#can you tell i have a thing for beverage packaging

[bal0neymalon3y]

some experimenting in gimp :^)

inspo below

[scentofpines]

sorry im in a hater mood today but some us americans use such an absurd amount of plastic. buying 2 slices of bread that are packaged in plastic instead of just buying one loaf that comes in a paper bag that you cut yourself? using a red platic cup to collect your biodegradable trash and throwing that away afterwards?? drinking water exclusively from 500ml single use plastic bottles???? (i mean i get if tap water isnt drinkable where you live, but then at least get large bottles or gallons of water). driving your car to buy a coffee in a single use cup at dunkin donuts every single day instead of just getting a refillable one or bringing some cup from home???? using plastic dishes at YOUR OWN FUCKING HOUSE????? talk about excess

[windvexer]

Hi chicken! About this post: https://linkkwitch.tumblr.com/private/770875613764550656/tumblr_sp1i0gwyqP1zwpg9d?source=share

Could you give an example of consecration/blessing/charging? I feel like I still struggle to differentiate them in my head

Like for example, you mentioned stiring the tea as a consecration act but I always thought this would be charging

Hi; that does not appear to be a relevant link. I think we are referring to this?

Perhaps many would disagree with me, but here's how I see it:

Stirring liquid is a technique for transferring magic into wet things.

This is the same concept as exhaling onto something, whispering into something, rapping the knuckles against something, using the finger to draw roads through something, and so forth: it's a physical action which carries something on its back.

I do not claim the following to be literally true, but rather a thought exercise to demonstrate this concept:

We can start with energy. Energy is gathered up through whatever means the practitioner likes (perhaps they will just use some of their personal energy).

When this energy is gathered up, it is stamped with purpose. This is called setting intent, and this intent is held within metaphysical energy the way that a house seal once applied is held within wax, or a word once written is held within ink.

This energy, now stamped with purpose, is waiting to go somewhere and fulfill its purpose.

One method to make it go somewhere is to synchronize the energy with a physical action you can perform on an object, so when you perform that action, the energy is transferred into the object.

Hence, stirring liquid to transfer purposeful energy into the beverage.

Stirring alone does nothing. It must carry something on its back: the energy you have raised and molded with intent.

What purpose you stamp into the energy may be anything. This purpose may be to bless, to consecrate, or anything you like.

The purpose of the physical action is because you yourself function as a world tree: you extend through many worlds, and therefore bridge all of them and can move things between them.

You have the capacity to reach into both the astral/energetic/ethereal layers of reality, and into the physical layers of reality. Therefore you can package up energy and stamp it with intent, and then be your own axis mundi to transfer that energy into a physical object.

Since the point of this specific technique is that you use a physical action to transfer energy, the moment of transfer is of course a physical action (such as those listed at the beginning of the post). This should be accompanied by OBFUKing (observing, believing, feeling, understanding, or knowing) that the energy has been transferred into the target.

Because purpose is packaged within energy, no matter what intent you program into the energy, the target object will become somewhat charged.

Currently I believe there is no way around this. There is no way to program something to become magical without also, to some degree, charging it.

Therefore to consecrate a beverage to a purpose ("you are coffee that makes me happy") is also to charge it to that purpose ("you carry energy that tells you to make me happy").

I think especially when we get to this small scale - "cantrips," if we're calling them that - there is a lot of overlap. Charging a cup of coffee may have sufficient energy to push out unwanted energies, therefore also cleansing it to a mild degree. You can consecrate something for the purpose of being a blessing.

Intent is perhaps not best thought of as singular, but rather what dominates any given operation:

Our goal can be to bless something, therefore we use an act of consecration to energize it for our purpose. And as a side-effect, unhelpful energies are displaced and it becomes a little bit cleansed.

So IMO It's not highly useful to try and draw sharp lines. Is it consecrated, or charged, or a blessing? It might be all of them, or none, depending on how you like to define things. But I would say it's a safe bet to assert that almost no magic is just one thing. If you practice charging coffee with a certain intent, you may also be practicing blessings and consecration.

[shiningfremi]

freminet when you’re sick/hurting

s/o comfort headcanons + drabble!

- freminet will buy you so much stuff and deliver it right to you. fluffy socks? check. your favorite snacks + beverages? check. medicine? check! it’s like a never ending care package.

- he takes extra care to accompany you and stay close, even if he risks catching your illness. he cannot stand not to come to your aid whenever possible. and when you fall asleep, he adjusts the covers for you and dims the lights, making sure you are nice and comfortable.

- if you have a low appetite, he’ll make extra sure that you are drinking enough water. even if you’re taking the tiniest of sips, he is happy that you are trying.

🐠🍦♡ ̆̈☀️

freminet offered you some lemon water, and informed you that it can help with congestion.

“t-thanks..” you groan, shivering under the covers after you took a little taste.

“is there anything else i can do for you?” he inquired, gently reaching over to put a hand on your shoulder.

“you’ve already done so much for me, fremi.” suddenly, you wince as a horrible ache burgeons in your stomach, forcing you to curl up in a ball.

“of course, now is a time when you need it most-” he then quickly noticed your struggles and scooted a bit closer in concern. “y/n?”

you couldn’t help but cry out in pain, a single tear running down your cheek. you’ve never been this sick in a long time, and you simply felt miserable.

“my stomache..” are the only words you managed to choke out.

“shh, shh, it’s alright, i’m here.” he assured you, his heart broke seeing you in this dire condition.

you continue to sob, trying to stifle your cries the best you could.

“breathe, just breathe, as deeply as you are able.” freminet instructed you, his attention never leaving you, not even for a split second.

you did as he told you to do, breathing in and out, interrupted by a few pitiful coughs.

“there, there.” he soothed, and watched on as your breathing grew steady and your eyes blinked dry. he pulled out his hankerchief from his pocket to gently blot your tears and wipe off your nose.

“see? all better.” he playfully squished your cheeks, causing you to let out a small giggle. it seemed as if he knew exactly what do to when you were feeling down.

“there’s my y/n.”

“i’m sorry you have to see me like this.” you tell him, your voice shaky.

“there is no need to apologize.. i want nothing more than to make sure you’re not alone.” freminet leaned over you and planted a loving kiss on your forehead despite how much you were sweating.

“please don’t hesitate to rely on me.”

his gestures were so sweet, that it made your eyes want to glass over once more. you gave him a small, exhausted grin, and burrowed your head into your soft pillow as he coaxed you to get some more sleep.

🌴🐬♡ ̆̈🍉

- this amazing boy would most definitely hold your hair back in your times of nausea. he didn’t give any care to what you looked like, as that was the last thing on his mind, he just wanted to nurse you back to health no matter what.

- he would dutifully inform you about what you were missing out on, and passed on kind messages from your coworkers and friends.

- freminet would give you back and shoulder massages, hoping to ease your distress and help to relax your muscles.

- he would take great care of the place you two shared during your hiatus, cleaning thoroughly, cooking simple sick-friendly meals, and disinfecting everything.

- when your condition improves, he reminds you over and over again not to overwork yourself and continues to check up on you by touching your forehead with the back of his hand and tucking you in. you are everything to him! ଘ(੭´꒳`)°* ੈ‧₊˚

[unhingedangstaddict]

Motivation Monday!

Here's a sneak peak of chapter 12 of I'll Hold Onto You While We Run

Tommy headed to the bar to pick Evan up and went inside. Some days he’d wait in the car for Evan, but usually he went in and Evan was typically ready to go when Tommy walked in the door, but he didn’t look at all ready today. Evan was still behind the bar, a bar rag slung over his shoulder, chatting with an old woman who was seated at the bar.

“One of his favorite regulars.” Lucy explained as she came over to Tommy. “She got in late today. Something about drama with one of her neighbors. Oliver is hooked on the gossip about it.”

“Ah.” Tommy nodded and looked over at Evan, who was quite clearly invested in what the woman had to say. Tommy couldn’t help but smile. “Good thing I’m not in a rush then.”

“We could be here for a while.” Lucy warned.

“If you’re not in a rush to get home we could sit and chat a while.” Tommy suggested.

“Get me a drink and you’re on.” Lucy agreed with a grin.

“Beer?”

“Yep.” Lucy confirmed.

“Be right back.” Tommy nodded and headed over to the bar. There was another bartender besides Evan behind the bar, but Tommy went and leaned against the bar counter near the old woman and Evan.

It took Evan a second to turn his head and notice Tommy, but he did pretty quickly and he smiled brightly. “Hey.” Evan looked back at his customer. “Ruth, this is my husband, Lou, I’ve mentioned him to you before.”

Ruth looked over at Tommy. “Nice to meet you.” She said politely then turned back to Evan. “You said he’s smart and takes good care of you but you didn’t tell me he was that good looking too!” She exclaimed.

Evan didn’t stop smiling. “Total package. I sure got lucky to get someone as hot as him.”

“I guess this means your shift is over.” Ruth sounded a little disappointed.

“You can keep him a while longer Ruth,” Tommy told her. “Me and Lucy wanted to chat for a while anyway, have a drink.” He explained to Evan and Ruth.

“You don’t mind?” Evan asked Tommy.

“Not at all.” Tommy shook his head. “Mind if I grab a Corona for Lucy and just a coke for me?” Tommy could see Ruth raising a brow at Tommy’s non-alcoholic beverage choice. “Can’t be drinking and driving with precious cargo onboard after all.” He explained to Ruth, referring to Evan.

Evan just chuckled as he grabbed a Corona and popped the top off, then grabbed Tommy’s soda.

Tommy fished out a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Evan in exchange for the drinks. “Change is yours sweetheart.” The ‘sweetheart’ slipped out like it was the most normal thing in the world, and Tommy tried not to overthink it. “Take your time, me and Lucy will be here.”

“Thanks babe.” Evan responded.

Tommy nodded and turned to walk back to the small table Lucy had taken a seat at, across the building from the bar counter.

“Oliver, you have got to tell me where I can find one of those for myself!” Ruth’s comment could be heard by Tommy even as he walked away.

Lucy had a stoic look as Tommy approached.

“What?” Tommy asked as he handed Lucy her drink.

“I think you know what.” Lucy took a swig of her beer.

“Nope.” Tommy crossed his arms.

“I’m not an idiot.” Lucy rolled her eyes. She lowered her voice as she said the next part. “I can tell when my best friend has a crush.”

“Might need to re-evaluate that Luce. Ruth really isn’t my type, there’s nothing there.”

Lucy glared at Tommy, not amused at the joke.

“What makes you think that?” Tommy asked and sipped his drink. He usually wasn’t a big soda drinker, but he wasn’t going to drink on the job. Lucy was off as her bar shift had ended and Tommy was there. Tommy was a different story.

“Well for one you’re smiling at him like a lovesick fool.” Lucy sipped her beer.

“He’s my husband, am I not supposed to be attracted to my husband?” Tommy pointed out.

“Tommy.” Lucy huffed. “There’s keeping your cover and playing your role, and then there’s the way you’ve been looking at him since you got here.”

Tommy sighed and looked down at the table. “I’ve been trying to ignore it.” He admitted.

“So there is something to ignore.” Lucy almost sounded smug about it.

“Are you gonna tell the boss?” Tommy asked quietly, nervous what the answer would be.

“Do you want me to?” Lucy almost sounded confused.

Tommy looked up at Lucy. “No but protocol-”

“But protocol,” Lucy mocked. “Look, I know you like to do things by the book, and you never break protocol. I figure you must have a good reason to go against it now, and I trust your judgment. Besides, it’s clear to me that he’s comfortable here and he feels safe and comfortable with us. The kid’s really grown on me too. I wouldn’t go behind your back to report it and risk his safety without talking to you.”

“I know I should get the case reassigned but,” Tommy sighed. “I can’t do it to him. He’s got abandonment issues, you know that as well as I do. I care about him too much to be just another person that just disappears from his life.”

“You’re protecting him.” Lucy said softly.

“So what if I am?” Tommy sipped his Coke.

no pressure tag for Monday/Tuesday @desert--moonchild

[8turning]

Hii! Could u please do choi san as boyfriend?

of course, thank you for this request!! ♡

⌕ . . . choi san — boyfriend headcannons !

bf ! choi san x gn ! reader ★ fluff. established relationship. ★ bulletpoint ★ warnings: none that i saw. let me know if i missed anything!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〈 REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED ! 〉

💭 THINKING ABOUT : SAN.

despite his exterior, san is a total softie! don't let his sharp features and muscles fool you.

he'd pride himself on being forward with his emotions - a natural flirtatiousness always present in his tone both before and during your relationship.

if he had approached you first after much of your time was suffocated by mutual pining, he'd show that shamelessness just that much more to see if you felt the same even before giving your answer.

but, his entire world would flip if you asked him out first. suddenly, his voice doesn't carry the stability it normally did and he cant meet your eyes. saying "yes" and talking about his feelings became a challenge, but luckily, you were patient with him (only for you to tease him about his bashfulness later on).

ultimately tries his hardest to wave off any shyness he faces because of you (he fails).

your biggest hype man!! never wastes a chance to tell you how amazing and talented and awesome and charismatic and energizing you are. genuinely feels so much ease when he's with you - and you feel such with him as well!

you're both each others safe place - instant relief and stress fading away with one simple hug.

loves loves loves to call you while he's away!! especially before you go to bed or once you wake up in the morning - sometimes when he's on tour, the time differences can line up just right.

when tours end, it almost became a habit to have him spend the next day with you in its entirety, making sure an extra set of his pajamas are at your place for his return.

the type of boyfriend to keep little things with him that can be useful (wants to come off as dependable).

an extra phone charger in his car in case you left yours at your place, another pair of earbuds straight from the package just for you, making sure to have your favorite morning beverage in the dorm at all times or having duplicates of whatever toiletries you have in his own bathroom for when you visit. shows just how much he really pays attention to you through more indirect practices, funnily enough.

but that isn't to say he wont be very direct at times!

he'll often ask you what it is exactly you want or need. want some space to study? got it. need some company while you run some errands? he'll offer to drive you around.

again, very much wants you to know you can depend on him, even if his work is demanding. he'll always be sure you know that he's there for you to rely on.

very much a warm-blanket, finger-tracing, soft-smile boyfriend ♡

© 8turning 2023.

[nebulousbrainsoup]

ooh ooh ooh! If it is not too much... can I ask for a headcanon for "Secret Admirer: What would they do as a secret admirer" for a member of ateez? Have a good day hehe <3

(~Sky, on anon <3)

see but if you give me the freedom to pick a member, i'm gonna make us both delulu about it. joong it is.

Kim Hongjoong: Secret Admirer

fulfilled as part of my 150(ish) followers event.

PAIRING: hongjoong x gn!reader TAGS/WARNINGS: none! GENRE: headcanon, fluff/romance RATING: G WORD COUNT: 630 masterlist | join my taglist | buy me a coffee?

✵ this is like a game to him

✵ he’s passionate, he goes for what he wants and he gets it done, so if he’s being a secret admirer instead of just asking you out, it’s because he wants to have fun with it

✵ he has a signature, right from the start; the same phrase is always somewhere on the packages he sends you, along with a swipe of whatever nail polish is currently on his finger

✵ so you’ll only figure it out if you pay enough attention

✵ whether or not you notice his little detail, you do pay enough attention to notice that the delivery guy is always the same

✵ it doesn’t matter if it’s bakery treats, flowers, a stuffed animal, or a new bottle of perfume/cologne; the same boba eyes and sheepish smile always peek out at you

✵ i think he’d only do this with someone he’s known for a while bc he’d need to know all of your favorites. he isn’t going to halfass this and be basic about it

✵ although, if he doesn’t know you well enough to know your favorite flower, the victorian flower language will always come to his rescue

✵ truly don’t think you ever receive a rose from this man unless he’s handing it to you himself

✵ the first bouquet he sends you is an arrangement of pink, red and white carnations (representing fascination) and baby’s breath (innocence). the white (pure love/faithfulness) and pink (i’ll never forget you) dominate the spread, with a maximum of three red carnations to hint at his own passionate nature.

✵ he’ll also send you gardenias (secret love) if he catches wind of you being particularly frustrated with his games, just to tease you

✵ he also starts growing pansies (thoughtfulness) so if you’re having a rough week he can just drop by your desk/home/workplace and leave it for you with your favorite sweets

✵ morning glories (love in vain/affection) for if he’s feeling particularly dramatic and scorned

✵ it all seems random to you, but the amount of work this man is putting in behind the scenes is actually insane

✵ forget the lore binder, he has a you binder

✵ he’s ordering things weeks in advance, talking you out of buying things he’s already bought you, etc

✵ at one point the next book in a series you’ve been reading shows up the day after you’ve finished its prequel and you’re mildly concerned

✵ it’s 4d chess in this man’s brain trying to win you over

✵ if/when you finally start to figure it out, he’s completely oblivious

✵ seonghwa has to tell him, bc you cornered the poor man after the latest delivery and asked him outright if your admirer was hongjoong

✵ he didn’t know what to say and scurried off without a word, so you knew

✵ he does freak out about it a little bit, bc he got a little too caught up in the game and forgot there was, in fact, a goal

✵ a few days later, seonghwa delivers you a handwritten note with the first word of his signature phrase on it to you and the first clue to a city-wide scavenger hunt

✵ at the second to last stop, you get the link to a playlist of songs that remind him of you

✵ by the end, hwa’s laden with bags from the gifts hongjoong never got to give you

✵ and once you get there, hongjoong is waiting for you at your favorite shop/cafe/park with your beverage and sweet of choice in front of him, a blue hyacinth (constancy) and a red rose in hand

✵ he had a whole speech planned but he’s too overwhelmed and just grinning, so all he gets out before you’re wrapping him up in your arms is

✵ “i hope you’re not disappointed”

TAGLISTS: permanent [open]: @justhere4kpop @tastymintchocolate @soul-jae @ad0rechuu @seonghwaddict ateez [open]: @pyeonghongrie-main @thatonenoona

banners again from @cafekitsune

© July 2023 nebulousbrainsoup | all rights reserved. do not copy, repost or translate my work.

[creepyclothdoll]

The King of Crash Nation

Skeep: Hey cringebros and cringebabes– no intro today, you read the title, you saw the thumbnail, no this isn’t clickbait. We have a very special guest today who you might recognize. Now, you might think I’m sitting across from Cass “Cash” “Crash” Bellamy, also known as “The Keyblade Master of Financial Freedom,” also known as “Keyblade Karen,” but you might be wrong.  

Crash: You would be wrong. 

Skeep: I’ve been talking to my guest for awhile already, and I have to say, I’m flummoxed. I’m not gonna say I believe everything you’re saying, but I think it’s worth listening to.

Crash: Listen, if I wasn’t experiencing this myself, I would think I was insane. I’m… honestly still not sure. Logically, I understand that some sort of psychotic break is the most likely explanation for what I’m– 

Skeep: Before we get to the good stuff, I just wanna thank our sponsor for today, GRIX. GRIX is a beverage subscription service you can trust. Not only do GRIX beverages have anywhere between two to five times the caffeine of standard energy drinks, but every drink is packed with 200 different minerals. Take the standard number of minerals in food and multiply that by a hundred, that’s how many diverse minerals are in these drinks. Some of these minerals you’ll only find in GRIX. Make sure you use a VPN when you sign up for GRIX. GRIX comes in discreet packaging to throw off any prying government eyes at the post office, so don’t be shy! GRIX: It’s Too Alpha For The FDA! (Skeep takes a long drink from a black jug with a fluorescent label)

Crash: (Long sigh)

Skeep: So, why don’t you introduce yourself?

Crash: Sure. Of course. Hello, everyone, you recognize me as Cassidy Bellamy. But my name is Elizabeth Ann Coen. I’m from a small town in Illinois, and I’ve been a teacher for the last twenty years. High school, middle, and elementary, but mostly middle school. Three weeks ago, I went to sleep in my own bed, next to my husband, and when I woke up I was Cassidy Bellamy. 

Skeep: That must have been a shock. That’s my personal nightmare, no offense.

Crash: No offense taken, Darren. No personal offense, I mean. 

Skeep: You know how crazy that sounds. That’s the craziest part, guys, I’m not kidding, he knows– she– they– 

Crash: She.

Skeep: Liz, can I call you Liz?

Crash: (Another sigh) I suppose you can. 

Skeep: Liz knows how crazy this sounds, that’s what I’m trying to say. And that’s crazy, because Crash would never. I mean, the Crash that we all know and love– or hate– 

Crash: I’m well aware of Cass Bellamy’s long history of delusional behavior and compulsive lying. I wish I wasn’t. 

Skeep: Assuming this is true– and, cringebros and cringebabes, this is just hypothetical– assuming this is all hypothetically true, had you heard of Crash before you… became him?

Crash: I actually had. Like I said, I’m a teacher. You’d be shocked at some of the things kids are watching online. I always think I’ve heard it all, and then someone drops something like “CashMunnyCoin” on me, “oh, did you hear the Keyblade Karen Meltdown guy is launching a cryptocurrency?” “oh, did you hear the Sora MLM fanfiction guy is going to jail for identity theft?” I’d heard the major beats of the story, but I didn’t realize it was all the same guy until I woke up in Cass Bellamy’s body. 

Skeep: Just hearing those words come out of your mouth is like… I’m having an out-of-body experience right now.

Crash: Tell me about it.

Skeep: (Surprised laughter)

Crash: I think that if I had woken up as literally anyone else, maybe people would have believed me. Or, at least, maybe someone would have believed me. 

Skeep: Crash– Liz– I want to believe you. I really do. Listen, I knew Crash as he was better than, I think, almost anyone except Jimspore and Sorasins, who obviously don’t count because they’re assholes. I’ve been following this guy– you– for twelve years. Crash does not talk the way you’re talking to me right now. And I’ve never seen Crash dressed that nicely, unless you count cosplay, and even then, his cosplay is shit. 

Crash: (Nodding patiently) One of the first things I did, once I was in a mental state to do things, was to go to the thrift store and buy some nicer clothes. You know, not the sort of thing I would wear– but just a few nice, coordinated outfits. At first, I went for the sorts of things I wished my son would wear. Then I realized I was tending to go for androgynizing clothes, and I figured that was probably where I was most comfortable, given the situation. So it’s been a lot of these turtlenecks, a lot of these cardigans. In this body, I can pull off green very nicely, which was never the case in my real body. It made me look sickly. 

Skeep: And you look good! I never thought I’d say this, guys, but Crash looks good. It just goes to show what a little effort can do for a guy. Like it can’t replace being toned, but it helps a lot. And, might I say, you actually look a little more toned than usual, too.

Crash: I’ve been going on lots of walks. Cass doesn’t have a job. So I walk most of the day, now. There are some nice places to walk around Las Vegas, which I never expected. 

Skeep: Yeah, the hiking out there’s pretty amazing, I hear. Hey– just for contrast, guys, let’s watch a clip of Crash on our podcast with SlimeTimeJohn last year.

(The screen cuts to a past recording in a different, smaller studio. Cass Bellamy, dressed in full Sora cosplay, is ranting to two black-clad hosts in matching beanies holding jugs of GRIX).

Crash: Why should I pay taxes when I’m reinvesting in my hustle? The government is the real pyramid scheme! 

Skeep: Crash, Crash, Crash, you don’t pay taxes?! Crash, that’s a federal crime, you dumb piece of shit. 

SlimeTimeJohn: You’re live on camera. Folks, Crash Bellamy just admitted to tax fraud. Someone get the IRS in chat.

Crash: I never said that.

SlimeTimeJohn: You fucking said it just now!

Crash: I pay my taxes! I pay my taxes! I pay my taxes! 

Skeep: Stop yelling! Stop yelling! Stop yelling! You fucking asshole. Jesus fucking christ. 

Crash: There are pawns of darkness everywhere. There are pawns of darkness everywhere, and you know it because you are one. You know, you could become a good person if you actually read my books.

SlimeTimeJohn: Oh, I’ve read your plagiarized books. They’re garbage. Blocks of text copy-pasted from Kingdom Hearts fan wikis and generic motivational quotes. 

Skeep: What’s in your books that could possibly make anyone a better person? Crash, I think just by talking to you, I become a worse person every day. I used to have hobbies, man, but now it’s just… finding out what new bullshit Crash is up to and reacting to it.

Crash: You’re just jealous of my entrepreneurial spirit! The spirit of Sora! The spirit of Financial Freedom!

Skeep: (Laughing) That’s the clip that went viral. I think you– he– also said something about how Jeff Bezos wasn’t spiritually evolved enough to understand Kingdom Hearts?

Crash: I’ll be honest– I don’t understand Kingdom Hearts. 

Skeep: OHHH!!! Mike, clip that. That’s gonna go viral. That’s gonna be everywhere tomorrow.

Crash: I was a little too old for it when it came out, and my kids never really got into it. I’ve done some… research, in the last few weeks. The plot seems very difficult to follow, though.

Skeep: Well, now we know you’re not the real Crash. 

Crash: I wish you meant that. 

Skeep: Honestly, hand to god, I do, too. Now, Liz, can you tell us a little more about your life in Illinois?

Crash: Yes. I’m married, and I have two children. My hometown is sort of a tourist town, but only really for history buffs. I could go into more detail about where I’m from, but I don’t want to dox my family, if… if they still exist. We have a good school district. Nice old brownstone buildings. Lots that survived the Civil War. It’s a good place to live if you love history, like me. And it’s beautiful, too. Not like Vegas. Right on a river, lots of green space. I went to college a few towns over and got my Bachelor’s in Education. I always knew I wanted to teach history. My mom was a museum curator at the… well, one of the big important historical houses in our town. I’m considered very good at my job– I have to be, because if you want to teach history, you want to teach history there. It’s about as competitive as any middle school teacher position could be. 

Skeep: Hold on. You said your family might not still exist? What do you mean by that?

Crash: I looked myself up. My social media pages are gone. I can’t log in to any of my old accounts. I’m not listed as faculty at the school I was teaching at just three weeks ago. There are women with the same name as me, but none of them have much else in common. For all intents and purposes, I never existed. Elizabeth Ann Coen never existed.

Skeep: But have you tried to look up your husband? Your kids? Your parents?

Crash: I can’t bring myself to do that. 

Skeep: Because you’re scared they won’t be there?

Crash: Yes. And because I’m equally scared that they will. Because then, I’d have to contend with the idea of attempting to contact them. And I don’t want to subject them to that. I can’t imagine how scary it would be for my family to have someone like Cass Bellamy– with his record as a very unstable scam artist– approach them with all of this personal information claiming to be their wife, mother, or daughter. And it might be even worse if I find out they exist, but I choose not to contact them. That’s too terrible to even think on. And then… if they are simply gone… if they just never existed… that’s more awful than if they were dead. 

Skeep: We just got a gift from Spunk Z., thank you Spunk Z! Mods, control the chat– nobody’s taking their shirt off in the studio today. Unless? Liz?

Crash: That’s part of the reason I chose your show. I know that, if they really are out there, they’ll never see this. 

Skeep: I take offense to that. But I get it, you raised your kids right. Assuming they’re real. 

Crash: You joke, but yes. 

Skeep: No answer to taking your top off? 

Crash: I’m not going to do that. 

Skeep: If you’re telling the truth, they’re not really your nipples. 

Crash: That’s why I’m not going to do it. I want to give this other person’s body privacy and respect. As much as I can, anyway. 

Skeep: That’s more than the real Crash would ever say. If you really want to respect Crash, you should have come here in a knock-off Sora hoodie with a full-size bag of Takis. 

Crash: There’s give and take. 

Skeep: What’s Crash’s diet like? Or I guess, what’s your diet like as Crash? Rumor has it, he only eats hot chips and his shits are bright red. Is that true?

Crash: I eat what I can afford. Right now, that’s mostly Ramen. It got me through college, so I’m not unfamiliar with this diet. I’m smarter about using food pantry programs now, after two decades of living on a public school teacher’s salary. 

Skeep: Right. Because Crash is totally bankrupt and facing a bunch of lawsuits for fraud and shit.

Crash: Which I’m charmingly reminded of every time I leave his apartment. 

Skeep: That must have been an adjustment, getting used to Crash’s adoring fans. 

Crash: I’d call them stalkers. 

Skeep: Some of Crash Nation can go overboard. Better not be any of you cringebros or cringebabes misbehaving! Did you know who you were right away? What was it like, waking up in another person’s body?

Crash: At first, I thought maybe I’d broken a bone or pulled muscles or something. There was no pain, but everything about me felt wrong. My legs, too long. My neck, too short. All the weight was in the wrong places, and there was skin in new places, and no skin in other places– I felt like I was wearing a strange suit, glued to my bones. The reflection in the mirror was a total stranger. I don’t think I need to explain that it was a nightmare. But discovering the identity of this man– this human suit I was now trapped in– was worse.

Skeep: I bet. 

Crash: People are constantly trying to approach me. They’ll sit outside of the apartment, they’ll honk their horns to keep me awake, they’ll film me and call me. When I first tried to reach out for help on social media, people messaged me with all kinds of threats and just weird, mean stuff, but the worst ones were the ones who acted like they really wanted to help me, like they believed me. They were the cruelest. I picked up very quickly on the fact that I was living the life of a very, very unpopular person, and a very, very popular target.

Skeep: You mentioned you couldn’t get into your social media as Liz. But you can get into Crash’s Twitter and stuff. That’s very interesting.

Crash: His phone was already logged in to them. It unlocks with facial recognition. 

Skeep: At least that’s convenient. 

Crash: At the very very least, it got me in contact with you. I’m sure you wouldn’t have taken an interview with someone from a strange new account, coming at you with this premise.

Skeep: Well, you never know. I’m flattered you chose my show, though. I’m sure, if you keep this story up, you’ll get real popular with the freak circuit, astral projection and past lives and switching bodies and shit. Glad I got to be first in line to hear it.

Crash: You were one of the only people on earth who would take an interview with Cass Bellamy. And of my limited options, you were the shock jock who had been the most fair to him in the past. 

Skeep: “Shock Jock?” I don’t know if I like that. 

Crash: Sorry. It’s what we called this sort of thing in my day. 

Skeep: How old are you, Liz?

Crash: Forty-eight. 

Skeep: A tight forty-eight? Or have those years and two kids taken their toll? 

Crash: Let’s move on, Darren.

Skeep: No shame, Liz, we love MILFS on this channel.

Crash: Sure. I’m a MILF.

Skeep: Mike, clip that. And, Liz, how long is this tenancy going to last, do you think? Is this a temporary thing, or is Crash just gone and Liz here to stay forever?

Crash: I don’t know. I pray, constantly, that I’ll wake up at home again. I’ll be back with my family. Even if… well, I’ve imagined that maybe if I’m here, in Cass’s body, maybe Cass is in mine, somewhere else. In some other world. The world where Elizabeth Coen exists. You know what terrifies me most about that?

Skeep: The idea that Crash Bellamy is turning your whole life upside-down and probably getting you sent to prison or a mental institution and scaring the shit out of your kids?

Crash: Well, yes, but also, no… it’s that in my reality, I know I had heard of the Keyblade Karen. I’d heard of Cass Bellamy. I’d heard of CashMunnyCoin. I think one of my students even dressed up as him, dressing up as that character he likes, Sora, for Halloween. Bellamy existed in my reality, but I don’t exist here. So what does that mean? 

Skeep: You want to know what I think?

Crash: I can guess.

Skeep: Okay, go ahead. Guess.

Crash: I’ve thought it, too. Cass Belamy was– or is– a profoundly unstable person with delusions of grandeur who is facing multiple legal charges and several lawsuits at the moment. He’s bankrupt, all of his financial ventures have publicly and spectacularly failed, he owes possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars to MLM companies, he’s infamous, he’s endlessly mocked and harassed both online and in real life. His life is hell. Maybe he finally just snapped. Maybe I’m just something he made up. Another personality that he invented to take over his life and handle his problems so he didn’t have to be Cass Belamy anymore. The human mind is mysterious and terrifying. Who knows how much it can fabricate? An entire lifetime of memories, even? Knowledge of subjects, skills, possibly learned on some subconscious level, heard about in passing, memorized and kept in some deep mental record of everything we see and hear throughout a day… Maybe there really is no Elizabeth. Maybe Elizabeth’s life is just a nice dream. But if it is a dream– if I am a dream– what happens if Cass Belamy starts to wake up? Where do I go? I’m terrified that he’ll come back to himself, and I’ll be just… nonexistant, worse than if I’d died… but even more terrified that, perhaps, he’ll just slowly slip back through the cracks in me, and I’ll just… be him. I’ll just be Cass Belamy. His mind, his life, his torment, my consciousness, forever. 

Skeep: That’s not even close to what I was gonna say. I was gonna say I suspect you’ve just been pulling a fast one on us all these years, Crash. 

Crash: …What?

Skeep: I think that the real scam is Crash Bellamy. You’ve been coming on this show for years, acting all fucked-up, doing crazy stuff, making cringe tiktoks and putting out those godawful e-books, all for attention. You’ve been playing into the lolcow bit for over a decade and now you’re finally over it, once it stopped being profitable. 

Crash: Why would anyone do that? No one would do that. 

Skeep: Crash Bellamy would, if he had the brains to plan that far ahead. Maybe you didn’t make money off of it, but you got attention. And in this world, what’s the difference? Hey– thank you, Guzzler69! Appreciate the donation. Proves my point. 

Crash: Darren. This man is so financially ruined, there’s no coming back from it. You’re suggesting that Cass– that I faked being… what, an anime game fanboy who fell for a bunch of get-rich-quick schemes and then started trying to run his own? You can look up the facts of the lawsuits against him. No one in their right mind would make the financial choices this man did. 

Skeep: I’m not saying you’re in your right mind. I’m saying you’ve been smarter than you look since day one. You’re just tired of the grift. 

Crash: I– (sighs) Alright. I understand why you’d think that. And I understood when I came on this show that there was no chance I’d ever convince you of the veracity of my experience. It’s a crazy story. I’m the definition of an unreliable source. 

Skeep: But you came on the show anyway, because, Crash, the one thing that’s true about you deep down to your core is that you love attention. If you really were someone else– anyone else– anyone sane, at least– you’d stay far away from the spotlight for the rest of your life. If I woke up as Crash Bellamy, I would just drop off the face of the earth. Or worse– I can’t say what I’d do, because it’s not advertiser-friendly, but let’s just say no one would ever see Crash Bellamy ever again. 

Crash: You know, I watched your show before I came on?

Skeep: I’d sure hope you did, especially since you’ve been on it.

Crash: This thing you have here, Darren– it’s a disturbing little ecosystem. It’s exactly the same bullying that middle school children participate in. Exactly. 

Skeep: I disagree, but Crash, you’re on the internet. What do you expect?

Crash: Cass Bellamy’s original sin was never fraud or identity theft– it was always the sin of being ��cringeworthy.’ It was that he was weird. You boys were punishing him for that long before any of this crypto business started. The bad things that Cass has legitimately done were always just excuses– they made what you were doing feel socially acceptable. 

Skeep: No, no, no. See, now I know you’re Crash. Nobody sane thinks that your crypto scam or any of your other scams are excusable just because you’re mentally ill or whatever you claim.

Crash: I’m not excusing Bellamy’s long history of attempting to run scams or stealing credit card information and so on and so on. But I watched your show, Darren. The earliest episodes. And I watched Jimspore and Sorasins and SlimeTimeJim. I’ve seen the way you and people like you chased this man around when he was just some naive eighteen-year-old kid who over-identified with a video game, and whose primary characteristic was his naivety– willing to believe that anyone offering to make him rich quick was being genuine. I’ve met plenty of children just like Cass Bellamy. Children who should have been getting extra help. Children failed by the system, and failed by their parents. And I’ve met plenty of children just like you, too, Darren. And unfortunately, the Darrens of the world outnumber the Cass Bellamys. 

Skeep: Unfortunately? You know how I know you’re full of shit, Crash? Because you haven’t said Crash this whole time. You use his given name. Everyone calls him Crash. No one calls him Cass. Everyone hates him. I think probably even his own parents hate him. 

Crash: Sometimes, teaching middle school, it’s like watching starving piranhas in a tank. They swim around in formation, hunting endlessly, hunting nothing– until one moves wrong, gets bit, starts to bleed. And once there’s blood in the water… they strip their companion’s bones in seconds. You’re on the eating side now, Darren, and I’d say you’re eating well. But you know your people. Jimspore and Sorasins and SlimeTimeJim. You know all these nice members of the chat, all your donors. You know better than I do that someday, you’ll be the one with their teeth ripping you apart.

Skeep: Wow. What do you think about that, chat? (A notification appears. Several new donations have come in.) 

Crash: ... You know… 

Skeep: What do I know, Crash?

Crash: My favorite bird is the indigo bunting.

Skeep: I did not know that.

Crash: Two springs ago, there was a pair of them in the thicket behind my house.

Skeep: Behind your house, or ‘Liz’s’ house? 

Crash: … I’m not much of a birdwatcher. I’ve got a journal I never use and some binoculars but that’s it. But there was a day when it was sort of cloudy and I could see them really well from the stoop behind my house. I won’t call it a porch, just a concrete slab that we have a lawn chair on. I stayed there for almost four hours, just sitting and watching those little birds build their nest. I’d been putting off grading all afternoon and I was determined to keep putting it off, even if it meant becoming engrossed in the dramas of birds. They came and went. They squabbled with chickadees and squirrels. I realized that one of the birds was missing a foot. A cat got it, maybe. It’s a miracle it survived as long as it did. And still, it kept building that nest. At the start of the day, there was nothing there but a branch. By the end, there was a little thing like a teacup made of sticks and feathers and hair. My daughter brought me a cup of coffee. That’s when I realized my feet were so cold, they’d gone numb. It had been the heat of the coffee that reminded me how cold I felt. And I was overcome with this realization that that’s what love is, sometimes. Because when I stood up, as I warmed myself, those numb parts started to hurt. I guess, Darren, and Darren’s chat– I hope that someday, someone brings you a cup of coffee, and you suddenly feel all the places in you that have gone numb. I hope the hurt is worth the heat. And I hope that I wake up tomorrow at home.

Skeep: Wise words from our resident spiritually enlightened Keyblade Master of Financial Freedom, Crash Bellamy. That’s our episode today, folks– any last words, ‘Liz?’

Crash: Please– if you can help me get home, or if you know someone who can help me get home, help me. Spread this around. Make Skeep famous if that’s what it takes. 

Skeep: Shockingly, a sentiment I agree with. Thanks for tuning in, cringebros and cringebabes, and remember– be nice, wash your ass, and cringe deeply, my friends. 

[masivechaos]

STAINING YOUR SHIRT

james potter x fem! shy! reader

Request: yes / no

see the request here!

Synopsis: Your friend forced you to come to a party but maybe it wasn't so bad this time

Warning/content: parties, mention of alcohol, kinda insta-love but not really at the same time, my English

a.n.: 1.7k words - shy reader with james >>>

masterlist/ marauders masterlist / navigation

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.──

“C’mon it’s gonna be fun!” your friend said as he grabbed your shoulder. “I know parties aren’t your thing but the people I invited are cool!” He tried to convince you as much as he could to come to the party he set up next Saturday and to be honest, you had better ways of spending the evening.

You sighed, pushing the ice cubes inside the beverage with your straw. “Okay, fine…” Your friend let out a ‘yay’ of excitement and got out of the booth to buy some more drinks. You had enough of the puppy eyes he was always giving you and decided to just give in. One night couldn’t kill you, right?

:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Saturday night came quickly. It must have been two hours since you got here and you spent half of the time standing awkwardly in a corner while your friend was chatting with someone you didn’t know.

The surrounding sounds started to feel too much and you decided to get some fresh air and escape the smell of smoke and sweat. Looking down to avoid people’s stares, you didn’t notice the man in front of you. That’s how you ended up crashing into him, your face hitting his chest.

“Oh shit,” you heard him say and that was the moment you felt your shirt was wet. You looked more carefully at the fabric. Wine. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

You gazed up at the man, a man you’d never seen before. Usually shy, this time you couldn’t even say a word. Your cheeks warmed up, he was maybe one of the most handsome men you’d ever seen, with his dark curly hair, soft brown eyes and dimples.

“Um I-…” The man’s smile widened when he heard the sound of your voice and somewhat it made you even more nervous “I- It’s okay…” You fled his eyes, too scared you’d explode if you kept looking at his pretty face.

You could still feel his eyes on you “Let’s clean this up, yeah?” he asked you, resting his hand on your shoulder. You weren’t fond of physical touch but his felt different, safe and reassuring.

You nodded and followed him to the crowded kitchen, standing against the counter as the man took a towel that he wet before coming by your side “I’m sorry again. I hope the stain will go away.” It won’t, but you didn’t want the hope on his face to go away, it suited him well.

The man was hesitant, didn’t know what to do “Can I?” he asked, pushing his glasses on the bridge of his nose, before he bent his knees and held the hem of your shirt with one hand, the towel with the other. You held your breath as you answered a quiet ‘yeah’.

Carefully, he tried to soak up the wine “You wanna know something?” he said as he looked up at you, you hummed “I don’t even like wine,” he chuckled and you giggled at the way he seemed desperate. He was staring softly at you. Your laugh was adorable.“I’m James, by the way.”

“Y/n,” you simply answered with a small smile.

“How come I’ve never seen you before? You’re one of Jake’s friends, right?”

Your sigh melted with a chuckle “Um… I don’t like parties but he forced me to go to this one.”

James let go of your shirt “I think it’s ruined. I’m sorry…” You offered him a smile as an answer and you hoped it was enough for him to understand you weren’t mad. Even if you were you wouldn’t be able to tell him anyway. Tonight you maybe ruin one of your favourite shirts but you also met James.

:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

You walked back from work, already exhausted when it was just Monday night. You mechanically insert your key in the lock before noticing the package waiting in front of your door. Intrigued, you picked it up and took it with you inside your home.

Finally sat down on your couch, you set the box on your knees and open it. Your eyes widened when you saw what was inside: the shirt James ruin Saturday, but clean, a new one without wine. There was also a note: 

‘Hi Y/n. I’m sorry again for staining your shirt. I didn’t know how to make it up to you so I bought you your shirt :) (I got the address from Jake!) - James’

You were smiling so much, your cheeks were hurting. You felt butterflies growing in your stomach knowing he thought about you after the party, he even bought you a shirt. He bought a shirt for a stranger.

More touched than you thought you would be, you buried your face in the brand-new shirt as you felt your ears and neck turning hot. It was the first time someone had such an effect on you, maybe because it was the first time someone cared so much.

As much as you could try to deny it, you thought about him ever since you quit the party. After he cleaned your shirt, you both spent three hours talking, it was normally too much for you but with him, it was almost not enough. You wanted to see him again but you didn’t know how to though, you were too shy to ask Jake, you felt a little silly.

Therefore, when Jake asked you if you wanted to go to a party next Friday, you could only say yes because it was the only way you could see James again. It was the only thing that was making you accept, if he wasn’t there, you would be back home in a second.

Before leaving, you took time to put on a cute outfit, which you didn’t do last time because you had no reason to and didn’t really care. But today, you wanted to feel pretty, it helped you feel a little more confident and would help you to talk to James, or listen to him without freaking out would already be enough.

You sat on the sofa in Jake’s living room, keeping an eye on the front door, hoping James would open it soon. Fortunately, you didn’t have to wait long, about thirty minutes later, you saw the tall man entering the room.

He noticed you quickly and, after taking the time to greet Jake, sat next to you “Hi, Y/n.” He offered you a quick hug “It’s good to see you here,” he said with such a wide smile it was clear he was genuine.

Intimidated by the way he was looking at you so carefully, you only responded with a shy smile, cheeks and neck and ears growing warm in an instant.

“Did you receive the shirt?”

You nodded.

“Great! I felt so guilty, I had to find a way to make it up to you.”

“I appreciate it James, thank you,” you smiled up at him. You wanted to tell him how handsome he was, how comfortable and well you felt next to him, how much you wanted to kiss the dimples on his cheeks, how you wished you could know him better, what made him so nice? what made him so adorable?

You both stayed next to each other, shoulders touching, on the sofa without talking. That’s what you loved about him, you didn’t know him for a long time, you didn’t know him at all actually but he was matching your energy already. You knew some people who were a little surprised by your shyness and took some time to befriend you. James didn’t care, you discovered today that he could stay hours in silence, as long as it was next to you it was okay.

He spent the night by your side, making sure you were included in the conversations if someone ever talked to him. That’s how you met his best friends Remus, Sirius and Peter. They were nice guys even if Sirius made a joke about you and James being lovebirds. You decided to ignore him.

You started to get tired and you yawned as you took a sip of your drink “Tired?” James asked. You nodded and without even meaning to, you leaned your head on his shoulder, feeling your eyes shut.

James chuckled and you could feel it in his chest “Don’t fall asleep, love.” He helped you get up and suggested to take you home and, too tired to think, you accepted. He walked you to your house, taking your hand in his. You spent the entire walk trying not to freak out, flustered to be this close to James.

“It’s there?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you whispered. You were facing each other in front of your door. James hasn’t let go of your hand yet and you didn’t want him to. For the first time ever, he looked a little nervous.

He cleared his throat “I- Um… I know we only spent like… six hours together? But I really like you and I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me, maybe?”

“Like a date?” you asked shyly.

“Yeah,” he smiled at you, he hoped he wasn’t going too fast. He just liked to be around you and he wanted to know you more. He wanted to keep seeing the way you bite your lips when you are nervous, the light frown of your eyebrows when you were uncomfortable or the shy smile you offered him when you didn’t know what to answer.

Since he first saw you, he couldn’t forget about you. His friends had enough of listening to the way you both met and how sorry James was and how much he wanted to see you again. It never happened to him, to get along with someone so easily. The dialogue between the two of you was easy and when the silence would settle, it would be comfortable and peaceful. He didn’t even think he needed words to understand.

This, plus he thought you were pretty.

“Yeah, I would like to,” you smiled up at him and it was the widest you ever offered him. Maybe- and surely- it was the alcohol in your blood but you wanted to try a bold move. You stood on your tippy toes and pressed your lips to his cheeks, leaving his skin sticky because of your lip gloss.

James’ eyes widened, surprised “I-” he looked down at you in awe as you opened your door. “I’ll see you soon, then,” he grinned. You bit your bottom lip as you waved goodbye and closed the door behind you. You were never more grateful to have ruined a shirt.

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.──

⋆ ★ james potter taglist: @ell0ra-br3kk3r @saturnband @cauliflowertree @madison-rebel @moonlitmeeks @rhydianissuperior @loveeharrington @elenatries2write @juneberrie @faeriieblush  @gilmore-angel @heartfucks @sparklenarniawizard @moondemon123 @mystic-writings @siriusblackstwin @natashxromanovf @goodoldfashionedluvergirl @garfieldsladybird @kidcuisinesvcks @percy-the-hufflepuff @fairydxll @imshiningjustforyou @kieracassette @vancitycharlie @doyouknowwhoyouare13 @venussflytraps @pinkdeerd @oncasette @widowbf @starlit-epiphany

[redlettermediathings]

A wise man once said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Well, if that’s the case, judging by the length of this video these are four of the most witless clown-fools on the internet today. Mike, Jay, Jack and Rich Evans are perhaps the dumbest humans that have ever krebbed in my shorts. Hi I’m retired underground illegal casino pit boss Krebs Gorlon, and today I write to you from my home in war-torn Haiti to tell you about this newest episode of Best of the Worst. I'm farting as I type this due to the bacteria ravaging my colon, but I will try to make sense. Boy, it sure has been a long time since we’ve seen the boys watch three feature films, eh? But alas, today they are spinning the Wheel of the Worst™ again... There’s something about old, undiscovered tapes that makes my taint tingle with the titillating excitement of that first time I killed a man. Rich and Jack display a palpable level of non-excitement at this prospect in our video’s opening. Trust me, I get it. Sometimes these tapes can be a nightmare. Sometimes they can be a lot of fun though. It’s about as exciting as being forced to play a game of Russian Roulette with your precious time and sanity. Mike (the ugly fat one) appears to be the most unhinged of them all in this episode. You see Jay (the hippie clown) had haplessly purchased a case of “Hazy IPAs”. Silly little man that he is, he purchased solely on the style of the packaging. A lovely hazy as it is though. Voodoo Ranger’s Tropical Force. A product made by New Belgium brewing. Note: They are a NON-Sponsor. In fact, we’ll probably get sued showing what vile filth comes out of Mike’s mouth after drinking a dozen of these. So essentially what was cut from the video was Mike berating Jay on his foolish purchase. You see, the supply in the RLM booze fridge with thin at best. Jay bought beer cause he liked the green/yellow package design and was thrilled at the sight of a skeleton aviator on the can. What he didn’t check was the ABV, which is at a very healthy 9.5%. Mike’s been around the block a few times more than Jay so that’s the very first thing Mike checks. After our Half in the Bag “What are these super bottles?!” incident when Mike accidentally drank 9 beers that were 12%, he knows to check. ABV stands for alcohol by volume. It also stands for how soon Mike becomes a slurring monster who can’t say the word “apartment” and passes out into a bonfire suffering 2nd degree burns on his wang and dumplings – rendering all his man-parts useless. However, Mike faced a difficult choice: Deal with the unbearable state of sobriety or drink the beers that are 9.5% and hope for the best. He chose the latter. Krebs does not approve. The results will be apparent as the night goes on. In the end though, what we have here is another classic Wheel of the Worst. So settle in for the next 90 minutes with your favorite beverage and snack and prepare to laugh, cry, and soil yourself with laughter that will give you nightmares for the rest of your sad lives.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S06E14

Damn it, no Mankiewicz lol. Yeah, it was okay, had some funny moments too (Rex is a comedian). There’s a pattern lately where the promos immediately hook me up for the next episode, so even as I’m writing this, I’m already thinking of the next one.

Risotto, jeez, if I was a guy I’d hate Charlie Hudson for the impossible cooking standards he’s setting.

That guy messed up all the floorboards with his blood dripping all over! Good luck getting that out.

Rex being upset and whining as forensics is sweeping the house. Yeah, this sucks, buddy.

Joe did not seriously consider not giving Charlie this case. The man has investigated his own brother!

Well, that seemed like a cold night of shooting. I bet they all enjoyed that :P

“Looks like Rex and I are your problem again tonight”. Well, at least they’re letting us know he didn’t sleep at Joe's couch at the precinct. I’ve given up on seeing Sarah’s apartment and I’d like her to give up on the idea of pretending to live there too.

Are you telling me that packages are not getting scanned somewhere inside the precinct before getting delivered? Oh, boy.

I’ll say this again, if they don’t trust Rex to sniff out whether there’s bomb components inside a package, then there’s no reason to allow him to work in cases. 

That’s a lot of keys and I can't help thinking of what their prop master thought about all this.

“Better be safe, right Charlie?” lmao the passive aggressive comment from Joe. Leave him alone, he was right this time. Trust Rex.

Rex barked at the ransomware? Yeah, okay, lol

Getting from low-tech burglaries to high-tech heist. That’s an interesting transition.

Ah, stakeout. And they’re eating fries which was what I was also eating as I was watching this, on a very random note.

Pirating one season of Death Note? How can anyone only watch one season? Lock him up! Also, are we sure this kid is old enough to work at a bank?

Sarah with the beverage assist. I swear, some of these scenes seem like reshoots to add more Charah after complaints were made.

Well, that whole car almost hits Rex thing was anti-climactic. Obviously I didn’t want it to hit Rex, but make it a bit exciting. And it was the cutoff for the commercials too? I mean, I didn’t have to watch them but still.

Someone really loves cryptocurrencies in this show. The displayed price is off by, like, a lot since Bitcoin took off the last few months, which is understandable. Also, assuming that it’s in Canadian dollars, I estimate by the price (if they used the real one) that they shot and/or post-processed this episode near the end of November, as it didn’t really fluctuate around those levels again after that. And kudos for displaying an accurate BTC address.

“Well, that must have hurt”. I beg to differ. These boxes were very obviously empty.

Wait, so is this the end of the unwelcome guests in Charlie’s house? I’m not sure I like the new security system.

Ha! Sarah is still after the risotto. I totally get her.

lol Rex! Look at that evil smirk. He’s totally tripping the alarm for the heck of it. To be fair, when Rex is at home, there’s no need to put the alarm on but let Charlie make the risotto.

While it was an interesting case, it lost me a bit as we were going through the names of the people involved. Also, I did expect someone who came to bleed out inside Charlie’s house to have a more personal connection to him. I find it ridiculous that packages which are sent to the precinct aren’t scanned for explosives, I mean, that’s the first thing you do when a package arrives at a police station.

Promo: Charlie with a bomb strapped to his chest! What’s not to love? Oh, by the way, remember what I said about concussions and getting hit a second time on the head in a short while? This is actually the ghost of Charlie Hudson strapped to a bomb. Also, he has an earbud, which is presumably to communicate with whoever is doing this? Can we use to tell Sarah goodbye please? If this is parallel to the Castle episode, Charlie is going to say “I love you” to… Rex :P

One more piece of useless trivia, a bomb is how we lost one of Rex’s partners in the Italian version (and of course Rex had to watch because why not torture the poor dog, as it was canonically his third partner that was killed). But somehow I’m certain that Charlie will manage to pull through.

Only 2 episodes left! As always, I don't care much for a renewal until we're almost out of episodes.

[rainyfestivalsweets]

Slim Pickins

9/1/24

Ever seen those reels or tik toks that tell you to run to the dollar tree?

Ya'll. Is dollar tree sponsoring just an epic shitton of those videos?

Because I was just there and it was terrible. It was the last of the 3 stores in my vicinity that I hadn't visited yet.

So you know I have some some hauls there before, on the hunt for some healthy shit. Pickles, banana peppers, a hidden gem here and there (True North 4 packs, iykyk).

It is barely worth mentioning today. I did pick up some sf hard 🍬 candies & some little bags of Russell Stover sf chocolates (portion control). The only other notable item was a couple cans of G Fuel. And consumer alert- watch the caffeine content in those. Idk if they all are, but some are 300 MG caffeine.

What else did I get? A 6 pack of pretzels. Again, small bags = portion control. Especially for me with carbs. My activity level is pretty high tho so I am trying to give myself on watching the carbs but.... I am starting to think I have a gluten intolerance from some recent lab work.

I got some drink mixes too, but I am pretty sure they are cheaper at walmart. (Confirmed- $1.08 vs 1.25)

Sf Cherry jello 🍒 4 pack

Some coffee. Jim Beam Bourbon Vanilla small bag.

Green tea.

But I swear I looked for some things that people keep saying to run to the dollar tree for ...and didn't find shit. No fun lotions. No quantity of health food.

You also have to watch out because at $1.25 some items are cheaper at walmart, or in packages too small to be a deal. See the drink packs above and the tuna and salmon below.

I did see a pack of freeze dried strawberries and 1 other freezer dried fruit. But the price point on that should be ... a 6 pack like the pretzels or at least a 3 pack. It was a 1 serving bag.

This time, I knew to pass on the tuna & salmon, spices, and certain other staples. They did have nuts but I passed on those because I have some already and too many nuts can make a deficit become a surplus really fucking fast. And I have been plateaued for a bit now.

The plus side is that the store was well kept and maintained, and it was busy so you know product turn over was high.

I remarked on the store being busy and the cashier said, "Yeah, we are always busy the first of the month." That broke my heart a little because the food picks were pretty damn sparse and like I stated earlier- cheaper elsewhere. If people are on food benefits, those little cents add up and it might mean they don't have transportation to Walmart or a grocery store.

I picked up a couple cans of spaghetti sauce, turkey gravy, & white cheese sauce. I thought about getting some pepper stir fry- which I think is a good price still 🤔 but I think my freezers are full right now.

Alot of their other freezer stuff was .... just pre packaged garbage. I think the pepper stir fry was the only vegetable in sight.

Sometimes saving money means not buying stuff at dollar tree even though all those influencers are highlighting their products. If it isn't a good deal and won't save you time or actual money, it's ok to pass. It's OK to walk to the dollar tree. And be skeptical. Price check.

Also beware of items that have higher prices. I think the reason I used to like them is because I didn't have to think about the price so much just see and grab. But that is when everything was a $1, before the 25% price hike. 🤔 but now they have $3 items and $5 items. Be skeptical!

An example of a time/energy/diet saver is when you are in desperate need of lunch and you are in a sea of fast food places. You see a dollar tree and boom, you could be saved: A jar of pickles, a pack of tuna = $2.50. Spring for a beverage for 3.75 total... that is still beating out most fast food places for a meal... or some of them even a plain ass little burger. Idk about ya'll but without a veggie just a burger doesn't really satisfy me right now.

An "I'm craving something sweet" could be those freeze-dried fruit packs or sf jello, a beef jerky & a beverage. It's totally worth it if it stops you from going into a different store and being inundated by all the various high calorie prepacked garbage.

[nickgerlich]

Surging Forward

When it comes to the Four Ps of Marketing, there is one that affects us the most. It raises eyebrows. It may cause mental anguish. And it hits where it hurts the most, the pocketbook. I can only be talking about one thing: Price.

As I was telling my undergrads yesterday, they have now lived through—and survived—a period of inflation. This hasn’t happened for 40 years, which I remember all too well from my university days. It’s the kind of thing you tend to remember forever.

While inflation is now more or less within a reasonable range (about 3.1% last month), our grocery bills are up about 25% in the last four years. You can thank the compounding effect for that. Some manufacturers have responded by reducing the size of the package, so they can try to maintain price points. Labeled as “shrinkflation” by President Biden and others, it gives the illusion that prices haven’t gone up, even though the unit price definitely has.

Given that we have all now become hyper-sensitized to price since COVID, it should come as no surprise that Wendy’s plans to test surge pricing for its hamburgers is drawing the ire of many. It’s bad enough that the price of fast food has skyrocketed, but now they want to charge even more during hours of peak demand, as well as at locations that are typically busier than others.

Surge pricing, which also goes by the moniker dynamic pricing, has been in use for decades. It’s what explains the matinee price at movie theatres, a time of day in which far fewer people are likely to see a movie. Airlines have done it for years, with peak demand times seeing fares much higher than off-peak. Add hotels to the mix, too. Business hotels are often weekend bargains for families, because all the people with expense accounts have gone home. And we all know how expensive food and beverages are at airports and stadiums, while not far away they are much lower.

Uber is another company leaning on this model, with the price of a ride reflecting the demand. If a stadium is emptying out, the price just went up. Many other retailers, from Amazon to Target, Kroger, Best Buy, and others have done it. The advent of digital price tags makes it all too easy to reset prices within a store, or even systemwide. Heck, I even saw it in Germany some years ago, with gas stations raising prices at peak commuting times, and lowering them during others. Shame on you for not refueling at a better time!

One of the more interesting aspects of dynamic, or surge, pricing is that used on Dallas-area toll roads and express lanes. Essentially, the price is set based on traffic volume. As congestion increases, the price for diverting to the express lane goes up. The thinking is that it might just be worth your added dollars to be able to zoom by the unlucky proletariat stuck in traffic. Be sure to wave as you go by. These lanes are the sky boxes of the highway system. At peak times, a person driving solo can pay up to $0.90 per mile for the privilege.

The weeks ahead will be interesting to see how the market reacts to Wendy’s move, and whether they stick to their guns or back down. If customers swallow surge pricing, it opens the flood gates for all fast food restaurants to do the same. It could then spill over into all restaurants, and everywhere else. Consumers will be left at wit’s end trying to keep up with what amounts to a wide array of possible prices for the things they buy. I suspect that apps and websites will arrive that allow for crowdsourced updates on all of it.

It’s the price we pay for being alive today. Inflation is one thing, but having to endure exorbitant temporary price hikes is quite another. Even staying home and being a hermit does not make you immune, because you still have to buy things. As for me, I’m staying in the slow lane just as a matter of principle, and because I’m still waiting for my salary to go up commensurately to account for the last four years.

Dr “Not Getting Inflated Expectations” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[chellesdump]

Rocking Clowns - Blackpink

"The girls decided to have a scary movie marathon to get into the spooky season, but after having watched a couple of them one of them started getting anxious and resorted to stim to self-soothe"

word count ─ 1.1k

tags ─ little! lisa, little! rosé, cg! jennie, cg! jisoo, autumn, tw! scary movies, tw! someone getting hurt, stimming

notes ─ This is for the Scary Movies and Stimming prompt. So enjoy :3

The Blackpink girls had made their plan for the day to have a marathon of scary movies in order to get into the spooky season, also known as October, each one had chosen either 1 or 2 movies to put in their movie playlist for the day, from classic scary movies to newer ones.

In order to prepare for their long day they woke up early to go to the store to stock up on candies, beverages, snacks, and some other necessities for their perfect day, “Unnie! We need to buy this popcorn bucket, it has 2 WHOLE BOXES of M&M’s. Can we? Can we?” begged Lisa holding the aforementioned bucket, with a playful roll of her eyes Jisoo told her, “Yes, sure we can. I need to try that combination of popcorn, I’ve seen it’s quite popular” finally showing her excitement to the maknae.

Lisoo kept stocking on sweet snacks and candy to munch on, that was until Jennie came telling them they needed something else than sweet things, “But unnie, they are so tasty and you’re supposed to eat a lot of sweets on this season” whined Lisa crossing her arms to show her discontent at being told to stop stocking on the sweets, “Lalisa! Do you want your teeth to rot and fall out? I’m not telling you to get rid of everything, just to choose some healthier things as well” berated Jennie with a stern look plastered on her face.

Luckily Rosé came up with the solution to their little fight, “Yeoreobun! Look at what I found… SPOOKY CHIPS!! These ones are in bat and ghost form, can you believe it? These other ones are orange and black, so Halloween coded. These other ones are shaped like pumpkins, we just need some dips” Rosé excitedly showed them.

“Wow, Chaeyoung-ah! They are indeed so cool, now let’s go and find some dips!” said Lisa while grabbing Rosé’s hand and running towards the dip section, while they were getting away Jennie yelled her retort, “I told you there were other options than sweets!”, but the younger ones didn’t hear and continued to run to find more things to buy.

It took them around an hour to finish their shopping, and in the end, they ended up with a wide variety of snacks from candy to chips, beverages like apple cider and hot cocoa, seasonal cups and plates, and even some plushies.

–

Once arriving home they got into their pajamas to be comfier and put their snacks on plates to have a wide range without all the packages in the way, Jen being prepared as always brought some normal cups for everyone but also a couple of sippy cups in case the girls needed them later in the evening.

They started with one of the classics, Scream, the Ghostface movie was such a classic so it couldn’t be missed on their marathon when the movie ended they were a little shaken up but still eager to watch more horror; next came a Korean/Thai movie, to bring some patriotism to their evening, The Medium was the second movie lined up, they ended it with more shock present on their beings; with each film that came they became more and more shaken up, being jumpy at random noises which came from the windy day they have, the line up was filled with more classics like Child’s Play and Halloween, some newer ones like The Mimic, Midsommar, and Bird Box.

So by the time IT came, they were super jumpy, but they laughed it up at the foolishness of their fear since the monsters wouldn’t really come for them, for one of them the anxiousness from the movies was greater, Rosie was little, and had been for a great part of the marathon, she didn’t really remember the exact moment she slipped but the fact remained and that made her get more scared, Lili seemed to be little as well, but she was more adventurous than Rosie so she was less scared and jumpy.

When the movie began playing Rosie cuddled closer to Jennie to seek a little bit of comfort, everything was okay until Pennywise made his first appearance, the clown was so scary, and seeing him wasn’t pleasant, by the middle of the movie she started stimming to self soothe from the fear/anxiousness, unfortunately, it was one of the harmful ones, Rosé started biting her fingers, it started with just sucking them but that wasn’t enough so she bit them.

Jennie caught sight of the stimming when it started and even though it wasn’t ideal she let it slide, but once she snuck a glance again she saw the biting, knowing it was harmful to let her keep doing it, she let Jisoo know about it and told her she was going to fetch one of the girls pacifiers and talk to her to see what had her in such a state.

Grabbing Rosé’s hand she told her to go with her, she took her to her room to grab the pacifier and told her to sit on the bed, “Rosie baby, can you tell me why you are biting your fingers?”, questioned the older one, the younger girl got more nervous which made her start biting her fingers even more, she thought Jennie was mad at her so the anxiousness increased, so she muttered, “No mad at Rosie, p’ease Mama, just… just” and the waterworks started.

Watching her crying Jennie went closer telling her, “Oh my Rosie Posie, Mama isn’t mad at you, I’m just worried about you hurting yourself. So how about you give your fingers to Mama to hold them and Mama will give you a paci, one you can chew and suck so you won’t hurt your fingers again. How you like that idea?” tried to reason with the little girl, thankfully Rosé knew that what she was doing was harming and accepted the pacifier, not before asking her Mama for a favor.

“Mama can hug Rosie p’ease, Rosie scared of da monstews. They so scary!” she screamed hiding in her covers and putting the pacifier in her mouth to help her calm down.

With an achy heart, Jennie answered that of course they could cuddle all she wanted, and they could even watch some more family-friendly movies so they wouldn’t be as scary, Rosé accepted and they went to the living room once again, Jisoo and Lisa were waiting for them with cups filled with tasty hot cocoa to lessen the anxious feeling Rosie was feeling and Coraline was playing now on the TV.

The four girls cuddled on the couch and spent the rest of the evening watching kid-friendly things, once their movie marathon was over they had some tasty dinner before getting ready for bed, deciding to have a sleepover on one of the oldest members' beds to combat the fears that could remain.

[authortobenamedlater]

@ladyknightskye tagged me.

Your name: Around here I go by AuthorToBeNamedLater or ATBNL.

Your first fandom(s): In terms of interest, Star Trek TNG. In terms of fandom engagement, seaQuest DSV.

Your current fandom(s): I measure “current fandom” in terms of “currently writing fic,” so Halo and The Mandalorian. Fandoms I love and post about here in rotation: Star Trek, Star Wars, MCU, Babylon 5, NCIS.

How did you first get into fandom? I honestly don’t remember a time when I wasn’t “into fandom” in some way? I suppose I really jumped in when I found FFN.

How long have you been engaging in fandom spaces?: Before you were born 😂 I found FFN very shortly after its launch in 1998.

How often do you read fanfics?: More often than I should LOL.

Top three characters from your current fandom(s): Is this three from each fandom or three altogether? I’ll go with the latter.

Cortana + John, Roland + Lasky (AIs and their humans are a package deal in my world), Kai.

Mando, Bo-Katan, Cara Dune because Cara is still in my Mandalore’s Reluctant Royals AU and if I ever get past the mental block of losing all my WIPs, she has a very important role to play.

Have you ever written fic for a fandom?: Only close to 100 between my FFN and AO3. Not counting the little snippets and micro fics I’ve shared only on Tumblr.

Have you ever drawn fanart for a fandom?: Aside from the Shadow vessel sponge painting I did in eighth grade art class, no. I’d like to change that though, because some of my off the wall AUs could do with visual content.

Share a personal headcanon that you feel very strongly about: Captain Shaw is married with kids and is a Chicago deep-dish pizza snob.

Tim McGee had an FFN account and probably has an AO3.

Thel ‘Vadam mixes up his English idioms Ziva David-style.

You’re trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. what episode, clip, or scene are you showing them?: I am not showing ANYONE Halo, unless you come to me saying you want to watch it. And then I’m going to give you a bunch of caveats about how I’m obsessed with it but it’s really not that great except for when it is and you shouldn’t take it too seriously. Buckle up and grab your adult beverage of choice.

For game-verse Halo I’d show Johnson’s speech about the tank in Halo 2 because that’s what Mr showed me to rope me in.

Mandalorian, the first episode.

Babylon 5, I would start with the pilot movie if I could find it and then not let up until you’d watched five seasons of emotional roller coaster. I’d tell you what JMS said in the commentaries for Shattered Dreams and Sleeping in Light and Deconstruction of Falling Stars and how many of the actors died too young. After War Without End I would show you the video where JMS drops the bomb about why Michael O’Hare left the show. By the end of it you’d love the show but you might not love me anymore. 🤣

And finally, what does fandom mean to you?: A place where I can explore the highs and lows of the human experience in a safe environment. Sometimes I can put a little broken piece of myself into a fanfic or headcanon and not feel so broken anymore. I can “talk” about things in fiction that I can’t in real life.

A place where I can meet cool people whose paths I never would have crossed had we not been abnormal about a certain show or character. ❤️

Tagging all who see this!

[totallyuseless-ugh]

Across the Campus

Chapter Four: Taking more Steps

7:12 AM

For the time that Pico was still out getting their morning coffee was Darnell already out on the balcony, his eyes either on his phone or darting around the campus in hopes of seeing CJ. He knew that it would still take a few more minutes before they were due to show up. But he was too impatient to act as rationally as he wanted to.

“So, what’re the news of the day?” Pico announced his presence. He did not want to run the risk of scaring Darnell into dropping his phone, even though it would not be a very long fall from the second floor down onto the grass below.

“Oh wouldn’t you want to know,” Darnell scoffed jokingly and pocketed his phone. “If you wanna partake in my life, how 'bout you get back in the dorm before dark?”

“It’s not my fault basketball training starts so late!” Pico pressed the full coffee mug into his friend’s hands while taking a sip from his own. “Now quit pretending to be so mysterious and tell me the good stuff.”

“Well.. mom asked how things were going for us so far. I’m pretty sure she tried to get some info out of me so she can send a ‘care package’ sometime soon.”

“I hope she sends some of her delicious rugelach then,” the redhead hummed dreamily.

“Just so you can eat them when I’m not around? Yeah, fat chance, man.”

“Was worth a shot,” Pico shrugged off his defeat. His eyes wander across the view in front of him as he awaited CJ’s arrival. And sure enough, they showed up at the exact minute as always. Darnell smiled and briefly put his mug down to wave back at them with an amount of confidence that got Pico laughing. “Since when do you have the guts for this?”

Darnell briefly bit his lower lip in an attempt to stop his grin from growing wider. “Oh y'know, since I got their number.” It felt great to say it out loud. And it got only better to see the look of utter confusion on his friend’s face.

“I’m sorry, what?!”

“You heard me,” Darnell pulled up his chat with CJ to show it to Pico. There were not a lot of messages yet, but that did not matter in this moment. “Turns out, CJ and I are in the same biochem course.”

“CJ you say?” As if the text conversation would help him continued Pico to look at the screen, trying to recall something. “I think I heard someone mention them around me recently..”

“Wouldn’t surprise me. They do football here, 'n for a couple of years too. Probably made a name for themself already.”

“Eh, not sure if sports was the topic of conversation there. But I wasn’t exactly trying to eavesdrop then, so I dunno for sure.” Pico dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand and went back to drinking his beverage. Darnell shrugged as he was none the wiser and pocketed his phone again.

The two continued to watch CJ follow their usual routine, waving one last time to Darnell before leaving to finish the rest of their run. “So,” the redhead spoke up again, vaguely gesturing to his friend with his own mug. “Now that you have made contact with the object of your attraction, how do you plan to make further advances?”

Darnell’s head hung down from his shoulders as he took a deep breath. “What the fuck just possessed you to suddenly sound like you’re crammin’ words into a 300-word essay? Jeez..” He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before glancing over to his friend with a dry smile. “No clue. I was gonna try to focus on classes first instead of immediately ruining my first semester with some heartbreak, y’know?”

“Oh, come on!” Pico lightly jabbed at Darnell’s shoulder in an attempt to lighten his mood. “At least give things a try. You said you both have a course together, right? Then ask them if you two could meet up to study later today, easy!”

“Sure. Go ahead, plan all of my stuff for me while you’re at it. Why not call my mom and tell her what holidays I’m gonna be home for, too?”

“Man, you really are a downer today. What’s wrong?”

“Ugh.. I dunno. S’pose I don’t feel like I got a chance, so I shouldn’t entertain the idea of it too much.”

“Bullshit. Get your phone out.”

Darnell reluctantly followed his friend’s order, unlocking the screen and waiting for the next step.

“Go on, ask CJ how long they got classes for today. Schedule a study date with them!”

"I'd die before I ask them for any sort of 'date'." Darnell shot a brief glare over at Pico. He stared back down at his phone for a few moments before his thumb finally began to type something into the message bar. Although Darnell was not all too sure how to phrase his question, he tried writing at least something. “’Hey, when is your last class today? Maybe we could study together afterwards.’ That good?”

“If you think so, send it.”

“I dunno, man!”

“Ey, I’m not gonna dictate your damn texts! It’s supposed to sound like you after all!”

Darnell groaned at the lack of help from Pico. He read over his text once more before hesitantly hitting the send button. The message was soon marked as ‘sent’, so there was no going back. “Guess I gotta wait now..”

“Yep. And I’ll be on my way to class,” Pico said his goodbye before leaving the balcony again. On this particular day, Darnell had no classes before 11:30 AM. But he still chose to wake up at the same time as every other morning. Simply to talk with Pico after he came back into the dorm so late the night before. He took his time drinking up his coffee since there was nothing better for him to do. The empty mug in his hand eventually gave Darnell an idea, picking up Pico’s from the desk on his way out of the dorm room.

Down the wide hall of the building was the communal kitchen. Most students were already out for class or still sleeping in (be it by accident or on purpose), so it did not surprise Darnell to find the space empty. He set the mugs down in the sink and let somewhat-warm water slowly fill it up. While he waited placed Darnell his phone on the free kitchen counter and loosely bunched his dreadlocks together to fix them up into a simple ponytail. He was not going to spend much time here anyway, all Darnell wanted was to have his hair out of his face for a minute.

His mind began to wander as he finally started working on the mundane task of washing out the coffee residue out of the mugs.

Courses were still rather easy, so it was no problem to keep up with the material so far. But regardless, he was not feeling confident enough to visit his family for any holidays in the middle of the semester. Darnell was not looking forward to having that call with his mother, despite knowing that she would be understanding of his decision.

Just as he was thinking about the inevitable, yet important conversation was Darnell pulled from his thoughts by the sound his phone made. The screen flashed on, presenting him with a new message notification. It took Darnell a quick second to remember he was actually still waiting on a response from CJ. He dropped everything and hastily dried his hands off on a towel before picking up his phone and check the message. And sure enough, CJ had finally answered Darnell’s text.

“Great idea! I got time after 3:45pm”

*

Darnell stepped out of the elevator as he returned from his final class of the day. All he wanted to do throw his bag into a corner and drop on his bed for the rest of the day. But he knew he had other plans for today, so there was not a lot of time for him to rest. Darnell opened his door and was met with the sight of Pico walking around their shared room while talking on the phone.

“No, dad. I can’t come over to fix your computer. Just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll try to help best I can from here.”

Darnell waved while sneaking into the room, Pico giving him a small nod as acknowledgement.

“.. because I am at least three hours away from home, and it’s the middle of the week. Now, did you make sure the cables are all plugged in?”

The redhead sat on his bed as he listened to his father explaining what seemed to be the problem. But Darnell did not listen in on the conversation, instead emptying out his bag to swap out most contents for his studying materials. He assumed that by the time he would be leaving the room, CJ would probably already be waiting for him in their own dorm.

“Always the damn same..” Pico muttered as he plopped backwards onto his bed after ending the call.

“Was it the cables?”

"He must've loosened one while vacuuming," The redhead answered with a tired nod. “This is what you get when you go to uni for IT. You become the family tech hotline.”

“You sure have a tough job. I hope it pays you well at least,” Darnell joked, picking up his jacket and bag to head out.

“Ey, where are you going now, getting dinner? Whatever you order, I want the same!”

“Tough luck, today is my turn on coming back late at night.”

“You’re no fun, man. Alright, have fun being a boring, responsible adult.”

"Someone has to take on that role here after all," Darnell joked and waved to his friend on his way outside.

Finding his way to the other dormitory was very easy. The building stood between the library and art department, so it was no surprise to see the walls decorated with highly detailed murals in a diverse range of art styles. The lack of signatures however made it unclear whether these were approved projects by the university, or if the councils did not want to spend money on removing the art and simply pretended it was all intentional. At least that is what Darnell would do if he were in that situation.

On the ground floor was a large lounging area with couches, chairs, and beanbags which were all currently in use. Apparently, a larger group was having a gathering to plan a project for their class together. Darnell did not pay them any mind as he walked over to the elevator. He might have considered taking the stairs, if it were not for the fact that CJ had their room on the fourth floor.

The upper floor had a similar spacious layout as Darnell’s dorm building. It still took him a few moments to find the correct room number though. Before he reached his destination opened one of the doors, and a latina woman left the room. “I’ma head out. See ya-“ She looked over as she noticed Darnell approaching, flashing him a quick smile. “Lemme guess, you Jay’s buddy?”

“I mean- I came here to study with ‘em,” Darnell answered and shrugged his shoulders.

“Thought so. I’m Rika,” the woman offered him a fist-bump and patted him on the back as she left. “Have fun being nerds!”

Darnell’s gaze followed Rika for a few more seconds before CJ’s voice caught his attention. “Nells!” The tall blonde chimed as they came out of the same room, making their visitor smile with seemingly no effort at all. “Come on in, get comfy!”

Taking up on the invitation followed Darnell CJ back inside. The dorm was bigger compared to the one Darnell and Pico shared, clearly to fit in a third person. There were three bunk beds with desks and closets set under them, and the free corner at the end of the room contained a collection of beanbags and two small tables to create a lounging area by the window. One table was already occupied with CJ’s biochemistry book and what looked like their notes from class.

“I gotta be honest with you,” Darnell warned CJ as he settled down by the other table and began emptying his bag. “I haven’t studied together with someone since middle school, so I have no idea how we’re gonna do this.”

“Oh, no worries! I already made some notes on what I wanted to look into. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I felt like you’d be the right guy to ask about stuff I don’t understand well.” CJ gestured to a small list they had written previously.

Darnell took a moment to read over it, trying to recall roughly what he would need to look for. He then nodded to himself and quickly began flipping through one of his books. Since he had used the book before a couple of times knew Darnell pretty much off the top of his head on which page one of the topics was introduced.

“You really got this stuff memorized, huh?”

Darnell shrugged with a small grin on his lips. “I just got a thing for chemistry. Was kind of a no-brainer for me to pick it as my major.”

“Sounds like you already got plans on what you’ll do after graduating then.”

“Would it be too cliché if I’d say I wanna be a teacher?”

CJ let out a small laugh. “Cliché? Maybe. But honestly, it kinda suits you. In a good way, of course.”

“Aw, thanks!” Darnell’s lips curled up into a wide grin that was wider than he wanted CJ to possibly see. But even if he were to try, there was no chance he could hide his smile.

The mention of their majors had gotten him curious. He turned his eyes back to the book he brought, marking the page with a sticky note before searching for the next page in an attempt to come across as more unbothered than he actually was. “'Nd what are your plans with your music major? Y’know, since most people would’ve already stopped after getting their bachelor’s.”

“Honestly? I mostly study music because it’s my.. passion. I’ll try to get my DMA, so I guess I could become a private music teacher afterwards. But my hopes are that my band pops off first.”

“Oh shit, you got a band?” Darnell’s eyes grew big. He stared at CJ. Not in disbelief, but sheer amazement and interest to hear more.

The tall blonde laughed at the sight. “Nothin’ big yet though. We’re still trying to find our style and get our music out there.” CJ gestured to the unused space under the free bunk bed which housed some equipment, including an electric guitar and bass. Both were covered in worn-off and partially scratched stickers, showing how much the instruments were being handled on a regular basis.

Darnell took a few moments to properly look at the guitar. Based on the mix of colors and sticker designs, he assumed that CJ would most likely be the one to play it opposed to the bass. It generally fit more into their type of aesthetic, the clashing of dark hues and call-to-action slogans against oppression alongside bright, silly, and cute animals or texts making similar statements.

And although his interest was piqued to learn more about the music CJ made, now was not the time for it. He would ask about it some other time, learn more about them as a person. “Alright, let’s get into biochem,” he announced in a soft sigh.

“Right,” CJ sat up a bit more straight as if to show they were paying attention. “We’re studying here, no more interruptions.”

The study session was very productive, helping CJ to fully understand the material while Darnell got to further internalize it for himself. Though, their conversation occasionally drifted away from the topic at hand every once in a while.

But neither of the two seemed to ever be bothered whenever that happened.