#Recession of 2022

[grubbin22]

magma doodles ft operator

[lyknest]

reblog and put in tags the prominent musical artists phases in your life

[immortalmrwavell]

Wavell’s Vacation 2

(Original story posted 26th August 2022) This story has received mild edits and corrections

Read the First Part here!

Week 2

It was only after about an hour of surveillance that I came across another man that caught my eye. He was a lean guy, average height, decent bit of body hair and looked to be in his mid 20’s. But what really caught my attention were those dazzling blue eyes and not to mention the ginger hair and beard. I’ve always had a soft spot for gingers honestly, especially ones as cute and handsome as this guy. I thought it over for a while but quickly decided that this was going to be my next stop.

When I found him he’d been out jogging so I followed him around for a bit until he eventually arrived home. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he grabbed a quick snack from the kitchen. Minutes later I watched as the man marched into the living room with a sandwich on a plate, placing it on the small table beside his chair before getting comfortable to watch some TV.

Part of me wanted to sit around and observe for longer and usually I would but I was so drawn in by that lovable face of his that I just couldn’t help myself. With Tim I dove in through his mouth so, to keep things interesting, I wanted to find a different entrance this time. I had a couple options of course but it didn’t take long to decide which would be the most fun.

Just as he was about to grab the TV remote I dived down, past his face and towards his crotch. As you can imagine the man jolted in shock and surprise when I began forcing myself into the tip of his cock. He leaped up onto his feet immediately, sticking a hand down his shorts in panic only for him to see his cock bulging slightly as an invisible force pushed its way inside. Dropping his shorts to the floor, the handsome ginger tried desperately to figure out what the hell was going on! But as I continued to force myself inside, the nerve endings in his penis were going crazy! He wanted to scream and panic but all he could do was let out animalistic groans while his now fully hard cock continued to bulge, levels of pleasure never before felt racking his body.

I’d say the only downside to this method of entering a body is how much slower it is. By the time I’d pushed about a third of myself into this young stud’s cock, I could’ve forced myself down his throat five times over. But then again maybe that isn’t much of a downside. Listening to him groan out lustfully while his entire body quivered with ecstasy was quite the treat honestly. As was feeling the shaft of his member continuing to engorge as I squeezed my form inside.

Eventually I found myself about three quarters of the way in when the man let out a deep roar, deeper than what I had expected from him. It very soon became apparent why as I felt a wave of cum ripple through my ghostly form before shooting out of his cock in large splashes. I had zero doubt in my mind that it was the biggest load this body had ever produced as it continued to drip and spurt. Of course after that his moans only increased as I still had a small piece of myself to fit inside his now even more sensitive cock.

It had to have only been a few minutes but for him it likely felt like an eternity. However the end finally drew near as the last of my ghostly body slipped into his shaft. But not before causing him to grunt and let out a few extra squirts of his man milk. After that I decided to get straight to work. Unlike Tim, I made sure to spread myself throughout this sexy fucker’s body entire body the second I was fully inside. I wasted no time taking full control.

Next thing I know I’m falling backwards onto the couch, my new sensitive as fuck dick twitching away after all that intense stimulation. My eyes fluttered shut as I suppressed the mind of the man whose body, forcing him down into the deep recesses of his own subconscious. After that I hooked myself straight up to his memories and got to work on absorbing them. From there one of the first things I learned was his name. Jake Rumble. And for the next week it would mine.

I sat there for the next ten minutes or so as my cock returned to its usual flaccid size, carefully sifting through Jake’s memory bank. I found out about his family and friends, what he does for work, what hobbies he enjoys and more. It also didn’t take long to discover that he was already gay. Good. At least hooking up with dudes shouldn’t be anything new to this body.

Once I had everything I wanted, I cleaned myself up and pulled my shorts back on before pretty much resuming where Jake left off. I grabbed the TV remote, switched it on and flicked through a couple channels until I found one I liked before grabbing my sandwich. Of course I’d put it on the sports channel. What better to watch when having a meal than a bunch of bulky men tackling each over to the ground while fighting over a ball. Though maybe that was my recent experience as Tim Tebow speaking.

Over the next few days I actually had a ton of fun living out this life. My new job was certainly something I’d never done before. I worked in an office space where my job was to design and develop ideas for games and I’ve gotta say I really enjoyed it. I’d never done anything like it before but, with Jake’s memories and skills at my disposal, it all seemed like a piece of cake. It was also a very comfortable and positive atmosphere that I found quite relaxing and enjoyable. I got on very well with Jake’s co-workers too as I settled in nicely to his ordinary life. A life I’d never had. Maybe that was my own fault though. I could have a normal life with the rest of these humans if I so desired… but that wasn’t me. Not now anyway.

Back on the topic of co-workers however, there was one in particular that really caught my eye. Well he wasn’t really a co-worker, more like my boss but he never treated any of us as such. He was fun and tried his best to keep the office energy high. Bosses like that weren’t as common as they should be. I had to admit he was pretty handsome too. Quite nerdy too like most people in the office but in an adorable way that made my heart flutter.

Looking through my memory banks I soon came to find that my new boss, who’s name was Jim, was not only gay like my current host but that he’d sort of made a pass at Jake a couple weeks back. It was during a night out with a bunch of the people here in the office. He ended up getting rather drunk and by the end of the night he was hugging Jake profusely while telling him what a good employee he was. It got to the point where someone had to take Jim home and, since the man was already clinging to him, Jake offered to do so. Thing is nobody was actually sure where his house was and he was too drunk to give trustworthy directions so Jake just ended up taking Jim back to his place. The second Jake closed the door however, Jim started planting kisses down his employee’s neck. He even started getting a bit handsy. After the initial shock Jake pushed his boss away gently. He couldn’t deny that he’d been having thoughts about Jim as well but it was his boss and he was way too drunk to be consenting for sex.

Jim woke up the next morning on Jake’s couch and apologised profusely after remembering his behaviour from the previous night. Jake was quick to forgive him and the two promised not to share any of it at work. Since then there has been some noticeable sexual tension between the two…

I could feel it even now as Jim leaned over my shoulder to see what I was working on. Placing a hand on my shoulder, feeling his hot breath on my ear, smelling the deodorant he’d put on this morning. Oh it was driving me crazy! I could feel Jake’s cock beginning to grow harder with my excitement and I made no effort to hide it. He even stumbled with his words when giving me feedback as he glanced down at my crotch to see the visible outline of my dick straining against my pants.

The rest of the day went pretty much as it normally would for Jake. I’ve gotta say though, I really got stuck into my work. I had much more fun than I’d expected, especially considering I've never worked a proper job in my life before. Unless you consider offering my body swapping services a job of course.

Soon enough however, lunch rolled around and people were beginning to set their work aside in favour of getting some food to satisfy their growling stomachs. Honestly I was starting to feel that way myself. It’s a weird feeling though honestly. Hunger that is. I forgot to mention it before but I actually don’t have to eat whatsoever in my true form. I can but it’s usually only for pleasure. When I’m possessing someone however I of course need to eat for my host's sake. In any case I decided to forgo lunch for the time being, instead saving the work on my computer before getting up and heading towards Jim’s office.

“Come in!” I heard him shout from the other end as I knocked. Upon seeing none other than his ‘favourite employee’ Jake walk in however, Jim’s calm expression turned to a blush that he didn’t do well to hide. “O-oh Jake! What’s up?”

“Ahhh not much. I just can’t stop thinking about how amazing of a boss you’ve been recently.” I hummed while strolling up to his desk. “I dunno… I just thought you deserved a bit of appreciation is all.” I moved around his desk before placing a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it while relishing in how flustered he was getting. He was speechless. This was gonna be fun.

Slowly I turned his chair to face me before dropping to my knees. I looked up at him, a smirk growing across my bearded face. He looked conflicted. Like he knew we shouldn’t be doing this but couldn’t bring himself to protest against me. That is until I started to unzip his suit pants.

“J-Jake what are you doing… I thought you said this would be too complicated… me being your boss and all” Jim asked as he stopped my hand.

I got back up and looked him in the eyes, cupping one of his bearded cheeks in my hand. “Well maybe I was wrong. Maybe it isn’t that complicated at all. I want you…” My other hand reached down and gripped his crotch again. “…and you want me. It’s that simple.” By that point Jim’s face had gone bright red.

I returned to my kneeled position before shoving my hand inside his suit pants. This time he didn’t stop me. Simply looking down while gripping the arms of his office chair. I whistled as his dick finally sprung out at me, full mast. It was bigger than I’d expected. A solid 7 inches or so with pretty decent thickness all around. Not bad. I took a moment to admire it, telling Jim how big it was before wrapping my lips around the tip. I sucked on it gently for a while before going the whole way down and taking his entire length. Jake’s mouth was better at sucking cock than I imagined.

Jim was trying his best not to moan aloud with all the other employees outside still having their lunch. He instead grunted as quietly as he could while running a hand through my short ginger hair. With that I slowly started to get more enthusiastic, bobbing my head faster and occasionally pulling off to lick around the shaft and suck on his balls before going back down on his fat member. Just as he was starting to relax and get into it though, we both heard a knock on Jim’s office door.

He told me to get up in a panic but I instead gave him a sly look before sliding under his desk out of view before whispering to Jim to call them in. I could see he was conflicted but surprisingly he did exactly that. In came another employee named Patrick. He was asking around for opinions on his most recent designs and wanted to get Jim’s input. As he did I couldn’t help but grab at Jim’s still hard and pulsing shaft, kissing the tip a little to tease it as he tried desperately to maintain his composure.

“I’m uhh… a little busy right now Pat but I ca-UGH” Jim stopped short when I squeezed his balls without warning causing the other employee to look at him confused. “I’ll have a look later Pat but… I’ve got some work to finish right now.” Jim tried to play it as cool as possible. Patrick gave him a strange look but soon left the boss’ office.

It was hilarious how Jim berated me for squeezing his balls in that moment but he couldn’t stay mad for long when looking down at the cute face I now owned. Instead he got up from his desk and locked the door before checking all the windows were closed. By the time he turned his focus back to me, I’d already stepped out from under the desk. My shoes were discarded as I slowly pulled down my pants and briefs.

Jim stopped and stared for a moment until I beckoned him over. The first thing I did was pull him into a long deep kiss as our beards collided before moving some stuff off his desk and getting him to sit on it. Once he had, I climbed onto his lap before carefully positioning my hole above his cock and lowering myself down. The two of us grunted out in unison as he slipped inside, not wanting to make too much noise. Before long I found myself sitting on my boss’ dick, bouncing up and down as we continued to make out. I have to say that Jake’s hole was perfect for taking dick. It welcomed Jim’s cock inside easily while still squeezing around it tightly. Plus the sensation of that 7 incher rocking back and forth inside me was out of this world. But then again cocks always felt amazing. I believe that was the point.

“Wow… I’ll have to take your cock and body for a spin sometime.” I blurted out as I kissed along his neck.

“Huh? What do yo-mmmfmmph.” Jim was cut off as I pressed my lips against his once again while grinding my ass against his crotch. He soon forgot about my strange comment and went back to thrusting his hips to my delight.

Soon enough we switched positions. I gently pulled off his cock and lowered myself off the desk. Once he’d done the same I presented Jake’s supple ass to him once more by bending over said desk and told him to have at it. Soon enough I found myself being eaten out as Jim pressed his face between my fuzzy cheeks and licked around my hole. It was only after he couldn’t ignore his dick any longer that he finally pulled back and started aligning his member that was still poking out through his zipper.

The moment he plunged back inside I couldn’t help but groan. As I did however, Jim slammed a hand over my mouth to muffle me so we wouldn’t be heard. But that only turned me on more. Next thing I knew I was letting out all kinds of muffled sounds of pleasure as Jim began plowing into me. His spare hand grasped my shoulder while his balls smacked into me. For such a bashful and nerdy guy, Jim had some real sexual vigour once someone pulled it out of him. Now that those primal urges had bubbled to the surface, he was giving me the pounding of my life.

I couldn’t even say how long we went on for. I was simply in a whole other world. One of pleasure and bliss. I was only brought back to reality by Jim muttering about how he was about to cum. Hearing that I began grunting out even more. So desperate for his load and when I got it I wasn’t disappointed. He let out a low roar as I felt his thick ball batter pumping into me and coating my insides. Such a hefty load. He’d for sure wanted to do that for a very long time.

The two of us basked in the afterglow for a few minutes before he offered to finish me off. I replied saying there was no need, revealing that him pounding into my prostate over and over caused me erupt all over his desk already. As one can imagine Jim was pretty smug about that while stuffing his dick back into his pants. After which I offered to help him clean up the mess I made before putting my clothes back on before going back to work.

About ten or so minutes later I found myself walking out of Jim’s office and back to Jake’s desk. I pulled a food container out of my satchel and began to eat with a smile on my face thinking about all the other ways I was going to try and seduce my new boss at work for the next week.

And that’s exactly what happened among other things. I went out with my new friends on a few evenings for drinks. I kept up with Jake’s fitness routine to keep a lean and toned physique. I even got to meet a big part of Jake’s close relatives during a huge family dinner they do once a week. But the most fun still came from work. I teased Jim around the workplace as often as I could by whispering sweet nothings in his ear when nobody was looking. Brushing my hand against his when we passed one another. Always conveniently dropping a pen when he was around and having to slowly bend down to pick it up. Oh, it was fun.

And I don’t think it even needs saying at this point but the two of us continued to have our sneaky fuck sessions in Jim’s office throughout the week. I topped him a couple times but mostly I just wanted his dick inside me. Ordinarily in my regular Wavell form I’d be more of a dominant top but this body just yearns to be fucked and I’m willing enough to oblige.

But all good things must come to an end and so did this week. I enjoyed my last day as this cute ginger stud before getting home and sitting on the couch with a sigh. And with that I began my ejection. Of course I just had to go out the same way I came in, causing Jake’s cock to bulge like before as my ghostly form slowly pushed its way out. Gradually I relieved my control over Jake as he started to go limp and unconscious. It took a few minutes but eventually I managed to squeeze my way out of his dick. The last of my form slipping out at last, swiftly followed by a few ropes of cum that spluttered across the living room floor in front of him.

I looked back at the body that’d hosted me these last seven days and smiled. It was a great ride. I even decided to leave him with some pseudo-memories of the week rather than leaving it blank. I made it out to seem like all the choices I made were his own. After all it'd be a shame if the passionate connection I’d sparked with Jake’s boss were to be extinguished. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll move from office fucking fun to being in an actual relationship. Wouldn’t that be adorable?

Maybe I’ll have to come back and check on him in the future to see how he’s doing. But for now I had one last body to hop into before the end of my vacation.

Read the Third Part here!

[twsted-outro]

FOR I AM YOURS

PAIRING: Yandere!Genshin Impact Characters x Gender-Neutral!Reader (separately)

CONTENT WARNINGS: yandere themes, mention of poison, stalking, abduction, minor mention of underwear thievery, implied invasion of privacy, implication of taking advantage of someone when they're drunk, infantilization (kind of), obsession, the reader is called pretty (ganyu's part), manipulation, genuinely don't know if zhongli can appear in dreams, this was pre-sumeru so I made this during 2022 iirc, brief thoughts about harming reader in Kokomi's, abduction, stalking, ei's part is before her 2nd story quest, threat, stealing your personal belongings, manipulation.

SUMMARY: Genshin Impact characters and their love for you.

NOTE: migrated fic from w*ttp*d :crying emoji:.

MONDSTADT

ALBEDO:

» ALBEDO FINDS love to be something new. Love is foreign to him - unfamiliar, but being around you ticks all the tell-tale signs of being infatuated. His heart races when you're near, his thoughts always trail back to you regardless of what he's doing, he always longs to spend more time with you within the confines of Dragonspine - Albedo's sure of it, this must be love. And when you're in love, isn't it normal to do outlandish things for it? To secure that no one else gets in the way of your developing relationship? So when Albedo concocts up a new potion (poison or toxin, that's for him to know) and decides to experiment it on someone who's been suspiciously close to you - well, it's not like you'll ever know. Not when Albedo has the chemicals necessary to clean up any evidence of a dead body. And at the end of the day, Albedo would patiently wait for you to come visit him up in Dragonspine, where he'll relish in the addicting sensations of feelings only you can make him feel.

DILUC RAGNVINDR:

» For the lack of a better word, DILUC is a man who's emotionally constipated. He finds it difficult to outwardly express any deep emotions, even more so when it's in the pursuit of love. Every time Diluc encounters you (In the city square, the forests, or the tavern) he tenses up and gets as stiff as a rock - all while he initiates a conversation with you or at least the resemblance of a conversation in his current state. Diluc can't help but inwardly groan at his poor attempts of romancing you, left with no choice (seeing as he can't hold a civil conversation with you, at least right now) he resorts to stalking you and hiring people to collect private intel. For someone with eye-catching red hair, he's inconspicuous in his stalking - skillfully tailing behind you and knowing the right amount of distance in order to not be detected and he stores any information his intel provides into the recesses of his mind. Until the day he can act like a normal human being when in your company, Diluc will settle with this.

EULA LAWRENCE:

» It's no surprise that someone like EULA is awkward when it comes to romance. She's inexperienced in this field but still, she'll grasp at any straws she can get - all in the name of you being hers and her being yours. She can come off a little rough around the edges, from the way the conversations she held with you are stiff and awkward, but she tries. Really, she tries. Eula even forgoes any pride she had in favor of gaining any advice from Amber and picking up books specializing in romance from the library. In a moment of epiphany, Eula realizes that her relationship with you can develop faster if she just abducts you away from your comfortable house. This way, no one else can ever ogle at you ever again and Eula can appreciate you all she wants in the comfort of her quarters - it's a win-win situation in her eyes. So stop crying, can't you see she's doing this for the benefit of both of you? Maybe you don't understand now but she's sure it'll all click into your head once you inevitably fall for her too.

KAEYA ALBERICH:

» Every word that slips off KAEYA's mouth is sweet, deceivingly so. He puts up an act of a close friend in order to get close to you, acting like he isn't interested in a relationship, and claims that your friendship with him is too precious to throw away like that (the way his thoughts are plagued with you kissing him stupid contrasts this, though). It isn't necessarily a lie, Kaeya truly does value the bond and friendship he's built with you but you don't need to know the things he's plotting in his mind. As a certified 'nice guy' and friend, Kaeya offers to look after your house when you're going on trips - unknown to you, he uses this opportunity to steal a few of your undergarments for his own pleasure. If you ever notice some of your underwear missing, Kaeya gaslights you into thinking that you must have misplaced them somewhere or that maybe some got lost while drying them outside. You trust Kaeya, he's a dear friend, after all. So his judgment must be right. Right?

MONA MEGISTUS:

» MONA, a prideful astrologist and a fool in love. She takes advantage of her hydromancy, putting her scryglass into good use and using it for knowing more about you. Nothing is left untouched by her scryglass and everything is revealed to her delighted eyes - the date of your birth, your life until now, trivial information about yourself, secrets that you'd rather no one knew about; Mona knows every tidbit of information there is to your name and still craves to know even more. It's greedy, she knows. But she can't help it, not when you're the most interesting person her eyes have ever laid upon. Besides, isn't it to her benefit to know more about you to aid in her romantic endeavors? She's just doing this to not embarrass herself when engaging in pleasant talk with you - knowing what to say and what not to say, making sure that talks with her are good enough to land her into being friends with you. She has to start somewhere, especially when she's planning on making you her lover.

VENTI / BARBATOS:

» In your eyes, VENTI is nothing but a playful bard who loves to drink the finest alcohol Mondstadt has to offer. He's cheeky and playfully touchy - constantly swatting your arm, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, and sticking close to you - it's all in jest, or so he claims. He's a pleasant company to have around when you're drinking, he's a chatterbox and the topic of things to talk about never runs out when you're talking to him, sober or not. Unsurprisingly, It takes a lot for Venti to get drunk, (in fact not once have you ever seen him tipsy in all the time you've known him) resulting in you being the one he has to take care of when you inevitably succumb to the effects of alcohol. Unbeknownst to you, Venti doesn't really walk you home. What he does to you when drunk, well, it's a secret that he'll never tell. 

LIYUE

BEIDOU:

» Carefree and joyous - that's the woman BEIDOU is. Regardless of how you act and what your personality is, you can't escape Beidou's constant pleas for you to relax and have fun - she always invites you to sail the seas with her crew, even if it's just a little bit. When she's so persistent and skilled in the art of persuasion - how can you refuse? So with a vacation leave from work, you board the Alcor with Beidou and her crew whooping in joy around. It's a mistake on your part for ever accepting her offer, you soon learn. It starts off unsuspecting; Beidou conveniently 'miscalculating' the number of rooms in her ship leading to you sharing a room with her, Beidou 'underestimating' the winds that day causing you to cling onto her for dear life, Beidou sending 'mixed signals' to her crewmates leading to them all thinking that you're in a romantic relationship with her. It's all small errors, right? There's no way Beidou would purposely do all of that and even if she did, what would she gain from it... Right? (You're so easy to take advantage of, you have no idea).

GANYU:

» GANYU is a worrywart. In her free time from work, she can be found fretting and fussing over you - her crush. Ganyu really hadn't meant for things to turn out this way but before she knew it - She had developed romantic feelings for you. In times of dire need, Ganyu turns to cloud retainer for help as she had no idea what romance entails. Cloud retainer, having a messed up perception of love, ended up indirectly enabling Ganyu's obsessive tendencies - causing her to hover over your shoulder anytime she has the chance to. In her eyes, as a mortal, you are incapable of most things - which is why you need someone like her in your life. All you need to do is sit pretty and let her do all the work, she promises. After all, it's quite domestic in that way, no? It already feels like the two of you are married and the thought brings a flush to Ganyu's face. Disregarding the fact that she practically forced you into her abode, such details are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

HU TAO:

» Wherever you go in the harbor, you're bound to be pranked by your dear friend HU TAO. She's playful, incredibly so. But you don't mind, you went into this friendship fully knowing what her antics are and the shenanigans she's always scheming. As your best friend, Hu Tao earns the privilege of knowing you more intimately than most - knowing the things that scare you, the deepest secrets that you have, and your favorite spots in Liyue - bits of information that acquaintances and other friends of yours wouldn't know and Hu Tao takes pride in that fact. She's selfish and gatekeeps you to the best of her abilities; purposely omitting mentions of you and discouraging anyone who wants to be a friend of yours. Maybe it's a little unsettling for Hu Tao to restrict friendships on your behalf, but then again, when has she ever been a part of normal people? She revels in the fact that she's your best friend, eventually working through the list of your other friends until she's the only friend you have - before worming her way into your heart as your lover.

NINGGUANG:

» The jade chamber is your home, regardless if you consented to it or not because NINGGUANG likes to keep you in arms reach at all times. You're her little alleviation from grueling work as the Tianquan, serving as her pretend lover (In her eyes, it's not pretend) and smothering her in affection. She gifts you exquisite riches and allows you to roam free around the jade chamber - even encouraging you to savor the breathtaking view of the skies. It's a gracious life, is it not? To be loved so dearly and to be gifted so affectionately - As long as you ignore the fact that you're forever trapped high up in the skies akin to a princess trapped inside a tower. Ningguang likes to keep her riches close, and you - as her most valuable possession, are kept the closest.

SHENHE:

» Admittedly, SHENHE is ignorant of most matters concerning humans. Raised by an Adeptus, she's unfamiliar with the norms and customs in the mortal realm and thus, she's a little uncertain how to go about pursuing you. While she is aware that she's deeply infatuated with you - obsessed, even, she's incredibly inexperienced in that subject; all she knew most of her life is how to kill. And so, she does. She uses her combat knowledge to her advantage by wiping out any threat of competition of your affections - no one is spared from her polearm and not a day goes by where her weapon isn't drenched in blood. She's straightforward when talking to you and has no qualms in admitting she committed murders for your sake - even acting confused when your face twists in horror. She doesn't get it, what's so bad about her making sure there's no one else in your heart but her? Isn't it all fair in love and war? Maybe dragging you inside her abode will enlighten your mind... yeah, that's a great idea.

XIAO / ALATUS:

» XIAO has endured countless centuries of suffering - courtesy of his karmic debt. It's agony; relentless torture - so is it really so bad that he finds comfort within your arms and presence? Xiao hadn't expected to ever fall in love, the idea itself is ludicrous but the emotions you stir in him say otherwise. Thus, it's only logical for him to protect the one dear to him - even if it's at the cost of your hatred. Trust him when he says that confining you within Wangshu inn is just him looking out for you - the world is a dangerous place, a land that's filled with nothing but horrors; can't you see? Xiao is simply doing you a favor. He can't stand the idea of someone dear to him dying once more, he won't let you perish like his previous Yakshas - he won't. So just shut up and accept your new living condition, because it's clear that Xiao won't be freeing you anytime soon.

YELAN:

» Keeping her cards close to her chest - YELAN eyes you like one would in a game of chess; calculating and scheming. Yelan pursues you in a straightforward manner, tilting your chin upward with her hand and leaning in way too close for comfort before professing her love with no shame and boldly declaring that you'll be hers by the time the year ends. She's flirty, you realize - flirty only to you. With her hydro vision, it's laughable how easy it is to stalk you; it almost exudes her no effort to dematerialize herself from the naked eye. In times like these, Yelan has to admit her vision comes useful - aiding in both combat and personal matters. When she's busy and can't personally attend to you herself, she orders her little helpers to stalk you and to report every detail to her ears. Oftentimes, when work is lenient on her shoulders - Yelan invites you to join her for tea in the Yansheng teahouse, where everything you order is free of charge, courtesy of her. There, you let your guard down around her and unknowingly feed her bits of your utmost, truest personality - Something that she'll make sure to take advantage of. All in the name of love, she supposes.

YUN JIN:

» YUN JIN's crush on you is only revealed through the ears of her most trusted servants - people that she confides in. A little lost on how to maneuver around love, a topic she's unfamiliar with, Yun Jin has no choice but to trust her servant's advice. On a more advantageous note, Yun Jin uses her newfound infatuation into songs for her Operas - leaving her audience to wonder who she was singing about. She's tame, for the most part - just unbearably, irreversibly in love with you; her first and only love. Just don't brush off her company in favor of another and she's content, not needing to resort to extraordinary means.

ZHONGLI / MORAX:

» ZHONGLI, A worker from the funeral parlor, finds himself being romantically interested in you. It's peculiar, to feel a new emotion after living for thousands of years - and unsurprisingly, Zhongli yearns to feel more of this emotion. And so, he gets close to you under the guise of a young man wanting to share the knowledge he has of the nation, subtly praising Morax in the little anecdotes he has. He often meets you for tea during the weekends, something that Zhongli isn't satisfied with; but he knows he must be patient - so for now, he'll settle on appearing in your dreams, pushing you to think about him more during the daytime. He's tempted to break into your house when you're unsuspecting but he finds that method unbecoming of him, not when he knows that he'll have all the time in the world to relish in your home once you're his. And while right now, Zhongli may appear to be a trustworthy guy, it won't be long until the cracks of his facade start shining through.

INAZUMA

ARATAKI ITTO:

» ITTO IS rambunctious and unruly in every sense of the word, always being a bother to the citizens of Inazuma city because of his loud voice. He's annoying, even more so in the department of romance - Itto isn't really sure what had drawn him to you (was it the way you carry yourself? Or maybe your sense of humor just ticks his boxes?) all he knows is that he wants you, badly. And in desperation comes desperate attempts; he always interrupts you in the middle of work to give you hand-plucked flowers, when you're out in the streets of Inazuma you can always count on Itto to ruin your time to yourself, and when you're walking home Itto will always be loitering around just in case you get yourself into danger. Somewhere down the line, Itto deludes himself into thinking there's something going on between the two of you and his gang is no help as they directly (or indirectly) enable his delusions. Because trust us, boss! There's no way they don't like you, have you seen the way they looked at you yesterday!? If that's not love, then I don't know what is! (And Itto always eats it up every time).

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA:

» KAZUHA loves obsessively, every part of you is vehemently adored by him - no exceptions whatsoever. It doesn't even matter what your personality is, you could be the most selfish person in all of Teyvat or the complete opposite - Kazuha will be swooning either way, because in his eyes; everything that makes you, well, you should be appreciated equally. Trust him to be waxing poetic about you in his free time (the free time in question is when he's not stalking your every move and mannerism) and dreamily sighing at the memories he has shared with you. A hopeless romantic, really. And maybe it would have been endearing if he wasn't such a creep, such a weirdo that follows you everywhere you go.

KAMISATO AYAKA:

» Elegance is something that's engraved within AYAKA's entire being, both on the battlefield and in etiquette. But that same elegance is not found in the way she courts you - the keeper of her heart, she fumbles like a fool, cheeks stained with a vibrant red, and stutters over her sentences like a child; her servants may deny it all they want but Ayaka is clearly head over heels for you. It isn't her intention to make such a mockery of herself within your company, but what else can she do when your eyes land on her face? Just the thought has her reeling. Still, Ayaka is determined to establish a relationship with you - because under the layers of her shyness and embarrassment lies an unquenchable obsession with anything that's you. She just hides it well, enough for you to remain blind to her unhealthy behavior.

GOROU:

» GOROU is loyal to a fault and this trait of his strengthens when it comes to you. He's a nice guy, you think. Especially since Gorou is somehow always around to help you with menial tasks - carrying things, obtaining something that's nearby, giving helpful advice in a time of need - it's like he's developed a sixth sense for when you're troubled! Because of how trustworthy and helpful Gorou has appeared in your eyes, you allow him more into your personal bubble. Your small talk evolves into actual conversations between friends and the two of you occasionally meet up in Inazuma city for a 'friendly' outing. Gorou couldn't be happier! Still, greed claws at him and urges him to desire more. Why settle for friends when you can be their lover? It's not like there's anything that's in the way, just take the leap and ask. And if you reject Gorou? Well, missing people had always been frequent nowadays.

SANGONOMIYA KOKOMI:

» The divine priestess' intelligence really shines through when it comes to trying to win you over because KOKOMI can not stomach the thought of you belonging to someone else that isn't her. She acts all calm and poised around you, but her mind is working overtime trying to come up with different ways and strategies to make you love her back. Seeing you roam free out and about in Watatsumi (sometimes even in lands beyond Inazuma) has Kokomi fighting back the urge to cripple you and causing you to never leave her grasp ever again. Then, something clicks in her mind. Maybe she won't cripple you, instead, she'll just confine you inside her humble abode. That should be fine for you, no? Your entire limbs remain working and intact, while Kokomi gets to have you all to herself. Yes, that would make an ideal situation. Now, all she needs are the materials needed to properly abduct you - just don't be afraid when you wake up blindfolded, okay?

KAMISATO AYATO:

» As a man with great influence, AYATO uses this to his advantage. It's unclear in his mind how and when did he develop an infatuation for you, but he welcomes it regardless. And as a man in love, Ayato is relentless in his pursuit - using everything and everyone to his advantage, just so he can get an inch closer to you. Shuumatsuban ninjas are instructed to follow you every day and the servants within the Kamisato estate are told to keep a lookout just in case you make an impromptu visit. All the while, Ayato keeps a clean image in front of you, resulting in you knowing him as a benevolent and friendly man who always insists on inviting you to drink tea with him. It's unknown to his underlings what exactly Ayato's plans are because that's only for him to know. But at least he's 'kind' enough to warn them in advance to not be surprised when they see someone else laying on his futon, wrists, and legs bound together - with their mouth gagged with fabric.

KUJOU SARA:

» SARA is an uptight woman, the only thing she had always known was how to battle and handle politics - things that certainly do not concern love. Still, she tries her best to educate herself before going out to 'romance' you, as embarrassing as it may be. Sara tries to go for the normal approach at first; offering to walk you home, accompanying you out in the streets of Inazuma, gifting you sentimental items, and immediately drawing her bow when danger nears you. Her movements are stiff and her cheeks are when she interacts with you, but it makes an endearing sight - never failing to make you chuckle (a sound that brings even more redness to her cheeks). It's nice, for the first couple of weeks until it isn't. Maybe something occurred that caused her to snap, stress building up - or maybe it's just been hidden deep within her being, but Sara gradually devolves into a possessive freak. She abuses her position within the Tenryou commission to keep tabs on you, doing the same for others but for entirely different reasons. Sara reasons to herself that it's okay to be possessive over you - you're hers. So it's fine to falsely arrest men and women that had interacted with you, it's fine to sign death executions for others that had wronged you. It's completely fine.

EI / BAAL:

» Eternity is something EI had always longed to achieve, even more now that she has you, her darling lover. The thought of you being stagnant, never changing; always staying the same, and loving her for all eternity - it's such a salivating idea and Ei simply has to have it, no matter the cost. While Ei can't prevent her citizens from succumbing to the inevitable effects of time, she's sure she can preserve you to remain the same centuries after centuries. She's made a puppet that's almost human - what's stopping her from making her lover immortal? Nothing should stand against love, even mortality. Through trial and error, after searching far and wide - when Ei has finally achieved your immortality is where her happy ending lies. There's nothing more blissful compared to her ruling Inazuma with you by her side, bound by eternity. Your love for each other transcends time and everything mortal, isn't that romantic?

YAE MIKO:

» A cunning chief priestess and chief-in-editor, YAE is relentless when it comes to flirting with you. From sly winks sent your way to intentional touches on your body, she's not afraid to show her interest in you so blatantly. She heeds no mind if you were to respond so... Null to her advances, you'll warm up eventually, she just knows it. But if that lukewarm reaction extends onto long periods of time where it's no longer funny, but an annoyance - then maybe it's time for Yae to dig deep into your life, just to see if anyone holds your heart. And if there is? Yae isn't above using underhanded methods for them to discard you completely or worst-case scenario, make them disappear into thin air. Hopefully, that experience will be a lesson learned, if you know what's best for other people that like you.

SHIKANOIN HEIZOU:

» Mischief runs in HEIZOU's blood. He's cheeky and a tease when you're around him, playful remarks and teasing jabs are sent your way. Just because he likes you doesn't mean you're exempted from his annoying attitude, ya know? It's best to just shut up and take his teasing into stride, or to tease back. Heizou actually likes it when you make remarks back to him because, in his mind, it creates an image of a couple (a married one, if he's being specific) that's lovingly bickering with each other. In your playful quarrels, he basks in the sight of a smile blooming on your face - a smile that's caused by him. When that smile is caused by other people, well... Heizou gets miffed. It's best to disassociate with them when there's still an opportunity to do so before Heizou completes his perfect crime plan and decides to act it out.

THOMA:

» THOMA is polite by default, almost painfully so. He's the picture-perfect image of a gentleman, he respects your boundaries, is always eager to help, always looking for ways to lessen your burden - boyfriend material, if we're being honest. And that's what Thoma strives to appear in your perspective; someone that's worthy of being your lover (or ahem, husband). This doesn't mean his help and small favors aren't genuine - they are, he wants to help you! But it's like killing two birds with one stone this way, he gets to be reliable and appear to be a guy with a good reputation. Because it isn't far-fetched to say Thoma absolutely worships you - his collection of your personal belongings back in his room can be a testament to this. He revels in your company as one would in front of a god, if could he'd kiss the ground you walk on - he loves you so badly. Won't you indulge him for a little while?

[sabsturned]

M. Sturniolo - Three Doors Down

SEE PINNED POST FOR NAVIGATION

comment on this post to be added to my taglist :-)

pairing: matt x fem!reader

contains: angst, mentions of a drinking and smoking parent, crying

summary: you and matt used to be best friends. you were closer to him than anyone else you know, and you’ve always secretly had a crush on him. the day you told him, you guys stopped talking. tonight was prom night, and you had no guys or even friends to go with. all you could do was sit in the corner and watch him dance with his girlfriend, sofia.

a/n: first fic!!! i’m rlly excited about this one. it’s based off of the song ‘three doors down’ by joy. this was my shit in 2022 and i don’t get why it wasn’t talked about more. ALSO I HAVE A QUESTION: what are anons??? also please leave requests for fics!! i’m literally out of ideas. THATS IT!! enjoy the fic :))

key: matt y/n sofia

and i’m in the corner

dying of boredom

catching light from the shine

of his girlfriend’s tiara

me and matt were best friends. me and the boy three doors down. i mean, the best word to describe us was inseparable. we hung out all the time—at school, at home, over the weekends, at parties—everywhere i went, he went, and everywhere he went, i went.

it started when we were both eight years old. i was trying to avoid my mom at all costs because when she drank, she got mean. i went outside, picking all the small white flowers out of the ground. maybe if i gave my mom flowers, she would cheer up, and she wouldn’t hurt me. at least that’s what i thought.

i picked a yellow dandelion, adding it to my bouquet of flowers when i saw a boy around my age riding on a skateboard. he was riding it on circles in his driveway. suddenly the only thing my eyes were looking at was his curly brunette hair. his eyes were a beautiful color of blue. not as deep as an ocean, but not as light as the sky. all i knew was that they were perfect and they consumed me. his cheeks were a shade of red, probably because of the humidity. i’ll never forget the way he looked at me for the first time; the way his eyes lit up, the way his smile widened, showing off the dimple on his left cheek, the way the world around us faded.

his hand slowly moved up, waving at me. my smile grew. i waved back.

whenever my mom started drinking, i just went outside, where he was every afternoon on his skateboard. he tried teaching me to ride it, but i wasn’t very good. we played in his backyard with his brothers and their dog, trevor. sometimes they brought out their sprinkler on a really hot day, and we all just played like kids. i would give anything to be a kid with them again.

when we were in the same homeroom for third grade, we were both ecstatic. we were always partners in group work, always played together at recess, always ate together at lunch. everybody always made fun of us, and assumed we were dating or something. but we didn’t care.

everything was perfect. up until eighth grade. ever since me and matt met, i’ve always kind of liked him. i never really had the courage to tell him, up until the day before our eighth grade dance.

i confessed my feelings for him. i didn’t say much really. i just told him i liked him and asked if he wanted to go on a date. but i don’t think he felt the same.

he said he was busy.

all contact was cut after that. no more late night calls, no more weekend sleepovers, no more study sessions after school.

and it’s all my fault. i ruined everything. if i wouldn’t have said all of that, we wouldn’t have been here. we would have still been friends. we would have gone to prom together. we would have been falling asleep on call together. we would have still been as inseparable as we were when we were kids.

all of this was my fault.

now i’m at prom. the speakers blasted a pop song i don’t know the name of. all of the kids in the room were dancing, jumping around, making out in the bathroom, but i was sitting in the corner.

i would have gone home, but i was trying to avoid being near my mom at all costs. so i was just there, dying of boredom.

i caught a glimpse of her tiara. the plastic gems glistened in the dim light of the room. how was sofia able to wear cheap plastic on her head and still manage to look absolutely beautiful.

i’m so jealous of sofia. she’s a cheerleader. she’s skinny, she’s pretty, she won prom queen, and worst of all, she was matt’s girlfriend. we have had some interactions before, and i hate talking about her negatively because she is so incredibly sweet. like i’ve never met a popular girl so nice. it made it harder to hate her the way i wanted to.

her silky straight hair ran down her back, and her wide smile could light up a whole room. her dress was fabulous too. it was a really pretty shade of lavender, and it was sparkly. it complimented her figure so well. i mean, she looked like an absolute goddess.

her hands were wrapped around matt’s neck as they danced to the slow music playing. it hurt so bad. i should be over matt by now, i mean, it’s been four years. but i wasn’t over him. i wasn’t over his curly brunette hair, his beautiful blue eyes, the dimple that appeared on his left cheek whenever he would smile. i wasn’t over our late night phone calls, our weekend sleepovers, our study sessions after school. i wasn’t over him. and i never would be.

watching them dance together made me sick. the eye contact, how touchy they were. i decided to go get some punch to distract myself. i wanted to go home so bad, but a broken heart was less noticeable than the burn mark of a cigarette.

the loud music drowned out the sound of the punch splashing into the red cup. i turned around to go back to the corner i was sitting in, when a tall figure bumped into me. thankfully, i didn’t spill any punch on my dress.

“oh, sorry. i should have been watching where i was-“ my breathing stopped when i realized who i had just bumped into. his curly brunette hair, his beautiful blue eyes. matt.

“that’s alright-“ he stopped talking when he saw me. “oh, um, hey.” he said, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“hi.” i responded.

“you look.. amazing.” he complimented.

“oh, thanks. you too.”

“are you having fun?” no. not when she’s the one you’re dancing with. not when i’m still thinking about you even after all these years.

“yeah, just hanging out with my friends. a night to remember.” i lied.

“yeah.” he laughed.

there was a moment of silence where we just looked at each other. the first time i’ve looked in his beautiful blue eyes in years. the first time we’ve had an interaction in years.

“hey baby, they’re playing my favorite, c’mon!” sofia ran over, grabbing chris by the arm, giving me a small wave before dragging him back to the dance floor.

“nice seeing you y/n.” he voiced, before him and sofia continued dancing together.

i tried to say something back, but nothing came out. i forgot how to speak, i forgot how to breathe. before i knew it, the tears were already falling out of my eyes.

i needed to leave. thankfully, i only live a few blocks from the school, so i could just walk home. the only thing i could think about was how i just needed to be anywhere else but this school.

i shoved open the doors, walking out into the cold rain. it was pouring outside. normally, i really liked rain. me and matt used to lay in the rain together. it’s where we had our most meaningful conversations, and shared our deepest thoughts. but i wasn’t enjoying it right now. every drop felt like cupid pulling an arrow out of me. i rushed home as quick as i possibly could, the rain soaking my hair, and the tears rushing down my face. i actually couldn’t even tell if i was crying anymore. the rain made it hard to tell.

i was able to sneak past my mom so she wouldn’t see i went out. i ran up the stairs and into my room, quietly shutting the door behind me. i let out loud sobs into my hands, my rain soaked body dripping rain into a puddle beneath me. i looked up and saw the picture we made in fourth grade art class together, my sobs growing louder. i looked next to it. a signed baseball from a game we went to together sat on the shelf, along with a scrapbook of our seventh grade summer. suddenly, my room was filled with memories of us. i need to destroy it all.

i took the canvas off of the wall, grabbing my scissors and stabbing it until you couldn’t see the picture anymore. i took the scrapbook off of the shelf, ripping out the pages, cutting them into small pieces. i grabbed the baseball, opened my window, and threw it. i didn’t see where it landed. i was just glad it was out of my sight. i ripped the cards and gifts he made me for my birthdays, and christmas, and valentine’s day, ripping and cutting them up. then the stuffed bear he got me. my favorite animal. i cut that open, ripping out the stuffing. until nothing else was left. i sighed, my sobs growing louder.

i looked down and noticed my heels, stained with punch. the rain should have washed it off. the punch reminded me of him. i must have missed when it fell out of my cup and onto my shoes. i kicked them off, throwing them under my bed.

i looked down at my dress, noticing the color of it. it was the same shade of blue as his eyes. his beautiful blue eyes. i groaned out loud, ripping my dress off and throwing it in my closet. everything reminded me of him. the clothes i wore when we hung out, the sheets we laid in, the desk he sat at while we talked for hours, the rug we sat on when we played board games, the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the window, everything. it was like he was a memory that i couldn’t get rid of.

but maybe this is how it’s supposed to be. maybe we aren’t meant to have late night phone calls. maybe we aren’t meant to have weekend sleepovers. maybe we aren’t meant to have study sessions after school. maybe we just aren’t meant to be. maybe he belongs with sofia. maybe we aren’t supposed to be together, me and the boy three doors down.

angst is one of my favorite things to write. it’s so therapeutic to me. so i hope you enjoyed this and please give me your feedback in the comments! :D

- thanks for reading!! with love, sabrina 🤍🎀

taglist:: @muchloveforhacker @saartjuhh @anonymousmfs @mylove4lana @chrissfavhoe @sturniolo101 @h3arts4harry @hereforthwtripletsfr @pepsixchris @ch3rrywine-reposts @amaliarosewood @gwennybenny @memea32221 @urfavstromboli

[disneytva]

Disney Branded Television Greenlits ‘Sofia the First: Royal Magic,’ Sequel To ‘Sofia the First’ Slated For A 2026 Release Date.

Today, Disney Jr. announced a series greenlight for “Sofia the First: Royal Magic” a continuation of “Sofia the First” and remains one of the most successful global preschool franchises for The Walt Disney Company. The spin-off got picked up for development back in November 2022 under the working title ("Royal Prep Academy")

“Sofia the First: Royal Magic” follows Sofia as she attends The Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where princes and princesses from across the EverRealm will continue their royal studies and also learn all types of magic. During her time at Charmswell, Sofia discovers she is the most magical princess in the realm and must learn how to master her powers while making new royal friends. Each episode will contain two 11-minute stories, each with a new original song.  The sequel is created and executive produced by original series creator Craig Gerber. Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”), who voiced the role of Sofia, in the original series, is set to reprise her role. Additional casting will be announced at a later date. Many of the creative team from “Firebuds” are involved in this series, including Krystal Banzon as co-executive producer and story editor, Kris Wimberly as supervising director, and Craig Simpson as producer. The series is produced by Disney Television Animation. The new series is currently in production and is slated for a 2026 premiere on Disney Jr. and Disney+

Gerber added, “I’m incredibly excited for the chance to return to Sofia’s enchanted world and tell the next chapter in her story. At a new school specializing in royal magic, Sofia will learn how to master her magical abilities while discovering the power of friendship and teamwork from her new royal classmates. Over the years, I have heard countless stories of how much the original series meant to young viewers and I’m hoping the new show will delight the next generation of preschoolers.”

Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television and VP of Current and Development at Disney Television Animation said, “Since its debut in 2012, ‘Sofia the First’ captured the hearts and imaginations of preschoolers everywhere for its beloved characters, memorable music, adventurous spirit and meaningful storylines. The enduring charm and appeal of Sofia is undeniable, and we’re excited to continue sharing her journey in ‘Sofia the First: Royal Magic.’”

The “Sofia the First” franchise still holds the record for the Top 3 cable TV telecasts for Girls 2-5 and, lifetime to date, has garnered over 755 million views on Disney Junior YouTube.

Sofia The First: Royal Magic is one of the many projects by Disney Television Animation to introduce the studio's iconic franchises and charactes to a new generation of fans, other projects include "The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder", Disney Junior's "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2.0", "Phineas And Ferb" as a revival and a reboot of "Darkwing Duck" by Point Grey Pictures (Nickelodeon Animation Studios "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles")

New interations of "TaleSpin" also by Point Grey Pictures (Nickelodeon Animation Studios "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") & "Recess" with the original creators are in very early development at the studio.

[tomorrowusa]

Don't risk a rerun of the 2000 election.

In the first presidential election of the 21st century many deluded progressives voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.

Their foolishness gave us eight years of George W. Bush who plagued the country with two recessions (including the Great Recession) and two wars (one totally unnecessary and one which could have been avoided if he heeded an intelligence brief 5 weeks before 9/11).

Oh yeah, Dubya also appointed one conservative and one batshit crazy reactionary to the US Supreme Court. Roberts and Alito are still there.

Paul Waldman of the Washington Post offers some thoughts.

Why leftists should work their hearts out for Biden in 2024

Ask a Democrat with a long memory what the numbers 97,488 and 537 represent, and their face will twist into a grimace. The first is the number of votes Ralph Nader received in Florida in 2000 as the nominee of the Green Party; the second is the margin by which George W. Bush was eventually certified the winner of the state, handing him the White House. Now, with President Biden gearing up for reelection, talk of a spoiler candidate from the left is again in the air. That’s unfortunate, because here’s the truth: The past 2½ years under Biden have been a triumph for progressivism, even if it’s not in most people’s interest to admit it. This was not what most people expected from Biden, who ran as a relative moderate in the 2020 Democratic primary. His nomination was a victory for pragmatism with its eyes directed toward the center. But today, no one can honestly deny that Biden is the most progressive president since at least Lyndon B. Johnson. His judicial appointments are more diverse than those of any of his predecessors. He has directed more resources to combating climate change than any other president. Notwithstanding the opposition from the Supreme Court, his administration has moved aggressively to forgive and restructure student loans.

Three years ago the economy was in horrible shape because of Trump's mishandling of the pandemic. Now unemployment is steadily below 4%, job creation continues to exceed expectations, and wages are rising as unions gain strength. The post-pandemic, post-Afghan War inflation rate has receded to near normal levels; people in the 1970s would have sold their souls for a 3.2% (and dropping) inflation rate. And many of the effects of "Bidenomics" have yet to kick in.

And in a story that is criminally underappreciated, his administration’s policy reaction to the covid-induced recession of 2020 was revolutionary in precisely the ways any good leftist should favor. It embraced massive government intervention to stave off the worst economic impacts, including handing millions of families monthly checks (by expanding the child tax credit), giving all kids in public schools free meals, boosting unemployment insurance and extending health coverage to millions.

It worked. While inflation rose (as it did worldwide), the economy’s recovery has been blisteringly fast. It took more than six years for employment rates to return to what they were before the Great Recession hit in 2008, but we surpassed January 2020 jobs levels by the spring of 2022 — and have kept adding jobs ever since. To the idealistic leftist, that might feel like both old news and a partial victory at best. What about everything supporters of Bernie Sanders have found so thrilling about the Vermont senator’s vision of the future, from universal health care to free college? It’s true Biden was never going to deliver that, but to be honest, neither would Sanders had he been elected president. And that brings me to the heart of how people on the left ought to think about Biden and his reelection.

Biden has gotten things done. The US economy is doing better than those of almost every other advanced industrialized country.

Our rivals China and Russia are both worse off than they were three years ago. And NATO is not just united, it's growing.

Sadly, we still need to deal with a far right MAGA cult at home who would wreck the country just to get its own way.

Biden may be elderly and unexciting, but that is one of the reasons he won in 2020. Many people just wanted an end to the daily drama of Trump's capricious and incompetent rule by tweet. And a good portion of those people live in places that count greatly in elections – suburbs and exurbs.

Superhero films seem to be slipping in popularity. Hopefully that's a sign that voters are less likely to embrace self-appointed political messiahs to save them from themselves.

Good governance is a steady process – not a collection of magic tricks. Experienced and competent individuals who are not too far removed from the lives of the people they represent are the best people to have in government.

Paul Waldman concludes his column speaking from the heart as a liberal...

I’ve been in and around politics for many years, and even among liberals, I’ve almost always been one of the most liberal people in the room. Yet only since Biden’s election have I realized that I will probably never see a president as liberal as I’d like. It’s not an easy idea to make peace with. But it suggests a different way of thinking about elections — as one necessary step in a long, difficult process. The further you are to the left, the more important Biden’s reelection ought to be to you. It might require emotional (and policy) compromise, but for now, it’s also the most important tool you have to achieve progressive ends.

Exactly. Rightwingers take the long view. It took them 49 years but they eventually got Roe v. Wade overturned. To succeed, we need to look upon politics as an extended marathon rather as one short sprint.

Republicans may currently be bickering, but they will most likely unite behind whichever anti-abortion extremist they nominate.

It's necessary to get the word out now that the only way to defeat climate-denying, abortion-restricting, assault weapon-loving, race-baiting, homophobic Republicans is to vote Democratic.

[phantomrose96]

Hey not to go all "tumblr is a professional networking site" on you, but how did you get to work for Microsoft??? I'm a recent grad and I'm being eviscerated out here trying to apply for industry jobs & your liveblogging about your job sounds so much less evil than Data Entry IT Job #43461

This place is basically LinkedIn to me.

I'm gonna start by saying I am so so very sorry you're a recent grad in the year 2024... Tech job market is complete ass right now and it is not just you. I started fulltime in 2018, and for 2018-2022 it was completely normal to see a yearly outflow of people hopping to new jobs and a yearly inflow of new hires. Then sometime around late-spring/early-summer of 2022 Wallstreet sneezed the word "recession" and every tech company simultaneously shit themselves.

Tons of layoffs happened, meaning you're competing not just with new grads but with thousands of experienced workers who got shafted by their company. My org squeaked by with a small amount of layoffs (3 people among ~100), but it also means we have not hired anyone new since mid-2022. And where I used to see maybe 4-8 people yearly leave in order to hop to a new job, I think I've seen 1 person do that in the whole last year and a half.

All this to say it's rough and I can't just say "send applications and believe in yourself :)".

I have done interviews though. (I'm not involved in resume screening though, just the interviews of candidates who made it past the screening phase.) So I have at least some relevant advice, as well as second-hand knowledge from other people I know who've had to hop jobs or get hired recently.

If you have friends already in industry who you feel comfortable asking, reach out to them. Most companies have a recommendation process where a current employee fills out a little form that says "yeah I'd recommend such-and-such for this job." These do seem to carry weight, since it's coming from a trusted internal person and isn't just one of the hundreds of cold-call applications they've received.

A lot of tech companies--whether for truly well-intentioned reasons or to just check a checkbox--are on the lookout for increasing employee diversity. If you happen to have anything like, for example, "member of my college Latino society", it's worth including on your resume among your technical skills and technical projects.

I would add "you're probably gonna have to send a lot of applications" as a bullet point but I'm sure you're already doing that. But here it is as a bullet point anyway.

(This is kind of a guess, since it's part of the resume screening) but if you can dedicate some time to getting at least passingly familiar with popular tech/stacks for the positions you're looking into, try doing that in your free time so you can list it on your resume. Even better if you make a project you can point to. Like if you're aiming for webdev, get familiar with React and probably NodeJS. On top of being comfortable in one of the all-purpose languages like C(++) or Java or Python.

If you get to the interview phase - a company that is good to work for WILL care that you're someone who's good to work with. A tech-genius who's a coworker-hating egotistical snob is a nuisance at best and a liability at worst for companies with even a half-decent culture. When I do interviews, "Is this someone who's a good culture fit?" is as important as the technical skills. You'll want to show you'll be a perfectly pleasant, helpful, collaborative coworker. If the company DOESN'T care about that... bullet dodged.

For the technical questions, I care more about the thought process than I do the right answer, especially for entry-level. If you show a capacity for asking good, insightful clarifying questions, an ability to break down the problem, explain your thought process, and backtrack&alter your approach upon realizing something won't work, that's all more important than just being able to spit out a memorized leetcode answer. (I kinda hate leetcode for this reason, and therefore I only ask homebrewed questions, because I don't want the technical portion to hinge at all on whether someone managed to memorize the first 47 pages of leetcode problems). For a new hire, the most important impression you can give me is that you have a technical grasp and that you're capable of learning. Because a new hire isn't going to be an expert in anything, but they're someone who's capable of learning the ropes.

That's everything I have off the top of my head. Good luck anon. I'm very sorry you were born during a specific range of years that made you a new grad in 2024 and I hope it gets better.

[wolfpants]

I've a few little seasonal fics tucked away in my library, and I'm having fun making new card-style banners for them. Here's a little festive fic I wrote in 2022 for @geesenoises!

-

The Holly and the Ivy | E, 4.6k

Tags: EWE, non-linear, school flashbacks, Quidditch player Draco, castles, Dickens references, miscommunication, idiots in love, enemies to friends to lovers, Christmas, fluff, light angst, charity auctions

This year at the Annual Ministry Yule Auction, Magpies Seeker Draco Malfoy's time is up for sale. When Harry places the winning bid, will their contracturally-binding weekend together heal old wounds, or worsen them? Featuring a fluffy black cat called Marley, a castle on the western coast of Scotland, an Eighth Year Christmas kiss, and stupid boys who can't express their feelings.

Draco’s heart thudded loudly between his ears. Potter’s charm rippled over the minute space between the fabric of his clothes and the surface of his skin, bright and electric and alive. It felt like a touch he hadn’t forgotten but had instead left stored away somewhere in the recesses of his mind: wrapped snugly, well-hidden, for his eyes only. He shifted on the seats, watching Potter’s keen gaze travel the details of his uniform. Potter touched the tip of a finger to the edge of the number stitched onto Draco’s vest in shimmering silver thread. “A weekend isn’t a long time,” he said. “But—it could be like that Christmas—” Draco inhaled sharply. “Just give me the weekend,” Potter whispered. Behind them, London disappeared.

🌟read the holly and the ivy on ao3

[aramais]

2022 bitb posting: wow I wonder what happened to rat and what’s up with the flesh barrier. plus this show’s kinda gay lol

2024 bitb posting: do you think rolan (master’s thesis on whether or not he enjoyed recess as a child) and that’s why he and rand suck each other european paper wasp style

2032 bitb posting: here’s why bitb was a cutting literary allegory for the 2009 stock market crash and rolan and rand’s relationship represents the fall of the Dow Jones, evidenced by how they sucked each other red velvet ant style

[ameliafuckinjones]

My favorite thing about hetalia astrology is how you can kind of combine it with hetalia anatomy. I'm going to use America as an example. When Pluto entered Capricorn, causing America to experience its Pluto Return in 2008, the main place within his birth chart that got affected was his Second House, the place where his natal Pluto in Capricorn is stationed (aka the place where Pluto in Capricorn was in the sky when he declared Independence).

Now, planets, houses, and signs all govern over their respective body parts in astrology. Pluto governs over the reproductive system, the immune system, the bladder, colon, and bowels ( places that deal with elimination and purification, which is strongly tied to the themes of Pluto). Capricorn governs over the knees, the joints, the bones, and the skin. The 2nd house governs over the throat and the neck. So I imagine that when America experienced his Pluto return, he began dealing with thyroid disorders (2nd house affect), arthritis (Capricorn affect), and hormonal imbalances (Pluto affect) among other issues -perhaps common cold- which lasted for about 16 years and is soon going to come to an end. It's a fun thought to consider that the anatomy of nations isn't necessarily tied to the people or the land but the cosmos itself, which is tied to everything and everyone. Pluto entering Capricorn caused America's Pluto Return, which caused the Great Recession of 2008 that recked the global economy ( i guess you can take this as America accidentally spreading his cold, poor baby 😭😭😭). Pluto in Capricorn returned to the *exact* degree it was in during the declaration of Independence in 2022 (which irl dealt with issues with regards to reproductive health), and now it's slowly starting to recede.

France is getting ready to experience his own Pluto Return, and I imagine that illness is gaining speed and steadily descending on him like a Jaws theme 😭😭😭 it's like when your throat suddenly feels scratchy but you don't have the runny nose to go with it yet. For him, Pluto is in Aquarius in the 4th house, and Pluto is getting ready to enter Aquarius this November (the place it was over 200 years ago when the First French Republic was established during the throes of the French Revolution). So he'll be dealing with immune and reproductive system illnesses, like America, as well as issues with his calves, shins, and ankles (Aquarius) and his chest, lungs, and stomach (4th house).

Keep in mind, though, that these planetary returns aren't constantly hitting them. Pluto takes about 248 years to return to the original place it was in their birth charts, Uranus takes 84 years, and Saturn takes 29. So these are like once in a lifetime illnesses or conflicts that take them by suprise, lingering for a bit before disappearing for another couple of centuries or decades. They learn how to heal themselves better, whether that be literally or metaphorically (or like in a metaphysical sense), and they learn life lessons that braids itself into the fabric of their societies, cultures, history etc. So it sucks for a bit, but it makes them stronger after all is said and done.

[bethanydelleman]

and i totally agree with what you said! i just hate hate this trend of painting annoying or unimportant characters as actually misunderstood! like no, they're just annoying.

I obliviously get that the other sisters are not as fleshed out as elizabeth and jane are, but marys only scenes are her having that holier-than-thou attitude.

we see why the bennets don't work as a family unit, and we see the flaws of each member (which are the parents fault anyway) but I need people to understand that marys moralizing attitude (idk how else to describe it) is a flaw as much as kitty, lydia and mrs bennets impropriety and mr bennets careless attitude are. she's not the shy kid who cannot speak in class and spends recess reading alone. she's the kid who constantly interrupts her classmates to add unnecessary stuff when the teacher asks them a question, the one who tries to be the teachers pet but fails ; and she spends recess alone because she's above socializing (which she would announce proudly as everyone awkwardly stares at her)

like i don't even have anything against her, i even found the endgame romance cute but the mischaracterization in this book is something else, and it borders on misogyny when every other female character is turned into satan 2.0. to uplift mary (which shows a lot)

mrs bennet apparently has it out for her because she's not as gorgeous as jane, despite the fact that kitty and lydia were not described as beauties, they just have social skills (taken too far but still)

caroline apparently spends her free time bullying her but it's okay! she will be some guy's booty call as karma (even if that goes completely against her character )

elizabeth and jane are basically cinderellas stepsisters and charlotte is the evil stepmother, and their sole goal is to make marys life hell and have her end up in the streets :((

like if people are just so obsessed with mary then just write a sequel about her and kitty slowly becoming better and finding husbands and having their HEA by using the material given at the end of the book.

wish people would put all this time and energy into making worthy adaptations of underrated austen novels. asked the universe for some and I got this and persuasion 2022 💀 for all I know the next adaptation will be a lady susan-esque movie about the misunderstood mrs bennet, forced to marry evil mrs bennet and deep down just a little fierce :(

sorry for the long and a bit sour rant btw, and thanks for reading regardless, I was glad to find another person who seemed to hate it as much

This is about my dislike of The Other Bennet Sister

I have a whole, very long essay about the treatment of Caroline Bingley in fan fiction and misogyny.

When Mary spent time with the Darcys, my vibe was, "Ew, they are so disgustingly in love I can't stay here." Which was... a thing.

Enjoyed your rant!

[nagler]

Why Did I Spend All This Time Looking At Building Permits For 530 West 27th Street?

With the imminent close of Sleep No More in under a week's time, I found myself interested in when the idea of The McKittrick came into being. The McKittrick itself is a New York invention. The Boston production in its refurbished school setting didn't have The Hotel. But The Hotel is obviously not actually a hotel, it's three nightclubs wearing a trench coat consolidated into a single building. But when did that consolidation take place?

Thanks to a post on Reddit where I wound up musing about the serendipity of the Hotel coming into being in the time between the Great Recession and the opening of the High Line extension, this lead to me going on a deep dive thanks to the one free building report you can access on a free PropertyShark account. For those unfamiliar with what West 27th was prior to the Hotel and the condos, it used to be a cavalcade of nightclubs. Club B.E.D. sat at 530 West 27th street - as DrinkTheHalo has documented extensively, there was Sound Factory and Twilo and Spirit and Home (532) and Guest House (542) making up what we now know as the full Hotel space. After the murder of a club goer in February of 2007 BED closed. On December 27, 2007, the building that we'd come to know as the Hotel was sold for $28,000,000 to 27th Street Property Owner LLC.

There were still nightclubs operating in other parts of the location, but a plan examination was filed on February 27th, 2008. Meanwhile, the Boston production was mounted in the fall of 2009. A town meeting was called on May 19th, 2009 to approve as the school that the housed the production was town property. There has been much written elsewhere about how Boston pulled things together from wherever they could, though the sleepnomoreboston tumblr seems to be gone at this time.

From October of 2009 to February of 2010, Sleep No More ran in Boston. Then, in September of 2010, scaffolding goes up at 530 West 27th. January 2011 sees a flurry of permits, with the final one pertaining to occupancy being filed on February 22, 2011, changing the use to all floors . Come March 7th, the show opened and has been running up until this coming weekend.

Now, we know from the press around the reopening in 2022 that proto-Emursive initially wanted to bring Punchdrunk's Faust to New York (they did on their own, eventually, through Life and Trust). This failed and they turned their attention to Sleep No More, offering it up to Boston and the ART, now chaired by Diane Paulus (the wife of Randy Weiner, sort of but not any more 1/3 of Emursive). Sleep No More runs for a set time period, the kinks are worked out, and the space is secured from 27th Street Property Owner LLC. We know thanks to the Spring 2024 Permitgate A.K.A That's Bullshit Arthur that the lease was formally entered into on December 1, 2010 It had its first amendment in June of 2012, the second in August of 2015, and the third in June of 2022 after reopening but before the closing announcement in late 2023.

With all these dates in hand, we can see that the Property Owner LLC was created in prior to the BED incident, in December of 2007. Centaur (once again, That's Bullshit Arthur). What their plans would have been without Sleep No More are uncertain, probably condos, but they got a tenant who sort of paid the bills for 15 years instead.

The timeline is likely this: proto-Emursive comes to an agreement with Punchdrunk in 2007 or 2008 to mount Sleep No More in New York City with an out of town tryout in Boston in 2009. At the same time Centaur acquires 530-542 in December of 2007 as the 27th Street club era is dying. The Boston production goes as planned, with a building identified prior to the start of the run. The lease of 530 is officially agreed upon December of 2010, with scaffolding being set earlier that fall and the ability to modify in hand thanks to the examination from 2008. The official layout permits are modified in February of 2011, right in time for the show to open in March. All thanks to a theater for Faust falling through.

Timing is everything. Without the club era dying, the building doesn't become available. Without the High Line extension in 2012, the area isn't changed beyond recognition to the point where something other than immersive theater or a strip club makes sense as an investment. I give Emursive a lot of flack. But they threaded the needle near perfectly in terms of timing. Sleep No More, as a show that attracted both the theatrically minded and those with cash to spend, could not have existed at any time other than Bloomberg's NYC. But it's a different NYC now and that's all there is to a permit.

[zingaplanet]

hi, i adore your blog so much. <3. what are your thoughts on the state of fedal in 2024, especially as we approach (cries) rafa's retirement at davis cup?

Ergh I missed this one sorry! Although this might be prime timing considering what just happened during the retirement. I've been wanting to be as candid on this as possible for a long time and voice what all of their fans are thinking but I'm afraid I might cause quite some pain. So forgive me lovely tennisblr, here are just my two cents:

If you ask me what their relationship is like now, I've got to say I have no idea and I think that's a v telling answer. Fed retired end of 2022 and has been busy doing insane sponsor stuff for the whole year. He still showed up at tennis stuff (e.g., for Andy at Wimbledon, etc) but we can never tell how much engagement he actually has with the players anymore. Hence, even though he mentions Rafa a lot more often than others, I think we need to take it with a grain of salt here because the media sharks are simply pouncing on every opportunity to get a story from this too.

One thing I am quite sad about tho, is how everything after the mega publicised retirement ceremony seems to be a bit too PR-stunty. I get it, the rivalry was a big thing in the tennis world but with that photo going viral and winning all sorts of awards, being used in motivational sports speeches etc - it kinda transcends tennis now. Federer and Nadal have both always been bigger than tennis, but perhaps now that they are getting the attention together, it's getting a bit much.

When they mentioned each other throughout interview snippets all year, only sometimes do we get to see what's going on behind the scenes. Other times, from my perspective, it feels sadly like they have been media briefed after the whole whirlwind about how to make this as positive a press for them as possible without revealing too much. On this, I have to say, Federer is still a maestro - I have never seen an athlete with as much PR talent as him. I work a lot in comms and he is a simple branding wet dream, he says all the right words you want to hear, the same message in many different versions of sentences, but never actually reveals what's going on. Rafa used to be much more of a trainwreck early in his career but he has improved so much with age. He still sometimes, fascinatingly, slipped up tho, and seemingly only during Spanish interviews, when he's a lot more honest. In several of the Spanish tv and radio interviews he did this year, he seemed to hint that on the one hand, Federer is the only one he still speaks to regularly in tennis, but on the other hand, he gives a strange indication that they're not as close as they used to be?

I think it's quite predictable though. After Federer retired, they were now freer to build on the friendship without any of the rivalry hurdles - but at the same time, I think they didn't realise how much the intensity of the rivalry played such a central part in what made "them" special. It's such a push-pull enemies-friends delicate line they've been mastering how to tread all these years. It could be difficult to find footing now that tennis no longer binds them, and their initial obvious differences (you know, the "calm Swiss maestro - passionate Spanish fighter" kinda narrative) begin to show again. I don't necessarily think this means they can't connect without tennis ever again, it's just a bit like your school friends. When you graduate, you no longer have that connection of going to class together or hanging out during recess - but the truest bonds always survived, and after a few rough years, your good friends are still there.

If I'm honest, I think they are at the point where they're a bit unsure what to do with one another but might be forced to play a bit of a part as the media has lumped them "the eternal rivals turned friends fairytale". I honestly feel like the media and public interests might have made it a bit awkward between them. You can see a little bit in their PR stuff - Rafa namedropping Fed a little and sometimes a bit tired when he constantly got asked about Federer in his post-match pressers recently, and Roger doing stuff like the letter. The letter is v generous, heartwarming, and such a loving tribute - and I have no doubt he wrote it himself but it's a v public thing that would've and could've landed better just being delivered in person directly? Or perhaps in a speech for him. But the whole social media stuff seems a bit fishy.

Of course we all don't know what he did or didn't do privately, the same goes to whether this is all really true or they are both just v busy dealing with a big change in their lives (Fed newly retired doing a gazillion sponsor stuff and travelling the world, Rafa dealing with a career ending injury and retirement) - they might simply not have the headspace --or even want-- the other to be such a significant part of their lives at the moment, as these two new things they are experiencing are something uniquely theirs.

The retirement ceremony is a whole other story I could write lots of paragraphs about (don't encourage me!). But I think if we learn something this year, I think it's that athletes unequivocally deserve personal space, and we should never meddle with their personal lives too much.

For the first time in their lives, they will now be fully retired, out of the limelight, able to enjoy all the things we take for granted (like travelling anonymously! or trying out restaurants in new cities)! It's what they deserved after giving us 20+ years of blood, sweat, emotion, and passion on the court and in the limelight. They both owe us nothing. I think if they both disappeared from the spotlight next year (albeit unlikely) or decided to just grow their friendship in private and never appear publicly together again - that is completely their right. We can only show them support and thank them for all the amazing things they did to make our childhood and our lives so wonderful.

[nalyra-dreaming]

“With Louis' memory not as reliable as the vampire had believed it to be, and Armand now present in their conversations, Daniel is forced to balance on an even more dangerous tightrope in speaking with two powerful creatures whose temperaments could turn in an instant. What makes his predicament even more convoluted is that Daniel seems to be remembering bits and pieces from his previous interview with Louis, and as the details that were previously blurred for many years finally make their way to the surface, the revelations that arise could have destructive consequences for current relationships.“

“Louis, but also through the couple's shared willingness to bury the pain of mutually inflicted wounds. When 2022's interview resumes, it's unclear whether Armand is sticking around to offer a different perspective on the story or correct Louis' version of events, but what becomes increasingly obvious is that there are some details the two are not in unison on, and the subsequent rising tension between the longtime paramours makes for some of the best moments of the season.“

“Yet, even if Louis initially presents himself as a more hostile witness at first, one has the sense that he still wants to unlock the inner recesses of his own mind — whether Armand tacitly gives his permission or not. Louis and Daniel's dynamic has been steadily moving away from that of interviewer and subject in favor of something that feels much closer to confidant and confessor, which wouldn't be possible without the actors' continually deepening rapport on-screen.“

“Even though Armand and Louis are a power couple tethered by past tragedies, and Louis continues to be tortured by Lestat's ghost, Season 2 allows for the exploration of more than one attachment within the group — and, surprising absolutely no one, these vampires are exceptionally messy when it comes to relationship drama, especially when they've had centuries to brood about their feelings. Meanwhile, Daniel somehow fits into the story's biggest triangle more unexpectedly, turning it into more of a square through connections that transcend a merely visceral hunger for blood.“

(Some parts of the) Review by Collider