#alisha gray

[aghhtdraws]

Jade Armor sketchbook doodles! Mostly studies of screenshots/moments. Just some recent ones from the start of the month. I've slowly come back to obsessing over my old pencil + marker technique I used a ton as a tween, and now over the last few years I've begun to use it more.

[aces-of-jade]

"Presentation de Personnages" - Lan Jun + Family and Friends - instagram post covers for Jade Armor promo videos! (in french)

[dazeddreamsss]

Oh the dream is back in BABY!!

[siriuslylantsov]

be my valentine

pairing: spencer reid x reader

description: in which, spencer asks you out after a hearty but incomplete info dump on the history of valentines day.

tags: fluff! idiots inlove, gn!reader, reader is briefly described as shorter than spencer, teasing!spencer, grumpy!reader, penelope is an angel and i love her so much, reader shitting on valentines day and raising some very valid points.

a/n: based on this request, second fic for the event!! i know its still four days till valentines day but! if i didnt get this done now it would've been late. i rewrote this THREE times... but i rlly like how this version came out! happy reading :)

wc: 2.1k

it's your lunch break and you’re glaring at yet another sappy couple that walks by you. grumbling, you take another bite of your blueberry muffin. spencer laughs from his seat in front of you, amused by how your lip curls into an irritated pout. the two of you had walked to a cafe, a brief reprieve away from the frenzied police department you were stationed at for this week's case. 

“motherfuckers,” you seethe, still chewing your food. “i hate valentine's day.”

he laughs again, his tone sarcastic, “really, i never would’ve guessed.”

your glare shifts to him as you cross your arms. his grin is still there, annoyingly persistent, you hate that it doesn't affect him as much as it should. if you told him this, he would’ve told you that it didn't pack much of a punch. 

you roll your eyes and continue with a heavy scoff, “it's just another fake holiday, you know. like mother's day. created by greeting card companies trying to commercialise a day that shouldn't even exist honestly. every day should be dedicated to showing your loved ones how much you care, not just 24 hours in the middle of february.”

he accepts your cynicism with a smirk, completely accustomed to it. he knows you don’t mean it, not entirely, you just like to rant. “you know valentines day actually goes back about 2000 years. i’m sure greeting card companies weren't around back then,” he corrects, biting his lip in suppression.

your eyes narrow into slits, feeling the faint shift in the air of an incoming info dump. you ignore the way you want to hear what he has to say and take a sip of your coffee instead. you stall to torture him a bit, it's funny how he squirms.

“really,” you drag out, stroking your chin in exaggerated contemplation. you stare at him knowingly, he wants to continue but he's waiting for you to give him the green light. you laugh quietly, mood already improved, “go on.”

spencer visibly brightens, sitting up straighter and hands springing into action. “well, valentine's day has a really fascinating and somewhat convoluted history,” he starts, almost giddily. “the earliest accepted theory can be traced back to the roman festival of lupercalia, which was celebrated from february 13th to 15th. it was a fertility festival dedicated to faunus, the roman god of agriculture, and it included a ritual where men would sacrifice a goat and a dog, then use strips of the goat’s hide to whip women-”

“wait, they used goat skin to whip women?” you interject, eyes widening incredulously.

“yes! they willingly lined up for it too, believing it would make them more fertile,” he explains, far too animated considering the context, but it's okay. you like his enthusiasm. 

you grimace, “weird.”

“right. however, the day of love that we now recognise was brought by st. valentine, though which valentine is unclear—there were at least three martyred saints by that name. the most famous story involves a priest in third-century rome who defied emperor claudius ii's orders by secretly performing marriages for young soldiers,” he pauses to take a breath. you use it to bring your coffee back up to your lips, hiding your smile.

“claudius believed single men made better warriors, so he banned them from marrying,” he clarifies to which you nod. “when valentine was caught, he was executed on february 14th, which is why he’s the namesake of the holiday. some versions of the story even say that he sent a letter to his jailer's daughter signed ‘from your valentine’ which could be the origin of the modern tradition.”

“huh,” you pick your lip in thought, spencer hides the way his eyes dart down to them as you do it. “but that’s still an execution, how did it-”

the shrill tone of your ringtone interrupts you. “mhm, okay,” you respond when you pick up the phone. “we’ll be right there.” 

spencer stares at you expectantly, reaching over to grab your bag. he secures it over his shoulder and stands up. 

“it was jj,” you explain, stuffing the last bits of muffin into your mouth. “wi’ness ‘howed up.”

the food-muffled words make him chuckle and hold out a hand for you to get up. you let him pull you up with a dramatic huff, still holding his hand as you dust crumbs from your lap. you realise it a little too late and let go with a start, frown returning when you realise he isn’t going to let you carry your bag.

the walk back only took about five minutes before but this time's slower pace makes it a longer ordeal. comfortable silence brackets the two of you until it doesn’t when spencer speaks up.

“so, there's actually a lot more to the history of valentine's day. for instance, how the day became one of romance instead of, as you said, one that marked a martyrdom. we could, i don't know, discuss this properly over dinner. or drinks? or ice cream, i know that you like ice cream-”

filler words... he’s nervous. amid his rambling, he doesn't realise that you’ve stopped in your tracks. 

“-we can do whatever you want, i don't mind.” when he looks beside him and doesn't find you, he turns around. he can scarcely read the expression on your face, he usually can. this causes a little bout of concern to bubble up, “what is it?”

“are you asking me out?” your question is immediate, blunt, as a confused crease forms between your eyebrows.

well shit, he was. his lips part as he processes what he just said, he looks a little like a deer in headlights the way he stares back at you. was that too much? are you mad? did you want him to ask you out? what if you say no? he should say something. what if he messes everything up? he can’t-

“spencer,” his name rings out softly, pulling him from his spiral. 

his eyes snap to yours, searching, desperate to read between the lines, to piece together what you’re thinking like he always does—except this time, he can’t. he squeezes his eyes shut before opening them again, “yes.”

he swallows hard and adds, “on a date.”

“i got that,” you murmur, stepping closer to him, and closing the distance that he unintentionally left.

his head dips, voice small. “i didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

your head tilts slightly, studying him. “you didn’t.”

the reassurance eases him a little but not enough as the anxiety claws at him while he waits for your answer. your phone sounds again from your pocket, this time a text from morgan. you quickly type out a response–got lost, be there in 2. it's a pathetic excuse, if you focused, the station was in your direct eye line. but you needed to say something. 

“okay.”

he can't help the sign of relief that slips out of him, you giggle at the sound. when he looks at you again, he's unmeasurably happy to see your poorly concealed smile, breaking out in his own matching one. 

“yeah?” he asks sheepishly.

you nod, chewing your bottom lip, “yeah.”

your eyes squint at the corners, a side effect of the same grin that those sappy couples had been sporting, the same one that you’d been complaining about a little while ago. it makes you want to kick yourself, so you do the next best thing. you take hold of spencer's hand and drag yourself back to the pd. spencer shuffles somewhat behind you, trying to keep up with your stride. it doesn't take him long with those long legs of his.

his thumb strokes your knuckles gently–deliberately, you feel–but he pretends it's an unconscious action with the way his eyes are trained ahead. it makes you roll your eyes. when you near, you reluctantly let go of each other, the moment being the last time the two of you are alone for the rest of the day.

-

the team ends up solving the case a few hours later, taking the jet home where a valentines day baking spread is set up in the briefing room. all set up by the resident tech savvy. penelope tells you later that it took a whole week of convincing on her part, insisting that it would be quick and she’d clean up, and that everyone would get home to their own valentine's day plans in no time. 

there are a few heart-shaped helium balloons floating in the corners, and pink streamers in easy to reach places. the room is drastically more inviting, maybe the tones of fuschia and bubblegum have something to do with that. a cake and a bowl of suspiciously dyed punch reside on the table, along with pink plates and cups.

“penelope,” you gasp when you see them.

perfectly curated baskets of chocolate and cookies and associated items for everyone. you pick up the one with your name on it and inside you find: a candle, your favourite candy tied together with a little bow and a letter signed ‘happy valentines day, sweetheart. love, penny xx’. 

oh my god, you could kiss her. 

“it's like christmas,” emily muses from the other end of the table. you hear jj mutter something in agreement. you peek over at spencer, it's probably the hundredth time that you've snuck a glance his way. his eyes were already on you every other time, only now they were accompanied by a pair of red heart-shaped glasses, the clear plastic lenses offering a perfect view of his hazel orbs. the picture makes you laugh to yourself, you can barely hear it echoing from his end. 

-

about 30 minutes later, only the stragglers are left. in better words, the single people. the individuals with partners having rushed off to their own respective plans. you're making small talk with another girl who worked around the office when you feel a light hand on your shoulder, spencer nodding his head toward the elevator to signal your leave. you politely wish her goodbye and walk out with him. 

“cute glasses,” you tease, bumping his shoulder with yours, though the height difference makes it so you're nudging his upper arm. 

“yeah? i might get the lenses medicated, switch them out for my regular ones,” he jokes, his elbow nudging yours gently as he pushes the bridge of the glasses up the slope of his nose instinctively. 

“good idea,” you nod.

“you think?”

“mhm.” 

once again, he beats you to your bag, swiping it from your chair and carrying it along with his own. you meekly toy with the hem of your shirt as the two of you walk to the elevator. 

“so, bummer that neither of us have plans today. it’s so early,” you say, being blatantly obvious with what you're suggesting.

spencer only offers you an indifferent “yeah, bummer” in response, walking in when the doors slide open. when you look at him though, he's anything but indifferent, the corner of his lip pulling up in a crooked smile, irritatingly smug. you don't know where he gets off on being so at ease but the expression on his face makes you scowl as you follow him in. 

he is silent the whole ride down. you become increasingly annoyed, only faltering slightly when his hand reaches down to hold yours. his fingers thread between yours and you not-so subtly curl yours over his, ignoring the way he looks down at you. 

you try not to smile at the domestic picture of the two of you walking out hand in hand. thankfully the basement is empty. he pauses between your cars and mutters a quick “see you monday” before loosening his fingers and turning to walk away.

“spencer,” you groan, almost a whine as you squeeze his hand before he can let go.

he responds immediately, without missing a beat, “yes, angel.”

fuck.

you want to melt but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction. “would you like to do something tonight?” you grit out begrudgingly.

“i would love to,” he agrees, pulling you closer with your hand. your gaze darts to the two bag straps on his shoulder and you realise he had no intention of letting you go just like that. so you shove him, a little hard that he stumbles a bit. he huffs a laugh and you shake your head dismissively. 

he slowly, tentatively, dips down to press a soft kiss to your cheek. your eyes flutter shut at the contact. 

“how does thai food sound?” he asks, that same bashfulness creeping into his voice that you love so dearly. 

“sounds perfect.”

you share another sweet smile that would probably make you gag from an outside perspective but now it just makes you feel dizzy. he leads you back to his car, muttering something about how he’ll pick yours up tomorrow morning. you want to argue with him but that same dizzy feeling stops you.

you can't help the dreamy sigh that slips out when he connects your hands again over the centre console. thank god for st. valentine, you think.

reblogs and replies are appreciated :) | m.list

divider from @saradika-graphics

[moon-river-me]

when it's alpha hot female x nerdy loser with no rizz.

[bookworm-fangirl1]

yay we made it!

Event will be up later

it’s conita Bonita (Conan gray) themed :)

[archive-folder]

[fruitbasketball]

wnba recap 7/5

i’m feeding y’all tn damn bruh

dallas wings vs atlanta dream

i actually could not give a fuck less about these two teams to be honest with you like they’re THE most painful teams to watch and/or recap but imma do it for y’all!

“wings pick up 5th win of the season” LORDDD satou you are MISSED girl 💀💀💀

rike bro meet efficiency! shake her hand! get acquainted and stop shooting 1-7 FROM FUCKING 3!!!! jacy sheldon thank you - 17 points on 50% shooting.

atlanta fucking dream if y’all play w henny again bro i SWEAR to god. thank you tina charles, great game alisha gray, nicely done haley jones - matter of fact, both starting lineups contributed evenly. hm. not as painful. but i’m watching you fuckers.

las vegas aces vs los angeles sparks

now imma go out on a limb here and say miss dearica hamby’s 28/14 double double is a large part of why this game went to OT. HELLOOOOO aari mcdonald man i haven’t thought ab aari mcdonald since 2021 nicely done.

i miss chelsea at full health bro i can’t even look at her stat line holy fuck take it away. syd w 1 min 😭 fuckin personality hire lord. cut the shit bro mvp a’ja rn are you joking. maybe don’t take any more 3’s tho 💀💀 that’s all you otherwise girl

yeah this is why the aces concern me sometimes because like… this should’ve been signed and sealed by the 3rd quarter but these mfkers are getting sent to OVERTIME LORDDDD

seattle storm vs. chicago sky

y’all seen jordan horston been on one lately??? think she had a double a couple games ago but she got 20 tn on 73% SHOOTING BRO. as a GUARD. ezi ate down (ignore fgp) (and 3pfg) YESSSSS GIRL YESSS EZI

sami shitcomb please switch sports, nika didn’t even SMELL the floor tn, paige madison bueckers - quit going to games. and making people lose. please dude. stay the fuck home.

CHENNEDY CARTER 30 PIECE!! ANGEL REESE DOUBLE DOUBLE!! ANGEL WITH 2 MADE THREE’S!!!!!!

anyway great night 👍🏽 lots of exciting things gearing up for this all star break n shit so stay tuned :)

[pboogerswbb]

none of my friends get wbb like i get it so I need to tell someone that I was just at the South Carolina game and A’ja, Bam, Becky Hammon, Alisha Gray, and Jackie young were all there. I’m never shutting up.

HOLYY SHIT I WOULD NEVER SHUT UP EITHER

girl you lucky as fuck i hope you had sm fun

[juregim]

things i've watched/read and liked in September '24

Articles/Essays

for the articles behind a paywall, i recommend 12ft.io

‘Am I a Snob Or Is He a Simpleton?’ by Ask Polly

At Home With the Marquis de Sade by Francine du Plessix Gray

Brat Summer Is Dead, Long Live Brat Summer by Arielle Gordon

Decolonization is not a metaphor by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang (reread)

Desire, Dopamine, and the Internet by L. M. Sacasas

Good Girl by Michelle Albanes-Davis

'I Can't Decide What I Truly Want!' by Ask Polly

Innovators, coolhunters, and recognition by Style Analytics

Letter from a Region in My Mind by James Baldwin

my life is boring by Jenny Clark

Resisting simulations of the self by McKenzie Wark

THE CULTURAL REVISIONISM INDUSTRY by R. E. Hawley

The New Generation of Online Culture Curators by Kyle Chayka

Well, are we living in a simulation? by Amy Francombe

What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It) by Tash Eurich

Youtube

a deep dive into the impact of 9/11 on pop culture by culture kitsch

booktok, brainrot, and why it’s okay to be a hater by alisha not alihsha

Claire Saffitz Makes the Most Delicious Pastry: Kouign-Amann | Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz

How Do Female Artists Paint Women? by Behind the Masterpiece

LOLITA: The Worst Masterpiece by Horses

The Incredibly Satisfying Downfall of Vice by Moon

The Sound the CIA Doesn't Want You to Know About by CHUPPL

There Are Mountains in the Clouds by Horses

This Video is About Brain Rot by Malik Peace

Books

i have some of the books as epubs (*) and i can send them over to you if you want

Angels Before Man (reread), Angels and Man by Rafael Nicolás *

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami *

Madonna in Black: A collection of short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez *

The Memory Theatre by Karin Tidbeck *

The Shepherd King duology (One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns) by Rachel Gillig *

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (reread)

Wintersleep by Kenzo Kitakata *

[aghhtdraws]

"Xinyan's Bamboo" very silly and kinda ridiculous fanfic idea I had this year while rewatching (there's a Xinyan in every episode)

I'll make this a proper comic later xD

Basic premise: do you think the Ye family harvest Xinyan's bamboo shoots for food? (bamboo shoots are a popular or common ingredient in many asian dishes)

[equalhealerr]

Alisha Gray is so underrated 🔥

[gardens-of-may]

ENTRY ONE - beginning to chap. 8

spoilers ahead

i feel bad for avery 

i don’t like drake

is he a pedo? 😒

oh okay grayson shows up???

what does he look like?

a blond with gray eyes?

WHY IS HE SMIRKING 

libby is mmmm

oooh fancy

a lil bored

what is warm nuts?

who is this alisha girl? 🤨

“don’t lose your heart to a hawthorne.”

i have a feeling that’s exactly what’s going to happen 

oh alisa doesn’t like gray?

there’s four right? grayson, jameson, nash, and alexander?

xander is the baby, okay

i like secret passages!

avery and grayson?

skye???

i’m confused 

jameson… hmmm

end of chap. 8

[siriuslylantsov]

an extremely overdue vacation with spencer on the coast somewhere sunny. ⋆˚꩜｡

staying in bed till noon and leaving the beach well after sunset.

the two of you drift off into naps under the rays of light, a warmth that tingles pleasantly on your skin, bodies draped over soft towels. spencer makes sure to reapply your sunscreen every two hours.

the sun brings out a light dusting of freckles on his chest; you trace along them, stringing them together like constellations.

spencer lets you hold onto him as he walks to the deeper end, his height posing an advantage. he relishes in the soft press of you behind him, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, leaning his head back so he can catch your lips.

the orange glow of the sun illuminates his skin beautifully, you're doomed to admire him the entire time. fortunately for you, he does the same, leaving you both reeling, sheepishly ducking your heads, a pink flush accompanying the light sunburn.

[bookworm-fangirl1]

hihihihihihi alishaaa, congratulasions on 200 followers! i love your found heaven event, you are ultimate conehead fr <3 i have a few requests which i'll send in separate asks! #1 is i look in the mirror, now i'm just a jigsaw moodboard specifically for best friend by conan!

Here!

I think it turned out pretty good!

let me know what you think :)

[hyperfixationsstation]

oliver stark is gonna play in the nba celebrity game with kayla thornton against alisha gray and i have bo one to talk about this with