#did you know that there is one anime i don't talk about but love with my whole heart

[genericpuff]

I've been griping about the normalization of identity outing via social media for a while now. To put it simply, it's become almost some weird societal requirement that if you don't have every detail listed about yourself in your Twitter/FB/etc. bio, then it means you have "something to hide" or that you're not as "verifiable" because your account looks indistinct from that of a bot.

But that societal norm has really only benefited the people who profit off of that information in some way, whether it's through selling user data or through weaponizing details about a person against them.

I know that a lot of us love to use the fun little labels and acronyms in our bio that help others like us identify us as a 'safe person' or as someone who's in the same social/racial/identity groups as them. We're humans, we love to categorize things, it's in our nature (and it's fun!)

But if there's any time to start regulating that habit and challenging the norm that you're obligated to include all your personal info online - it's now.

There was a time when sock puppet accounts were expected and typical, not "suspicious".

There was a time when even age-sex-location was considered "too much information", but once it became the norm, we only EVER gave our personal information beyond generic ASL to people who we knew both online and in real life, or at the very least, people who we had known online for a significant enough amount of time that they had proved to be trustworthy (and even then, we didn't owe that information to anyone, ever; there are forum friends who I made online 10+ years ago and still talk to who do not know my personal information beyond broad strokes).

There was a time when simply being an avatar with a funny username was enough. And it still is enough, but massive platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been brainwashing us for years to believe that's not the case, under the guise of, "You wouldn't want to be dishonest, would you?" Through these same norms, we were led to believe that anime profile pictures are cringe, that having a fake online name is stupid, that the photos of you having fun at social events have to be taken JUST right otherwise you might imply to others that you're not actually having fun.

And considering how long these platforms have been around now, we have entire generations of children now who have been born and raised on that version of the ZuckMusk web, who have been taught that it "protects them" to express to everyone publicly their age, their school, their workplace, their family members, everything about themselves, because to not do so would be disingenuous.

None of this is to imply that the Internet was "safer" back in the day. I definitely should not have been on the Internet as much as I was when I was 13 in the late 2000's, it definitely did not benefit my brain development or my social skills. But the version of the Internet we currently exist in now is one that's been predicated on the false sense of security - the belief that if you're honest, everyone else has to be, too.

We've always had ways of identifying our safe people - by participating in the communities that we know are designed around our hobbies, our interests, our people. They might be small, they might not be as "cool" as the idea of netting yourself a big following of thousands of people, but they're also a lot safer and more genuine than that idealized following ever could be.

Don't feel pressured to include every bit of information about yourself in your bio. Even on Facebook, there's no rule that says you have to list your workplace, your school, your family members. There's no rule that says you have to list your personality type, queer labels, and neurodivergent disorders in your Twitter bio. There's no rule that you have to "prove" your life is real and fulfilled through the verification of photos, location tagging, and open-book sharing. If you share those photos, it should be because you genuinely want to share them, not because you feel some societal pressure to live up to others' expectations.

And I guarantee you, even your local mutuals on Facebook - your former classmates, family friends, distant relatives, coworkers, etc. - do not actually give that much of a damn about your personal life that they should be owed that much of a look into it on a daily basis. They've got their own shit going on, they literally do not need to know every detail about you.

I know it sounds scary. It also sounds kind of boring, when we've been used to a certain "way" of browsing and participating for years, that if we don't do so, it feels like being in the "out group" and that we're "breaking the rules". But I promise you, after spending over half my life online, those rules do not exist or benefit anyone who wouldn't profit off that information.

If you're wanting to learn how to branch off from major platforms like Facebook and Twitter and/or become more self-sufficient online, here are some guides to navigating the Internet like an old schooler that may help you!

FREE SITE BUILDER:

DIGITAL PIRACY 101:

(also in addition to everything mentioned here ^^^ they neglect to also mention Tor Browser which is a light and free-to-use browser software that allows you to browse anonymously; note that it's similar to a VPN in that it helps hide your identity online, HOWEVER it won't mask you from your ISP quite as effectively as a VPN, and if you sign into personal accounts with Tor, that's still going to obviously out you online lmao but I love using Tor for the odd time when I need to make a sock puppet for something and don't want it linked to my IP! and unlike a VPN, it's free to use!)

LEARN HOW TO USE RSS FEEDS:

People still use these! They're especially helpful for getting updates from your favorite pages and sites directly to your browser WITHOUT having to worry about stupid algorithm bullshit picking and choosing what you see. And many sites DO have RSS support once you know how to find it! (like adding in /rss at the end of a URL! Like this!)

FAKE EMAIL SERVICES:

LEARN HOW TO CODE IN HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT (AND MORE!):

DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:

I hope this helps arm you with some new knowledge in how to navigate the Internet like a Certified Old Person™️(like meeee!) Make your secret alt blogs for besties! Make your formal Facebook accounts that are clean of personal information and present the most neutral, safe-for-work version of yourself and keep the fun stuff to the secret profiles and chat groups that are just for you and friends/family/etc!! It might be "inconvenient" to have multiple accounts for the same purpose, but it's also INCREDIBLY freeing and can make your online experience both safer and more enjoyable.

Being "less" of yourself online does not make you any less you. It is your identity - you do not owe any amount of it to anyone beyond yourself. And in times like these, your identity is your greatest asset. Protect it.

[gguk-n]

Chapter 3- Caught in the Act

A+ in Pretend Love (Lando Norris x Reader)

Series Masterlist

Summary- If you asked Zak Brown, he would advice never to store confidential contracts on the cloud. If you asked Lando, he would tell you to not fall in love with your fake fiance. If you asked Y/N, she would tell you to never date a famous person even if it's not real.

While Lando was being coached by his best friend to confess his love to his fake fiance; Zak's cloud was being hacked in hopes of finding some dirt on McLaren or their CEO ad black mail but they didn't expect to hit the jackpot. Their contract was valid for 3-4 more months and the plan was to slowly ease Y/N out of Lando's life and say that things didn't work out because of their busy schedule.

What no one anticipated was they would wake up on Saturday morning to both their face plastered all over the news with the contract they had signed. The media was calling them all sorts of things from trying to fool them to trying to fool an entire country. There were people who had tracked her down and were not waiting outside Y/N's house in hopes of talking to her or at her work. She had to take leave from work since her professors were speaking ill of her. She couldn't imagine having to go back for her PHD programme. The worst were the fans; the name calling, the hate; it was all directed towards her as if McLaren were saint's in all of this. Lando also bore the brunt of a major chunk of the hate.

Zak just texted them telling them not to talk to anyone and to stay hidden till it all died out. Y/N wouldn't even talk to Lando at this point because she was so angry and hurt and didn't want to direct her anger towards him when it wasn't even his fault. She was sat bawling her eyes out at all the mean things the people were saying about her. It made her life extremely difficult, something she hadn't imagined happening.

Lando was a mess; McLaren told the media that Lando wouldn't be answering any question other than the race and if they asked any personal questions, he just walked away; adding fuel to the fire. The drivers were also gossiping among themselves. "No wonder she suddenly showed up. It was all a rouse" George whispered. "I mean I get why McLaren would do that, with Lando's antics" Alex reasoned. But as soon as they would spot Lando, they would stop whispering. "If you guys are gonna talk about my relationship" he said in animated quotation marks, "do it in front of me. I'll answer all your questions" he huffed and walked away, clearly hurt by his friends. Racing while it felt like his world was falling apart was proving to be very difficult. All his calls and messages to Y/N would fall on deaf ears and it was messing with him even more. He just needed to know that she was okay. He didn't give a rat's ass about how he was.

"Lando, I think, soon the media will get something else to talk about. You should just focus on your racing" Zak reasoned with Lando who wanted to put out a statement saying it was all their idea. "None of this would've happened had you not saved the damn contract on your cloud" Lando sighed angrily. "I don't understand how could you let something like that happen" he shouted walking away. The environment in the McLaren garage was tense to say the least.

Lando had hoped that things would quite down by now. The original timeline for his contract was also up but there was no shutting up about the fake relationship. Lando won his maiden win and yet the only thing they could talk about was Y/N. Part of Lando missed her, he had really hope to be able to share this moment with her. When he got out of the car, a big part of him wished she was there so he could run to her, hold her and maybe celebrate this win with her.

So, later that night, he did call her and she answered, her voice hoarse. "Congratulations Lando" she crocked. "Were you crying?" Lando asked worried. "Yeah, I'm just so happy you won" she said clearing her throat. Lando found himself smiling for the first time in a long time. "How have you been?" he asked her softly. "Same old same old. I thought things would quite down by now but they haven't." Y/N mumbled. "I'm sorry" Lando apologised. "It's a good thing I'm busy with research for my PHD. I have no clue how I would deal with people in my class" she sighed. "I'm so sorry Y/N. It's all my fault" Lando began before Y/N cut him off. "It's no one's fault. Things like this happen. I'm just glad they didn't rebuke my visa for this" she laughed trying to lighten the mood. 'I miss you' was stuck in both their throats as they continued to talk for a couple more minutes. "I think we should cut the call" Y/N suggested. "Oh" Lando replied. "I think it would be easier for the both of us if we stopped contacting each other. It was a hassle explaining the whole thing to my parents and my relatives. I just don't have it in me honestly" Y/N breathed out shakily. "I'll fix this" Lando tried to reason. "Don't Lando. I think this was it for us. I wish you the best. Take care" Y/N said it like it was their last time talking. "Please" Lando begged but Y/N cut the call; "But I love you" Lando whispered into his phone.

As the time went on and as the championship picked up, Lando's heart was in unrest. He felt like he had wronged the person who he loved and he couldn't live knowing that. So, he decided to sit down one day and film a video. He had seen the stuff people were saying about him and Y/N and he felt like it had been months; people should've moved on by now but if they couldn't he would make sure that they wouldn't be able to say shit about Y/N anymore.

The video began with Lando in his Monaco apartment; "Hi guys. Lando here" he began. He took a deep breath before speaking; "I would like to address my whole relationship with Y/N in his video. Part of me had hoped that it wouldn't come to his but here we are. Y/N and I did begin this relationship in a contract but it was the team's and my decision to do so. She was just a random person we ran into who ended up helping us. So, the whole gold digger narrative you all are spinning is a load of bull. I know I shouldn't've done that but I had no other option to clear up my image because that's what the team and sponsors wanted. Part of me had hoped that after the championship had started picking up steam you guys would have something better to talk about but hating on us for the decisions we made is too much. If you would like to hate on me or send me a ton of hate, be my guest but please leave Y/N out of this. She is innocent and doesn't deserve this. I would appreciate it if you would stop sending hate to the woman I actually loved. And to Y/N, if you're even watching, had we met in a different situation, I would've actually married you since I really do love you" Lando finished the video and after he was happy with it he uploaded it to his channel. He knew his PR team would give him shit but he didn't give a fuck. He just wanted Y/N to be safe.

The internet was in an uproar after Lando's public declaration of love. Some were calling it cliche and the others were swooning over Lando for taking a stand. People weren't very happy with McLaren and how they had handled the whole situation. Lando was being bombarded by calls from McLaren and they were angry at him for what he did. "Lando are you crazy? The sponsors won't stop calling. Why would you say that?" Zak shouted. "Because lying was what got us here. So, I cleared the air" Lando stated. "You are unbelievable and so difficult. I don't know why I tried so hard to keep you" Zak mumbled which Lando heard and it stung.

Y/N was on vacation with Becky who had taken her away since all she did was stay coup-ed up at home since the whole incident. Y/N woke up to a text from her mum; 'you'll want to see this. It's Lando' it read. Y/N quickly loaded the video and before she knew it, she was crying. She couldn't believe that Lando loved her. The craziest part of the video was the love confession honestly. She quickly called him and a groggy voice answered. "Y/N, is everything okay?" Lando asked worried. "Yes. Do you mean it?" she asked. "Mean what?" Lando asked confused. "What you said in the video about being in love with me?" she pleaded. "Yes. Every word. I've been in love with you for months and I couldn't tell you and it was killing me. It's fine if you don't feel the same. I just needed to let it out" Lando rambled. "I love you too you muppet" she laughed as tears were rolling down her face. "You mean it?" Lando asked pinching himself. "Yes. I love you so much Lando Norris" she said, by now Becky was also up due to all the commotion. "Are you free tonight?" Lando asked. "Ahh, I'm on vacation right now" she said slowly. "Let me know when you're back, I'll pick you up at the airport" Lando said, "I love you Y/N Y/L/N" Lando stated. "I love you too" Y/N replied before ending the call to explain everything to Becky.

True to his words Lando had come to the airport to pick her up, As soon as he spotted her, he ran to her at full speed almost knocking her down as he wrapped his arms around her waist raising her in the process to spin around for a while. "I missed you" he whispered putting her down with his head nuzzled in her neck. "I missed you too" she whispered running a hand through the back of his hair. "You made me dizzy" she whined as he pulled away to look at her. "Sorry" Lando smiled sheepishly. "About that date?" he asked. "Give me some time to shower and than I'm all yours" she beamed.

The two of them headed home. They went on that much needed date; at home with pizza and shitty rom-coms. They giggled as the pair on the screen kissed. When Lando turned to look at her and held her face like it was the most precious thing. "Can I kiss you?" he mumbled, eyes flickering to her lips. She nodded and Lando closed the distance between them, the kiss was sweet and needy; they had so many emotions running through them and some how this kiss was exactly what they needed.

"What about McLaren?" she asked a couple days later. "I'll tell them we're really dating but now I really wanna just protect you. I won't let anything happen to you." he stated. "I know" she hummed in agreement kissing his lips.

After spending the whole of summer break together, Lando came out to announce that him and Y/N were actually dating. The team took it as well as you expect them to. The fans were going wild since this was truly out of a book. The other drivers were quite supportive and even apologised for their previous discretion.

With Y/N on his side, Lando felt like he could take on the world; good or bad. And Y/N was happy she agreed to fake date Lando since she got a real boyfriend out of this.

Tag list- @gamesetmatch-me @seonghwaexile @yootvi @hadesnumber1daughter @khaylin27 @abq654 @plotpal @charlesgirl16 @inarabee @a-beaverhausen @hwalllllllelujah

[secretamongthestars]

Third Times the Charm [ ii ]

You and Spencer run into each other at a bar.

WARNINGS: show typical violence (I don't think there's anything in this chapter though)

Spencer Reid x Teacher!Reader | meet-cute | 2.9k

A/N: hi guys!! i just wanted to say thank you guys so much for all the support that Third Times the Charm [i] got !!! i wasn't expecting that at all and just wanted to say thank you!! also, apologies for how long part ii took to come out, midterms were kicking my butt!! plus election stress. anyways! i hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

masterlist

“Reid, what’s up with you?” Morgan asked. As the youngest member of their team walked in, he noticed a pep in his step and he didn’t immediately go for another cup of the obscene office coffee.

“What? What do you mean? Nothing’s up.” Spencer word vomited, quickly realizing if his behavior didn’t give himself away, then that certainly did.

“Okay, no. Sit down. Something is up and you’re gonna tell me,” Morgan told him, sitting on the edge of a nearby desk. Spencer was silent for a few seconds, debating if he really wanted to tell Morgan. However, as he thought about what happened in the past when he kept secrets with the team, he thought it couldn’t hurt to tell Morgan. After all, it’s not like the rest of the team was there yet. A few lower-level agents were going in and out of the bullpen, but save for the two of them, Morgan and Spencer were the only two team members present.

“Fine,” Spencer huffed out, watching as a grin overtook Morgan’s features. Knowing Morgan, he quickly told him, ��But you can’t tell the rest of the team okay? Not yet at least.”

Morgan looked a little disappointed at that, but conceded to Spencer’s terms, “Fine. But if they find out on their own, that’s not my fault. Remember who you work with.”

Spencer began to tell him about the irresistible teacher he met, along with the events that conspired the previous Monday and earlier that morning. As he spoke, he became more animated, beginning to talk at a speed that was almost too fast for Morgan to understand.

“And then, I thought she was going to just leave, you know? I mean she said she had to leave, so I thought she was just going to head out, but Morgan, she asked if she could give me her phone number. Isn’t that crazy? And then she just left?!” Spencer rambled, finally getting to the climax of this story.

“Pretty. Boy. Reid,” Morgan said as he clapped him on the back. “Who knew you had it in you. Good for you.”

Spencer sat at his desk, blushing. He knew it was soon, but he was hoping it would go well. From high school throughout his life, he never had a good history when it came to the dating scene, never mind his love life. But you seemed kind and funny, and he admired your job, understanding just how unruly and unpredictable high schoolers could be. Before he could daydream any longer, Morgan snapped him out of it.

“So, when are you seeing her next?” he questioned. Spencer’s eyebrows furrowed, confusedly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she gave you her number, have you texted her?” Morgan questioned. “Are you gonna ask her out?”

Spencer looked taken aback like Morgan had asked him to shoot the president.

“That’s a bit fast-paced, right? I don’t want to seem overbearing to her,” Spencer confessed.

“Reid, she seems great. And if she gave you her number, she’s definitely into you,” Morgan advised him. “Go for it, okay?”

As he got up, and headed back to his desk, the rest of the team trickled into the bullpen. Noticing the odd atmosphere, one which they couldn’t quite place based on the neutral expression on Morgan’s face and the confused, bordering on frightened, one on Spencer’s they weren’t sure what had just conspired.

“What was that about?” Emily questioned Morgan.

“Just talking about Reid’s coffee,” Morgan quickly came up with an excuse. “Did you know he puts five sugar packets in there? And that’s on the low end.”

Emily didn’t believe him but decided to let it rest for now.

Hearing the discussion, Garcia added, “You know, I put him on that cafe, the one where he got that coffee. Their coffee is like if a kitten and a unicorn got meshed together, crashed into a rainbow, and vomited on a sprinkle cupcake.”

The team looked at her in utter confusion.

“It’s good,” she translated. “It’s so good. Too good to be putting Reid’s obscene amount of sugar in it.”

Hearing his name, Spencer was about to interject to defend himself, though JJ cut him off before he got the chance.

“Guys, Hotch wants us in the meeting room in 5. We got a case.”

౨ৎ

The school day had ended and all of your students were gone for the day: no extra help, no club meetings, and certainly no meetings with your supervisor. You only had a few student’s assignments left to grade; figuring that it would take less than thirty minutes, you decided to leave it for after you got home and had something to eat.

However, as you were on your way out, two of your coworkers stopped in: Andy, a fellow English teacher, and Brian, a history teacher. Brian had worked at the school for a few years at this point, but Andy only started one or two years ago. Anytime you had questions about the new school or needed to confide in someone the two of them had your back.

“Heading out for the day?” the latter had asked.

“Yeah, I only have a few assignments left, figured they can wait til I get home,” you joked with them.

“Hey, by any chance do you have my copy of Cat’s Cradle? We’re reading it in about a week,” Andy questioned.

“Yeah, hangon a second, let me find it,” you told her, shuffling through your bag in attempts to find it.

“Did you lose your copy?” she asked you.

“Something like that,” you replied vaguely.

“What, did you lend it to a kid and they forgot it at home?” Brian chimed in. “I’m surprised, you usually don’t lend that out, given your annotations, notes, and everything.”

Your face reddened, thinking about what actually happened to your copy of the book.

“Okay. Yeah, tell us right now what’s up with you, because you did not lend that to anyone,” Andy had already figured you out. “I could barely get you to let me borrow your copy of Chronicle of a Death Foretold for a day.”

“Ugh, fine,” you sighed, setting your stuff down, giving up on getting home early.

Sitting on a desk, you confessed to them what had happened the past few days. From the literal run-in to the book exchange to how he was literally gorgeous.

“So, what do you know about him?” Brian asked, snapping you out of your trance.

“What do you mean?” you asked, confused.

“I mean, you know his name is Spencer, but what else?”

That was a valid question that you hadn’t thought of.

“Do you at least know what he does for work?”

“Okay! I get it, I didn’t think of asking that in the moment though. Too late now,” you huffed at them. To be fair, they did have a point. Besides his name being Spencer, you knew nothing else about him. “All I know is that he was reading the Illustrated Man and that he wears sweater vests, alright!”

“Well, did you at least get a last name? Maybe we can look him up online,” Brian proposed.

“No! That’s gotta be an invasion of privacy or something!”

“C’mon, just one search can’t do any harm,” Andy added.

“Fine! But you better not accidentally like a post or something,” you yielded. Seeing as they didn’t even have a last name or any other information to go with, you figured their searching wouldn’t lead to anything, and therefore no harm would come of it.

As they relentlessly searched through instagram for what had to be at least 10 minutes, Andy finally spoke up: “Yeah, I can’t find any guy named Spencer who fits your description.”

“Me neither. I mean, what if he’s like a serial killer or something?” Brian questioned.

“Guys! He’s not a serial killer. Your internet sleuthing was probably just bad. You didn’t even have his last name,” you told them.

“Fine, but if he does turn out to be one…” Andy left out the ‘I told you so’, but you weren’t worried. There was no way that he would even be involved in anything related to that, right?

“Anyways, next week is the beginning of fall break. You guys wanna get drinks or something? Maybe Friday?” Brian proposed.

“Yeah, why not,” Andy agreed while you nodded along. After the first month or so of your new job, you figured a fun night out was deserved.

౨ৎ

In your defense, you did try to have an active break from school, but it seemed that the stress of your new job had finally gotten to you. There was only so much cleaning, morning coffee shop runs, and reading you could do. You didn’t even have any assignments left to grade or to plan.

Friday couldn’t come fast enough.

As you got ready for the night, you decided on a casual outfit, though certainly something different from what you typically wore to work or during a casual day at home.

You were running late as you had opted to put on a bit more makeup than you typically did (not the usual concealer and lip gloss duo). Andy offered to wait outside for you, but after your insistence, she came inside.

“So has he texted at all since you saw him last?” she questioned as you were rushing to put the last of your jewelry on.

“Um,” you opted to ignore her question, busying yourself with the clasp of a bracelet.

“Really? C’mon, with the way you talked about this guy, you would think he’s some kind of prince charming,” she said, shocked. “I know I joked about him being a serial killer, but this doesn’t raise any red flags to you?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t have a valid point, it was just that Spencer seemed so sweet and genuine. You refused to believe that he was like any of the other men you had interacted with in your love-life.

“Maybe he’s busy with work or something. Last time we ran into each other he said he travels for work,” you defended him.

“Yeah, but c’mon. It’s about a week? Isn’t that suspicious? Unless he’s batman or something he has some explaining to do,” Andy stated as the two of you left your apartment, heading out to meet up with Brian.

౨ৎ

The team had gotten back from a particularly tiring case the night before, deciding to get drinks together after some sleep. It wasn’t that the case was incredibly difficult or uncharacteristically violent and strange, unlike some of their previous cases. It just so happened that the unsub was striking at such quick intervals that they had barely any time to rest. Needless to say, drinks were needed.

As the team joked around the table, the jovial mood bringing laughter and smiles to all of their faces, a group of people walked into the bar. They were standing by the counter, joking amongst each other, when one of them looked away from the group.

No one paid any particular attention to three of them, until Spencer saw the face of who exactly just walked in.

“Guys does anybody need another drink?” Spencer quickly asked. While, sure, most of the drinks at the table were near-finished, it was a bit premature to get another round. However, after the past few days the team had, no one was complaining.

The team shouted out different drinks for Spencer to order, all of which went to the back of his mind, as he was focused on you.

Immediately after ordering the team’s drinks, he turned to you, who had also seemingly been the one to volunteer to order your friends’ next round.

“Hey,” his voice sounded quiet as the speakers blared music overhead.

“Oh my gosh! Hi!” you excitedly greeted him. “How’ve you been?”

“I- I’ve been okay,” he told you, not wanting to reveal that side of his life to you just yet, nevermind in a bar. “Sorry I didn’t reach out to you. It’s been a crazy week with work.”

“No yeah, I understand,” you told him. “However, my friend over there does think you may be a serial killer.”

This took Spencer off-guard.

“What?”

“Yeah, I may have told them about our little run-in, after work the other day, and they tried to find you online, sorry,” You told him. You weren’t drunk yet, but you didn’t seem to care about letting go of your filter. “They were surprised they couldn’t find you on instagram. That’s when they suggested your potential for crime.”

“Oh,” Spencer was confused, then let out a small laugh. “Well considering I don’t even have a personal email, that may be why they couldn’t find an account.”

“Really?” now it was your turn to be perplexed.

“Yeah, besides my work email, I don’t really have an online presence,” Spencer admitted. You were still a little confused so he blurted out, “Did you know that 80% of stalking victims are tracked using technology? I mean, typically people are stalked by people they know, but still.”

“I did not know that,” was all you could really say in response. Spencer awkwardly nodded, leaving the two of you in a strange, awkward silence.

“Did you at least go anywhere interesting for work?” you asked him, attempting to get rid of the sudden awkwardness.

“We went to Seattle, but unfortunately didn’t have much time to do anything.”

“Really? They overwork you that much?” You were surprised; you finally found someone with a job that nearly equal to yours in that regard. “What do you even do for work?”

Right before Spencer could think of a response, the bartender brought out your drinks.

“Hey, before you go back to your friends– I’m sorry for not reaching out to you,” Spencer apologized again.

“It’s okay, I get it. Work can be crazy sometimes,” you told him. Before leaving to bring your drinks over to your friends, you blurted out, “to make up for it though, you should definitely call me.”

He only blinked back in response.

“Only if you want to, I mean. I’m not gonna force you or anything-”

“No, yeah I’ll make sure to call you,” Spencer smiled at you. Regardless of what case got thrown his way, he would make sure that this time would. “Promise, okay?”

“Alright, you better keep it then, Spencer,” you told him as you finally made your way back to your friends.

“Who was that?” Brian immediately questioned as soon as you got back to the small table.

“Someone to make you forget about this Spencer? Who I still think is a serial killer,” Andy muttered that last part much more quietly, but Brian and you still heard it.

“He is not a serial killer. And coincidentally, that was him,” you informed her.

“You’re joking.”

“No, why would I be lying?”

“You were not lying about that man being gorgeous,” Andy told you, now staring at the man and his table.

“Stop staring!” you whacked her in the arm, hoping to get her to stop before his friends noticed.

“What? I’m just saying you were not kidding.” You rolled your eyes.

“Did he finally tell you why he didn’t call?” Brian finally asked.

“Yeah, he said it was work,” you told the two. You could immediately tell by the look on Andy’s face that she didn’t believe you. “He said he was in Seattle!”

“Alright…. But just because he’s pretty doesn’t mean he can’t be hiding something,” Andy retorted back. You just put your head in your hands. You would not be hearing the end of this anytime soon.

౨ৎ

“Reid, who was that,” Penelope immediately questioned him, before he even put the drinks down on the table. He rushed to find a reasonable lie but even he didn’t believe it.

“I don’t know, just some girl. I’ve never seen her before,” Spencer told the group defensively. None of them believed him. “I’m serious! I’ve never met her!”

“Reid, no offense, but that’s the first time we’ve seen you talk to a girl and she didn’t immediately leave the conversation,” Emily tried to tell him gently but it didn’t work at all. Spencer was slightly discouraged, though Penelope and Morgan certainly thought it was funny.

“Okay well, I definitely don’t know her so I don’t know what to tell you.” Spencer just wanted the attention off of him.. Even if he knew the team’s jokes were just that, he still wanted to keep this one thing for himself.

Finally, the team had become distracted with the new round of drinks set down on the table, taking the topic of conversation to something completely unrelated. Except for Morgan, that is.

Spencer and him made eye contact, and he knew that Morgan knew for sure that the girl from the bar wasn’t ‘just some girl’, but most definitely the girl Spencer had told him about a few days ago.

Spencer asked him not to say anything with his expression, and either Morgan understood or didn’t care enough to press on the issue.

One thing was for sure. Spencer would call her. Nothing would get in his way this time: not paperwork, not a meeting with Strauss– not even an unsub would get in the way this time.

[inwumaki]

Still with You— ft. Yuta Okkotsu

Anime: Jujutsu kaisen/jjk

Character/s: Yuta Okkotsu

Synopsis: Yuta getting flashbacks after you two broke up (Angst??)

A/n: I wrote this while listening to Jungkook's Still with you so- (I'm not the best at writing these kinda stuff so I apologize in advance)

날 스치는 그대의 옅은 그 목소리

"Your faint voice that brushes past me"

He could remember it all so clearly, the way your lips moved as you said the words which made his heart stop. The bitter after taste of the recent encounter between you two ate him up from inside.

"Yuta"

"Mhm?"

"I'm sorry..but I cannot do this anymore. I love you but I can't ignore the constant paranoia of you still being in love with Rika."

Was it something he had said? Done? He could swear on his life he would fix the mistakes. He loved you but you refused to listen. He had moved on long ago, did you view him the same as your ex?

"What're you saying...?"

"I'm sorry" You mumbled one last time before leaving.

Yuta swore if you would have atleast given him a minute to react he would got on his knees begging you to stay.

내 이름을 한 번만 더 불러주세요

"Please call my name just one more time"

Yuta could hear your voice of all those times you called him by his nickname 'Yuu'. The times you would whine and complain about how much Gojo had put you through on the missions.

"Yuuuuuu!"

"Yes?"

"Did you know today Gojo-sensei promised to help us with the mission but that jerk left us stranded there."

"How about we get ice cream to make you forget about the day? Will that be good?"

"That sounds more than good."

He always loved when you complained to him even though that's not anything special but to Yuta it was, the fact you would open up to him made him feel loved and important enough. He wished to hear you say his name again the same way.

얼어버린 노을 아래 멈춰 서있지만

"Though I’m standing under the frozen sunset"

Now all he could do is watch you leave. So close yet so far. It hurt him physically to even think he won't be able to do the things he used to with you— going out on dates, cuddling, movie nights to even the dumb small arguments. He missed them he really did. But he had to let you go without a fight. Sometimes he wondered, would you have stayed if he went after you? Or would you have broken off that last pinch of hope, though for him both of it seemed better than silently deluding himself.

그대 향해 한 걸음씩 걸어갈래요

"I will walk towards you, one step at a time"

Still with you.

"I don't know what to do.." Yuta mumbled clenching his fists as his hair hid his teary eyes.

"Try to talk to her..maybe stop doing what made her leave?" Panda replied

"But she refuses to say what's wrong.. how am I going to fix it if she doesn't want to...?"

"Yuta, let me tell something. No one can help you with this, it's your job to figure it out and fix it cause at the end it's you and her not us with her." Maki said with a straight face.

"Or just leave her alone and forget about her, she shouldn't have felt that way if you didn't make mistakes."

He knew, he knew very well that he might have done something, you were never the type to be offended over small things...but he was willing to pinpoint it and heal it. Leaving you and forgetting about you wasn't in the list. He loved you, he would kill for you...die too if needed he really would but how would he explain this to anyone?

"I cannot let it go like that..even if it means it'll take time I'll do everything"

어두운 방 조명 하나 없이

"In the dark room without a single lighting"

익숙해지면 안 되는데

"Though I shouldn’t be used to it"

그게 또 익숙해

"It feels familiar again"

Yuta had been waiting despite the rain infront of your favourite restaurant where they were supposed to have their first proper date. The shirt on his body slowly soaking the tears leaving off the sky. The bouquet of roses drenching in the water. Had you forgotten about him? Or were you in trouble? The restaurant staff who knew he had an reservation were worried and invited him to come inside several cause of the raini Yuta would just mumble a "she'll be here in a few minutes..I'm sure, then we can go in together." But you didn't show up, seconds, minutes turned to hours. When he finally had enough he decided to check up on you–to atleast hand you the roses he got. He got there only to see you standing under an umbrella with someone else, a guy he didn't know. You had seen him and approached him, you were all dressed up in a pretty white dress with your hair done. Yuta assumed you had ditched him for whoever the other guy was and dropped the flowers there while walking off, without a single word. With you yelling at him to listen.

"Yuta-!"

"Yuta.."

"Yuta please just let me explain myself.."

He stopped on his tracks. The rain pouring on both of you, but neither of you cared.

"I'm not mad..but you could've atleast told me. Or maybe you forgot.."

He might say so but the hurt and sour taste of his tone was enough for anyone to see right through.

"Yuta I would never forget about you."

Yuta felt a pair of arms wrapping around his drenched physique. He didn't want to pull away but he did, he refused to be deciceived. He turned around to face her.

"Then who wa-"

He was suddenly cut off by her lips. He was taken aback, their first kiss.

"That was my cousin, my uncle is in the hospital..I needed to go there urgently and I forgot to take my phone..I'm sorry Yuu."

나지막이 들리는 이 에어컨 소리

"This subtle noise from the air conditioner"

이거라도 없으면 나 정말 무너질 것 같아

"If I don’t even have this, I think I’ll break down"

함께 웃고 함께 울고

"Laughing together, crying together"

이 단순한 감정들이

"These simple emotions"

내겐 전부였나봐

"perhaps they were everything to me"

The moments he got to see that smile on your face, the simple times you would end up crying on watching tragic lovestories. Yuta never thought much of it, but only if he knew they'll be what he treasures the most. The simplest and the sweetest days together. He hoped it stayed forever.

"Why're you crying-?!" Yuta panicked

"Romeo...*sniff* Juliet- they deserved so much better-"

Oh so you were just watching a Shakespeare cliché

"You scared me for a second.." Yuta let out a breath of relief and smiled.

언제쯤일까

"When would it be"

다시 그댈 마주한���면

"When I meet you again"

눈을 보고 말할래요

"I’ll look into your eyes and tell you"

보고 싶었어요

" 'I’ve missed you' "

Now Yuta sits on the roof by himself wishing upon the shooting star that maybe he'll get another chance to tell you that he loves you. But you only exist in his thoughts now, leaving him to only imagine you sitting next to him in the cold night and watching the moon as you used to while he stared at you.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hey now, Let her cook!

[egophiliac]

I have SO many thoughts about everything and they are in no kind of order yet, so here's just some quick little bits in the meantime!

I am not normal about any of these characters!

[mushiemellows]

Another Day in the Sun

Chapter 1: Mechanical Precision

Rating: T

Summary:

Sometimes, days on the open sea tended to blend together. The Strawhats didn’t really seem to mind. No one’s noticed that they keep living the same day over and over again, but the machine keeps ticking.

((The crew gets stuck in a time loop. Franky and Robin need to play Matchmaker in order to try and break them out))

extra notes: I'm doing a bunch of writing warm ups out of a book I'm reading. I figured I'd use this new fic as a sort of practice space. I'm trying to keep things fun and casual, but there's a story here. It won't be nearly as long or detailed as my other stuff, but I'm having fun writing.

(tagged initially as Frobin and Zosan just bc that's what I'm setting up in these first chapters, but there will be a lot more.)

[shions-chin-scar]

i want a full essay on haruta, you seem like a knowing person

*cracks knuckles* My time has come.

So, Haruta. Whether you love 'im, hate 'im, love to hate 'im, he's a character that few people in the fandom feel indifferent about. But I believe that he's also slightly deeper than the giggling sword-wielding maniac he seems to be at first glance.

Also there will be MANGA SPOILERS so don't click if you're anime-only

First, let's take a look at his name.

Shigemo is written with 重 (“shige” = heavy, important) and 面 (“mo” = mask), and together those two characters can literally be read as "multi-faced". This is already a hint to his personality: Haruta is someone who acts childish and humorous, but is actually cruel and cold-hearted.

Haruta is written with 春 (“haru” = spring) and 太 (“ta” = thick/big, a common male suffix). Spring is the symbol of new life, of a fresh start. It could be a possible hint to him recently becoming a curse user, or maybe a reference to his power.

Next, his perceptive and cunning nature.

Because yes, Haruta is actually pretty damn smart and tactical despite acting like a goofball most of the time. People are way too quick to write him off as a weakling and make fun of both him and Nobara for her defeat at his hands. Here are a few examples:

^Recognizing Nobara and accurately gauging her growth despite not fighting her during their previous (and only) encounter

^Understanding what the injured Megumi was doing and not letting his own guard down

^Realizing what Megumi was about to do (unfortunately too late)

He's also surprisingly self-aware about his own limitations despite his arrogance regarding his own abilities. When Gojo broke the barrier around the school, what did Haruta do? Immediately dip. When Nanami backhanded him across the whole store, what did Haruta do? Realize he was way outmatched and try to run. He's different from the likes of Juzo (hang rack guy) or Jougo, who overestimate what they can do and underestimate their opponents. Haruta knows he's not hot stuff, and as he says it himself, he's best at picking on the weak.

And let's not forget what a tactical fighter he is.

^Sending his sword after Nitta, fooling Nobara and allowing him to both keep track of her position and take her down

^Targets his opponent's weak spots to take them down

That was actually one of my few pet peeves with the anime: it felt like they made him less tactical. They removed Nobara's line about him aiming for specific points, as well as him injuring her leg, and it made his question about the sword hitting her head seem genuine rather than sarcastic.

His potential past.

This is where I'll be entering headcanon territory, but canon backs me up quite a bit on certain elements of it.

Haruta mentions that he doesn’t even know what exactly his own cursed technique does or how it works. Therefore, the likelihood of him coming from a family of sorcerers or having received a formal jujutsu education are more or less void. Had he inherited a technique like Nobara or Megumi, or gotten schooling, he would probably know more about it.

There is a running theme among curse users (whose past we know) of being rejected, sometimes even persecuted by society for their ability to see the supernatural:

Therefore, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that Haruta likely went through something similar himself. It would explain a few things about him.

Haruta's psychological issues.

I'm going to say it straight off the bat: I won't diagnose him with anything. I'm not a psychologist, though I did study psych in college. All I'm going to do is list a few of the obvious issues he has and their potential causes. JJK is a series of grey and gray, not black and white. No one is pure good and pure evil in it (except arguably some of the Curses because, well... they're Curses), and everyone has their own unique circumstances that led to them being the way they are.

That being said, one thing that immediately jumped out to me about Haruta is his barely hidden low self-esteem and insecurities. He's actually quite self-deprecating. If he just did it around other people I'd be inclined to believe that it's part of his "uwu i'm baby" front, but he also does it when he's alone.

It's worth noting that he also seems to specialize in sneak attacks from behind - fitting for a self-admitted bully who prefers to prey on the weak.

Yet at the same time, he's pretty full of himself and seems to have a certain paradoxical sense of superiority.

That's why I half-jokingly said in the tags of a previous posts that he has an inferiority-superiority complex. I think Haruta knows that he's not strong, but that his technique is absolutely broken even if he himself isn't particularly skilled (though he seems to have gained some confidence between the school invasion and the Shibuya incident - that's part of why I think he's a fairly recent curse user).

It's worth noting that the jujutsu world is much more dangerous than the regular one and death roams around every corner, doubly so for curse users who have a Kill On Sight order on their heads, and triply so when one’s cursed technique isn’t suited for fighting. It must be easy to feel weak and helpless under those circumstances.

Now let's get to the obvious, which are also Haruta's biggest flaws: his sadism and impulsivity.

Haruta obviously takes a lot of pleasure in hurting others, but what's especially concerning is he seems unable to hold himself back when he sees an opportunity for it, or think of long-term consequences. He tried to kill an injured Hanami just because he could, without realizing that doing so would anger the other Curses, and he went after Megumi despite barely escaping his encounter with Nanami an hour or so prior, which led to his death. He actually reminds me a bit of Himiko Toga from My Hero Academia, in that both of them just want to have fun in this world. What Toga really wants deep down is love and acceptance though - unfortunately Haruta never got the character development that she did.

He also clearly lacks empathy, which in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but combined with a personality that enjoys tormenting other people and has poor planning skills, it makes for a devastating combo.

^A perfectly healthy reaction to seeing an injured ally

It's worth noting that sadism and aggressive behaviors are believed to stem from both genetic and environmental (e.g., childhood trauma) factors. It can for example be a way for the person to turn the tables on the world and vent out their past hurts and anger, by making other people suffer like they suffered. Or a way to feel powerful - again, Haruta is someone with low self-esteem who preys exclusively on the weak.

TL;DR

Haruta Shigemo is actually pretty damn cool and smart and not just some one-dimensional grunt and he deserved better.

^Me @ Gege

[minakoaiinos]

Lost my original post of this from the other day but I genuinely don't understand how Black Butler discourse ever shifted into the does Sebastian ~really~ like Ciel or is Ciel just dinner line of conversation that is pervasive as it is because Sebastian is the one that has absorbed his whole existence into Ciel's. Sebastian's face is what Ciel wants Sebastian's whole purpose is doing things for Ciel Sebastian's every hell of a butler yes my lord speech is about how he's Ciel's and Ciel is the one going around saying shit like whatever Sebastian is just my pawn 💅

[dogearedheart]

8i've been thinking about the last asks i got today. and i think it's better for me to take a step back from this account. i know the anon didn't mean anything by it, but i still feel like i am being a negative presence on here and weirding people out with who i am is nothing i want. so, i am not deleting or anything. i am just gonna be less present with sharing personal things or leaving tags. I'll probably be more active on my second account where i don't have that many followers :)

[sandinthepipes]

What I want:

1 well made movie,

70 episodes long shows with an ending

What they give me:

The marvel cinematic universe,

2 seasons of 6 episodes shows that don't get renewed

[nexus-nebulae]

what if i wrote a video essay

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Me: *talking about the older Disney Princess movies and how I'm re-watching them* Someone: Oh yeah, but man those older ones, the OG 3? They were horrible representation for wom- Me:

Me: Speak not another word, lest we get thrusted back into the good year of 2014. This is why Frozen gagged y'all, cause people had that antiquated and twisted mindset of something that doesn't exist.

[astrxealis]

really want to read more and more literature (esp classics!) aghhhh yesterday iirc i was on a walk with my mom and twin and an old guy (not a weirdo dw) who was jogging or walking too actually asked what book i was carrying and it's a little funny bcs uhm he just went "oh a classic!" you see. i was carrying dante's inferno. which i still haven't properly started to read but anyways he might... if my mom is right... be the local parish guy so oopsies !! LMAO anyways yeah really interested in lovecraft for a while now! horror scares me and gives me paranoia but i also enjoy the writing of it? and i remember once that something/someone said my writing is kinda similar to his. hm.

[bibiana112]

Who was the first blorbo you remember having? Like the first character you looked at and it made you go crazy? Mine is either Lilo and Stitch which I assume is not shocking to anyone who knows me lol

Oh I think it was Aang! Like I'm almost sure that's the first time a character started occupying brain space in the very specific blorbo way as opposed to me simply thinking they were pretty or something like with Princess Ariel or Tinkerbell or the Sun Fairy from the third Fairytopia movie whomst I built my whole aesthetic around or Stella and Bloom Winx club- okay what I'm getting at is that it's super late for me to be trying to summon old memories back and stay on topic but atla in general is what I consider my first media based special interest so it was definitely the first time I specifically latched to a character with enough depth for it to be super intense and memorable in how it affected my life at the time. I am also inadvertently getting at how I liked fairies a lot and still do I guess

[gimmick-blog-bracket]

Now for the final round!

@hellsitegenetics

I love them

I didn't know I needed to know that the weed-smoking girlfriends post was genetically a wolf, but I did, and I do. Also puts great stuff on my dash.

it’s so fun to be scrolling unhinged posts and then boom. an organism!

so many moths‼ also, unexpected comedy with some of the matches

perfect blend of silly and informative, and makes for an excellent punchline at the end of a long post. puts creatures on my dash. literally what more could you ask for

It's a really unique blog concept and a lot of times the results are pretty funny. It's great when the sequence matches the post content too!

Creatures 👍

Finds beautiful creatures out of the mess of the hellsite

Offers finality AND gives us a creechur.

I love them. English speakers talk like moths

If this blog wins, they could run the text of the winning announcement, and determine the post's genus and species!

They're also very good about tagging the type of creature depicted in the results, so as long as you mute tags of creatures you don't want to see, it's a very fun time seeing iconic legacy posts (and new submissions) being reduced down to a string of letters and assigned a random species of fish or moth or something!

uhh it’s cool

BLAST

There are so many weird bugs in the world

Yippee!!

If, as Haldane said, God has an inordinate fondness for beetles, then surely this blog proves that Tumblr has an inordinate fondness for moths.

Top tier blog as a geneticist, I love seeing obscure organisms and MOTH

Admin got rate limited after trying to blast the bee movie

the knowledge of biology to pull this off (i have taken one biology class in my life) and also the work to find all the strings honestly deserves quite a bit of praise

This gimmick blog has it all: science, pictures of animals, interaction with the text of other peoples' posts, interesting information, and a unique and fun premise. As a biologist, I'm rooting for hellsitegenetics to reach the end and take the tournament, because it is truly a standout among gimmick blogs.

If they win, perhaps this blog too shall become a cool organism :3

@hasgavlebockenburneddownyet

What's more happy holiday cheer than cheering on the destruction of a giant straw goat?

The birds may have won 2023, but I believe in humanity's capability for arson for 2024 <3

a vote for me is a vote for arson! This message was approved by hasgavlebockenburneddownyet

gavle is SUCH a public service and holiday feature

what's more tumblr than comical destruction and holidays?

sometimes you just gotta vote with your matchsticks

Bringing a cultural staple to tumblr since 2021

Arson is so much more fun

It would be really funny and ironic if it survives the tournament

you have no idea how much joy watching the chronicling of the gavlebocken brings me every year

hasgavlebockenburneddownyet provides an essential public service

always love seeing a bit of Swedish history on my dash 'Swedish bamboo season'

the goat account is peak gimmick blog

If I don't get to beat the goat then nobody does. -pointless-achievements

Never ask Tumblr to choose between lies and arson! The winner threatens by nature to rip apart the very fabric of our DNA!

goat statues made out of straw are exciting and interesting

I wanna see things burn

the goat is an essential part of tumblr culture and the goat blog is a sacred keeper of the tumblr high holidays

watching to see if the big straw goat has burned down each year is a true delight, something I never knew existed until tumblr and the blog dedicated to it

the incredibly focused nature of @/hasgavlebockenburneddownyet is what makes their gimmick superior.

Please guys bite gavlebocken

Look, I'm Danish. I was put on this earth to annoy the Swedes and vice versa, but even I voted for @/hasgavlebockenburneddownyet

gavlebocken is also such a fun name and this blog informed be about its existence, so for that I am grateful

hasgavlebockenburneddownyet is providing a vital service! Every year, people rely on their updates regarding the fate of our most beloved Yule Goat! How could they NOT deserve the win!?

sacred anti-corporate arson

a vote for gävlebocken is a vote for anarchy!

pls vote for them they're the funniest gimmick keeping track on the funniest phenomena in recent human history, like when i look at their acc i think to myself this is what tumblr was created for

the goat is the GOAT

HASGAVLEBOCKENBURNEDDOWNYET DESERVES TO WIN, I have them on post alert for a REASON

the holiday season wouldn't be the same without them

they do important reporting. Do you look at the news and be like 'the reporters aren't doing work they're just telling you whats happening.' Have some respect for the goat news

let the weird burnt sacrificial ritual of it all appeal to you

nothing makes my December more interesting, arson should win

doesn't barge in on other peoples posts which is always a good thing in my books. not a fan when obnoxious gimmick blogs turn a decent post into a garbled mess