#Philip Fried

[martyncrucefix]

New review of my translation of Peter Huchel's 'These Numbered Days'

When Shearsman Books published my translations from the German of Peter Huchel’s 1972 collection These Numbered Days (Gezählte Tage), we were still in the early days of Covid restrictions and so launch events and so on were very difficult. I was pleased when the book was recognised in 2020 by winning the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for translation from German awarded by the Society of Authors. The…

[medicbrainrot]

i don’t know much but there’s no weight at all

Task Force 141 was eating breakfast together in the mess hall, when Simon showed up a few minutes late…

Artemis tilts her head at him, a concerned look on her face: “Simon? Are you alright?”

Simon nodded yes and walked over to the table. He sat down on the seat next to her and leaned forward with his elbows propped up. He smiled and spoke in a calm, quiet voice. 

“I’m fine, Artemis.” He said as if nothing was wrong. Artemis could always see straight through him, but for now he hoped she would believe his words, since he rarely opened up about how he felt.

“Are you sure?” she asks, placing her hand on his forehead, “you’re looking kinda…pale”.

Simon chuckled and shook his head. He leaned his head into her hand and looked up at her, giving her a comforting smile, eyes crinkling through his mask, although she could tell the smile was forced. He was tired of hiding how he felt all the time.

“I’m fine, I promise.” He said softly, closing his eyes but tilting his head to the side to lean into her touch to get a little bit of comfort.

“You’re not coming down with something, are you?” she asks softly.

Simon opened his eyes and turned back towards the table as he sighed. Artemis always had a way with making sure people were okay, which Simon always found quite comforting.

“I’ll be fine, Temi.” He said softly, giving a little half nod. 

“Don’t worry” he paused and thought for a second before speaking up again, his voice lower than usual, “but… I should probably talk to you about something…”

“Yeah, what’s up? Do you want to talk here or somewhere else?” she asks quietly

Simon opened his mouth for a second before closing it again. He looked up at his girlfriend and nodded.

“Can we talk in my quarters? Away from everyone else… you’re the only one I feel safe talking to about this kind of stuff…” he paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

“I have something that’s…been bothering me lately… something that I need to share with someone…”

“Of course, grab something to eat while I clean my stuff up, and I’ll meet you at the door.” She nods to the end of the mess hall room.

“Okay” he nodded and got up to grab a tray and some food before walking to the other side of the room. Once he got there, he sat down, lifted up his mask, and started to eat. While he ate, he thought about what he was about to tell Artemis. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react. The one thing he knew for sure is that he could always trust her.

She sat down next to him while she waited for him to eat. “I’m ready to go to your room when you are” she smiles softly

Simon nodded at her and smiled. He put his fork down and pushed his plate away from him. He sighed and stood up, sliding the mask back down, before looking over at her again.

“I’m ready to go.” He said calmly. He turned his head in the direction of his room and waved his hand to tell her to follow him.

She took his hand and gently rubbed her thumb across the back of his palm while they walked.

Simon felt a chill run down his spine when he felt Artemis’ soft touch on the back of his hand. He looked down at her and smiled softly. When they finally got to his room, he closed the door behind them and leaned back against it for a moment. He slipped off the mask entirely, setting it on the desk. He looked back at her and nodded.

“I’m sorry for bringing you here so suddenly… I just needed someone I could trust.” he paused and sighed before letting out a soft chuckle. “The thing I wanted to talk about… it may sound silly to some people…”

“No, it’s okay, I’m here to listen and help as much as I can” Artemis smiles gently at him.

Simon nodded softly. After taking a moment to take a deep breath, he let out another sigh before speaking again.

“Lately…I’ve been feeling…empty…I know I’m supposed to act tough all the time and to never worry about anything and to just…deal with it…but after everything I went through, and everything I witnessed and had to do, it’s gotten hard not to feel something other than sad a lot of times… You’re the only person I trust enough to let everything out like this.”

“Why don’t we sit down, this is a sitting down type of conversation.” She takes his hand and leads him to the bed, prompting both of them to sit. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

Simon nodded and followed her over to the bed. He sat down on the bed and took a deep breath before thinking back to when everything had started happening. 

“It’s been going on for a while now…” he paused and sighed, “maybe about six months or so. And it’s been getting worse as of recently… Every time I think about what I did in the past, every time I think about something I witnessed, or every time I think about how I had to lose some people. It all just makes me feel guilty.”

“Ok,” Artemis nods softly, “was there a specific event that made you feel like this, or has it been building up?”

Simon paused for a moment and thought of the question. He knew exactly what moment had caused it. The day he lost his entire team during a mission in Brazil. He took a deep breath and spoke quietly.

“It was the day I lost most of my team… we had a mission in Rio. We knew it was dangerous, and we expected something to go wrong… but when we first came in contact with the enemy, I had to witness the people I called my brothers die right in front of me…”

“I remember when you came back from that mission.” Artemis says quietly. “Do you feel guilty for being the only one who came home?”

Simon nodded his head. Guilt and shame were the only things he felt for himself after that day. He felt like a complete failure for letting his team down, even though there was nothing he could have done to change what happened.

“I feel so horribly guilty…that I'm the only one that made it out… I couldn’t do anything to help them…to change what happened… it’s hard to not see myself as a failure for that reason…”

“Simon, are you familiar with the concept of Survivor's guilt?”

“Survivor’s guilt… you mean the feeling some people get when they survive something that their friends or family didn’t?” He paused and looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. He wasn’t really familiar with the term.

“Yes, but it’s a little more complex than that.” She says softly. “It’s used to describe situations where someone feels intensely guilty for surviving something that others didn’t, even though there were circumstances out of their control.”

Simon nodded and listened to what she said. He agreed with what she said about Survivor’s guilt, because everything she said described how he felt ever since that day in Brazil.

“Yeah, I guess that’s how I feel…” He paused for a second before continuing. “It’s like my mind won’t stop going back to that day over and over again, all night, every day… I can’t make it stop, and it’s driving me insane…”

“I want you to try and think logically for a second, okay? I’m going to walk you through a couple of questions, and I want you to try to think logically through them.” Artemis says.

Simon nodded his head and looked at Artemis. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking to her.

“Okay, I should be able to think logically.” He paused. “Go ahead.” He spoke softly, trying to act calm. “I’m ready”

“Were you and your team briefed on what was supposed to happen for the mission?”

“Yes, we were. We were fully briefed on the mission. It was our job to go in there and get rid of anybody who was a suspected insurgent, and to retrieve intel. That’s what we were there for.” He paused and took a deep breath. “We knew what we were getting into. It’s just… we never expected it to go like that…”

“Ok, try to give me shorter answers.” She says gently.

“Was anyone who did not want to go given a chance to back out?”

Simon nodded and looked her in the eyes as he spoke. He tried his best to follow her advice and answer her questions in as few words as he could.

“Yes. Nobody was forced to go. Everyone who went wanted to go. None of them wanted to sit it out, so we all went together.”

“Ok. Did you as lieutenant make sure that your team was ready and had everything they needed prior to stepping off?”

Simon nodded and looked at her before answering.

“Yes. We all had our equipment and we all made sure our guns were checked, everything was good to go. We made sure we were all ready and prepared for anything that could happen. And at the last minute, before we flew out, we all made sure everyone knew their roles and responsibilities.”

“Ok. Did you as lieutenant work to the best of your ability to lead your team?”

“Absolutely. I did everything I could to keep them all safe and alive. I tried to keep them focused on the mission, and I guided them as best I could while we were there. I told them to stay together throughout the entire mission and I told them to keep our eyes open.” He paused and frowned. “I really tried my best to keep them safe and get them all out alive… but that didn’t happen…”

“Ok, shorter answers love, remember? We’re trying to think logically here.”

“Right…” He trailed off for a second.

“I did everything I could, I really did. I did everything a leader is supposed to do.” He paused again and looked down at the floor before speaking again. “But it just wasn’t enough…”

“Ok. I want you to say what you just said, again, minus the last part.”

He took a deep breath and looked up at her. He took a second to think of it again before replying.

“I did everything I could, I really did. I did everything a leader is supposed to do.”

He paused for another second before speaking.

“I just didn’t do everything right enough… I should have done more… I should have been better at what I did…”

“Simon, just say it again, but don’t add anything, just the first two sentences.” She says, squeezing his hands gently.

Simon sighed and then looked back up at her. He took another deep breath before speaking again, trying to stay calm.

“I did everything I could. I did everything a leader is supposed to do.”

“Say it one more time for me.”

Simon groaned and let out a deep sigh, but did as she asked him to. He wasn’t quite sure where this was going, but he went along with it for now.

“I did everything I could. I did everything a leader is supposed to do.”

He let it sink in for a second, waiting for her to speak.

“Ok, good. When everything went south, did you still do everything you could, yes or no?”

Simon nodded his head.

“When things went bad…yes I did, with what I had. I did everything I could do when things took a turn for the worst… even if it wasn’t enough…” He paused for a second and then spoke again. “Yes, I did all I could, even though it wasn’t enough.”

“Just yes or no, Si. When things went bad, did you still do everything you could?”

Simon nodded his head and spoke.

“Yes. Yes, I did my best all the way through. I tried to save them… it just wasn’t enough. Even though I did all I could, it wasn’t enough…” He paused for a second and took a deep breath. “When they died, I couldn’t do anything to stop it, or to save them…”

“Simon, sweetheart,” She places her hands gently on his face. “Just answer yes or no, please. When things went south, did you do everything you could?”

Simon nodded his head.

“Yes…yes I did… I know I'm repeating myself, but I just want to make that clear… I’m sorry.” He paused for a moment before speaking again. “When things went sideways, even though I had very little time, I did everything I could to save them.”

“Ok, repeat after me: ‘I did everything I could’.”

Simon was confused, but he knew that she was trying to help him, so he did as she asked.

“I did everything I could.”

“Say it again”

Simon was confused why he kept repeating that sentence, but he continued to speak.

“I did everything I could” he said calmly.

“One more time” she says as she presses a kiss to his forehead.

“I did everything I could…”  He repeated that sentence once again, like she asked. Artemis’ touch felt comforting, and it felt like he needed that kind of comfort more than he had needed it in a long time.

“When everything went south, did you do everything you could?” she asks softly

He nodded his head, trying his best to keep his anger and his sadness down.

“Yes…yes I did.” He paused again and sighed, trying to keep himself in check. “When things went south, I did everything I could.” He repeats, trying his best to keep his cool.

“Something as big as this takes time to work through, but part of it is learning to be nice to yourself, and acknowledging that you did everything you could in the situation.” she says quietly

Simon stayed quiet for a moment. That did make him feel a little bit better than he had previously. It was the first time in a long time that someone had told him he had done everything he could. Hearing that from Artemis made it seem true.

Simon let out a deep sigh and smiled softly.

“Thank you Temi… I needed someone to say that to me… for a long time now…”

“Of course Simon.” She gently kisses his forehead again. “Survivor’s guilt is something that takes time to work through, but it is possible.”

She gently caresses his cheek. “You are a great leader, and leadership comes with responsibility for your team. But that includes yourself too. Don’t forget that.”

Simon smiled softly as he looked up at her. She always knew how to calm him down in situations like this. She was one of the few people who could make him feel at ease, and he was glad to have her there.

“Thank you… I need to do better for myself, honestly. I always put myself last, and that’s probably not the healthiest way to live my life.” He paused and sighed. “I’ll try to do better… I just hope that someday I can forgive myself…”

“It’ll take time, but I’m here. I’ll be here every step of the way. If you want to talk, cry, scream, yell, or fight someone about it, I’m here.”

Simon sighed and looked over at her. He nodded his head and spoke softly.

“Thank you , Artemis… You really have no idea what your words have meant to me… If I need to vent about it again, I know I can come to you.” He spoke softly and smiled, looking into her kind eyes, seeing the care for him behind her gaze.

“That’s part of loving someone Simon, is being there for all of it, the good and the bad.” She presses a soft kiss to his cheek.

Simon smiled as she kissed him once more, feeling himself grow calmer as he was comforted by Artemis.

“Yes…yes it is…” he spoke softly. “And I really do truly love you, my sweet girl. Thank you for always being here for me. Your kind words have meant the world to me, more than you could possibly know.”

She smiles gently at him “do you have anything else you want to talk about while we’re here?”

Simon thought for a moment.

“I have to say, I’ve always been afraid to bring this up… but there’s one more thing that haunts me about that operation. I’ve kept it hidden out of shame… but I wanted to tell you now that things are moving along…”

He paused for a moment, taking another deep breath.

“There’s one thing I did that I never told you about… One of the men I killed wasn’t an insurgent. He was an innocent civilian.” He spoke quietly.

“Was it an accident?”

Simon nodded his head. 

“Yeah, it was an accident. He was caught in the crossfire when I was trying to take down a suspected insurgent. I didn’t mean to pull the trigger, it was an accident… but I still ended up taking the life of an innocent person. And nothing changes that…” He paused for a moment. “It still bothers me…”

“It wasn’t your fault. It’s the unfortunate nature of warfare, sometimes innocent people get caught up in conflict” she brushes her hand down his face gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Simon sighed and let out a deep breath. He was disappointed in himself, and he felt it to his core, but what Artemis said was the cold hard truth of it.

“You’re right… it’s the nature of war.. It could happen to anyone…” He paused and shook his head. “I still wish I hadn't though.. I wish I hadn't been the one to take that man’s life… but I was, and it’s still a part of my past that I have to live with…”

“We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t. It’s part of being human. But another part of being human is allowing ourselves the grace to move on, to move forwards.” She says gently, reaching down to squeeze one of Simon’s hands.

Simon nodded his head and squeezed her hand back… She was right, and what she was saying was the truth. Humans did make mistakes, and it was part of human nature to do the wrong thing sometimes. And people deserved grace and they deserved to forgive themselves.

“I’m going to try to be kinder to myself…” He paused and sighed. “You’re right…”

“It’s hard to be kind to yourself sometimes.” She says softly. “But you of all people deserve kindness.”

Simon smiled and spoke softly.

“Thank you.” he paused for a moment and then continued. “It’s hard for me because I tend to hold myself to higher expectations than I should… but you’re right, I have to allow myself some kindness.” He sighed. “And I have to remind myself that I’m just a human, and as humans, we all make mistakes. We live and we learn from them.”

“We live and we learn.” Artemis repeats softly, nodding her head.

Simon smiled and nodded. 

“And the best thing we can do is learn from ourselves and not make the same mistakes in the future… that’s what i should be focusing on…” He paused and sighed. “I really have you to thank for that. Your words have helped me to realize that I might always regret the lives I had ended in the past, but I’ve learned from it, and I should continue to learn and focus on the future.”

“Exactly, and if there's days where you find it hard to be kind to yourself, I can be nice enough for the both of us” she says, finally pressing a kiss to his lips.

Simon was taken by surprise, and he blushed as she kissed his lips once again. It was sweet, so much love between those two. He gently kissed her back and smiled, feeling himself become calmer each time she kissed him.

“I don’t think anyone could ever be as kind and gentle and sweet as you, love.” He said softly.

“I love you Simon,” She whispers, “never let yourself forget that.”

“I love you too, my sweet girl…” He whispered and smiled softly. He loved how much effort she was putting into this. She was truly kind and gentle, and he wanted to thank her for it all.

“I will never forget that as long as I breathe. It’s a fact I will carry with me to the grave.”

“Good.” she smiles as she kisses him again.

Simon smiled and met her kiss, wrapping his arms around the beautiful girl and pulling her in for as long as she wanted. He truly loved her more than anyone else in the world. He was so lucky to have her, and he wanted everyone to know just how lucky he was to have a girl like her. 

A/N: Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, and feedback are appreciated!

Masterlist

[teamd85]

Recipe for Homemade fries The Philips Airfryer lets you make fries at home that rival those you would find in a restaurant. You only need potatoes and one tablespoon of oil to make these. Set the timer, oil the cut potatoes, and place them in the basket. I'm done now!

[granddaughterogg]

men of Modern Warfare VS Initiating Sex

This is but a seed of an imagine, because I haven't slept in 20 hours and my brain is fried. Should I go back to particular men and Divulge on it later?

So. How do they ask you to Do The Do?

Captain Price: With a tilt of his head, a smile softening those hard blue eyes and his low voice at its purriest. That's his special tone that he only uses with you, his girlfriend - or (for some reason) with his mortal enemies. "Come 'ere, girl."

Gaz: Like a regular guy would. "Do you wanna...you know?" Cue some adorable eyebrow wiggling.

Soap McTavish: With a bone crushing hug which quickly turns into him fondling you. Then comes a deep sigh into the crook of your neck. "Awh, lass, my cock is homesick."

Ghost: He's not a romantic. You'll either get a simple "Get over 'ere" or an even less affectionate "Drop them knickers, sweetheart."

König: This lad is a wee bit unstable. He has two modes when it comes to this, actually. It's either pouncing you like a jaguar, panting and growling German obscenities under his breath - or it happens mid-kiss, those downturned grey eyes big, shy and pleading.

"Do you want to make love?"

You're not sure which approach melts you faster.

Philip Graves: He's a cheeky bastard in all areas of his life and this one isn't an exception. You'll probably get a bouquet of roses, a grin and a wink. "So here's how it's gonna be, princess. You go put those flowers in a jar and then you come back here pronto, 'cause I need to put you on my cock."

[secret-cod-thoughts]

Philip Graves.... What a fucking bottom slut...

Imagine, one day this mother fucker winds you up so far on a mission, being cocky and an absolute brat, yapping out commands like a dog, saying how he has never worked with a more incompetent Shadow...

Oh dear, that was the last straw for you...

Imagine, you're waiting for him in his office, a pissed off look on your face, leaning back against his desk, a pair of handcuffs in your hands. Once Philip walked into his office and saw you with an intimidating and angry expression, he knew he was fucked.

Next thing he knew, he was bent over his desk, his pants down just enough for you to ram your cock/strap-on into him, his hands handcuffed behind his back while he whines that your size is too big for him, constantly slamming into his prostate, his eyes crossed and his brain fried from the rough treatment...

(I'm-m sorry, fuck, I'm s-orry, I won't whine again, I won't defy you Ma'am/Sir, fuck your cock/strap is huge...)

[islandtarochips]

Call of Duty: Callie “Snipe” Graves 🇺🇸

An American woman who is related to the Commander of the Shadow Company! A sister actually. Born and raised in America. Proud to be one. Having that cocky attitude just like her older brother. A Lieutenant standing by the Commander’s side. She is the ride and die with her older brother and the team. And do be careful when talking with her. You may never know what lie she’ll tell you about.

GENERAL:

🇺🇸 Name: Callie Graves 🇺🇸 Alias(es): 

Callie

Graves

Cal (by Philip and some close friends)

CC (by Philip)

Snipe (by Philip and some comrades)

Lieutenant Graves

Lieutenant Snipe

Shadow 0-3

Cowgirl (by Kanoa)

🇺🇸 Gender: Female 🇺🇸 Age: 35 (MW2), 36 (MW3) 🇺🇸 Birthday: July 31st, 1987 🇺🇸 Nationality: American 🇺🇸 Place of Birth: Texas, USA 🇺🇸 Home: Dallas, Texas, USA 🇺🇸 Spoken Languages: English 🇺🇸 Sexuality: Heterosexual 🇺🇸 Occupation:

Lieutenant of the Marines

Lieutenant of the Shadow Company

Second-in-Command of the Shadow Company

Sniper

Mercenary

APPEARANCE:

🇺🇸 Eye Color: Blue 🇺🇸 Hair Color: Blonde 🇺🇸 Height: 5’9”/175 cm 🇺🇸 Scars: 

Wounds: Bullet wound in the palm of her right hand (caused by Tiala), Stabbing wound on her left thigh (caused by Tiala as well)

Scars: Scars on her knuckles from fighting (fighting an enemy in Las Almas), scar behind her neck (from an enemy)

🇺🇸 Face Claim: Dakota Fanning

FAVORITES:

🇺🇸 Color: Lemon Yellow 🇺🇸 Food: Burgers. Just burgers and fries. 🇺🇸 Drink: Whiskey 🇺🇸 Flower: Sunflower 🇺🇸 Hairstyle: Always putting it up in a ponytail or in a bun when she's at home. But putting it in a braid during work time.

Affiliation:

Shadow Company:

-Commander Philip Graves

-Sergeant Sheree "Reed" Norcliffe ( @justasmolbard )

- Sergeant Annabelle “Kit” Pham ( @applbottmjeens )

Warriors Task Force:

- General Alana Kalani

- Captain Kanoa Toa

-First Sergeant Tiala "Shark" Koa

- Sergeant Agnes “Blast” Falagi

- Sergeant Nigel “Squirrel” Harrison

Task Force 141:

- Captain John Price

- Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley

- Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish

- Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

- Charlotte “Jade” Le Jardin ( @sleepyconfusedpotato )

- Sergeant Major Hannah “Sparrow” Clayton ( @revnah1406 )

- Annabelle “Kit” Pham ( @applbottmjeens and later on being part of the Shadow Company)

Para Special Forces: ( @welldonekhushi )

- Captain Arjun

Second Commando Regiment: ( @kaitaiga )

- Sergeant Damien Whitlock

CIA:

- Station Chief Kate Laswell

PERSONALITY:

🇺🇸 Myers Briggs Type: ESTP Callie is a VERY outgoing person. She has always been ever since she was little. Always loves to go outside for an adventure with her older brother. She’s also the kind of woman who would do ANYTHING for her brother. Whatever he said she’ll do it. Well…some of it.

🇺🇸 Loyalty: Her ONLY loyalty is with her brother, Philip Graves. For he has always been there for her when she needed him most. So she will do the same for him no matter what the cost.

🇺🇸 Action-Oriented: Whatever Graves asks her to deal with something. She’ll do it in the most CREATIVE way to deal with the enemies. And she’ll do it in a HEARTBEAT.

🇺🇸 Pragmatic Problem Solver: Even though she will follow her older brother’s orders without questioning. But she sometimes wanted to listen to her OWN thoughts before following his orders.

NEGATIVE:

🇺🇸 Manipulative: You could say she got that from her brother. She does that with other soldiers if they crossed the line with her. Whenever anyone argues with her. She’ll turn the table around by sharing something that will STRUCK into their core. (She also secretly read your files and got some from other people you may know so she can find your weaknesses.)

🇺🇸 Bossy: Most of the Shadows kept complaining that she’s being too bossy. Always telling them what to do while Graves put her in charge. And yelling at them every small little thing when they do something wrong.

🇺🇸 Narcissists: She is a NARCISSIST. Always trying to prove someone else is WRONG. Even doing that to Philip too. She didn’t even BOTHER listen to other people’s perspective and just kept saying that they are wrong. (Spoiled brat)

🇺🇸 Liar: She’s a GOOD dirty liar. Always got away just by saying her creative words. Even if there are ways that don't make sense. She’ll MAKE it sense.

Skills and Abilities:

🇺🇸 Fighting Style: Hand-to-Hand Combat and Boxing

🇺🇸 Weapons: A6 bolt-action sniper rifle and Benelli M1014

🇺🇸 Distinct Weapon: Sig Sauer Model P320 and gutting knife

🇺🇸 Special Skills:

Dealmaker: She got good info on things when it comes to making deals with someone. She just needs to learn more about this person before giving them what they actually wanted and needed.

Assassinate: Give her the order of assassinating someone. And she’ll get it done without hesitating or even questioning it.

FAMILY:

Unnamed Father (Father, Alive)

Unnamed Mother (Mother, Deceased)

Philip Graves (Older Brother, Alive) 

TRIVIA:

🇺🇸 She is the younger sister of the Commander.

🇺🇸 Callie has always been deceived by her father because she was at fault of her mother’s death

🇺🇸 Philip is the only kind of brother who always look out for her

🇺🇸 She’s not like any other kind of girl. She likes to get her hands dirty and would join with her older brother to do something fun or troubling.

🇺🇸 At 16-years-old, Callie had developed a habit of making deals with other students. Like giving them some drugs or cigarettes or even handing out tests with some answers. Surprisingly, she didn’t get caught.

🇺🇸 She enjoys riding on horses with Philip. Almost feels like she is FREE as she feels the wind through her golden hair.

🇺🇸 Snipe is the nickname that Philip had given her because of how her words affected others without a care. Which he is very most proud of. And also, she’s really good at being a sniper.

🇺🇸 Been with her brother in the Marines Corpse and into the Shadow Company. She’s very proud of him and accepted being his second-in-command.

Background Story:

On July 31st, 1987. Callie was born in Texas. And on that same day is when her mother passes after giving birth to her to come into this world.

THAT is when her father started to distance himself from her and despise her. But not her older brother, Philip Graves. Whenever her father left her alone and didn’t bother to care for her. Philip stepped in and took care of her himself. Ignoring their father’s harsh words about leaving Callie alone. Philip chooses not to and continues to care for his little sister. Philip was only 5-years-old when Callie was born. He may not know WHAT to do but he knows that he has to protect his little Callie.

When Callie had started to learn how to walk, this is when she was 13 months old. She wanted to walk up to her dad, who was drinking at the moment and he disgustingly looked at her. Walking up to him reaching out with her tiny hands. He scoffed as he stood up and was about to deal with her before Philip ran in and grabbed her. Saying to his father that he’ll keep an eye on her while he watches TV. The father just rolled his eyes and went back to sit down while Philip took Callie, who was being fussy, to the kitchen to get her something to eat. Which he remembers about his mama telling him about babies drinking milk. So he did his best to make it for his little sister and make sure she stayed put before his dad might get pissed off if he sees her wandering off again. But he did make some small gifts for Callie to be able to walk! Philip was only 6-years-old when Callie was 13-months-old.

When Callie was 12-years-old, she had done her very best of trying to get her father’s attention. Which really annoyed him as he ignored her and paid attention to his son. It upset Callie very much but when she saw Philip giving HIS attention to her. She believes that’s all she needs as she shows or tells her older brother about anything! And it warms Philip’s heart to see his little sister yapping about her day. Callie was very happy when Philip secretly spoiled her with their father’s money. Giving her small gifts, food, candies, snacks- ANYTHING that big older Phil can give to his little sister. She appreciates it REALLY much.

When she turned 15-years-old she had started to pick up a habit of selling some things in the school grounds to other kids. Selling and stealing drugs, giving other teenagers some cigarettes, she also can trade them with answer sheets on their homeworks. All of that and hadn’t got caught. And that’s how she got some money from them too. Which Philip was questioning when he saw his little sister coming home with some of it in her hands. She just straight up lied to her older brother that she was doing a canteen for her school. And just left it at that. Philip didn’t even think about it and just took her words for it. Their dad has still been drinking and couldn’t care LESS of what Callie is doing.

Callie had also participated in some of the sports. Mostly baseball and she was hoping that her dad would come and watch some of her games. Just like he came to watch Philip’s football game. But as expected from all those years…he never showed up. The only person that came to most of her games, is none other than Philip. She appreciated it and she’s happy that someone she knew had come to her games. But it still hurts that her own father didn’t show up. Philip had told her that he TRIED to drag his ass out of the house to come to her game but he wouldn’t budge. Which annoyed him so much. She just shrugged it off and asked him if they could get some burgers. Philip smiled at her as he would do anything for her. So they went out to get a burger from McDonald's. Callie was 16-years-old when she started to participate in sports after the summer.

When Callie became a Junior in High School. She has been called into the Principal’s office. As she was caught red-handed having some drugs in her bag since she was about to sell it to one of the students. Instead of her father coming over. Philip was there instead. So after the conversation the Principal had said that they would expel Callie from campus for she had been doing this for a LONG time. And they can’t risk having her around for she might do it again. So she and Philip left the school without saying a word to each other. Callie doesn’t know how he reacted to this situation before they reached home. As soon they stepped in, the two paused to see their father was on the chair with a belt in hand. Does he know about Callie being expelled? Yes he does. How? Because HE was the one who answered the call from the Principal but he let Philip go instead of him. And he didn’t tell his son why he didn't want to go. He just wants to prepare himself to punish Callie when she gets home. The poor girl was scared to see her father with the belt and was about to be grabbed by him too when he stood up and walked over. But Philip stopped him, telling their father that she wouldn’t have done this if he would PAY ATTENTION to her. The father scoffed at his son’s words before pushing him back as he grabbed Callie. Saying that this girl is a LOST CAUSE ever since she was born and had caused the DEATH of her mother. Those words had really struck her so badly as she started to tear up. It upsetted Philip so much to see his little sister being scared. So he stepped in as he grabbed the father’s wrist and pushed him back before putting Callie behind him. He warned his father to NOT touch her like that and told him that they’ll be moving out. He’ll take care of Callie if he doesn’t want to. The father scoffed with no caring looks in his eyes. So he let them leave as Philip took Callie somewhere else. FAR away from their father. He was only 22-years-old while Callie is still 16-years-old.

When Callie had finally graduated from another school, WITHOUT causing any more trouble, the Graves siblings decided to sign up for the Marines together. And they have worked together ever since. But Callie could see her older brother’s eyes as if he’s not pleased or satisfied by these military systems. Seeing how the other higher ranks had to pull back men like the two of them. So she heard that Philip was going to leave the military and she wanted to join him. Which he doesn’t mind. So the two had left the military in 2017. And Philip had made his own private military company. Callie was very proud and impressed of her older brother’s work and she had accepted his offer by being his second-in-command. This was when Callie was 30-years-old and Philip was 35-years-old.

[onthewaytosomewhere]

wip wednesday

alright kiddies let's do this shall we - it's wednesday and well the only wip i have stuff worth sharing y'all haven't seen is - you guessed it the 5+1 smutty incestiness one lolz

under the cut lies henry/alex/philip and some no-rpressure tags but open tag to anyone who wants it (and i may have forgotten some who knows it's late and my brain has been very fried post-vacay)

Alex is leaning over the edge of the bed, kissing his way up Philip’s chest, nipping at the skin with his teeth, soothing it with his tongue. Marks from last night still mark a path along his ribs, showing where Alex had been, laying his claim for the weekend. Henry, at his back and kissing his neck, whispers into his ear, “Look how he lets you do that, make your mark all over him. He’s never let the others do that. Always stopped them from claiming him in any way. He lets you, though; in fact, the way he allows you to mark him up is almost like he wants you to, like he wants the reminder you were there.” Alex moans and is surprised he doesn’t come right then and there. Henry knows all his buttons to push. The idea of marking the future king is such a fuckin’ power trip. He never realized how much he craved power until Henry and he started this thing between them and Philip. Now, getting to have the future king under him, in some way, was a semi-regular occurrence, and it not only got him going, but he knew that Henry got off on seeing that side of him. Philip squirms beneath Alex as he latches onto a nipple, sucking hard and then working it with his tongue and teeth. The moan that falls from Philip’s lips has Alex smiling, laving more attention on the hard bud Philip’s nipple has become.

ok so tag ur it!! @adreamareads @anincompletelist @bitbybitwrites @blueeyedgrlwrites @caterpills

@cha-melodius @dragonflylady77 @duchessdepolignaca03 @england-would-fall @firenati0n

@firstprinces @forever-fixating @getmehighonmagic @henryspearl @heysweetheart-writes

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @inell @inexplicablymine @itsmaybitheway @jellibuns

@jmagnabo92 @kiwiana-writes @mikibwrites @nocoastposts @piratefalls

@priincebutt @softboynick @sophie1973 @sparklepocalypse @stellarmeadow

@suseagull04 @tailsbeth-writes @taste-thewaste @theprinceandagcd @thesleepyskipper

@thinkof-england @tinyarmedtrex @typicalopposite @yrsacdfox @captainjunglegym

@eusuntgratie @bigassbowlingballhead @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @oxfordslutphase @doublecheekedkinard

[strid3rofthen0rth]

Twisters: A review by a very nostalgic Twister old guy from the 90s.

I met up with the boys beforehand. 2 beers, an order of deep fried cheese curds. Keep it respectable.

We loved Twister back in the day. It was a staple in the college house VHS tape pile

This new one is a fun actioner

The main scientific conceit is preposterous, in line with the original. Respect.

There's a little Dorothy fan service

The 90s version used more animal growls for tornado sounds. That was better.

There's no Dusty. If you know, you know.

I love me a band of ragtag misfits. This one doesn't have that, much to its detriment

Soundtrack: Mark Knopfler and Stevie Nicks will always be better than whatever this modern country music bullshit is

Maura Tierney. Yes, hi, hello.

7.8/10 Go see it

Rest in peace Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Paxton. "It's the Extreme! A manly handshake ensues."

Go see it. Good fun

[skeppsbrott]

Lite pinsamt att folk fortfarande tycker kungen är kul och meme-ig!

Kungen på transflagga är bara kul om man kan förtränga att han fortfarande är bitter över att Victoria är före Carl Philip i tronföljden, att han står utanför lagar och demokratiska fri- och rättigheter, att Lundsbergsskolan gång på gång utpekas som korrupt och med helt vansinnig elevkultur.

"Nej, nej jag kan faktiskt inte dra mig till minne att jag någonsin skulle ha varit på en sådan klubb".

Tror ni att ett kungabarn som visade sig vara homo- eller bisexuell skulle få leva sin sanning öppet? Ett kungabarn som råkade vara trans? Ditt enda jobb som arvinge är att se till att föröka dig. Ja, det måste vara ditt kött och blod, nej, det spelar ingen roll att släkten Bernadotte inte har någonting med Vasa eller kung Erik att göra.

Låt dig inte luras av Young Royals; för den som faktiskt är nära kungamakten nog att ständigt behöva förhålla sig till den, är en världsbild där vissa människor har mer medfödd dignitet och rätt till makt än andra, ett ofrånkomligt faktum.

Familjen Bernadotte lär vara bra reklam för Sverige men de som står i kassor och går rundvisningar på Slottet har sämre lön och arbetstrygghet än vad jag hade på samtliga mina resturang- och barkneg. Slottet har 1400+ rum och i enorma salar står små koppar som hört till Marie Antoinette undangömda bland tusentals andra ovärderliga och unikt magnifika föremål.

Om kungen var allierad på riktigt skulle han låta mig och alla mina vänner suga transkuk på silvertronen.

[timeagainreviews]

Bursting Your Bubble

Liam Lynch once said- “The internet is a glimpse into how rude people will be in the future.” At the time it felt like just another funny little line from his song “Internet Killed the Video Star,” (not to be confused with the Limousines’ song of the same name) but nowadays it feels prophetic. Just this morning I made the mistake of reading the comments section and it’s thrown my day off considerably. From the comforts of our keyboards, we can write horrendous things. Treat strangers with contempt. It’s sometimes easy to forget there are actual people on the other end of our glowing screens. Insularity breeds contempt for the different. We live in our little bubbles.

It would be easy to blame the posters, the content creators, the influencers. A few bad apples spoil the bunch. But as psychologist Philip Zimbardo would say- don’t blame the apples, don’t blame the barrel, blame the barrel makers. The people who put the apples into the barrel in the first place. Despite everything Russell T Davies’ “Dot and Bubble,” is trying to say, one question hangs over it and the rest of this season- who is the barrel maker? Things in Finetime are anything but fine, but by whose design? One might assume it’s Susan Twist’s character, but who is she? This is the overarching question of season one, but is the question beginning to feel a bit drawn out?

From the outset, “Dot and Bubble,” acts as a sort of Black Mirror version of “Blink.” We’re given a young blonde woman who finds herself in a dangerous situation that requires her to look at something she would usually ignore. All the while, the Doctor and his companion are forced to talk to the young woman through a screen. The difference here is that while Sally Sparrow had gumption, Lindy Pepper-Bean is about as useful as a wicker toilet. She lives in “Finetime,” an actual bubbled world. Her “Dot,” device then creates yet another bubble around her head. It’s bubble inception. The bubble tells her when to wake up, how to walk, and even when to pee. (Shout out to my boy Dr Pee!) Because of this, Lindy lives an unobserved life where hard questions need not bother her.

Everything about Finetime is a hyper-realistic nightmare of overstimulation. It’s like “A Clockwork Orange,” meets “The Stepford Wives.” Lindy can ignore her problems when there’s always a new Ricky September video on the horizon. As Frank from Brad Neely’s “The Professor Brothers” said- “We danced like those people in the hyper-tight light of fried chicken commercials.” Lindy and her “friends,” can completely ignore the fact that their friends have slowly begun disappearing. They don’t even seem to notice when they’re the only ones in the room, how would they notice gigantic slugs eating each other?

With Ncuti Gatwa away filming season four of “Sex Education,” the show had to do a couple Doctor-lite episodes. These are usually hit-or-miss among fans, but as “Blink,” proved back in 2007, they can become fan favourites. The Doctor and Ruby’s roles are reduced, but this episode does a good job of making them feel like a recurring part of the story. Even though they spend the bulk of the episode in what looks like the intro to “The Brady Bunch,” it never feels like we’re being underserved.

Lindy’s friends float around her like talking heads in her holographic bubble. But she keeps getting interrupted by the Doctor and his bad vibes. Even though Ruby is also invading her privacy despite not being on her friend list, Lindy is willing to hear her out. We’re not told why up front, but there is a reason Lindy can believe Ruby might feasibly be tech support, but the Doctor could not. Due to Lindy’s impatience, Ruby is forced to talk to Lindy as if she were a child, but not so much that she catches on. Anyone who stops Lindy from either working or playing is a massive drag to her. She really just wants Ruby and the Doctor to go away. How do they not know how society works? Why are they asking such stupid questions when the answers have been drilled into everyone since they were children?

We learn that Lindy’s mother is Penny Pepper-Bean, but she’s actually another Susan Twist cameo, so she could be anyone. Thankfully, both the Doctor and Ruby recognise her this time, and it’s not in an aborted timeline. I saw someone mention on Facebook today that they felt the Doctor recognising her felt rushed, and I couldn’t disagree more. It was high time we got something from this storyline. While it has been nice to genuinely be curious about Doctor Who’s mysteries again, this one has felt like a lot of the same. With the Doctor and Ruby now clued in, we have somewhere else to go in the future. Maybe now Susan Twist will come out from behind the mask and we can learn something more about her. Maybe now the Doctor will start looking into her involvement.

I’m usually not interested in fan theories as they’re often filler content when YouTubers and bloggers don’t have anything else to talk about. But here I believe we’ve been given quite a lot to work with to formulate a theory or two. I know I said “It’s probably not the Rani because it’s never the Rani,” but at this point, if she’s not the Rani, they’ve wasted their biggest opportunity to reintroduce audiences to her that the show has ever had. At this point, it would be weird if she wasn’t the Rani. The things she’s been involved with have all of her usual hallmarks. We have genetic manipulation in “Space Babies,” humans are being treated like lab rats in “Dot and Bubble,” and then there’s the whole disguising yourself in plain sight aspect. At this point, the bigger question isn’t whether or not she’s the Rani. The bigger question is why wouldn’t she be? Why would the show come so close to revealing her and then pull back?

Ruby finally convinces Lindy to look beyond her bubble where she witnesses her co-worker being eaten by one of the Man-Traps. Usually Lindy could just ask her Dot to guide her to safety, but for some reason, it feels more than ready to direct her right into the open mouth of a Man-Trap. Lindy must walk without the aid of her Dot, and man does she suck at it. She quite literally cannot walk talk and chew bubblegum at the same time. Part of me was worried the episode was going to spend all of its time making fun of young people and their phones. It’s cliched and honestly, I’m tired of it. But within the context of the episode, Davies isn’t attempting a technophobic condescension toward the youth of today. Instead, the episode endeavours to highlight the danger of relinquishing your thoughts and actions to outside entities. If we let others tell us what to like, who to like, or how to live, you may as well become worm food.

Having narrowly escaped death by slug, Lindy is forced to bumble about outside while the Doctor and Ruby direct her like the most exasperated form of Google Maps ever. An interesting aspect of this scene that I’ve not heard anyone talk about is the greenish-blue blood seen from a body being dragged away. You may not know what I’m talking about, but I’ll post a picture below. You may look at that and say “That’s not blood, that’s slug goo.” But where else in the episode do we actually see the Man-Traps leave behind any kind of snail trail? I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think the people of Finetime are blue-blooded, and considering what we learn about them, it makes sense. Blue blood is often a symbol for aristocracy, but it can also be used as a way to imply an inbred nature. In this case, we could infer that the citizens have blue blood because they don’t “dilute,” it with the blood of non-white people. Oh did I not mention the Finetimers are racists? More on that in a bit.

Throughout most of this episode, only one of Lindy’s friends seems to be concerned with the fact that people are going missing, and that’s Gothic Paul. Gothic Paul was a nice little addition to the episode because a trans man plays him and they didn’t make a big deal about it. He wasn’t even killed for being trans. He was killed for being delicious and too dumb to notice. A diversity win! Compare this to Chibnall’s gay representation where a character says “By the way, I’m gay,” and then spiders eat her face. LGBTQ+ people are allowed to exist in such a manner that it doesn’t feel like “kill your gays,” when they kill our gays. Representation has been so good that it’s not even problematic that a drag queen made a child disappear. You know, the thing all of those conservatives are worried about with drag story hour? That’s just the Maestro’s schtick. 

After the battery in Lindy’s Dot goes dead, she’s basically a sitting duck. That is until she hears a familiar voice call out. A voice belonging to none other than the dreamy Ricky September. Maybe it’s the insular nature of being a pop star, but Ricky isn’t bogged down by his Dot. Instead, he’s learned to appreciate existing offline. Because of this, Ricky reads things about their people’s history. And even luckier for Lindy, Ricky can actually walk and move about in the world. After a bit of starstruck awe, Lindy takes his hand as he leads her away from danger. It’s almost sweet if you don’t suspect what’s coming.

Ricky leads Lindy to Plaza 55 where a door leading to the river flowing beneath the bubble can lead them out into the Wild Woods. Knowing a bit about coding, Ricky simply needs to type in two digits every five seconds and the door will come open eventually. With no Man-Traps about, Lindy needs only to sit tight and let Ricky work his magic. While she waits, Lindy is able to charge her Dot which enables the Doctor and Ruby to contact her again. The Doctor infers that the Dots can see the Man-Traps, but willfully encourage people to walk directly into their mouths. As it turns out, the Dot hates Lindy and her friends about as much as the audience does. The AI has gone rogue and it’s taking these airheads with it. Sadly, this is also when the episode starts to get bogged down by the season's overarching plot.

The Doctor deduces that the Man-Traps are eating the people in alphabetical order. This leads him to believe that the AI must have created the Man-Traps, otherwise they would eat whoever, whenever. The reason I feel this feels bogged down by the overarching plot is that I can’t imagine these golfball-sized Dots being capable of growing creatures in a laboratory. The most they can do against Ricky and Lindy is act as a projectile. They don’t even have thumbs. Because of this, it’s logical to imagine that there is a third party involved. It’s not hard to imagine who that third party is, considering Susan Twist’s cameo. But in the meantime, we as an audience are left in a state of limbo where this is either part of some greater plan, or an unsatisfying plothole. Albeit, not an incredibly episode-breaking one. After all, the Daleks manage quite a bit with only a plunger.

With Lindy’s Dot trying to bash their brains in and Lindy being next in line, alphabetically speaking, we are finally introduced to who Lindy actually is as person. Using her mega fan knowledge about Ricky September, she informs the Dot that Ricky’s name is a stage name and his real name is Coombes. Ricky can barely believe the betrayal from the woman he’s tried so very hard to save. But her gamble pays off as the Dot refocuses its attention on Ricky, giving Lindy enough time to escape to the river while the Dot strikes down poor Ricky. As face turns go, this is one of the worst in Doctor Who history. However, it’s not entirely without warning. Certain lines of dialogue have clued us in to Lindy’s true nature throughout the episode.

Before we leave him behind like Lindy so callously does, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Ricky September, as I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. It was hard to tell what the Dot does to Ricky because the camera looks away, but he could have survived. Why I think this is because they spend a lot of time building Ricky up as a character. Both the Doctor and Ruby have shown a romantic interest in him. There have even been rumours that there would be a sort of love triangle between the Doctor, Ruby, and Ruby’s boyfriend. On top of that, we’ve got another blonde-haired blue-eyed person with RS for initials. Even further, the S in both names indicates a point in time- September and Sunday. And just because Ricky comes from a community of racists doesn’t mean he is one. Like he said, he does a lot of reading. Perhaps he’s learned better. Or I’m wrong and he has a Dot-sized hole in his head.

Finally, we get to see the Doctor and Ruby in the flesh. Even more finally, we get to see them both in the costumes they wore in their first costume reveal! Lindy gives the Doctor and Ruby some shitty excuse about Ricky turning back to save more people. She even gives a begrudging thank you to them, but ultimately can’t bring herself to let the Doctor help her or her friends. Lindy and her fellow survivors can’t bring themselves to interact with the Doctor because he’s black. It’s as heartbreaking for the Doctor as it is infuriating to Ruby who can only stand there and watch her friend experience this ugliness. But the Doctor is still the Doctor and he’s a bigger man than their small minds. He continues holding out a lifeline to some of the most undeserving group of spoiled narcissists to ever grace the screen of Doctor Who.

I’ve seen people complain that the Doctor does this. That it doesn’t mesh with the same character who once punched a man who was racist toward Bill. But that was the Doctor drawing a line and defending his friend’s honour. The Doctor’s compassion is so great that he’s willing to forego his sense of self-respect to save lives. This is the same man who tries to reason with racist genocidal aliens, he doesn’t stop just because they look human. I know I would have let them die, but the Doctor is a better person than me. That’s not to say any of this is easy for him. It very clearly cuts him to his core. Ncuti Gatwa gives an earth-shattering performance here, and when you consider this is the first scene he filmed after the Giggle, it’s fucking astounding. This is the exact type of range I was hoping they would bring to his character.

As a white member of the audience, I am left with a lot of uncomfortable realisations. Like, I barely batted an eye at the fact that Lindy’s friends were all white. I’m also left wondering how many people the Doctor has saved in the past who might have also treated a black Doctor differently. But I also feel like this ending took me by surprise for a different reason than my own ignorance. I simply never expected Doctor Who to go there. The topic of racism is not new to Doctor Who. Martha experiences quite a bit of it, especially in “Human Nature.” But even their more recent attempt with “Rosa,” fell short by implying that in 3000 years, no other black person would stand up for their rights. It was an oversimplification of the civil rights movement that left me wondering if Doctor Who was capable of tackling such heavy issues. I never felt like the show properly addressed the Doctor being a woman, so believe me when I say how much I appreciate them addressing the Doctor’s race. Even further, I loved that it ultimately isn’t the Doctor who will suffer from their racism. Their prejudice has doomed them without anyone else’s help.

It’s weird to look at this episode on the TARDIS wiki and see the Dots and Man-Traps listed as the main enemy. Because really, it’s Lindy who is the real monster. It’s Hoochy Pie and her wack-ass trumpet. Also, can we not come up with a better name than Man-Trap? What about Erascists? They erase e-racists. Just some good little sluggy bois taking out the trash. I stan a king. The Dots hate those evil trust fund dickweeds, and honestly, same. Evidently, the name Man-Trap was introduced in Doctor Who Unleashed, which for the 4th week in a row, I’ve forgotten to watch. One of the side-effects of Doctor Who’s screwy release schedule is that now I completely forget Doctor Who Unleashed even exists. One benefit, however, is that I often get to rewatch the episodes the next day with my partners who didn’t want to stay up late. The benefit is that I’ll notice things I missed the first time. It also allows me to experience the stories for what they are, as opposed to what I expected them to be.

Being able to watch “Dot and Bubble,” with hindsight has given me an even greater appreciation for this story. Over time, I feel people will eventually regard it as one of Davies’ best. Its tone and themes remind me of something you would find in the Seventh Doctor era, which is high praise coming from me. Ricky feels like the promise of a character like Pex from “Paradise Towers,” properly realised. Hopefully, like the graffiti says- “Pex lives.” Dylan Holmes Williams does a fabulous job directing as the episode wastes nothing. It’s a Doctor-lite episode that manages not to waste a moment of screen time with the Doctor. In less than five minutes, Gatwa manages to be the command performance in an episode of solid performances. But much like “The Fugitive of the Judoon,” this strong episode remains feeling unresolved due to the plotline still hanging over its head. Once we have the hindsight of knowing how it fits into the greater storyline, it could appreciate in value. One can only hope.

[octuscle]

Sun's out, guns out

After the long flight, Philip had gone back down for a nap. After his brother moved from Boston to Wyoming, they hadn't seen each other in over a year. But it was nice that they could finally spend a few days together again. And now he was looking forward to the two of them going out for a bit. Philip was showered and shaved and had put on a fresh blue button-down shirt. His brother was waiting for him in front of his computer in the study. "Dude, are you going to dinner like that?" his brother asked with a laugh. He himself was wearing an old sleeveless T-shirt, dirty jeans and cowboy boots. "Lad, this isn't Boston, and we're not going to the opera!"

Philip was a little irritated. His brother had always made a point of looking dapper in the past. But since he lived in Wyoming, he seemed to put more emphasis on big muscles. And on clothes that showed off his muscles well. Now he had gone into his bedroom, pulled some clothes out of the closet, and tossed them to Philip. "Dude, put this on or the other fellas will laugh at you."

Philip had thought it silly to go to dinner in sweatpants and an undershirt. His brother snapped a photo of him in front of the car in the evening sun before leaving. "Bro, you don't look silly, you look hot." Philip looked at the photo. Oh yeah, he was hot. He didn't wonder about his own impressive muscles. He didn't wonder about the stubble on his just-smooth chin. He also didn't wonder about the fact that he could sing along to all the country songs his brother played on the drive.

After they had a massive burger with a mountain of fries at a diner, his brother commented that Philip needed sensible shoes. "Fucking idea," Phil replied, "I'm jealous of your boots like shit." With a pair of jeans to match and a new tank top, Phil left the store with his bro after half an hour. Phil had still donated hats to both of them, now they were ready to get properly drunk with their buddies. After the second round of beers, the hair on his body started to sprout. A real man couldn't be hairy enough. After the fourth or fifth round, one of the hot chicks who had joined them asked what the tattoo on his left arm meant. Phil had never asked himself that. He was usually hammered anyway when he got inked. "Is Spanish for 'Sun's out, guns out,'" he replied, flexing his biceps.

Phil loved his job as foreman on the farm. It was work for a real outdoorsman like him. At one time he had lived in the city, too. But was only for sissies. Hard work, rodeos, beer and a good fuck in between, that was what a man needed.

Dudes, this is probably the last story that came out of the Wife Beater challenge. @changinghumans, I hope you like it. If you don't surprise me with a new challenge, I'll take a break for a few days. Happy Easter, a peaceful Passover and a blessed Ramadan to you all!

[thatcheesyler]

Any hcs about lee!belos?👀

HUEHUEHUEHUEHUE I'M GLAD YOU ASKED 😈

*Cracks knuckles* ok so, first up, PALMS. This mouldy ass bastard has tklsh palms and I just KNOW it, it's why he always wears his emperor gloves. I mean c'mon, you could easily imagine Hunter trying to hand him something whilst the gloves were off, accidentally brushing a couple fingertips against his palm, and just being absolutely GOBSMACKED as his uncle flinches violently with some goofy ahh noise eliciting from him.

Second, there is genuinely no way that he didn't get basically destroyed by the 'curious' citizens of the Boiling Isles when he first arrived as a young adult, since he had no magic and some witches wanted to experiment the differences between their kind and humans. Long story short, it ended up as an all out tklsh massacre as almost every magic type was 'tested' on him for about an hour. And by 'tested', well, I'm pretty sure you can figure it out lol. Bro's cheeks were aching from laughter for a whole DAY after that, but he did actually find it kinda fun, just don't tell him I said that. 👀

Oh you BEST believe Luz n some of the Owl family would be getting their well deserved revenge on this fucker, if he didn't die at the end of season 3. Ig as a vague AU, of sorts, we could say that he was instead just imprisoned outside of the owl house in a magic bubble thingy, or forced to do community service for as long as he was evil towards witches. And, after some miraculous discovery of his sensitivity, pretty much everyone would use it against him if he was being slow with some of the community service, or was trying to escape imprisonment.

All in all, I think everybody can mutually agree that Philip Wittebane is an abhorrently tklsh guy, and we should be taking much more advantage of the lee villain trope with him. Also, off topic, but I accidentally dropped my fries on the floor when writing this lmao, R.I.P 🍟🪦

[89rooms]

…candied plums, figs, oranges, and apricots with fine gold leaf, and more gold was being smoothed onto sweet biscuits of fried dough cut into witty shapes and drenched in spiced syrup and rosewater.

Philip Kazan - 'Appetite'

[filmnoirsbian]

Hi !! I was wondering if you had any book recs/favorite books? Things that you think of as inspiration or just plain like? Genuinely curious. <3 im in love with your work btw i spent the other day binging your patreon

Some favorites that deeply impacted me from a young age up into teenagedom: the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Oddly Enough by Bruce Coville, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Little Sister by Kara Dalkey, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, Piratica by Tanith Lee, the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Holes by Louis Sachar, The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori, The Sea-Wolf by Jack London, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath, Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, The Iliad and Odyssey (allegedly) by Homer, The Táin by many people, Harlem by Walter Dean Myers, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby, The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein, The Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis, The Ethical Vampire series by Susan Hubbard, The Howl Series by Diana Wynne Jones, the Curseworkers series by Holly Black, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters, An Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, Beloved by Toni Morrison, A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, World War Z by Max Brooks, This is Not A Drill by K. A. Holt, Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin, Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Crush by Richard Siken, Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, Devotions by Mary Oliver, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Some favorites read more recently: The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, Engine Summer by John Crowley, Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, Reprieve by James Han Mattson, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Kindred by Octavia Butler, Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, Station Eleven by Emily St. John-Mandel, The Crown Ain't Worth Much by Hanif Abdurraqib, The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica, The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, She had some horses by Joy Harjo, Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, Books of Blood by Clive Barker, Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, Cassandra by Christa Wolfe

Plays: The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Electra by Sophocles, Los Reyes by Julio Cortázar, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, The Trojan Women by Euripides, Salome by Oscar Wilde, Girl on an Altar by Marina Carr, Fences by August Wilson, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond

Graphic novels: The Crow by James O'Barr, DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, Eternals (2021) by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tank Girl by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

[ronearoundblindly]

So Ari used to comfort us when you BF had left. So when our ex bf is into and we accidently run into them saw the bar or gas station and were in qris car and tty the whole duck down thing or hiding out of site thing how does Ari react and say we see him another time days later at the bar with Ari within king he had have left so our guard was down but nope what does Ari do? We all know he's territorial as hell with us especially with how we were hurt the first time

Ah yes, Philip. Warnings for language and no* editing. WC 1.8k (which is apparently my magic number...)

Run In, a Bedrock and Blueprints drabble long drabble tale

Not that long after you insist Ari moves in, you two are out getting groceries at the local supermarket. You normally divide the list in chunks by area of the store, so you're rounding a tall-shelved aisle when WHAM! It's Philip, your ex and the reason you know Ari, right in your face.

Maybe three sentences total are spoken. Your stomach is so knotted up in shock and a kind of hot fear that you're not entirely sure what you say, but Phil's face is placid enough. The words must cause no offense because he waves and walks away without incident.

You're sweating bullets, glancing over your shoulder every ten feet down the refrigerated section. You don't need the bag of frozen french fries, but sticking your head in the cold storage to carefully check the label is a welcome reprieve.

Ari meets you at the self-check-out as planned, a soft smile tucking the seam of his bread together when he's caught thumbing through the candy. The man likes snacks, sweet or savory; he just can't help it.

"Grabbed some extra to make your favorite tonight. You'll have plenty for lunch tomorrow, too," he adds casually, starting to scan all the gathered things. "We didn't need more leftover containers, did we? Can't remember if we ever found enough lids for the red ones."

Ari doesn't notice you constantly scanning the area behind you.

"Hey," he interrupts your panicking brain, "you got the coupons for this?"

"Yeah," you bluster, quickly digging in your purse for the little stack of papers. "Yeah, here."

You think it's over and start to breathe easier in the open air outside, loading the bags into the truck bed and sliding onto the leather seat.

Ari turns on the car and frowns. "Better fill up on gas while we're out."

"Okay," you chirp absently. Any distance from the store is still distance, or so you think until you see Philip right there at the next pump.

You flatten yourself so fast onto that seat that it squeaks and you bounce slightly. Ari's already gotten out of the car, and if he's facing the tank, then he's also facing away from Philip. He might not notice a thing.

But if he's facing the pump...

"Levinson?!"

Oh, shit, Ari, don't be stupid. Don't be stupid. Don't mention me. Please.

Your cheek is suctioned to the leather you're so squished down.

Ari must have walked over to Philip because all you hear are deep, muffled voices and three words:

"Saw her..."

"...inside?"

The mumbling changes in pitch and volume a few more times, a much longer conversation than you had with Philip minutes ago, but after a bit, the pump catches full, and you hear Ari close the cap.

He opens the driver's side door but keeps looking past the hood.

"See ya around," Ari calls back.

"Hope so, Levs," comes the far-off reply.

Ari jumps in and starts the truck, looking both ways like he's driving completely normal, alone, like there isn't a crazy woman pancaked on his seat. After pulling out of the parking lot, he sighs.

"I assume you were gonna tell me you saw him eventually."

Gently raising yourself upright, you rub at your arm.

"He surprised me--"

"--yeah," Ari scoffs, "me, too."

"--and I...I didn't know what to say."

He stays quiet, artfully navigating familiar streets and thinking, but his expression is inscrutable.

"You think I knew what to say? Kid, he abandoned you. He never even apologized, and now I had to see him as your boyfriend and be blindsided that you'd already talked?!"

"We didn't talk, Ari. I said maybe two things to him. Pleasantries. I can't even remember because he just--" you slap your hands together "--was there."

Ari huffs, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel with white knuckles. "I know," he whispers. "I get it. I'm sure it's worse for you than for me, but... I want to throttle the guy."

"He was your friend, too, Ar--"

"You were a better friend than Phil ever was," he bursts. "Ya know, after the first time he brought you out, we thought you were out of his league. Like you were too nice and quiet and put together. Then you hung out a few more times, and José finally made a joke that you were too cool for him. Philip was a loser compared to you. All of us thought you were too good for him full stop."

Ari drops one hand from the wheel and searches for yours, weaving your fingers together. "That was before he even left...the first time."

You're stunned.

"Then Phil was gone and so were you," he continues, squeezing your hand, "but we only missed you." Ari shrugs. "Somebody had to drive you back to the bar so we could hang out."

"And you drew the short straw," you mutter.

"There were no straws. I volunteered."

All this time, you thought that Ari, José, and Dimitri used to tolerate you out of loyalty to Philip. You thought maybe Philip had told them to watch out for you while he was deployed, and you knew that changed eventually. You couldn't pinpoint the shift though; there was no moment where one or more of them said "you're our friend now, not Phil's girl," but you did know they at least pitied you when Philip left for good. After all, they were mourning the loss of their friend, too, right?

It took years to feel like Ari wasn't just driving you around out of obligation--partly because he always grumbled about being your 'chauffeur'--but here he is telling you they'd all have chosen you over Philip, possibly even if Philip never left but simply moved on from you. The comfort of that thought radiates through you like the warmth from Ari's hand in yours.

Apart from the odd remark or two, Philip is forgotten again after that night. You have so much history beyond him and a future without him.

Two and a half weeks later, of course, you're not expecting to see Philip sidle up to your table with the boys at the bar--the bar, the original haunt that you inherited in the divorce essentially--and José and Dimitri are duly surprised as well.

"Where the hell you been, brother?"

"They ain't got phones out there?"

Philip is bashful, remorseful in a way that seems more like him before his first deployment, and it is genuinely nice to see. You keep silent anyway, unable to think of something overtly nice or generic to say.

Ari's arm is around your shoulders as it usually is in this booth, but then his hand squeezes your shoulder, and he leans unnecessarily close to your ear.

"Can you scoot to let me out, baby," he asks, voice low and deep. "I'll get us another round."

Before you can move, Ari plants a quick kiss on your neck, knowing full well that his beard tickles right there, and makes you shiver.

After he's standing, Phil's face is questioning, eyes wide, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, Ari taps his shoulder.

He ticks his head toward Patrick behind the bar. "Need a beer, buddy? I'm buying."

Phil snorts and follows.

"I'll be damned. Ari Levinson offering to pay for a drink? You sure changed."

"It's been a long eight and a half years," Ari groans, flagging down Patrick and ordering.

It takes more time for the drinks to arrive than it takes Phil to start in, glancing conspicuously over at the booth.

"What'd you do, Ari? Jump right into my place? Did my plane even touchdown before you went for her?"

"I went to tell her you left. There's a difference."

"Never thought of you as a sloppy seconds guy. Did your dick happen to fall in--"

"Finish that fucking sentence if you'd like to be toothless," Ari growls, making a point to plaster a smile on his face since you can likely see them in profile from here.

"I'm just saying I wouldn't want to be a rebound."

"No, Phil, what you should want to be is a man, but instead, you were a piece of shit." Ari doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it took almost the entirety of those eight and a half years to thoroughly move on from the people Phil left behind, but he's still pissed.

"Hell, I was a piece of shit, too, for years, but I stayed when I could. I was also a piece of shit who noticed that that girl is worth way more than yours--or my--ego, so if you so much as blink in a way that makes her uncomfortable--" he throws a glance to the exit "--I will hand you your ass outside and make you eat dirt. We clear?"

"Levs, why are you being like this? Man, you never cared about chicks this much."

"You wanna know what changed me," Ari hisses, pointing over at the booth, uncaring if any of you are watching, fake smile long gone. "That changed me. She changed me. She's the type of woman worth changing for."

Patrick drops off the drinks and slides the money off the counter, ignoring any tension between the two men.

"I did change," Philip mumbles, "and she never understood--"

"You did not fucking try," Ari nearly spits in rage but pets a hand down his beard again for composure. He sucks on his teeth, pondering what to say next. "Look, I knew you for a long time, and we were the same. We didn't care. We didn't give a fuck about putting in the effort. And because we didn't give a fuck, no one should have given a fuck about us. She did, and you walked away from that. You are an asshole. You are not welcome here. She is. She always will be.

"Do you understand that?" Ari looks Phil dead in the eyes and holds that gaze with militant ferocity.

"Yeah, man."

Ari relaxes, softening his look and casually clinking his beer bottle to Philip's. "Good. Then get the fuck out of this bar," he says flatly.

Ari heads back to the booth alone, winking as he hands you your drink and motions to scoot back in beside you. Phil hangs around at the bartop just long enough to guzzle his beer and leaves.

José is the first to ask, "what happened there?"

"You know Phil." Ari takes a long pull from his bottle and then stretches back to have his arm over you. "He realized he was in the wrong place. Shame he couldn't stick around."

"Ah, well," Dimitri muses, "we're better off without him."

"Yeah," you say softly, the first word out of your mouth since Phil showed up.

Ari leans over to kiss your temple, his thumb running back and forth across your shoulder. He straightens and picks his beer back up.

"So we're thinking of having a housewarming party. You guys in?"

I don't see Ari as a big spectacle guy, but I do think he'd put his fucking foot down when it came to shit-talking the kid. Honestly, I imagine if Philip showed up before you and Ari got together, Ari would still have been that protective simply because you mean a lot to him. However, he's hyper-aware of not embarrassing you, so this is as confrontational as I can picture him. Still quite *swoon* if I do say so myself, but he's still subtle.

Thank you for reading! Hope you are enjoying this story so far.

[Bedrock and Blueprints Masterlist; Main Masterlist]

[lampmanliveblogs]

These subtitles appearing out of nowhere only to fade back into the void always manages to startle me.

Let’s see, maduros are… plantains. More specifically, sweet fried plantains.

…what’s a plantain?

Okay, so plantains are bananas, but they’re bananas you cook rather than eat raw. They are a major food staple in parts of Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central America, and northern South America. And that’s about as far into the wikipedia article I could be bothered to read, but I get the gist of it.

Anyways, look, Stringbean’s got her own little nest in the corner. That’s adorable.

ALL OF THEM!?!???

So Luz is off to the University of Wild Magic and she has chosen to study everything, because Luz is nothing if not a true renaissance man. Among her majors are Ancient Glyphs and Combos. A mostly theoretical field nowadays, but I suppose there could be value in it to understand the fundamentals of magic. Though now that Philip is gone, wouldn’t that make Luz the Boiling Isles foremost expert on glyphs? I dunno, maybe some scholars studied the Philip’s notes from the echo mouse Musse.

Next on the list is Boiling Isles History. Personally, if you wanna learn about history but don’t have the time/money/energy to go to university, I’d recommend you pick up the Boiling Isles History box set available at the Bonesborough Supernatural History Museum. It’s written by Lilith Clawthorne and some of her colleagues and when I say it’s comprehensive, I mean it. When I say it’s a box set, I mean an actual box, with like… I think there were at least fifteen books? And those are thick volumes. So bring a friend to help you carry it, cause you’ll need it.That’s where I get a lot of my knowledge on the Demon Realm from. Some supplementary material include Flora D’Splora’s two most recent books, Hidden History: The Things the Emperor Did Not Want You to Know, and Hidden History volume II: The Things You Don’t Want to Know About Your Past.

As for Boiling Biology, Luz actually has a bit of a head start, because King used to teach her about demons back in season one. And he’s like a god in training, so aside from overestimating the size of the Snaggleback, he’s gotta be right.

…I’ve no idea what ”theumaturgy” means. Google brings up”thaumaturgy” which is ”the purported capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or a saint to perform miracles.” If that’s what that’s supposed to mean, then again, Luz has got a pretty decent head start, seeing as she literally is a saint (or at least was for a few minutes while she had The Titan’s powers).

Abomination Engineering seems fairly straightforward, that’s what Alador does. Who knows, with Blight Industries going belly-up, maybe he took up teaching? I could see him pulling-off a absent minded professor archetype.

Curses 101 should be interesting, and that reminds me: do we ever see another example of a curse in the series aside from the Owlbeast curse? I can’t recall. But then again, the impression I got was always that the Owlbeast curse was unusual, so it’s entirely possible that curses are fairly common, but also fairly easy to deal with most of the time so long as you can get a healer to cure it.

Moving on, we’ve got Luz’ new look to look at. She’s got that snazzy jacket with a snake pattern, pants with what looks like symbols for different magical subjects (I spot bard magic, potion magic, and what might be beast keeping?). She’s got that necklace which… feels familiar, hold on… oh yeah, that’s Amity’s necklace.

Also, that’s definitely a tattoo on Luz’ arm, but I can’t make out what it is just yet. Let’s see… according to what I was able to dig up real quickly, a child under the age of 18 can get a tattoo in Connecticut with parental permission. So Luz is not necessarily 18 here. Because there’s also the possibility she got it in the Demon Realm which might have different (or no) laws.

THERE SHE IS MY SNAKE DAUGHTER!!! OH look at her she’s all grown up! She’s got long hair now and her ears are out, she’s got an earring and a nose ring. And I’m gonna go ahead and say that’s Masha’s influence. You can’t prove me wrong. That shirt is really cool too.

More importantly, she’s whispering to Owlbert, telling him to go get the others. A big surprise party for Luz, I presume.

Looking at the background, we find a photo of playing baseball, getting hugged by a teammate. I love seeing my precious daughter thriving.

There’s also a picture of Stringbean having eaten through an apple, which is kinda funny to me, because Stringbean is a serpent, and the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is often depicted as an apple. I had a whole bit about that story in my post on snake symbolism and how it related to Luz.

(we’re just gonna pretend that owlbert’s wing is not there)

Ooh, they really fixed this place up something nice! It’s got a nice stone path, a bird bath, flowers, a rocking chair, a bunch of birds, bird houses, a light strand, one singular lit candle, and at least four garden gnomes.

It also has that Steven Universe-looking door. Seriously, I’m half expecting Steven and the Crystal Gems to come walking out of it. And really, Steven visiting Gravesfield? That would never happen! Certainly not in any fanfics I’ve written.

But nah, that’s gotta be the new portal door. It looks snazzy.

And they bought this place too. Makes me wonder where Camila got the funds for that… it’s almost like [DATA EXPUNGED; contained spoilers for yesterday’s lie, today’s truth, tomorrows promise]

Through the portal, the voice of The Collector greets us and credits begin to appear.

Undeterred by the credits in the sky, Willow is flying around, looks like she just came from a match or training for flyer derby. She’s got the Emerald Entrails logo, so I guess the team took off. Good for her. Oh, and she’s got new glasses, and a little plant headband thing.