holds some relevance in todays climate. Joy is the drug that made the town of Wellington Wells the way it is, people stoned off their minds and forgetting the terrible past, living in ignorant bliss. And if you didnt take your joy, you're labelled a downer and will be attacked until you conform or get chased out. And theres lot of effort in wellington wells, mainly within the town itself to detect downers, all to make sure everyone stays happy. And you'd assume there'd be some pressure to play along just enough to stay alive right? Well not really.

Truth is that We Happy Fews "survival" mechanics are rather toothless. In the games story you only need to occasionally eat, drink and sleep as you walk miles along grasslands and cobblestones street to reach the next cutscene, and in the early game you get introduced to the garden district were berries and clean water are abundant. Heck theres plenty of rose of giliead bushes that can be turned into healing balm, making most fights trivial since you're stacked with healing items. By the way, i said clean water because in the town and parade districts, the water is spiked with joy but only the water, the food isnt spiked so any pies, sandwiches, stews and cans of v-meat you find are joyfree. Even tea, grapefruit juice and coffee are safe for some reason. Actually there is quite a bit of food in the village, edible too despite the fact that the games story states that theres currently a famine going on. Where mass starvation is a looming threat that everyone is too overjoyed to care.

The opening had a bunch of wellies eat a dead rat thinking it was candy from a smashed pinata but you never get anything like that in game. Joy does make things look pretty but outside of getting past a detector, there isnt much of a reason for a player to decide to chase the joyful bulldog. No circumstance in the game made you weigh the pros and cons of taking joy either to get past a detector or even just making rotten food edible for a lil bit, dealing with the consequences of withdrawal and memory loss later, which tbh all they did was made the visuals more morbid and made you more noticeable to wellies. You know, I actually recall that taking joy had a more dire effect that once you take enough, the games over. Your not a downer anymore after all are you?

Apparently in its earlier concepts the game was planned as a roguelike kind of game where the joy and survival mechanics wouldve been fleshed out more. But I suppose as the game gained traction and attention, especially after the xbox presentation at e3, the expectations for the game to be a bioshock-esque kind of game may have caused development to change direction in order to realise that expectation, yet they end up keeping a lot of the now abandoned elements for the rougelike, incorporating some of it like the procedural generation, into a mashed together game that couldnt make its mind up. And thats a real downer.

You cannot accuse this game of being lazily made, far from it. The enviroments and writing is fascinating, the story and characters are interesting and voice acted tremendously well. Behind the mask of a game thats mostly running to one place to the next, theres a small glimpse of something truly great. This isnt just a bad game, this is a bad game that couldve been a great game which is a worse than just a any bad game because now im sitting here mad, typing on a touchscreen about the pontential this game had and couldve realised had the leadership of this game made their bloody minds up. The story, the world, the characters and general style. The game had the talent and resources to make something great and at times, you can see that quality. But the direction behind this game was flawed, the ones leading the project could not figure out what kind of game they were making and all we got was a rushed, buggy, confused mess.

Im just writing a blog post, paraphrasing my thoughts here. But if you're interested in delving into this further, theres a couple of videos that are worth watching. First off is the The Cost of Joy which is a documentary by the developers that details the development of the game itself.

The second is a video by Abbsynthe titled We Happy Few: An amazing story weighed down by a bad game, which covers a lot of the aspects of the game and its story and goes into more detail.

I recommend giving these videos a watch if you're interested.

Thats all for today, see you all tomorrow. Feedback is appreciated, anons are currently on.

[bogans-are-my-anathema]

one possible future based on current american politics

this is one possible forecast based on what I (as a hyperfixated doomer non-american teenager) predict COULD happen in order of events

-Trump wins election

-Initiates project 2025 shifting america to a pseudo dictatorshp

-Possible rioting at this measure which justifies the reenforcement of the police state, safeguarding against further protests

-initiates the tarrif only tax solution he has been pushing for the last 2 years, sending the economy into decline

-further protesting -> reenforcement of the police state again into an edifice,

-market confidence greatly decreases as a consequence of both the tarrifs and the protests, leading to a full on recession

FLASHPOINT 1

-somewhere around this time a couple of things could happen that each change what the likely outcomes and scatter the future, those things are

trumps death (60% odds within 2 years of election based on some prediction), this would lead the martyrdom of trump and the cementing of his beliefs similar to what happened in china with Mao, his replacement, pushing their own more extreme beliefs, while not touching the policies he passed

the collapse of the russian regieme following the implosion of putins olegarks leading to a mutiny and a period of great flux similar to the dissilusion of the ussr, leading to a weakening of xi jing ping

the resolution of israel palestine in israels favour, leading the the beginning of another (*independant*) inshafada in now israel owned land

each of these events greatly skew the probable outcomes the reason these are flashpoints is that there are alternative outcomes for all of these that are singificantly better

trump stays alive however rapidly degenerates from frontal lobe dementia, making progressively worse policy decisions until he is overthrown, the replacement would be significantly more moderate in policy, younger and most importantly willing to change former trump policies,

putin gets overthrown in an orderly manner with minimal disruption, leading to a change in policy and a shift towards democracy for the russian people

the president of Israel (cant spell his name) is overthrown from within his own party, the replacement agrees to treat with HAMAS forces and comes to an israel favoured solution (due to the current state of the war) that does still leave space for the few palestinians that are still alive by that point, the next revolution is delayed by decades,

going from this point on we will be assuming, trumps death, and either for the other two as im not very good at predicting further outcomes from this point based on those two

-leading to the collapse of americas soft power, the next likely superpowers are china and germany

-a crisis in german leadership (theyre built on a crumbling edifice) leads to a collapse of respect for germany outside western europe, leaving asia and south america to look to china for support

-china finishes their belt and road project and gains control over a lot of the world, also annexes taiwan, now known as taipei without much resistance due to diminishing american support, putting pressure on australia and south-east asia which leads to china having massive influence over them (stronger than the influence america currently has over canada and mexico but not by much)

-europe merges into a governing body in a meaninful way, probably by the reenforcement of the un into a more efficient peacekeeping organisation, possibly absorbing some of russia into it through pseudo-democratic means (biased (not rigged) elections),

END OF FORECAST

I am not omniscient, please let me know what i should add to this/what you think i got wrong

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The airborne flames (NYT) More howling, whipping, fire-stoking winds have arrived in Los Angeles. They are expected to strengthen by dawn and may blow up to 70 miles per hour. Some gusts could rekindle parts of the major blazes tearing through the city’s hills and suburbs. Others could start new fires. It may seem hard to understand why the combined resources of the federal government, California and Los Angeles haven’t been able to defeat the wildfires after a week of fighting them. The winds are a major reason. The gusts hurl embers across great distances, spreading fire quickly and thwarting efforts to pinch it off. Planes and helicopters that spray water and flame retardant can’t fly. Firefighters on the ground can’t battle the flames on streets and hillsides without fear they’ll be incinerated. At their peak, the winds have forced firefighters to focus on something else: evacuating residents. “You’re just trying to keep people alive,” Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire expert in Northern California, said.

L.A. Wildfire Evacuees Scramble to Find Sleep in Cars, Shelters and Hotels (NYT) Tens of thousands of wildfire evacuees in Los Angeles are now scrambling to find—and hold onto—temporary shelter, exacerbating the housing shortage in one of America’s least affordable cities. With 92,000 people across Los Angeles still under evacuation orders on Monday, the displaced were scattered across Southern California, in shelter beds, hotel rooms, relatives’ spare rooms and friends’ couches, unsure about where to go next as extreme fire danger looms for yet another week. The hunt for longer-term housing already has sparked bidding wars in some neighborhoods on the edges of the fires. In the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood adjacent to the Palisades fire, one real-estate agent suddenly got 1,000 applicants for a new rental listing. In Pasadena, a family whose home burned in the Eaton fire in Altadena said they were about to lose their emergency short-term rental where they have been staying since the fires to a family willing to pay $8,000 a month.

Latino Boys Decked Out for Their Version of the Quinceañera (NYT) On a Saturday last fall, a Mexican American teenager in Corpus Christi, Texas, had everything planned out for a coming-of-age party. It would have custom-made jewelry, a string quartet to play renditions of pop songs and a group of high school freshmen in black tailcoat tuxedos to perform a dance. This may sound like a classic quinceañera for a 15-year-old girl marking her transition to womanhood. But on that day, the spotlight was on Javier Calderon, a 15-year-old boy celebrating becoming a man. Mr. Calderon is part of a growing number of young Latin American boys embracing the centuries-old tradition that until recently has been reserved for girls. Some parents are spending up to $70,000 to host quinceañeros for their 15-year-old boys. And some see these parties as a way to push back against the socially conservative gender roles many Latinos grow up with.

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools (AP) Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. The move will impact students at elementary and high schools across the South American nation starting in February. It provides a legal framework to ensure students only use such devices in cases of emergency and danger, for educational purposes, or if they have disabilities and require them. In May, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a leading think-tank and university, said Brazil had more smartphones than people, with 258 million devices for a population of 203 million Brazilians. Local market researchers said last year that Brazilians spend 9 hours and 13 minutes per day on screens, one of the world’s highest figures. Education minister Camilo Santana told journalists that children are going online at early ages, making it harder for parents to keep track of what they do, and that restricting smartphones at school will help them.

A remote British isle celebrates New Year on 13 January (BBC) A remote Shetland island is celebrating its traditional New Year’s Day—two weeks after other parts of the world. Foula—which is home to fewer than 40 people—never fully adopted the modern Gregorian calendar, preferring instead to follow some of the traditions of the Julian calendar. So this sees islanders celebrate Christmas on 6 January rather than 25 December, and New Year’s Day on 13 January. “It is how we have always done it,” one islander told BBC Scotland News. Foula residents do not follow the Julian calendar as a strict daily rule due to the practicalities of island life, as they have to fit in with things such as plane and ferry timetables. However, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are different.

A New Age of American Interference in Europe (NYT) For the last decade or more, Europe’s governments have been trying to resist covert influence operations from adversaries like Russia and China. Now they have a very different challenge: Fending off overt efforts by Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s MAGA movement to seize territory, oust elected leaders and empower far-right causes and parties. Even before he retakes office, Mr. Trump is making threats—perhaps serious, perhaps not—to acquire the territory of NATO allies like Canada and Denmark. And Mr. Musk, the president-elect’s biggest financial supporter, is using his social media platform X to bring the far-right Alternative for Germany party into the mainstream and smear the leaders of Britain’s center-left Labour Party. It is not clear if Europe’s political immune system has the antibodies to defend against these new incursions. A senior official from the first Trump administration, who is in line for an even more senior role in the second, was blunt in his assessment: Europe, he said, has no idea what is coming its way.

Ukraine launches largest attack of war so far, Kyiv claims (BBC) Ukraine struck several targets deep inside Russia on Tuesday in what it says is its "most massive" attack of the war so far. Ammunition depots and chemical plants were hit across several regions, some of which were hundreds of kilometres from the border, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces. Sources in Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency told the BBC the overnight attack was a "painful blow" to Russia's ability to wage war. Russia said it had shot down US-supplied Atacms missiles as well as UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and vowed to respond to the attack. Kyiv claimed to have hit targets up to 1,100km (700 miles) from the border.

Troops Captured by Ukraine Provide Rare Glimpse Into North Korea’s Military (NYT) One young soldier from North Korea said he didn’t know where he was fighting when he was sent from his isolated homeland to the frontline of the war between Russia and Ukraine. When asked whether his parents knew where he was, another North Korean soldier shook his head. The three-minute video clip that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine posted on the social media ​platform X on Sunday showed a Ukrainian official questioning two North Korean prisoners of war with the help of a Korean interpreter. The soldiers’ answers appeared to back up what South Korean and U.S. officials have said in recent weeks: North Korean troops were taking heavy casualties in a foreign war waged in an unfamiliar territory while their government was keeping their deployment a secret to its people. ​Memos found with dead North Korean soldiers indicated that their government had urged the highly indoctrinated troops to end their own lives rather than be captured​ in the battlefield.

China building new mobile piers that could help possible Taiwan invasion (Financial Times) China is building a new class of mobile piers, satellite images reveal, which could bolster its ability to land an invading force in Taiwan, a major step in its preparations for a potential future attack. Satellite images captured on Friday and reviewed by the Financial Times show six barge-like vessels equipped with extendable ramps under construction at China’s state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard. The vessels could help the People’s Liberation Army transport heavy military equipment such as tanks and artillery across mudflats or seawalls on to firm ground. The construction of the vessels, first reported by defence website Naval News, comes as the PLA is trying to close large gaps in the capabilities needed to launch an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory and has threatened to annex by force if Taipei resists unification indefinitely.

Yoon becomes South Korea’s first sitting president to be detained (AP) South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency didn’t have the authority to investigate his actions but saying he complied to prevent violence. Yoon, the country’s first sitting president to be apprehended, had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” the efforts to oust him. He has justified his declaration of martial law Dec. 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition employing its legislative majority to thwart his agenda. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said Yoon was brought into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered the residence, in their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law.

Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza (AP) Yotam Vilk says the image of Israeli soldiers killing an unarmed Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip is seared in his mind. An officer in the armored corps, Vilk said the instructions were to shoot any unauthorized person who entered an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in Gaza. He saw at least 12 people killed, he said, but it is the shooting of the teen that he can’t shake. “He died as part of a bigger story. As part of the policy of staying there and not seeing Palestinians as people,” Vilk, 28, told The Associated Press. Vilk is among a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking out against the 15-month conflict and refusing to serve anymore, saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical lines. While the movement is small—some 200 soldiers signed a letter saying they’d stop fighting if the government didn’t secure a ceasefire—soldiers say it’s the tip of the iceberg and they want others to come forward.

Dozens of survivors and dead pulled from abandoned South African mine as hundreds remain underground (AP) Months after South African authorities initially cut off supplies to miners working illegally in an abandoned gold mine, rescuers brought dozens of bodies and emaciated survivors to the surface Tuesday with hundreds more still believed to be underground, many of them dead and others too weak to come out on their own. At least 60 bodies and 92 survivors had been pulled from one of South Africa’s deepest mines since Monday in a red cagelike device lowered thousands of feet underground, police said. Police are uncertain how many miners remain inside but said it is likely in the hundreds. The mine has been the scene of a tense standoff between police, miners and members of the local community since authorities launched an operation in November to force the miners out by cutting off food and water from the surface for a period of time. At the time, a Cabinet minister said the aim was to “smoke them out” and the government would not send help because they were “criminals.” But that tactic has been fiercely criticized by civic groups and the community, and the South African government is under scrutiny for the way it has dealt with the issue.

[tonisonlinediary]

Alr, crying episode has been concluded.

I need to find a reason to live for, I need to find my will for living. Something other than just also waiting for Floyd to appear/show up.

I like my friends and family, job and social circle, but they aren't reason enough to keep staying/fighting, I need something else besides that.

I've been living this far because I've been hoping for the day that I can finally be with Floyd. I've always intuitively knew that it would at the very least, be before 2030, I previously predicted 2023, 5 years after we originally began to communicate to each other, but life had other plans.

So as we enter 2025, only 5 more years until I decide what to do next.

I know that in my soul contract I explicitly made it so that I cannot commit su-cide in this lifetime, but I know that I can always bypass this contract line and move around it instead.

Floyd and my spirit team overall, including myself to an extent, is against me even thinking of that as an option. But I'm speaking for myself selfishly, since if I want nothing else in life besides Floyd and death. Then let me choose my own fate if the time comes near.

So with that being said, here's cheers.

Cheers to the soon to be 8 years that I've known Floyd and that I've gone down this wacky ride, 8 years full of love, horrors and growth. And here's a shot to potentially years more full of love, growth, experience and expansion into the wider and unknown universe!

So I will keep on waiting, keep on being patiently waiting for my husband. Either he finds me alive and came right on time, or he just narrowly misses me and finds me gone. But either way, I'm going to live selfishly until then. Live for myself and no one else.

-

My will to keep going/living is:

1. Floyd, to make it until the day that I can finally see/be with him. Predicted to be before 2030, most likely 2025 - 2027.

2. To die, to live until 2030, then apply for MAID. If that's the case, then I'll spend that last year making it one to remember and love.

-

Because, outside of everything else, I don't have a major reason to keep on going. My happiness lies with my husband, it's just me that's missing from the picture. Of course I can try to find my happiness here, but I just, don't feel a connection like that anywhere but here, over there with Floyd. Just, fuck.

I have such conflicting wishes. I wish that Floyd was here with me right now and I also wish that I could just rest for now.

-

I just opened Spotify and put my liked songs on shuffle and "Starset - Frequency" was one of the first songs that came up for me. For context, Starset is one of my confirmation songs that I use for when asking for signs from Floyd. Overall, it's pretty effective and accurate. If that wasn't a sign enough, the song right after this one was "Lydia - Nelward", which again, is just a person song that I love and associate with me and Floyd's tolerance for each other.

Now can you understand just how insane this all this to me? Fuck. Anyways, here's the lyrics to Lydia since it resonates with me so much;

(Also, it's 9am rn and I just woke up)

"Good morning,

You got the motion

Ooh you cause commotion

How you don't know what you've done to me

The very notion

Ooh of your devotion

Keeps me up all night I'll never sleep

If I can't sleep it's no dream (It's no dream)

Is this a joke that you're playing on me

Straight out of some fantasy

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'd run for miles just to trip on your shoelace

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'll wait a while for a crumb of your embrace

I feel your power

Stronger every hour

And ignore the flags out flapping red

Just for a minute

I thought you were in it

Now I'm back online and swiping left

Cause now you left me on read (Oh no)

I pick my brain for something stupid I said

I guess it's happening again (God dammit)

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'd run for miles just to trip on your shoelace

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'll wait a while for a crumb of your embrace

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'd run for miles just to trip on your shoelace

Oh lydia

Oh lydia

I'll wait a while in the hopes that you pull through

You know I'm a fool

You know I'm a moron

Yeah I'm a fucking idiot

Yeah, I'm fucking dumb."

-

-

-

I just want someone/something so bad that not having it is just fucking suffering at this point. And, I can't live my life always in constant anticipation, so I need something to soothe me, something to motivate me... but he does.

-

Selfishly, I want Floyd, life, sex, love, passion, motivation, communication, strength and so much more. But also on this line of thinking, I also want love in general and to go to school again.

I just want to live for myself, Selfishly be selfish and yet selfless at the same time, y'know? He supports me and I support him.

[purplesurveys]

1702

What does the shirt you are wearing look like? It’s white and has a gigantic print in the middle that’s black and red. It’s also a tad oversized, which I don’t mind as I’m into that style these days.

What was the last thing that stressed you out or upset you? I’m always dealing with a simultaneous bunch of things at work which keeps me constantly stressed, lol. One client just messaged me earlier, around 11 PM, so that was...fun; one has a knack for hounding me for updates on this and that and expects me to reply within five seconds; one is super anal and refuses to approve any material without it reaching 4-5 revisions; one has been taking forever to reply on anything since April, leading to campaign delays that at this point I don’t even give a fuck about anymore...it’s a jungle everyday where I work. How do you stay positive with all that life throws at you? 1) I’ve seen and experienced how things always manage to fall into place somehow, so I just stick it out during the ugly parts; 2) I need to stay alive at least until 2025 for reasons only anyone within the Bangtan universe would know, hah.

What quality do you admire most in other people? Being patient, because I am definitely not always.

What is the highest level of physical pain you have ever been in? rate 1-10 That would either be my foot infection when I was 11, or having to get six injections in a single day right after my dog bit me. I was even way more stressed out over the shots than the fact that I got a Real animal bite for the first time, lmao. The foot thing is a solid 10 but I would give the injections probably an 8? and it’s mainly because I was terrified of the amount of shots I needed to get and because it was the first time I’ve ever gotten injected on my thighs.

...same question, but with emotional pain? Nothing has been more difficult than the direct aftermath of my breakup three years ago. Giving it 10/10 seems too kind, lmao.

What is your most prized possession? All of the souvenirs from Yoongi’s concert. My ticket, the envelope it came in, the freebie card (not quite a photocard, it simply has the D-DAY in Bangkok print on it), and even all the freebies I managed to get.

Which YouTuber do you feel like you could be friends with easily? Anthony Padilla. He just seems so warm and personable, plus I feel the mutual Filipino blood would help us bond over stuff a lot more hehe.

Do you like your natural hair color? It’s fine. It’s not like I would’ve had a choice; most full-blooded Filipinos get black hair anyway.

Do you think you will dye your hair when you start going gray? Probably at the start, but I like to think I’ll learn to embrace it later on.

Are you pale right now, or do you have a tan? I am naturally tan; I’m never pale and have no desire to be.

Do you think you look best with a tan? Not really the target audience for this question but I will say that I love how my skin looks right after a vacation at the beach. The extra level of tan-ness just looks so nice.

What is your favorite app on your phone? YouTube. I constantly have videos on all day as background noise, regardless if I’m actually watching them or not.

How old were you when you got your first smartphone? Smartphone, that would be when I was around 17 when my parents got me an iPhone 5s. Before that I was always the friend who didn’t have her own phone and needed to update my parents about my whereabouts through my other friends’ phones, hahaha.

Do you ever meditate on Scripture? You will never find me doing that ever.

Are you living a life you want to escape from? or do you love your life? It’s not that I want to escape it, though I do get the sense that I could be doing and experiencing a lot more. I strongly feel that part of it also falls on me to have to push myself to try new things. I can’t attract the life and luxuries I want if I do nothing to get closer to them.

When was the last time you felt that life was good? When I was on my two trips about a month ago.

Do you have one big mistake that you've made that you want to fix? Nope. I’ll learn from mistakes, but I wouldn’t go back and change things.

Do you wish people would forgive you for your past so you could move on? I don’t think this is applicable to me.

Do you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? I don’t celebrate that.

Are you Irish at all? Nope.

Do you pray to God every day? I do not.

What are three things you are currently looking forward to doing soon? Picking up my copy of BTS’ memoir this Sunday; getting my quarterly OT pay next month; hearing Seven for the first time.

Do you ever dance in the rain? I don’t. I probably did when I was younger, but I never do it anymore.

Have you ever sat on a rooftop? So many times. We have a rooftop at home and I will stay there sometimes. I haven’t recently though because the weather has just been really unforgiving.

Who is that last good musician or band you discovered? I don’t really discover new music anymore as I spend most of my days in the K-pop realm lol. I will say though that I learned about The Japanese House’s newest album yesterday and spent some time last night listening to it, and in general it felt good to ‘come back’ to one of my favorite artists.

Do you like to watch talent shows like America's Got Talent and X Factor? I loved watching American Idol as a kid and a few years back I did have a phase where I was obsessed with golden buzzer compilation videos, but I don’t watch talent shows in general these days.

Have you ever tried avocado toast? Yes. It’s one of the very few fruit-y things I enjoy having.

Name three items on your wish list right now. A pair of AirPods Max, blackout curtains, enough money to rent a condo.

Are you more talented musically or artistically or neither? Writing counts as art, right? I’m artistic in that sense, I guess. It’s all I know how to do.

Are you better at English or math? English.

What were your best subjects in school? History, english, biology.

What was your favorite subject in school? History.

Have you ever visited a teacher at their home? No. That’s pretty weird to think about.

How many windows are in your bedroom? Two.

Who was your first roommate? Never had a roommate.

Who was your first best friend (besides a sibling)? Kaye, from kindergarten.

Do you have a sibling who looks like you? My brother and I look alike from a few angles. My sister and I look nothing alike I think, but we do sound very similar. We have the same expressions and ways of saying/enunciating them, too.

Name three women you know who have lost a child. One of my great-aunts; one of my aunts; I can’t think of anyone else.

Whose was the last funeral you attended or watched? Marisse’s dad. He was a good family friend who was close with my grandfather and spent a lot of time with him when they used to pick me and Marisse up from school.

What types of cancer are in your family, if any? There isn’t any, as far as I know.

Do you have big dreams for your future? I’d say I have a few big ones, yes.

Do you feel alone? It’s not feeling alone when I am perfectly fine and happy living life on my own. :)

What is this month's calendar picture? Jimin. Thanks for reminding me I need to tear out June from my calendar haha.

What is the theme of your wall calendar for this year? I’m using a BTS one; came as an inclusion from my OT7 photofolio.

Have you ever seen a double rainbow? I may have, but the memory doesn’t stick out.

How old will you be on your next birthday? 26.

Which nationalities have you been told you look like? (i.e., Asian, Irish) Asian is not a nationality...anyway, I have been assumed as Chinese, which was definitely weird to hear as Southeast and East Asians are pretty distinct in appearance.

Have you ever had an outstanding library fine? Yes, I’m a heavyweight champion in library fines lmao. I’ve always been awful at returning books.

What book are you currently reading? I’m not reading anything at the moment but I do know I’m picking up a memoir this Sunday and I couldn’t be any more excited to start reading again.

Are you poor/broke right now? Nah. I’m starting to recover/save again after my last couple of trips which is just a huge weight off my shoulders hahaha.

Have you ever received any scary, threatening messages on social media? I haven’t, fortunately.

What is the name of your youtube channel? It’s just my name.

How many subscribers do you have on youtube? 0. I just made an account so I can get Premium; I’ve never made a video.

Do you wish that life were more fair? Of course.

Who was your first kiss? Somebody I used to date.

Do you feel you have found your soulmate yet? No.

Are you single or in a relationship? Single.

If you're single, do you want to be, or do you wish you weren't? I’m happy being single and have no plans to date/be in a relationship. People always seem to be baffled when they hear that. Are we, like, not allowed to like being by ourselves? Lmao.

Ever collected shells at the beach? I’ve tinkered with them, but I’ve never stolen any.

Would you rather paint or carve a pumpkin? Carve, I guess. I haven’t done it before and it sounds more fun to do and also less wasteful.

Who are three of your favorite youtubers to watch? Mejiwoo, Smosh, GMM.

What year did you graduate high school? 2016.

What do you miss about high school? Nothing, really. The older I get, the more I realized how suffocating high school really was. Sure I was a kid, the room was wide open to be allowed to make mistakes and start over again, being a part of a clique was cool yadda yadda, but I was also in Catholic school. Everything about it sucked.

What do you miss about college? The freedom. Seeing your friends everyday. Getting to pick your classes and learning what you actually wanted to learn so studying didn’t feel like a chore.

What color was your first car? White.

Do you have a car now? Yes, the same one I’ve been using ever since I first started driving.

What color was the house you grew up in? It’s white with a red roof.

Growing up, what floor was your bedroom on? My childhood home has one floor.

What is your birth order in the family? I’m the eldest child.

What would your name be if you were the opposite gender? As far as I know they never thought about boy names because they waited till I came out to start thinking of what to name me.

What were you almost named? There was a toss-up between Ariel and a few variations of Katrina.

Does your bedroom have carpet? Nope.

Best camping experience? Never gone camping.

What are the top three travel destinations on your bucket list? Seoul, Marrakesh, New Delhi.

Do you get heartburn? For some reason, only whenever I get KFC’s Double Down HAHAHA.

What are three things you are known for in your town? Idk my city is kind of blah. Aesthetic cafés, I guess??? Also pilgrimages and our local rice cakes I guess.

What are three things you are known for on social media? Screaming about BTS 24/7. I don’t really do anything else.

What is your Instagram account name? No thanks.

Have you ever used Snapchat? Only in college.

Did you want to be famous when you were younger? Maybe for like a second, but it never materialized into a legit goal.

What show did you most want to be on as a kid? Hi-5. I wanted to be a part of that kiddie audience SO BAD.

First celebrity you were obsessed with? The entire cast of High School Musical.

First celebrity crush? Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale.

What was your first favorite stuffed animal? I was never a stuffed toy kind of kid.

What was something unique about you as a kid? You know how it’s a joke to tell people, “were you dropped as a kid?” my mom actually dropped me when I was a few months old. She had been in bed at the time, had me on her chest, then she fell asleep and probably rolled over, and obviously she woke up because I started shrieking and screaming and crying while on the floor.

Were you ever goth/emo?  Nah. When that was a thing among the people in my age group, I was heavily into wrestling and completely skipped out on the emo craze. I mean I liked Paramore, but I didn’t copy their style and I didn’t even have a phone that would’ve let me do the selfie angle that was popular back then lol.

Do you want any more piercings? I have no desire to get any more piercings beyond my earlobes.

How many tattoos do you have? None.

Do you want more tattoos? I wrestle with the idea every now and then but it always ends in me deciding I’m too scared of needles to even think of booking an appointment.

If you had to get a tattoo, what would you get? Seven dots in the order of BTS’ members’ mic colors.

Do you mostly write in cursive or print? Print.

Were you ever homeschooled? Nope.

Describe your dream wedding in five words. Big. I want it to be a goddamn party. If a wedding is in the cards for me I know I’ll want it to happen only once, so might as well go big or go home.

Pick three animals that you think resemble you, and why? Idk?

Are you unique? I’d say we all are.

Do you get called a free spirit? No.

What day of the week were you born on? Tuesday.

How are you feeling right now? A little tired but I’m trying to fight sleep as I wanna make the most out of my weekend. Also my shoulders are SO sore it’s bothering me so much right now ugh.

[let-it-raines]

For catch me if you can, I'd really love to see something about them having a second kid since I know you mentioned it before. Maybe something about how Emma's pregnancy is different now that Killian's retired! Thank you for all of your wonderful words!!!!!!

I am forever and always amazed by the love and support that the Catch Me If You Can universe receives, and I love that you guys let me get these words out of my head and onto the page...or the screen. 

So here’s just a day in the life for these two that definitely alludes to some things that happen in their future!

on ao3 | here | if that’s more your jam. 

-/-

July 2025

Killian doesn’t know what to do with himself.

He’s cleaned the house. Every damn floor. That includes dusting the shutters and scrubbing the baseboards and running the vacuum twice before cleaning all of the hardwood and tile.

All of the beds are made, which is not an easy feat for how many pillows Emma likes to put on their bed, and all of Jace’s toys are in their containers. Killian knows that they’ll all be dumped out later, probably as soon as Jace wakes up from his nap, but it’s nice for once to not be worried about stepping on something and for his living room to not be a disaster.

Jace is one of the best things to ever happen to him, but Killian is still not used to how everything is beyond messy all of the time.

But not now.

Though, if it was still messy, at least he’d have something to do.

He’s cleaned the house, worked out, paid bills, set out chicken to defrost for dinner, and now, all he has to do is watch the game.

That’s not necessarily what he wants to be doing right now.

Not when he’s not the one on the mound or in the dugout and not when he still recognizes over half the faces in Yankees uniforms.

He could still be playing. He could. His arm hasn’t hurt in awhile, but that’s because he hasn’t been pitching several days a week and doing training and playing games. He has given his body the rest it needs, but damn if he doesn’t still ache.

It was his decision. He wanted it. It’s for the best.

Watching this season, though, not having any kind of regular job or connection or part of the team, is fucking weird.

But he watches because he loves the game and loves Will and Eric and Robin and all of the other guys on the team.

He watches because he likes to listen to his wife kick ass as a commentator.

She does every single time. Sighing, Killian puts the vacuum on its dock in the closet and then walks over into the living room, plopping down on the couch and turning the volume up. They’re in the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees are winning, and he hears Emma telling some story about Will that he knows is one of the age-old tales that publicists feed commentators so they have something to say to fill dead air-time.

Emma hates having to use those, but she tries not to let too much of her own personal connection with the players in.

That doesn’t really work when fifty percent of what she’s asked about has to do with him. She says it doesn’t bother her, that she’s proud to be his wife and to get to tell stories of all of her seasons with him, but there’s this small part of him that will always hate whenever anyone makes her career about him. They’re intertwined, yes, but Emma has always stood out.

His phone rings in his lap, and Killian slides his finger across the screen.

“Hey, A.”

“Hey,” Ariel says, “did you get any of my emails today?”

“I haven’t checked. Why? What’s up?”

“I sent you some stuff about interviews. Fallon and Meyers both want you on. GMA and Kelly and Ryan want you and Emma on.”

“For what? We’re not promoting anything, and you know we’re keeping Emma away from as many cameras as possible.”

“She’s literally on TV right now.”

“You know they only shoot from the shoulders up most of the time, unless it’s a rain delay or something.”

“They can do that on these shows.”

“With all of the crew that’s on those sets?” Killian clicks his tongue and stretches his arms above his head. “I don’t know. I have to talk to Emma. Why do they want us on, again?”

“It seems the two of you have become very popular on the internet because of a Buzzfeed article.”

“What the hell?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s weird, but it’s one of those where they talk about reasons to watch sports, and then they list a bunch of attractive athletes. You’re on the list, and the author attached a link or whatever to some article about you, Emma, and Jace. It’s kind of blown up into its own thing. How have you not seen it?”

“Woah, woah, woah, do these people not realize I’m retired? They can’t watch me play unless they want to watch old games.”

“You’re literally missing the entire point.”

“No, I got it, A.”

“So will you do the shows?”

“Eh,” he groans, running his hand through his hair, “that sounds a little too gimmicky to me, especially the morning show ones, and I told you I have to run it by Emma before I let you run with it.”

“Look, I get it,” Ariel sighs, and he has a feeling she’s about to do some of her famous convincing. “You’re a manager’s dream, Killian Jones, but you’re also my worst nightmare. I know you don’t like actually saying it, even though you just did, but you’re retired now. You’re going to have money coming in forever no matter what, but it wouldn’t help to grease the wheels a little bit, keep your star power alive while you stay under the radar figuring out the next big thing for you. I’m just saying that this could be good for the both of you. I’ll even make it so that the questions can’t be too invasive.”

“How are they not going to be invasive? They’re literally asking about my personal life. That’s why they want me on the shows.”

“I have my magic ways.”

Killian groans and leans back on the couch, running his hands through his hair and pinching his nose. “We’re keeping this pregnancy quiet as long as possibly can. The only way either of us would possibly agree to it is careful camera angles and no mention of the pregnancy.”

“How would they mention the pregnancy if they don’t know about it?”

“Well, someone could see. Look, I don’t know. I’ll run it by Emma tonight, okay?”

Ariel’s sigh is deep on the other end of the phone, and he knows that she gets it, even if she’s exasperated with him. It’s been happening a lot more lately with her trying to learn to manage him when he’s not always in the clubhouse or on the plane, and the adjustment period is still new.

All of this is.

“She’s going to say no.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know the two of you, I do. Is there any way I could convince you to do it, just you?”

Killian chuckles and rolls his eyes. He wouldn’t be opposed to going on a few late night shows. Those were always a good time. He’s just not going to have his life be put on a public platter without talking to his wife first. “Bye, A. Go bother your husband.”

“He’s kind of in the middle of a game right now in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I’m sure you can still find a way to bother him.”

She scoffs. “I will hear from you by the morning, you asshole. Goodbye.”

And then the line goes dead.

Bloody frustrating woman.

Emma’s voice echoes from the television, and Killian turns his attention back to the game. From all accounts, this seems like any other run of the mill game where everything has been average. It’s not a blow out, there aren’t any spectacular plays, and it’d be a good game to put on for a nap.

Maybe that’s what he should be doing with his free time.

He should have done that earlier, though, because he knows that Jace will be up soon.

“My husband won three World Series in what a lot of people consider a very short career for a pitcher. I don’t think you can say that’s normal. There’s only a handful of men born in the last few decades that can say that, actually.”

“Of course,” Isaac adds, “but with the way you say it, you act as if he won all of those on his own.”

Oh fucking hell. Isaac and James need to go to another team or another network. Killian’s never listened to them much since he used to watch games on mute, but damn, it’s like they don’t know how to talk positively about anyone. Is that what viewers want?

“I have never once said that,” Emma corrects, tense. “It’s always been a team effort. The starting pitcher doesn’t even play the entire game, but you implied that my husband was a mediocre player when he was anything but. Of course, he had help. Will Scarlet, for instance, helped Killian in every game. These teams are like puzzles, and you have to have all of the pieces to get the end goal. But, I mean, damn, can we go one game without you interrogating me on Killian’s stats? He was a damn good player, and nothing is going to change that.”

“You don’t have to get so emotional about it. I’m simply doing my job.”

Fuck you, Isaac.

“Alright,” Emma sighs, the camera now showing them in the booth. She’s smiling, and to the rest of the world, she looks like she always does, but there’s a tightness in the tug of her lips that he doesn’t like. “Let’s look at a play of the game presented by Chase.”

And then the screen cuts to a double play from earlier, and Killian mutes the television and stands up. What just happened isn’t going to go over well with the network, and he already knows Emma isn’t going to be home late.

Killian sighs and walks upstairs until he gets to Jace’s room. Jace is standing up in his crib trying to climb over it, and when he looks up and sees Killian, he plops back down and pretends that he wasn’t just trying to do some kind of Mission Impossible escape. They’ve got to think about moving the kid to a bed soon. All of the books say he needs to be a little older, but Killian thinks Jace might be ready.

He and Emma likely are not.

“What are you doing there, lad?” Killian laughs, leaning against the doorframe.

“Sleeping.”

“With your eyes open?”

Jace giggles and closes his eyes, cheesing like he does every time Emma tries to get him to pose for a picture. The blue of his eyes disappears into thin lines. “We play ball?”

“How are you going to play ball with your eyes closed?”

One eye slowly opens before the other joins in. “I play baseball.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Killian sighs, walking into the room and reaching into the crib to grab Jace, kissing his cheek before brushing his curls off his forehead. “We will go and play baseball, and then we’re going to cook some dinner for Mommy. Does that sound good? Dinner?”

“Pizza?”

“No, lad, not pizza. We can have some chicken though.”

Jace pouts.

“Yeah, I know. Pizza is better than chicken, but it’s all about balance, my boy.”

Killian and Jace go through their post naptime routine before Killian grabs the soft baseball they use with him and they walk out to their back patio. They have a little bit of green space back here, would have more if Killian would take the time to landscape and reorganize their furniture, and the thought has him making a mental checklist of that being his project for tomorrow.

Scratch that. Today is the end of the series, and Emma will be home for the next few days without having to go into the office or into the stadium. They could do it together, but he told her they’d have a day where they do absolutely nothing.

He intends to stick to that promise even if it’s nearly impossible for him to sit still.

He plays catch with Jace, which mostly consists of Jace tossing the ball up at such an angle that it immediately hits the ground and then drops dead. It’s that over and over again, but this tires the kid out and is something he genuinely enjoys. Killian will do absolutely anything in the world to make his son smile, and if that means chasing after a ball for an hour, he’ll do it.

That also means that when Jace gets exhausted while Killian is cooking dinner that he’ll deal with the meltdown and try to calmly explain to a toddler that it’s okay that the blue marker isn’t anywhere to be found because he can color with all of the others.

That doesn’t really fly when all he wants is a blue marker.

Obviously, he’s really knocking this whole dad thing out of the park.

The alert on Killian’s phone goes off, and he pulls up the camera to see Emma pulling into the garage. He opens his mouth, about to tell Jace that Emma’s home, but he decides to let it be a surprise. Maybe that way the kid will get out of his funk for a moment and be happier.

Or he’ll have a meltdown in front of Emma.

At this point it’s really a guessing game.

In a few minutes, Killian hears the sound of her footsteps on the stairs, and then she’s rounding the corner and moving into the kitchen. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, loose pieces around the front framing her face, and she’s not wearing any shoes. When she left the house today she was in heels and her hair was cascading down her back in waves, and if he couldn’t see the bags under her eyes and see the tightness in her smile, he’d know she was tired from her change in attire.

“Mommy,” Jace squeals when he looks up and sees her. Killian steps away from the salad he’s fixing and helps Jace down, and then he’s running toward Emma and waiting for her to pick him up. “Hi.”

“Hi, baby,” she sighs, kissing his cheek and brushing his curls back. “I missed you. Did you and Daddy have a good day?”

He eagerly nods his head, and Killian lets out a little sigh of relief. Maybe he’s not fucking this whole parenting thing up as much as he constantly thinks he is.

He’s not Brennan. He’s never going to be Brennan. But damn if he doesn’t still think he’s going to find other ways to screw his kids up.

Killian goes back to cutting up strawberries and Emma and Jace talk, and before he knows it, she’s walking over to him. He twists his head in anticipation, and Emma brushes her lips over the corner of his mouth before managing to plant a firmer kiss.

“Hi.”

“Hi. How was your day?”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ll tell you about it later. What are we having for dinner?”

“The Italian chicken and some salad. I can pop some bread in the oven if you want me to.”

“I really need the carbs.”

“Then bread it is.”

“Thank you,” she sighs before adjusting Jace on her hip and then setting him back down on the barstool. “Look at this beautiful drawing. You know, I found a blue marker in my purse today. I think it might belong to you.”

Emma Jones, always saving the day.

They eat dinner, exchanging their normal small pleasantries, talking about their days without really talking about them. It’s not unusual for Emma to still take awhile to figure out how she wants to phrase things and open up about them, but it’s been awhile since it’s been like this, especially because he knows she didn’t have a good day.

Maybe she doesn’t want them to have to talk in front of Jace.

So they don’t.

They eat and do the dishes and then settle down in front of the television. Jace will only watch the Trolls movie at the moment. It doesn’t matter what iteration, as long as it’s got brightly colored singing creatures in it, and Killian tries to pay attention. He really does. But he’s distracted by a group text with the team as they discuss dinner plans for tomorrow on their day off. He’s still included in the group, even when most of it doesn’t pertain to him anymore, and he gets caught up trying to convince them to all go for pizza since Jace mentioned it earlier and it sounds damn good. He doesn’t need to be eating that, but for all that he still works out, he might deserve it.

Emma will definitely want it.

Or maybe not. He’s not sure when food is going to repulse her or not.

“Hey, sweetheart, do you – ”

Killian looks up from his phone, and he sees that Emma’s slumped down into the couch cushions, her chest rising and falling, and she and Jace are asleep.

She’s going to kill her neck if she falls asleep like that.

“Love,” he whispers, nudging her until her eyes blink open. “Hey, let me have Jace, and I’ll put him to bed. You can go upstairs, yeah?”

She nods and helps get Jace off of her until he’s in Killian’s arms and Emma is sleepily walking upstairs. He follows, turning for Jace’s room while Emma heads to theirs, and even though it only takes him five minutes to get Jace down, Emma is already in bed when he makes it to their bedroom.

Silently, he crawls onto the mattress, raising the comforter and settling underneath it as he inches closer to Emma until her back is pressed into his chest and her feet are tucked between his calves. She’s got socks on, thankfully, so it’s not like there’s ice against is skin for once. Emma sighs back into him, reaching back and grabbing his arm to wrap it around the slight roundness of her stomach. It’s a feeling he’s not quite used to yet, but it’s something he’s searched for since the moment Emma’s test came back positive.

This time he feels much more prepared, like he knows far more than any book or class can teach him, but it doesn’t stop the ache in the pit of his stomach the contradicts the warmness of his heart.

Killian sighs and presses his lips to the side of Emma’s neck while his fingers trace against her stomach, his hand moving until he can maneuver himself under her shirt and feel the heat of her skin.

Emma places her hand over his, squeezing, and for awhile, he waits for her to speak, for her to set the pace and unfurl what’s on her mind.

As her breathing evens, he’s not sure that time will ever come.

“I am so tired,” she finally whispers. “I am tired down to my bones and keep waiting for that fucking second trimester energy to start, but it hasn’t. So I’m tired but I get up anyway because I have things to do here and a job, which I swear is sucking my soul out of me.”

“What happened, love?”

“Did you watch the game?”

“Bits and pieces, but I heard enough.”

She scoots back, more firmly pressing herself into him, and her hair tickles his nose, the scent of her shampoo surrounding him.

“Was I wrong to want to do this? Should I have stayed where I was? I had so much more control there. Yeah, I was basically just the pretty face they used for men to stare at, but I had a say in what I said and who I worked with. When people hated me, I didn’t have to hear about it because I wasn’t sitting in the booth next to them. How long am I just going to be the woman who doesn’t belong? The woman who is only there because of who her husband is? And I just know it’s going to go over fantastic when I finally tell everyone I’m pregnant. I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to hide it from anyone but Jace soon.”

Killian swallows and strokes her stomach as he kisses her neck again. He doesn’t know how to make this better. He never has.

“You got that job without me. You know that, right? You already had your foot in the door.”

“Killian, I know, but no one has ever seen me that way. I might as well be a star on the Real Housewives of New York.”

“That would technically be me in this situation.”

Emma laughs, and God, that’s a good sound to hear. “Ah, yes, I hear quite a lot about you being the one who is at home with our kid. It’s almost like you’re a dad.”

“Shocker, isn’t it? A dad spending time with his kid? Raising him? Being there?”

“It’s revolutionary,” she chuckles, turning and twisting around until she’s facing him and her nose is brushing against his. “I know I got the job on my own. I know I’m smart and capable and a damn badass, even if saying that makes me a little less of one. But sometimes I just wish that things were a little easier, that I worked with people I liked again. Babe, I think I would do horrible things to have you in that booth with me.”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, would it be so crazy?” She runs her hands up his side until she’s caressing one side of his face, nails curling back into his hair. “We’ve talked about it before. You expressed interest in it. And come on, I know you love staying home with Jace, but you can’t tell me you’re not itching to be doing something else.”

“Well, Ariel did call and ask if we’d go on several talk shows today.”

Her brows pinch together. “Why?”

“Apparently there was some list about attractive baseball players – ”

“Did that stroke your ego?”

“Eh, maybe a little,” he teases, kissing her nose. “But it’s something about the two of us now being in the spotlight again and a few people had reached out to her. I said I’d ask you, but I figured the answer would be no. Then today happened, and I knew it would.”

“Yeah, I’m not doing anything extra. You can go if you want.”

“I might like it, depending on what they ask and who the other guests are. Maybe I can go on one of the shows and see if they’re doing a cooking segment that day.”

“Oh, can you bring me back food?”

“Yeah, Swan, I can.” Her eyes flutter closed and Killian leans back a bit. “I will think about it, okay?”

“About what?”

“Seeing if the network would have any interest in me working with you. Not this year, I think. I want to be home with Jace and whoever this new little one is as much as I can. And Ariel has me doing events and still working with charities, and most weeks, I’m busy enough. I mean, today I was bored out of my mind, but I think working with you would be bloody wonderful. That way we’d be on a similar schedule and still have time for our family. And I guess it could keep me connected to the game, since I still haven’t quite figured out how I wanted to do that.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” Emma promises opening her eyes. “Don’t do it for me, yeah?”

“Emma – ”

“No, I’m serious, don’t do it for me. I only want it to be something you want. Killian, if you want to spend the rest of your life knitting with a group of old women, you can do that. Your career has allowed us that, but if you want to stay in this world of baseball, we can find a way for that.”

Killian blinks, swallowing the lump in his throat as his hand brushes over Emma’s hip, holding her close to him. “Are you happy, sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” she whispers, “I am. I’m also still exhausted. I think I’ll have to conquer sexism in sports tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is your day off.”

“Then the next day then.” She pats his cheek and dips her head down to lightly brush her mouth of his, a feeling as familiar as anything else in the world. “I love you, Jones. Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For being there for me, no matter what. I have a lot of people who are like that for me now, but I haven’t always. I mean, you know. You get it.”

“Aye, I do.” Killian hugs her closer and feels her stomach press against his. It won’t be so small soon and so much will change, but for right here and right now, that’s a worry for another day. “Thank you for being that person for me, Emma. Are you ready to go to sleep? Or would you be up for some brownies I made earlier?”

“I would be up for you bringing me some brownies in bed.”

“You’re going to get crumbs on the sheets.”

“It’ll be worth it.” She kisses him again, this time slower, softer. “I’ll do the laundry.”

Killian lets out a low whistle. “You really know how to convince a man.”

-/-

-/-

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