#california here was playing while i was doodling this

[outeremissary]

For @archduke-enver-gortash- thank you again for the patience, Romeo, and for letting me play with Zeke! This was originally for OC Kiss Week, but ultimately was only finished this weekend. I had a ton of fun working on this. I got lost in about four different kinds of nature sauce just planning it, as you can see...

Extra doodles and process stuff below the cut <3

The height difference kept cracking me up. Some silly doodles in honor of all the times I thought "this can't be a comfortable pose" while sketching.

Initial concept work. On god the novel cover comment is said with full affection for the design of childhood favorite talking animal books. The pencil in the first one is also being used to censor "Bhaal"- I'm too lazy to take a new pic, that's from showing a friend who hadn't finished the game.

Sketch -> lines -> most of color

Pre-fill version of the final thing. The white has its own charm, and it was hard to commit to one or the other.

Despite what the initial list had, here are the actual final wreath components. As intended, at least.

Zeke: queen of the night flowers, ferns, moon vine, short-tailed shrew bones (I just really really like venomous shrews), cockroaches, foxglove

Kas: yarrow, wheat (and grass), barn swallow wing, acanthus (of the unrealistic illumination kind), California poppy, aconite/wolfsbane, giant silkworm moth

[mystargirl-interlude]

𝑴𝑰𝑹𝑹𝑶𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳𝑳

Billy Hargrove x singer!reader

Living in Hawkins is probably the most boring thing possible but it has its perks.

I woke up to the screeching of my alarm at 7:30 am letting me know I have to get up to go to school, I sit up and see my cat stretching and yawning as it seems it also awoke to my alarm.

Groaning I get up and start getting ready for the day, thankful that it's a Friday for one reason it's the weekend and the other is that I go to the bars open mic nights. I've made good friends with the regulars already.

As I'm brushing my hair I hear the honking of Steve's car outside my house.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!"

Running out barefoot with only socks on, my bag over my shoulder and my sneakers in my hand I get in the backseat of his car.

"Hey nance!"  I greet Nancy

"Morning y/n!" Steve and Nancy reply in sync

"Well aren't you a lovely disaster this morning" Steve teases

"Fuck you i had to shower " I reply laughing

As we pull up to the school I managed to pull myself together and not look homeless.

Last night wasn't one of the best. My mother suffers from a handful of mental illness one of those being bipolar disorder and there are times where she can hate my guts and other times where she acts like nothing happened, she's had one of her episodes last night and screamed at me for my room being messy and threw my mirror at me making it shatter into a million pieces.

On Monday we got a new student his name was billy and he came from California. What is he doing here? I have to fucking idea. We didn't exactly have the best first interactions I guess? On his first day he's befriended Tommy and his group. Unfortunately for me I wasn't my nicest looking as the night before I had another argument with my mom which led to her kicking me out of the house so I went to school the next morning red eyes and a messy bun.

Monday morning

When I arrived on school on Monday Tommy and his group were staring at me. Im popular but not how you think. I don't have a large group of friends nor am I rich. Through all the hate I received throughout my childhood I have made a promise to never give hate no matter how much I receive. I don't have 𝑩𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 with anyone in this school. At least not that I know of.

"Hey y/l/n you good?" I hear carol ask

I turn to look her way and see her friends and the new kid staring at me

"Uh- yeah, just hard night, you know" I replied

Carol might seem like a total bitch but she isn't once you befriend her, she's known of my home life for a while now

I take another glance at the new kid once again and we end up making eye contact for what seems like forever until I enter the actual school.

Present time

Me Nancy and Steve walked into the school and going out separate ways as we all the different classes, I head to my seat in the back of the class and start doodling in my journal watching the class fill up as the bell rings.

Keeping my eyes on my journal I see someone out of the corner of my eye take the desk next to me.

"Hey y/l/n" i hear the voice of billy say as I look up

"Hey, morning" I reply smiling

"What're you drawing?" He asked with a small smirk playing on his lips

"oh, just doodles to pass time" I reply slightly inhaling as he gets closer to see

I'm enjoying the time we spend talking until some girl next to him gets his attention by whining his name and then proceeds to ask him out.

Slightly upset that he chose to ignore me I turn my attention to the window showing the outside track by the gym.

This class period is one of the longest classes I have being 3 hours long so that gives me time to work on random things, I've been writing this song since last week labeling it "mirrorball" as mirrorball was the original name of a ball covered in shattered pieces of a mirror before getting the name "disco ball" as they were used in the 70s at discos

While finishing last minute things on the song I see billy look at my journal through the corner of my eye.

Quickly not sparing him a glance I close my journal just in time as the bell rings and being the first one out of the class

"Y/n!" I hear billy yell

Turning around I reply "hey?"

"Sorry about earlier uh yeah " he says scratching his neck

"Why?"

"Oh cause you know, Emma"

"Oh that! Yeah don't worry about it" I fake smile

It's awkward silence for about 5 seconds

"Um sorry I'm gonna head to class" I say walking away before he can respond

Time skip

As I make my way inside my house I hear the phone start ringing, rushing to it I answered

"Hey y/n" I hear on the other side of the phone that it's Eddie

"Oh hey Ed's! Are you ready for tonight?" I ask him because he is the keys during my set

"Yep, so do you want me to pick you up?"

"Yeah that would be great see you then!"

Changing into my outfit for tonight it's a flowy purple dress with ruffles and bell sleeves pretty much giving a hippie fairy is what I hoping for

<3

Me and Eddie arrive to the bar a bit before I go on to set up and try to get there before it gets busy

After setting up I begin seeing people start to pour in as the sun sets, unfortunately I still have a quick sound check before.

Making my way to the bathroom I see billy sitting at the bar with Emma with his tongue practically down her throat

Part two https://www.tumblr.com/mystargirl-interlude/721670506571513856/%F0%9D%91%AD%F0%9D%91%B6%F0%9D%91%B9-%F0%9D%91%AD%F0%9D%91%B9%F0%9D%91%AC%F0%9D%91%AC-bh

[sofiasfanartcollection]

( @the-starry-seas Hi! I was working on a reply to your lovely ask but when I saved it as a draft, it seems to have disappeared, so I hope you see this. )

Hello!!!! Thank you for the interest, I don’t have commissions open at the moment—but I am hoping to soon, once I figure out some things. (I have wanted to do commissions but I often get overwhelmed with figuring out payment methods, if I need a business license etc.) I will be sure to let you know if I get commissions set up :]

And thank you so much, I would love to talk about River!!!

She’s my mutant-sona for Rise of the Tmnt, and was a human mutated to be part white-tailed deer by one of Draxum’s oozesquitoes. Her power from that mutation is growing and controlling plants. (She can grow any plant if she knows what it looks like.)

She was then mutated a second time with split gill mushroom dna (although she attacked the oozesquito with a venus flytrap  and was only partially mutated.) Because the mutation wasn’t as complete, River can’t really control her second set of powers—which are ghost-like abilities. She can float, turn transparently purple, shrink, and summon a misty substance. However, these things tend to happen when River’s stressed, scared, or sad and can be hard to stop. They are more of a hindrance than a power most of the time. (You may have seen these, but here’s some art of her ghost-like form: https://www.tumblr.com/sofiasfanartcollection/732748080571613184/ghostly-here-are-some-doodles-and-a-rough)

(Also, I’m not sure how far you looked back, but here is my first main post for River with info about her: https://www.tumblr.com/sofiasfanartcollection/711553332660076544/my-rise-sonamutant-sona-river-river-sheher )

River was an aspiring children’s book author and illustrator, and had come to New York, from California, to pitch one of her ideas. After the whole being a mutant situation though, she lost the confidence to push on with that dream. She was homeless for a while, and grew lots of small gardens for fellow people living on the streets. Later, she meets Todd, and they become friends, and she moves into the woods near him. They go on lots of nature walks together, and she often volunteers at his puppy sanctuary.  https://www.tumblr.com/sofiasfanartcollection/735215068459024384/one-of-the-quickest-ways-to-befriend-river-is

She’s friendly towards the turtles, though it takes some time for her to feel comfortable around them, since she’s a pretty quiet and anxious person and they are vigilantes basically and are so full of reckless energy. She connects with Mikey over a shared love of art, sews little accessories for Raph’s plushies, enjoys Leo’s jokes, and grows exotic plants for Donnie to study. After the movie, she and Todd both spend time supporting them and their family as they recover. 

River does not get along with/is very scared of most of the mutant villains, but does kind-of accidentally befriend Hypno and Warren. When she first meets them, she finds a lost and trapped Warren (I have a headcanon that he gets lost every once and a while, being so small) and helps him get back to Hypno. Seeing them together, River instinctively feels that they are safe people. (Of course, they’re not safe really, even though they don’t mean her any harm. But River can be a little too trusting when her anxiety calms down.) 

She meets them again when she is running a flower stand at the hidden city, and they become repeat customers. 

Then, after she hears about the run-in they had with Draxum (in Warren and Hypno Sitting in a Tree) she goes to check in on them. After that they meet up every once and a while to visit and play board games. (At this point, she knows they are thieves, but isn’t judging that since being a mutant makes getting by really hard. She doesn’t know they have tried to kill the turtles.)

However, later on she ends up getting in the middle of a fight between Hypno and the turtles. She is devastated to learn that Hypno and Warren would put people’s lives in danger, especially since the turtles are kids. (Superheroes basically, but still kids.)

River avoids Hypno and Warren for a while after that, but when Hypno goes missing before Battle Nexus New York, Warren calls River and she comes to try and help. 

She ends up giving friendship with them another chance after hearing about how Hypno helped Donnie (and how Warren helped April save the turtles from his twin in that unaired episode). 

[This intersects with an AU of mine (though River is more of a minor character in the AU), that I’m working on but haven’t posted much about yet, where Hypno and Warren get a redemption arc. (It seemed like they were leaning that way in the show too.) Once River knows that Hypno and Warren have been enemies of the turtles, she’s only really willing to be friends when they start working towards setting things right.]

After the movie, River trusts Hypno and Warren when they say they didn’t know what that artifact was and remains their friend as they grapple with the guilt of being part of that disaster.

River had a flower stand at a marketplace in the hidden city, while Todd sold lemonade nearby. (He gives most of it away though, and doesn’t end up working there for long.) River works her flower stand for a year or so and then switches to creating flowers and plants for someone’s (a yokai oc who is a work in progress, maybe a kirin?) shop. She still helps with arranging flowers etc, but it’s less stressful.

When it comes to other people River gets to know, there’s a few yokai working at the market that are nice to her. She enjoys when April is around when she visits the turtles, and River likes to listen to some of Splinter’s stories. Casey Jr. has joined her and Todd on nature walks sometimes. She doesn’t really know Bullhop or Casey Sr. She enjoys visiting with Franken-Foot. And she gave Harold a new little corpse flower plant. 

River can barely tolerate Draxum. If she’s around him for much time at all, little thorn bushes will start growing near her. She has found out though, that she can take control of the vines he grows.

[itsbowbi]

tagged by @penglue

Are you named after anyone?

A saint I think. Or my parents just liked the name and came up with that reason after.

When was the last time you cried?

I cry a lot I think I cried watching the new Godzilla movie because I'm easy and a sucker. Like CRIED cried? I think my birthday but it was actually a pretty great night.

Do you have kids?

Hell no.

What sports do you play?

None. Too busy and tired. Been thinking about finding a baseball league or something to play in because I miss it. I was a terrible hitter tho. I'm in better shape now and I learned about my fucked up eyeballs so maybe I'd be better.

Do you use sarcasm?

I don't think so. I have a very cynical sense of humor but sarcasm to me just comes off as being mean. Pretty sure I avoid it almost always.

What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

Looks? I mean literally first thing I notice is what they look like. And yeah I usually decide if I think they're hot right then but that doesn't change much about how I treat them. Otherwise just general vibes I guess. Sense of humor, manners, etc. Ooh I guess I really notice if someone is being at all superior or condescending. I fucking hate that immediately.

Eye colour?

Baby blues.

Scary movies or happy endings?

I like both, but I definitely watch horror movies more often. I think it's funny when movies get the super happy ending like Wayne's World, which seems to be happening more and more often in the movies I watch. I do think I've been avoiding dramas because they can be draining to watch and I don't feel like putting myself through that sitting here alone in my room. And bad horror movies are easily the best thing to watch with friends.

Any talents?

I'm very good at guessing people's middle name. Also I have insane memory when it comes to movies. You can name like one small detail about a movie you can't quite remember and I can probably name it. Good at trivia too.

Where were you born?

Bay Area. Zero memory of California since we left when I was a baby.

Hobbies?

Uuggghhh this is where I really start to feel like a nolife degen. Video games mostly. I'm decent at overwatch. Have a quitar but haven't had the energy or motivation to practice in a while. I really want to pick it up again. Just got an iPad with the stylus so that's been fun getting back into art. People say I can draw good so that's cool. Also I technically got my first commission since my buddy gave me $10 to recreate a doodle I made for him at work in a full piece because he loves it so much. Gotta get around to that soon.

Any pets?

My leopard gecko Heybaby! I love her. Also my mom has 2 cats that I still consider mine and I love visiting them. Yoyo and Mimi.

Height?

6'

Favourite school subject?

I guess history. I think history has better stories in it than any fiction so I love reading about it and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Chose that as my major in college since I didn't know what to do with my life and it was the one subject I was able to tolerate. That was a very bad decision and I honestly should've never gone to college or just gone to a community college while I figured out what to actually do. Still waiting on that last part.

Dream job?

I really don't have a realistic one. I have hated every job I've ever had and any work that was assigned to me in school or therapy or whatever instantly made me hate it. I have crazy fantasies about what I could still do with my life but most of them involve doing little to no actual work. Like being a streamer. But I guess I'll go with what I would've said 20 years ago and say baseball player or rock star.

GET TAGGED @conkedcrete @spylarman (or don't sorry to bother u)

[bartoonist]

BAR’s PS5 screenshots 3-5-2023: Here are some new screenshots I took from the PS4 digital download version of Psychonauts 2 I had just beaten on my PS5 console yesterday, the 10th picture within this post is a Psychonauts 2 exclusive in game-filter called Classif-Eyed, which is meant to be a nostalgic tribute to how most older 3D games of the 5th video game generation used to have these pixel grainy pre rendered early CG rendered game cutscenes back in those days, especially back when the PS1 era Final Fantasy games used to have pre rendered CG backgrounds where 32-bit character models always stood out amongst back in those days too of course, most of those pictures are of Raz in those sequel grey clothes while the 9th and 10th pictures were of Raz wearing his old school clothes from the first Psychonauts game I played back in those days too, also my favorite pictures of Raz were of him and his Doodled archetype/pencil drawn clone together for fun, and it was taking my favorite pictures of Raz and Archetype Raz a.k.a. Doodle Raz together in such fun poses I tell ya' folks what, and I hope you folks like these game screenshots of Psychonauts 2 I played throughout today. #psychonauts2 #gamepics #ps4screenshots #playstation5 #gamingmoments (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpbW2MUvJ2v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[molossolini]

Heehee emo(edgy??)) Seborga on da brain got like 2 days already. Context? A conversation with @sebwayboi that started as us laughing at a seborga meme to making Eboy-Molossia x Emo-Seborga lore

Very bad doodle that I did not clean up at all but Antfrost and Dreamon Hunters are my top drawing priorities rn

[hawkinscommunitypool]

purple gel pens — part two

( read part one here )

billy hargrove knew he would love his soulmate the second he started talking to them.

it had been on his seventh birthday, a rare rainy day in california that left him laying on his stomach in his bedroom, doodling when all he wanted to do was be at the beach. when he ran out of paper, billy moved the marker to the inside of his right wrist instead.

he could only stare in wonder when a word appeared just below his drawn-on waves that he never even wrote. his mom had told him about soulmates, had said that getting to talk to his soulmate for the first time would be a cherished memory.

"momma!" billy called out, scrambling to his feet and practically sprinting into her in the living room. "look!"

he thrust out his wrist, grinning proudly when she ran her fingers over first the drawing then the word that was definitely not in his handwriting. it was only two little letters, a small 'hi' barely the size of a quarter, but it was there and it was proof that someone, somewhere, was his perfect match.

from then on, everything became about finding more time to talk to his soulmate. they quickly figured out they lived in different timezones, his soulmate on the east coast somewhere. billy knew they played basketball and they hated reading, while he told them all about his surfing and how much he loved to read poems.

and in july, it happened.

billy had been sitting in his room again, grinning brightly while his soulmate began talking about their basketball tryouts. they'd been nervous about it, scared they wouldn't make the team they wanted. billy always knew they were talented enough to do whatever they wanted, even if he'd never seen them play before.

he wanted to know what they looked like. he wanted to be able to picture them while they played the game. 'are you pretty?' he asked, and waited impatiently for the answer. he paced the room, constantly checking the outside of his left calf for any sign of a reply.

'i'm a boy.' and oh, it made sense. he'd begun to wonder if he liked boys. ever since his friends started talking about which girls in class were the cutest and he never an answer, instead listing off mentally the cutest boys in the class.

as always, billy scrambled to tell his mom after first answering his soulmate. this time though, instead of pride all he found in her gaze was sadness, fear.

"now i know to look for a boy, mama," billy told her, but the words only made her wince. "mom?"

"you can't tell your father, billy, understand? please tell me you understand."

it didn't matter if he understood though, because his dad found out that same night. it was the first time his anger was directed at anyone beyond his wife, though it most certainly wouldn't be the last. that night, billy laid in bed among broken purple gel pens, listening to his mother packing up her things and fingers brushing over the burn that hid away those three words he once loved so much.

--

billy used to love when his soulmate talked to him, but now anything written on his skin sent fear straight down his spine.

after his mother left, everything got worse. his dad began hurling insults at him, slurs that billy had never needed to know the meaning of before. he was forbidden from communicating with his soulmate, and it didn't matter that the words and drawings came from the other boy, it didn't matter that billy couldn't get rid of them because his soulmate has to wash them off for them to disappear on him.

it didn't matter to neil, because if billy couldn't make them go away then he'd cover the area with bruises until the words were indistinguishable.

there were nights where he wanted to beg his soulmate to stop, but the moment the other boy seemed to put the pieces together, billy found himself missing every word despite the consequences he knew would come.

because by the time he was thirteen, his soulmate had fallen completely silent just like he had. he found himself missing the good mornings and the doodles that appeared during school, when he knew his soulmate must have been bored in class. he missed the score updates from the other boy's basketball games, and he missed the 'i miss you's.

as time went on, though, it became easier to ignore. without any communication between them, billy could imagine that he never had a soulmate. he'd made it up, because who could really love someone like him? who would willingly choose him when they could choose literally anyone else? he told himself he was saving his soulmate by ignoring him, by not allowing him to see the fire that was his life. billy just wished he could have gotten the boy's name first, though.

then the mayfields stormed into his life. susan was nice enough, though billy would never forget the way she stood passively behind neil, simply watching him beat the shit out of his own son without ever so much as saying a word. he didn't know if he could ever forgive her for that, even if he knew why she did so.

because she had a daughter much younger than billy, and she'd rather the boy get the brunt of neil's anger than max.

max, who was a little shit with too many authority issues to survive in a household like theirs.

"why don't you ever talk to your soulmate?" she asked one night when he was meant to be babysitting her. he was sixteen and had been invited to countless parties, but instead of going he would sit on the couch and try to focus on his homework instead of the girl beside him. she sat cross legged on the couch, turned so she was completely facing him instead of the tv.

"i don't have one," he answered gruffly, not even bothering to look up at her.

"that's a lie, everyone has one."

"well i don't, so shut up and do your homework," he snapped, not wanting to explain anything lest he face the wrath of neil. he still remembered the fury in the man's face that july night eight years before as he told him he better not tell anyone else about this. billy saw in his father's eyes that he wouldn't hesitate to kill him if that's what it took.

max did not, in fact, do her homework. instead, before billy could even process what she was doing, max's hand rushed forward and drew a little heart near his elbow with the black pen she was using.

"what the hell do you think you're doing?" billy shouted, leaping off of the couch before she could do anymore damage.

because his soulmate was already responding.

he was responding in that same blue ink, across his bicep. 'is that really you? i've missed you.'

"get out!" billy boomed, relishing in the way max flinched away from him for only a moment.

"i knew you were lying," max answered, "why are you hiding her?"

billy was hiding his soulmate for that exact fucking reason, because everyone always assumed it was a 'her', that he was just meant to be with a woman. no one could seem to wrap their heads around the fact that he was destined to be with another guy.

"get away from me!" billy screamed instead of answering her, face turning red with the force of it. "get the fuck out!"

he would only feel a little bad when her bedroom door finally clicked shut and he was alone. max wouldn't ask about his secret soulmate again.

and it didn't matter that he wasn't the one to talk to his soulmate, not in neil's eyes. the second the man saw the little heart drawn on his skin, the man only saw red.

and if anyone was suspicious of why billy missed two weeks of classes, they never said anything.

still, once the bruises faded and the bones healed, all billy could think about was his soulmate. whenever he closed his eyes, it was those final words that flashed in his mind. is that really you? i've missed you.

he still missed billy. after so many years, this guy across the country still thought about him. billy found himself thinking about his soulmate constantly. did he still play basketball? did he still want to move to the coast someday, or had that dream been ruined when billy cut him off? did he still doodle in class when he couldn't pay attention, now on pages of notebooks instead of his arms?

did he still want billy?

it was two months after the incident that billy finally found the courage to write back. he grabbed a pen that was abandoned in the corner of his room, writing in black ink two simple words.

'i'm sorry.'

he placed it on his stomach, hoping to hide this from his dad better than anything on his extremities.

billy could only laugh when his soulmate answered back immediately, like he was sitting there watching, waiting for any sign of billy. maybe he was.

'where did you go?' appeared lower on his abdomen, and relief rushed through billy as he realized his soulmate understood what he was doing. 'are you okay?'

there wasn't enough space on his body to answer that question, so instead billy found his own conversation.

'how's basketball?'

there was a pause, like his soulmate was considering how to answer that. billy could imagine him laying on his own bed. it would be late in the night where his soulmate was, but he was staying awake just to talk to billy. he was laying there, pen in hand as he wondered if he should confront billy about the avoided questions.

his soulmate decided against a confrontation tonight. 'i made the varsity starting team. if i keep my grades up, i might get a scholarship.'

'i know you will, pretty boy.'

there was no explanation for the boldness from billy. maybe it sparked from this new way he could hide these words from his dad, maybe it was knowing that it didn't really matter whether or not he actually spoke to his soulmate, he'd still be hurt regardless so he may as well have a little fun. and maybe, just maybe, the pull was just too great to ignore.

the conversation lasted all night, the words getting smaller and smaller as the boys began to run out of room. eventually his soulmate admitted that he needed sleep, and for the first time billy noticed that it was already nearly one in the morning his time.

'have a goodnight, pretty boy.' billy curled around his hip, grinning wide when his soulmate wished him the same. he spent another hour laying awake, fingers ghosting over the words. it was the first time in years there were marks left on his skin from sheer love, rather than anything hateful or violent. just a simple conversation between two boys, two soulmates who still wanted to learn each other after so much time apart.

and if billy was thankful for his dipshit step-sister that night, he never mentioned it.

[residenceevil]

I am going on a rampage thinking bout the Sewer Gators so here's some of my hcs for em:

-Andre and Pete were 1000% a married couple don't even argue with me.

-Clancy was a longtime friend of Andre's before he took up the job.

-Andre was originally from Louisiana but moved to California at some point in his life and pursued his career there. When they got the call to go down to Louisiana for the show he was really excited to see his family in the area before they went to the Baker's house.

-After the events of re7 the house was cleaned up and the bodies were taken to cemeteries to be buried. Clancy was cremated(lol...) and his ashes were sent to his parents. Andre and Pete were buried next to each other in the cemetery of Andre's hometown.

-Pete and Clancy hated horror movies but Andre loved them.

-Andre would doodle a lot in his notebooks while doing research of the haunted places they would film.

-Pete was like a cat and naps a lot during the day(which Andre thought was v cute uwu).

-Clancy my man, u are transgender.

-Pete was born and raised in a small town in NorCal but moved out of his hometown to live in LA where he met Andre and started their show. Any time anyone asked about what it was like he would say that NorCal was a shithole and that people should never visit there.

-Clancy was born and raised in Tahoe(the Nevada side). He didn't like talking about it much, but he said that he liked it when it snowed there because he used to have snowball fights with his older brothers.

-Clancy was very quiet and reserved in comparison to Andre and Pete, but if he needed to speak his mind he wouldn't hesitate to do so. He would often try and avoid confrontation as best as possible.

-Every town they went, Andre would always make it a habit of talking to local people to get the best idea of where they were going. Most of the time Pete would have to drag him away so that they wouldn't be late or that he would talk to people for too long.

-Pete was actually a very caring guy, but he hid all of that over a masked personality. It was subtle but he would always be looking out for the crew, making sure that wherever they were staying at for the night was comfortable enough for them all.

-Andre was willing to fight anyone that so much as slightly insulted Pete.

-Pete hated coffee with a burning passion, Andre liked it occasionally and Clancy was neutral about it.

-The show started in California when Andre and Pete first met with their old cameraman. After a while they fired the guy and hired Clancy and took up the Baker's job.

-Andre was a hardcore Weezer fan I'm sorry but he was </3

-Clancy was a metalhead but also really loved jazz music. It was his dream as a kid to become a professional musician, but he stuck with being a cameraman because it seemed more fun. He also didn't like learning how to play instruments.

-Pete listened to whatever the other two wanted to listen to but he secretly really liked the trashy pop music that would play on the radio.

-If Andre was really mad he would call Pete by his full name. "Peter Walken-Stickland get your ass down here and come help me clean this mess up!"

-Their old cameraman before Clancy was unfortunately really homophobic so Andre and Pete never came out to him before he was fired.

-Pete usually got drunk at bars a lot while Andre had to pick him up and take him back to the hotel before he caused any problems.

[mikelcastell]

(jacob elordi, he/him + cis man, 22) | well of course you’ve heard of (mikel castell), right? they are a (second) year student taking (mathematics) at rye university, and as per the blinds, they are like (dog-eared books with broken spines, drumming fingers on surfaces, pages full of operations instead of doodles)

hi, hello ella here! okay so this character has been living rent free in my mind but i hadn’t had the chance to play him until now so let’s see how that goes, hopefully i wont flop lmao

basic information.

NAME: mikel river castell

NICKNAME: anything but mike pls

GENDER: cis man

PLACE OF BIRTH: nimbin, new south wales, australia

HOMETOWN: brisbane, australia

DATE OF BIRTH: september 29th, 1998

AGE: twenty-three

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual

MAJOR: mathematics

background.

tw: drugs, some child neglect

mikel had everything but a normal childhood. his parents were too young when they had him and while he knows he was not planned, his parents reassured him that he was but we all know that is bs.

his parents met during a festival and by the time mikel was born they were living in nimbin which you could say is a hippie commune. and his parents really were into the whole alternative lifestyle. it was really not the place to raise a child but somehow they sort of made it work.

while nimbin was labeled as a drug addled town, it was a lot more. there was an outpouring of creativity and life. kids there didn’t have a bed hour or any sort of schedule. they were free to do as they pleased, which not always brought good outcomes. 

for the first six years of his life he grew up there but then something changed. rather, his parents changed. perhaps they matured or maybe the drugs had messed up that much with their brains that made them “responsible” whatever it was, mikel was not happy.

they left nimbin and moved to brisbane. they even enrolled him into a normal school which meant goodbye to long hair, wearing a uniform rather than worn out band t-shirts his neighbors had given him and were probably twice his size. 

his parents got different jobs, and tried to become functional members of society or whatever that means. just six years old, but mikel was pissed at this change of lifestyle. ofc he was too young to understand that nimbin was everything but a good place to raise your kids. he didn’t see the bad side of the town, the wasted youth.

however, despite their best efforts, his parents struggled to stay clean although they did learn how to keep it on the low and keep the picture perfect reputation. 

he was just twelve years old when the next biggest change happened: his parents got loaded and decided to move to california.

they moved to a modern farmhouse with spectacular rolling lawns and majestic trees in malibu. his parents became rich after coming up with a healthy lifestyle brand. this way his parents could use some of that old llifestyle they used to have and make bank out of it. it was pretty hypocritical if you ask mikel.

while other kids drank their apple juice, he was already discovering the benefits of green juice. whenever he came down with the flu they would take him to the best holistic ‘doctor’ in california and of course, he attended those schools that force you to take a class in the woods.

it could have been worse, a lot worse but that didn’t make it good either. eden didn’t want a normal life, but he also didn’t want this life. he wanted a bit of everything, he wanted to embrace and accept the good and bad thoughts, he wanted to be this perfect flower boy his parents craved for, and he also wanted to be out there drinking on the sidewalk or smoking with his friends. he wanted to experience as much as possible. 

freshly minted out of high school, he decided to take the road and live on his van for a year and travel across the country (as one does naturally). 

college was never in his plans if he even had a plan but in his quest to experience everything, he enrolled into it. however, he didn’t expect it to be this different. he’d been surrounded by rich kids before but they all had the same crazy parents as he did. 

he decided to major in mathematics, as he always had a fascination for numbers. 

personality

pretty free-spirited, has no issues calling out people’s bullshit. i wouldn’t say he’s a party guy, in fact, he enjoys being on his own.

likes to read but most of the time he’s doing just operations for fun or playing the drums.

fully believes in karma. 

i wouldn’t say he’s an activist because he’s too lazy to actually go on a protest but he’s morally supportive (which means shit buy you do you)

his holy grail is communication. which means he never can watch a movie bc his argument is always “we could have saved two hours of this if they would have learned the power of communication” (YES I DO TOO WANT TO PUNCH HIM. 

anyway, i guess we can say he’s emotionally intelligent. he’s not here for fake friendships. 

he doesn’t deal well with criticism

talking about hypocrites, he values honesty and people open up as long as he’s not the one doing it. he simply doesn’t ask for help or pays attention to his own issues.

might be high 60% of the time which is an improvement to the past years.

[chiseler]

Hero of Our Nation

I first encountered Roger Ramjet on a Chicago public access station in 1983. It was part of an early morning show apparently aimed at stoner insomniacs. The show came on at five and also included episodes of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, that awful Beatles cartoon, and a weather report clarified by some appropriate pop song (“Here Comes the Sun” or “Here Comes the Rain Again”). I was usually up and around that early for some godforsaken reason, and originally started watching on account of Lancelot Link. Always did love that Lancelot Link. But Roger Ramjet was, well, let’s just say it was a revelation.

Roger Ramjet, “ that All-American good guy and devil may care flying fool” (as he compulsively introduces himself) was a none too bright and none too coordinated drug-dependent space age superhero in an ongoing battle against the assorted forces of evil (or more specifically, N.A.S.T.Y.) to preserve the American Way of Life. He was square-jawed, straight-laced, straight-faced, and True Blue if little else, so hyper-patriotic that nearly every time his name is spoken aloud an American flag, a bald eagle, or a rotating ring of stars appears on the screen. After catching one or two episodes, I forgot all about Lancelot Link.

The show was easy to overlook, especially when squeezed between the Beatles and some secret agent chimps with a psychedelic band. The episodes were only five minutes long (maybe seven with the abrasive theme song filling out the opening and closing credits), and were so crudely drawn and animated it might at a glance seem like something a couple of junior high school kids threw together in their basement one weekend. The shows were so primitive they hardly bothered with niceties like “backgrounds” satisfied instead to settle for rudimentary suggestions of a setting. But the writing was so sharp and the voice talent so good what it really felt like, if you paid attention, was a spoof of a ‘40s radio serial like Sky King or Gangbusters, complete with a soap opera organ and illustrated by a handful of jerky drawings scratched out by someone’s kid. People who thought Jay Ward’s Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right were crude when compared with the output from Disney or Warner Brothers had no idea what “crude” meant. 

Looking at it today what it reminds me of more than anything are the paper cutout animations of the earliest episodes of South Park, before they upgraded to Flash. Along with the lo-fi stylistics, the humor was clearly aimed at an adult audience while pretending otherwise.  You may not find any child molestation jokes or crass religious cracks in Roger Ramjet, but for 1965 the lightning-fast humor was pretty hepcat and sophisticated, with undisguised satirical references to the Cold War, Central American turmoil, and the  Vietnam War (“Hey kids, this is Roger Ramjet,” demanding that you stay tuned to this station to see my next adventure,” Roger announces in his commanding superhero baritone. “Or I’ll see to it that all you little rascals are drafted.”) . Mixed in with the topical jokes we also get some highly unlikely name drops, from Noel Coward and Henry Cabot Lodge to James Joyce and bawdy nightclub performer Rusty Warren, as well as film parodies and  literary nods to the likes of Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye.  It’s also a little less than what you might call racially sensitive by modern standards (consider Mexican revolutionaries The Enchilada Brothers, Beef and Chicken).

While a lot of the more timely jokes might be lost in the murk of the over 50 years since it first aired, there’s plenty of rapid-fire absurdity that’s timeless, from the misspelled title cards punctuating the narration to the self-consciously dumb coked-up adventures.

Bullwinkle aired from ‘61 to ‘64. Roger Ramjet came along a year later and Jay Ward’s influence is undeniable. The difference was Roger Ramjet crammed the equivalent number of bad jokes, references, and plot twists of a typical 8-part Bullwinkle serial into each five-minute episode, both mirroring the rapid-fire screwball dialogue of the ‘30s and the frenetic quick-cut comedy to come along a year or two later in shows like The Monkees and Laugh-In.

The episodes were produced with essentially no budget and were cranked out very quickly by a small team of writers, voiceover artists and animators with solid day jobs in radio and TV. They were all seasoned pros, some dating back to the days of classic radio, who worked on the show after hours as a way of letting off a little steam and tossing around a few cynical, subversive  cultural jabs their day jobs wouldn’t allow. The show was created originally by animator Fred Crippen  (who went on to work on some pretty dreadful crap like the Extreme Ghostbusters  and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Ken Snyder, an ad exec who moved over into producing cartoons. They brought in a remarkable team of voice talent and comedy writers, including Gene Moss (the voice of Smokey the Bear) Jim Thurmam (who did a lot of kids shows including Sesame Street), Dick Beals (the original voice of Gumby), and the great Gary Owens, a drive-time deejay in LA who would get national recognition soon enough as the on-screen announcer for Laugh-In. Although they would all get specific credits in the end (Crippen as director, Moss as a writer) it was a communal effort, in which everyone contributed to the writing, and everyone, even the executive producer, did a few of the voices. Apart from the regular crew, careful listeners might also catch a few uncredited guest appearances by some surprisingly big names (I’m told Sinatra and Dean Martin appear in an episode, but I’m still looking for that one). Owens was the star, though, as his ability to read the most ridiculous lines in a dramatic deadpan made him the perfect Roger Ramjet. Together they made 156 episodes (about 150 still exist), which were sold directly into syndication in ‘65 as half hour shows, each containing three unconnected adventures. I can’t say as I’m exactly sure who they thought their target audience was at the time, except maybe each other.

Much like William Conrad in Bullwinkle, each show opened with our narrator, Steve Allen alum Dave Ketchum, setting the mood and the scene (“In today’s depressing episode,” he’d begin with dramatic enthusiasm, or maybe it was an “existentialist episode,” “phlegmatic episode,” “rickety episode,”  “hairy episode,” or “ethnic episode”). Then we’re out of the gate at a breakneck pace, with a flurry of gags coming from every direction. “Ramjet rode into Boot Hill,” we’re told,  “where the men were men and the women were men, which can get pretty old after awhile.”

While none of the shows are connected, there are a few recurring characters and locations worth remembering: Roger hails from Lompoc, an actual California town (“where nothing ever happens, and seldom does”) and  takes his orders from General G.I. Brassbottom, a no nonsense military man who “hadn’t had an original idea since he was a civilian.” He’s also assisted by Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee, the unusually chubby  kids who make up the American Eagle squadron. Like Roger, all the members of the squadron wear their white jumpsuits and flight helmets at all times (Roger even wears his helmet on dates), and in true superhero sidekick fashion, their primary job is to get Roger out of scrapes and make sure his drugs are handy. 

That’s one little detail more than a few casual viewers have taken umbrage with. Roger, see, is a pretty hapless character most of the time, but he repeatedly saves the world thanks to a little help from his Proton Energy Pills (PEP), which take five seconds to kick in, then give him the strength of 20 A-Bombs for 20 seconds. Modern viewers seem a little uncomfortable with the idea of a superhero gulping amphetamines in order to function, but all I can say is, well, it was a different time, and hey, it worked for Roger and Elvis both.

The proton energy pills come in handy when dealing with his arch-nemesis Noodles Romanoff, the short, trench coat and fedora wearing head of N.A.S.T.Y. (the National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos). Romanoff may not have a Natasha, but he does have a gang of cronies and thugs who all mumble in unison (save for one, who can’t seem to get the rhythm). 

Along with Romanoff and his gang, Roger also has to contend with some lanky alien robots, the Solenoids (voiced by executive priducer Ken Snyder), and their repeated efforts to invade the planet in assorted ridiculous ways (in one episode, they begin kidnapping all the Miss America contestants, who “were disappearing faster than co-eds at a Dartmouth weekend.”)

When not saving the world, Roger found himself competing with the smarmy hotshot test pilot Lance Crossfire (who sounds an awful lot like burt Lancaster) for the affections of Lotta Love, the fickle Southern belle with a taste for the finer things in life.

Then there are the adventures themselves. Some seem standard superhero fare, but only to a point. Earth is besieged by flying saucer attacks (sort of). Roger’s hometown is terrorized by a werewolf (sort of). Roger plays tennis with a kangaroo, or becomes the first man to surf in space,  or, in a personal favorite, attempts to stop the flow of bootleg comic books into America’s drug stores.

Actually, there’s an interesting moment in that one that revealed just how subtle you could be even with animation this unsophisticated. Okay, so Noodles Romanoff, see, is replacing real comics in drug store racks with bootlegs in which popular superheroes are humiliated, all in an effort to destroy the morale of America’s children. After Brassbottom shows Roger a few examples (the issues include “Superman Gets Beat Up by a Chicken!” and “Ratman Stubs His Toe!”) he explains that if this sort of thing continues, “America’s kids won’t have anyone to look up to except YOU, Ramjet.” Then, for just an instant in that crude and jerky style, Roger cuts his eyes toward the camera, revealing in that moment everything we needed to know, namely that it’s what he’s always wanted.

Thirty years on and that still sticks with me.

In the end, though, the characters and storylines are secondary at best In Roger Ramjet. At heart it’s  a matter of trying to keep up with all the lightning-quick  jokes and wordplay, the non-sequiturs and references. In the five minute span of one cowboy-themed episode I counted nods to at least seven classic Western films, from High Noon to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and I suspect I missed a few. It really is such a dizzying blur of dialogue and bad puns and cultural references, sometimes, christ, even just references to old jokes that take the form of bad puns (“Waiter, there’s a spy in my soup” or “how many angels can swim in the head of a beer?”), that absurd as it all is, repeated viewings are a necessity to catch everything. It’s a bit like having the complete contents of an issue of MAD magazine jammed onto a single page. It can make your head hurt after a while, but it’s worth it. Whether the density and the pace make it better or worse for stoner viewing is something, I guess, each stoner will need to answer for him or herself. Lots of bright colors, though.

In 1965 there was nothing new about making cartoons with adult sensibilities in mind. Betty Boop and Bugs Bunny were made to be shown as short subjects to largely adult audiences. Jay Ward’s cartoons a few decades down the line were near-revolutionary for smuggling hip, subversive political humor into what had become an exclusively child-friendly format. What made Roger Ramjet so radical was it’s blend of ‘30s radio style with mid-’60s cynicism, as well as its foreshadowing of our shrinking attention spans, a hyper-condensed proton pill of comedy and commentary disguised as just another dumb, low-rent superhero cartoon. Although it’s barely remembered today, its influence is still evident in most any subversive animated show you can name, even if they’ve slowed things down a bit.

by Jim Knipfel

[rosemary-rabbit]

You’re wet

Marko x Reader

Warning: nothing but the pure fluff of a tiny vampire boyfriend. Gender neutral for the reader, and you also have a cat

—

It usually never rained in Santa Carla. In fact, it never rained in California. It was always bright and sunny while the nights were dark and warm. Today was different. A storm had rolled in from out of nowhere and there was nothing to do. Except for lay about for most of the day and enjoy yourself.

You spent most of the day listing out what you’d be doing at night with your boyfriend Marko; However, since the rain showed no signs of stopping, you guessed that tonight would be yours to keep. To keep yourself company you turned on some old records and did small tasks throughout the day. You doodled in your sketchbook, played with your cat, danced a little, and napped. In general it was just a lazy day. When you finished dancing to whatever was on your record player you decided to head downstairs. Your cat was sprawled over the counter in a blissful slumber.

You gently smiled at your feline companion and went to the cabinets to grab a box of graham crackers. As you grabbed your snack a loud crack of thunder echoed through the house. Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t be doing anything tonight. This put a frown on your face as you desperately wanted to see your boyfriend. There was never a dull moment with him. He was always up to something with his vampire antics. Sighing, you closed the cabinet and trotted back upstairs. Back in your room, you flopped onto your bed

You stretched out your legs as a gentle rumble of thunder echoed outside. You turned your head to look outside your window. It was a very dark grey, so that must’ve meant that night had fallen. You sighed and grabbed your box and began eating the crackers from inside. In the middle of a bite a loud thwack came from your window. You almost choked on your cracker but thankfully you didn’t. Coughing, you launched yourself up from your bed and noticed a pigeon on your windowsill. It was one of Marko’s! He rarely sent a pigeon but when he did there was always a note.

Unlocking your window, you pulled it open and the pigeon hopped inside. Tied to its leg was a tiny piece of paper. You grabbed it and pulled it opened. It simply read:

“I’m on my way- M”

The letters were blurry from the rain that was falling harder than earlier. When you looked up the pigeon hopped out and flew into the storm. With that, you closed your window and went to your bathroom to grab some towels. Knowing him, he would be soaking wet from the storm. You once tried to convince him and the boys that they needed an umbrella incase something like this happened. You grabbed the towels from the bathroom closet and went back to your room and set them next to your window. He’d be here any minute. You turned your back for 5 seconds when sharp taps came from the window. You whipped back around to be met with a rather sad sight. A drenched Marko sitting on the outside sill. Hiding a smile, you went over to the window and yanked it open. He immediately crawled through the window and landed on the carpet of your bedroom. He was dripping water from every part of his body.

Looking him up and down you spoke, “You’re wet.”

Laughter echoed throughout the room from both of you. You, from how ridiculous he looked and him from your statement.

“I don’t look so bad!” He stated, holding out his arms.

“You’re getting water all over my carpet!” You said, going over to him. Before you could say something he pulled you into a big hug. You let out a yelp from how cold and wet he was.

“Unhand me! You’re ruining my shirt!” You said, as he gently kissed you on the neck.

“I don’t see a problem with that.” He said, letting you go. You rolled your eyes. He grabbed a towel and started drying off his face.

“You need to take off your clothes.” You stated looking at his dripping jacket.

“No can do your highness, I didn’t bring any other clothes.” he said, moving the towel from his face.

“I have clothes you can wear! I have some sweatpants and a nice shirt you can wear.” You said moving to grab his jacket from his shoulders.

“Your cat better not touch my clothes.” He said, while slithering out from his uncomfortably wet jacket.

“She won’t.” You said, taking his jacket and going to hang it up in your shower.

“I’m going through your closet!” Marko yelled, from your room. You sprinted back into your room at lightning speed, “Not without my supervision.” He rolled his eyes and began shifting through your closet. He found the sweat pants and a black cropped t-shirt with some skeletons on it.

“I’m going to the bathroom to change.” He said, heading off down the hall.

“Okay, put your wet clothes on the shower rod and I’ll put them in the dryer later!” You said moving to grab some extra blankets from the bottom of your closet. You fluffed them out and put them on your bed so you two could cuddle when he came back. You fixed up your warm nest while he changed and when it was completed you sat in the middle of it. After a couple of minutes he emerged from the bathroom in your clothes.

“Wow, I never thought you’d look so good in my clothes.” You said, gazing up at him. Then, he struck a pose like Madonna. You giggled as he kept on posing for you.

“I know I look good.” he said, with a wink. When he was done he walked over to the bed and flopped right next to you. You looked up at his hair and noticed his curls were a lot more defined when wet. He moved his arm so you could cuddle up next to him. You leaned down and rested your head on his chest.

“Marko, You’re cold as fuck.” You said pulling the blankets up over your bodies.

“It gives me more of a reason to get close to you.” He said giving a small kiss to your forehead. You smiled and looked up at his eyes.

“I’m glad you came. Otherwise tonight would’ve been boring as all hell.” You said quietly. He smiled down at you and with that your night was made.

[kyoomiii]

♡ Realizing you’re growing up [hcs]

- ✎ characters ❝ iwaizumi, oikawa, and ushijima ❞

- [ trigger warning(s): none other than maybe one curse word ]

- ⚘ genre ❝ fluff, angst (i suppose it’s more bittersweet than angsty) ❞

❝ dedicated to some wonderful third years... σ(≧ ~ ≦ o) ❞

-kyo  ♡

It hit you the moment he began looking at colleges. Watching over his shoulder as he gathered information on what he might want to do in the next coming months, because this was it. Your last year of high school, and the beginning of your adulthood.

And you don’t know when, but eventually it begins to settle in for him too. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s considering leaving Japan, or the fact that he realizes that the school year was coming to an end, but the feeling lingers in the air as it strikes him that he really is almost an adult.

After the epiphany he keeps you close, shyly holding you more because you can both feel it slipping despite still being young.

And you’re right, because one day at lunch with just the two of you Oikawa was probably off doing who knows what he blurts it out, the look in his eyes almost guilty.

“I decided I want to go to Irvine California to study sports science- and hopefully, work with Takashi Utsui…”

The words set a pit in your stomach, your appetite suddenly lost as you look up at Iwaizumi who awaits what you have to say. So you try your best to muster the biggest smile you can, grasping his hand and placing a kiss to his knuckles which send a flare of red to his cheeks.

“Hajime, if that’s what you want to do with your life then who am I to stop you?”

“How did I ever get so lucky to have found someone like you y/n…”

His eyes are shining with happiness as he pulls you into a warm hug, despite being a boy with rough edges, Iwaizumi is incredibly gentle when it comes to showing you affection. He’ll litter your skin in soft butterfly kisses as his heart flutters with joy.

But it only lasts a moment as the conclusion he tried so hard to avoid comes to mind, easily overwhelming his heart.

“So this means…”

“Please don’t say it Haji, I know…”

“y/n…”

A silence falls over the two of you as you lay in each other’s arms, basking in the warmth of one another as you try to remember every detail of this feeling of unconditional love.

“I change my mind- I can’t leave you…”

“Hajime, no… Don’t give up what you want to do just for me, I refuse to hold you back.”

“So then what are we gonna do?”

“-I don’t know.”

Every moment from here on is precious. He holds onto it so tightly with every sundown and sunrise, never once staying away from you too long in fear that you’d slip through his fingers without him even noticing.

He begins to ease up on Oikawa too, his insults and attacks becoming less harmful as he recognizes that these may be the last in person interactions he has with his best friend for a long while- especially since Oikawa plans on leaving the country too.

Everything is moving so fast, it felt like just yesterday he and Oikawa entered the Aoba Johsai gymnasium, introducing themselves as first years, and stating their dreams of going to nationals.

But the blindfold is slowly lifted as he glances around the airport, his grip on your hand tight as his thumb caresses your skin. This is it… The gate to adulthood.

“I’m going to miss you y/n- you too Trashykawa.”

“Wow Iwa-chan i’m touched.”

“Don’t worry about us Hajime.”

He can’t help it though, as he gazes at both you and Oikawa with the most loving eyes, even if it did look like he was glaring at the two of you from someone else’s perspective.

“Hey… Thank you, for the past few years. They were truly something special.”

“Don’t get sappy on me now Iwa-chan! *THWACK* Owie...”

His attention turns to you, as he takes a step forward. His lips place a gentle kiss on your own.

“They say that if it’s meant to be that it will happen. I love you y/n, and I always will, no matter what, and there’s no doubt in my heart that we’ll be okay.”

“Hajime… I love you too. You’ll always be the one I love the most no matter what.”

He gives you one last peck to your forehead before turning back to his luggage.

Your stomach sinks as you watch him leave… Growing up is learning how to let go, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“Ew… Tooru, you’re getting snot everywhere.”

As the ball bounces off of Oikawa’s arms before dropping to the floor, you feel your heart drop. Your body tensing as the gymnasium suddenly falls quiet. The daunting sound of the ball bouncing across the wooden floor echoing throughout the silent space before the sudden roar of cheers erupt from the stands and the opposing team. 

The memory plays in your head, repeating over and over, even as you hold his hand walking side by side surrounded by his boisterous teammates. The mood is light, but your heart is heavy as you walk with the other third years. Nevertheless you try, putting on your brightest smile for the younger members.

However despite all of your efforts you can see it in their eyes- they know, but even so they don’t pry, even as you and the rest of the third years depart.

Oikawa’s grip on your hand tightens once it’s just the third years, the tension in his hold doesn’t go unnoticed by you as you gently squeeze back.

He and Iwaizumi bicker as usual, something you’d miss seeing on a daily despite the fact that it annoyed you to no end, and judging by the looks in Matsun’s and Maki’s eyes, they’d agree, watching nonchalantly as Iwaizumi easily throws your boyfriend from your grasp.

“What are they competing about?”

“The usual.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you’re dumb…”

“So mean y/n-chan!”

“Oi you better watch it!”

And despite the heavy feeling in your heart, you laugh wholeheartedly as Iwaizumi playfully glares at the three of you or at least you assumed he was being playful

The group comes to a stop, the surrounding all too familiar, from the building, the landscape… Your precious memories are stored here in this one building that in your first year you’d call hell.

“Weren’t we heading home?”

“I think… In a way we are home Matsun..”

No one could agree with you more. Over the past three years this building, the gym, and the people within it have become your home. 

The boys, having decided to play for a while, set up the court. The familiar sound of shoes squeaking against the flooring fills the gym as all the third years scurry about.

“Shit, the ramen, I’m gonna puke.”

“You guys are like children...(((￣へ￣井)”

“Haha”

“Especially you Tooru.”

“y/n-channn ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚”

But just like your time here, their session draws to an end as the sun disappears beyond the horizon. They begin cleaning up everything they set out, and as Oikawa jogs up to you for his water bottle you can see it in his eyes, he felt it too…

“Go easy on them Tooru.”

With a gentle kiss to your forehead he nods, quickly taking a sip of his water before turning back to his team.

“Everyone… Can I have your attention for a sec?”

Maki seems to notice the sullen look on your face as he quickly holds his hand out.

“Oi! Knock it off! We’re going out of our way to finish things on a high note, let’s just end this peacefully- “

“Shut up!- Thank you! For the past three years.”

His words begin to sink in, the atmosphere all of you tried so hard to put up suddenly comes crumbling down as Oikawa’s shoulder’s begin to shake, tears streaming down his face. The quiet sobs of the third years following suit along with your own as you watch them from a distance… This was it.

Even as you say your heartfelt goodbyes, despite seeing each other in the morning tomorrow, you can’t help but feel your heart clench. Especially as you and Oikawa bid Iwaizumi a goodnight, leaving just the two of you alone.

“I told you to take it easy on them Tooru.”

But he knows that it was more meant for you than anyone else as he brings you into an embrace, his grip tight as he buries his face in the crook of your neck. The worries of the future suddenly lifting at his touch.

“No matter what happens in the future y/n… My heart will always follow you.”

“I love you Oikawa Tooru.”

“I love you too.”

The end doesn’t always mean goodbye…

After years of hard work and development you watch from the sidelines as the last practice draws to a close.

Third years standing apart from the first and second years as they say their final words of encouragement. And it begins to sink in for you that this really is it. Shiratorizawa, your home since Junior High would no longer be yours after this year. 

And to think, that at the end of your journey here, someone else's begins. The feeling is bittersweet as you say your goodbyes, a pang to your heart as you watch Goshiki cry once more.

You knew this day would come eventually, after all moments like this always come to an end. It’s made painfully clear as you glance around Ushijima’s dorm room. He had always been clean, but the sight of boxes and the bare walls make you uneasy, there are no traces of Tendou’s knick knacks, no doodles on the desks from when either you or the redhead get bored.

It’s almost like no one was ever here, as if some of your most precious memories didn’t make a mark in this tiny room.

Your mind is racing, jumping between past memories and the unknown future. The thought keeps you awake into the late hours of the night, and not even the soothing warmth of the boy next to you can set you at ease.

Ushijima is a light sleeper, it’s been that way since he was a boy, so despite the fact that you are not particularly loud the mere shift of restless movement from you has his dark olive eyes groggily opening. His face is ever so stoic, but his eyes gleam in concern as he looks at you.

He was never one for much affection, even in the confinements of his own room, but nonetheless he embraces your body, pulling you close as he rests his face against the top of your head.

“What’s wrong?”

And for a moment you find it hard to speak, your voice caught in your throat despite his gentle thoughtful touches

“Toshi… Do you ever think of growing up? Or the fact that our time at Shiratorizawa is coming to an end?”

Once again silence falls between the two of you. The only sound being that of Tendou’s soft snores from the top bunk.

“It’s a natural process of life y/n. Everyone grows up.”

“But it’ll be so different don’t you think? We’re going to be adults…This place will only be a distant memory.”

An unfamiliar feeling of worry engulfs your being.

“This won’t be our home anymore…”

Ushijima’s hold suddenly tightens, it’s hardly noticeable, hidden by the darkness of the room, but his eyes soften.

“y/n you are my home, just as I am yours. I will always be here.”

His words bring a sense of peace to your heart, they are fleeting and short, but they linger with you throughout the night, blooming with warmth as he holds you close. He has always been a constant in your life, and a constant he will remain.

“Thank you Toshi…I love you”

You almost miss it, the faint whisper of his voice 

“I love you too y/n”

Perhaps everything will be alright… Growing up means starting new chapters, not tearing out old ones.

[80sgaytrash]

The Gap in the Puzzle

| I just wanted to write something and I was all up in my feelings soooo here you go. Send me ideas. I wanna write more.

Will’s husband was a tall man. He was made of thin lines and long limbs. The man tripped more than he walked and was annoying clumsy. He would sing off key in the shower and climb on the sofa to serenade Will with shit renditions of 80’s love songs. The man with dark curls and freckles on his nose would sometimes stare at Will and just get a little breathless.

There was a gap in Will’s life that this man filled.

The void had been there for an irreparable amount of time. When the Byers moved out of Hawkins, there was a space in Will’s life. It was the same size and shape of the party, but luckily Will was able to fill those gaping gaps with the colorful smiles of strangers at his new high school. Instead of crafting careful caricatures of Max, Lucas, Dustin, or Mike, he now smeared charcoal to design charming doodles of his new skater friend, his stoner buddy, and his punk rock pal. He was part of a new clique, a group that started a band and danced in his basement to pop punk until his mother dragged them inside.

The gap was still there though. The gap was tall and awkward, but nonetheless strong and brave. The gap once wrote wonderful journeys and fought the monsters both in the tangible and story worlds. Will went to college and tried hard to forget the paladin that still lived on in the pages of his sketchbook. He came out in the summer between his first and second years of college, just to the close few that no longer included most of the party. It was just Max, who had followed him to college in California. He vaguely kept in touch with Lucas who called and wrote her often. Letters with Dustin slowly came to a stop and Will felt a sense of moving on.

The gap was still there though. It was annoying how it trailed him through his life, lurking in the shadows. He dated a lot in college. He was an attractive young man and it wasn’t exactly hard for him to find a partner. There was always something off though, something that didn’t quite work. Maybe it was the gap in Will’s soul that prevented him from offering a full portrait of himself to each new person.

Then he met the man.

The gap was gone.

Will was in love.

It was like a puzzle piece that didn’t fit quite right, but well enough to satisfy the missing spot in the picture. It was jammed and crammed into a space it didn’t fit, but it serves its roll and made a pretty picture. Will received a wedding invitation in the mail from Mike, but he couldn’t cry. Instead, he kissed the man with freckles on his nose and a story being published. He kissed the man and said “as soon as the law allows, let’s get married. “

And they did.

It took years.

The gap was gone and Will was close enough to being in love to be content.

That’s all Will Byers could ever be. Content.

Will’s husband was a tall man. The man had freckles, curls, long limbs, and an awkward smile. He wrote stories with main characters that resembled Will a whole lot and he professed his love with the eloquence of a dreamer at every chance he could. He protected Will without smothering him. They played D&D with the neighbors every Saturday while their daughter chased their dog around the living room. He was absolute perfect for Will and he jammed and crammed his way into the spot that Mike Wheeler had left. It was the spot that Will had spent his entire life reserving until it was useless. Then, will auctioned it off to something that almost fit the gap.

[papermoonloveslucy]

HOLLYWOOD BOND CAVALCADE

September 4, 1943

On September 4, 1943, the Hollywood Bond Cavalcade departed to raise money for America’s Third War Loan. It began in Washington DC and went through 16 American cities before ending in San Francisco 21 days later. Millions of Americans flocked to these events buying war bonds as their tickets, with seat prices ranging from $18.75 to $1 million. After crossing 10,091 miles, the campaign raised a total of $40,110,000 and pushed America’s War Loan over the $2 billion mark.

The Hollywood Victory Committee was an organization founded on December 10, 1941 during World War II to provide a means for stage, screen, television and radio performers that were not in military service to contribute to the war effort through bond drives and improving morale for troops. It was associated with the Screen Actors Guild. The Committee organized events between January 1942 until August 1945. Its first chairman was Clark Gable. 

This was not the first such event. In 1942, Desi Arnaz participated in the Hollywood Victory Caravan. He was joined by stars Joan Bennett, Joan Blondell, Charles Boyer, James Cagney, Claudette Colbert, Jerry Colonna, Bing Crosby, Olivia de Havilland, Cary Grant, Charlotte Greenwood, Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Laurel and Hardy, Bert Lahr, Groucho Marx, Frank McHugh, Ray Middleton, Merle Oberon, Pat O'Brien, Eleanor Powell, and Risë Stevens. The Caravan show played in 12 cities and netted over $700,000 for Army and Navy relief funds. [Note that in the above Minneapolis welcome sign, Desi’s surname is mis-spelled!]

Along with Lucille Ball, some of the celebrities involved included:

James Cagney ~ had just opened his film Johnny Come Lately on September 3, 1943. 

Judy Garland ~ won a 1940 special Oscar for her contributions to film. In September 1943, she released Thousands Cheer (co-starring Lucille Ball) and two months later, Girl Crazy with Mickey Rooney.  

Mickey Rooney ~ was also in Thousands Cheer with Garland and Ball, as well as premiering Girl Crazy with Judy Garland in November 1943. Rooney won Oscars in 1939 and 1940. In 1966 he played himself on an episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

Kay Kyser ~ was a bandleader who made his film debut with Lucille Ball in That’s Right - You’re Wrong. He made four films in 1943, including Thousands Cheer.  

Paul Henreid ~ was most known for playing Victor Laszlo in Casablanca (1942). His name was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” in “The Adagio” (ILL S1;E12) when Ricky lights two cigarettes at once, just a Paul Henreid did for Bette Davis in 1942′s Now Voyager. 

Greer Garson ~ won Oscars in 1940, 1942, and 1943, for Mrs. Miniver, her most recent success at the time. She had a film in release called The Youngest Profession and was about to debut another hit, Madame Curie. 

Betty Hutton ~ was an actress and singer who was seen that summer of ‘43 in Let’s Face It, starring Bob Hope. 

Kathryn Grayson ~ was  yet another Cavalcade member starring in Thousands Cheer.

Harpo Marx ~ is best known for the act he developed with his brothers that was a hit on Broadway and screen.  He was a silent clown in an over-sized raincoat and fright wig. Lucy and Harpo had appeared together in Room Service in 1938. In 1955, he guest-starred on “I Love Lucy” (S4;E28) as himself. 

Fred Astaire ~ was one of Hollywood’s most legendary dancers. In July 1943 he released The Sky’s The Limit with Joan Leslie. In 1943, he had already done three musical films with Lucille Ball, and was about to film a fourth - Ziegfeld Follies. His name was mentioned on two episodes of “I Love Lucy.” 

Olivia DeHavilland ~ was a two-time Oscar nominee at the time of the Cavalcade. She memorably played Melanie Wilkes in Gone With The Wind in 1939. 

Martha Scott ~ was a 1940 Oscar nominee for the screen version of Our Town. Her film Hi Diddle Diddle was in release during the summer of 1943. 

Dick Powell ~ was preparing to premiere Riding High with Dorothy Lamour in November 1943. He was about to start filming Meet the People with Lucille Ball, which opened in 1944. 

The stars participated upon behest of the US Treasury Department. 

A special 11-car Union Pacific Railroad train carried the stars from Los Angeles, to Washington DC for the kick-off. 

Union Pacific Railroad provided access to their new Domeliner for location and second unit footage on “I Love Lucy” during “The Great Train Robbery” (S5;E5). 

Tour Schedule:

Sept 4 - Depart Los Angeles 

Sept 8 – Washington, DC

Sept 9 – Philadelphia

Sept 10 – Boston

Sept 11 – New York

Sept 12 – Pittsburgh

Sept 13 – Cleveland

Sept 14 – Detroit

Sept 15 – Cincinnati

Sept 16 – Chicago

Sept 17 – Minneapolis

Sept 18 – St Louis

Sept 20 – New Orleans

Sept 21 – Dallas

Sept 22 – San Antonio

Sept 25 – San Francisco

Sept 26 & 27 – Los Angeles

A Typical Cavalcade Performance (depending on celebrity availability) 

Kay Kyser served as master of ceremonies and started the show with his band's theme "Thinking Of You".  James Cagney came on to read a poem - "What Do We Do When We Buy A Bond" - and did two numbers and a dance from Yankee Doodle Dandy, for which he had recently won the Academy Award. Dick Powell then crooned some of his hits: "Don't Give Up The Ship," "Let's Get Lost," "In My Arms," and "Happy Go Lucky".  

Harpo Marx would intermittently chase a blonde across the stage. He eventually settled down to play two harp solos, bang on the piano, wheeze on the harmonica, and finally played a pantomime poker game with Lucille Ball, who had appeared with Harpo in Room Service in 1938 and learned physical comedy at his knee. Harpo ended the game by cutting the cards with an ax!

After Fred Astaire danced, Kyser brought down the house with a burlesque imitation of his style. Mickey Rooney did imitations of Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Wendell Wilkie, and then played the drums.

Betty Hutton performed some hot boogie-woogie. Judy Garland sang "The Man I Love," "Embraceable You," and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."

Greer Garson urged continued bond purchases, saying, "If we relax, if we don't back the attack, the war will go on indefinitely."

Upon arrival in Washington DC on September 8, Lucille Ball and the stars paraded through the streets in military jeeps, waving to the assembled crowds on their way to the Washington Monument. A similar parade was held in most all subsequent cities. 

After departing DC, the stars embarked on a 15 city ‘barn-storming’ tour of American cities. 

September 9 ~ the Cavalcade played Philadelphia's Convention Hall...

...and moved to play Boston on September 10.

September 11 ~ at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was here that Betty Hutton announced her engagement to camera manufacturer Ted Briskin. They tied the knot in 1945 but the marriage ended in divorce in 1951.  

September 12 ~ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The newspapers promoted its arrival with this photo from their Los Angeles departure. 

September 13 ~ the Cavalcade rolled through Cleveland, Ohio the stars spoke to an assembly of Defense Workers. That night, at the Civic Auditorium, Kay Kyser auctioned off an American flag for $10,000,000 and two pounds of butter and a three pound steak for $100,000 each!

September 14 ~ Detroit, Michigan

September 15 ~ Cincinnati, Ohio. Stars rode into town on chartered Cincinnati Street Railway buses kicked off at Union Station. Lucille Ball is 8th from the right, next to Harpo Marx. 

September 16 in Chicago’s Soldier Field. 

September 17 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

September 18 in St. Louis, Missouri at the Kiel Auditorium.  Most of the stars lodged at the Hotel Jefferson, where police had to chase 300 autograph hounds out of the lobby. They also had to drag a high school girl out from beneath Fred Astaire's bed.  In another incident, surging fans shattered a plate glass window, which tore Judy Garland's dress to shreds.

September 19 was left as an ‘open’ day in New Orleans, Louisiana, before their official performances on September 20 at the Tad Gormley Stadium.  Variety reported the crowd at 50,000, The States stated it was between 65,000 and 75,000, while The Item claimed 100,000 showed up, despite the actual venue only seating 35,000! 

September 21 in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl... 

...and in San Antonio, Texas on September 22.

September 25 in San Francisco to perform... 

...and on September 26 went home to Los Angeles to conclude the 10,000 mile tour. A crowd of 6,000 greeted them at the station in Glendale as the Navy Band played "California, Here I Come."  

The song would memorably be sung on “I Love Lucy” to launch the Hollywood episodes in 1955.

Lucille Ball helped sell bonds throughout her career.  Click here for a look at Lucy and US Savings Bonds! 

[senadimell]

2, 7, 30?

Ooh, my first request!

2. Favorite underrated historical figure?

Princess Taiping/ 太平公主！ I wrote a paper on her and it was really hard to find sources discussing her in her own right. She’s a Zhou and Tang-dynasty figure, the daughter of the famous Wu Zetian, known as the only female emperor in China (Zhou being the single-generation dynasty established by Wu Zetian) She’s not someone I’d emulate, but man, she lived a wild life. 

She instigated two successful coups and played politics like nobody’s business. All the while, she amassed landholdings and wealth. She was her mother’s right-hand woman: Emperor Wu* used one of the Taiping Princess’ plans to get rid of a confidante who’d gone too far by setting fire to a temple. Princess Taiping’s first husband was implicated in a failed rebellion against her mother and executed, but she was able to remarry and stay on the scene. In fact, we’re pretty sure her mother had the wife of her second husband assassinated so she could remarry him. I think it’s fascinating that she was able to stay on top during her mother’s rule, as two of her brothers were executed by her mother and two were ousted from power after being named successors. Later in her mother’s life, Taiping outmaneuvered both her mother and her mother’s head of secret police to coerce her mother into agreeing to oust him. 

Eventually, she knew winds were changing in the court and her mother was falling out of favor, so she helped convince her to abdicate the throne in favor of one of her brothers, who I will refer to as Emperor Zhongzong.

It’s kinda complicated to talk about the crazy intrigue that followed her mother’s death, because practically all of her brothers and nephew all have multiple names: birth names, ruling names, and post-humous reign titles, so it can get a little confusing. So Emperor Zhongzong (sounds like jhong-tsong) came into power and his wife, Empress Wei, was also a strong political actor. She did not want Princess Taiping wielding that much political power, and Princess Taiping had lost her most powerful backer when Wu Zetian stepped down. Empress Wei wanted her daughter, the Anle princess, to hold power in the court, and even tried to have her named crown princess and heir, something unprecedented. That didn’t work and her son Li Chongmao/later Emperor Shao was named successor instead. It’s strongly suspected that Empress Wei and the Anle princess (sounds like ahn-leh) conspired to and successfully poisoned Emperor Zhongzong. The Taiping Princess lost no time in launching a coup, and in two weeks time both Empress Wei and the Anle princess were dead. 

Li Chongmao didn't stand a chance. He was around 10-12 when this happened, and when people were still talking about who would be the new leader, she said “Everybody turns to the prime minister [princess Taiping’s brother, Li Dan, later Emperor Ruizong], little boy; this is not your seat.”** Emperor Ruizong treated Princess Taiping as a political equal and relied heavily on her advice.

Meanwhile, his son Li Longji grew in political power and prowess. She felt threatened by him, and participated in a smear campaign to limit his power. He tried to placate her appointing her supporters to  government, so the government was filled with people loyal to her. Unfortunately for her, Emperor Ruizong’s advisors still managed to convinced him to exile her. Through her connections, she was still able to maintain power in the court. 

In 712 ACE, Emperor Ruizong took a comet as a sign he was to step down (rather than eventually getting killed in the struggle between his son and sister) and announced his future abdication to his son Li Longji, temple name Emperor Xuanzong (shu-en tsong) which is how I will refer to him from now on). Aware of what this would mean for her, the Taiping Princess planned her third coup, an armed struggle to upend the soon-to-be Emperor Xuanzong, but was betrayed and discovered. She fled to a monastery, but was found three days later and permitted to commit suicide (seen as more honorable than execution). In the aftermath of the coup, all of the political leaders associated her were implicated by association and were executed or forced to commit suicide. Get this: that was all but one of the chief ministers! It took years for the state to completely appropriate her amassed landholdings and wealth.

*So Empress usually denotes a designated wife of an emperor (皇帝）. Wu Zetian went from a consort to empress regent to empress regnant, essentially. When Wu Zetian ascended the throne, she did some masterful religious and linguistic subversion to establish her legitimacy and came up with a lot of new terms and names to justify what she was doing, since it was unprecedented.  Essentially, she was the female version of Emperor, but translating the linguistic titles is complicated. 

**Sue Wiles and Lily Xiao Hong Lee “Li, Princess Taiping” Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women.

7. Which time period would you like to live in?

Now. The current one. Go back too far even in the past century and I lose rights and privileges that I value, like the ability to dress as weirdly as I please, the ability to discuss issues of mental health and the #me too movement with women’s rights in general, the ability to work where I want, and the ability to openly practice religion. I would also miss conversations and changes within my own faith community about treating people of all races and backgrounds equally, church culture vs. doctrine, and attitudes towards church history.

 But if I were a time traveller and could stop in a place for a vacation, I’d love to live in the early 1900s (1900-1920) and visit major urban centers for art, music, and to witness labor conditions and activism. Alternatively, if I were a time traveller I would simply attend live showings of my favorite shows and concerts (lots of musical theatre)

30. Favorite kids/teens history books:

Most of the historical fiction I’ve read takes place in the past 100 years, and a lot of it takes place in the 30s and 40s. I do have a rule for myself that I don’t seek fiction about the Holocaust--the things here are exceptions. I tend to read survivor’s accounts instead, though I couldn’t think of many novels in for this rec. 

 Between Shades of Grey, by Ruta Sepetys--gorgeous, heart-wrenching book about a girl in Lithuania sent to a Soviet prison camp in Siberia. 

Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, by Elizabeth Wein--both take place during WWII. Rather brutal and play around with alternative narration styles.

The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen. I don’t know how to describe it. During a Passover Seder, Hannah Stern is transported back in time to 1942 Poland, during World War II. 

Anything by Gillian Bradshaw (she’s more of a ‘dump you into the history hard and let you figure things out’ kind of author, which I love--I’m trying to get my hands on A Beacon at Alexandria. She also writes historical fiction set in antiquity, which I don’t see as often.)

Flygirl, by Sherri Smith about the WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots). Tackles the racism of the era as well.

The Red Umbrella, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, about the Cuban exile after the revolution of 1959

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, about a girl who leaves her estate in Mexico and has to live as a migrant worker in California. 

Uprising, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 and is a good introduction to labor issues and unions in US history. This book is almost solely responsible for why I don’t think Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them looks anything like New York at the early 20th century (yes, I know this takes place 10 years earlier, but conditions hadn’t changed all that much). 

The Lightning Tree, by Sarah Dunster (not the book of the same name by Patrick Rothfuss). This one’s a bit personal--it’s a coming-of-age story following the story of a girl of Waldensian heritage set in Utah right after the Utah War (1858) and a year after the Mountain Meadows Massacre. It’s character-driven, lyrical and subverted my expectations of what would happen. 

The Vanishing Point, by Louise Hawes. A fictionalized biography of Lavinia Fontana, a famous female artist in the Italian Renaissance. Considering how the art world is dominated by male artists, this was really neat to read, and also takes place further in the past than a lot of things I read. 

Distant Waves, by Suzanne Weyn: Probably the weirdest book here, but just fabulous. It combines spiritualism, Nikola Tesla, Houdini and Doyle, H.G. Wells and the wealthy crème de la crème of the era with the Titanic.

Non-fiction

Yankee Doodle Gals, by Amy Nathan is about the WASP and is fabulous.

Teens at War, by Allan Zullo. Ten stories of teenagers at war throughout history.

Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials by Marc Aronson. One of the things I realized was just how much of an anomaly the trials were, as previously courts had been denying spectral evidence as a valid source of evidence.

Night, by Elie Wiesel. A personal history of surviving the Holocaust. Here’s the thing--if you can, read both the edition before his wife translated it and compare it to her translation. Her translations soften the hard edges of the book, which isn’t something I usually want if I’m reading about the Holocaust, but have been called more true to his words.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. A moving and disturbing story about race, medical exploitation, the invention of vaccines, and poverty in the U.S. I don’t know if this counts as a teen novel, but I read it as a freshman in high school on my librarian’s recommendation.

Savage Girls and Wild Boys Does this count as children or history? It’s a history about feral children (raised by animals, etc) and other children raised in extraordinary circumstances. 

Sort of history? It’s more modern. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick. It’s kind of a memoir of Arn Chorn-Pond, someone who survived the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and was a child soldier. It’s brutal, but I recommend it to everyone. 

This isn’t a children’s history book, but I can’t miss an opportunity to recommend it. The Rape Of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II by Iris Chang is utterly heartbreaking. The Rape of Nanjing has hugely significant to cultural memory, and yet most people I’ve talked to in the states have never hear about it

As for children���s books, I read my copy of The Secret Soldier by Ann McGovern to death. If not for its length, it would probably be falling out of its binding by now. 

I also read my mother’s childhood copy of The Story of Helen Keller by Lorena A. Hickok over and over again (first published 1958). 

Survivor, by Allan Zullo. Compilation of stories from children who survived the Holocaust. 

The Hidden Girl, the story of Lola Rein Kaufman written between her and Lois Metzger. After her mother is killed by the Gestapo, she has to hide in a barn to survive.

OH! ETA:

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics  and Tough Mothers: Amazing Stories of History's Mightiest Matriarchs by Jason Porath are a fun way to get familiar with historical and legendary female historical figures. There is some swearing and description of all the sorts of things you can imagine have happened to historical women, but it’s organized by rating and type. 

@brightbeautifulthings I don’t know if asking automatically tags you?

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Periwinkle

Characters: Matthew Gray Gubler x Reader

Word Count: 1,692

Warnings: fluff, implied smut at the end

Summary: Matthew needs a password to get into the snow fort, you need a password to get him into bed.

Author’s Note: If you have any requests, please send them in! this is unbeta’d and every mistake is all on me.

This is the December 13th fic for my 25 days of RPF Christmas with the prompt: “You need a password to enter my snow fort”

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

The hardest thing you’ve ever had to do was try and find a person who will accept you for who you are. Every boyfriend you’ve ever had either wanted you to mature and grow up, wanted you to act more like them, and always wanted you to change into the person they wanted to be with. They didn’t like being with the woman who played the license plate game while in cars, or the woman who splashed in the puddles while on a walk, or even the woman who watched cartoons. The men you dated were all so boring until you met Matthew.

Ever since him, you never had the feeling he was trying to change you at all. In fact, you two thrived on one another’s company.

You’re very child-like at heart, and you are lucky enough to find a man who is just like you. Just last week, you two were on swings at your neighborhood park to see who can jump the farthest. It took a lot of skills not to get hurt, but you two had fun while doing it. Jumping off swings was fun back when you were a child; now that you’re almost thirty-seven, it hurts a bit more. Still, you and Matthew had a ton of fun to see who can get hurt the fastest.

A few years ago, you and Matthew went to the beach while he was in California for Criminal Minds. He flew you out to him just so he could take you to the beach on the weekend. The best part about going to the beach isn’t the waves, sandcastles, or getting a tan; it’s running from the water as it washes up onshore. The very first thing you did was run to the edge of the shore and watch as the small waves formed in the distance. The closer they got, the more distance you put between you and the saltwater. When it washed up on shore, that’s when you ran like hell back to where Matthew was watching with a huge grin.

This time, he decided to join you in your adventures, and let’s just say, it didn’t go exactly as planned.

“Come on, it’s fun. The goal of the game is to not get touched by water. Run like hell, but don’t get touched by the water,” you explained.

“I know how it works,” he laughs playfully.

Both of you got ready at the starting line, and your feet were more than ready to bounce when the water came rushing back to shore. People were looking at you and Matthew with strange looks, but you didn't care about them. As long as you were having fun with Matthew, that is all that matters to you. The waves crashed upon the shore, and you two booked it away. Your feet must have slipped on the damp sand because you tripped and fell, causing the frigid waters to roll over your body. The shriek you let out is why Matthew turned around.

He let out a cackle as you stayed on the sandy ground. He walked closer to you to help you up, but you made sure to time this perfectly. The next wave was coming closer, and as soon as it was within a reasonable distance, you grabbed Matthew’s leg and pulled it from underneath him. He came crashing down next to you just as the second wave rolled over you two.

It was your turn to laugh loudly at him.

Beach days were so much fun with him, but the best time is when you two are bored at home. When you’re bored, that’s when your imagination gets loose and anything can happen in the Gubler home. He doesn’t appear in magazines very often, but when he does, and you’re bored, then they better watch out. Whenever they come in the mail (since you obviously got a subscription), you’d have a black marker ready to draw. Every doodle you’d sketch onto his face would be different; you even have a drawer full of the ones you drew on and cut out to save. He doesn’t know about the drawer, and you’re only going to show him when you have enough to make a large collage of them.

The smile on your face would be prominent as you doodled since you usually did this in secret. Matthew caught you doing it once, and you thought he’d yell at you for being childish and to throw it away. He just stared at you from behind the couch, and you had a nervous look on your face as if he was going to yell at any moment. The only thing he did was jump over the back of the couch, grabbed a marker, and asked to join.

He is the best partner for you since you can be your true self around him. He’s a child at heart, so you two are a perfect pair for one another. It’s not best to leave one of you unsupervised, but since he’s at work, and you’re at home, you thought you would go to the backyard and make something you’ve always wanted to make but never had the patience for in the past: a snow fort!

Just recently he got a snow machine to grovel it out of the wall for cars, but you use the machine to pile the snow into one big pile. You would take a break and let this simmer for a few days, but you didn't want Matthew to know what you were doing in the backyard. The snow machine was fast, but it wasn’t fast enough. It took the majority of the day with non-stop work to get the pile of snow you wanted. Once that was done, it was time for carving.

Since the snow had time to sit in a pile, it was tough to carve out a hole big enough to fit two people, and a cave wide enough to feel comfortable. You have to have enough snow on top so it doesn’t save in, and you must have enough snow all around the fort so it doesn’t collapse. This is taking all of your energy and creativity you had saved for the whole week, but you manage to get it done.

By the time you’re finished, it’s dark, which means you get to bring out the Christmas lights you dug up just for this. You plug it into the side of the house and let the cords run across the ground to the fort. You stick them in the snow all around to make it festive until you’re happy with the way it looks.

To make it homier, you gather some snacks that will survive in the cold, blankets that you don’t mind getting wet, and a few throw pillows. Once you’re finished with it, it looks like someone’s living room if that living room is made of snow. Matthew should be home any second now, so you crawl inside the fort and admire the work you’ve done all day.

Matthew arrives at home right on schedule, and he looks around the house for you since you’re always there to greet him with a kiss. The fact that you’re not tells him you’re up to something. He loves finding out what you did all day, so he goes on a hunt for his girlfriend. You’re not anywhere on the first floor, and he’s about to go upstairs when he spots the Christmas lights outside.

He makes his way to the backyard and smiles at the work you’ve done. There is a blanket covering the entrance to your fort like it’s the door to the place. He puts his hand on the blanket so it doesn’t freeze on the snow and calls out your name. The blanket swings open and your head pops out to greet him.

“You need a password to enter my snow fort,” you say seriously.

“Lounge potato,” he guesses.

“Nope.”

“Psychopathic drums.”

“Wrong again!”

Matthew thinks about his next guess. He thinks about the stories you’ve told him about when you were a child, and how you always had to build secret forts out of virtually anything just to get away from your brothers. If they wanted to come in, they would need to guess the password. You always had the same password for everything, and his eyes lit up when he remembered what it was.

“Periwinkle.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say that in the first place? Come on in!” you grin and allow him to crawl in. When you made the fort, you didn't take into consideration that he’s a 6’1 giant, and he basically has to bend parts of his body he didn’t know could bend.

“Sorry, it’s so tiny in here,” you chuckle apologetically.

“I like it. You did this all day?”

“I was bored!”

“Your best ideas come out when you’re bored,” he compliments.

He leans in for a kiss, and you accept it with welcoming lips. Despite it being very cold here, his lips warm up your entire body. He hasn’t seen you all day, and all he really wants is to spend the night with you in bed. He moves his lips to underneath your ear, and you feel a tickle coming on. He knows your neck is very ticklish, and only when you are seriously in the mood, you can’t help but giggle.

“Matthew,” you giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Let’s go inside where it’s warm. But you need a password to get into bed with me,” he says playfully.

“Mm, is it ‘I love you’?”

“Nope.”

“What about ‘you’re the most gorgeous person on the planet’?”

“Wrong again,” he smirks as he plants another kiss on your neck.

“Oh, I know. It’s ‘fuck me until I can’t walk’.”

“Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” he jokes and exits the fort.

He tugs on your legs, and you squeal in surprise. He lifts you up and leaves the snow fort hastily. He brings you inside the glowing house with the intention of never leaving the bed once.

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