#fucking. bananas like week or two experience

[gay-for-the-snz]

google photos reminded me it was an anniversary of screenshots, so shoutout to the wildest experience I've ever had w someone in a fandom space. A dude I hadn't talked to in literally like a year or two at that point hit me up out of the blue to be like "btw I have alters of all your OCs. I just thought you should know" and then proceeded to tell me abt how Joseph was in therapy and doing really well and got happily married, and Elliott and his daughter actually had a garbage relationship now and he wasn't gay anymore, and also his daughter was no longer a lesbian and had different pronouns (I think paw/pawself?) and also a boyfriend, and that my writing and characterization made paw dysphoric and I should cede ownership of my characters to them bc they were representing the actual person now and not just a character, and also were on servers literally using my art and writing (with pronouns find + replaced) and passing it off as their own work for their own characters and the premise for their fictives, and people who recognized my work and chars still said "wait a minute, I know who that is??" and hmu to be like "hey this is what they're doing" and then got accused of not being sensitive to mental disorders bc I was upset abt what was happening

edit bc I'd like to clarify that like I don't know that I really Get plurality but also like it's not my business and I don't care. it's the rest of the conduct and the way everything happened

[witherby]

DUDEEEEE, after reading your little Wayne (who is now a grown up) goes looking for a part time job and after quitting the last job I imagem them getting into a cafe job were both villain and heros goes and there's no fighting in there

Dude what's it like having such an amazing incredible spectacular brain

That's the coolest idea I've ever heard

The Littlest Wayne: Truce Juice

Nobody believes it at first, that your signage is genuine. They think it's a gimmick or a ploy to avoid your shop being targeted by villains if they decide to terrorize the city and start doing massive amounts of property damage again.

"Is it true?" Customers will ask, as they come by to get a smoothie or request a bagel. "You're willing to serve villains?"

And every single time, you smile, hand over their order, and say "yes!" Because you are.

Your family chooses to fight crime under the cover of darkness. They fix Gotham's problems by punching them and throwing them in Blackgate or Arkham. During the day, your father does his best to fund the places that need it the most — infrastructure, homeless shelters, food banks, education — but it's not enough.

You can help the normal citizens as much as you want, but they're still going to be terrorized by the villains that escape the prison and the asylum. They're still going to feel Othered from most of society, which is what drove them to villainy in the first place. Hurting them, pushing back at them, it fixes the short-term problems but never quite nips it in the bud.

Your hope is to treat the criminals like...well, like they're not criminals. Which is why you opened Truce Juice — a little drink cafe in the heart of the city that welcomes everybody, good, bad, and in-between. It's your good-faith experiment you had to beg your father not to intervene in, using either identity, for weeks before he finally agreed.

So, deed in hand, trained employees on staff, and insurance premiums through the fucking roof, you've got a business.

--

It takes a month of service and consistent advertising, but you finally start to see your experiment take shape. A gentleman wearing a half-black, half-white tuxedo walks into your cafe and approaches the counter with visible trepidation, hands stuffed in his pockets and sneering at everybody who makes eye contact with him.

Antiope, the girl currently working the register, clams up a bit, so you send her to the drink station instead and smile at Two-Face's henchman.

"Good morning," you greet him, "welcome to Truce Juice. How can I help you?"

The man looks at you like you've grown a second head. You smile back and gesture to the menu over your head.

"If you need a minute to look at the options, that's fine. I also have handheld menus for better visibility." You pick one up and offer it to him.

"You're actually fuckin' serious," he says, taking his hand out of his pocket. Customers loitering in the cafe flinch back as he does so, but you don't move. He takes the menu from you and glances over it. "...gimme a banana smoothie and a dozen plain bagels. Cream cheese and jelly on the side."

"Sure!" You punch his order into your screen and ring up the total. "Will that be cash or card?"

"What if I didn't wanna pay?" The man smirks. The hand still in his pocket makes a clicking sound. Several customers rush out. You don't move, but the shadow at your feet forms a disk shape and slips underneath the henchman, waiting to suck him into your pocket dimension if he starts getting belligerent.

"Then you don't get the smoothie and bagels," you reply calmly. "I'm running a business, sir. Goods and services are exchanged for money, here."

He clearly wasn't expecting you to say that. He stares at you. You stare back. He blinks incredulously. You blink expectantly back.

"So," you say again, "cash or card?"

"....cash," he mutters, digging into a separate pocket and pulling out his wallet. He hands over a fistful of bills. You ring him up and give him his change.

"Okay! Give us about five minutes. Did you want the bagels toasted?"

The henchman shakes his head. You smile and get to work, the dark disk melting back into your regular shadow. Soon, you're sliding the smoothie and box of bagels across the pick-up counter.

"Here you are. Have a good day!"

The man continues to stare at you like you're some freakish anomaly. You just give him a small nod, then turn to help the next customer brave enough to step inside with him here.

When you check the tip jar later, you see a fistful of hundreds crammed into it.

You feel your heart warm and know you're about to make huge waves in Gotham.

[charliemwrites]

Part 5 (it’s getting out of control) of Charmed Slasher Simon.

Part 4 is here. (Master list coming soon)

(Slight warning for a coworker being a bit of a pushy creep but Simon handles it)

“Riiiiileyyyy.”

Ah, that’s your naughty voice. It means he’s going to want to do awful, terrible things to you out of pure endearment for your cheek.

He turns, arches an eyebrow as you nearly skip up to him. Your hair is shorter.

“New haircut?” he asks as if his fingers aren’t twitching to bury in it and pull your head back.

“Yup! Thought about dyeing it orange, but decided it would clash with my flat.”

He snorts, gives in to the urge to curl a strand around his finger, watches it bounce back into place. You don’t seem to mind, sticking your cute little tongue out at him. (If you’re not careful, he’s going to put you on your knees and have you wrap it around his cock right there.)

“Sensible choice,” he replies, “yellow is more your color.”

You giggle, aren’t bothered by his flat, almost inflectionless tone. “You think?”

“Highlighter yellow. Or maybe banana.”

“Hey, I like bananas!”

He smirks. “Oh yeah? Big ones?”

You shove at him, face going hot. He doesn’t move an inch, not that you were trying hard. Touchy little thing. You remind him of those little birds that flutter around lions, picking and pecking right under their noses, amusing themselves with death.

“Don’t be icky, Riley.”

“Icky.”

“Gross nasty.”

“We’re name calling now?”

“It’s not name calling if it’s true.”

He clicks his tongue, ushers you into the building.

“There a reason for the new hair?” he asks, eyeing it. It’s pretty, don’t get him wrong. But he didn’t know you were getting your hair cut today.

“Fancy office party tonight,” you sigh, rolling your eyes. “My stylist just managed to get me in, but now I’ve gotta rush to get ready.”

“Now who said you could go out?”

“What are you gonna do, stop me?” you laugh, clearly thinking he’s teasing. He’s not. If you looked at his face, you’d know it. But you’re busy fussing with your keys, trying to unlock your door.

“I might.”

“Oh, you stop,” you huff, shaking your head. “It’s not even movie night!”

He’s been coming over once a week to watch a movie and drink with you. One of you picks the movie, the other picks the takeaway. He always chooses a horror movie, likes how your eyes water when you get truly scared. You refuse to watch slashers (haven’t told ‘Riley’ why) but you’ll indulge paranormal ones.

It’s not movie night - those are on Saturdays. This is Friday.

“What if I just kidnap you?” he asks. “Keep you in all weekend?”

You hum as if in thought, glancing at him over your shoulder. “Could I go back to work on Monday?”

“Have to see how I’m feeling on Sunday.”

You giggle. “A tempting offer, but you’ll have to settle for kidnapping me just for Saturday.”

“I don’t think you understand how kidnapping works.”

“I’d be a terrible hostage,” you say. He arches an eyebrow, inviting you to continue. “I have to pee when I’m nervous, I’d be talking their ear off - and! I cry like, so much.”

Oh he knows. He thinks of tears running down your pretty face when he cums.

“Some kidnappers like the crying. Theyre sadists.”

You scrunch your face. “But it’s like… gross crying. Total mess. And I make dying seal noises.”

No, you don’t, not in his experience with you at least. But he’s not going to explain that to you.

“Didn’t you have something to get ready for?” he asks because he’s violently wrestling the urge to make good on his threat.

“Fuck!” You glance at your watch, brows scrunching. “If I’m late, I’m blaming you, Riley Simmons.”

“Oh no.”

You stick your tongue out at him one last time and disappear behind your door.

—

He hears you come back at 11:30, has been waiting up. Pauses when he hears two sets of footsteps, a man’s voice talking to you. A wave of bloodlust nearly drowns his better sense.

You brought someone home from a work event? Did you lie to him and go on a date?

“Well, thanks for walking me to my door, Brandon.”

“Was happy to. Don’t want anyone snatching you up off the street now, do we?” An annoying laugh. Yours sounding a little flat and strained joining him.

“Oh, hey, mind if I come in?” Brandon asks. So casually, as if the yes is expected.

Simon’s hands ball into tight fists.

“Ah, it’s pretty late…”

“Well, that’s what Saturday is for, right?”

Oh. That little roach. Simon’s going to hang him by his own guts.

“I have plans tomorrow, actually.”

Good girl.

“That’s alright,” Brandon persists. “Just one drink. Least you can do since I went out of my way, right?”

“I mean, you didn’t have to, I would have been fine.”

There’s some genuine annoyance in your voice this time. Simon’s proud.

“Nah, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you go home after having drinks?” Brandon chuckles.

“I didn’t have that many - and anyway I’m here now, so…”

“And so am I. At least a little something for my troubles?”

And Simon hears just the slightest, faintest ruffle of clothes.

That’s enough.

Simon yanks his door open and steps out. You’re nearly pancaked to your own door, head snapping to him with relief.

“Riley!”

Brandon takes a step back, expression stormy. Simon almost laughs. Little prick is barely taller than you, has done hard work maybe twice in his life. His hands look softer than yours. And he’s wearing a sweater vest.

“Did we wake you up?” you ask.

Simon saunters down the hall towards you. The closer he gets, the more nervous Brandon gets. But you seem to relax a bit more with each step, even shift towards him.

Very good girl.

“Was already up.” He doesn’t look away from Brandon, radiating menace.

You hum in understanding - know Simon keeps late hours. Brandon clears his still-intact throat and you jolt a bit, expression wilting.

“Oh, um. Riley this is my coworker. Brandon, this is Riley, my neighbor.”

“How do you do?” Brandon replies stiffly.

Simon’s not playing along.

“You try to push her again, someone will be pushing you in a wheelchair the rest of your life. Understand?”

Brandon sputters while your eyes go adorably wide, expression caught between horror and gratitude. Like you don’t know if you should be condoning his threats.

“I beg your pardon?!”

“Not yet, but you will if I see you here again, yeah?”

Brandon’s face drains of blood. You press your lips together.

“Now get the fuck out. I’ve got her from here.”

Brandon, worm that he is, scurries away with a hasty “see you Monday”. You don’t reply, too busy blinking up at Simon with parted lips.

He chucks you gently under the chin, eyes narrowing in amusement.

“Off to bed. I’m kidnapping you tomorrow.”

You audibly swallow, then nod.

“Thank you.”

“Good manners.”

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Masterlist

[dannydoesthisthing27]

Gavin not being real is criminal, so I'm making some headcanons

Gavin loves having his demonic features on display. He doesn't do it often in public. However at home and with the crew, he'll keep his horns and tail on display. He'll deny it, but his tail betrays his emotions like a cats would

Gavins favorite thing to wear is FL's clothes. Second to that is his casual clothing. (his definition of casual is a cropped shirt with fishnets and cut leggings plus fuzzy socks)

He does love an excuse to dress up though,and will do it often as possible. Movie theater trips will have him dressing up. The time he and Damien met up early, he was in black leather platforms, a short blue/purple/black space themed skirt, black fishnet leggings, a purple tank top, and a dark blue off the shoulder sweater (rose tinted sunglasses optional)

Gavin loves flowers and plants. He enjoys Huxley and Damiens house almost as much as he loves his and FLs apartment because of all the plants they keep

Out of all of their friends, Gavin feels closest to Damien. A big part of that is Damiens empathy and ability to understand what Gavin is really saying. FL is great at it, but Damien has a sense of objectivity when it comes to how he and Gavin speak to each other. Gavin also just likes fucking with Damien because he had the best reactions and he knows undoubtedly where the line of joking versus serious conversation lays

Gavin and Huxley work out together. I've talked about this before, but the two of them click like puzzle pieces when it comes to working together. Gavin is the best spotter Huxley has ever had, and actually feels comfortable pushing himself to his limit when lifting because he has Gavin to help him out. Gavin himself just likes spending time with Hux. However, on occasion when he'd at the gym, he likes to do bodyweight and freeweight workouts

Gavin and Lasko go shopping together once a week. Gavin pushes the cart so Lasko can flit around the store at his own pace. Usually Gavin will have to reign Lasko in and remind him that it is just a weekly grocery shop, and there's no reason to buy 7 bunches of bananas because there's no way they'd all get eaten (based on a real life interaction I've had. The bananas were on sale)

Lasko also likes it when Gavin comes around D.A.M.N just to hang around his office

Gavin likes things that are warm. Whether it's drinks, meals, clothes, blankets, or homes. He doesn't care. He just likes to be warm because when he first coalesced (im pretty sure that's what it's called when demons come into existence), it was cold. He was whatever the astral planes equivalent of freezing is. Not just because it was cold temperature wise but because his steward felt nothing towards him. He was just another incubus who needed to learn how to wring energy out of humans like water out of a towel. While Gavin claims to not remember most of the people he's slept with, he does remember the first human he was with. They were fresh off of the high of graduating from D.A.M.N, and Gavins steward chose them specifically because they looked like they'd give Gavin a reality check of how humans are. (Early Gavin was kind of naive and wanted to know about how humans were not just how they could feed him. That in and of itself was taboo. When Gavin refused to change his appearance to the humans preference, his steward abandoned him almost immediately, leaving a confused human and a frightened starving incubus behind. The human understood that Gavin was incredibly inexperienced so far and would only have basic instinct to go off of, so they offered an opportunity to take it slow. That was the first time Gavin felt warm. Wrapped in the arms of a person who let him experiment and try things in a way that could actually help him learn. Instead of just throwing him in the deep end and expecting him to float. He kept that person as a charge for several years before they had to move away with their pack.

He spent a long time after that trying to find warmth again, but eventually realized the lesson his steward expected him to learn all those years ago. Humans hurt. He'd all but given up on warmth when all of a sudden approaching him in a 7/11 asking for directions, they were back. Nearly the exact same down to the way their core felt. At first he refused to acknowledge anything about them as significant. He couldn't afford for it to happen again, but slowly, he started feeling warm again. He started lingering in bed a little longer. He showed up a little earlier. He listened a little more attentively. He realized that somehow, some way, the warmth had come back without any effort at all. He realized he was happy, and for once, he wasn't scared to let himself feel it

[mt-oe]

its finals season (again..) and huge projects for classes right now. can we get a stressed reader x modern mizu where reader is like actually tweaking out? like I mean pulling our energy shots, shivering hands, 'gotta lock in', hysterically crying on snapchat video and sending it to their groupchat for moral support type of tweaking out and the reader is going BANANAS over all the final papers, and studying for finals and mizu helps comfort reader?? i hope this would be a silly little write but also helpful to anyone going through finals season right now. much love! xoxo <3

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dears!

To start this, I am absolutely sorry for being gone for so long. I had my thesis defense, practicals, laboratory works, deadlines, and my finals all in the span of two weeks AND I fainted twice, got sick twice, and nose bled a LOT.

I was chugging 3 cans of energy drinks a day, eating one meal per day, sleeping minutes less than how long I showered, and smoked quite a lot. Someone even caught me sleeping on the fire exit stairs (istg so embarrassing ;;). Honestly makes me wonder how I'm not six feet under by now.

To those who are going through their finals, please don't follow my lead. Vomiting at 3am from how dizzy you are while some Sepultura song plays in the background is NOT the experience you'd think it was. Try to plan when you'll tackle your work and get some sleep as much as you can, on your free time, on your commute. I swear, answering tests are SOO much easier when your vision isn't spinning or tunneling.

Chose to do this request first to remind you all to take care amidst your finals (or as a reward if your finals are finished, good job dear!).

Hope you enjoy! Mwa mwa <3

warning: not proofread, my corny jokes, she/her for mizu, implied afab reader

Blue orbs watched as you cracked open another can of Red Bull. A small grunt leaving your throat as the fizzy caffeinated drink went down your esophagus. Was this your second? third..no wait..fourth?

Damn.

How are your blood vessels surviving this onslaught of caffeine you've been shoving down your system? She had no clue. But what she did know was that you've had enough. This wasn't healthy at all. Your lips were already as pale as the palms of your hands which were trembling to the point where you couldn't stop writing because that meant you'd feel the quivering of your hands even more.

The two of you had decided to slave off at Mizu's apartment for your finals. It was mostly Mizu dragging you there since your friends have been bombarding her to take care of you since she had the closest to what was considered a free schedule. T'was something about you freaking out and crying over the finals. She didn't have a Snapchat account so she didn't know.

Usually, she wasn't even interested in these stuff, but when Akemi showed her a picture of you with a thumbs up, holding a can of Monster, dark circles under your bloodshot eyes, tear streaks on your face, with the caption 'Boutta pull another Kay Chung tonight', concerned didn't even begin to describe what she felt.

Boutta pull a Kay Chung?

What or who was this Kay Chung anyway?

She knew you were a hard worker, probably one of the most studious people she knew, so she already expected you to be busy studying. What she didn't expect was the mess you were in.

The moment she stepped into your unit, cans of energy drinks, bottles of energy shots, cups of coffee, and random paper strewn randomly littered your apartment. The only source of light was your window and a small dim lamp you had.

Was that cup noodle container growing mold?

Ew.

It was like the Capital Wasteland in here, and she was the lonesome wanderer, awaiting the dangers to come.

And you were a radiated ghoul hunched over your desk with the emptiest gaze she has ever seen. Your head in your hands, as you scrunched your eyebrows together, trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong with your equation.

Now she understood the bombardment of messages from Akemi and the others, and damn was she grateful for the heads up because you looked like you were at death's door and death... Death just thought you looked too pitiful to let in.

The two of you were now sitting on Mizu's carpet, books, papers, and gadgets on the smooth wood of the coffee table. In her mind, she thought a bit of companionship would comfort you like it usually did. But she was wrong.

The shaking grip you had on your pen and the occasional 'what the actual fuck?' or 'the hell?' already told her that you were too locked in to relax even just a bit. You looked like you were losing it.

Her eyes peered over your review sheet before she raised an eyebrow at how scattered your handwriting looked, numbers and symbols italicized to the left and to the right as if they were dancing and your solutions scattered. Add this value here..derive the formula there..problem 3's solution is somehow on the back of the paper even though problem 5 was solved on problem 1's spot. It looked like a shit show.

"What...problem is this for? You did it wrong." Her tongue clicking as a slender finger encircled a formula you derived wrong, making you look at her with a mildly bothered look. Your eyes tiredly scanned your review sheet, looking away to the side to blink the heaviness of your lids away, then looking back at it before letting out a strangled sounding groan, shoulders slumping back onto the sofa as you covered your eyes with your hands before looking at your own solutions again. "I don't fucking know..maybe it's for..umm..for..fuuuuuck," you sighed defeatedly, realizing that you couldn't understand your own handwriting either.

You wanted to strangle yourself so bad right now or like, strangle your professor until they give you a passing grade. Maybe the threat of arson would scare the university admins into passing everyone for the semester???? The prospect of being a sugar baby is starting to sound better than trying to finish this degree.

It wasn't like you were an absolute idiot. You could solve these problems no problemo. However, your vision was already lagging and tunneling. Whenever you tried to read the problem or your own handwriting, it was like your vision was hyper-focusing on one spot and the areas around it were...spinning or it'd focus on everything else EXCEPT the ones you wanted to focus on.

The amount of caffeine you had consumed wasn't even helping anymore. Instead of waking you up, you just felt jittery like a hyper-charged toy. Before you were sleepy and slow, now you were still sleepy but faster.

And when was the last time you even ate anyway? Was that moldy cup noodle your last meal? You didn't even know anymore at this point. You could barely feel anything aside from the fear of your impeding academic doom. Not even hunger was strong enough to stop you.

Mizu's eyebrows furrowed at how miserable you looked before sighing and pulling a sheet of paper out of her own notebook. "Here," she sighed out, sitting beside you and scanning each problem you had printed out before re-writing each question you looked like you struggled with. Her eyes occasionally glanced at you, unseen worry rising with every hitch of your breath and every twitch of your eyebrow as you looked at the questions she rewrote.

"Mizu..I don't want to do those all again," you groaned frustratedly, ruffling your hair own hair aggressively, strands falling to the carpet below. A hand held yours firmly, preventing you from tangling the ends of locks even more. "I'm going to teach you, dumbass. We can't have you failing and dying at the same time," she huffed, grabbing your calculator and placing it in front of both of you. She leaned closer to you, hand on your waist to pull you closer before taking the pencil and pointing to the first problem she rewrote.

"I'm not going to repeat my explanations, so listen well,"

...was what she said.

However, Mizu was a big softie when it came to you. Every time she caught you spacing out or having a hard time in general, she took her time and explained it to you again, even explaining it slower, simpler, or more detailed as needed. She really made sure that you understood the principle of the problems and the process of solving them, handing the pencil and calculator to you to make sure you actually understood her.

After a while, you were slowly starting to understand you earlier mistakes, and with her help, you were able to finally solve the review sheet. Thank god for hot smart women.

A look of amusement crossed her face as she watched you slump back onto the sofa with a loud sigh of relief. Shaking her head with a small lop-sided smile, she took the pen again before grabbing your laptop and searching for similar problems. "Here," she said, turning the device towards you. "Solve these. I'll be back in a bit."

You looked at her in confusion before letting out a tired groan. The exhaustion was starting to let itself be known through the heaviness in your lids. Another problem set was the last thing you wanted to do right now.

Oh wait.

Fuck, you still had to edit your methodologies and results, and you haven't even started on the discussion yet. Oh god...

'Better get started, I guess,' you thought with a defeated sigh. Muttering a string of curses under your breath, you picked up your pencil and calculator and began solving yet another set of hellish questions while the dark-haired woman stood up and walked off somewhere in her apartment. Silence filled the room aside from the aggressive scritching and scratching of lead against paper and the sound of clacking from your calculator.

Every now and then, Mizu would come back with something to comfort you. May it be a cup of water, a bigger pillow, a hair tie, or to charge your phone for you. She didn't really speak though, fully wanting you to focus on your work.

It was like her quiet little way of telling you that she was here and that she cared for you.

Amidst your problem solving, the smell of something being fried hit your nose, making you look up. It was a bit oily, but at the same time, homely and savory. Your stomach growled slightly at the smell, reminding you of that uncomfortable feeling of hunger that you were somehow able to ignore during your study sessions.

Just as you had finished writing your answers, Mizu came out of the kitchen with a bowl of rice and a plate of what seemed to be fried fish. Kinda burnt but maybe that's a charm point...or something. At least she tried.

She set it down on a clear space on the coffee table and gently urged it towards you. "Here," she mumbled, looking at you expectantly. You stared at the food she prepared, snorting a bit at the charred skin, some bits missing which obviously stuck to the pan while she was frying it. "Err..Mizu...?"

"Don't mind how it looks just..just eat, okay?" she groaned, sounding a bit embarrassed, a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. Her eyes looking away as her hand went up to cover half her face. You couldn't help but laugh a bit. Mizu? Embarrassed? God that woke you up, didn't it?

The sound of your laughter made her feel even more embarrassed but at the same time relieved. Your laugh was so fucking cute. She was glad that you were starting to sound a bit more like your usual self. Hell, you were smiling now. A big improvement compared to the face of misery you were making earlier.

Eventually, your laughter subsided upon the realization sinking into you. She really did all this just to take of you. Dragging you to her apartment, tutoring you, fetching things for you, cooking for you...

She really does care. Doesn't she?

Your hands picked up the chopsticks before breaking into the soft flesh of the food in front of you, picking off the bones before taking a bite. It was salty, the char even made it a bit bitter, and for god-knows-why, even a bit spicy?? But it tasted so good to you. Heavenly, dare I say.

As you continued to eat, bite after bite and scoop after scoop, the shakiness in your hands slowly calmed down. You couldn't help but look up at your friend who was now checking your answers, the ghost of satisfaction making itself known through the barely visible smile she had. "Mizu..."

She looked over at you, raising an eyebrow to indicate that she was listening. "Thank you for uh..taking care of me," you said shyly, giving her a small smile. A low chuckle escaped her throat as she shook her head slowly as if in amusement. "At least you're not shaking like a leaf anymore," she joked, followed by you letting out a small 'hmph!', making her chuckle yet again.

Though she wouldn't tell it to you right now, she'd be more than happy to take care of you anytime you wanted or needed it.

The sound of your pen tapping on the paper filled the room again as her eyes narrowed at your answers, checking it carefully. After a while, she handed the paper back to you, looking very much satisfied. "Looks good," she said, eyes watching the proud smile on your face. "How 'bout a reward?...Some rest I suppose?"

Your smile faltered at the sound of rest. "I can't...my manuscript is due in a couple of days and I haven't even finished editing my methodologies and results," you explained, opening the files for each of your chapters. "The data isn't even tabulated in the required format. It looks like shit."

She stood up from her spot and sat next to you, placing a hand on your head to pat it gently as she looked at the screen. Her eyes narrowed again while you scrolled up the file for her before she sighed. "Yeah, it does look like shit," she agreed before suddenly grabbing your laptop and setting in front of her. "Go and take a nap or something. I'll do whatever I can to...whatever this is."

"But Mizu, this isn't even your field. I can't—" She cut you off with a finger to your lips before gesturing towards the sofa behind the both of you. "Nap," she ordered firmly. You sighed before standing up and laying down on the sofa. You knew there was no use arguing. When Mizu makes up her mind, she's deadset on it.

Her eyes scanned your figure for a moment, taking in every curve of your body and the way your face relaxed. Then, she took off her jacket and draped it over you, before giving you a small loving pat. Before you could even open your mouth to protest, she immediately shushed you and turned to your manuscript, scanning over it.

Your eyes observed the way her eyebrows furrowed and the way her eyes darted from word-to-word. The sound of her typing and clicking filling the room, oddly relaxing you.

It didn't take long for you to drift off to sleep. And for the first time since hell week started, you finally relaxed.

No frustration, no stress, just...sleep.

You did nap for hours longer than expected though.

Don't worry.

Your methodologies were now updated, results properly formatted, and ideas in bullet points for your discussion were laid out in a new file. Even your references were fixed.

Damn, you really wanted to smooch Mizu reaaal hard after this.

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

OC Tag Game

was tagged by @star-art-diaries, @rainwingmarvel7, & @mermaidslabyrinth! l;aksdjfadf thanks for the tag guys

Gonna do this with Ella

1.- What is something that your OC would never purchase for themselves, but would be (secretly?) delighted to receive as a gift?

Jewelry. Which, like, really weird thing to say considering she's nobility, but it is what it is I guess. She likes jewelry (mostly rings or earrings), but she's just never really gonna think to buy any for herself, she's got other priorities. Loves getting it though, it means the other person knows her well enough to be able to take a stab at something she'd wear. Also it's more sentimental if it was a gift, & she's incredibly sappy about those sorts of things.

2.- Is your OC ticklish? Has anyone ever dared to find out?

Not really. I feel like her kids have probably tried to find this out & then been disappointed when not a whole lot came of it

3.- How easy does your OC find it to apologize?

It's not hard per se, she just has to calm down first...which is definitely easier said then done. Once she's simmered down though, she can apologize pretty easily.

4.- When did your OC first see a dead body? If they have not seen one yet, how might they react to doing so?

Technially the first time Ella saw a dead body was when she was at Grandpa Baelon's funeral, but she was 2 so she doesn't really remember it. The first dead body she remembers was when Grandpa Yorbert died when she was 6. (And yes, there was Jaehaerys between them, but after she gets older she doesn't really remember it well & I don't think would count him)

She didn't take it incredibly well because sure, Grandpa Baelon (not remembered) & Great Grandpa Jae (kind of remembered), but she wasn't really close to either of them. She was a toddler when Baelon died & Jaehaerys just kinda thought his twin grandkids were a novelty to show the dragons to (because what was the point of twins if Daemon bargained away the crown's say in their marriage for the ability to fuck off forever?), she was close with Yorbert though. So not only was this the grandpa who told her stories & sneaked her snacks from the kitchens & gave her hugs & loved her, this was also Baby's First Sentient Experience With Mortality. Babygirl was heartbroken & crying for a week.

5.- Does your OC have any recurring dreams? Have they ever told anyone else about them?

Ella has pretty stock-and-standard dreams that she simply does not remember. Her older daughter on the other hand...

6.- Is your OC stingy with their money (or other resources)? Or are they something of a spendthrift?

Ella got the usual Young Noblewoman Training on being able to run a holding's accounts, so she knows how to responsibly handle money & is pretty good at it if you ask her to do that sort of thing. However, she does not think about it the vast majority of the time simply because she does not have to. She's not only noble, but from one of the richest families in The Vale, her brother & his wife handle Runestone's budget, & she's married to a second son. She has the luxury of having a "how much could one banana cost? Ten dollars?" mindset. She's not blowing her whole stipend at once, but she's also not actively thinking about money.

7.- Does your OC have a sweet tooth? Or do they prefer to avoid sweets and sugary treats?

Ella absolutely adores sweets, & the fact she still has teeth in her head is because this is a fantasy setting where I don't have to think about the effects of sugar on her teeth.

8.- Is your OC easily provoked by insults or mockery?

Yes.

9.- Where is somewhere your OC has visited that they never want to visit again?

Prince Reggio's manse in Pentos. She'll go to Pentos again, but she is not going to that guy's house again. Her dad is there.

10.- Is your OC ever somewhat flirtatious?

"Somewhat." This girl was openly flirting with & making eyes at Harwin Strong for a good two days before immediately moving on to man-handling the guy she just got betrothed to & meeting him in the middle with his blatant innuendos. She was hooking up with her man before their wedding & 6 years later they are still making thinly veiled sex references at each other in public. She is the slut she accuses her cousin of being (not that Nyra isn't, pseudo-medieval-setting societal norms considered, but Ella's got that Targ in her so she is a hypocrite with negative self-awareness--also Ella's being slutty with her husband so it's totally different!)

IDK who to tag, because I think most everyone I would think to tag has been already, so if you haven't & want to just piggyback off of mine, lol

[ghostofasecretary]

okay! i'm having, like, a bad time. so i want to celebrate some of the things i've done lately.

i finished my first real knitting project and it's very cute!

i've made myself lots of very tasty food.

i've worked hard on Meds Quest and i think i'm getting somewhere. (also i picked up some of my meds and paid a medical bill.)

i applied to my last grad school and thus all the graduate schools that were on my list of things to apply to.

i cleaned my room pretty thoroughly, and rethought some of my organization tactics so it looks nicer (and will hopefully stay nicer for longer), and i hung up some art.

i repaired the hem of a dress and the straps of my apron.

i taught my roommate how to make Pumpkin's Grief Cookies. (which seemed to need less flour than they did last time? fascinating. maybe it was the different yogurt and/or fancier butter.)

i bought and set up a dish drying rack so my kitchen is no longer a hive of misery and instead, like, looks nice. and also the dishes get dry now.

i bought (and used!) no-rinse soap which has enabled me to do way more handwashing and keep my wardrobe in better repair.

i got a refund on the item that never arrived.

i spent under $25 in groceries for the week and still have at least one more meal i can make with my produce, plus a shitload of baking to do with my bananas. and like. five big oranges left. and this is with probably three days of leftover food in the fridge. (might freeze some of it.)

i taught my classes (even when they were very difficult) and met my new students.

i finally got a key fob to my apartment building.

and i've, like, slept and eaten at least vaguely three meals and showered and kept my body in decent repair. and started a new knitting project. and i called two friends i've missed.

that's a pretty productive week! no wonder you're tired!

so why, if i've done so many nice things for myself, do i still feel like steamed shit?

speculation:

i haven't done either of the two projects that (aside from my job) really interface with other people, and one of them is LOOMING

yesterday i got LOCKED OUT OF MY BUILDING due to my FUCKING MANAGEMENT which STILL HASN'T FIXED MY BATTERY OR REPLIED TO MY EMAILS RE: THE BEEPING OF THE LAST FOUR WEEKS and that was, like. y'know. emotionally exhausting

i also physically exhausted myself for standing for, like, three hours straight doing a fuckload of dishes and cooking

my job is hard and kind of emotionally draining and i got, like, multiple Validating Looks from other adults about it yesterday, it was that bad

i still don't have my focus meds. med warning is different than med watch, etc

my grandpa died. December was vaguely hellish. it takes time to recover.

i feel like i'm just. in a puddle on the floor despairing. sometimes even while i am doing work and crossing things off my lists! i'm not hopeful about my near-term future. i'm scared. i feel bad about myself and my work and how slowly my brain is working these days, how often i mix stuff up.

but: give yourself some time. do try to work on those two projects today, but also, seriously, for real for real: give yourself some time. cut yourself a break. doing work to make your own life (and the lives of your housemates!) better is not a waste of time. it's arguably the point of being alive.

life is hard, and life as a disabled person is extra hard. i'm doing my damnedest to be graceful and gracious about it. i'm getting so much good experience at my job, even though it is very difficult too, and i love living on my own. these things are hard and lovely. so. it's okay to feel bad! it makes sense that you are tired! but i'm proud of myself for the effort i'm putting in and the work i'm doing, and i know i can keep doing the work. and even when i fail i will keep going.

[queenjunothegreat]

Told you guys I was gonna start posting the random stuff I won't finish and I wasn't lying ( ꒪꒳​꒪ )

Finally, Leo gave in. “What's up with you, Beauty Queen?”

She blinked at him, like she was startled that he addressed her. “Oh! I just thought you told me you were going to dump Jason. I'm a little surprised to see you haven't.”

Leo chuckled nervously. Jason ignored them and just shoved his face deeper in his book like the slimy little coward of a traitor that he was. “Uh, I dunno what you're talking about.”

“Hmm… I suppose it could have been a dream, then,” Piper mused, then she gave Jason a sympathetic look. “You'd better watch out, Jason. I had dreams about Leo dumping all of his previous relationships only days before it happened.”

Without glancing up from his book, Jason said, “Piper, please. We both know Leo doesn't have enough game to bag anyone but me.”

Piper wheezed in laughter and Leo turned on Jason with a furiously betrayed expression and vermilion cheeks. “Dude! What the fuck!”

Jason closed his book and blinked owlishly at him. “I thought you wanted me to try being funnier.”

“That doesn't mean you should clown on me!”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Jason said earnestly. “I'm just not all that practiced, so I figured I should start with an easy target.”

“Stop, stop, he’s already dead!” Piper howled.

Leo sneered at her. “Yeah, yeah. Just remember that I had enough game to steal your boyfriend.”

“Bestie, you stole a closeted lesbian’s man,” Piper reminded him. “Our whole relationship he was basically wearing a sign around his neck that said ‘Free to a good home.’” She gave Jason an apologetic wince. “No offense.”

“Not sure how I'm supposed to not be at least a little offended by that, but I'll give it my best shot.”

“We are ignoring the real issue here!” Leo interrupted. “Piper! Since when did you know!?”

“Since forever, dummy,” Piper scoffed. “I can't believe you two really thought you could keep this a secret from me. I'm an Aphrodite kid. I can literally smell it on you two like cheap perfume. And, Leo, really? Like really, really? You thought you could hide this from me? You couldn’t even keep your favorite yogurt flavor a secret from me.”

“It's peach, right?” Jason asked, looking at Leo.

Leo laid a sympathetic hand on his knee. “Sorry, bud, but it's actually strawberry banana.”

“He's lying; it's blueberry.”

Jason looked stricken and stared down at his hands. “I don't know what to believe anymore.”

“And you!” Piper pointed her finger at Jason, and he suddenly found the ceiling very interesting. “Next time you need advice for how to hide hickies, maybe don't ask the Aphrodite cabin when you're trying to hide your relationship from an Aphrodite kid!”

Leo frowned at him in disappointment. “You went to the Aphrodite cabin? Really?”

“Who was I supposed to ask?” Jason demanded defensively. “I don't have a cabin full of siblings to help me out. The closest I have are Nico and Percy! Nico's boyfriend can basically kiss bruises away, and Percy literally laughed me out of the Poseidon cabin. I tried to IM Thalia, but she just looked like she was going to be sick when I asked and hung up on me. I tried to call her back, but Iris told me she'd paid thirty drachmas to block me for the rest of the week.”

“Still though! You could have asked anyone else!”

“Maybe I wouldn't have had to ask for help if you actually kept it below the collar like you were supposed to.”

“Oh, so it's my fault now? Big talk coming from the guy who used my shoulders as a chew toy.”

“Oh, dog jokes. Real original, Valdez.”

“It's not a dog joke, it's just an accurate metaphor because you're literally an animal.”

“Honestly, I'm surprised that you didn't already know how to handle them, Jason,” Piper chimed in. “I figured you would have plenty of experience.”

Jason stared at her like she'd grown a second and possibly third head. “Why would you think that? I arguably have less game than Leo. I'm just tall.”

“I think you have game, babe,” Leo said, patting him on the knee. Then his face screwed up. “Wait a minute. No I don't! Fuck you!”

“Anyway. In case you forgot, my one and only girlfriend turned out to be a lesbian who only dated me because my crazy stepmom brainwashed us,” Jason insisted. “The fact that I haven't fumbled Leo is a miracle beyond words.”

“You're trying real hard to fumble right now,” Leo scowled. “Don't even know why I'm dating you, to be honest.”

”Because I'm mildly obsessed with you and you like the ego boost. And I also hold heavy stuff for you.”

“Plus you actually like his mother henning,” Piper added. She shuddered. “God, when we were dating it was like having a second dad. He just hovers all the time. I can't tell you how many times he asked me if I ate dinner while we were on the quest. Like, we were on the ship together. You know if I ate dinner, my guy.”

Jason pouted and crossed his arms. “Fine. See if I offer you any granola bars any time soon.”

“I think it's kinda sweet,” Leo said with a somewhat sheepish grin.

“That's because you—” Piper leaned over and poked him between the eyes, “are incapable of taking care of yourself, so you need someone to do it for you. Where everyone else sees smothering, you see the only feasible way for you to actually eat more than twice a week and get a full night's sleep.”

“Speaking of, it should be dinner soon,” Jason said, checking his watch.

“Babe, this is not how you beat the suburban dad allegations,” Leo clucked. “What kind of teenager wears a wristwatch?”

“Percy literally wears one everyday?”

“His turns into a magic shield that his brother made for him. Plus, he can't read it and even if he could, the time is always wrong.”

“What am I supposed to do then? What do you two do?”

“We just never know the time,” Piper said, rolling her eyes. “Like cool kids. Cool kids never know the time.”

Jason gave them both a very tired look. “I'm asking Percy to drown me and I'm telling Nico to make sure you two never see me in Elysium.”

“Pft, as if,” Leo scoffed. “We're your favorite people. Ever.”

Jason didn't say anything, he just pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow. “Awww!” Piper cooed, pinching his cheek. “We are! Look at that face!”

Jason puffed up his slightly pink cheeks and batted her hand away, getting to his feet. “I'm sitting with the Athena kids at dinner.”

“Yeah? Well, I'm sitting with the Demeter kids!” Leo announced.

“The Demeter kids won't let you anywhere near them after you accidentally set their roof on fire last week,” Piper reminded him.

“Just kidding; I'm sitting with the Hermes kids!”

“Okay, then I'm sitting with the Hephaestus cabin. I'm gonna get Nyssa to tell me any other secrets you're trying to keep from me.”

“Hey, that's not fair!”

“You two aren't allowed to just sit with other cabins,” Jason sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “You have siblings, remember?”

“Boo!” they said in unison.

Jason laughed. “Seriously, come on, you two. We do actually need to eat.”

“Coming, dad,” Leo crooned.

Piper arched her brows. “Kinky.” Leo gagged at her.

Jason ignored them both and left for the Pavilion, Piper and Leo bouncing along in his wake.

[iantimony]

a very uncertain tuesday

listening

TWO new Jim Gordon Must Die episodes in the past few weeks !!!!! I am eating well.

gym music was Painted Paradise (Fleshbore) and their other album Embers Gathering which I don't think is on bandcamp. not my standard fare and I definitely can't pick out a song to be my favorite but it's good yelly gym music.

Redd & The Paper Flowers will be playing live near me at a nebulous date but I unforch won't be able to go. they're good! all singles so far, no full albums. reminds me of laufey so I found myself going to listen to her instead. favorite tracks: ljams, dipsomania. (dipsomania reminds me of the beatle's song "my guitar gently weeps", something about the chord progression maybe?)

reading

The Playlist Power Broker Who Makes or Breaks New Artists (Anne Steele): on one hand, I'm surprised her job hasn't been algorithm-ified yet. on the other, I feel like this kind of recommendation system works best when it's a close friend going "yo, check out this album, it's great". especially with the drama from last year with spotify's genre categories or lack thereof because they fired that one guy this feels a little like trying to come back from that? also lol didn't I just see a post about how spotify did something at the Trump inaugeration ...

Her dad, the 10,000 records he left behind and a viral lesson in grief (Janay Kingsberry): lots of articles about dead dads across my radar lately. this is a really sweet story.

watching

I'm watching Serial Experiments Lain again with my beloved boyfriend! my charlie day pepe sylvia moment was trying to explain the parallels to gnosticism I was seeing in the show to two different friends who had seen Lain and having them both go "??!" so I'm very excited to have that conversation with someone who DOES kind of know what gnosticism is already so I can be told whether or not I'm insane for seeing it

got my friends into Comrade Detective. gotta finish rewatching that with the boyf as well, and he suggested Death of Stalin after we watched the first ep together.

I've Been Keeping a Secret From You (Florian Gadsby): he is sooo meticulous.

Creating a Classical Tanto (Crossed Heart Forge): this dude is fucking insane. months of work to just lacquer the handle...

Making the Banana Knife (Bobby Duke Arts): I forgot about this guy! good to see that he's still making things though I do still find him slightly annoying! his setup also seems to have been significantly upgraded since I last watched so good for him

playing

more hades game, more dnd, doing session 0 for a blades in the dark game this weekend!

making

working on the fingerless gloves still! I have about a week to finish less than a dozen rows so I'm feeling good about that. early birthday present for my mom, gotta get a card for my grandma as well...

eating

Creamy Miso + Coconut Butter Beans from beloved mutal girlfriendsofthegalaxy - REALLY fucking good. maybe the coconut is a little too rich for me but it's sooo tasty. I added more liquid to make it more soupy but I do still have about half a can of coconut that I gotta figure out what to do with asap.

boyfriend made keema matar that I am just finishing tonight. really yummy over rice. this plus the bean soup thing has had me in Slop Food mode (appreciative) lol

moving

only one gym visit this past week! 11am-noon: leg extension (60lb, 3x8 then 2x5 slowly), inner thigh (70 lb, 3x8 then 2x5 slowly), outer thigh (70lb, 3x8 and 80lb, 2x5 slowly), hip thrust machine (no weight, 2x5 and 10lb, 2x6), leg press (80lb, 3x8), and inclined bicep curls (15lb 5 4 2, 10lb 3x8) for fun on this leg day

I still really want to integrate more yoga and stretching...goal for next week.

misc

[looks at the state of scientific grants and funding in the USA right now] Uh Oh Sisters! tune in next week to see if I still have a job!

[lixenn]

For the OC Questions: Favorites and Least-Favorites, I'm sending this one for Marina! 🤩🤩🤩

1. Meals/Dish 2. Fruit/Dessert/Artificial Flavor 4. Scents (perfume, soap fragrance, naturally-occurring, food or event-related, etc.) 13. Exes, if any 27. Friend/Partner Activity

Heya Ein! Welcome to the inbox 🫂thank you for sending something in and be prepared for a gigantic Rina infodump because damn I've got things to say lmao.

Meals/Dish Fav: Falafel Marina is a sucker for falafel. A friend of hers once dragged her to this hole in the wall falafel place and she has been hooked ever since. She likes eating them with salad but any other variation works too. When he's truly desperate Chief picks up some take away from that specific falafel place to bribe his sister with her favourite food lmaooo. Least fav: any kind of meat Marina is a vegeterian, because she hates the texture and taste of meat. Absolutely abhors it. Just ugh, hard no. She can eat some fish (ones that have a subtle flavour) but shrimp and octopus are also out because of texture. Rina is very much a picky eater lmao. (Also, please imagine this: Dan sitting across his sister in a restaurant for family dinner. He orders a gigantic piece of steak, big enough that it would really hurt if you slap someone with it. He stabs it with his fork, he cuts off a piece and it's still bleeding. Then, he looks his sister dead in the eye and eats it, really underlining his enjoyment because Rina forced him to go to a huge social event two months ago and he's still salty about it. Meanwhile Rina is lowkey squeasy but won't give him the satisfaction of showing it, so she forcing a smile on her face that twitches each time Dan takes a bite.)

Fruit/Dessert/Artificial Flavor Fav: Pastéis de Nata aka tiny custard pastry. They are delicious and creamy and Marina loves them so much even when they are a bit messy to eat (cause they are made with a flaky pastry dough). Here a visual in case you aren't familiar:

Least fav: bananas She doesn't mind the taste exactly but the texture is blurgh. Too mushy. No bite. No thanks. (You might notice a theme here with Marina and food lmao. Though I will say if she's in a social setting where not eating a dish would be considered rude, she would still eat it even though she hates the food).

Scents (perfume, soap fragrance, naturally-occurring, food or event-related, etc.) Fav: Orange-cinnamon combo You know the kind of scent you get from Christmas? It's hard for me to describe because I don't know if you guys have the same drinks like we do but we have this punch (non-alcoholic) that has an orange base that's spiced with cinnamon, clove and i think cardamon. It smells really fucking good. Marina loves it (I don't know if Italians do this kind of punch btw it's just the easiest way for me to describe the scent lmao). Least fav: grilled/smoked meat I'm pointing to the explanation above except instead of taste and texture it's also the smell of meat that's a no go. She gets nauseous from it. She also doesn't like the smell of blood, though she will once again endure it if necessary.

Exes, if any Okay I can't answer this one with the fav and least fav layout because Marina's love life can't really be categorized this way. Yes, she has dated before her marriage but like anything else in life Marina approached dating like a scientist would approach a tricky set of primarily experiments. Carefully and clinical in the hope that it would prepare for future and more important endeavors. She got her first boyfriend with 14 simply because every popular girl had one, so she needed one too. That relationship lasted three weeks (an appropriate amount of time according to her research) before she dumped him gently. Afterwards the world of dating opened up to her and Marina planned. She strategically picked her partners based on several criteria like looks, popularity, wealth, social standing, personality etc. and dated on and off during her entire school life. She never commited to a boyfriend for too long but also didn't switch partners too often because that's how you get "SLUT" stamped on your social profile and that ain't gonna fly. Somehow, she mananged to hit the exact sweet spot of available and taken that made men desire her and women look up to her. Marina dated a lot but she wasn't easy, y'know? Btw the first time she had sex she was 16 and she vetted that partner thouroghly. He needed to be attractive, run in her social circles, have some experience but not too much and above all he needed to be nice. The last criteria was the trickiest to fulfil because high school is full of douchebags. But she needed someone nice since she was planning to gather all the experience before she married and to avoid the "SLUT" label she decided to have only one partner for learning how-to-do-the-sex-thing instead of multiple. So. Off she went to search for the nice boy next door who would be loyal and open minded and not too much of a bore (since she planned for the relationship to last longer). It took her a while but she found someone suitable in the end. That relationship lasted half a year which was her longest relationship before she married. (fun fact: somehow all of Marina's relationships ended on good terms, she actually still keeps in contact with some of her exes cause they can offer valuable intel aka gossip) Now, as for why there are no favourites. It's because Marina never dated for love or even fondness. It started with curiousity and ended with a five year plan on how to get the best husband. She never fell in love with any of her partners, at most she considered them friends or business partners (not that her boyfriends knew that, she is an excellent actress). Dating for Marina was a means to an end, same with marriage, so none of her past partners really mattered. (Another scene to imagine: Dan opening the door to Marina standing before a corkboard examining future boyfriend's like she's a detective solving a murder case. He takes on look at the strings of yarn and detailed notes, glances at his sister tipping her lips, smiling like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, thinks "fuck that" and immediately closes the door again lmao.)

Friend/Partner Activity Fav: Dancing Marina is a high society gal through and through. As soon as she decided to take the Mafia world by storm no matter what she bugged Donna Superbi for etiquette lessons and dancing was included in that. She fell in love with dancing and put hours upon hours on perfecting that skill. After she finished the standard curriculum she came back for more and guess who her longsuffering dance parner was when they were kids? Hehehehehehe (Chief... he's suffering but at least he's got the moves lmaooo <- loves forcing Dan to learn skills he would never bother with just so that he can surprise someone with said skills at a later date muhahahaha😈) Least fav: watching a movie Tbh I wouldn't call this a hard least fav thing because if Marina is hanging out with people that are dear to her she likes most things by default cause she's spending time with her loved ones. But she's generally not really a movie person. She also really likes talking to people and for her putting on a movie is a sign of not talking because otherwise it would be interrupting (yes, I know some people watch movies while trash talking them or whatever but Marina dislikes watching things with the only goal of putting it throught the wringer). So, I'd say if she had a choice watching movies would probably be last on the list.

oc ask game: fav and least fav

[john-macnamara]

It's 7 PM. It's 7 PM on a Monday afternoon and John gets a call while building his new bedframe. It's from Lewis, so he's got to pick it up whether or not he wants to.

"Hello. You have reached General John MacNamara of the United States Military: Special Unit P. E. I. P.. What do you want, Darcy?"

"We have a problem in Maine. A whole county's worth of people fell off the map in a matter of days."

"Okay, then send in a recon squad and find out what the fuck's going on. Simple protocol."

"...That's the problem, sir. Anyone who's gone into the affected area hasn't come back. Months have gone by, we've lost countless agents on this. Do you think that you could go in? Try to at least find out what's happening?"

John thinks before answering. He's still not in great shape, that hemorrhage is blurring his vision and his head's still pounding daily. But the other option is to send more of his own people to their deaths. He'll be fine, he can't afford not to be.

"Send a copter to the Michigan base. I'll be there before 23:00 hours. How long am I expected to be off grid?"

"Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, sir. The helicopter is on its way."

John hangs up rather than responding. He has people who can take care of the testing for Curt, and he'll wire any texts from Owen mentioning it to said people. Other than that, it's not like he has much reason to not disappear for a few weeks. He doesn't live with anyone anymore, and he's pretty damn sure he won't be missed. At least, not as the burden he is right now. Maybe this'll be good for him, a vacation in a way. At least he won't be doing any paperwork. As long as he doesn't die, he knows he'll be retrieved by the end of May. Can't have a general gone too long.

Setting down the piece of wood he was working on, John puts his phone away and moves to his closet, pulling out a large backpack. Large enough to store water, food, medical supplies, and his smaller bag filled with weapons and resources of all shapes and sizes. He changes into clothing he knows will last, and slips a bulletproof vest on over it. There's only two other changes of clothes that fit in his bag, he'll have to make them last. Next is any necessary toiletries. He takes a can of dry shampoo, a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste pallets, and a bar of soap. These missions always wreck his hair, might as well do some damage control with the shampoo.

John heads to the kitchen, searching the fridge and clearing out anything that won't last more than a week. He's glad he finished the last of the chicken soup when he got home, it would be a pity to throw any of it. Once that's over with, he snags a banana to snack on while on the way there. Slowly but surely, he clears the house of any weapons he may need. Two handguns, a shotgun, a rifle with a detachable scope, three knives of separate sizes and uses, multiple grenades, flash and otherwise, and his trusty staff.

Finally, John makes a security run of the apartment. Cameras are set, motion alarms are armed, and there are lasers set on every window except for the two in the guest room. As he opens the door, he pauses and steps back inside for just a moment. Just in case anyone actually checks on him (he's sure they won't), he should leave a note at the door. He jots something down, signs it, and tapes it to his front door as he closes it.

As he drives to the base, John feels that familiar mix of anxiety and anticipation crop up inside of him. Solo missions are always their particular kind of experience. One he hates and loves at the same time. This'll go well, he thinks. For once, he'll fight to live, not just survive. Yeah... this'll help him get back to his old mindset. This mission will be good for him, everyone really. Give all his friends a break from his burden while John does one of the only things he's truly good at. He makes a promise to himself that he'll make it out alive and doing even better than before. And John can't break a promise like that, now can he?

[highropoios]

I must ask—do you ever smoke as a devotion ? if so, which of the Theoi enjoys it the most ? 👀

oh man. when I do, it’s Awesome!👍🏻👍🏻 in the past, I smoked with Dionysos (pls understand when I say “with,” I really mean “for”)¹—y’know, because he’s The inebriation god!

I’d start with an invocation & offer the smoke in place of burning incense. :] I’d say he enjoys it, esp if I couple it with More devotional activities😊²

Saturday, though! I dedicated my purchase³ to Hermes! I work as a package handler (Wed. to Sat., 2a.m. to ~7:30a.m.), so Hermes is my Occupational Patron.⁴ It was the end of my work week & I wanted to spoil myself 😝 i was so stoked to find that the dispensary opens at 8a.m., ‘cause i was able to go home, take my Everything Shower, and immediately go to the dispensary instead of having to wait until fucking 10a.m. 😩⁵ AND NOT ONLY THAT! THEY WERE HAVING A BOGO FREE SALE, THANK HERMES...............there was no way I couldn’t smoke with him. He seemed to really appreciate it, and joined me in meditation! it was sick (positive). I got home & I was lying on my stomach in bed. it felt like a body bigger than any man’s was lying right next to me, in a position that mirrored mine. I felt a huge hand on my cheek & its arm on my back. He was So Warm.

I have more stories & experiences like this. :] I think i will post about them!

¹ Trying to make it a habit to remember that sacrifice entails presence. I.e., for an offering to be accepted, the god has to be there to receive it (or their daimon, if you’re a Platonist). This line of thinking evokes a sense of “withness” with the divine that is important to my worship. ² like watching the Bacchae :D (specifically this iteration of it. Please Watch It.) ³ Two tru infusion 1g liquid diamond vapes 😊 I got the banana acai & applenana flavors! both hybrids; don’t even think about buying if you’re not 21!!!! ⁴ Not an official term, I don’t think? Basically means he’s the god that oversees my job, lol. ⁵ For some reason that’s when everything opens...

[wizardsaur]

I've been struggling a lot lately. Which is fine. This is tumblr and I'm allowed to be myself on here.

I'm self diagnosed autistic, please don't come at me about this. The story's kind of funny, but I've been repeatedly peer reviewed by a over a dozen formally diagnosed autistics - in vastly different scenarios - and they all tag me within 20 minutes. Up to this point, I've managed life with whatever brain spicy... and nowadays, I feel like I have my needs met most of the time.

Which is to say, I was okay never getting diagnosis for it I live in the US and Ableism is a massive fucking problem here. I advocated, I stood with my folks. And I was proud to be a support for folks with higher needs than me.

Something is different about me, and I thought for sure I knew what it was. I figured I'd just have to work harder than all the normies for a "Normal" life. I was willing to make that work.

But now... my body doesn't stop hurting. An old friend, the first "pretty sure you're autistic" friend and I had gotten back in touch lately. I truly wanted to be friends again, because our lives kinda fell apart at the same time way back when. We didn't get a chance to really be friends, we were just sad in the same close knit circle.

So I asked her, "You have this disorder, right? This set of disorders that tend to exist together for some fucking reason..... can I give you a list of shit that's been happening lately, and you tell me if I'm crazy?"

My symptoms, as well as a million other little symptoms that put me in the: "I'm pretty sure I have hEDS and POTS, because this has been my entire life.... it's just NEVER been this bad before."

I'm starting to need mobility aids, I'm slowing down. I need to wear braces now, and I can't keep acting like that isn't the case. It's been getting bad since like, late June - and then something clicked when I tried to quit my job.

My boss is a dick and I'm an overworked overachiever. I tried to walk out quit on him, out of the blue. When we were already understaffed, I might add (and had been, for months). I got back from a road trip Sunday, and went back to work - hoping things would be better..... and it was still a shitshow. Wednesday, I decided I was leaving on my day off - Thursday.

The motherfucker got me to stay. I made a 50 year old man cry, and he got me to stay. It was desperate, and it sounded so sincere, and he promised things would change... it's been a month. His supervisor shows up next week, and her higher up too. I stayed. I believed him....

Saturday night, I'm moving slow. Everything hurts like it did on the road trip. But now it's worse, and nothing's going away like it used to. And suddenly, I remember- things aren't supposed to hurt all the time. The usual amount of pain, is no pain.

Monday at lunch... I couldn't hold a fork. I ugly cried in the break room. A customer passed me to get to the bathroom and hugged me - I don't know her name. I'm 27. I was sobbing in a stranger's hug for a minute. (Whoever you are, if you see this, thank you.)

I went to the doctor, and have been taken seriously about my hEDS & POTS concern ever since. It's only been a few weeks, and I hope I'm not jinxing it... but. Doctors and therapists have heard me, and replied: "How did you not face this sooner? That is very likely your issue. Let's direct you to the right resources."

Which is WILDLY FUCKING DIFFERENT from every single other experience I've ever read or heard from anyone else. Maybe for once, things will work the way they need to. The way they should in a perfect society. And either I'll get diagnosed as hEDS with POTS, or I won't and we can find out what the issue really is. Because I'm in chronic pain, and it fits the bill unnervingly well.

The wild thing, is my life tends to completely shift gears every yea or two- over a few weeks. In absolutely bananas story ways. I had an apocalypse vision once, lost everything a month later.

I can't help but wonder if there's some big Universal Life Test built into this experience. But I moved my altar. And I'm finishing a journal. I feel like next month will be the start of my Real Adult Life. It's hard to explain. I'm very lucky to be having a Good Side to this whole situation.

[thenarrativefoil]

im playing chicken with fermented foods and SIBO.

it goes like: how many days can I have a spoonful of kimchi without my upper intestine getting too much bacteria?

2 days in a row is too much. But I can eat a spoonful once and be ok.

also i am overwhelmed with my newfound power of not being allergic to half the fruit and vegetable aisle

it's been 9 YEARS since I was able to eat bananas. it's my oldest food allergy symptom. in 2016 I was house sitting and ate two bananas for breakfast and my face swelled up and itched and bled and peeled like crazy and I panicked and took off work.

I made a batch of banana bread muffins and have been eating 2/day for the past week ; u ;

this is going to be such a stress reliever. it's been a year + 2 months that I've been on methylated B vitamins. a year + 3 months since I figured out what NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR COULD.

It still fucks me up that I started having severe symptoms, went to the doctor, the testing gave me the answer to my problems, the doctor just didn't understand or explain it properly.

There is a severe gap between the medical research being done and the treatment patients are getting. I could have avoided almost a decade of pain, frustration, loss of family, loss of opportunities and experiences, if my doctors had been educated on what the tests they ordered meant.

it's only been through the encouragement and support of my friends that I've been able to put myself back together.

I deserve better than this. There are people all over the world working every day so that people don't have to suffer as much, and their work is not being disseminated.

im getting that public health communications degree. and im going to beat the medical system over the head with it.

[firelord-frowny]

yall these last several days have been THE! WORST!!!!

or idk, not the worst lmao i tend to try to save catastrophic language for actual catastrophes these days and since nobody is dead or maimed, i guess "really really sucked" is the better way to describe it.

but anyway. it really really sucked so bad that i dont even feel like properly ranting about it, so here's a bulleted list of the suckage. -Had (probably) the flu for like two weeks. Missed two weeks of volunteering and one week of work. -Felt better! Volunteered. Went to work. -Throat got sore in the middle of the night. like i literally FELT it get sore in real time. felt it swell. -Sore throat morphed to include an ear ache. -Also felt nauseous several times throughout the day. -went with my mom to go pick up groceries and also one single item to hopefully expedite my recovery (those lil emergen-c supplement drink packets) and somehow wound up getting yelled at about what an inconvenience it is to ~have~ to make a 20 minute round trip to pick up groceries that included something for me🙃 i literally would have just done an instacart order like i usually do but we already needed groceries and that is the only reason i put it in the grocery order so i guess that somehow means that its My Fault the household needed groceries and i guess a 20 minute trip is the worst fucking thing a person can be bothered to do on a sunday afternoon. i mean nevermind the asparagus and the yellow squash and the cornbread mix and the condensed milk and the walnuts and the clam strips and the bananas and the whole grain cereal and the canned vegetables and the frozen berries and all the other shit that aint have JACK to do with me, bc my vitamin c supplement made all of that moot and the sole reason for going to get groceries was because im a needy piece of shit whose better off idk dying of meningitis or soemthing, idfk.

-had a virtual ~urgent care~ visit. got prescribed antibiotics for what's probably a sinus infection gone nuclear. that was yesterday.

-today! throat still hurt like a bitch. couldn't really eat or drink much but I had an apple and some water before taking a dose of ibuprofen.

-went to work. started getting a migraine on the way. benadryl often takes the edge off of my migraines so my dad (who was giving me a ride to work) agreed to swing by a store and pick some up after dropping me off at work, and then swing back and bring me the meds.

-HOWEVER! you know what the first thing i did upon pulling into the parking lot at work was?

-puke. A LOT. big ol pile of puke in the parking lot. disgusting.

-called the front desk and let them know that i in fact made it to work but that i just vomited my guts out in the parking lot and should probably go home. they were like, "yikes, yeah, definitely go home, please feel better soon" and canceled all my students for the day. I'm Extra Upset by this bit because 2 of my students have missed a lot of lessons recently (one because they were on vacation, another because there were no lessons on 4th of july, another because a different student canceled, and one because i was sick) and i really really really want to keep as much consistency as possible both for the student's progression, and for increasing my chances that they'll keep me as a teacher. and i also had one new adult student that i saw for the first time last week and am super bummed that i already had to throw a wrench in his new experience learning an instrument.

anyway,

-throat was still hurting like a BITCH and i obviously needed to eat and drink especially since i THREW THE HELL UP EARLIER so i made another virtual urgent care appointment.

-got through the entire intake process as far as submitting all the forms. all that was left was for someone to call me and confirm all the info.

-i get the call! confirm the info! the lady says she'll send me a link to the visit as soon as we hang up.

-BUT THEN she asks me if i'd had a virtual visit the day before for the same reason, and i said yeah! and then she says! that i can't have a virtual visit because blah blah blah they cant do telehealth appointments for one patient for the same reason in less than 7 days! which like! ok i guess but PERHAPS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN POINTED OUT WHEN I SELECTED THE REASON IN THE INTAKE FORMS 15 MINUTES AGO???

-but whatever! okay fine! so i made an appointment for the in person clinic and was able to be seen relatively quickly.

-everybody was super nice (literally all of the medical people i've dealt with over the last two days have been super nice) and one of the desk ladies told me i have a "really sweet voice" and that made me Happyyyy and so i told her how happy it made me and that it meant an extra lot because i used to have a violin teacher who would tell me my voice was annoying and the lady was like "omg wtf" and i was like "i know right? i was like 13" and she's like "daaaaang wtf!' and im like RIGHT???

-even though i was able to be seen relatively quickly it still took kind of a long time for the nurse practitioner herself to get to me, but once she did, it was smooth sailing from there. covid, flu, and strep tests were negative. prescribed me prednisone for the sore throat. took my first dose in the clinic. picking up the rest of it from a pharmacy tomorrow.

-its now 3am as i type this and my throat is feeling significantly better. took my 3rd dose of antibiotics earlier tonight, along with some tylenol, since apparently ibuprofen can have some reactions with prednisone, and since my throat at that moment was still pretty sore. but i think by now i can finally EAT SOMETHING so thats what imma do, and then imma *samuel l jackson voice* Go The Fuck To Sleep.

[lastweeksshirttonight]

What is this?? Lee actually following up on promises of posting longform writing??? I know, I'm scared too.

Last Lee Tonight (wherein Lee quotes noted political commentator Olivia Rodrigo) Season One, Episode Nine

(Original air date: 6/29/2014) Topics covered: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, LGBT rights and discrimination in Uganda

Trigger warning: discussions of homophobia

"That is why I, personally, refuse to pay for Mennonite cabinets. Because Jason Bourne could, conceivably, beat someone to death with one of those things."

Because the last time I posted one of these reviews was (checks notes) August 2023, a brief recap of where we are in terms of the season developing is in order. Episode Eight was the first time the entire main story was put on LWT's YouTube page, after a very... scattershot approach to uploading segments onto social media. The show is also coming into its own - although the recap of the week segments are bouncing between being extremely surface-level, sometimes only one joke long, and closer to the current iteration of a small yet rigorous dive into a relevant topic for a few minutes before the main topic, the main stories are beginning to take longer form, even though they are still tied to the idea of the show being immediately relevant.

This episode is one of the few I think is, with a few exceptions, almost completely available on the LWT YouTube page worldwide. Both major segments are uploaded, as well as an extended interview segment. Looking forward, they do experiment with the idea of breaking up most of the episodes and loading them onto YouTube for the rest of season one. At least they're actually, um, loading the main parts of the episodes on YouTube from here on out. As I've said many times before, no one had any idea what kind of show LWT was supposed to be or what it would become.

Another fun fact - apparently you can no longer screenshot these episodes I bought on YouTube on my desktop with PrtSc. What the fuck. Is up. With that?! (aaaah~) Fuck you business daddy you complete sack of daddy-shaped shit. (Clearly I have my ways of getting around this, even if the screenshots seem a bit blurry to me, but... fucking hell, I'm just trying to take a screenshot OF SOMETHING I PAID FOR.)

ANYWAYS. There's an episode of LWT we're ostensibly discussing!

Our first topic is the 2014 World Cup. England has been knocked out, so the tournament is dead to John. Oh John. So innocent. So full of life. You have no clue about the shitstorm you're gonna drop on FIFA's doorstep next season.

At the World Cup, an Uruguayan player, Luis Suarez, bit an Italian player, something I totally forgot about. He also bit TWO OTHER PEOPLE. John calls the Italian player "a delicious piece of prime Italian steak" - I forgot that chaotic bisexuality has been baked into this show from day one but I love it.

(Based on the only hate comment I've ever received, I know someone will probably deign to tell me that John is not bisexual, which... I know. But the writing of this show has chaotic bisexual energy - in some seasons, like the one where John begs Adam Driver to chokeslam him into a table regularly, energy honestly isn't a strong enough word to describe whatever's going on - and I like acknowledging that element of the show.)

John mentions the week has been awash with depressing terrorism news but leads into a segment about Boko Haram being driven out of their hiding places by snakes and bees, an incredible victory for the scariest parts of nature. John is furious that scorpions have instead decided to hide in bananas in supermarkets instead of fighting terrorism. John's grin after delivering that joke is effervescent. He loves this kind of stupid, "now THAT'S a sentence"-style joke.

He's so happy y'all

We take a hard left turn into discussing Syria, and that the US is looking to send money to "appropriately vetted" rebel soldiers. The obvious question is asked - how do you vet rebel soldiers? John suggests a trade-school-style commercial to recruit potential rebel soldiers. (The offer is open to bees and snakes!) One thing I like about the early episodes that does still come through from time to time on the show are these sorts of Daily Show-style fake commercials and PSAs. They can get repetitive after seeing the segments they're covering, but there's usually some fun twists and chances for some real absurdities and escalations you can't do in the show proper.

Our first real segment follows after this, on Burwell v Hobby Lobby. You may remember this as the court case that allowed for Hobby Lobby, a crappy JoAnn's knockoff run by evangelical Christians who also stole artifacts for a bible museum, to not pay for an employee's birth control through the Affordable Care Act because it went against their religion. As a corporation. Because corporations are people now. God this country sucks.

At the time of airing, this decision hadn't been made yet by the Supreme Court, so John is going over the details of the case, including the questions at the center of it - do corporations have freedom of religion, and are corporations people? John confidently says "no" before realizing he has to actually discuss this, and I really want to live in 2014 John World. This whole segment has a lovely capper extending two ideas to their logical, absurd extremes - government cannot be an a la carte system, something John demonstrates by showing a wild variety of things people don't want to spend their taxes on which starts fairly even-keel but spirals into Fox News talking heads saying that their tax dollars are being spent on Mexican prostitutes. And on the flip-side, if corporations are people, well, people die. Amongst other things.

Something that's been a bit lost about this case in the ten years since is that a Mennonite sect that owned a kitchen cabinet making company also sued the government over providing birth control. I totally forgot about that.

Our "And Now This" segment is on politicians misusing the word 'literally'. Chris Traeger literally adored this segment. (It's short and is exactly what you'd expect. Not much to say here.)

The next segment is on LGBTQIA+ rights in Uganda. Interestingly, John introduces this segment by saying "finally tonight..." despite being only 12 minutes into a 30 minute show. Definitely had me checking the clock in confusion.

I appreciate that John opens this segment not sugarcoating anything happening to LGBTQIA+ individuals in Uganda, even before he gets into the details of the anti-gay laws there. While there's been segments prior that have been obviously extremely serious, this is the first one that feels like John is coming from a place of seriousness first, jokes second. There are plenty of jokes, yes, lots of very funny ones. But when you compare how this segment opens, with no frills or equivocating, to even the Hobby Lobby segment earlier this episode, there's a pretty obvious difference.

People really didn't know how to react to the line "the moral arc of the universe is long, and it bends away from Uganda." There's like one scattered laugh at that. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be a joke.

A lot of the details of this segment are deeply upsetting, especially post-Trump in a world where it feels like freedoms are rolling back everywhere and extremist hatemongers like Scott Lively are being treated more and more seriously. The fact that he was laughed at here in the past is refreshing, but knowing that he'd likely be a top senate candidate now is so distressing. There's a lot of things that can be seen in this show in hindsight, most of them so far more benign than this. Unfortunately, the exportation of homophobia now looks less like the death throes of a dying political position, as John posits here from 2014, and more like a big factor in sowing the seeds for this last decade's right-wing global surge.

That being said, Pepe Julian Onziema is a true portrait of grace under fire. The interview with Onziema in the show is extremely illuminating, the kind of interview that makes me wish John did more interviews. Onziema is a delight - I love his seriousness in speaking to the realities of living as an LGBT+ person in Uganda, and his bravery in fighting this fight despite the looming threat of severe prison time. Relatedly, "Sorry doesn't cut it" is such a great comeback to John apologizing for being part of two groups of people that brought this wave of homophobia to Uganda.

There is an extended interview with Onziema on YouTube that dives further into some of the specifics of certain social elements, like context into how Ugandan discourse took on elements of American homophobic talking points (like "gay people are recruiting children") and a timeline of Scott Lively's touring of Uganda. John manages to completely break him by singing part of an early hateful song about "the rainbow belonging to God" as well, which made me so happy. Turn those hateful things into ludicrously stupid ones to destroy them.

I do highly recommend watching this interview - it's one of the best things that LWT has ever done, still. This has stayed with me for 10 years.

Other notes:

Hey. Hey Lee. You gonna talk about the fit?: Yes of course I am, the meds didn't change my brain THAT much. We have a light blue shirt with a dark blue tie with lighter piping, and a gray suitjacket. This is a subdued look but I like the neutral slate color combination going on here. 8/10

I haven't mentioned the unique title cards for each episode of LWT yet, mainly because this is the first one I found really funny - it's a picture of Renaldo with the caption "Kickus Ballium". (New name for football ahoy!)

Please enjoy this incredible "I'm so smooth" looking freeze frame that I took while pausing the episode to write. So smooth.

"I've got to be honest, being British is sometimes a little like being an alcoholic. When someone says you did something awful, you find yourself going, 'Honestly, I don't even remember doing that, but yeah, probably, probably. I'm a dick, I'm a dick.'" He slipped so easily into that Ian Duncan mode for this line, I so hope he comes back for the Community movie.