#also sardines when they play a couple

[moomin279]

pLease kick off about bcdr/tommy and len 👀🙏🏼

ok i saw this last night and fell asleep but now i am here and fully insane about reece shearsmith

so

best episode of the show by a mile (christine will never ever be bcdr)

i doubt that its one that they considered coming back to but it's the one i would be most interested in (the years they were performing, the years after where they miss each other)

DID TOMMY DIE HIS HAIR? bc hes blonde in the ep but in the posters hes brunette. was this to help him get over Len? was it to signify a new era of his life?

The parallels between bcdr and plodding on ended me - the voice crack on 'You nearly died Len' and 'I thought you were going to die and i was going to lose you' (screaming)

But also like the pain of when len says 'no tommy please dont go, I haven't see you for thirty years' and just the quiet loneliness/desperation in how steve delivers it

OH AND THE SONG AND DANCE AT THE END IS SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SPECIAL TO ME - also the way that they sung it on the book tour with the insiders guide to in9 (i think thats what it was called i should know it's on the shelf behind me)

but then also how steve starts singing it in plodding on at the end had me a little🥹

the way they used old league of gentlemen flyers for the pictures was so so so so so—

also the paralells to reece and steve and how they just wanted to do a two hander (which it wasn't in the end) but also how they originally wanted to slow dance to neil sedaka (they're not beating the allegations) and the way they used old league of gentlemen flyers for the pictures was so so so so so-

anyway literally best episode (alongside plodding on)

[imfinereallyy]

@henderdads posted this about domestic fluff and I realize that I love this trope and I just don’t write enough of it, and I wanted to give her a little treat to read. Mostly because her tags when she reblogs on my post give me absolute joy, I laugh every time.

Two things might come as a surprise when getting to know Steve Harrington. The first being he didn’t actually like parties. He likes making other people feel good, wants to make them happy. Hence why for years, he lets Tommy and Carol wreak havoc on his house. It makes them happy and, for a short while, makes most of Hawkins High happy. Steve, in retrospect, has learned to regret this since he has now gained a reputation for being a party king, despite not throwing one in years, but he knows all too well how hard it is to let go of a high school reputation.

The second surprising fact is that Steve Harrington hated his birthday. Well, maybe hate wasn’t the right word, but he has incredibly low expectations for his birthday. Either everyone forgets his birthday, or somehow Steve is reminded that he is an inconvenience.

“Sorry sweetie, your dad has a business meeting that day.”

“Dude, I have a baseball game in that night could we do something another day?”

“I’m late! I know, we stayed up all night playing D&D. I even forgot to call Suzie!”

Steve isn’t necessarily hurt per se when these things happen. He knows that some people, more than others, are really trying. That it’s human to make mistakes. But Steve doesn’t like to get his hopes up; that’ll be much better than that.

There is also the more commonly now known fact that Steve doesn’t like being the center of attention. And birthdays come along with a lot of that. Sure, Steve wants someone to pay attention to him, really listen to what he has to say, but he has long since out grown the desperate need to have everyone look at him.

It is why it is such a surprise the upside down crew throws him a 24th birthday party.

Steve always thought something like this would upset him, but he is delightfully warm at the sight of all his friends, all of his family, inside Robin and Nancy's apartment screaming,

“Surprise, Dingus!”

Steve can’t believe she got everyone to say that.

After the shock of seeing them all packed like sardines wearing party hats, Steve can’t help but smile.

Eddie walks up to him, placing a hat on his head and a soft kiss on his cheek. “I tried to stop them,” Eddie whispers. “I know you don’t like parties, but they just wanted to show how much they love you. It was hard to say no.”

Steve turns to Eddie, a man who knows him inside and out and knows he can’t lie to him. “I thought I would hate this, but I don’t. It’s perfect.” He kisses Eddie on the lips, just as soft as the one before.

“Good, because I really didn’t try to stop them.” Eddie smiles into the kiss.

“Ew!”

“Gross!”

“Get a room!”

Various shouts across the room cause the couple to giggle and pull apart. Eddie flips them all off, “It’s been four years, assholes! Grow up.”

Eddie runs off to particularly chase Mike, who actually hasn’t said anything but did make a face, and Steve can’t help but be overwhelmed by joy.

🎉🦇🎉🦇

Hours later, after the cake has been cut and the presents have been shared, and his kiddos are definitely way too drunk, the party doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. And Steve, who is having fun but growing antsy since he slowed down on drinking years ago, isn’t quite sure what to do with himself.

He doesn’t want to ruin the fun or make anyone think he didn’t have a good time. This is one of the best birthdays, if not the best one, he’s ever had. But Steve is getting overwhelmed and worn out. He isn’t really tired, but being social has reached its capacity for the night.

Even so, he can’t help but laugh at Robin as she tells a story about the most recent disaster of her sign language class, where kids keep accidentally swearing instead of the proper words.

Eddie catches his eye across the room; he looks happy as he talks to Hop and Wayne. But even mid-conversation, across the sea of people, he tugs his helix piercing over his right ear twice.

It’s their signal for, “Do you want me to come over?”

Steve rubs the scar over his left eye twice, “Yes please.” It means.

Eddie excuses himself and makes his way to Steve. “Hey, baby.” He interrupts Robin mid-rant, who makes a sound of drunken protest. “Did we feed Mrs. Pierson’s cat today?”

Another signal, which translates, “Do you want to go home?”

And Steve knows he can just tell Eddie yes, and they can stay at the party, and Steve will have fun, and he’ll be happy, but it isn’t what he wants. What he wants is to be at home with their own cat Beelzebub, snuggled up in their bed. So Steve says, “Shit, I don’t think we did.” Yes, please. Let’s go home.

Eddie acts quickly. They make their rounds, say goodbyes, and make their excuses. Everyone lovingly pokes at their forgetfulness. The couple insists everyone stays and enjoys themselves. Steve thanks everyone with individual hugs.

Steve and Eddie hold pinkies the entire walk home, down the streets of Indianapolis. The dark night blanket of night, and the never-ending sound of the city, keeping them safe enough to risk the intertwined digits.

When they make it home, they say nothing. They unwind slowly. Sharing kisses, delicately take off each other's clothes, hum into each others mouths. There is nothing rushed, or rough; they have time now. There will be moments for that later.

And in their journey from the front door to the bed, Eddie kisses the place where Steve’s shoulder and neck meet. It’s his signal for “I love you.”

Later, when they are tangled up in the sheets, heavy breaths slowing down, Eddie’s arms wrapped around him, Steve leans up and kisses the tip of Eddie’s nose. It’s his signal for “I love you more.”

Eddie’s smile back says, “that just isn’t possible.”

“Thank you for today.” Steve finally speaks out loud, playing with Eddie’s fingers.

“Oh, it isn’t over yet, baby.” And Eddie jumps out of bed naked, running out of the room.

Steve can’t help but cackle at his boyfriend's antics. There is a sudden thump on the bed; Steve peeks down to see their cat making his home on the end of their bed like he knows they are finally done for the night. “Hey, bee.” Steve scratches him behind his ear, earning a resounding purr from him. A little to the left, it means.

Eddie comes back into the room and dives back into the bed, bouncing Beelzebub but not startlingly him enough to move. Steve supposes he’s used to his father's antics. “Okay, I would tell you to close your eyes, but I know you’re not going to listen, so I’m just going to hand them to you.”

Steve giggles and grabs the pieces of paper in his hands and his heart stops. “Eddie.”

“Steve.” Eddie’s grin is wide.

“These are three tickets to see Madonna.”

“Yup.” Eddie pops his ‘p’ clearly proud of himself. “One for you, one for Robs of course, and one for me.”

Steve whispers in awe, “But you hate Madonna.”

Eddie brushes the hair out of Steve’s face, “Please, no one can hate Madonna.” Eddie’s eyes turn soft, “Besides, you love her, and you love me. It only felt fair to have us both in the same place. And you’d worry the entire time if I wasn’t there.”

Steve throws his arms around Eddie, squeezing him tight. Hoping he can translate how much he loves this man through it. Steve loves making other people happy, but no one has loved making Steve happy, quite like Eddie. “I love you so much,” Steve says once he leans back.

Eddie kisses the place where his shoulder and his neck meet. I love you. Eddie kisses the tip of his nose. I love you more. Finally, he holds Steve’s face and says aloud,

“I love you too.”

***

Was this perhaps inspired by the fact I turn 24 in a week and a half? Maybeee. I’m a lot like Steve in this where I have such mixed feelings about my birthday. I’m feeling a lot of anxiety about it if I’m honest, and I don’t have high hopes.

Unlike me, I don’t have a partner like Eddie, but Steve deserves the world and I wanted him to have some loving and domestic fluff. The idea that these two have secret signals is an important headcannon to me, and I would love to see others take on it.

I hope @henderdads you enjoyed this if you made it this far. It was a lot of fun to write. :)

[wheredafandomat]

Desk duty

Avenger Loki x Female Reader

18+ | contains a lil smut smut

“Demoted to desk duty for the foreseeable.” Loki sighed, still typing on the keyboard as you stood, still close to the door as you spoke.

“You see it as a demotion, I see it as an opportunity.” You grinned, stepping closer to him.

“An opportunity you say.” Loki replied, copying your expression as you sat on his desk.

“Yes.” You nodded, looking down at him seductively as his hand started moving across your thigh, thumb drawing circles near your knee as your hand found his chest, smoothing over his tie.

“I think I see where this is going.” He spoke, tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip.

“Yeah?” You giggled

“Riiight after I’ve finished this.” He finished, hand leaving your leg as he focused back on the computer screen in front of him.

“But Lokii, I’m bored noww.” You whined in an attempt to catch his attention again.

“Well then why don’t you go and entertain yourself with the other fun avengers, you know, the ones still allowed to go on missions.” He huffed.

“Ouch, jealous?” You teased.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“This is just a tiny little punishment” you began, playing with his tie “plus, at least you’ve got your own office unlike the agents on floor five all packed into the room—”

“Like sardines.” He finished contemplatively.

“Exactly, see.”

“I suppose things could be worse.” He agreed.

“Yes” you nodded “it could also be a lot better.” You smiled, leaning down to kiss him, Loki kissing you back when your lips met.

“Right, off” He said, breaking the kiss as he gestured for you to stand up “I’ve got work to do.”

“Fine” you sighed “I’ll go see if Bucky wants to—” you began, standing to your feet.

“You little minx.” Loki cut in, narrowing his gaze at you.”

“Ouch, jealous?”

“Yes.” He nodded, pushing his chair out from under his desk and gesturing to his lap.

“Well, can’t have that now can we.” You smiled, biting your lip as you made your way back towards Loki, straddling him as you pressed your lips to his. Lokis hands found your back, pulling you flush against him as he deepened the kiss, groaning into it as you rolled your hips against his. His tongue pushed passed your lips, moving against yours before you broke the kiss, catching your breath. Lokis hands continued to roam your back as you undid his tie, placing it around your own neck before undoing a couple of his buttons giving you perfect access to his neck. Loki couldn’t contain his delight as you peppered kisses across his neck, moving up to his ear causing his grip around you to tighten. He always loved when kissed him there. You continued your movements feeling Lokis cock growing beneath you as you began rolling your hips again, desperate to feel it against your core.

You undid another one of his shirt buttons, exposing part of his shoulder as your lips moved there before you wrapped your legs around his torso as he stood. Placing you on the desk, Loki stood between your legs, his hard cock straining against the material of his trousers. You were quick to remove his restraints, undoing his belt as he pulled his trousers down enough to release his length. Wrapping your hand around it, you began stroking as Loki reached underneath your skirt before tugging your panties down, opening his desk drawer and concealing them in there, offering you a coy smile as your eyes met again. Reaching back underneath your skirt, Loki began drawing circles over your clit as you continued to pleasure him, thumb running over the tip already dripping with precum. Pausing his movements, Lokis hand replaced yours on his shaft as he began palming himself, his other hand finding your lower back as he pulled you closer to the edge of his desk, your skirt riding further up your thighs as he did so.

Widening your legs further, you helped guide Loki to your entrance before he thrust into you, both of you releasing a breath at the feeling. Loki pulled out before entering you again, filling you further as you bit your lip, trying to stifle your moans.

“So tight.” He spoke through gritted teeth, tying to push deeper into you as you closed your eyes, the feeling of his cock hitting that perfect spot leaving you almost inebriated.

“Loki!” You yelped as he reached between you both, thumb toying with your clit causing you to bite back a lewd moan, aware that anyone could walk past the office.

“You weren’t saying anything.” He reasoned, stifling his smile as he continued playing with your clit, filling you on his desk.

“Fuckk Loki.” You began to moan, his thrusts quickening as well as his movements on your clit. Before long, he was slamming into you, the sound of his skin slapping yours filling the room as you laid back against the desk, Loki fucking into you relentlessly as he bared his teeth, chasing sweet release.

“Fuck. Desk. Duty.” He snarled, entering you with every word, hips snapping into yours.

“Don’t stoppp, I’m so closee.” You begged, hand gripping the edge of the desk. Loki continued, sweat beading on his forehead as he fucked you until he felt your walls pulsing around him, your arousal coating his cock, an indication that he had successfully completed this mission. You floated down from your high as Loki prolonged it, searching for his own climax before he stilled his movements, cumming inside of you.

Once you were both sated, completely and utterly, Loki pulled out of you, helping you to sit up as you pulled your skirt back down, certain your next stop would be to your bathroom to shower. Loki sheathed himself before doing his shirt buttons back up, unlike you, he was able to make himself look presentable again with a flick of the wrist. He took his tie back from around your neck before fastening it around his own despite your pout.

“What’s the matter?” Loki asked, seeing your expression as you watched him.

“You look smart like this, formal. I’ll miss it.”

“This is my dress wear for the foreseeable y/n, nothing to miss.” He chuckled.

“Unfortunately not.” You answered.

“What?”

“I got you off of desk duty.” You smiled.

“What?!” He asked again.

You winked before Loki kissed you. “You can thank me later.” You spoke, hopping off of his desk.

“Ooh I intend to.” He teased.

Omg 2.2K followers. Thank y’all so much, I thought I’d write something to celebrate 🎉🥰😘

Tags:

@mcufan72 @mischief2sarawr @lokisgoodgirl @lokiprompts @lokilvrr @peaches1958 @vickie5446 @mochie85 @lulubelle814

[nyktoxs-lover]

Sardines-M.S

Summary: you play sardines with everyone (everyone is the cross over ep the triplets Jake and Johnie larray Sam and colby)

Background: You are famous and are dating matt and have been for a year and sit is not for pr. But Chris and Tara are dating for pr and everyone knows you and Matt are dating his fans to. Your are filming for your own channel. everyone know Chris and Tara are dating but some people thinks it is fake cause Chris does not seem happy around her. sardines is a game where on person hides and every one else finds the hider and when they find the hider they hide with them and the last person to find the hiders are the loser and hides next

*everyone is sitting on the your couch as you set up the camera for everyone is in frame. Once they are you press record and step back* "Hey guys welcome back to my channel or welcome to my channel and today I am here with" *I point at matt* "My boyfriend Matt" *I point and Chris and Tara* "My fav couple Chris and Tara" *I point at Nick and larray* "The gays Nick and Larray" *I point at Sam and colby* "the wanna be ghost busters Sam and Colby" *I point at Jake and Johnie* "the emos Jake and Johnie" *I look back at them Then the camera* "So today we are all playing sardines except in partners so me and Matt Chris and Tara Johnie and Jake Larray and Nick Sam and Colby cause we don't have enough cameras for all of us separate." *Chris put his arm around tara* "so it goes youngest hides first and everyone else finds them. So since I am the youngest me and matt are hiding frist y'all are going to count to 3 minutes" *the camera cuts to me and matt walking away from the living room and everyone else talking in the living room holding cameras*

Matt: "So me and Lilah are going to hide in my car cause that is big enough for 8 people to hide but they could also stay in genral regoing of the car and the window are tinted so you have to open the car to look" Lilah: "yeah" *we get in the car trunk and wait*

*It cuts to all of them splitting up around the house*

Tara: "me and Chris are going to check Matts and Lilah's roon *she says with a smile*

Chris: "yeah but I think they would be in there room" *he wraps his arm around Tara and keeps her close but has a blank look on his face*

*Nick and Larray* Nick: "okay so we heard that Chirs and Tara are going to check in the rooms so if they disspar we are going to look there to" Larray: "yeah but we are checking the garage first oh and did Lilah tell the viewers outside is available" Nick: "No but the outside is allowed" *Jake and Johnie* Jake: "okay so lowkey we don't know where to look so we might just walk the outside but I know Lilah would complain about being to hot but who cares it could be reversed technolgy" Johnie: "yeah but Lilah's house is big like a family barn type shit so we are going to go look outside lets go" *they walk out the front door and start walking on the front porch

*Sam and Colby*

Sam: "okay guys so we are checking her bathroom cause her bathroom is the size of a house" Colby: "Yeah and I think her house is hanted cause it is old and big so who knows" *they walk up to the bathroom*

*Nick and Larray*

*they are in the garge and walk over to the trunk of Matt's car and open it and me and matts get scared Nick faces the camera towards us there jaw to the floor*

Lilah: "Omg how did you find us"

this is part 1

[flufallo]

Some random, out of context lines from only the best show in the world

"YOU are the brawn?"

"If she'd died last night, I'd have no problem with her being here!" "Well that got dark"

"We've met phychics before, but none as fit as you" "HAH. Did that work on girls back in the 80s?"

"Are you ready to talk to her shoes?"

"And those girls are staring..." "Mabye it's your outfit" *middle finger*

"I don't care how old you are. Go to bed"

"Well, I'm very open minded and also very concerned about bursting open" "honestly I just find her so charming"

"Are you insane?"

"so I'm a... Tree?"

"Cute? Thats offensive"

"It smells like dog shit in there"

"I'll make sure to jot that down in my journal of opinions I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT"

"Luckily, love requires no logic"

"MONTY! JESUS! I'm tryna... Threaten some kids"

"Are you ready to talk to her shoes?"

"Fuck off, the kid had a sardine"

"E-yup"

"she's always... Changing outfits"

"Are you being threatening or is this a sexy choking?"

"weeee!"

"In my experience, uptight boys like a bit of rough play" "... Right" (my poor innocent Edwin has no idea what that means)

"Hello, um, cute little friend with the bow tie"

"Teethface, what the fuck?"

"I'm just a really old man who lives in a fish"

"Specificity is key"

*Girls react sword death* "was that good? Were you scared?" "Pff, no. The sword would of punctured the lung, leaving her *gasping noises* unable to scream. Not to mention the sheer amount of blood filling her mouth. Very disappointing girls"

"You guys are like a dead married couple on acid"

"Is that my left or your left?" "We have the same left!"

"No, it is the blue book on the top left corner" *picks up pink book* "does that look blue to you, Charles?"(Colour blind Charles yaas)

"Well, that's harsh. But also charmingly stubborn. Capricorn?"

"Were not living anywhere, because your not living"

"This detective work is much measure than it ever looked on scooby doo"

"Two boys can like like each other, you know. I have a lot of manga about it. It's very sweet, and explicit"

"Again, a handshake would suffice"

"Yes, your highness"

"What is a hand job?"

"Well have to investigate further into this Molly character"

"At least one of you is in school, right?"

"You've been spending a lot of time with that one... Monty... You... A lot of time?" "Hmm? Merely swapping books is all"

"Oh my fucking fuck"

"I thought you were like a meat robber or a meat pervert or something"

"If you need anything, just shout. But don't actually shout. It's a library"

"Are you always a woman, is Charles ever a woman, can you change your eyes and nose like Mr potato head, do you know who mr potato head is?"

"Your such a whore"

"You don't look like a walrus"

"this looks like the places in those fish stick commercials I like"

"Charles, be less British. Edwin, be less Edwin"

"oh no, it's porn. It's all just porn"

"there are 142 cats" "142? That's way off!" (It's four off)

"and when he gets back from hell, I'll be waiting. God, I am such a romantic I hate it!"

"do you and Charles.. um... Have a special friendship?" "We are best friends, if you must know." (Keep him innocent guys)

"have you seen a Victrola anywhere?" "What?"

"oh, I think I'm gonna be sick!" "You are a ghost, Charles. You cannot get sick"

"well, maybe karma's just a bitch"

"I heard they died in some gay suicide pact"

"I have never wanted to get back inside someone more" (out of context this one just sounds so wrong lmao)

"are you saying my ghost friend isn't going to die? Super, thanks."

[iamfuckingsorry]

So I know the fandom loves seeing young Kim as a punk, with leather jackets and combat boots and a million pins and patches and in general fairly anti-establishment and also somewhat openly gay at least within the community

And I'm not gonna lie I love it too

But there's also this idea that I can't get out of my mind, and it's Kim in what is called "epa-kultur" over here. 15 year old kids too young to have a driver's license or a car, but one of the friends in the group has six older siblings and managed to get one of those cars that are only supposed to go up to 40 kmph that you can drive with a moped license, but that can definitely go up to like 150 if you flip the right switches. It's 30 years old and absolutely shit but you all love it anyway. You drive around, a shitty speaker in the back playing terrible electronic music too loud to really hold a proper conversation while inside, nine kids packed like sardines sitting on each other's laps (one of the backseats is taken up by a speaker), ending up in an unused parking lot to get drunk on 3% beer. The car's broken half of the time but that just means you play bad music and get drunk on cheap beer while trying to fix it with random parts you got from a friend of a friend of a friend, always fucking up in some way no matter how hard you try so the car will inevitably break down again within a week. Until you eventually really do get fairly good at fixing it, and then you just end up checking all the bolts and connections all the time instead. And like it's definitely a small town/rural thing over here. It definitely would not be a thing in Revachol, and especially not in the part of Revachol Kim grew up in, where you're happy to have a roof over your head and food to eat and you're probably reasonably rich compared to your neighbours if your family has a car. And while it's very different nowadays especially with younger kids you could still get a lot of the ideas common in more conservative areas, about gender roles and queer people and whatnot.

And I just love the idea of 15-year-old Kim with a group of other kids like this, feeling a tiny little bit like he finally belongs somewhere for the first time, trying to figure out a way to get some money for a car part for his friend's car, drinking even though he doesn't really want to because that's what you're supposed to, casually making sexist jokes that make him strangely uncomfortable even though he doesn't really understand why, fully convinced the only reason he tries to find any excuse to spend time with this one guy that is so impressive and knows so much about cars is because it's the first time he's found a good friend, because why else would you feel this way about a guy

and then after a couple of years maybe he does bring up possibly feeling a certain way about men when he's a bit drunk and he immediately gets made fun of, and when he doesn't react fast enough and say that obviously he was kidding, eww that would be so gross, he gets called a hundred different slurs without hesitation, not just homophobic ones but racial ones too, and he realizes once again that there really isn't a single place in this world where someone like him could truly belong, no matter how it might feel in the moment.

(and then maybe he does get a leather jacket and some patches a few years after that lol)

[the-roo-too]

maybe! -> 0.1 eve

-you find a cute kitten with a wounded paw and you try to solve the mystery- can cats drink choco milk?!

warnings: wounded kitten; there’s not much chaewon at all in the first part really-

it was a pretty calm night, although the full moon made you slightly nervous. ignoring the feeling, you thought of getting something to drink on your way home. fortunately, you passed by a convenience shop, which was still open.

there were no other customers inside, so you just gave a greeting nod to the cashier and moved to the drinks alley. rummaging through all the beverages took a couple minutes, but you finally settled on a box of choco milk. choco milk is never bad. you paid for the drink and exited the convenience shop, happily drinking the beverage. you then proceeded the walk to your apartment unbothered.

until, you heard quiet, pitiful meowing. at first you though your ears were playing tricks on you, and then you saw a small ball of fur curled up next to a dumpster. gently, you approached the animal, taking slow steps as not to scare it away.

“hey there, little one…” the kitten looked up at you with its big green eyes. it had black fur, though it’s left paw was wet with something crimson. you hesitantly reached out your hand to pet the cat, sighing in relief when it nuzzled into your palm.

“what’s a kitten like you doing here?” when you stood up to see if the owner of the cat was lurking nearby, the little one meowed loudly at you and proceeded to stand up. with a small hiss, the black cat curled up again, after putting pressure on the left paw.

“awh, you poor little thing.” trying not to hurt it’s already wounded paw, you gently picked up the kitten. it purred quietly when you did so, making you smile.

“i’ll take you home, cutie.” you then glanced at the box of choco milk in your other hand. placing it for a second on the ground, you took out your phone from your pocket.

“hey siri? can i uh, feed a cat with choco milk?”

“i’m sorry for you, little one. siri said choco milk is bad for animals, so you can’t taste it. and it’s really good!” if the kitten could, it would probably pout at you. instead, it meowed and nudged you with it’s good paw.

“i’ll give you normal milk instead, how about that?” the black cat closed it’s eyes, snuggling in your hold.

“you probably have no idea what i’m talking about. never mind, i’ll patch you up and search for some good food. i should have some canned fish somewhere?”

with the kitten still in your arms, you started rummaging through the shelves, looking for a piece of gauze and bandage for it’s wounded paw. grinning in relief when you’ve found it, you sat on the floor and guided the cat to your lap.

“come here, cutie. i’m sorry if this hurts too much.” you gently cleaned the wound with the gauze and wrapped a piece of bandage around it. it seemed to be firm enough for the kitten, so you let it roam the floors of your apartment while you searched for the canned fish.

you finally found some sardines (after throwing away three expired cans of tuna). you placed it on a plate and put on the floor for the kitten to eat. while it proceeded to feed on the fishes, you poured a bit of milk to a small bowl, also setting it in the cat’s range.

“now that i think of it, fish and milk is a pretty odd combination.” unbothered, the black cat was still busy with eating the meal. “i see it doesn’t bother you.”

when the kitten finished, you picked it up gently and settled on your shoulder. then, you moved to your bedroom, setting your guest on a free pillow.

“good night, cutie. try not to scratch me while i sleep. i’ll look for your owner tomorrow.” you said, petting the cat’s head. it purred, closing it’s eyes. you covered yourself with a blanket, letting sleep overcome you.

“hi.”

you rolled to the other side of the bed, hiding your head under the pillow.

“hello? …i thought she was alive.”

the unfamiliar voice was starting to bother you. wait, unfamiliar? you almost got dizzy from how fast you sat up. just in front of you was a girl with short black hair. that’s the first thing you noticed. the second- she was holding the wounded cat you found the previous day.

“oh, hi!”

“what the fuck! get out!”

“no no, you got it wrong. this cutie here-“ she pointed at the black kitten. “- he’s eunchae’s. she said she could feel him here so i went to fetch him, i own a favour to her. uh, anyways, i went to fetch him and when i came here- you should really lock your windows better- he said he wanted to adopt you. sakura says it’s fine so i’m taking you. yeah? yeah.”

“wait, what-!”

[marjanefan]

Why I believe Reece and Steve (and Inside No.9) are  NOT homophobic  (spoilers)

OK I am just going to look at the accusation that 'Inside No.9 is homophobic. I will address particular concerns and try and look at particular characters in more depth. I hope I can make a good case it is far from homophobic.

Please note I will be discussing characters who are openly LGBT or who are shown to be LGBT. I will not be discussing characters whose sexual orientation is not indicated or discussed. It is actually interesting to note how many characters sexual orientation or marital status is not indicated. This shows how these play little part in the characters motivations and actions.

We should ask 1. are the characters made ridculous because of their sexual orientation 2. punished because of their orientaton. 3.Motivated to do bad things because of their orientation.

Please note many spoilers below

Wholesome LGBT Characters- that survive!

Stevie (Tom and Gerri), Bobby (12 days of Christine), and Robert (Zanzibar) may be somewhat camp but they are all deeply caring and considerate characters - and they all survive

And lets not forget Mark Gatiss got to play Callum, a happily married, professionally successful openly gay man, just as he is himself.(and yes Callum does survive the events of 'Merrily Merrily'). Callum is or was part of the gang just like Laurence and Darren and his sexual orientation is by the by. And the friendship between Callum, Darren and Laurence reflects the even greater frienship and brotherhood between Mark, Steve and Reece.

Martin (The referee's a wxxxer)

There is a gay character who does not die or who kills who does something questionable. Martin in 'The referee's a wxxxer' sets up his lover Calvin to ensure the success of his true love- the football team he supports. But the episode asks questions of the ongoing homophobia in UK league football and the alliegance fans at all levels have to their teams.

Episodes where LGBT characters die

Inside No.9 does not kill off LGBT characters more than heterosexual characters

In 'Sardines' it is implied Stu and Carl may die but this is alongside THREE heterosexual couples

In 'Wuthering Heist' Mario (Dino Kelly) dies in the final shootout but so do several other heterosexual characters.

In 'A Quiet night in' Sabrina is killed by Gerald- and the killing is shown in all its horror. But Gerald is also killed as are Ray and Eddie.

In 'Private view' Patricia (Felicity Kendall) is killed- as are several other characters.

I will come back to Simon Smethurst in 'Simon Says'

Episodes where LGBT characters are killers

Inside No.9 includes many many killers - but only two are (possibly) LGBT.

In 'How do you plead?' Urban is revealed to have killed a classmate as a young teenager. But it is clear he is deeply haunted by this and he actually owns up to it and accepts that he will face serious punishment eventually for this. He is trying to make amends by being a patient and caring person and it could be said that his outwardly camp persona is a way for him to defuse the darker side of his character and turn it into something better (see how he drops this persona when he goes to sort the fuse).

Brian in 'The Last Night of the Proms'joins in the killing of Yusef. But this is shown to be part of his latent xenophobia and of his failure to accept and be open about his true sexual orientation and desires.If he had been more self accepting he probably would not have participated. And part of the point of Brian's story is that Reece and Steve show that remainers are capable of being as racist and intolerant as Brexit supporters.

A few more thoughts on Carl and Stu

I wrote a whole blog about 'Sardines' but just want to say a bit here about Carl and Stu and their relationship. When we met them they are mid argument and it is clear that there are underlying tensions between them about Carl's fear of intimacy, because of the abuse he endured at Andrew's hands. But it is also evident that there is affection and in a moment that was cut from the episode as aired but in the script they reconcile.

The case of Simon Smethurst

In 'Simon Says' Spencer kills Simon during what appear to be an attempt by Simon to seduce him. But this is after Spencer has seen Simon apparently kill Gavin. He could well believe he is about to get violated and possibly killed. (Also worth noting there was a cut scene from earlier in the episode when Spencer considers smothering Simon as he has had enough of his blackmail).

What Simon's actual intentions are in this particular scene are debated by fans. There are signs he may have a romantic/sexual obsession with Spencer but he was performing a script (I may come back to this). But the point is that Spencer doesn't kill him because he may be gay but because he is afraid in that moment for his life.

Personally I could also discuss the portrayal of lesbian characters such as Felicity (The Understudy), June (And the winner is) and Patricia (Private View) - it seems no one cares very much about the L part of LGBT (I say this as someone with many Lesbian friends). But I don't hold this against Reece and Steve (too much!)

And arguably why can't LGBT character be as flawed and complicated as a heterosexual character

The vast majority of killers and indeed victims in the show are heterosexuals or do not have their sexual orientation indicated (like Maxwell, Dennis Fulcher, Viktor).

I previously wrote a blog about 'The Stakeout' which looks at amongst other things whether Varney being a vampire is code for homosexuality.

The Question of 'The Last Weekend'

This particular issue is being raised because of the forthcoming episode 'The Last Weekend' where Steve and Reece play a couple Joe and Chas. I am going to reserve my thoughts on the episode until I have actually seen it and had a chance to think about it.

Perhaps we need to examine our own feelings about what we expect from this episode and why we want the episode to play out a particular way.

Final thoughts

Reece and Steve have many close friendships with members of the LGBT commmunity (not just Mark Gatiss but people like Matt Lucas, Derren Brown and many others). Russell T. Davies has praised the show.

Inside no.9 explores the human condition and human fralities often in quite a profound manner. I am proud to be a fan.

[emailsfromanactor]

The Hamlet cast's arrival in Boston was a nightmare, especially for Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Hume Cronyn wasn't on the plane so his account is secondhand, but here he also recounts an incident he experienced personally:

Representative Michael Feighan of Ohio had called the Burton-Taylor relationship “a public outrage” and urged the revocation of Richard’s visa on the grounds of moral turpi­tude. Now that they were Mr. and Mrs. Burton it might have been expected that all the furor would fade away. Not a bit of it. If anything, it grew worse. The Hamlet company’s move from Toronto to Boston by chartered jet ended with a nightmare reception at Logan Airport. Crowds broke through the police barriers and surrounded the aircraft. The company couldn’t disembark. The combined forces of police and airport person­nel were inadequate to control the mob—and a mob it had become. After a considerable delay, the plane was towed from the runway into an empty hangar, but even there the most persistent and manic of the fans and a good number of press managed to get inside. Two limousines were brought into the hangar. The first to leave was a decoy. The second carried Dickenliz off to the Copley Plaza Hotel. There the crowd was even bigger and more unruly. Press photographs taken in the lobby show a shoulder-to-shoulder mass of people with a grim-looking Burton (he kept saying, “I told them—I told them”) with his arm around an uncharacteristically terrified Elizabeth, attempting to make their way to the elevators. It was bedlam. Once they were safely in their suite, a doctor was summoned, and he ordered a se­dated Elizabeth to bed. Weeks later, long after the play had opened in New York, Richard asked Jess and me to join him and Elizabeth for something to eat between the matinee and evening perfor­mances. I’ve never forgotten that limousine ride. It was the only time in my life that I remember being frightened by a crowd. We walked down the theater alley out onto 45th Street to be faced by about two thousand people. Vehicular traffic was at a standstill. A great roar went up when Elizabeth and Richard appeared. Mounted police kept a passage open across the sidewalk between the alley and the open door of the limo. But it was still a gauntlet of snatching hands, cheers, jeers (“Liz is a baaad girl”) and waving autograph books. To have paused to sign one would have been fatal. Elizabeth, Jessica and Rich­ard climbed into the back of the car, I got in front with the driver. Suddenly, on the opposite side of the windshield ap­peared two grinning gargoyle faces—upside down. A couple of teenagers had managed to get onto the roof of the limou­sine and were hanging there, not three feet from me, peering inside between the windshield wipers. Doors locked and windows tightly dosed, we moved at snail’s pace out from the curb into a sardine can of humanity. Even with mounted police clearing the way, it wasn’t easy, and God forbid that anyone should get bumped, let alone run over. Jess’s memory of that ride—as vivid as my own—is of a sweet, smiling Elizabeth, waving like royalty while silently mouthing, “Fuck you—and you—and you, dear.” This was not Elizabeth’s usual style with her public. But in this instance she’d simply had it. Usually, she was charming, patient and polite to a degree I thought remarkable, but the Hamlet episodes were as bad as anything she’d endured during the making of Cleo­patra—and there, paparazzi had literally been chased out of the trees surrounding her house, from where they had a clear view of bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs.

[sugarpsalms]

💞🤡✔️?

💞 Who's your comfort character?

Hmm if we're talking of all time, it's Armand Vampire Chronicles 😅 he's been caught in the spin cycle of my mind since I was 14. Honorable mention to Grell Sutcliffe tho. I got deeply into Black Butler after a breakup 12ish years ago and imprinted on Grell HARD. Like to the point that the next time I needed new glasses, I got red ones and just. Have continued to do so ever since. Now and then people are like "oh, red ones again?" and I literally start sweating because I FEAR they will ask follow up questions lmaoooo

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Oooh it's got to be one from Won't You Come Out Tonight? (a lil 'i have too many stars in my eyes to realize you're flirting with Me' Barto/Luffy fic I've been working on for a while). Greater context for this scene is that Barto has been on the Sunny all day, missing signals left, right, and center, and for the last couple hours specifically has been trying to play it Very Cool whenever Luffy touches him.

Nami frowned. “How much?”

“More than usual, given that this is a local festival month. Prices for everything have gone up across the board, but,” [Law] held a hand up, cutting Nami off as she started to argue, “you’ll be happy to hear that lodging is taken care of."

“Taken care of,” Zoro repeated. “As in?”

“Free. I cashed in a favor.” When the swordsman’s brow quirked, Law added, “It won't be luxurious. We'll be sleeping four or five to a room, but the bedrolls will be clean and we’ll be fed and watered. With a few hours’ notice, we’ll also be allowed to use the host’s private bathhouse. What’s more, they’ve graciously agreed to house us for two weeks.”

“Two weeks?!” Luffy leaned around Barto, practically falling into his lap. The hand that wasn’t plastered to Barto’s side latched onto his thigh. “Oh man, how’d you pull that off, Torao?”

Trafalgar glanced aside, opened his mouth, then clicked it shut again. He took an uncomfortably long look at how Luffy was sitting. Barto flushed from his cheeks to his chest, watching Law watch Luffy’s fingers grip him.

“It’s like I said,” Law responded eventually, “I cashed in a favor.”

Luffy snickered, not worried about how he was sardined against Barto, or about what Law must be thinking, or anything at all. Figuring he was worried enough for both of them, Barto risked looking around the table, relieved to see that no one else was paying attention.

Luffy: *touching pawing playing with Barto's coat sleeves falling into his lap like a cat*

Barto, sweating bullets: oh man...he doesn't know how this looks....poor guy, someone's gonna think...not ME though, I would never think 👀 but someone might...hope they aren't looking...

Law: 👁️👁️ <- bearing merciless witness

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

BIG fan of mutual pining, so that almost always features. Also, if I can sneak in letters I absolutely will. High stakes trust exercises also; oh, and sudden flips of power dynamics. Short list of things that make me dizzy and so I subject everyone else to.

[george-weasleys-girl]

Chapter 27 - So Far Away

Warnings: one curse word

Summary: George and Y/N struggle through Valentines Day

*Author's Ramblings - Not sure how I feel about this one. I don't think it's bad or anything, just extraneous. I wanted to show how George and Y/N were handling being apart on Valentines Day, but after writing it, it feels unnecessary as a stand-alone chapter. Like, maybe I could've shortened it and blended it in with another chapter. 🤷‍♀️🤔

Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy it!🙂

Start Here:

It sucked missing each other, George and Y/N had decided. Especially on Valentines Day. Even the photo of they'd taken of themselves last Valentines, usually a source of comfort, only served to remind them how lonely they were for one another. All either one wanted to do was just crawl into bed and sleep until this stupid day was over.

Which is why George found himself packed in like a sardine at Madam Pudifoot's Tea Room, as he, Fred and Lee pointed and snickered at the tacky decor and tried to dodge the absurd flying cupids.

And it was also why Y/N found herself walking across the school grounds with her best friend Callie to play lacrosse. It was a game she loved to watch but could barely play.

George's POV

"Geez," Fred commented. "Glad I'm not here with a date. If you're not careful, you could lean over and kiss the wrong person."

"I thought you and Angie came here last year?" Lee asked.

Fred bristled at the mention of his ex's name. "We were, but she took one look at the crowds and refused to--"

"Hey, look who's here," George interrupted, hoping to steer the conversation away from his twin's former girlfriend. Harry and Cho Chang were standing near the door waiting to be seated. Cho looked radiant, but Harry, on the other hand, looked like a frightened deer, ready to bolt at the least little thing.

Yikes.

George had a sneaking suspicion that their date might not end well.

And, Merlin, was he right. The couple was seated at the table beside them, and the trio had no choice but to overhear every word that passed between Harry and Cho. Cringing as he listened to the embattled couple, George thanked his lucky stars that he and Y/N had a secure, stable relationship. A sudden warmth radiated out from his locket. The smile that began to form on his face faltered when he realized the locket continued to grow hotter by the second.

George knew exactly what that meant. Excusing himself, he raced back to the castle to do to the only thing he could do. Write a letter.

Y/N's POV

The wound was pretty gnarly, but no blood, so that was good. Y/N's left eye was swollen shut, while a mottled mess of blue and purple bruises radiated outward across the left side of her face. Wincing, she gave it a tentative prod. "Ow! Damn, that hurts. Remind me not to get hit in the face with a crosse stick again." Y/N said, trying to make light of the situation.

"I'm really sorry, Y/N," Callie apologized. "I shouldn't have talked you into playing."

Y/N waved her off. "Nature of the beast. Besides, the Bruise-Away Salve will have this cleared up by tomorrow."

Turning back to the mirror, she debated if she should take a picture and send it to George. Y/N had almost decided against it when her locket vibrated against her chest.

George's had done the same the morning she woke up with her's burning hot.

Oh dear.

Sitting down at her writing desk and grabbing some parchment, Y/N squinted down at it with her good eye, and began to write.

Dear George,

First off, let me assure you, I am okay...

~•~

Next Chapter:

@milivanili99 @slytherclaw1978 @quackitysdrugdealer @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @ladylizzieofdarbyshire

[chaletnz]

Amazon: Tribal Visit/Piranha Fishing

The lodge had three hours of power from 6pm to 9pm to charge up electronics and use the lights and then the generator plunged us into darkness until the following evening. I had slept early in the evening so I was ready for the 5am meet up this morning to take the boat out and see a sunrise on the Amazon river. We climbed into a smaller boat without a roof and drove out to where we had stopped yesterday to watch the dolphins. The sun was just starting to come up and the sky was colourful. Fishing bats were flying along the surface of the river feeding off the insects. When we eventually stopped to watch the sunrise, we saw some pink dolphins – they were bright pink this time and it was very noticeable and exciting! They were swimming slower too so it was a better time to get a good look at them. We watched some birds waking up for the day too and then when the sun was fully up we headed back to the camp for our breakfast of scrambled eggs, bread rolls with ham and cheese, and slices of papaya. Since I don’t eat eggs I took two bread rolls without much care who else was behind me as it seems that everyone takes enough for themselves here given how little food was there at dinner last night. I felt it fair to take more this time and the group of old people behind me in line could miss out as I had on the salad and pineapple! We then took the boat back to monkey island as the Puerto Rican mother wanted to see it since she had been unwell yesterday. We also stopped at Yahua tribe’s village where they all greeted us and shook our hands, the tribe chief demonstrated how to use the blowgun and we all had a turn with that. They started an awkward “dance” which was walking around in circles with two tribesmen playing a drum and a recorder. The others all got roped in but I stayed off to the side with Rodrigo not wanting to make a spectacle of their culture, I felt like this was just for tourists and they don’t actually do this normally/naturally. Rodrigo then took us back to the animal sanctuary for mama to take a photo holding the sloth while I went for a walk with Rodrigo and Rachel. I then discovered that Rachel and Naomi were not sisters, but were in fact a couple. It made a lot of sense since Rachel could speak Spanish but far less than Naomi and she spoke English fluently. I had originally created some kind of backstory for their family moving to the continental US when Rachel was younger and so she preferred English but the couple thing definitely explained a lot more! Rachel said in Peru that “they are sisters” to prevent unwanted attention or discrimination. We walked around on foot given the village was dry and all the paths were clear however Rodrigo explained that in the rainy season, people would take canoes between the various buildings as the water would rise by a couple meters and all the buildings would be up to their stilts in water. It would be very interesting to take some comparison photos on a rainy season visit! Our next stop was a small shack on the river where we hopped out of our uncomfortable small boat without any shade to do some piranha fishing. Our boat driver had prepared a bag of bait and threaded it onto some hooks for us, Rodrigo then showed us how to disturb the water and then drop the bait in to try and catch something. He caught a red belly piranha and a sardine without much effort. Rachel also was gifted in this activity and she caught two piranhas; an adult and a baby. I never caught anything but Naomi managed to reel in a baby piranha at the last second too. We rushed back onto the boat and gunned it back for lunch, going so fast that a fish leapt out of the waves below the boat and smacked papa in the face, the girls both screamed and Rodrigo shouted for them to keep the fish in the boat so Naomi held it down with her shoe until he could grab it. It was a vicious-looking, ugly dogfish but I guess it would end up on the dinner table…

[cartiiib360]

A DAY IN KARAYAN

Karayan or Dapya Karayan River was located in Cabangan, Zambales, which is about 3 hours of travel from our house. It was indeed a sunny day. We are set to travel by public transportation with my friends around 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. At that point, we're wishing that we had our own car to do a road trip; being a commuter was indeed a hassle. We decided to travel by jeepney to lessen the expenses because it was cheaper, and which means we are on a cutting trip; the second trip would be using a bus. The whole 1st hour using a jeepney was not comfortable since the jeepney's rule was like a can of sardines, a very hassle trip. The trip was smooth when we got on the bus; it was a comfortable trip. When we finally arrived in Cabangan, we first went to our other friend's house to get the things and foods we would bring. I also bring fish that haven't gutted yet because I actually have no idea how to do it. After some preparation, we finally arrived in Karayan or. When I take a look at the place, I can really tell that this is indeed the best place to unwind. It has some cottages; the place is a perfect description of a green and clean location; and it is not a crowded swimming place either.

The vibe that this place gave us was simple yet calming. We enjoyed both the road trip, which was a bit of a hassle, and the place we were at that time. The nine of us really had the fun we expected; we had a little drinking session too. We also play games to hype the mood. It was tropa time, for real. And all we did was so fun. We also gutted the fish I brought; well, it was counted as bonding. My friend also taught me the basics on how to swim. They also sang a couple of songs. The most memorable and the highlight of the "gala" for me was the song that my friend sang entitled Katawan.

If loving nature is a sin, I am willing to be a sinner, and it would be the first time that being a sinner would feel good rather than having a conscience. I enjoy everything. It feels like I am away from stress, from obligations, from pressure, from problems, and from reality. Karayan was a place that I would describe as a simple yet magical spot that would take you away from your big problems, a place where you need to go, or when you get a spot like Karayan, you should go visit it. Karayan was as if making you forget how cruel the days or months pass to you or how sick your surroundings are. It is a magical place to me; it heals some broken feeling that I can't even figure out what it is. I was mesmerized by this place and I am looking forward to go back. Manifesting for us to have our own car when we go there next time.

[getmemymicroscope]

Wow. Pre-1980s-plus Batman really was something...

As opposed to the masked vigilante of every film since, where Batman toes that fine line between "savior of the city" and "enemy of the police force, a symbol of justice gone wrong to the people," this Batman is much revered - by the people and the people. He gives newspaper interviews, is loved by the police, and has townsfolk saying things like (paraphrased) "we feel safe knowing Batman exists." Yes, it is a very different form of vigilantism here.

In this movie, apparently initially filmed as a precursor to the TV show but eventually released after the first season aired, we see Batman and Robin - who are always on the same page, taking on their biggest enemy yet - a team-up of The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin, and The Catwoman - who herself doubles also as a temporary apple of Bruce Wayne's eye. As Robin says, "holy heartbreak!"

In fact, "holy ___" is Robin's thing the entire movie: short of "holy Batman," we get everything from sardines to heartbreatk almost anytime anything happens.

We also get an altogether too long scene of Batman running around with a bomb, his desire to not harm living creatures by getting rid of it being constantly interrupted by things like an always-present marching band, a kissing couple on a boat, a bunch of ducklings, and two folks in a restaurant who refuse to leave their food even when he's yelling for everyone to leave. He does eventually succeed, of course, and this sort of drawn out scene I'm sure is funny for some folks (and was maybe funnier in 1966, when it wasn't so overused), but seeing it now in 2024, it's just like "okay, end this already."

At the end, after the whole dehydration thing comes to light and is stopped, Robin wonders if they should make mess up the separation a bit, to try and create some changes in these one-track political minds to create more inclusivity. Batman says no, saying that they shouldn't play god (or, well, mess with the laws of nature), citing an earlier incident where dehydrated folks were re-hydrated with the wrong type of hydration, became unstable, and ceased to exist at first contact. Which, fine. He's wrong and Robin is right, but fine. But then, at the end, when it becomes clear that their separation didn't work out perfectly, Batman is just like "eh, maybe this is for the better" and then rappels out the building. Interesting take, my friend.

Along with much meme'd fight scenes with comic book-style action words, we also have the crazy overly labeled Batcave - clearly made for either the audience to know too much about every gadget or for any random person who just happens across the Batcave. Probably not a smart thing to do.

His Batcopter has anti-shark and anti-whale spray, amongst others - which is ridiculous, of course, like much of this movie, but also like - why is it in the helicopter? How many times in a pre-Sharknado world, are you worried about shark or whale attacks in your helicopter? Gotham must be a really weird place.

We won't get into the science of the movie, which obviously makes a complete mess of everything. It is interesting how easily Batman is fooled by a cat mask, setting up years of everyone in that universe also being fooled by the presence or absence of a pair of glasses.

This movie is campy and ridiculous, a far cry from mostly everything else DC has given us in the past 40 years, especially everything Batman (Clooney's try at it aside). There's little room for Bruce Wayne, and even less for Dick Grayson. This Batman is a far cry from a justice-seeking vigilante, and more like a typical (dare I say, MCU-like?) superhero (pre-Age of Ultron/Civil War, I guess) who is just adored by the people because he's always just saving the day and rounding up the way-too-many (dare I say, completely realistic amount) bad guys and essentially just heartless, inhumane folks.

[keefwho]

January 09 - 2024 Tuesday

11:19pm

3.5/10

This morning I shaved my whole body which made me feel nice and fresh. I didn't know what I wanted to eat so I made pasta shells and corndog bites. It took longer to cook than I thought and the shells came out horribly. I added a LOT of salt but couldn't taste any. I should have made them like I usually do. I was late to stream. I warmed up with a couple of shitty attempts at retro futuristic space art and some shape doodles. I finished the commission was working on today and spent the rest of my time sketching the next comm and trying to sketch a YCH but I was awful at drawing today. After stream I decided to spend 1 hour practicing total focus on a task and I chose the secret project. I made a little progress but ultimately all I did was figure out that I need a better plan so I'll be starting over again. I was feeling frisky at lunch time and I made the stupid decision to try and do something about it instead of cooking. It wasn't even very good. For lunch I didn't know what to eat so I tried frying my little yellow potatoes for the first time with some onions and sardines. It was awful. I was also watching XQC react to a documentary on Philadelphia's drug problem which showed lots of skin necrosis and that was disgusting. I was late to work and disorganized so I made an adjustment to my schedule to stick to. I did today's yoga which was easy and did today's request. After that instead of drawing more I worked on the project briefly and hopped on VRchat for a little bit after. VR sucked, I was world hopping with the 10 minute rule but all I found were worlds with kids and memers and I wasn't in the mood for that. I got off and played more KSP while watching Twitch on the side. Daisy headed to bed so we called while I played Neopets and I beat it tonight. After she fell asleep I was looking up nothing in particular but I learned that Montana put in place that same porn law North Carolina did that forces me to supply ID just to look at adult sites. I looked into and signed up for a month of NordVPN to get around it temporarily but I don't plan to keep that up. Either the legislation gets overturned or I use other sites to find what I need.

Today was horrible. Breakfast and lunch were horrible, I struggled to be creative, and I developed eye strain early on. Also my gums still hurt from when an m&m cut my mouth bad. I felt socially queer so I didn't talk with anyone. Tomorrow I set up a new cutoff time for when I should stop doing creative things so I can recharge and gather fresh ideas.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

idk if you remember but in a previous ask you mentioned much "denser", more efficient cities and city building, what does that entail? its a meme that certain people are chill with "living" packed like sardines with no diverse or meaningful animal or plant life around them, you didn't seem like that type so i'm curious now as to how you would build a city having a quality of life that would be superior to a low budget chinese zoo

oh i remember. this is one of the things i'm most passionate about and it's a pretty big part of the change i'd want to bring to usher in my "ideal" society.

but yeah, you raise a valid concern. i see those memes too. and that's very far from my vision.

my vision is the opposite; sustainable, walkable, environmentally friendly cities full of greenery, community, and meaning.

i wanted cities with more mixed use zoning. i want cities to have a mix of single-family hopes, high- and low-rise and courtyard apartments and condos, multiplexes, townhomes, cottage courts, live-work homes, etc. and i think there should be low-traffic small businesses (corner stores, cafes, restaurants, bars, art studios, workshops, boutiques, bakers, bookstores, etc) interspersed throughout. there should also be parks, greenways, green belts, and even just more trees and flower along streets, etc. more urban gardens. wildlife corridors where appropriate. more beautiful, ornamental architecture. efficient public transportation, bike-friendly, and strategic pedestrianization. energy efficient and environmentally-friendly (or as close to friendly as possible) smart cities, etc.

imagine: you wake up in your single family home in some metropolis but it feels like a suburb. your neighbors are other single family homes and townhomes and multiplexes. you live in a low-traffic street. there is a park across the street where your kids can safely play. you realize you need to get some milk so you walk to the corner store that's literally on the corner, a two minute walk away. across the street is a cafe and you see a couple of your neighbors there. you stop and chat with them for a while, developing some sense of community with your neighbors. the people who work at the cafe are also your neighbors and their kids (wouldn't it have been nice to have your first job at the neighborhood cafe that you're well-acquainted with?). then when you're almost home you remember you need to get stuff for dinner. you're about to open your garage and get in your car when you remember you can get your groceries delivered to your door by drone.

but what the hell you wanna go downtown and have some fun. but you don't really feel like driving. well, good thing there's a bus stop that's like a 5 minute walk away. you, your wife, and your kid get on the bus and it takes you downtown in 20 minutes (it's always on time). you remember the old days of sitting in traffic for an hour to travel the same distance. you walk around and visit some museum and a botanical garden and then you go to the movies. the streets are pedestrianized -- you're at the historical part of town, the main street has been closed to traffic, the street is like a constant festival with people dining and playing music and doing street magic and stuff. the streets are lined with flowers and trees so it's nice and shady. there's a town square, ornately decorated, a fountain in the center, a park adjacent, etc. there's some event happening there -- maybe a concert or a political rally or art fair or farmers market -- you check it out.

then you take the bus home in 20 minutes again. your kids asks to go play at your neighbor's house (the one you were chatting with at the cafe earlier -- your kid and their kid are best friends) and you say yes. then you and your wife relax by walking down the street to your neighborhood bar and you shoot the shit with your other neighbors and maybe some friends who are visiting from the other side of town or something. then late at night you and your wife and your friends drunkenly stumble home (no fear of driving drunk).

basically, people lament the loss of community in modern cities but this sort of city would rekindle a sense of community. plus it's be safer, cleaner, more convenient, more sustainable, more fulfilling, etc.