#Podcast Listener Contest

[potato-lord-but-not]

SLUTTIEST HORROR PODCAST PROTAGONIST

shirtless version and close ups under cut because I’m embarrassed

[lovely-v]

Still not over the Taskmaster episode where they had to guess who was following them and it was Mr. Blobby because as an international viewer….who the fuck is that

[coconut530]

Wrap it up!!

Thank you Jewel Ham

[therovers]

[catchdacraze]

Tuesday 8PM EST - Drawing Contest Winner Announcement and Talking Tights EP517 https://www.youtube.com/live/SvIVa3Cvji0?feature=share via @YouTube

#podcast #indiecomics #talk #artcontest #Announcement #YouTubeLive #twitch #artist #interview #listen #watch #subscribe #catchdacraze #podnation #kickstarter

[mariacallous]

This is a gift article

In the final week of this election season, the Republican Party is running two different campaigns. One of them is an ugly and angry but conventional political enterprise. Donald Trump and other Republicans make speeches; party operatives seek to get out the vote; money is spent in swing states; television and radio advertisements proliferate. The people running that campaign are focused on winning the election.

Last night, in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, we caught a glimpse of the other campaign. This is the campaign that is psychologically preparing Americans for an assault on the electoral system, a second January 6, if Trump doesn’t win—or else an assault on the political system and the rule of law if he does. Listen carefully to the words of Tucker Carlson, the pundit fired from Fox News partly for his role in lying about the 2020 election. Warming up the crowd for Trump, he mocked the very idea that Kamala Harris could win: “It’s going to be pretty hard to look at us and say, ‘You know what? Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s so impressive as the first Samoan Malaysian, low-I.Q., former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.”

“Samoan Malaysian” was Carlson’s way of mocking Harris’s mixed-race background, and “low-IQ” is self-explanatory—but “85 million” is a number of votes she could in fact win. And how, Carlson suggested, could there be such a “groundswell of popular support” for a person he demeaned as a mongrel, an incompetent, an idiot? The answer was clear: There can’t be, and if anyone says it happened, then we will contest it.

All of this is part of the game: the Trump campaign’s loud confidence, despite dead-even polls; its decision, in the final days, to take the candidate outside the swing states to New York, New Mexico, and Virginia, because we’ve got this in the bag (and not, say, because filling arenas in Pennsylvania is getting harder); the hyping of Republican-early-voter numbers, even though no evidence indicates that these are new voters, just people who are no longer being discouraged from voting early. Also the multiple attempts, across the country, to remove large numbers of people from the rolls; the many claims, with no justification, that “illegal immigrants” are voting or even, as Trump implied during the September debate, that illegal immigrants are being deliberately imported into the country in order to vote; Vance’s declaration that he will accept the election results as long as “only legal American citizens” vote.

At Madison Square Garden, Trump doubled down on that rhetoric. He repeated past claims about the “invasion” of immigrants; about “Venezuelan gangs” occupying American cities, even Times Square; and he offered an instant solution: “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get these criminals out. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail.” But he left open the question of who exactly all these “criminals” might be, because he seemed to be talking about not just immigrants but also his political opponents, “the enemy within.” The United States, he said, “is now an occupied country, but it will soon be an occupied country no longer … November 5, 2024, nine days from now, will be Liberation Day in America.”

The insults we heard from many speakers at Madison Square Garden, including the description of Puerto Rico as “garbage” or of Harris as “the anti-Christ” or of Hillary Clinton as a “sick son of a bitch”—insults that can also be heard in a thousand podcast episodes featuring Carlson, Elon Musk, J. D. Vance, and their ilk—are part of the same effort. Trump’s electorate is being primed to equate his political opposition with infection, pollution, and demonic power, and to accept violence and chaos as a legitimate, necessary response to these primal, lethal threats.

As I wrote earlier this month, this kind of language, imported from the 1930s, has never before been part of mainstream American presidential politics, because no other political candidate in modern history has used an election to undermine the legal basis of the American political system. But if we are an occupied country, then Joe Biden is not the legitimately elected president of the United States. If we are an occupied country, then the American government is not a set of institutions established over centuries by Congress, but rather a sinister cabal that must be dismantled at any price. If we are an occupied country, then of course the Trump administration can break the law, commit acts of violence, or even trash the Constitution in order to “liberate” Americans, either after Trump has lost the election or after he has won it.

This kind of language is not being used accidentally or incidentally. It is not a joke, even when used by professional comedians. These insults are central to Trump’s message, which is why they were featured at a venue he reveres. They are also classic authoritarian tactics that have worked before, not only in the 1930s but also in places such as modern Venezuela and modern Russia, countries where the public was also prepared over many years to accept lawlessness and violence from the state. The same tactics are working in the United States right now. Election workers, whose job is to carry out the will of the voters, are already the subject of violent threats and harassment. At least two ballot boxes have been attacked.

The natural human instinct is to dismiss, ignore, or downplay these kinds of threats. But that’s the point: You are meant to accept this language and behavior, to consider this kind of rhetoric “baked in” to any Trump campaign. You are supposed to just get used to the idea that Trump wishes he had “Hitler’s generals” or that he uses the Stalinist phrase “enemies of the people” to describe his opponents. Because once you think that’s normal, then you’ll accept the next step. Even when that next step is an assault on democracy and the rule of law.

[philcon-programming]

Philcon 2024!

Do you love Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror? Are you a Writer, a Gamer, a Costumer, or a Filker? Are you looking for a weekend of distraction in your life? If you’re in the vicinity of Philadelphia- or more specifically, Cherry Hill, New Jersey- there’s an event coming up on November 22 – 24, 2024 that we’d love for you to come check out. If you aren’t already familiar with PHILCON, here’s what you should know: * We started out as a literary-centric SF convention in 1936, but have grown to embrace all mediums of storytelling (movies, television, comics, podcasts, etc) as well as expanding to cover the Fantasy and Horror genres. Most of our participants are authors, and there will be Readings by them and Autograph sessions all throughout the weekend, in addition to their participation on discussion panels. * While many of our Literary panels are about SF, Fantasy, or Horror topics in general, we also have an emphasis on panels discussing the craft side and business sides of writing, for those looking to develop as authors. * One of our content tracks for the weekend is dedicated to Science & Technology itself, not just how it is used in fiction. * We will be screening several movies over the weekend, and Anime will also be shown in our Anime & Animation room at certain times. * There will be Workshops and Demos for Costuming (including "Fabric Manipulation", "How to Make Foam Armor", "Make-up for The Stage", and "A Pox on Patterns!") and Art (including "Using Alcohol Inks", "Block Printing With Your Own Designs", "How to Make A Controlled Color Palette", and "Making Wire-Wrapped Jewelry"), and if you’ve got an outfit you made that you’d like to show off on stage, we’ve got a yearly Costume Contest. * If you are a Filker- or just enjoy listening to other people sing and play music- Philcon has a room dedicated Filk room, and this year’s Musical Guest of Honor is Cecilia Eng. As Cecilia is not often on the east coast, if you’d like to see her play in person, now is an excellent change to do so without flying to the other side of the country. Lynn Gold, another west-coast Filker, will also be joining us this year. There are also Concerts scheduled for Sirens & Liars, Half a Slime Devil, Brenda and Chuck Shaffer-Shiring, and Sara Henya. * Since the Gaming track moved from an upstairs suite to the “Gallery” room on the first floor, it’s had the literal room to expand the number of games it can run, and we’ve got a bevy of them on the schedule for 2024, as well as a bank of games for you to choose from during Open Gaming hours. There's also a LARP Workshop Series being run by Spectacle INK. * Our Artist Guests of Honor for 2024 are Gina Matarazzo and Matthew Stewart. Each will be giving a presentation on our Main Stage on Saturday afternoon, as well as having their art displayed in our Art Show. * Our Principal Speaker for 2024 is MAX GLADSTONE, and we also have Nghi Vo as our Special Guest. Both will be doing Readings, Autograph Sessions, panels, and a main stage Q&A session. An interactive version of our schedule can be found HERE. While a simplified, static overview, organized by track, can be found HERE. Our LinkTree can be found HERE. We would especially value your support this year, as Philcon’s Covid-19 policy in previous years (which required both mandatory masking and proof of vaccination in an attempt to avoid becoming a super-spreader event as several other conventions had) has led to a slow but noticeable decline in attendance. While masking in public spaces is still heavily encouraged, neither proof of vaccination nor masking are required to attend the convention in 2024. We’d love your help in making this year a success, so that we’re in a good position to bring you all something really fantastic for our upcoming 90th anniversary. We’d also love to give you a great weekend right now, for reasons I doubt we need to explain. Here’s to surviving the next few years! ~ Lynati Head of Programming, Philcon 2024

[webs4ribs]

Chillin’ with the Lads™ at Camp Magnus

(Heads up that the TMA discord that I mod for is hosting a “Camp Week” packed full of super cool daily events hosted from July 1st to July 7th and if you’re interested, you should definitely join! The link and more information can be found below the cut.)

Welcome to The Magnus Institute!

We’re a 15+ TMA community and daily live-listen discord server with over 350 members that’s here for you to make friends, chill out, and prepare you for The Magnus Protocol!

Our goal is to foster a community that can involve anyone and everyone: from hardcore TMA veterans to those who have never listened to the podcast before. We've got some epic channels that create fun spaces for artists, writers, gamers, and theorists, along with those who’re just into chilling out.

The start of Camp Week means lots of events! Feel free to join the server to check out the full schedule, but here’s a short list of some events we’ll be hosting from Saturday July 1st to Friday July 7th;

An art contest, a writing contest, quiplash games, trivia nights, presentation nights, daily campfire stories, Gartic Phone games, bracelet making, DJ sets, karaoke, a Bob Ross painting sesh, daily YouTube movie nights, among us, green screen edits, a frantic fanfic sesh, tarot readings, and more!

We’ve also set up cabins to create a little bit of camp spirit and competition! By participating in events, you’ll be able to win points for your cabin which will be tallied at the end of the week to determine who reigns supreme! You’ll be able to choose to join 1 of 4 cabins; Gertrude’s Goobers, Leitner’s Losers, Mikaele’s Malewives, and Smirke’s Seniors.

We also have a Minecraft Server dropping on the 1st along with the start of camp week! So if you’re into mining or crafting, make sure to check out the server.

I should also note that a big part of our server’s draw is the daily live listens. We’ve been listening to an episode of TMA every day since March, and as of today (the 26th), we’re on MAG 92 - Nothing Beside Remains. So, if you’d like to join us (or catch up) and listen to the last half of the podcast alongside a live chat every day at 6pm BST and 6pm PT, then we’d love to have you!

That’s about as much condensed information as I can give you without making this wall of text even thicker. If for any reason the discord link doesn’t work for you, or you’re having trouble accessing the server, just send me a DM and I’ll be happy to help you out!

Can’t wait to meet you guys! Have fun!

[doodlingbiscuit]

It hurts to be something

My entry for @dancingdonatello's writing contest :]

Rise!Donnie x Reader -- Unrequited Love

Drabble is under the cut!

I mean sure it was never officially said out loud but Donnie had surmised through both of your mutual affections that you were both dating. 

Over the past few weeks, your affections towards him had tilted slightly. Your touches lingered longer than usual and you acted differently around him than his brothers. You had even persuaded Donnie, of all people, to hold your hand when you both walked together, which was hard for anyone to convince him to do. Your heated looks at one another had turned into hushed kisses that you both couldn’t seem to break away from. You both did normal relationship things… so who was he to say that this wasn’t a relationship? Sure, it was weird that you hadn’t said anything officially to one another but then again you were more of a passive person, so maybe you just assumed like he did that this was a relationship. 

Either way, he wasn’t one to spoil a good thing. This was the happiest he’d been in months, to the point that after years of training his tail not to wag from any positive emotion, it started to do it all on its own. He couldn’t seem to control it anymore around you, and he found his heart following the same path. 

He did as much research as was humanly possible for him to do, reading books, listening to podcasts, and even scouring Reddit pages to gather all of the information he could about being a good partner. He had seen plenty of examples of boyfriends in the many pieces of media he’s consumed over the years but those weren’t always the picture-perfect example of the kind of partner he wanted to be. If he was gonna do this thing, he was gonna do it right. 

So when you had asked him to pick you up after a night of drinking, he readily agreed to do it, like any good boyfriend would. He still would’ve, regardless of your relationship status, but he felt proud that he was able to help you in some of the small ways just like a regular (namely human) boyfriend could. He couldn’t exactly walk with you so freely in public, but this, this he could do. 

Donnie arrives a bit earlier than the time you had given him to be there - knowing that it was better for him to arrive earlier rather than later. The streets of New York were dangerous and he was all too familiar with it. Landing on a nearby rooftop, he sticks to the shadows as he waits for you to make your way out of the bar. 

He crouches lower down onto the roof, adjusting his stance back and forth - trying to catch a glimpse of you through the window. Finally spotting you a little further back in the bar, a small smile spreads across his face.  

You looked buzzed from what Donnie could tell -  if the way you held yourself along with a half-empty drink you held was any indication. You’re swaying along to the beat of the music, talking to a couple of your friends and… a man Donnie didn’t recognize. 

Donnie squints his eyes a bit, trying to get a better look at the stranger that you’re dancing with. He didn’t seem too out of the ordinary and you seemed to be enjoying his company. 

Well whoever he was, he was too close for Donnie’s comfort.  

He grumbles to himself as he sits down on the roof, tucking his legs against his chest and balancing his forearms on top of them. Resting his head on the top of his arms, he flicks his headset down over his eyes and zooms in on you.

This is… a new emotion, sure, he’s been jealous over your attention as friends, but he’s never been jealous about you. Surely something with his more turtle part of himself was influencing him in this way. 

…Yet another thing for Donnie to research. 

His eyebrows furrow lower as the man leans down to whisper something in your ear and you laugh in response. Donatello starts to regret ever coming here so early in the first place just to see you flirting with some guy you didn’t even know. 

You whisper something back into the man’s ear before you quickly throw back the rest of your drink. Grasping the man’s shirt, you drag him closer to you before smashing your lips against his. 

What.

You drink the man in with the same desperation that you had kissed Donnie with. He knew exactly how it felt to be kissed by you and the fact that some stranger is sharing the same experience as him leaves a feeling he can’t quite place in his chest. 

Donnie’s eyes glance down to the green of his hands. If he wasn’t a mutant he could be in there with you right now, kissing you instead of that man. 

Walking out the door, you stumble a bit on the pavement before catching your balance again. Using the brick wall to steady yourself with a giggle, you start making your way down to the meeting point that both of you had agreed upon. 

Your foot catches onto the pavement and you almost careen face-first into the ground before Donnie’s firm grip steadies you once more. 

Now that Donnie is so close to you, the strong scent of alcohol wafts off of you leaving a sour smell in his nostrils.

Suddenly recognizing the arms around you, your head slowly tilts up to look up at Donnie, a lazy smile breaking across your face. 

“Donnie.” You slur. 

He looks back down at you in only what you could describe as betrayal. 

"What was that?" 

His arms grip you a little more desperately now.

"What?" You look up at him in confusion, eyes widening in response to his stern tone. 

Donnie takes a breath and closes his eyes, trying to recompose himself before opening them back up to look at you. 

"I thought we were dating but you-you were all over them." 

You pause for a moment, your eyebrows scrunching further together as you process his words. 

"We're not dating..."

His hands still linger on your forearms as he stares blankly at you.

Everything he had thought about regarding the relationship between the two of you had been wrong. It was just a simple miscalculation, a misinterpretation of data… a mistake. 

"Oh." 

His brothers always teased him that he wasn’t good with people and one of those examples seemed to be staring him in the face. 

Slowly, he lifts his hands off of you, taking a step away from you. 

Donnie clears his throat, desperately trying to regain his composure, “Of course.”

You look up at him once more, letting out an almost cruel huff of amusement. 

“...Donnie those kisses didn’t mean anything to you, did they?”

[ladybracknellssherry]

Neil Gaiman is an abuser and disgusting and no one should still be trying to defend this man. I hope his victims heal and can move forward and I hope they get to see some form of justice. I hope he never gets to abuse anyone again. I hope no one wants to work with him ever again. I hope his son is safe and someone gets him out of that environment.

I already said a lot about this last summer when the tortoise podcast first came out. But since everyone on tumblr has to have an opinion, I have a few to add.

"He wrote Calliope! Why are you surprised?" "He's a Zionist! Why are you surprised?" "He was raised in the Scientology cult! Why are you surprised?" "He-"

No.

The majority of fiction about sensitive / problematic / harmful topics is neither an endorsement nor a confession.

Being terrible in one way doesn't always/necessarily mean you're going be terrible in other ways. This mindset gives "you should have seen the signs" which is kind of a lot reductive and is within spitting distance of the victim blaming county line.

After an SA, someone in my social circle said to my face as ... a joke?... "what did you expect? dude listened to dave matthews band."

???

The signs are always there. Clear as day in the rearview mirror. And those signs can vary greatly. Anything can be a sign if you want it to be, I guess.

Remember when that guy Ted Bundy worked at a Suicide Hotline? The scariest thing to me is that a common sign of violent abusers seems to be an involvement in the causes to HELP victims.

I think we go looking for flashing neon signs like this because, simply, a wolf in sheep's clothing is far more terrifying than a regular ole straightforward wolf.

And this JKR vs. NG discourse? Who is making this a "which terrible person is the more terrible person?" contest? And what the fuck is wrong with you? Hate the artist, love the media. You do you. If you want to denounce great things created by terrible people, put down the phone, tablet, or computer you're reading this on because the guy who invented the transistor was a eugenicist and a racist.

NG acted this progressive, feminist ally type persona in all kinds of ways. And meanwhile was doing terrible shit, abusing and grooming and controlling and manipulating, and ultimately causing a lot of first direct harm, and now that the truth has come out, a huge blast radius of (indirect?) harm.

JKR continues to espouse and encourage vile discourse that fans the flames of transmisia/transphobia, putting trans lives in danger. Joanne spends so much time trying to police and influence the definition of "woman" that she attacks cis women - thus further endangering BOTH trans people and cis women in her crusade to...protect...women.

They've both done horrible things. DIFFERENT HORRIBLE THINGS.

There's nuance, of course. It would be great if we stopped giving these people money. My Good Omens fandom family - I know we're hurting. I really hope you plan on pirating any of the related media you would otherwise stream, going forward. Don't worry about David and Michael, the rest of the cast and crew. They'll be fine.

Fuck all of this "it's not about you." How in the hell? This man is a public figure. The reason we make a big deal about it when public figures abuse their power is BECAUSE THIS IS ABOUT ALL OF US. The world shifts when something like this comes out - AS IT SHOULD. Feeling discomfort or rage or sadness right now is normal. Channel those intense emotions. Figure out how to make constructive use of those emotions to try to help create a safer more nurturing world. And remember why you were forced to face these feelings this time - because Neil Gaiman abused women and those women went through absolute hell but were brave enough and strong enough to come out against such a beloved famous man because they wanted to make him be held accountable. Because they don't want him to get away with this. Because no one else should ever have to go through what they went through. Honor that. Honor what they went through. In NG's case, being such a public figure, the absolute scale of coverage with these allegations and accounts, we can only hope he never gets to victimize anyone else again.

That should be the focus. Not this noise of tangential discourse, not the autistic kid who has a special interest who wants to keep posting fan art on tumblr. That kid hates him too and has already said so.

I get it that when the news first broke in July a lot of folks didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe it. There was a lot of rationalizing about the media outlet. Look, denial is one of the stages of grief. Fans were shocked and grieving the death of a figure they respected and looked up to. You don't have to have an unhealthy parasocial relationship with someone to feel betrayed when they do terrible things. And, my god, the time we live in. Misinformation and disinformation is rampant. Wanting more information, wanting to take some time to investigate something you've heard is actually responsible, generally speaking. But a week after that news? Two weeks? A month? 3 months? If you're still defending him, denying these allegations, and wanting more "proof" at this point? Fuck right off, you need psychological help. That's not an insult, that is concern, from a fellow human being. You are unwell. I hope you get better.

Good Omens gave me my joy back after years in abusive relationships, multiple SA's, death after death of people I loved, fucking cancer, medical hell. I can't just turn off the love of this media or the love of this fandom I've connected with. I don't want to turn that off.

I'm not going to say "Neil is an abuser - BUT he helped create my special interest." Because that ain't it. "Neil is an abuser - AND he helped create my special interest." No justifying, no waffling, no moral superiority, no flagellation. These are just two facts.

Believe the victims. Tell everyone you'll ever meet that this guy is scum. Throwing away that book you bought 10 years ago won't fix anything. Believe victims. Donate to or volunteer with DV orgs and shelters. Set and respect boundaries in your lives and fucking check in about consent. Believe victims! Don't be silent when someone you know is being "kinda creepy." Believe victims. And take care of yourselves!

x

[xxblairexxss]

Who are you p.3

Pairing : Charles Leclerc x reader

Theme : Fluff

Word count : 2.2k

Part 1 Part 2

Is the country’s gem boy turning into your knight in shining armour? Was it a coincidence or on purpose?

I wasn’t really sure about this one but at least it’s something for the Charles’s girls after what happened last night. Anyway, CarLando healed my broken heart! 🥹🥰

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

"What do you want?!" 

"I accidentally called you." Charles laughed, propping his chin on hand with the good angle of you rushing to get your makeup. "Wait, don’t end the call. I would like to see."

"There’s nothing interesting to see here." The pointy finger that was a second away from the end call button was drawn back as the phone was propped against your dressing mirror while you went back to your makeup to not argue any longer because you only had 40 minutes left to get ready.

"I would like to see if you would make it on time to work." He gave a smile when you glared while your hands went to clip your hair back. "You look pretty, though."

"I haven’t done my makeup yet." Your gaze went back to the camera when he didn’t say anything, only to find him staring—more like gawking at you with a silly-looking smile.

"Still pretty. I like how you do your hair." 

The morning was silence; no podcast from Linda regarding her ex-boyfriend because you didn’t know how, but the gem boy is staying on the video call with you, not so discreetly staring at you like a creep.

"Do you.." His voice came, halting the silence contest.

"Do you always get ready in silence? Like completely mute? You always had something to say. Even when I accidentally hit you, your mouth was still moving  nonstop." He saw you scowl and shrug before continuing his words. "Gotta keep on reminding you I didn’t hit you on purpose."

"Do you always drive fast? Because, you know, you drive fast cars for a living." You asked the question you had been wanting to ask ever since you knew he was a Formula 1 driver, thinking this could be the perfect time to ask the question since he didn’t look like he had anything to say other than looking at you. The foundation brush was pulled back a little so you could look at him.

"Not really. Sometimes, yeah, but I know my limit. Why?"

"I have this one colleague who loves to—sorry." The sparkle in your eyes was gone when you saw him looking away, seemingly distracted or unbothered with your attempt to talk.

"No, sorry. I always have trouble ripping this off. Finish the story. What happened to your colleague?" The newly opened protein bar in his hand was half gone as he took a bite.

"My colleague, he—" The coral blush in your hand made a soft thud sound against the dressing table as you burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that’s funny." His sarcastic laugh pulled you back to your senses as you went back to the blush, no longer in the mood to talk.

"Okay, okay! I’m sorry. But let me join you laugh! What happened to your colleague?" Another chunk of the protein bar was bitten off as he fixed his way of sitting, eyes still on you.

Though it was early in the morning and he had no obligation to wake up this early, he was listening to every story of yours, laughing whenever you laughed and smiling when he found you got carried away with your emotions. It was adorable to him.

"Are you going somewhere?" You asked, and the cap of the MAC lipstick was closed back as you pressed your lips together.

"Me? Nah, I’m going back to sleep after this." Charles replied, his eyes going back to the second protein bar.

"Am I keeping you up? I’m almost done." You stood up, getting your files, bag, and phone still in hand as you headed out of the house. "You can go back to sleep!"

"Do you have any plans tonight?" His voice came again through your phone speaker while you put on your heels.

"Yeah! I’m going out." The key pass was slipped into the bag as you headed to the elevator.

"With who?"

"My colleagues! They asked me to join them for a night out. It’s my first night out with them." After months of moving here, you would have thought you would get at least one friend from being born loquacious, but the language barrier set a limit to your friendliness.

"Where?" Charles asked.

It felt like being interrogated by your parents. The questions sounded like they were subtly wrapped in worry, but you were pretty sure he asked because he wasn’t expecting you to have friends. "Tch, it’s not your problem."

"Y/N, where?"  His stern voice cut you off from your bantering mood.

"Jimmy’z! Got to go. Bye!"

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

"Y/N! How will you go home?" You turned back, a little lightheaded from going over your limit today.

"Me? I’m going to walk! It’s not that far." You giggled, having been fully influenced by the alcohol.

"See you next week!"

"Bye!" You had your hand cave around your lips as you shouted back before waving to your colleagues before a soft thud from your back pulled your eyes away. "Oh, my bag." You mumbled, bending down to get your handbag that slipped off your arm, and let out another giggle.

There wasn’t anyone else in the street. The light barely shined bright enough to light your way. The time on your phone stated it was 15 minutes past midnight. It was a little scary for you to still be out here in a foreign country with a language you could barely speak at this hour, but at least you wouldn’t bump into strangers on your way home.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

You stopped, frowning, but still kept your gaze straight.

"You! The girl in the dark blue dress!"

The black-coloured sedan stopped by the side of the ride, moving a little as it copied your pace. "Me? Oh, hello!"

"Where are you going?" The window was rolled down as he peered from inside the car.

"I’m going home!"

"Do you want me to send you home?" The car was still left on, but he had hopped off and strode all the way to approach you.

"Oh, it’s okay! I can go home myself." His grip on your arm stunned you a little, but you were too drunk to fight back.

"I live nearby. It’s okay. Let me send you home."

"Oh, you live nearby?" He nodded to the question, which made you squeal in delight. "Okay, sure!"

The guy wasted no time and helped you get into the car while you kept on swaying, leaning against his body. You excitedly got in the car, thinking you were so lucky to not have to walk all the way home, when you realised your bag had fallen off, left at the side of the road where you were standing earlier.

"Wait, my bag." Groaning, you pushed the body that was hugging you earlier just so you could pick it up, but someone snatched it quicker than you. "Oh? It’s my bag! Give it back! Give it back, asshole!"

"I know! I know, it’s your bag, Y/N! Geez." Charles winced, and his free hand went to grab your wrist to stop you from hitting his chest.

"Charles Leclerc? Wait, you knew her?" 

Charles switched his gaze from you in his arms to the guy who was standing at the car earlier. The guy who made him run like a crazy guy. Long gone was the smug on the face that he saw earlier, the guy be looking surprised to see him there.

"She actually came with me, so I’m taking her home." He replied, remaining calm with a smile while you leaned on him, mumbling whatever words he could barely hear.

"I thought she came alone; I was going to send her home. I’ll get going then." Charles saw it in the way he clenched his fist as he walked back into the car. Frustrated, probably, but he was too stressed to say anything because at least you were safe. No cut, no scratch.

"You scared me to death, Y/N." He heaved a sigh, eyes shut, while he tightened his grip on you. You had stopped punching, hitting him as he gave the handbag away, so he knew you might be falling asleep, more positive from your calm wave of breathing. His heart was still beating like crazy, too scared to imagine what would happen if he didn’t choose to go with his gut feelings tonight.

"I’m sleepy.." You whined, mustering every strength to push yourself away from the embrace so you could make your way home.

"I know. I know, Y/N. Let’s get you home." He spared no chance and picked you up as you leaned your head on his shoulder. It was a good thing there weren’t many cars or people on the road at this hour. Not that he didn’t want to be seen with you. In fact, he was actually happy to see candid pictures of you and him taken by the fans being uploaded on the Internet, but if it were at this hour, it would have caused everything but something beneficial, knowing very well you were here for an internship. He didn’t want to ruin anything involving your career or reputation.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

He jumped back when you sat up as soon as he put you on the bed. It was a good thing he managed to find your access card in the bag, or else he would have no other option than to bring you back to his apartment, and he was pretty sure if he did that, he might wake up the next morning barely alive because he wasn’t sure if you would remember what happened, and if you didn’t, he didn’t think he would have enough time to explain before your fist landed on his eye.

"Y/N, where are you going?" He grabbed your arm as you stood up, your head still too heavy for you to walk straight.

"My makeup!" You stumbled your way to the bathroom while the driver followed behind. His grip on your arm still stayed, though it went loose once you leaned your body against the sink.

He laughed, flipping open the packaging where it stored your makeup removed pad after seeing you struggling with it, and leaned against the sink, his arms folded as he looked at you in the eyes.

"Stop looking at me!"

"I have eyes. What am I supposed to do with it other than staring and judging  people?" The driver leaned closer, now with a smirk plastered on his face as he saw you getting flustered.

"Okay, but I don’t need you to judge me right now."

"You are red." You took a step back when he moved his face even closer.

"I always get hot when I’m drunk." The cotton pad in hand was thrown into the small bin as you pushed him aside so you could wash your face.

"No. I don’t think so. I think you are red because you like me." He shrugged, and before you could walk out of the bathroom, he pulled you back by your waist, making you crash back into his body.

"Let me go! And I don’t like you. Maybe a little, but not much." The smirking face that was staring at you intensely with his arms around your waist made your knees weak. You would have dropped down on your knees here on the cold floor if he hadn’t held you up.

"Don’t do me like that anymore, Y/N. I’m serious." 

You were going to step away from his embrace, but his words and his shift of tone snatched your full attention. "Do you what, driver?"

"Don’t scare me like that." The truth was, he didn’t have any other plans tonight. He was supposed to be in his apartment, playing truck simulator with George, but something in his heart kept on whispering, forcing him to head to Jimmy'z, and when he got there, he saw a guy tugging on your shoulders with a smug face that told him he had no other intention than to take advantage of your state. He nearly tripped; his face nearly fell straight on the path as he saw you getting in the car without any second thoughts, with a freaking smile on your pretty face, but thank God, your handbag slipped off your arm the last second before the car door closed. He didn’t know what he would do or how far he would go if he had to chase after you in the stranger’s car.

"Did I scare you?" You blinked, unable to grasp what he was trying to say.

"A lot. I kept on thinking about what would happen if I was a second late." His gaze on the bathroom floor was brought up to yours, and he ended up smiling after seeing your clueless expression.

"Would a hug help?" You were a little lost, actually, because you were so sure you didn’t do anything. Except for being blessed meeting someone who offered to send you home for free, but he looked fully disturbed by that, so you extended your arms, offering a hug.

"Yeah. A hug from you would help a lot." He brought his body closer, engulfing you in his arms, where he finally let his wall down. Charles brought one hand on the back of your hair, stroking it while he dipped his face on your neck, smiling when he felt the soft pat on his back from your hand.

"Thank you for taking me home." You mumbled against his shirt before breaking the hug.

"I’ll call you tomorrow. Get enough rest. I would like to hear your annoying little chatter about your first night out with your colleagues." He sent a reminder before taking his jacket back and heading out of the apartment. You were expecting a smirk and a cocky look on his face from earlier, but as he turned back, looking at you, you saw a smile. A genuine one that tugged at the strings of your heart.

✧.* tag list for p.3 @styles-sunflower @needtokeepfeelingsincheck @lexiecamposv @formulas-bitch

If your usernames were crossed, meaning I can’t tag you! Let me know if you would like to be removed or to be added to the tag list! Or if I missed anyone!

[weirdchristmas]

Americans think Christmas ends on Dec 26th. Well, I'm keeping the spirit alive! My procrastination was purposeful! Trust me! (And this may not be all there is to come from me this year, if the brain chemistry and whims of fortune remain stable...)

[brodygold]

A Man of Routine

Ashley Grady was a man of routine. He woke up at 7:30 every morning on the dot. He ate a quick breakfast, had a cup of coffee, and took a shower before leaving for work at 8 am.

Ashley arrived at work no later than 8:15. He worked as a programmer, something he didn’t really have a passion for but paid the bills well enough. He got food from the food truck in the parking lot, worked until 5 pm, and left to go home and have dinner. He did some chores and light reading before getting into bed at 9:30 to repeat the cycle the next day.

Ashley liked his routine. It helped ensure his day ran smoothly. He never expected a small change in it that came in the form of a package. Opening it up, he discovered a pair of golden AirPods with a message inside:

“Congrats on winning this special prize! We highly recommend trying these bad boys out as soon as you can. You’ll never want to take them off!”

- The Golden Army

Ashley had heard of the Golden Army. He knew they were a group of athletes who were always looking for new members, but why send him AirPods? He didn’t remember entering any contest or anything like that. Figuring he could always use them to listen to a podcast or audiobook, he put them on.

As soon as Ashley put them in his ears, the subliminals did their job. He felt calmer, more obedient. He finished the rest of his daily routine on autopilot, getting into bed with the subliminals still playing in his ears.

Ashton Grady was a man of routine. He woke up at 7:30 every morning on the dot. He ate a quick breakfast, had a cup of earl gray tea, and took a shower before leaving for practice at 8 am.

Ashton was the star golfer for the Golden Army. He loved every minute of it, hitting the ball intro he hole with ease. With nationals coming up, he knew he had to be at the top of his game and make the Golden Army proud! He got lunch with his teammates at a local food truck before getting back to practice until 5 pm. Once he got home, he did some chores and light reading before going to bed at 9:30 to repeat the cycle the next day.

As Ashton put the AirPods back in his ears at the start of a brand new day, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at his routine. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

[ohdoyoucomeonthen]

A partial transcript of Greg and Alex being perfectly normal about each other:

We’re just more comfortable, I suppose, next to each other and in front of those people.

And we- and we know each other. We’ve holidayed, Brittany, and I think that- that changes everything.

Oh, and it was a big holiday.

When two men holiday- Mm. -that’s when, that’s when chemistry is formed.

So what’s the biggest thing either do you have learned about each other, then, through that process? Has there been anything that’s really surprised you?

I’ve learned that Greg operates horizontally for 23 hours of the day.

[wheezing laugh] That- that is true. I mean, it’s not relevant to the show.

Oh oh, to the show? No.

Not allowed to lie down on the show. I’ll tell you what I’ve learned about Alex, and I’ve mentioned it in a couple of interviews because I am intrigued by it, and it took me a few years to realise it. And it is that Alex is- will never say no if you challenge him to do something. And I don’t mean on camera, I mean, you know, at any event you can tell Alex to do something on a dare, and he’ll do it. And I find it endlessly endearing. And I think you know he comes across as an officious nerd, but- H-hello. -beneath that, he’s actually- he’s actually quite a lot of fun, Alex.

[honking laugh] yes. And I’ve learned that Greg is- will come with me on these escapades, and is also fun. But also, and this- he won’t necessarily like me saying this, but he is very funny uh, and, uh- [laugh] I will like you saying that. Well I think that Greg’s got like in the studio, you don’t really like it when people aren’t laughing and this is very useful quality as a comedy TV host.

I don’t- I don’t like it, and it’s a sort of sad cliche of comedians, really, we don’t- we can’t stand silence and a lack of merriment. And so I think the studio records of Taskmaster- I hope if you asked, most people who have been there in the audience would say that they get more than just the show, they get more than just what you- what you see, the edited final show. I think it’s genuinely quite chaotic and immersive in the studio. And I love that.

-

This interviewer takes a bit to warm up, but Greg and Alex are obviously both excellent at putting people at ease- Alex is always so endearingly earnest and I felt like Greg’s determination to make her laugh was palpable. They really both seem so kind and their chemistry was on point.

Also in the podcast: Greg claiming Alex’s currently barking dog doesn’t exist, them being very sweet and appreciative of their fans, Greg and Alex’s M-rated (for very different reasons) Taskmaster spinoff ideas, discussion of their #1 pick for contestant who has been rudely ignoring their calls, what the show has caused them to learn about themselves, and my favourite- Greg turning on his teacher voice at the interviewer at the end.

I am honestly considering putting “I’m not interested in logistics” and “Listen. Don’t make excuses, just deliver” in a button to press when my executive is not functioning. That feels like it would be quite motivating.

[minkyungseokie]

Influencers

All my favorite YouTube and TikTok influencers that are rarely written about!

Arthurtv

Arthur Frederick, better known online as Arthur TV, is a Jersey commentary YouTuber known for his entertaining commentary and calm.

Wroetoshaw

Harold "Harry" Christopher George Lewis better known online as W2S (short for Wroetoshaw), is a Guernsey-British YouTuber known for his FIFA Draft and Pack videos. He is also widely known for his real-life challenges with his family and friends. Harry is one of the seven members of the Sidemen.

TBJZL

Tobit John "Tobi" Brown better known online as TBJZL (short for Tobjizzle), is an English YouTuber best known for his FIFA gaming videos. He is a member of the Sidemen.

Jake Webber

Jake Webber is an American YouTuber and musician who uploads vlogs, music, and challenge videos. He is also known for his quick-cutting videos. He also has a live channel where he often uploads food videos.

Fundy

Floris Damen better known online as Fundy (also known as ItsFundy and FFundage), is a Dutch YouTuber and Twitch streamer known for his alterations and videos about the game Minecraft.

George Clarkey

George Arthur Clarke better known online as George Clarkey, is an English YouTuber and TikToker, best known for his funny commentary & reaction videos about trending topics. He has co-hosted the popular podcast The Useless Hotline Podcast

ChrisMD

Christopher Michael Dixon better known online as ChrisMD , is a Jersey YouTuber best known for his football challenges and FIFA pack opening videos.,He lives in London, England, United Kingdom.

Corpse Husband

Corpse Husband  also known as CORPSE, is an American YouTuber and musician from San Diego, California, United States. He is best known for his deep, distinguishable voice and playing Among Us with other YouTubers and Twitch streamers, along with his horror narrations.

Disguised Toast

Jeremy Wang better known online as Disguised Toast (or simply Toast), is an Taiwanese-born Canadian gaming YouTuber and Twitch streamer who mainly makes content around League of Legends and Among Us on both platforms.

Sykkuno

Thomas  better known online as Sykkuno is an American YouTuber, live streamer, and former Twitch streamer who is mainly known for his gaming content.

The Eret

Alastair better known online as Eret (also known as TheEret), is an English gaming YouTuber known for playing Minecraft on YouTube and Twitch.

Spifey

George "Geo" Anderson better known online as Spifey, is an English Minecraft gaming YouTube channel that shows off older versions of the game. Some of the content on Spifey's channel include listening to certain annoying songs to win money for a long period of time with users of Minecraft on the servers and trolling his friends with cursed Minecraft mods

Skeppy

Zak Ahmed better known online as Skeppy, is an American YouTuber known for his Minecraft challenge videos involving numerous contestants and his collaborations with fellow YouTuber BadBoyHalo.

Quackity

Alexis "Alex" Maldonado better known online as Quackity (formerly QuackityHQ), is a Mexican YouTuber and Twitch streamer known for playing the video game Minecraft and his raid videos.

kennysong

Kenny Song is a famous TikTok star, Instagram star, and food influencer from the US. He shares Asian cuisine and simple meal and snack options. He also posts shorts videos alongside his cooking videos

[sosaysdean]

Frank Ieros segment in the recent First Ever Podcast episode.

Transcript under cut

Jeremy: Alright i’m so lucky to be joined by Mr. Frank Iero of LS Dunes and My Chemical Romance. How are you Frank? It’s so nice to see you

Frank: I’m doing good. It’s so nice of you to say that you’re lucky to do this (laughs)

Jeremy: (laughs) I am lucky to do this I am, I am.

Frank: I felt lucky to receive your text.

Jeremy: Aw that’s very. That’s very sweet. Uh, how are you feeling today? You doing alright? You uh, you ready for the holidays?

Frank: I got my tissues out, I’m fucking dealing with some sort of cold that I can’t pin point. So par for the course you know.

Jeremy: You know what’s..I feel like everybody right now. Everybody I know right now has some form of the sniffles, but let’s look at the positive because we’re a few days away still from actual holidays so, hopefully it’s passed through your system by, by the time right

Frank: That’s what I’m hoping for. That is what I’m hoping for (laughs). I’m hoping, yeah, that Santa brings me a fucking cure. How’s that? (Laughs)

Jeremy: (Laughs) um, okay. Well. Your question that I’m gonna ask you my friend is, when is the official first day of the christmas season? This is a contested thing.

Frank: Yeah

Jeremy: So I’m curious for you. What for you is the first day?

Frank: I don’t know exactly, but I do know it’s not Halloween, which they keep fucking pushing on us (laughs). And it’s not the day after Halloween either like fuck that like. First off, I think the first thing I have to say is I don’t actually like Christmas. (Laughs) so.

Jeremy: That’s okay

Frank: So I would like it to be, you know, I think the first day of Christmas should be Christmas Eve, and then Christmas, and then that’s it. And then fucking get out of here with it. (Laughs) So maybe that’s an unpopular opinion but, but that’s the way I feel. You, you get those two days, and then shut the fuck up. I don’t wanna hear Christmas music everywhere I go for fucking six months like I’m not, I don’t wanna hear that shit. I don’t want everything to smell like some sort of Christmas spice. I don’t fucking want eggnog. I don’t want. I don’t want, what’s the other shit that you, nutmeg in everything. I don’t want any of that.

Jeremy: (laughs) Um okay do you feel similarly about the Thanksgiving season, like are you, do you feel the same way about pumpkin spice?

Frank: Fuck that no no. Pumpkin’s great.

Jeremy: (Laughs) okay okay okay so what’s, is there a root to when this happened, like was there a specific thing that set off the christmas, the, the, the grinch in you?

Frank: (laughs) I think it’s encroachment man. I think it’s just fucking been an encroachment I think is what’s happening. Uh I feel like they’re trynna push us out and I’m not having it.

Jeremy: I, I um, I, the punk side of me I fundamentally agree with how it feels like the capitalism is the, is at the forefront of the motivation that you’re talking about. It’s like when you walk into a, you walk into a rite-aid and you’re like yo it’s October 20th why are you playing this goddamn Paul McCartney song

Frank: Oh my god. Dude. (Laughs). And that’s the thing too it’s. Alright. Listen I’m not trynna say like I’m not like you know, crass incarnate here like. But like, I really do enjoy Thanksgiving because it’s about you know you’re getting together with people that you care about, you’re sharing a meal and stuff like that. You know, if you’re not a turkey like it’s a pretty good fucking day. You know

Jeremy: (Laughs)

Frank: I don’t understand why like, oh yeah we have to get somebody a gift for fucking, I don’t know, like, Labor Day. Like fuck out of here with that like. You know what I mean. I don’t understand. I really don’t.

Jeremy: I thoroughly appreciate the honesty and I appreciate your uh, your very um, mature take.

Frank: (laughs)

Jeremy: On the first day of, on the first day of Christmas, or uh, Christmas season. And I agree with you. I absolutely agree with you

Frank: Alright I appreciate it. You’re the first one to ever call me mature so thank you very much (laughs). That’s great