#but if her parents weren't rich + supportive she would have topped out at playing the state fair

[onthehighwaytomel]

So...is Taylor Swift paying more talented musicians' PR agents to advertise for her new music/tour? It pains me to see actually exceptional talents like Phoebe Bridgers and Hayley Williams and Muna touting her around on social media...like I promise you, she has enough goddamn publicity.

And it reeks of that whole "girl squad" thing from a few years back...opportunistic, artificial, exclusively with conventionally attractive white musicians (from what I've seen), and not as good as disguising those motivations as other famous people crossovers are.

I genuinely do not understand the magnitude of her appeal at all. It will be real nice when this promotion cycle is over. I prefer to filter tags and ignore her mediocre, immature, intensely self-obsessed, all-decisions-made-by-a-boardroom-of-investors music and 'personality.'

[good-night-doll]

Tis the season~

•Part 3–Ice Skating

: As the Christmas season creeps around the corner, you can't help but want to show your girlfriend all the different activities there are to the season other than decapitating the jolly fat man. 

Word count: 900

Warnings: None

Tis the season to appreciate the outdoor activities alongside the indoor ones too. An activity like ice skating- for instance.

The ice rink has been my best friend growing up, a place where I would go to find all my best and worst memories. It has an irreplaceable place in my heart as it's always been my comfort zone, a place I'd go to cry and a place I'd go to cure my boredom for a while.

I've missed the place as it's been years now since I last visited, and with new journeys comes new people- like Wednesday, who I've dragged out the house on this freezing night to skate around with me before it closes in a few hours time.

"I really don't see the point" Wednesday scoffs, standing by the entrance to the rink- her hands grasping the railing beside her for that extra support.

I roll my eyes, breathing in a steady deep breath to calm my adrenalized nerves from overpowering me. I gleefully look out over the sight with a recalling mind- a sense of pride washing over my top layer of skin.

The smooth, oblong ice rink has a low wall with a metal railing atop that outlines its perimeter. Street lights illuminate the streets around the rink- looking like spot lights for the criminals looking to snatch any last minute grub at a conveniently unguarded house.

Snow-dusted trees and snowdrifts litter the local park just across the road. There's a restaurant on the other end of the park- lit up in golden colours of rich red and fine green to match the festive season's colour palette. Skyscrapers stand in the mist of night just beyond- barely recognisable if you weren't to squint.

But the most exciting part- the few people skating the night away around the rink. It just shows unity in an odd but seeable way, and it has me smiling silently at the view.

Memories from childhood seem so real now, almost so real that I could just about taste the bitter cold sensation I would get when our local Hockey team would lose because a key player was in a world of their own- just enjoying their time on the rink. But did I ever care? No. I cared solely for the rink- not the small flimsy trophy we would've received back in the early years of the 2000s up until the later ones of 2010.

My parents never really gave my addiction much thought, especially since there's a long line of yetis in my bloodline.

How the bright lights around the rink tormented me as I messed up the teams streak with my joy for purely just skating- how the local mothers and fathers would yell at me to do better and how my own teammates and coach looked down upon me. It all seems so hazed now.

"Do we have to do this? Why can't we go home and just bask in the warmth of its confinements?" 

"Because" I pause to look at Wednesday, her face sour with a scarce demeanour "this is special to me" 

Without another word, I take Wednesday's hand and slowly but surely lead her into the icy terrain. Her ankles wobble from the new balance required, her hands grasping my snow glistened coat tightly and her bottom lip tucked so delicately between her snow-like teeth.

"We'll take it slow, okay?" Wednesday only nods to this, complying with a heavy heart as I drag her along the oblong ring that forms the rink. 

The blades on our skates cut along the ice, leaving trails and indents in the frozen over floor. Very faint chatter off to the sides are evident and even the faint music playing from the speakers around apply that Christmas-like feeling as they place all sorts of December hits.

"How do you feel?" I ask, sensing Wednesday's graduate build up of confidence.

"Better…"

"Want me to try and let go?"  

"I, uh-" she evidently gulps, looking at her own feet "okay"

I slowly release Wednesday, allowing her to slowly separate from her only beam of support- me. 

Her knees are bent, hands flimsy by her sides as she struggles to keep herself up. Her eyes are still glued to her bladed feet with black skates- her braids frozen still against the cold weather as they stand like icicles.

However, just as she tries to stand tall, she loses her footing and falls forward- causing her to fall straight onto me. Luckily though, I was able to stabilise her fall before we had both fallen to the hard floor beneath us- causing us to become some twisted meat pretzel on the white ice.

Her gloved hands squeeze into my arms as she regains recognition, looking up at me to confirm she isn't yet on the floor. And when she registers my smiling face, her own shifts and contorts into swirls of mixed pinks and reds. Even the very tips of her ears are heated with the warm colour.

"You okay?" I ask, staring obviously at the blushing girl as she cautiously turns away.

"We're going home" she mumbles back, turning as she grabs onto the railings that are a good five feet or so away- shuffling herself over over the exit.

I laugh watching her as she gradually makes her way to our locker- face ever red and eyes glaring at anyone staring.

[flamingredanon]

[This is gonna be a long one]

Charles Calvin was tired. For being a man in his late twenties he really shouldn't be, but that bastard Captain was making it hard. Things were fine before he got obsessed with trying to take the Toppats down, but Charles knew better. He's a lot smarter than he looks.

The Toppats weren't as bad as they looked, but they did have their hands in every little thing when it comes to the criminal underworld. Everything they did could be traced back to the Toppats. But in the end, it was like they acted as a barrier between the common folk, other criminal clans, and the government itself. Beating down the more despicable clans so they can't take their spotlight, stealing from the corrupt first class, even redistributing their vast wealth (lord knows they had enough of it) Robin Hood style. And all of this was done in a way that gave the Toppats anonymity, just below what was legal and using underhanded tactics to get what they want. In the eyes of the public, the Toppats were just an unknown organization that was charitable to give them money, and to the criminal underworld they were top dog, the kings and queens at the top of the world. Honestly the Toppats made their jobs easier, beating down and exposing other organizations for the government to take care of. That and, there was no way to take them down without the government being made out to look like that bad guys. Even with evidence of their crimes, Charles didn't think the common folk would appreciate their (albeit, illegal) financial support would be cut short like that. With out the Toppat's buffer, the poor would just get poorer and the rich richer.

But the government didn't care, especially Galeforce. It was almost like he had something personal against them. Charles knew most of this though, directly from Galeforce, but some of it was left out, like the Captain wanted him to be kept in the dark. Charles rose in the ranks fast, playing up his naive and goofball personality to make people underestimate him, but those who actually noticed his rank gave him the respect he deserved. And Charles didn't like being kept in the dark, hence why he went behind the government's back to get the answers he wanted.

His search eventually brought him to a silver haired thief who stole his heart the first time he met him. But Charles shoved those feelings aside, he had a personal mission to accomplish and he wasn't looking for a romantic relationship right now. Nor was he going to use this gorgeous thief for his own gain, that was now way to treat anyone after all. Charles had a strong moral compass, hence why he was doing this in the first place. Fostered by his late pilot father who died in died in a freak helicopter accident on a mission. His mother was devastated, ultimately going missing. Galeforce suspected she returned to her life of crime.

But of course, Charles couldn't help himself. Being the hopeless romantic he was, he just had to ask Henry out. Soon, as if in the blink of an eye, he was meeting his parents. His father specifically, who apparently was Terrance Suave, one of the Toppats former leaders. He tried, he really did, to not make this about him, but he needed answers. However, half way into his visit to the Suave-Stickmin household, when Terrance had left the room to get something, the door was kicked down by government agents and Charles, in an attempt to shield and protect Henry, was knocked out cold.

When Charles awoke, he was hand cuffed in the back of his own helicopter. Quinten was flying and Galeforce was using him as leverage against Henry to take down the Clan he considered family. That's it, Galeforce had gone too far now. Charles was getting those answers whether the Captain liked it or not. Even if he had to join the Toppats to do so, and get back to his Henry.

Of course, he didn't expect Reginald Copperbottom and Right Hand Man to be so pretty too. At least Henry seems to agree.

It was too dangerous for Charles to try to break out of the cuffs, especially knowing just how dangerous Galeforce can be. The helicopter pilot just had to play things by ear and find an opening to escape. Thankfully it didn't take long for that opening to show itself, as Galeforce wasn't expecting a pissed off cyborg hurdling towards them.

Charles got out of his cuffs and found himself being flown towards the Toppat Airship by the cyborg, who introduced himself as Right. Charles was slightly blushing with how soft Right's chest was as he was being held.

Soon the two found themselves inside the Toppat Airship, with Henry quickly to hug Charles. Henry helped Charles to their medical bay to be checked out, worried about his wounds. And from there, Charles saw his mom, Carol Cross Calvin.

Carol and Charles hugged each other, tears streaming from their eyes as it had been so long since they last saw each other. Carol finally dried her eyes enough to explain what really happened to Charles' father.

---

Galeforce always hated that Charles' father was dating Carol, finding her criminal past disgusting in his eyes. But Galeforce kept quiet, after all Charles' father was one of the best helicopter pilots the Government ever had.

Until one day, he told Galeforce that he wanted to retire and settle down with Carol and help take care of Charles. Galeforce told Charles' father that it was fine and after a mission next week he would start the paperwork for his retirement.

Though once Galeforce was alone, it was clear he had no intentions of letting Charles' father retire. Carol didn't know the whole plan had Galeforce had setup, but she knew that Galeforce rigged the accident and then pinned the blame on her, causing Carol to be hunted down while the Captain got custody of Charles.

Carol found she couldn't get near the Government base that Galeforce had Charles in and eventually went back to the Toppats just so she wasn't hunted down.

---

Charles asked his mother how she knew he would be here, with her mentioning that Henry's father was a good friend of hers and that when he visited Terrence with Henry, he was going to get her on the phone so Charles could hear his mother again, but then the Government attacked the house.

Charles was so glad to be with his mom again and for a big mystery in his life to atleast be halfway solved, knowing that Galeforce has probably destroyed the rest of the evidence on his father's murder.

---

Charles joined the Toppats and soon fell into a relationship with not just Henry, but Reginald and Right as well. After getting the Toppats to space, they all got married and found many nights cuddling with each other.

And Carol was able to get vengeance for her husband, silently taking care of Galeforce in the dark of a stormy night.