#anyone who really has money to spend will just do it and not waste time bragging about it

[anamericangirl]

“Government funding of media companies is way less of a problem than corporations funding news outlets”

That’s quite a claim to throw out there and then move on from as if people will just take your word for it. They’re both problems and it’s funny you think the government funding media is less of a problem.

“Fascist propaganda spewed on Fox.”

Lmao. Oh please. You only say this because Fox is the only mainstream media that isn’t hard left so you’ve been programmed by left wing propaganda to call it fascist even though you don’t know what fascism is. And I’m not a Fox News defender I don’t follow it or any other mainstream media outlet but calling it fascist is absurd. People who overused the word fascist without having a clue what it meant and couldn’t define it with a gun to their head, such as yourself, are the reason fascist means nothing anymore.

“The biggest reason why Elon would attack NPR is because it’s a news outlet he can silence.”

lol 😂 what are you talking about? Elon can’t silence NPR and furthermore, there’s no evidence at all that he’s even interested in doing so. You’re just pulling that claim out of thin air. Elon Musk has not so far been in the business of silencing anyone, even critics. I mean the whole reason you guys freaked out when he bought Twitter was because he wasn’t going to be silencing people anymore so first, don’t pretend you suddenly care about censorship and two, censorship isn’t even what is happening here. If less than 1% of their budget comes from the government then taking it away isn’t going to silence them. You claiming that’s the biggest reason he would “attack” them is conspiracy level nonsense.

And of course he hates being criticized by the media. No one likes it. But it’s hilarious that you say Musk spends a lot of time attacking the outlets and then just link to an X post where Musk says Reuters is lying. Like did you even investigate the story to determine if Musk is “attacking” the media or if they are reporting something that’s not true? Or do you just blindly trust the media for some reason? Looks like Reuters is very likely manipulating data in that report so if they are, how is it an attack to call them out for it?

“People need to realize that Musk and DOGE aren’t defunding institutions because they actually found wasteful spending or want to save taxpayer money.”

Yeah sorry but this is definitely conspiracy theory garbage. And you’re confirming that yes you do just the mainstream media without question. What people actually need to realize is you don’t know what you’re talking about. DOGE is cutting wasteful spending and the cuts are happening in places where we’ve known for a long time there has been wasteful spending. So you’re just out of the loop there unfortunately. Your whole last paragraph is unverified nonsense. Again, there is no indication or evidence Musk is trying to silence anyone that would hold him or Trump “accountable.” You are making that up because you don’t understand what’s really happening and you trust the government way too much. You’re an example of why government funded media is bad.

[felixcosm]

The number one most important tip I've learned as a sex worker and one I wish every single artist will take to heart is

always. ALWAYS. get your FULL payment UPFRONT. don't trust they will deliver after you put in the work.

Most payment providers do not protect against chargebacks. Neither do giftcards.

As soon as you get paid, move it into your bank account.

It doesn't matter how much you trust the person, if they've bought from you before or if they say they'll spend 'so much money on you', it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Promises mean nothing if there isn't money to back up a claim, anyway. I automatically don't trust people who claim they have so much money to spend on me if they don't immediately prove it (and keep proving it) because anyone can talk big game online, especially if they want something from you.

[chaoticace2005]

Why Vox needs to GET THE FUCK OVER THE RADIO DEMON:

(By Velvette, the only competent of the Vees)

(Her list for Valentino here)

1. He’s just not into you

2. We have better things to do than allocate company time to this.

3. He makes you look stupid

4a. He makes US look stupid (and Valentino already does that enough)

4b. Seriously how are we supposed to stop your boy toy from chasing whore around town when you can’t do the same with your ex? We need to set a (gag) good example for him.

5. What do you even see in him? Tacky coat. And that voice is so old-school.

6. You have two people who (reluctantly) want to work with you. Why spend energy on a guy who doesn’t?

7. This was seven years ago babe. Give it up.

8. I’m tired of finding your Alastor Body Pillow around the penthouse

9. Speaking of the body pillow, did you really have to spend 5k on it?

10. Company money should be used for COMPANY things. The fact we even have an “Alastor” budget is stupid. HE DOESNT EVEN GO HERE. ( @onesidedradiostatic )

11. He fucked off once, he probably will again.

12. Do you really want to fuck with someone who has the princess and king of Hell on his side?

13. It makes Valentino insecure about his sexual prowess, which is not good for anyone.

14. I have to LISTEN to him complain about it.

15. No matter how hard you try, nobody will ever beat “Susan” for #1 rival in that man’s heart. (Which is valid cause Susan SUCKS.)

16. Also you’re wasting company time by having Val put together shitty-Alastor look alike porns? Angel Dust does NOT look like Radio Demon ffs, I though Val was the blind one not you.

17. Your screens keep crapping out whenever you think about him, and we’re running out of ones in storage.

18a. I don’t want to keep having to go to overlord meetings for you because you’re having a breakdown over of he’ll be there or not.

18b. Speaking of breakdowns, STOP MAKING THE WHOLE CITY LOSE POWER.

19. You’ve taken over the entire office space with your Alastor-shrine. It’s not really an inconvenience, just creepy.

20a. Not to kinkshame but I walked in on you and Val fucking with Alastor-wigs on, REALLY?!

20b. Also I think you’re making Val insecure about his lack of hair.

21. STOP asking me to design Alastor-cosplay clothes for you. I don’t want anything to do with this.

22. I already have to deal with one pissbaby

23. Seriously, he isn’t into you. Maybe it’s cause you’re a mess. Maybe it’s cause he’s AROACE. Who knows.

24. You keep interrupting channels to brainwash people into hating the Radio Demon, when we should be brainwashing them into other things.

25. We can all hear you talking to yourself in the shower when trying to come up with shitty comebacks.

26. You display your dreams when you sleep, and while it was funny at first at this point it’s so boring. Val and I want to watch something actually interesting for once rather than the same shit.

27. You keep glitching out in bisexual whenever he comes up and it’s annoying waiting for you to put your shit back together again.

28. I’m sick of movie nights where we just watch your self-made compilations of “Alastor’s Epic Fails” or just watch security footage of him at the hotel.

29. Why do you even try and film him? Your shitty cameras can pick hardly anything up.

30. Honestly this whole thing is just pathetic.

31. Like it used to be cute but now?

[fanged-fanfics]

☆ A Little Frost — Sebastian x GN Reader ☆

Genre: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

──────.𖥔 ݁ ˖˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ──────

The snow had fallen in a thick white sheet, covering the grounds of Stardew Valley. You'd woken up disappointed to see your crops that hadn't yet been moved into safer storage had already completely shriveled up. But, not wanting to waste the day, you gathered what you could from what you already had. You refilled the food and water bowls for your trusted pet before setting off towards Pelican Town.

You heard the crunching beneath your farm boots as you walked down the dirt road, steps making little indents in the powdery white snow. You shivered, rubbing your arms. Despite your planning, you apparently hadn't accounted for how cold the Valley could get. The thin jacket you had packed proved quickly to not be enough. But still, you had a bunch of crops stowed away, and they absolutely needed to get turned in today. Tomorrow was Wednesday, and you needed that time to tend to cleaning up the grounds, not managing crops.

As you huffed shallow breaths that left little white clouds of frostbreath in the air, you finally got to the center of the town. You gave a little wave to the members who were out and about, all completely dressed up for the cold. Lucky bastards.

You opened the door to Pierre's General Store, relieved that cheap ol' Pierre could apparently see the sense in adding heating to his store. At least that's one thing he could have a better mind about, you figured. With trembly, frigid hands, you placed your crops down, trading them for money. "We have the usual in store," Pierre began "But I don't think you'll be able to do much with anything". "Just show me the seeds collection, please" You said through shaky shudders. Pierre rolled his eyes at your insistence, but he dipped behind the counter to grab the box of seed packs.

Mid-mental curse, you felt a hand on your shoulder. You jolted, turning around. You nearly stumbled, but a stabilizing hand grabbed your shoulder and pulled you back up "I know I'm not out much, but I didn't think I was that surprising to see". You looked up at the recognizable voice, sighing in relief as you saw the familiar swept dark hair of your closest town companion, Sebastian. "Oh, whew. You're so pale I thought you were a ghost" You said jokingly. Sebastian scoffed and chuckled lightly, nudging your arm "Yeah, and I'm gonna haunt your ass".

Pierre interrupted your bantering by plopping down the box of packs. You flicked through it, carefully selecting what to spend your earnings on. After getting a good amount, you hopped up to where Sebastian had wondered off to browse the shelves. "You here for anything?" You asked, storing away your new seeds. "Mhm, mom asked me to pick things up for the Feast of the Winter Star" Sebastian answered. You leaned over behind him, chin hovering over his shoulder "Y'got anyone in particular you wanna give something to?". Sebastian turned his head away from you a smidge, not wanting you to see how his cheeks warmed a bit "Psshh, not really. Prolly gonna get Shane or something with my luck"

"I thought you liked Shane" You said, watching as Sebastian paid for his own little carry-out basket of necessities. "I don't hate him or anything" Sebastian said "He's just really hard to shop for. He has the same reaction to everything". "Sounds a lot like you" you teased, letting Seb catch up to you as you began walking to the door together. "Aha. Never heard that one" Sebastian mumbled in response. You gave him a gentle nudge, returning his earlier gesture, which did get him to smile a little.

Once you both stepped out, conversation continued while walking down the roads. The wind picked up, making you curl in on yourself a little. Sebastian glanced at you, and you quickly tried to stand up straight. He chuckled, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck. While you were rubbing your arms to try and warm up, you felt a fabric gently landing around your shoulders.

As you glanced over, Sebastian's dark eyes were looking downwards, making sure he could properly wrap it around you. You stood still, hoping he'd assume the redness in your face was just from the chill. Once you were securely wrapped up, he stepped back, hands on your shoulders. The cold clinging to his gloves only made you shiver more. "Any better?" He asked, eyes meeting yours. You almost forgot how to respond, too focused on how close he was. He'd gotten more open to you recently, but seeing him smile was still a welcome sight. It's much warmer than the gloomy goth look he carries around as a default.

Once you noticed his eyebrows beginning to furrow in confusion, you brought yourself back into the present. "Ah-! Yeah, yeah. Kinda" you finally responded "Doesn't make my arms any less cold, though. But thanks for keeping my neck warm, I guess" you added, trying to kick back up the playful energy you two usually shared. Sebastian stepped back, nodding in a certain direction. "Fair enough. Come with me, we can hang in my room for a bit". You hesitated for only a second. You should really get back home to sort out these seeds, but- ah, whatever, Grandpa'll understand.

You hopped up to be by Sebastian's side, linking your arm with his as the snow kicked up and began fluttering down around you. He held you a little closer, feeling your arm. "Damn, you're about to freeze-" he muttered "Come on, I'm sure mom'll insist on making you something". As you two walked, you stole a glance at him as he led the way. He seemed so relaxed. You pressed closer to his side a little, attempting to soak up some body heat. He moved his arm to being around your shoulders, gently ushering you to his warm home.

[scrivenger-grimgar]

Every time I read Yiling Wei sect AUs and they start describing what the sect members and leader wears its like, (direct quote from The Yiling Wei Sect and the Black Robed Lan by IvoryDragon48)

"[Wei Wuxian's hair] was pulled up into a high ponytail by a red ribbon with a gold and silver headpiece ornamenting and helping to direct the flow of his hair. The robes he wore were expensive looking with black being the dominant color and reds as the accents. The inner robe was a red so dark it looked like blood and the outer robe had simple yet elegant designs."

--And like, I get the urge to make them really cool looking and with themes or designs matching the other sects but like??? there's massive wasted potential here!!!

First, the hair. that's all well and good, but there is no way in hell that the Yiling Wei folks (Wen Remnants and others reviled/ostracized by society at large) are going to buy a gold guan OR a silver guan. why the hell would they bother spending precious resources on trying to impress people who already don't like them for something they literally have no control over.

But Wei Wuxian would know that he has to play the game now that he has people to protect, and going to a Con as a Sect Leader and not doing what all the other sect leaders are doing (wearing guan to say "I'M BETTER THAN YOU!!") is essentially outright stating that he holds no respect for any of them except in a way that could get him and his people killed. so instead, he goes "fuck it" and makes a guan out of something incredibly ordinary, like iron or wood, so now if anyone brings it up he can say "Oh, well, I like feeding my kids." or "Actually, I made this myself, all the better for carving protective arrays into!"

--And that's it. Wei Wuxian is a street kid he absolutely knows that rich people don't like to think about poor people and that they prefer to ignore them or hurt them. except you cant just attack someone who's being perfectly reasonably polite in public, especially when you just pointed out that he's 'poor'. Wei Wuxian's strategy is make them so fucking uncomfortable that they leave us alone.

(This would of course be after several years of no contact and no fighting so things have cooled off a bit)

Next, robes. No expensive robes. Let them be very well modified normal robes that have subtle stains and colour bleaching from sunlight and washing. The (shown, non-array-work) embroidery is at best amateur level, and Wei Wuxian will proudly show it off, loudly saying "a-Ning started a while back to help with his fine motor skills, and he's really come such a long way!!" and that "Oh, Xuanyu started practicing only recently but he's already so good at it!"

The Yiling Wei are the exact opposite of Lanling Jin. Wealth is to be used to benefit everyone and everyone is to be loved and appreciated for their work. The refusal to spend money of frivolous things is strong, especially when its something you could make yourself.

Self Ornamentation would not be jade or gold or silver or silks. It would be some nice wood, these feathers from the bird that likes me, hey look at this cool rock I found I'm gonna polish it like a gemstone, I dug these awesome bones out of my grandmama's garden you think I can do anything with 'em?

Yiling Wei folks are death druids.

[the-badger-mole]

Zutara prompts: Stepping in front of the other to shield them from something/someone.

Please ☺️

Zuko was shocked to see his father had actually showed up tonight. It wasn't the first time Zuko was being honored for an accomplishment, and this wasn't even a particularly big win for him. Last year, he had won a Phoenix Crown award for his work on the score of the Painted Lady movie. By comparison, a golden leaf at the Yangbaechu Awards for his tsungi horn album was the equivalent of taking home first place at a school art show. It was still an honor, of course, but far fewer people cared. Still, his uncle had insisted on throwing a party to celebrate, as he always did (though Zuko suspected Iroh had only really meant to provide an alternative to the wilder celebrity after parties that usually took place on these nights). Tonight, Ozai had surprised everyone by actually showing up.

Far less surprising was the look of disapproval permanently etched onto his face. Ozai's face was twisted as if he smelled something terrible. He cast a judgemental look around the room in such an obvious way, Zuko knew that his and Iroh's guests could tell exactly what he was thinking. Zuko could practically read his father's thoughts. So disappointing, his son. Zuko had managed to achieve his own fame and fortune separate from Ozai's political and business world, yet he wasted his time and talent on movies with no prestige, and concept albums that most people only pretended to understand. He was friends with mostly B and C list celebrities- certainly no power players who could help Zuko move up in the world. Never mind that Zuko was making a living- a very good living- doing what made him happy. Ozai had never cared for his son's happiness.

Right around the time Zuko was beginning to wonder why Ozai had bothered to show up at all, his father met his eye. Then to Zuko's surprise, Ozai came over. Zuko down the last of his lava whiskey sour and braced himself.

"You're wasting your time," Ozai said. Zuko fought the urge to lower his head. He was as tall as Ozai now. His father couldn't tower over him to intimidate him anymore.

"I've got an award that says otherwise," Zuko replied through clenched teeth. "Several of them, in fact." Rage flashed across Ozai's face, and in spite of himself, Zuko cringed a little.

"Still a mouthy little snot after all these years."

"Why did you come?" Zuko demanded. "Since I'm such a disappointment to you, why don't you just leave me to live my own life?"

"And let you keep embarrassing the family name?" Ozai sneered. "It was bad enough when my brother turned his back on the company to start his little tea shop, but now here you are making a fool of us with your antics. Your sister is poised to launch her campaign for governor, but all anyone can talk about is what actress you're dating, or what foolish little superhero movie you're making songs for."

"Well, I'm sorry Azula isn't more interesting," Zuko said. "Why don't you tell everyone what she got up to in college? I bet the people would find that a lot more interesting than what I'm doing. I know that would defeat the purpose of you spending so much money to cover it up, but it would take the attention off of me."

"I see your success has made your forget to be humble. I ought to remind you." Ozai scowled at Zuko. His hand flexed at his side, as if he were going to strike his son. It wouldn't be the first time, but would he really dare in front of so many witnesses?

"There you are!" Zuko and Ozai jumped in surprise when Katara appeared at his side. Katara had a wide smile on her face, but her sharp eyes were on Ozai in a way that Zuko knew was a warning. "You can't spend your entire party tucked up in a dark corner. At least not without me. So, catch me up. What are we talking about?"

"This is family business," Ozai sneered at her. "Why don't you go find some paparazzi to pose for."

"Maybe some other time," Katara's smile never wavered, but her eyes grew sharper.

"Do you know who I am?" Ozai sputtered, affronted.

"I do know who you are," Katara said, crossing her arms. She stepped forward, and drew up to her full height (which still left her a good half a head shorter than Ozai, even in heels), and glared at him directly. She stood in front of Zuko protectively. "I know exactly who you are, and I don't like you."

"As if I care what some tarty little slut thinks," Ozai sneered. "I'm talking to my son, so leave us alone, or I'll-" Before Ozai could finish his threat, Katara had grabbed his arm and thrown him over her shoulder. He landed on his back with a body rattling thud. The air left his lungs in a whoosh and all Ozai could do was groan weakly.

"I've taken Southern Tribe style martial arts since I was a kid," Katara said, leaning over Ozai. "I know exactly how to handle bullies like you. Now, I have on good authority that you're trespassing, so I'd suggest you leave before I really have to get tough on you."

Ozai managed to stumble onto his feet. He glowered down at Katara. She stared back at him defiantly. He seemed to be about to retaliate, but then he saw Zuko standing behind her with a dark, challenging look on his face. Then Ozai noticed that the other partiers had stopped their talking and dancing and were now watching him with various degrees of warning on their faces. Then he saw the security guards standing at the perimeter of the room as if they were waiting for a signal. For the first time in Zuko's life, Ozai looked a bit scared. Finally, he straightened his jacket and sniffed haughtily at Zuko and his friends, and left without another word.

After a few minutes, the party atmosphere returned. A handful of Zuko's friends came up and checked in on him to make sure he was okay, but after some brief reassurances, they returned to their conversations and drinks and Zuko was once again surrounded by the lively sounds of his friends having fun. Katara slipped her arm through his.

"I'm sorry if I went too far," she murmured. Zuko leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"No, you were spectacular," he assured her. "I didn't think I could be any more attracted to you, but I stand corrected."

[thesuperiorrobin]

❥ Love language

༯ quality time:

Damian has been alone for most of his life.

So he’s such a sucker for spending his free time with you.

Need help with school work? Damian putting his aside and rushes over to help you because he knows the lesson all to well.

Most of the time he’s busy so his time with you is very limited.

Been gone for weeks and the only time he’s free is training in the bat cave? He called you up so you can come over and watch it.

You two walk Titus together. Sometimes in silence or sometimes steering up conversations. It’s one of your guys favorite activities together

Second favorite (if your long in the relationship or are married) is bathing together. Nothing sexual or anything. Just you two together—washing each others hair as a simple gesture.

Loves baking with you. Baking new recipes with the help of Alfred sometimes.

Brushes your hair for you/ washes your hair for you during wash days.

Sometimes you two don’t have to be doing anything

Your presence alone puts him at ease.

༯ physical touch:

Damian’s physical touch comes from the lack that he never got growing up.

He’s also someone’s who isn’t really good at showing emotions but his physical touch makes up for it.

He didn’t understand it at first and thought that it was probably just something you just enjoyed (truth he enjoys it more then you)

He craves for your physical touch.

Please hug him, grab his hand, cuddle him, hold him in your arms. He craves it.

Had a shitty day at work/patrol? Your arms are open as soon as he gets home and doesn’t waste time in getting in your arms. Sleeping away the pissy and sour mood he’s been in

First time you hugged him, he didn’t really understood what was happening.

This feels nice he thinks and doesn’t let go until you do

Only in private, however in public you two are seen holding hands or pinkies

When he does it the feeling last forever.

Feeling down? He’ll rub your back in silence until your feeling a little better then before. A way of telling you that he right there if you need anyone to talk to

Exited about good news? He’s the first one to have his arms open waiting for a hug, Arms securely around your waist/back, swaying the both of you side to side. It’s the same if you’ve been having a shitty day

Overall just loves having you in his arms

Head over heels if it’s the other way around

༯ gift giving:

Damian is very crafty when it comes to art.

It’s also very obvious bc he’s an artsy person and can make stuff with his hands without struggling

He’ll make portraits of you and gives them to you.

Having a piece he made in your room for an anniversary. Still sitting above your bed till this day.

Loves making you paper flowers. Not the kind you make in kindergarten for Mother’s Day but the kind that should be but In a museum

When these flowers die that means my love for you has faded, he says you knowing that the flowers are fake and will never die. It’s cheesy but really cute.

But over time his gift are less self made and more bought later on in the relationship (when you two get married)

He will gift give you expensive jewelry. He has money. And tons of it it won’t effect him at all

Buys you matching sets so you two can match.

Take them. I got them especially designed to fit your taste love. Shame really because they look so good on you that you have to wear them.

Idk there’s just something about you wearing his initials around you finger on a metal ring that makes him go crazy sometimes.

[oldwritingm]

Creepypasta/MH - Doing Halloween Stuff With Them :)

(Characters: Tim/Masky, Eyeless Jack, Jeff the Killer, Nina the Killer, Jane the Killer, Ticci Toby)

Tim/Masky

Hear me out... corn maze

I believe that Tim enjoys a good puzzle every now and again

He loves trying to figure things out (specifically when there's nothing at risk)

Getting to show off his navigational skills is also a major plus

He just likes to impress you, even if it comes off as annoying sometimes

"See? What'd I tell you? The exit's right there."

Though he does like the satisfaction of completing the maze, what he really treasures is that time you spend together figuring it out

Once you finally find the exit, you'll celebrate with hot cocoa :D

Eyeless Jack

This man LOVES carving pumpkins

He goes all out; definitely one of those people who makes the crazy intricate designs that look like they take hours

He'll love it if you help him!

If you have a steady hand, he'll let you do the details

If you don't, he'll task you with gutting the pumpkin/handing him tools

You guys collaborate on multiple pumpkins throughout the month, setting them in random locations for everyone to see

If there's a design you want to do, just show it to him, there's no question he'll be down

If it's too simplistic, he'll try to add more details

"Ooh, Jack, look at this one. Can we try to re-create it?"

"Of course! Though I do have some ideas on how it can be improved..."

Jeff the Killer

Another pumpkin carving enjoyer

But for a different reason... a very different reason

He loves the goriness of gutting the pumpkins

He couldn't care less about making actual designs, he just wants to get messy stabbing the pumpkin and gouging out its insides

That being said, he'll 100% gut your pumpkin if you ask him (he'll probably end up doing it even if you don't ask)

It's honestly a little disturbing watching him work

He just gets this look in his eye...

"You, uh... you doing okay there, Jeff?"

"Hm? Yup! Never better!! Say, can you grab the big knife from the kitchen for me?"

Nina the Killer

You best bet she's the costume queen

Spends the whole year planning matching horror-themed costumes

She'll settle for no less than creativity and perfection

High-quality props and articles only!! She'll even make them herself if she has to!

You can expect to spend at least an hour in front of the mirror while she does your makeup/adjusts your clothes

She's an SFX makeup legend, loves incorporating as much gore into your costume as possible

Don't ask why it's so realistic (it's not like she knows how the wound would look if it was real or anything)

"Wow, Nina... It's almost like I can feel it! It's so real!"

"No, no. If you were feeling it, you would be screaming pretty loud right now."

You can also expect to attend multiple parties where you show off your costumes

You guys dominate costume competitions

Jane the Killer

Horror movies!!

Specifically, making fun of them

You both pick apart the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the special effects, everything

No horror film is safe from your scrutiny

If you're the type to get scared during horror movies, her snide comments will help distract you

"Ooh, I can't look!"

"Oh, come on. Look—I bet they used corn syrup for that fake blood. It's way too thick."

When the movie ends, you're both feeling more amused than scared

She doesn't like to see horror films in theaters because she doesn't get to make commentary, plus she doesn't want to "waste" money on a "stupid tryhard-horror flick"

She'd much rather dig up some old indie DVD/VCR and have a home movie night with you

Ticci Toby

Halloween sweets are his bread and butter

Candy apples, fun-sized candy bars, candy corn, pumpkin bread...

He would perish if you made anything homemade for him

Spends the whole month gorging on sweets almost as fast as he can get his hands on them

He will not share with anyone but you

And even you only get a small portion of his goodies

Robs at least one child on Halloween night, mostly for the candy but also because he likes scaring little kids

"Where did you get all that candy?"

"Got it from a little birdy. By that I mean a kid in Falcon cosplay."

"Toby! ... save me the (favorite candy)."

Thank you for reading! Have a good day/night my spooky pookies <33

(divider by saradika)

[deadflowerssociety]

*ੈ✩‧₊༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊ *ੈ✩‧₊༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊ *ੈ✩‧₊༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."–Aristotle

Until you find yourself you will always be someone else🫐🐇

Self discovery is a very hard and confusing process. We all tend to look for it, but it’s a slowly paced journey. Asking questions can help us understand ourselves better and it might help understand what we want and who we are (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ

Ask yourself questions🫐

I want to be a part of your journey to self discover and self love. Try asking yourself those questions and save them for your future self.

1. How would you describe yourself in five words?

2. Do you consider yourself a positive person?

3. What is one thing that is going really well in your life right now?

4. What is one thing that really needs your attention?

5. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

6. What makes you anxious?

7. What makes you happy?

8. What makes you angry?

9. What are you passionate about?

10. How do you talk to yourself?

11. What has been bringing you joy lately?

12. Do you feel overwhelmed a lot?

13. Do you consider yourself generally optimistic or pessimistic?

14. Do you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Do you wish you were more of one or the other?

15. What are your biggest daily distractions?

16. What are you excited about each day when you wake up?

17. Who is your biggest fan?

18. What makes you laugh out loud?

19. Are you indecisive or are you certain with your decisions?

20. Do you feel like you spend a lot of time overthinking?

21. Do you have a lot of regrets?

22. How much time do you spend per day on social media?

Do you see this as restful time or wasted time?

23. When do you feel like you are most "in your element"?

24. How much do you value other people's opinions?

25. What is the first thing you notice about other people?

26. What irritates you?

27. Do you consider yourself brave? Why?

28. Someone just handed you a million dollars.what are you going to do with it?

29. What piece of advice would you give to 16 year old you?

30. Who are the most important people in your life?

31. What is your biggest worry?

32. What keeps you grounded?

33. Are you good at planning or do you typically "fly by the seat of your pants"?

34. When you look in the mirror, what do you say to yourself?

35. How would you describe your childhood?

36. What are your top priorities right now?

37. Would you consider yourself a people pleaser?

38. What is the number one thing you do when you're upset?

39. In five years, what do you want to be able to say you've accomplished?

40. What are your biggest stressors right now?

41. What is holding you back from achieving your goals right now?

42. What is one thing you never get tired talking about?

43. What makes you feel peaceful and content?

44. How do you practice self care?

45. What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?

46. What is your relationship with money? Do you consider yourself frugal? Good with a budget? An overspender?

47. What keeps you up at night?

48. Who do you go to for advice?

49. What is one thing you've always wanted to do? Why haven't you done it?

50. Do you consider yourself a productive person?

51.Where is your favorite place to be?

52. What is your biggest dream?

53. Describe your ideal day.

54. Do you consider yourself confident? Resilient? Passionate?

55. How do you define success? What do you need to do to consider yourself successful?

56. What calms you down when you're angry?

57. What is one thing you need to forgive yourself for?

58. Who do you talk to when you're struggling?

59. What are you grateful for?

60. What is one bad habit you'd like to eliminate?

61. Is there anyone you need to apologize to?

62. What is your dream job?

63. What offends you?

64. What is the last lie you told?

65. Do you consider yourself laid back or wound tight?

66. Did you make someone smile today? Laugh? Cry?

67. Who is the kindest person you know?

68. What are the top three things on your bucket list?

69. If you could hire a coach right now, what would it be for?

70. What do people always come to you for? Advice? A listening ear? Fun night out? A favor?

71. What do you need to heal from? How are you making that healing happen?

72. Where do you spend most of your time? How could you make that environment better?

73. When you die, what do you want people to remember about you?

74. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

75. What does unconditional love mean to you?

76. What is one thing you absolutely cannot live without?

77. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

78. Name the five people you spend the most time with. Now describe them. Do you consider them to be positive influences?

79. How is "public you" different than "private you?

80. What are you dreading?

81. What motivates you?

82. How do you handle conflict?

83. What is your biggest pet peeve?

84. What inspires you?

85. Are you a jealous person?

86. What have you given up on?

87. Name three things you love about your life.

88. What are your favorite activities?

89. What are your first thoughts when you wake up?

90. Describe one moment in life you'll never forget.

91. Are you living life on your own terms? Or trying to live up to others expectations?

92. What quality do you admire most in others?

93. What drains your energy?

94. Who do you trust most in your life?

95. What is something you avoid like the plague?

96. How do you handle change?

97. What do you need to let go of?

98. How connected to your friends, family, community do you feel?

99. How balanced do you consider your work/home life?

100. Overall, do you consider yourself happy?

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · · · · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · · · · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · · · · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

🫐🐇100 questions might seem like a lot of work and struggle, but it really does help to know how you can improve and grow as a human being.

xoxo,

deadflowerssociety🪷

I really appreciate reblogs🐇🤍

[lowpolynpixelated]

Call of Duty and the beast that must die

Written by: Clair Beckett

Upon booting up Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for the first time I was assaulted with a modern "Marvel" type banner, proudly declaring the expansive media franchise that is CALL OF DUTY. I was then given three different screens filled with the names of game studios swallowed by the machine in the series' long and crumbling history of game after game after game. Call of Duty claims itself a pillar of the industry. One of the many posts that hold up the very sky of the video game landscape. It stands now before me, million dollar propaganda for the US military starring Spawn and Nicki Minaj for a limited time only, but only if you can pay the price of admission.

The next thing I was told, of course, was to make an Activision account. The game then prompted me to add my phone number and restart the game twice to make sure that all the personal data it wanted from me was set to go. Modern video games have gone so far beyond what they began as and yet they still ride the corpses of the culture the executives strangled to death loudly and proudly. Remember COD4? Remember Modern Warfare 2? Well we do! And we're happy to announce that we've rewritten and re-released them for $70 with extra US warcrimes written to look like the russians did it! Buy now and get a new golden skin for the gun that will only be in the cash shop rotation for the next two weeks!

Loading into the launchers that games like Halo and Call of Duty have become is insulting. But at least Halo has the dignity to somewhat look like a game instead of a collection of repackaged and hastily made content so that you can push its cosmetics exchange and season passes safely underneath some menus so they don't bother while you try to do the thing you paid for without logging in to your Microsoft account first. No, Call of Duty loads you into a fantastic screen filled with games you COULD own and cosmetics it wants you to spend the money on first. But how did this happen? I thought we were going to vote with our wallets? Show those big companies that we're not gonna take it anymore! Well, astute video gameist, we did. Or, folks like you did, and the resounding answer was "more forever so the money we're making off these pre-order bonuses and cosmetic mircotransations." Except it hasn't slowed down? Has it? So called "microtransactions" have ballooned up to upwards of $20 for single weapon skins or character packs, art that is made at the behest of artists who are cycled out of the offices like so many reams of paper wasted on stock reports.

Call of Duty wastes 0 time showing you all the ways you can spend money every way possible. If you select the game you "own" you'll first be prompted to upgrade to the ultimate edition, then when you select multiplayer you'll be prompted to purchase this month's battlepass, when you select what character you want to present as on each team you get bombarded with skins, pricetags displayed proudly larger than the actual name of the skin. Too, damn, far. Is what this nonsense is. Far be it from me to lay down my journalistic integrity for the absolute slog that fucking Call of Duty has become, but is this really what we play now? Is this what the multi-million dollar companies have to offer? Do you think that anyone working on these games had their passion cared for? Their intent respected? The answer, dear reader, is no.

No, no this isn't about video games anymore. But your average "gamer", as it were, hasn't cared about this in about 10 years. The "gamer culture" that has been fostered within the triple A sphere of the landscape is one of complacency and non questioning attitudes of "the next big thing must be the best because it's the next and the biggest!" when in actuality it's just the biggest number of people laid off without notice and the biggest return for five people in thousand dollar suits. Modern Call of Duty props itself up on the idea of legacy. The idea that the name itself is enough to warrant the money you pay for the content it will legally take away from you in a matter of a few short years so they can save on server costs. But what IS the legacy of Call of Duty? The original titles helped shape the first person shooter landscape, and the fourth title revolutionized multiplayer action games alongside the likes of Halo, but what came after? Almost immediately after COD4's smashing success it traded any sort of message and want for things like gameplay innovation or narrative cohesiveness for an iterative cycle at the behest of a publisher in some of the early days of the triple A landscape becoming a barren sprawl of corporate greed. Mind you I said some of the early days, corporate greed has always been intrinsically tied to the video game landscape but I digress. Call of Duty became one of the first annual franchises. Swapping developer each year back and forth to make games that were baseline iterative on the last promising "bigger and better but also the same, we promise" ad nauseam until something had to give. Modern Warfare 2 is heralded as a gold standard for the series, but it mostly has to do with the most memorable levels letting you gun down civilians in an airport. Otherwise it was the same jarheaded OO-RA gun em' down action that the first game had, minus some rather potent anti-war sentiments.

Call of Duty's legacy then is one of "gamer culture", fiercely embroiled in charging the most for the least at the promise of it being the very bleeding edge of what your new several hundred dollar machine can do. The idea of the annual franchise sold more than consoles it sold promises to people, and executives loved that. The culture I speak of you can see everwhere in the mid to late 2000s and early to mid 2010s before the absurdity of it all really started to take root. From Mountain Dew cans boasting cool spec ops dudes in tactical gear and offering double XP should you buy the sugary sludge, to commercials starring then YouTube celebrities famous for blowing things up with military grade firearms on empty land. Gamer culture was and still is top priority in ensuring people don't question the quality or practices of the things they're being sold now. As long as a company can tug on the heartstrings of millions by saying things like "We grew up playing (insert late 90s/early 2000s video game title here) so we get what makes games fun." They have carte blanche to repackage, resell, and further monetize things that should not cost that much if anything at all. The idea that the name "Call of Duty" should stand as the base pricepoint to sell you a launcher to host all the games you could own while barely showing you the ones you do is that corporate greed taken to such a far extreme it's maddening to think about why people aren't more fucking angry about this.

The great Stephanie Sterling has long spoken on points like this about companies like Activision/Blizzard, Nintendo, and EA. Titans of the industry now only famous for how many people they layoff every few months and how much they charge for games that shouldn't cost that much. In a 2019 article on how Apex Legends ended up saving Electronic Arts from major stock crashes, she said the following:

"Last generation saw the rise of the “fee to pay” game. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 made online connectivity obligatory for modern consoles, and it was only a matter of time because videogame publishers smelled an opportunity to make money from constant access to their customers. Full premium expansions for videogames gave way to downloadable content, which in turn gave way to microtransactions appropriated from free-to-play games. Only, they never made the games containing them free.

New “AAA” titles saw their entire in-game economies overhauled for the worse in order to support microtransactions. Dead Space 3, notoriously, had to reduce all its horror elements and become a traditional action game to support a desperate weapon crafting economy. This was excused by pundits and spokespeople as offering players a “choice,” without addressing the fact that psychologically manipulative gameplay elements were not things we could opt out of in the games we were paying sixty dollars for.

Having gotten away with it, however, publishers only grew worse. With traditional DLC, season passes, and multiple special editions, many companies have more than quadrupled down on their monetization, and modern games are slowly - subtly - starting to resemble starter packs more than finished products."

-Stephanie Sterling, "How Apex Legends Saved EA's Ass... In Spite of EA", Feb. 12, 2019

In microcosm I think this perfectly encapsulates what the new legacy of things like Call of Duty is. Full and even fuller priced games being stocked with more and more transactions to pull the most out of the consumer without giving anything meaningful in return. Virtual rewards for real world currency that can be taken away at a moment's notice. Fortnite is most famous for popularizing the "battlepass" style of monetization and rotating cash shop storefronts. By having you purchase funny in-game tokens to buy your skins it hoped to have you forget about the 30$ you just spent on said tokens. Call of Duty and its piers have no such interests. No, cold hard cash is the only way it presents its purchasable garbage and that's what you pay each time you give in to one of it's dozens of FOMO inducing splash screens and reminders. You are taken advantage of for your money. That's not even to touch on the genre destroying concept of "crossover content" which only serves to further drive the idea of sales over substance, with more of your favourite characters and celebrities being added to these games in the form of poorly animated and uncanny models for 20$ a pop.

This new form of selling a legacy can only end in more of the same. More skilled artists, developers, and writers being laid off into an industry that cannot afford to hire them back. Infinite growth has already reached it's glass ceiling and is pretending that it simply cannot see it due to it's see-through nature. These giants of the industry, these beasts, must die to see meaningful creative growth return to such spheres as the triple A landscape. The old must give way to the new, the nostalgia has been wrung out like so many drops from an already dry sponge. Name's are not worth paying for, and neither are concepts. We must think and act critically of these systems if we are to escape them. Voting with your wallet is a false initiative. Participating in the market they have a stranglehold on cannot lead to their downfall. This is all to say the following: Stop buying this nonsense. Look more into the independent scene. Find your new favourite games through channels like itch.io or the "indie" spaces on the other major storefronts. Pay for the games that care about what they are. And for the love of everything stop purchasing US Army propaganda. I'd like to recommend the likes of Stephanie Sterling, as previously mentioned, who's journalistic integrity and strength has persevered through some of the worst of gaming's tumultuous history. Jacob Geller, who's introspective analysis of video games as pieces of living breathing art tell so much about the passion and craft that goes into something as commonplace as "a video game". And finally Noah Caldwell-Gervais, a man who I can only describe as one of the most earnest, honest, and just plain down-to-earth guys to ever grace the gaming landscape. These three along with countless others are avenues into further understanding the type of landscape video games exist in in the modern day. I hope you come away from either this article or their work with something new, be it a game or a thought on all this mess. Thanks for reading.

Sources and links:

"How Apex Legends Saved EA's Ass... In Spite of EA"

Stephanie Sterling's work

Analyzing Every Torture Scene in Call of Duty — All 46 of Them (Jacob Geller)

How Many Clicks Does It Take To Get to the Center of Diablo? [A Franchise Retrospective] (Noah Gervais)

[sodasletter]

some Darry (x reader) headcanons because i’ve seen so many good ones but there’s SO much i have to say about them.

these work for book/movie!Darry and musical!Darry because my god i love them both and musical!Darry deserves so much love

cw: none, just not proofread!

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

some people might hc that darry doesn’t say i love you a lot but he absolutely does. at least once a day. he will not leave the house without saying it.

after losing his parents, and especially after the situation with pony running away, he would never take the risk of not telling his loved ones that he loves them. especially his partner.

sure, he might not get sappy with the guys much because he wants to act all tough and stern, but with you he always says ‘i love you’ before he leaves for work and before bed.

i’d like to imagine that, because of that, it slowly over time becomes more habit for him to say it to the boys too.

it slips out at first. he’s running late for work, after giving you a quick peck and brief ‘love you’ while rushing out the door. without even thinking, without looking back, he tosses out a quick ‘love you boys’ as he sprints out the door.

the boys pause, because of course they’ve heard it before from him, but not so casually tossed out. ponyboy gives a small, almost embarrassed, but content smile then returns to what he’s doing.

i like to think from there it becomes more and more common for you all to remind that you love each other. because they all absolutely deserve the reminders and that house deserves to be filled to brink with love.

next, FLOWERS.

darry grew up watching his parents in love over the years. i love to imagine they’re the true definition of soulmates, high school sweethearts, etc. so his father absolutely showed up with flowers for no particular occasion, and often.

so darry grew up knowing how to treat his significant other well. he KNOWS how to be a gentleman for sure.

now, of course, he doesn’t have the money to splurge on actual bouquets all the time. he’ll set the money aside when he can to splurge for the special occasions, of course. but, he also doesn’t value materialistic things as much either. it’s the thought and effort behind it that counts for him. so spending the money on an actual bouquet every week is just, logically, a waste.

BUT he still wants to spoil you.

so, whenever he’s driving home from work, or to pick up the boys, or run errands, he keeps his eyes peeled. every couple weeks, as he drives past the park, or even just growing off the side of the road, he’ll spot the perfect bunch of flowers. there’s not a lot, just four or five, but it’s still perfect. something simple, just for you. he’ll park his truck and hop out, pick them, and toss them in the passenger side.

he tries to hide his small smile as hops back in the car. he tries to hide that he prides himself in the ones he picked for you, tries to ignore the skip of his heart thinking about the reaction on your face when he pulls them out from behind his back.

he brushes it off and pretends to ignore it but secretly he loves the way it makes him feel childish again, like a high schooler with a crush. it makes him feel like a kid, and honestly, he would kill anyone who even remotely jeopardizes the few times he can indulge in something that makes him feel like he doesn’t have to be grown up for just a few minutes.

he spoils you in whatever ways he can, but like i noted earlier, it’s the thought and effort more than the actual items itself. a lot of it is domestic and a lot of it is acts of service, because, really, that’s all his life has been for the past while. it’s the best way he knows how to show he cares.

he aspires to take you on big dates one day, because he feels you deserve only the best treatment. but for now, you and him are more than content to enjoy the occasional night alone when the boys are coincidentally not home for a bit. that’s as simple as making a nice meal for yourselves, playing a record while you dance around the living room.

even if the boys are home, if you finally have free time together he will absolutely make sure to make the most of it.

if darry isn’t exhausted from work (and sometimes still when he is, because he’s a self sacrificing jerk) he loves to take you on a walk during sunset. each time, he promises that one day you’ll be strolling along the beach together, or down the street in some big fancy city. each time, you promise that this is more than enough.

if he is really feeling it from work, but you both want some time together, he’ll make the two of you a cup of tea and you’ll sit on the front porch together.

soda and pony will tease you that you look like an old married couple - but they still do their best to stay out of trouble in that time. they make sure that you get whatever quality time you can get together, even just twenty minutes on the porch, because “goddammit look how happy darry is, i ain’t seen him smile like that since mom and dad was around”

(they also realize darry is a bit less hard on them for the night when he gets to relax with you, and he’s not checking on them to do chores or homework during that time so it’s a win-win for them)

darry pretends he’s sitting on the porch with you or going for walks because it’s what you want to do, and you let him play it like that. but secretly, this is the part of the domestic life that he does actually love.

he tells you all about his day, and listens to you talk about yours. he keeps one arm wrapped around your shoulders as you watch the sunset together.

i have this idea (it’s a fact idc) that secretly, darry loves to sit and watch the sunset. he would never admit it to the gang but it’s the only constant in his life that never changes, the only thing there every day that brought him peace - until you came along. he finds it almost as beautiful as you.

(bonus; you know ponyboy loves the sunset too, and you’re working on getting darry to admit this to him so they might finally understand that they’re the same. it’ll take time, but, you’ve slowly broken down their walls because they’re your boys and you’d do anything for them.)

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

i’m not sure how this is cause i’ve never posted outsiders stuff before but i’ve wanted to for YEARS and quite honestly the fandom needs more love for darry i love him so much.

let me know if anyone wants a part 2?? i have so many more thoughts to share !! i also accept requests!

[siryouarebeingmocked]

SYABM comic 70 “Donation Aggravation”.

[ Older comics | Chronological order | Subreddit ]

Some people get really mad about a computer asking them to give pennies.

AP says this meme is false.

Customer donations aren’t income, legally. So they can’t be ducked from the company’s tax bill.

Tax Policy Center says the same thing, and points out that consumers forget to deduct their donations.*

This meme was apparently popularized by, of course, TikTok.

Also, if they get a tax break, so what? 

The point of that is to encourage charity and social benefit. If you care more about the tax break than whether they’re actually helping anyone, I think your priorities are skewed.

And getting a tax break means the company has more money to spend on stuff like...the charity. Or employee raises. Or just staying open.

I know the implication is that they must be insincere, but it doesn’t actually prove anything. It’s just point-scoring.

I recently saw people complaining that Panda Express falsely takes the credit for their charity, which is entirely funded by donations from customers and employees. PE Cares openly and explicitly says so on their website.

PE also covers the admin costs for PEC. All of them.

And as someone pointed out, they could just as easily...not have the charity. In fact, it would be easier.

Heck, during the Hawaii Wildfires, PE donated meals to first responders and displaced people. And, oh yes, they matched donations to the Red Cross.

...It’s a “Cancel” button. 

Those are often different from regular choices, so people don’t click them accidentally. Heck, sometimes they’re made that way so they’re easier to see.

No 5D chess subliminal messages required.

And if you’re so easily influenced that a button color can change your mind, that’s on you.

“Saying your assumptions about us are wrong are gaslighting, even when I have no actual evidence  I am also confident that everyone does this, which justifies my assumption that any given company does this.”

It’s especially irritating because gaslighting is about perception. But assumptions are not actual perceptions, and perceptions are wrong all the time.

I also saw people in the Youtube comments complaining about grocery store food waste, because apparently stores love to waste money, and are not influenced by picky consumers or legal concerns (PDF).

I’ve argued with these types before, and naturally, they defaulted to attacking me instead of my argument. Didn’t even pretend to have any actual evidence. Unlike me. Just doubled down.

And, again, what does this have to do with charity?

Plenty of companies actually, quietly donate everything to charity that they can. But that doesn’t make the news as much. Sometimes because that leads to people trying to take advantage.

Incidentally, during the Texas blackout a few years back, one grocery store tried to donate their food to a charity. Except it was physically impossible for them to get there before the food expired, due to the bad weather.

People saw the store throw out the ruined food (under police guard), and said the store was selfish.

One Youtube comment said the Bible claimed people shouldn’t give openly. Okay, but that’s about self-aggrandizement and egotism, not just asking for donations and trying to set an example for others, out of actual caring.

I think the real motive is a combination of anti-corporate NPC hate, and the desire to attack the requester instead of admitting they just don’t want to donate.

And I gotta wonder what the overlap is with the folks who insist billionaires can “easily” afford to pay taxes that are more than what many people make in their entire lives, because it’s a small amount relative to their total wealth.

* Did see someone once claim that people pay higher taxes for donating. They may have been referring to people not knowing they can deduct donation. Which is, um, not the company’s fault. At all.

Behind the Scenes: This is the first comic drawn in Krita that I’ve animated. In fact, it’s my first Krita animation, ever.

And unfortunately for me, Krita can’t animate Vector layers or groups. I only figured that out after a literal hour looking up tutorials (which didn’t help). And it’s a tad irritating, because I often use vector layers AND groups.

So I had to manually create each frame. Three different elements with three different timings. Had to break out the paper and pencil and plot it out.

Kinda fun, actually.

This is also the first commentary in a long time that I didn’t write before I finished the comic. In fact, I’m doing it completely raw. All I had was the saved image and a link to the Youtube thread in question.

Comic Inspirations:

That one freakout scene in Bocchi the Rock.

The kiosks at my local McDonald’s.

Whatever this is;

[mirage-aera]

can we please get more angst? 🙏

like what if reader decides to unalive herself? cant take the grief anymore and knowing that drinking and binge eating will not do anything but just burn money and delay the inevitable. and simon is too late to save her. cue simon grieving in return and drowning in guilt and self hatred for putting her in that situation.

•°. *࿐ Drowned

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Let Me Down Slowly - Alec Benjamin

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Reader

pt. 1 - pt. 2

Synopsis: By the time Simon returns to your shared home, it's already too late for you. You've hit rock bottom in the rabbit hole, and Simon is ready to jump into that same hole.

Word count: 2.606

Masterlist

First of all I’d like to apologise for my two month(?) absence. I got overwhelmed with school work that I needed to focus on and some personal problems happened. For anyone who has stuck around, this is the long waited part 2 that I promised a while ago. I haven’t written anything in my long break so bear with me. Second of all you guys really want more angst from me. I was planning on doing a happy ending but this will do.

TW!! Suicide, alcoholism

For the people that wanted to be tagged: @somehopeatlast @yyiikes

It’s too much. Everything is too much. Everyone has been telling you that healing takes time. When in reality, all that you feel is despair. Instead of the wound gradually closing, all that’s really happening is your heart getting ripped out day by day. You don’t know how much longer you can keep this charade up. You’re throwing people fake smiles left and right, and ‘I’m fine’ has left your mouth more times than you could actually care for. It’s as if you’re living life as a mindless zombie. Barely doing the bare minimum to sustain yourself. Every time someone checks up on you, you tell them you’re doing okay, could be better but you’re fine. At least, that’s what you want them to think. You’re just a shell of the person you were when Simon was still here and alive. You’re blowing through your money like no tomorrow. But can you get yourself to care enough to do anything about it? No, and not for the foreseeable future. You spend your days drinking away, either at home or in bars. You’ve tried moving on, but the only thing you’re able to see in them is Simon. You chicken out before anything can get serious. Your bingeing habits haven't changed a bit, you’re on the same routine.

It's been months and you can’t get out of this rabbit hole you’ve dug yourself. Months.

It’s crazy to think about the chokehold Simon has on you, even when he isn’t physically here himself.

You’ve had enough. You’re not living life as is. You’re practically a dead person walking, a mindless being. All you’re doing is blowing money when you could be doing anything else but that. You’ve contemplated long and hard about this decision, and to be frank. You see no negatives to this option. Taking the way out seems like a way better alternative for you than continuing to waste the air around you with useless breaths.

The hooded figure that you sometimes see outside your window has started showing up less and less. You’ve made eye contact before, but before you can even mutter a word out the shadow has vanished. As if he never existed and is a figment of your imagination. You could’ve sworn that those were the eyes of Simon. His sharp brown eyes are unmistakable. You can recognize them from anywhere. But, he is dead. The possibility of it being him is simply impossible. You stare solemnly out the window. You want to see whether the shadow really is a figment of your imagination, or if it’s actually a person. But they never show up. If the shadow had shown up, would you have gone through with your plan? Probably not. As insane as it might sound, you feel a sort of pull for the shadow. As if it’s calling out for you.

When all you can see is the dark starry night. You sigh and shut the blinds. No one needs to see what you’re going to commit. You head upstairs to your once-shared bedroom. You walk absentmindedly to Simon’s bedside drawer. Revealing a small handgun. He always keeps weapons on him, or around him. To keep both you and him safe in case anyone ever dares to try anything in your own home. You pick up the piece of iron. Simon has taught you how to use it, in case there’s an emergency and he isn’t there to protect you. Back then it felt like a light piece of metal. Now, it sits heavy in the palm of your hand.

You slowly sit on the floor. Your back against the side of the bed. You expected to feel afraid. But to your surprise, you don’t feel anything at all. As if everything is numb. For that part you are a little thankful for, it’ll make this so much easier for you to do. You turn the gun in your hands. Inspecting your executioner. Minutes pass, and you’re still sitting idly on the floor. You’re waiting for the right moment. Deep down, you’re hoping that Simon will walk through the door. Wrap you up in his arms and tell you how everything is okay now. That it was simply a mission gone wrong, which made it so he couldn’t come home at the promised time frame. But as the silence of the house engulfs the house in an eerie peace. You close your eyes. This is the right moment. Simon won’t show, and he won’t show. You need to get that in your thick skull.

You look around your shared bedroom for the last time. Picture frames litter your dressers. His clothes are still hanging in his section of your closet. You put the gun away and back into his nightstand. You can’t do this, not here at least. Not at the serenity that belongs in your bedroom.

You scramble up from the floor. You pick up the crinkled piece of paper sitting on Simon’s desk. You go downstairs and pin it on the fridge with a magnet. Visible for anyone who comes looking for you. You rush outside, not bothering to bring a jacket with you. You’re not going to need it anyway. You run outside, not noticing the shadow blending in the night watching you. He wants to follow you, like he usually does, wanting to make sure you don’t do anything stupid or that you’ll regret. But this time, he can’t bring his feet to move. He simply watches you run off to whatever destination you have in mind.

You run off to the bridge you frequent with Simon. Not a lot of people go across it during the day. No one ever comes through at midnight. Giving you time alone to think and reminisce. You lean on the metal railing. Images of the various late-night dates Simon would take you on during his off days flash through your mind. You crack a small smile at that, embracing the pleasant memories once again. Your smile drops. Memories, that’s all they’ll ever be. You won’t be able to recreate them or make new ones anymore, not with Simon or anyone else. You brush away stray tears and let out a soft sniffle. You climb over the railing. You stand on the other side, peering down at the frigid cold water below. You look behind you, making sure no one is there. You suck in a deep breath, close your eyes, and let yourself slowly tip over the edge. One to two seconds feel like minutes. You feel the wind rushing past your face. Soon the cold water greets you. Despite the freezing temperature, it feels like a warm embrace. As if it’s welcoming you. You let yourself sink, letting more memories of you and Simon flash through your mind. Soon enough, everything goes black. You’ve lost this battle. Was it worth it? Some would say not, but to you? It was. You were miserable day after day. This was a peaceful alternative.

***

The shadow gets worried when hours pass by and you don’t return home yet. A bad feeling settles in the depths of his stomach. A nauseating feeling overwhelms him. He emerges from the shadows of the night. His mask was illuminated by the moonlight. He wants to know where you’ve gone. He shoves a flowerpot on your front porch aside with his foot, revealing a spare key. He grabs it and unlocks the door. It opens slowly. He steps inside, he takes off his worn boots. Not wanting to have anything traced back to him, anything that’ll show someone has been in the comfort of your own home. He looks around with confusion. He spots your phone and keys on the dining table. That’s weird. You never leave without those items, something Simon has drilled into your mind. He frowns behind his mask. He looks around everywhere. Eventually, he finds himself in the kitchen. At first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary. He squints his eyes at the fridge. A note is pinned on the piece of metal. He takes big strides towards the fridge and reads the note. His heart sinks to his stomach. The urge to throw up is getting to him.

To anyone who finds this note. It’ll most likely be you, Price. I’m sorry. I know I’ve said that I’m fine, that I’m getting better. But I think you know this as well, that I’m not. If anything, I’m getting worse by the day. I’ll keep it short. I have nothing much to say anyway. Not that anyone would care. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll be long dead by the time you find this note. I don’t even know where I am. I might be in my bedroom, bathroom, in a ditch somewhere, or even floating in a river. On the bright side, I’m happy. Happier than ever. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. I have Simon to keep me company.

I love you Simon, I’ll see you soon.

He rips the note off the fridge. He rereads it over and over. Hoping, no, praying that his eyes are deceiving him. That this is just some sick joke being played on him. You’ve done your fair share of pranks on him, but they’ve never been this extreme. He crumples up the note and shoves it in his pocket. He rips his mask off and throws it on the table near your phone and keys. He lets out a snarl. He slams his palms on the wooden table. “Fuck!” He exclaims. He pulls out his burner phone. He dials a number. They immediately pick up on the third ring. “Simon.” A low voice comes through. “Price.” He replies. He clearly doesn’t sound happy. He can’t let out tears, not now. He doesn’t deserve to. “Did you find something?” This sets something ablaze in Simon. He lets out a dry chuckle. “I’ve found something alright.” He sneers. He can’t help but convert the feeling of anguish to anger, and frustration. Anything but sadness. A low hum follows. “What did you find?” He takes a deep breath in. “I’ve found a suicide note in my own home.” He spits out. A painful silence ensues. “What?” He glares at the wall, lined with your pictures together. “You’ve fucking heard me. Want to explain that to me? You said she was doing fine!” A sorrowful sigh could be heard through the fun. “That’s what she said. I-” Simon interrupts him. “And you believed her?! How didn’t you see what was going on?! I told you, I fucking told you to keep an eye on her while I am gone!” He snaps. Something he probably shouldn’t do to Price, but he can’t bring himself to care right now. Another sigh could be heard. “Simon, listen. The mission-” He scoffs. “I don’t give a damn about the mission right now. My girl is dead for fucks sake!” He shouts. He continues. “I wasn’t happy with this mission. I already told you, I’d only agree to do this if you keep a close eye on her. I trusted you, Price. Now look at what happens. I faked my death, and now she’s dead!” He takes another deep breath to calm himself. “After this mission, I’m done. I’m pulling out. It’s about time I retire from this shithole anyway.” He sneers and hangs up. He throws the phone down on the table as well. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

He takes a seat at the table. He runs his hands down his face. A million thoughts run through his head. How did it end up like this? Multiple what-ifs pop up in his mind. What if he showed himself to you on the first day he came back to see you, would you still be alive? He lets out a low growl and slams his fist down on the table. Silent tears stream down his face. How does he always fuck up whatever good comes in his life? At this point, he’s just cursed. He can’t have happiness without something ruining it.

After he collects himself he gets up, but he still has work to do. And as much as he wants to drown himself in guilt and self-hatred. He understands that he still needs to finish his mission. He narrows his eyes as he walks out of your house. The people at the other end of his wrath need to watch their backs. Simon will make anything and anyone suffer, to make them feel the same pain he’s feeling. Deep down, he knows nothing will compare to it.

***

A fucked mission later, a hell of debriefing, he comes back home as a retired soldier. A home that has turned into a cold, haunting, and uninviting. Everything that made this house a home was you, you were his home. You aren’t here anymore. And it’s all his fault. If only he went against orders, let you know what was happening. You would still be here. If only he came to check on you more often, he could’ve seen the signs and stopped you. If only he could’ve shown any sign he’s still alive, you would probably still be here. Alive, breathing, at home, doing whatever you love to keep yourself busy while he’s gone. But no. He fucked up, and he’s paying the price for it.

For days on end, he will feel the remorse, the regret, the guilt. He would fall into the same rabbit hole you dug. Instead of you going down it. You’re already rock bottom, he’s simply joining you. He spends his time drinking. That’s what he knows helps best in this situation. Whenever he’s not drinking he’s spending time in his home gym.

A thought crosses his mind. The same one that has yours at one point. He lays in bed, your pillow still has your smell and it haunts him. He reaches over to his nightstand and opens his drawer. What he sees breaks his heart all over again. His gun. It has been moved. He’s certain this wasn’t how he left his gun before he left. He always made sure that the grip was facing him so he could grab it quickly in a time of emergency. It isn’t lying in that position anymore. He sits up with the gun in his hand. He plays around with the piece of iron in his hand. Unloads and loads the bullets over and over. Pushing the safety back and forth. Anything to distract him from the void he’s feeling in the pit of his stomach. Your note that you’ve left on the fridge rests on his nightstand. You said you were going to be okay. That you’ll have Simon to keep you company. Well, he isn’t fucking there, is he? He wants to join you so desperately. But he’s afraid, not of death. But even if there is an afterlife, would you accept him? He lied to you. A lie that cost you your life. He doesn’t know if he could endure that on top of the grief he’s feeling. But even seeing you one last time would be better than this.

So he sits there, in the darkness of your shared bedroom. Contemplating if he should join you. Something you were doing a few nights prior. If only he didn't accept the damn mission. He wouldn’t be drowning in his grief and self-hatred if he let the mission go. You would be here, in his arms. And that thought would forever haunt him until he does opt for the other route.

I’m sorry lovie, for everything.

[fatuismooches]

Everyone talks about Pantalone practically becoming a sugar daddy when he dates someone, but I'm thinking. Pondering. Perhaps even scheming.

Miser Pantalone, who hates spending any of his obscene wealth. He's greedy, he hoards his wealth, and he's more than willing to use his power and status to get high-quality items for lower than market value.

This allows him to keep his wealth and also fends off anyone who may be trying to use him for said wealth. Anyone he dates is very disappointed when they realize just how cheap he can be, and a lot of the time, they end up leaving him over it. He doesn't mind, though. One less thief he has to worry about.

But then you come along. You don't seem to mind that he hates paying full price. In fact, you praise his bartering skills and financial consciousness! He's just being smart with his money. That's a good thing!

He's thrown for a fuckin' loop. In his time as a Harbinger, hell, in his time of simply being rich, he's never found someone who truly doesn't mind his penny-pinching (mora-pinching?) habits. As he's sure as hell, never had someone praise him for it!

If you find a gift that's a little bit expensive on your bed the next day, think nothing of it.

OH MY GOSH IM EATING THIS UP... 😭 No because i could totally see this happening, a possible explanation being that he's scared of losing it all and returning to the same powerless poor boy who couldn't do anything, so he clings to his wealth so that doesn't happen. The other Harbingers despise that he's in charge of the funding because he gives them just the exact amount needed to get by in his eyes. There's no wiggle room. Nothing more, nothing less, they have to be extremely smart with their money otherwise they want to end up asking for more, causing them to be in debt to Pantalone... which you should never, ever do. Most people are surprised when they learn of how he handles his money... shouldn't he be more generous, since a few million Mora could hardly make a dent in his numerous bank accounts..? But nope, those people don't bother him. He is a Harbinger after all! Harbingers aren't nice people.

Now, he's used to going on fancy outings and all, it comes with being one as popular with the social circle as he is. But he considers it a waste of time, as it always ends up with the same ending - the other person(s) being disappointed over his unwillingness to spend, much less splurge on them... and really, he expects you to be no different. But... you aren't. Rather, you thank him for his time, how it was so worth it to talk to one such successful as himself. You seem interested in his Mora, but not in the manner of him spending it on you, but rather his habits, his management, etc. You're so interested in his Mora-pinching habits, complimenting about how smart he is saving money like that, and he's just... yeah. Shocked. He hopes you didn't catch the split second of surprise on his face before he schooled it back into a composed smile. One thing is for sure, he's interested in meeting you again... ;) He's intrigued as to your perspective now... what could possibly have caused you to have such a different response from the others?

After a long time, I think it would be a bit jarring for you to see him slowly go from nothing to spoiling you like there's no tomorrow. You're really confused and maybe a bit scared because he's not like this at all?? You try to return the gifts and urge him to get his money back, but nope, he practically shoves them right back to you all with a smile, because they're all yours now (along with his heart, this part you have yet to know about though.)

[kleinv01]

After imagining that our workaholic boss has a certain affection for Al (for his effort at work) I can't help but think of a scenario where he discovers for himself that Al comes to leave sweets on our table daily (and that he consequently likes us). And with his past not very well resolved with his ex-wife, he would be furiously screaming internally knowing that his precious pupil is SPENDING MONEY aka TIME on someone who is not interested in him, even in the same way and intensity or much less knows about his existence !! (who knows how much more time Al dedicates to us each day)

Mr. Dolores pov: "how can you do that after everything I taught you"

I think I'm thinking a little too far... but what if Al could somehow influence the "relationship problem" that Mr Dolores has, despite insisting to Al that it's not worth it. Even if he stays with us. MC could still leave him or betray him or do something that could hurt him a lot and doesn't know how to handle it.

Imagining how Al has a certain obsession with us (and we have no idea what level this goes to), despite always being shy and insecure, I don't think it would be that easy or even possible to convince Al of something like that. Idk, even so, coming from someone who went through an experience like Mr. Dolores, who is aware of how it has affected his life and how difficult it can be to deal with, and tells it as advice, with a tone of someone who really wants to help because they care.

I think Al would appreciate it... but it would take more than that to make Al really believe that we would deceive him if we ended up together or to make him really not interested in us... if that's even possible. sorry, just rambling.

But it's funny to imagine someone with Mr. Dolores's personality going determined to change Al's mindset to stop caring about MC so much, cuz it's a waste of time and how he can be more than he imagines. alone.

But while talking about it he come across another side of Al that he didn't expect. Al didn't even say a word, but he knows, he can feel, which surprisingly and frighteningly is very decided on this issue.

Suddenly the scenario changes. Mr. Dolores ask deeply intrigue why, why we are so valuable to him? Despite everything he said, the consequences...the pain...

And gives space for the shy pink hair man speak... Somehow, in some way is managing to change the perspective of a man who was firmly decided of his conviction. Being taken to a point of view that he would never have thought of or perhaps even felt, but he can't say anything, because he is too perplexed and strangely surprised, without even thinking about interrupting. listening and listening, without knowing for sure when he got so caught up in the speech of that man who seemed so young, so inexperienced, but said his words with such ardor that no matter how much he wanted to refute them, he couldn't refute it.

Now the room is faced with a situation where a man with certainty in his words and beliefs was easily influenced by someone who was not confident in no one's eyes to the point of hiding something as dense as the reason behind us.

*BOOM* (PLOT TWIST, cuz the influencer was influenced) (This didn't go exactly as I had planned, but I think something make sense)

://SYSTEM_MESSAGE_ANSWERED !

fun read. i didn't expect anyone to even pay attention to their relationship this much so i really enjoyed reading it, thank you for sharing it with me (and don't be sorry for rambling at all plz)

i can't really say much here because eventually you'd be able to learn why Mr. Dolores is so fond of Al despite his quirks and despite most of the people in the office finding him a weird guy to be around/even outright reject him from situations sometimes. for now, all i can say in the simplest way is that how Mr. Dolores treats Al is similar to how a dad treats his son

i don't really have any good response to this but i'd like to share it with others following this blog <3

[imfinereallyy]

Steve getting Venca’d is a plot line I thoroughly enjoy, but I feel like there is a path I haven’t really seen taken yet. Like, I’ve seen canon divergence where he gets vecna’d instead of Max, or he takes Max’s place, or I’ve seen it written as a season five (with Eddie back, of course), but hear me out, hear me out…

What if Steve starts the symptoms of Vecna (kind of like Vecna’s backup plan), but Steve never gets used? Like, they do their original plan in season four. Steve doesn’t really notice his symptoms until it’s too late; they are already in deep with spring break. Steve thinks about volunteering in Max’s place, but he knows if he says something, then the party has two people to worry about, and he knows Max would be too stubborn to change the plan. So he proceeds on. They go forth with the plan (Steve gets some horrible visions throughout spring break but manages to keep it to himself. Eddie notices something is off but is too focused on not dying to ask questions), and everything works out kind of the same as before except they win and everyone makes it (Eddie and max are still messed up, close to death but they make it).

After a few weeks (months probably), everyone is starting to heal and move on, but Steve just can’t. He’s still really messed up from his visions. The way they manipulated his trauma (about his parents, about being valued only with sex and money, Nancy, the kids, and his sexuality). It haunts him every day. He didn’t die like the other teens. He didn’t get to confront it like Max. Steve is just stuck in this mental hell and doesn’t know how to move on. Doesn’t know who to talk to. If he even should talk to anyone.

At this point, I feel like Eddie and Robin would notice him slipping. Robin is his platonic soulmate, his capital P, she may be frazzled, but she would most definitely notice when her best friend is not himself. Robin gives him space at first, but she can tell it’s only getting worse and decides it’s time to do something.

And Eddie, despite how much his past self would beat him over the head for it, likes Steve. He’s a good guy. Saves Eddie’s ass more times than he can count, even after the whole Upside Down thing. He likes to spend time with Steve; actually, almost all his time that isn’t spent with the kids and Wayne he spends with Steve, so of course, he notices Steve wasting away. Eddie noticed that Steve only really perks up when everyone is together in one place (Also, Eddie only has like slight romantic feelings for him at this point; his motivations at first are purely innocent, but as time moves on, he starts to fall for Steve and vice versa). So Eddie decides to spend more time with him one on one. Give him a safe space.

I’m not really sure how the rest of the plot would go. The party definitely gets involved, but they don’t notice for a while and make it worse at times (they are kids, after all), and the adults do their part too. I also think it’s an opportunity to talk about everyone’s unresolved trauma, like it doesn’t all go away magically after the defeat of the big bad. I think Steve having unresolved vecna visions is a perfect example of that.

Give Steve the breakdown he deserves and the support he clearly needs. And, of course, make it Steddie.

———

maybe I’ll write it, I’ve got so much to write, but maybe I’ll DO IT.