#gina definately knows whats up

[ginalover]

Oh, Hey Friday...

[sirianasims]

The Don Diaries

Don needs to kiss a lot of ladies for his aspiration, so he goes on a bunch of quick-fire dates. Some of them go well and he manages to get a kiss (and sometimes more), and other times, well...

Don, this is the waitress from the noodle restaurant where you ended up in a dumpster. Do you really think she'd be interested?

To make it worse, Adriana's foodie group turns up - and the lady in the red shirt turns out to be the waitress' mother, so Don is now failing spectacularly in front of both of their mothers. Well done.

Don quickly moves on to a less crowded date, but this girl isn't really impressed either.

Dejected, Don bids her farewell and goes to drown his sorrows... and the bartender looks familiar! This is Julie's big sister. You know, your ex-girlfriend Julie whose fragile teen heart you broke in the rain? Yeah. That one.

At least there doesn't seem to be any hard feelings.

I know what you're thinking, strange man in beanie. And yes, it's gonna happen, but not yet.

Don goes home like a good boy, you don't want to disturb a bartender at work. Later that night, however, he fires off a text, and…

Upon arrival at the gym, things immediately get awkward as Julie is the gym trainer. Thankfully, she quickly leaves. She probably knows both Don and her sister well enough to nope out of there.

It doesn't take long for Don to put on the moves either.

They make out in the absolutely terror-inducing pool.

Just, no thanks to all of this.

Don wakes up in the early hours next morning, severely hung over and filled with stupid ideas.

Possibly still drunk, he wakes up Gina because they need to talk, like now.

He suggests they have an official but open relationship, since they've been seeing each other for a while without defining their relationship, and all the flirting he does keeps pissing Gina off.

Unfortunately, Gina isn't quite on board.

To calm down the irate Gina, Don agrees to be exclusive instead, conveniently forgetting to tell her that he's already in an open relationship with Miracle.

Angry with himself for the mess he's in now, Don takes out his frustrations on a broken sink.

Gina, however, is thrilled about finally being official.

I fear this will bite you in the ass eventually, Don.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck Week 2024

Day 3 - Favorite Dynamic: Fuuko x Feng

As I said on Day 1, I love love, but for as much as I enjoy Gina's affectionate love that is defined through togetherness, I can't help but find the opposite end of the spectrum a lot more compelling

Whether his feelings are romantic is completely up for debate, but the dynamic between Feng and Fuuko is absolutely defined through their emotional and physical distance: without a doubt, what Feng feels for Fuuko can best be described as pining

While L100's Feng was a man defined by despair, the fear of losing everything he had gained, L101's Feng is a man defined by loneliness, the fear that he can never share what he was with anyone. All of his rivals withered and died, giving way to the next generation of strangers who Feng did not know and could not relate to. Though they would challenge him, they could not connect with him, the generational gap being too great to bridge

Until Fuuko came along

Another ageless being, alone and stagnant in a world constantly reshaping itself like riverbanks in the flow of time. At least, that's what he saw; while Feng committed himself to digging his feet in and standing in place, Fuuko committed herself to perpetual motion. While Feng stood still and let everyone pass him by, Fuuko ran up to everyone she could so she could walk alongside them for as long as possible

And whether he realized it or not, from Fuuko's influence, Feng finally uprooted himself. To follow the one person who he felt he could walk alongside, Feng finally allowed himself to change and to let other people into his world

While L100 Feng took Shen under his wing all the same, the meaning of that action was completely different. L100 Feng planted trees to harvest the wood, with the intent of cutting them down at their peak, but L101 Feng nurtured a garden, creating something that gave him a sense of purpose beyond getting stronger for his own sake

"Don't put your faith in the hands of the weak! The weak will die!!" "I won't die. After all, you're strong, Feng. So you'll protect us, right?" - Feng and Shen, ch.166

In L100, when Shen tried to save Mei, Feng simply looked on. If both children died, then that would just mean neither had the potential to be strong enough to push him to greater heights. In L101, though, when Shen jumped over a cliff to save Mui, Feng panicked. He called out to him not to throw away his life, and even jumped after him to keep him safe. He didn't do it to ensure he wouldn't lose a worthy opponent, he did it to protect his son

"The safest spot is right by your side, isn't it?" - Fuuko to Feng, ch.164

Fuuko entrusted Feng with protecting Shen, and Shen entrusted Feng with raising him and Mei. They acknowledged his strength, they believed in him, and he made sure to repay their faith by living up to expectations. The Feng of the past would never be moved by sentiment, but the Feng of the present? A smile from a loved one is sure to move his heart, even if only by a little

I love to joke about Feng chasing Fuuko like a lovesick puppy, but the fact of the matter is that she changed him thoroughly and completely

"You're strong. You may even be the strongest in the world. But you know what? That's all that you are." - Shen to Feng, ch.66

Feng may well still be the physically strongest fighter in the world of Undead Unluck, but that is no longer all that he is. He's a father now. He's a friend now. And that's thanks to Fuuko's influence

Whether he's in love with her is completely up for debate, but she taught him what love is, and that's the best thing you can ask for in a dynamic

[agarthanguide]

I just realized that Deanna looks like smol Gina Torres, who is my #1 Space Mom. Was that on purpose? What was the direction from Aabria? How does the process of creating the guests’ art compare to what you do with the main cast?

It was not intentional!  Aabria was pretty descriptive about Deanna, but I’d say Deanna actually has a lot of influence from animation, more than real life markers.  In fact, she was getting so far from realism that I consciously stepped up and chose to hyper-render the knitted and textile elements to see if I could ground her, a little. But her features- her big eyes, her button nose, her heavily defined curls- and her proportions are simply not realistic enough to meaningfully reference a human.  That being said, I’m hugely flattered that anything I’ve ever drawn could make someone think of Gina Torres, who is actually my wife (I share her with tens of thousands of others who also have immaculate taste).

As for guest processes- they are all very different, but I can honestly say that the Dimension 20 kids are like- they are succinct, descriptive, flexible, and fast.  They are honestly such pros.  I thought it was an Aabria thing- I remember thinking- oh, she must make 5 characters a week, and she’s so good at YesAnd-ing, I’m sure that this is a one-off experience with an amazing player (this was during Laerryn).  But then Emily and Lou and (half of) Erika were exactly the same!  IDK if that’s because they are ALSO hyper-prolific and well practiced, or if this is circumstance, but it was Notable.

As a general rule, I’d say that the guest characters are faster than the main cast, but I think that’s just because they aren’t gearing up to inhabit that character for potentially years, so they don’t need to feel complete comfort the way a long-term player would.  It’s not because they care less, or because I care less.  The actual lining/rendering has the same level of effort.

The only person who really freaked me out was Utkarsh/Bor’dor, because he had a really intense description, but then deferred to my opinion on like most things (actually, just clothing. Utkarsh was pretty specific about things like face and hair and eyes and expression).  And I didn’t know anything about him, but I was pretty sure something was up with him, so I wrote a list of things that could be changed at the drop of a hat, in case the story went that way.  And then I sat for weeks worrying about it and wondering if I should like... paint in glowing eyes, or a version with his cape thrown back revealing... something!  Or whatever!

But honestly, I think the fact that ultimately he was a carefully constructed terrified kid who was then thrown into rags by a stranger was... pretty on the nose, actually.  Sad, right?

Anyway, Aabria rocks.  Very hard.

[infamous-if]

Could you give us reference images for the different styles of outfits? Honestly: I don't know anything about fashion so I read the descriptions and nothing comes to my head, I need images to know what they are djdhdjd sorry for my lack of fashion culture(?? 😅

haha its okay my pinterest has a fashion section but i haven't done the characters yet (aside from g)

EDIT: if you're talking about MC's styling options that's a bit harder to describe. it would benefit just to search it up (for example, 'academic fashion style') and see the options since i made it vague on purpose. it's really what you define what the style is.

I do encourage to imagine them wearing whatever you want them to. They follow very clear aesthetics which makes it pretty flexible. I like to describe their outfits in detail because I find it fun (lol)

Seven's outfit is basically this but instead of a t-shirt over it, they're wearing a utility shirt (with the patches and all) basically like they just came out from working at a warehouse lol and baggy cargo pants shoes...i always forget to describe shoes they're just wearing regular boots

One detail i forget to mention when i first introduced them is that Seven wears a bandana quite often, kind of like this for m!Seven and this for f!seven

G and Gina's outfits are different. Gina's outfit was directly inspired by this picture. Griffin's was directly inspired by this photo.

Orion's is pretty straightfoward

Seb's was inspired by this but with jeans!

Victoria's is basically this but I imagine it in black

August's outfits were made up by me, so I don't have an exact pic but it's more of this general vibe. I do CLEARLY imagine them wearing birken stocks with thick heels at the party sjdhffsafs

For side characters, I make them up!

[honestlynervousnut]

• Ficlet Friday Sunday•

@cliophilyra (just the meet-cute)

|One sunny afternoon in LA|

Sal was driving down the road in his beat-to-shit Ford Festiva with his daugter Layla - Ten years old, tall, with long curly dirty blond hair put up on a bun and with full pale pink ballet attire- on the passenger's seat in uncomfortable silence.

After months of a long divorce process Sal had finally achieved sole custody but the truth was that even though yes he loves his daughter pretty much, he has a hard time bonding with her.

"So...." He started speaking "are you excited for your firts day?"

"Mh-hm...mom says is pretty good" Layla nodded

Layla's last ballet teacher had retired due to maternity, and after the old dance school closed Gina, Sal's ex-wife enrolled Layla - unbeknownst to him - in a new dance school.

"And..." Layla continued speaking "They also said that Mr. Tommy is a great teacher..."

When Sal heard that he braked the car hard and looked at his daughter perplexed.

"Im-im sorry....MR. Tommy?"

"Y-yeah?" Asked Layla a little bit scared

"Tommy, as in...Thomas?"

"Yeah...I-I think so...."

"Layla that's a man! Why is a grown adult man giving you ballet lessons!?"

"Wh-Dad guys can teach ballet as well!"

Sal scoffed "yeah, sure...now I know why your mother didn't told me anything..." He said as he turned on the engine and continued to drive.

"Im gonna have a small talk with your teacher when we arrive...."

"Daaad!" Whined Layla

"Oh don't "dad" me I just wanna talk with him. It is a precautionary measure, you will understand it when you become a mother"

Layla let out a frustrated grunt and crossed her arms on the seat.

When they arrived to the dance school Sal parked the car and both him and his daughter got out. Before going in Sal looked at the outside of the school.

It was a small building with large windows painted a pale blue and with different bushes around it decorating the exterior of the building. Sal looked at the big sign writen in cursive:

"Kinard's dance school •ballerinas on pointe•"

Sal looked at the sign skeptically but went inside anyway.

Inside there was a room with a large mirror and a bunch of little girls in ballet attire talking to each other. Sal looked at his daughter with a small smile.

"Well honey have fun today, Il go talk with your teacher..."

Sal took a quick glance around the room and saw a man preparing the speaker, Sal aproached him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi excuse me, Tommy?" He started talking but all the words remained on his mouth once the teacher turned around.

He was a little taller than Sal, with curly hair, broad chest and big arms, with a cleft, defined cheekbones and eyes of the cleanest blue that Sal had ever seen. He looked at Sal with a smile.

"Yeah! That's me, Hi!" Sal was speachless.

Tommy's eyebrows frowned slightly confused "Can I...help you?"

Before Sal could try to speak again Layla walked over to them.

"Hi Mr. Tommy...." She greeted him

Tommy looked at her and smiled "Oh Hi! Uh....Layla?" He asked and the little girl nodded.

"Alright! Let me just check real quick if you're on the list...." He said as he quickly grabbed his clipboard "Oh there you are uh- Deluca?" Tommy looked at Sal "Is that Italian?"

"I- Y-yeah..." That's all Sal could get out of his mouth.

"I like it..." Said Tommy as he left the clipboard next to the speaker "Alright now go with your classmates and let's start class"

When Layla left he looked at Sal

"Sir, im sorry I can't have a parent in the middle of the room so please step aside"

"Oh! oh yeah....sure...sorry" He stuttered as he went to the side of the classroom trying to remove the red from his cheeks "What the-?" He thought -why was he so nervous!?-

At the beginning of class, Professor Tommy introduced himself, took roll, and explained to the girls the stretches they would begin with, But before starting to stretch he realized Sal was still on the room.

"Sir, if you don't mind I prefer to have the parents outside of the room, y'know? It can inhibit the girls seen an grown adult man they don't know see them dance...."

-"Son of a-" Sal thought. But he was right...

"Oh uh..." Sal chuckled nerviously "Yeah! Yeah your right...sorry uhh bye honey Il see you later!" Sal said goodbye to his daughter and left.

Once he left the girls started stretching and Tommy got Closer to Layla.

"Is that really your father?" He asked her with a hint of a smile on his face

"Mom says he is but I still have my doubts" Layla sighed and continued the stretch.

Tommy held back a chuckle

"Jesus Christ, okey.... Let's continue shall we?" He chuckled and continued teaching.

[bengiyo]

Laws of Attraction Eps 1 and 2 Stray Thoughts

For @lurkingteapot, @negrowhat, and @troubled-mind, here are some highlights from the voice recordings Bestie and I sent to the chat while we were watching the first two episodes.

Episode 1

Ben: They were death-flagging on this child, so David and I decided to take the over-under on how long it would take this child to die. We gave it five minutes. So, two minutes later.... David: They ran over that child like Wile E. Coyote!

David: I can't go to Thailand. Ben: I'm scared! I'm really scared!

Ben: I'm so excited. This is giving everything. We got a kid run over by a car after death flagging six different ways, and David's like that list better not be in that bag! Cuts to the bag. The list is covered in blood. David: This is a Mexican telenovela!!

Episode 2

Ben: Let's talk about this sandwich. This man put all this presentation into a single sandwich, which he cut in half! Then split between the two of them, garnished with a piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a ton of onion....along with some orange juice from concentrate?? With bread that looks like it was burnt to within in inch of its life on a George Foreman Grill..... This man is insane.... Like we already knew that. This man is as insane as Bill in Kill Bill 2 using a whole chef's knife to spread mayonnaise on a sandwich.

Ben: Okay, David, you were correct. I'll give you a Clowned Correctly award. David said that that man is not touching him because he's insane and he absolutely wants that man to want him when he finally fucks him. I love it though! He's like, "You were drunk, and you puked on yourself. So I removed your clothes to clean you up, and lusted. I sure did! But I didn't touch you! Because that would get me 4-20 year in prison. And they're not gonna have my ruffles and bubble baths in prison." David: "I'm a not-so-secret luxurious bitch. I don't DO cells." Ben: This high sadity mofo's like, "Uh-uh. But! Since you're sober now!" David: "Let's talk!!" Ben: I love this man. David: "Good! What's really good?"

Ben: Not this man getting out of this car... David: With the gayest shirt! Ben: What the fuck is going on with this collar and these overlong goddamn sleeves? This man is a menace. David: This is giving, "Give me shirt but also a Faustian nightmare." Ben: He looks like someone just popped a can of cinnamon rolls. David: I can't want more for you than you want for yourself. Ben: I...am overdone...with this show... David: And not champagne colored! You're a gay man! You know better! Ben: Look how it's sitting on his shoulders! This is a travesty!

Ben: I know we comment on how unhinged this man is in every scene, but why is he taking the One Ring to Mordor as well?

Ben: This is the least insane he's looked in this show, and that's saying something. We've been here for nine hours.

Ben: I see why @ginnymoonbeam said this show might be for the KinnPorsche enjoyers because this is now the next show where we've watched a father slap his son in the most bitchless way possible. David: Slaps always come in threes! The first is your first salvo. The second, this time, is aiming to fuck up some real estate. The third is the disrespect.

David: They clearly defined her relationship with her employees. They are not afraid of her. If these are hoes, they feel taken care of. Ben: I don't know what the relationship is between Organ and Silvy's characters, but I hope we get to see them fuck on screen. David: If we don't, why am I here? I require women doing filthy shit to each other. I can get BL anywhere. I came to see women doing shameful things with each other. I came here for Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon in Bound. I did not come here for the Bridges of Madison County. Ben: Girl you ain't never lie!

David: I'm here for this. The unapologetic sissiness is what I live for. He had me when he pulled out that little gun. "Now, I can date you, but I can also put you down like a dog." You know there's nothing I love more than Gays With Guns. Look at God. Won't he do it. Ben: God had nothing to do with iQIYI.

[tickle-bugs]

Hello!

So I had a prompt for b99, I was thinking with Jake and Amy and Amy notices that Jake’s all jumpy and smiley and she Knows. Maybe with a dialogue bit of like “come on, we have a common goal here!!” or “don’t even try to fight me right now.” sry if ur prompts are already closed. tyy

This prompt made me melt fr I adore them ;w; this is so fucking CUTE. It put me in a rly intense ler mood but that's ok we make sacrifices for peraltiago <3

Proof in Patterns

Amy likes to think that she’s always known Jake well. From the minute she set foot in the precinct, she had had him at least 60% figured out. Though Captain Holt likes to call Jake predictable as a method of chiding him, he isn’t far from the truth--he’s not hard to understand, if you take the time to learn him. 

It’s sort of an open secret that Jake likes to roughhouse. He’s over the moon any time Terry decides to toss him around like a sack of potatoes--unless it's out of rage, which then the entire precinct begins to make funeral arrangements. Whether Jake realizes it or not, and Amy’s almost certain that he does, his mischief more than often gets him hoisted, chased, or launched by his friends. 

Only a smaller group of people--two, to be exact--know about the secret nestled within that one. Herself and Gina, the latter of which is a given, since she’s known Jake since they were little. 

“Jake!” Rosa’s tone could slice glass. Amy looks up from her computer, and—ah. Seems Rosa’s glare could slice glass too. Which means whatever happened is undoubtedly Jake’s fault. 

“Rosa!” Jake parrots gleefully. Rosa forcefully spins his chair to face her.

“Where is it?” 

“Where is what?” He crosses his arms, smug. She narrows her eyes. 

“Give it back or I’ll make you,” Rosa hisses, grabbing a fistful of his hoodie. Amy catches the way Jake’s eyes light up before he tries to play it cool. Cute. 

“Gonna have to be more specific, Diaz. I don’t have your stuff.” Jake shrugs. 

Rosa grins.

“Oh god, why are you smiling?” He whispers, leaning away. 

“Last chance, Jake.” Rosa raises her eyebrow expectantly. He swallows nervously. 

“I don’t have—“

Rosa tickles his stomach with a vengeance. Every time he tries to grab her hands, she jumps somewhere else. Jake slides down in his chair, giggling faster than his lungs can keep up with. She pins him in that awkward slump with just her tickling hands and an evil smile. 

“Top drawer! Rosa!” He yelps, hysterical, and curls away from her. Still tickling with one hand, she opens the top drawer and pulls out a brand new chocolate bar. 

Rosa doesn’t even tell him off, she just pockets the chocolate bar and saunters over to her desk to enjoy it. Jake quietly puts his head down on his desk, hiding his face in his arms. His ears flush a deep red. 

Alright, apparently three people know. Interesting. 

“You doing alright over there?” Amy laughs softly. Jake mumbles something and gives a weak thumbs up. 

“Jake, Holt wants you.” Gina announces herself by tazing Jake’s sides—with her fingers, thankfully. Still, he yelps and swats at her hands. 

“Couldn’t resist. Not sorry.” Gina saunters away. Jake buries his face in his hands yet again. Amy pats his shoulder. 

“Peralta!” Holt’s voice carries easily through the bullpen. 

“Coming!” Jake’s voice cracks. Amy muffles her snickers into her hand. 

…

Evenings are companionably quiet in their household--Jake’s murmuring reactions to the TV are white noise to Amy now. The combined softness of their pajamas defines contentment. 

Jake’s head rests in her lap. Amy’s arm rests across his waist. She traces her fingers idly over his t-shirt as she reads, occasionally fiddling with the hem. Every time her fingers brush over bare skin, he shivers and scoots a bit closer. 

“Hey--” She pokes his chest to get his attention. He jumps and rolls over quickly. She slowly bookmarks her page and sets the book aside. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jake chuckles.

“I think you know,” Amy whispers with a mock-graveness. His eyes widen comically. He starts scooting down the couch but she drags him back towards her. 

“Ames. Amy.” He tries to grab her hands but she swats them away.

“Don’t even try to fight me right now.” She swivels so she can sit on his waist. Even as she poses a threat to him, his hands comfortably find her hips. His smile is near-blinding. 

“I feel like you’ve been waiting for this all day,” Amy laughs. Jake lets out a hilarious groany-whine, something gutturally flustered, and she laughs harder. 

“You know I love you, right?”

“Debatable,” He grumbles. She pinches his side and he yelps.

“Okay! Y-Yes, I do.” 

“And you know I think this is cute, right?” Amy drawls. Jake turns a pretty pink and refuses to meet her eye. He normally basks in flattery--his ego is usually a problem, even when endearing--but something about this context makes him shy. It’s adorable to watch.

“Would you just do it already?” Jake’s voice pitches high with embarrassment. Something devious in Amy wants to make him ask properly, but she saves it for another night. 

“You should be nicer to me, Jake--” she leans down and kisses his neck-- “considering we share a common goal.”

His face is so hot that she can feel his blush. She squishes his cheeks to cope with how cute he is. 

“You are so mean to me,” he mumbles through her hands. 

“No, babe, I’m about to be mean to you.” Amy grabs a delicate handful of his sides and he goes boneless on the couch. As her fingers crawl higher, he curls more, squirming fervently. When she gets to his ribs, he nearly throws them both off the couch. 

One of Jake’s most endearing qualities is how much he wiggles. 

“Stay still!” Amy laughs and shifts to pin him better.

“I can’t help it!” Jake squeaks. She spiders her fingers at random over his torso, dodging his every attempt to protect himself. It’s not hard—Jake’s a man of patterns and Amy loves to analyze. 

He slams his head back into the couch and clamps his arms uselessly to his sides. She tickles rapidly, incessantly at his stomach until he just has to reach for her hands. Once he does, she smirks and shoves her hands under his arms. He makes it so easy. 

“Shit, fuck, Amy!” His voice jumps when she vibrates her fingers under his arms. He tries to clamp his arms down harder but it doesn’t help matters much. 

“You keep saying my name like it’s going to stop me. You know your safe word.” Amy presses her thumbs in again. “Can I have my hands back?”

Jake narrows his eyes at her. 

“No.”

“Are you sure?” She wiggles her fingers. He lets go with a cackle. She gives him a chance to breathe. He looks up at her with a dopey grin. 

“Amy, Amy, Ames, hold on—“ He works himself into a giggle fit so fierce he snorts— “we can talk about this.”

“I’m not even touching you!” She snickers. 

“Title of your sex tape—“

Amy vibrates her fingers into Jake’s stomach and he lets out a very satisfying scream-laugh. She chases it, tickling along his waist and back up his sides. He manages to buck his upper half off the couch and kicks his legs like his life depends on it. All this does is ruck up his shirt. 

“I still think we can talk about this.” He holds his hands up between them with a giddy smile. 

God, she loves him so much. 

She shoves her hands into the pockets of his Die Hard sweatpants and tickles his hips ruthlessly. Having slipped off the couch proves to quickly be his downfall—there’s nothing he can do but laugh himself into silence. 

“Ah, okay, okahahay! Gruber!” Jake wheezes, grabbing for Amy’s hands. She immediately helps him up and kisses his forehead. He pulls her back down for a proper kiss. 

“Still think Nakatomi should be the safe word.” He huffs, little chuckles floating free. 

“Yeah? When you manage to say Nakatomi through laughing, we’ll talk.” Amy tweaks his nose. He reaches up to do the same to her, she tickles under his arms briefly, and his laughter once again lights the quiet corners of their apartment. 

[daphnebowen]

Today’s prompt for twelve days of rina is favorite musical moment. I am going to be completely honest I have no idea what this means. Is it talking about song wise or like actually performance wise during an actual musical?

I’m gonna go with the first one.

my absolute favorite rina song has to be love you forever. and sure, Gina really doesn’t sing a whole lot during the song but does that matter? No. It’s about Gina, for Gina, to Gina. the implications of this song are incredible. Ricky is promising his whole life and forever to this girl. he’s known her for a year and a half basically and thru that year they have been thru so much together. They’ve grown together, grown apart, grown towards each other, and now are growing together again. some of my favorite absolute lines from love you forever(this might turn into a whole lyrical analysis bc there are so many good lyrics so just buckle up):

“I’ve never been more sure of what I’ve got, I’m staring at the only thing I want, so”

UGH. this line. It kills me, every time! Ricky is confident in his love for Gina. He knows what he feels and he’s known it for a while, but the problem is he didn’t know when to tell her. their lives have been a whirlwind of crazy for a couple of months but I am fairly certain that Richard Bowen has moved Gina Porter for a long time.

“I’ve been running I don’t know what from”

this is Ricky Bowen to a tee. He’s the guy who runs, he’s the guy who disappears when things get rough, he’s the guy who hides away when he doesn’t want to confront his feelings. so the fact that Ricky is now admitting this to Gina and showing her now that he knows what he’s done in the past but he’s changing! He’s gone thru so much character growth and he’s better for it! And I think that takes so much courage to be able to admit that because everyone he’s friends with knows Ricky’s habits. they can put two and two together. The camera guys, they don’t get the meaning of this line, eh whatever, he’s noncommittal, but it’s not that, it is so much more than that, and Gina knows that and Gina gets that.

“but you and I’ve become a sacred kinda home”

ah yes. this line. Gina is Ricky’s home. Gina is the place where she feels seen, and understood, and known. Ricky was the first person to see Gina for who she truly was and look past all of the intimidation and the fronts she was putting on so people wouldn’t know the real her. but Ricky saw her for who she was. and for me, this is a promise to Ricky. They’re building their own sacred home together and that to me is so special.

“so rare so real right here in this moment”

oh my. I love this line so much. the usage of the word rare is so amazing I have no words, bc rare really does define Gina and Ricky’s relationship. they’ve gone thru so many unique problems and really did get it all, because in so many movies you can’t have it all. If this were any other show Gina would have had to pick between New Zealand and Ricky, between her future job and her future love. but in this case her futures are tied together, they are one and the same, if that makes sense. she can have both and she will have both, because Ricky and Gina’s relationship is rare and true and beautiful and absolutely real.

“cause I love you feels a lot like high school and forever after that”

again, I just love this line because of the implication that rina can and will have everything that they want. they beat the odds, essentially. They’re meant to be and they’ve proven it. love can be found all over, whether romantic or platonic even. The relationships that you make in high school don’t have to end when you graduate - they can last forever beyond that and Ricky and Gina are proving it. and like I said earlier, how in some movies the girl has to choice between her dream career and her dream guy and with hsmtmts season four, she doesn’t. She makes her own future with both of her dreams in it. and that is so powerful and profound. bless these script writers and these song writers.

“I wanna finish what we started in the stairwell where we met”

oh my gawwww-

this is probably one of the most rooted lines in rinas history (that sentence did not make sense but I’m too tired to find out a way for it to make sense so suck it up). the fact that they met and instantly clicked and had a gut instinct from a two minute conversation in a stairwell about an ex and how to win her back. Even when Ricky didn’t think he was going to speak to her ever again both of them did what they do best: give each other some of the best advice of their lives, whether they realized it or not. Gina wouldn’t have gone to theater club if not for Ricky. Ricky wouldn’t have sang itikyk and gotten Troy and started rina on this whole crazy journey if he hadn’t spoken to this “intimidating” girl and gotten her advice. and even though we know this flashback wasn’t shot originally in season one (I’m pretty sure, right?) you can tell that the chemistry is off the charts. From one sighting. and the “finishing what we started,” going big with the declaration of love, that’s what Ricky is finishing. He’s finishing what they started but also continuing their love story on. and that is beautiful and heartbreaking and I will never ever be over them.

[russellsppttemplates]

Rora having separation anxiety after mick starts working again

Note: mentions separation anxiety moments (not detailed nor defining of a situation as this is something that I hold so much respect and feel a certain responsibility over)

Aurora had been usually quiet after Mick left that morning, her teacher noticing that and telling you when you went to pick her up from school, "My husband had to travel for the race, the season just begun, that's probably it. But thank you for letting me know", you smiled as you saw your little girl come to you, her arms hugging your legs before you ruffle her curls, "Hi, Aurora, how was your day?", you asked one you started walking to the car, "it was good. Have you talked to papa?", she asked, "I haven't, he said he arrived at the hotel and that he was heading for a meeting, but he texted me that", earning a "oh" from her as she sunk back into her car seat.

Since Sebastian was already home with Corinna, who had offered to pick him up from nursery, you let Aurora into the house while you gathered her your things from the day, taking them out of the car and heading inside as well, seeing that Corinna already had some snacks ready for them, "Hi mama, how was your day?", Sebastian asked as soon as he saw you, munching in his biscuit as you kissed the top of his head, "it was good, thanks Seb. And you, did you behave well for Oma?", you said before you greeted Corinna, seeing your little boy nod while Aurora ate her food quietly, "Mama, can we call papa? Oma said she hasn't talked to him either", she said in such a small voice that your heart ached for her, "sure, let me check with him if I can call, okay?", you said as you texted your husband.

The videocall helped you bring Aurora back, the cheery girl now holding the phone in front of her and Sebastian as they told Mick about their day, "I think Rora is really missing Mick, I feel like she's at the age where she understands the risks and how long he is actually away for", you shared with Corinna, "Mick and Gina were the same when they were their age, they start noticing that papa is not here, but at the end of the say these moments make them so happy, so you can get by. If you need any help, though, let us know".

Corinna had stayed for dinner but left just before bed time, which was easier that you had expected, leaving you now to sit in your bed, book in hand as you caught up in your novel when you heard some tiny footsteps and Angie, "Mama, can I come in, please?", Aurora said quietly as she opened the bedroom door, "sure, princess, is everything okay?", you asked, setting your book down on the bedside table as she climbed up the bed and sat next to you, "Do you think papa is going to be okay? The cars he drives are very fast, and then he has to make his way home, all the way from where he is", she said, voicing the worries she had since Mick left, "how long have you thought about that, Aurora?", you said gently as you held her hands in yours, "Papa was here still, and I know how sometimes they hit the wall, or how he sometimes complains about his neck and back", she listed, "well, princess, it is true that sometimes accidents happen on track. But it is also true that the cars are safe, there are a lot of people working on them to make sure all of the drivers, and papa included, are safe when they drive. And papa has been doing it for years too, he knows what he is doing", you smoothed her curls away from her eyes.

"Do you ever get scared?", she asked, and you thought about it. How kids mirror adults' behaviours and how you were a role for her and how she could feel about things in the world she didn't know about yet, "sometimes I do, I'm not going to lie to you. But you know how I stay calm about it?", you asked as she shook her head no, "I trust papa, I trust everyone on the team that works in the car. And whenever I have doubts or fears, I talk to someone. It was very brave of you to come and talk to me, Aurora. I'm very proud that you did it", you smiled, encouraging her to flash you one of hers, "I sometimes have this heavy feeling on my chest when I think about this, and it's not nice", she explained, "that would be fear maybe? You remember that purple guy on the movie we watched?", you offered and she nodded before speaking up, "in the movie they said it was okay to feel fear sometimes, it's normal".

Smiling at your clever girl, you reassured her, "it is, and whenever I feel that fear, I try to imagine what I want to do with papa when he comes back from his race", you offered, "what would you like to do?", you asked, "we can go and get those tiny cakes me and Sebastian like, go on walks with Angie, go and visit you at work!", she squealed as she got distracted by Mick's side of the bed, "can I sleep with you here today?", she wondered, "sure, princess", you smiled, "there's plenty of room for us, and if Sebastian joins us at some point, we all fit here anyway", you said before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "thank you mama, goodnight".

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[mariacallous]

When OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm last year, it caught many power brokers in both Silicon Valley and Washington, DC, by surprise. The US government should now get advance warning of future AI breakthroughs involving large language models, the technology behind ChatGPT.

The Biden administration is preparing to use the Defense Production Act to compel tech companies to inform the government when they train an AI model using a significant amount of computing power. The rule could take effect as soon as next week.

The new requirement will give the US government access to key information about some of the most sensitive projects inside OpenAI, Google, Amazon, and other tech companies competing in AI. Companies will also have to provide information on safety testing being done on their new AI creations.

OpenAI has been coy about how much work has been done on a successor to its current top offering, GPT-4. The US government may be the first to know when work or safety testing really begins on GPT-5. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We're using the Defense Production Act, which is authority that we have because of the president, to do a survey requiring companies to share with us every time they train a new large language model, and share with us the results—the safety data—so we can review it,” Gina Raimondo, US secretary of commerce, said Friday at an event held at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. She did not say when the requirement will take effect or what action the government might take on the information it received about AI projects. More details are expected to be announced next week.

The new rules are being implemented as part of a sweeping White House executive order issued last October. The executive order gave the Commerce Department a deadline of January 28 to come up with a scheme whereby companies would be required to inform US officials of details about powerful new AI models in development. The order said those details should include the amount of computing power being used, information on the ownership of data being fed to the model, and details of safety testing.

The October order calls for work to begin on defining when AI models should require reporting to the Commerce Department but sets an initial bar of 100 septillion (a million billion billion or 1026) floating-point operations per second, or flops, and a level 1,000 times lower for large language models working on DNA sequencing data. Neither OpenAI nor Google have disclosed how much computing power they used to train their most powerful models, GPT-4 and Gemini, respectively, but a congressional research service report on the executive order suggests that 1026 flops is slightly beyond what was used to train GPT-4.

Raimondo also confirmed that the Commerce Department will soon implement another requirement of the October executive order requiring cloud computing providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to inform the government when a foreign company uses their resources to train a large language model. Foreign projects must be reported when they cross the same initial threshold of 100 septillion flops.

Raimondo’s announcement comes on the same day that Google touted the release of new data highlighting the prowess of its latest artificial intelligence model, Gemini, showing it surpassing OpenAI’s GPT-4, which powers ChatGPT, on some industry benchmarks. The Commerce Department may get early warning of Gemini’s successor, if the project uses enough of Google’s ample cloud computing resources.

Rapid progress in the field of AI last year prompted some AI experts and executives to call for a temporary pause on the development of anything more powerful than GPT-4, the model currently used for ChatGPT.

Samuel Hammond, senior economist at the Foundation for American Innovation, a think tank, says a key challenge for the federal government is that a model does not necessarily need to surpass a compute threshold in training to be potentially dangerous.

Dan Hendrycks, director of the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, says the requirement is proportionate given recent developments in AI and concerns about its power. “Companies are spending many billions on AI training, and their CEOs are warning that AI could be superintelligent in the next couple of years,” he says. “It seems reasonable for the government to be aware of what AI companies are up to.”

Anthony Aguirre, executive director of the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring transformative technologies benefit humanity, agrees. “As of now, giant experiments are running with effectively zero outside oversight or regulation,” he says. “Reporting those AI training runs and related safety measures is an important step. But much more is needed. There is strong bipartisan agreement on the need for AI regulation and hopefully congress can act on this soon.”

Raimondo said at the Hoover Institution event Friday that the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working to define standards for testing the safety of AI models as part of the creation of a new US government AI Safety Institute. Determining how risky an AI model is typically involves probing a model to try and evoke problematic behavior or output, a process known as “red teaming.”

Raimondo said that her department is working on guidelines that will help companies better understand the risks that might lurk in the models they are hatching. These guidelines could include ways of ensuring AI cannot be used to commit human rights abuses, she suggested.

The October executive order on AI gives the NIST until July 26 to have those standards in place, but some working with the agency say that it lacks the funds or expertise required to get this done adequately.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.227 thoughts

[Gina Really Said "I Like Either-Or" Like We Didn't Already Know]

or

[CHANGE!!! YA GOT CHANGE?!?!]

(Topics: speculation - Juiz and Julia/story progression, character analysis - Gina/Change, thematic analysis - change)

Okay, so...no L001 flashback this week, and Unjustice did not manifest from the injustice of Apocalypse's death. No worries, I'm used to being wrong about these things, and with how this week's chapter played out, I'm glad I was!

Like I've said before, Unjustice's activation carries with it the implication that all of the Master Rule fights will come to an end, either with a total party kill or mass recruitment initiative, so the fact that Julia didn't instantly gain Unjustice means that the game ending move is still yet to come. Not only does this mean that we still get to see more of the individual Master Rule fights, it also means that Julia's character arc still has further room to develop

Specifically, it looks like we're going to be revisiting one of our favorite questions: is Julia still Juiz?

Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru

Soul's statement that "you're already dead" to Julia doesn't so much seem like a threat that she doesn't stand a chance, but rather an observation of the state of her soul. He's addressing Unjustice, which is to say the wielder of Unjustice that he's fought about a hundred times already; if he, the authority on souls, says that that Unjustice, Juiz, is dead, then there can be no doubt that there is at least some truth to his words

We discussed it some last week, and will likely discuss it again in the near future, but by Julia's own admission, she isn't Juiz. She has different experiences, different opinions, different dreams; the Juiz of L100 has changed, but instead of becoming the Juiz of L101, she's become Julia, who has echoes of Juiz within her, but cannot be said to be Juiz

The way Soul sees it, Julia is such a departure from Juiz, her soul a Ship of Theseus constructed by her new life, that the two cannot be said to be the same. If that's the case, then even with Juiz's memories from Apocalypse or from Remember, Julia cannot become Juiz anymore than Andy can become Victor; rather than integrating with her past self like Nico, the existence of one identity supersedes the other, and the presence of the now erases the traces of the then

Except, while that may well be the truth, is it the whole truth? As Change says, if Juiz's incarnation into Julia is truly such a drastic change, then it should be fine to leave her be. Even with Juiz's memories, if Julia is such a different person, then she should have no way to awaken Unjustice at all, and should be safe for Soul to ignore

Therefore, for Soul to still consider her a threat, to still go out of his way to impede her both indirectly and directly, he must tacitly acknowledge that the part of Juiz that most strongly defines her is still alive in Julia's soul, even if they're separate entities

I still don't know if Juiz has a way to manifest back into the world, but I am so sure that we haven't seen the last of her; just like Gina was able to speak to her L100 self, Julia has to get to talk to Juiz. I can't possibly envision a better way for Julia to awaken and master Unjustice than to give Juiz the opportunity to see and appreciate the gift that Victor gave her

But since Juiz and Julia's co-development is being set up as the coup de grace, it has to wait just a bit longer and give everyone else their time to shine

The Wisdom to Know the Difference

And first in line to get their capstone moment is Gina "I Go Both Ways" Chamber! A little earlier than I projected, but to be fair I was generically putting them in Master Rule order rather than thinking of what order would carry the most weight, so Gina taking the lead is actually a great start!

Gina's been the spearhead of the cast practically since the beginning, being the first real challenge that Andy and Fuuko faced, the first Negator added to Fuuko's Roundtable, the first one to use their soul to meet a previous user of their Rule, and now the first one to use their growth to force a Master Rule into Phase 3. As the Vessel of Change, of course Gina is the one to start the domino chain of changing to overcome and negate the Rules that tie them down

Along the same lines, Webmantis suggests on twitter that since she already met her past self through Autumn, Gina would be the least affected by Remember. I wholeheartedly agree, as Gina puts on her past self's jacket to demonstrate her understanding, acceptance and integration of L100 Gina's perspective into her own, the same process we can assume that everyone else will go through once Remember is used

Instead of refuting her past self's perspective and coming to believe in the opposite, Gina now sees the beauty of both things that do and do not change: she still values the freedom of the unchanging to always be exactly what they want to be, not being swayed by the whims or will of anyone else but themselves, but she also has come to value the freedom of the changing, not being stuck in their own ways and therefore capable of adapting of their own will

Just as the tree that does not bend in the wind breaks in it, the previous Gina refused to allow anyone or anything to sway her, even time itself, and became so entrenched in remaining the same that she failed to affect any meaningful change in the world around her. However, her way of life was not wrong, just incomplete, and she was able to teach the current Gina the conviction she needed to stand firm for the sake of what she believes in

This leads us to today, where Gina is both resolute and flexible based on her own desires; if she's told she has to change, she won't, and if she's told she can't change, she will. No one gets to decide how Gina lives but her, and that's truly the one thing that won't change

Unfortunately, it seems that the same can't be said for Change herself

Out of Control

Tozuka has always shown tremendous skill at creating foils, but I think that Change kinda takes the cake on this one. Not only are Gina and Change both afraid of their opposing forces, they're afraid of those two sides of the same coin for the exact same reason

Gina is afraid of change because it means that external forces can come to take away the familiar without warning, that everything she knows can be upended and she won't be able to do anything about it

Change, on the other hand, is afraid of things that can't change because she can't affect them. Anything that defies her Rule, the Rule that everything changes, is a threat to her specifically because she has no control over it

Both Gina and Change have a strong desire for personal autonomy, and exercise that autonomy through control of their surroundings, either being able to make things immutable or malleable respectively. It's ironic, then, that Gina was able to become better at making things immutable by allowing herself to become more malleable while Change failed to properly make Gina's Unchanging constructs malleable because of her own rigid and immutable view of the Rules

Since Unchange negates change, Change believes Unchange to be completely incapable of changing itself, and that its status as an external-targeting ability is, by definition, set-in-stone. However, by assuming Unchange is unchangeable, Change hypocritically ignores that this would make Unchange the very exception to her Rule that she so vehemently claims doesn't exist. Indeed, it is because everything including Unchange is changeable, that Gina is able to bypass the external limitation and meaningfully harm Change

Change claimed that nothing was immune to her Rule while paradoxically insisting that Unchange couldn't change, yet another example of the way that the Rules change themselves based on perceived need. They always have to be right, nothing is allowed to be an exception, except when they say so because it doesn't fit in their rigidly defined worldview and therefore doesn't count. There's nothing that "I" can't change, but "you" can't change yourself. That is how Change's dialogue comes off, completely lacking any self-awareness of her own abject hypocrisy

The most telling instance of this hypocrisy is when Gina starts to soliloquize, to explain how her previous self, after a life of stagnation, finally changed - and Change silences her. Gina admits that she's capable of change, that she no longer fears it and embraces the Rule, and the Rule itself rejects her. Change should be overjoyed to hear that her Negator is acknowledging her, any other UMA would be so smug to hear their Vessel acquiescing to them, but Change becomes incensed. She's so sure that Gina is incapable of changing that when she finally does, it means that Change herself has to change her perspective and interpretation; an external factor, something outside of her control, has told her to change and she cannot accept that

So she tells Gina that she can't change. She rejects her own Rule and insists that Gina is the exception. Her interpretation, immutable and unchanging, sets Gina in stone as the one thing she can't change

So Gina changes. She rejects Change's Rule and finds the exception to her external targeting limit. Her interpretation, that her feelings and resolve are unchanging, allows her the flexibility to target her soul

With Gina's soul now targeted by Unchange, it becomes a fist. With Change designating Gina as unchangeable, she cannot negate Unchange, and the fist makes contact. The fist harms Change, changing her. Change cannot change Gina, but Gina can change Change

The fight continues, but given everything we've seen, I don't think we'll see the conclusion just yet

What Comes Next

This was Gina's defining moment, and the proof that her way is correct and superior to Change's; while Change is on the back foot, now is the perfect time to cut away to someone else's story and give them the opportunity to do the same. Once everyone has gotten their time, that is when the Master Rules will regain the upper hand, including Change

Only then, once everyone has proven themselves complete people but been pushed to their most desperate moment, will Julia do the same and gain Unjustice, turning the tides back in their favor

After this chapter, seeing Change's ironic insistence on not changing, I am more convinced than ever that Unjustice will not, in fact, kill her or the other Master Rules. If Change's justice is blindly clinging to her own need for control, I think it would only be just for her to let go. For her, and the other Master Rules, to change

Even if I'm wrong, though, and Unjustice simply puts the Master Rules out of their eons-long misery, I still have faith that Tozuka will make it just as compelling and satisfying a conclusion as he always has

And that's one thing that will never change

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

Hook 'Em Hard by Cathryn Fox is now available!

https://geni.us/HookEmHard Available on All Platforms

Maeve Carter, Boston Bucks’ team physiotherapist, is the definition of beautiful. As a former model, her stunning looks have defined her—just ask the paparazzi or the stalker who made her life miserable. But I see more. Want more. And she can never know that.

You see, she’s my oldest teammate's daughter, and I can’t touch that with a ten-foot hockey stick. Until a single mistake puts her in my bed, turning everything upside down.

You know what they say about the best laid plans—pun intended.

I should walk away. I need to walk away. Except now that I have her where I’ve always wanted her, I’m hooked…hard.

But then we have to fake a relationship to appease my meddling mother. Only problem is, I don’t want to fake it anymore.

What do you think I should do about that?

Start the entire standalone hockey series now! https://www.bangbrothersbooks.com/

Meet the Bang Brothers—five hot hockey-playing brothers who are allergic to commitment.

The brothers are about to face off against their newly-retired mother…who suddenly has plenty of time to play matchmaker. Add in their baby sister and some secret dating, a single dad, an accidental pregnancy, a marriage of convenience, and a wrong bed—or two—and these siblings are not going to know what hit them!

Bang Brothers Hockey Series Titles:

ALL AVAILABLE NOW! Book 1: Lace ’em Up by Elise Faber Book 2: Show ’em How by Jami Davenport Book 3: Hit ’em Hard by Kat Mizera Book 4: Lock ’em Down by Gina Azzi Book 5: Light ’em Up by Kelly Jamieson

Book 6: Hook ’em Hard by Cathryn Fox

[jonesy-and-max]

part 15: Synchronicity

Max let out a heavy sigh, bouncing his foot as he sat on the ground, his back against the brick. Both of his hands were buried in his hair, his fingers intertwined.

“I fucked up so bad, dude.” He said out loud, mostly to himself, but if Louie wanted to respond, he wouldn’t be opposed.

“How come?” Louie chewed on one of his drumsticks.

Max scrunched his nose and opened his mouth in disbelief. Maybe he was opposed to Louie responding after all. The kid wasn’t exactly known for his worldly and wise takes on interpersonal relationships.

“Are you joking? I messed around with Gina, Jonesy’s sister!”

“Oh!” Louie laughed, “Yeah, that’s crazy, man! Why’d you do that, she’s such a bitch.”

“Hey!” Max jumped to his feet and flicked Louie’s earlobe.

“Ow! Hey!”

“Don’t call her a bitch! She’s not a bitch!”

“Yes, she is! That’s, like, her defining feature.”

“Okay. Maybe she is a bitch. But, like, she’s dope, too. You don’t even know her.”

“HA-HA you like herrrrrrrrrr,” Louie taunted Max, pointing and laughing, “What a poser!”

Max flipped him off and knocked his hat off his head, “Grow up, buttmunch!”

“Hey!” Louie tried to catch it, but failed, “Don’t take it out on me. I was the one that got us this sweet ass spot in the line.”

Max whined and crossed his arms, returning to his spot against the wall.

Louie brushed the dirt off his hat and returned it to its rightful place on his curly head. He looked at Max with a furrowed brow, but quickly softened as he could see his hero was actually upset.

“Did you guys…like, actually…” Louie jammed his pointer into his fist, he couldn’t restrain the cheeky smirk on his face.

“Stop that!” Max smacked his hands apart, “No! Not really.”

“Not really? What does that mean?”

Max rolled his eyes and pulled Louie in closer, “We made out, like, hard, and kinda dry fucked,” Max made two fists and ground them against each other, “Until it wasn’t so dry anymore.”

“Awesome!!”

“It was awesome!” Max and Louie high fived, “But now Jonesy fuckin’ hates me, dude.”

“Hey! No, dude, no way!” Louie wasn’t going to let that kind of talk stand, “Jonesy does not hate you!”

Max wiped his nose with his sleeve, not making eye contact with his young friend, “Why wouldn’t she?” He was desperate for any liferaft that he could hold onto, but he wouldn’t allow himself the satisfaction of his guilt being relieved, at least not by his own hand.

“Because! You’re Jonesy and Max! You guys are special…You’re everything!” Louie threw his hands in the air, “There’s no way she would throw away all that you guys have over this.”

Max allowed himself to look at Louie, the smallest of hopeful smiles touched his lips.

“Plus, there’s no way she’d give Gina the satisfaction of breaking you guys up.”

He was right, Jonesy would rather die than let Gina win. The smile grew slightly. Max patted Louie on his shoulder, grabbing it and giving him a loving, appreciative little shake.

“Thanks, dude. You’re right about that for sure.” Max chuckled. He had been given a small glimmer of hope and that was enough for now.

Louie knew he had done good. A big goofy smile spread across his face.

“I’m always right!” Louie winked, probably, underneath all that hair, “When are you gonna figure that out?”

Despite Max’s personal crisis, opening day marched on. The doors opened, tickets were bought, and the Chain-Slaughter faithful stampeded into the lobby of Dreamland Theater. Max, for the moment, forgot his troubles in the fervor, and rushed alongside the mob in a desperate bid for choice seating. Louie broke off, as planned, to obtain one large popcorn and a medium Cherry Coke for Max, nachos, a large Mountain Dew, and a hotdog with ketchup, mustard, and relish for himself. 

Once in the theater, the savagery was on full display. The best row was in absolute turmoil, one larger fellow in the worst Edgar Salt cosplay Max had ever seen had a teenager with greasy blond hair in a headlock, while another teen climbed over the burly assailant. The costumed wannabe wrestler swatted at him like a desperate King Kong. Towards the middle, two goth girls had lifted a bespeckled, scrawny, nerd above their heads as he scratched and clawed, throwing his popcorn around. The popcorn fell around everyone’s heads like rain as another man attempted to lay across three chairs. In the farther back seats, two patchy bearded men had each other by the throat as a woman attached herself to the fatter one’s back, sinking her teeth into his plaid covered shoulder. These scenes repeated themselves all throughout the theater as Max headbutted a pimply teen in the face, clawing his way onto the back of a seat, leaping on all fours across four hefty Slaughter-heads, and diving into an open seat slightly too close to the theater screen. Here he would make his stand. He whipped off his jacket and used it to save the open seat next to him for Louie. Out of the carnage a man crawled, pulling himself in Max’s direction, his shirt torn, his elbows bruised, a soda straw sticking out of his ear. He reached for Louie’s saved seat. Max went on all fours and snarled, gnashing at the beleaguered ghoul, almost distracting him from the interlopers behind him. In one quick motion, Max scooped up the waifish weeb from the floor and tossed him, crossbody at the oncoming invaders. Max stood on his upholstered territory, one foot on the seat the other atop the back, and howled. The fiery flash of madness in his eye, his tongue hanging free, and his fang in full display, he looked back and forth at the encroaching masses begging them for flesh and blood.

“You want some?!” He taunted with unhinged glee, “Come get some!”

His gambit successful, the attackers turned to find less fearsome prey. His territory staked out, Max dropped to his seat and kicked both his feet up into the saved spot to his left.

“Hey, Jonesy!” Max looked to his right, “Did you see -” The rush of excitement drained from his body. He was alone. “Oh…right.”

The battle exhausted, treaties were signed, and borders were drawn. Few would forget what happened there that day, whether through tale or trauma. Max waved to Louie as he entered carrying the delectable provisions in his overstuffed arms. Louie handed Max his popcorn and soda and dropped down into his saved seat.

“Aw man, we’re so close to the screen, you couldn’t get anything better?”

Max scowled, icily, “I got what I got.”

Louie sighed and shrugged, “I guess it’s fine.”

Max rolled his eyes and dipped into his popcorn. Louie took a big bite of his hotdog and a big slurp of his Mountain Dew.

“So,” Louie leaned over, “I’ve only seen Chain-Slaughter 2, you think I’ll get what’s going on in this one?”

Max tossed a piece of popcorn towards his mouth, his sudden shock causing him to miss, hitting himself right between the eyes. His eyes wide with disbelief, he froze, motionless, before turning his head slowly to look at his diminutive movie date.

“Eh,” Louie shrugged, “I’ll figure it out.”

Max lifted his glasses and held his face in the palms of his hands, groaning.

The lights finally went down and the audience cheered and hollered with excitement. Louie bounced up and down in his seat, kicking his feet, nearly knocking over his nachos. Noticeably subdued was Max, as he feigned a big smile for Louie, who turned to look at him as the previews began to play. As much as he wanted to enjoy the experience and lose himself in the world playing out in front of him, it was just no use. Every time he thought of a particularly spicy heckle he impulsively turned to his right to share it with Jonesy. Instead he was greeted with an increasingly uncomfortable middle aged man with a handlebar mustache. Louie was only exacerbating the situation, unable to sit still in his seat, something behind him would catch his attention, constantly turning around to look behind him at the audience, which caused him to miss moments in the movie, which then led to him asking Max what he missed. And on and on it went, around and around. Finally, about a half an hour into the flick, Louie realized he had finished his soda, hot dog, and his nachos.

He leaned over to Max, not quite whispering, “I’m out of snacks, I’m gonna go get a popcorn, you want anything?”

“Nope!” Max hissed, trying to restrain his annoyance.

“Be right back!”

Max sat alone in the theater, surrounded by laughter and joy, excited cheers and horrified gasps. He had seldom felt so alone. Finally, he had had enough. Louie had been gone now for almost fifteen minutes, and he wasn’t going to sit there, miserable, by himself any longer. Max rolled the top of his bag of popcorn and made his way out of the theater, leaving behind the delighted screams and whoops of the dedicated audience. 

As he made his way to the lobby, the mystery of Louie’s disappearing act had been revealed. He was guzzling more Dew, locked into a game of Time Crisis 2 in the lobby arcade. He held in his hand the neon blue plastic gun attached to the game, dodging and weaving imaginary enemies, lost in the onslaught of the virtual world.

“Max!” Louie caught his pal from the corner of his eye, “Have you ever played this game?? It’s fuckin’ mint!”

“Yeah, dude,” Max rolled his eyes, “Hey, I’m getting out of here.”

“What??” Louie never took his attention away from the game, pulling the trigger manically, taking out five more bad guys, “How come??”

“It’s just…not the same without Jonesy.”

“Aw,” Louie wasn’t super paying attention, but did his best, “That sucks! I hope you feel better!”

“Huh?” Max raised an eyebrow, “Sure, whatever, man, thanks.” He shook his head, giving him a sarcastic thumbs up.

“Hey!” Louie called after him, “You got any spare quarters??”

Max pretended he couldn’t hear him and exited the theater. The night had grown cold, with a chilly breeze that caught him by surprise. He wrapped himself in his jacket, took out his beanie and pulled it over his head. He tossed his leftover popcorn in the trash with a defeated sigh and made his way to his van.

He couldn’t help thinking about Jonesy. Without him by her side, who knew what could happen! She was completely exposed, no one was there to watch her back! She could be in a ditch somewhere, dying, calling his name, asking “Why, Max? Where were you when I needed you?” He picked up his pace. Maybe she hadn’t left for the SIlver Mine yet. Maybe there was still time! He began to run. Picking up speed until he turned the corner into the parking lot. He was so deep in his thoughts when he made that turn, he was caught completely off guard by what he encountered next.

“Fuckin’!!” Max yelped in surprise.

Leaning against his van, finishing a cigarette, wrapped in the teal and purple of a Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket was Gina Jones. She raised a judgmental eyebrow as she watched Max spin around and clutch his chest.

“What the fuck dude!” Max swiped at the air, “You scared the shit outta me! What are you doing here??”

Gina took a last drag of her butt and flicked it away, stomping towards Max. Max took a step back, his eyes darting back and forth in panic. She gave him a shove and start raining smacks down all over his chest.

“Hey! Ow!” Max tried to defend himself, “Quit it!”

Gina growled and continued the onslaught, her little hands pummeled him all over his leather jacket.

“Okay, okay!” Max retreated, “I surrender!”

“Fuck you, Max!”

“Fuck me?? What’d I do??”

“This!” Gina pointed to the very light bruising near her right eye, “Is your fault!”

Max moved in carefully, lightly put his hand underneath Gina’s chin and moved her head so he could get a better look. 

“Who did that?”

She slapped his hand away.

“Lindsay! She went completely psycho on me!”

Max couldn’t hold back his bemused delight, “Bwahahaa! Why?? Cause we made out??” The idea of it all just sounded so ridiculous to him. He shook his head in astonishment.

“Yes, numbnuts!”

“Bwahaha!” Max put a hand on his belly as he laughed. He never could’ve predicted in a million years how this day played out. The absurdity of it all seemed to hit him all at once.

“It’s not funny, you dirt!” Gina stomped her foot.

Max wiped the tears from his eyes and composed himself, “Oh, come on, it’s at least kind of funny!”

Gina launched into another barrage of smacks.

“Okay, okay!” He implored through snickers, “You’re right, it’s not funny!” A smirk still on his face.

Gina backed off, “She thinks I only made out with you to, like, fuck with her. To mess with your friendship and stuff. She thinks I’m messing with you.”

“To be fair, you’ve done some shitty things to Jonesy over the years.”

Gina pouted, looking off to her right at nothing, “She didn’t have to hit me.”

“I think you’re lucky all she did was hit you.” Max chuckled.

“Eat shit!” She flipped him off and stormed away, heading back to her car.

“Hey!” Alright, he may have pushed a little too far, Max admitted to himself. He jogged after her, “Hey, Gina, I’m sorry!”

Gina stopped and turned around as Max caught up with her.

“Was it bullshit, Max?” Gina’s face softened, she looked up at him with clear eyes, vulnerable to whatever would come next.

Max opened his mouth, no words came out, he closed it again. He furrowed his brow, took a deep breath and sighed deeply. His amusement gone now, he looked into the beautiful, earnest, honey brown eyes of the girl in front of him. Max was a man of feelings and impulses, not so much one for words. Expressing his feelings through eloquence was a skill he lacked, and he was fully aware of this shortcoming. He took Gina’s hands and gently pulled her closer to him. He noticed how cold her hands were, he wondered how long she had been out here waiting for him. He held them firmly and brought them to his chest to keep them warm.

“It wasn’t bullshit.” He smiled. “I really like you, Gina.”

She looked down and smiled.

He leaned in, almost whispering into her ear, “I just thought you hated me this whole time.”

She looked into his eyes, “I do hate you.”

Max chuckled, closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers. They both opened their eyes and kissed. Gina met Max’s height on the balls of her feet as she reached for his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, their lips never leaving each other. He set her back down and took her hand again.

“Max…” She began, “Is this, like…something?” She asked, scared of the butterflies in her chest and the yearning beat of her own heart.

“I want it to be…”

Gina’s stomach twisted into a knot, “...But?”

Another heavy sigh escaped Max’s lungs, “Every bone in my body wants to just…” He searched for the least disgusting words he could think of, couldn’t find them, instead for once erring on the side of his better judgment, “...But I need to think about my friendship with your sister. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.”

“Yeah,” She sighed, “I know. Look, I guess I get it. I’m not trying to fuck you guys up. I’m really not.”

“Dude, I know I'm not exactly a genius or whatever, but I’m pretty good at detecting bullshit,” He gave Gina’s shoulder a playful little push, “I mean, you made out with me at, honestly, one of my grossest moments ever. I was covered in pepper spray, snot, spit, and puke! And you still wanted a piece of this.” Max gestured to his stocky body.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” Gina stuck out her tongue.

“If you were gonna mess with me, there have been quite a few better, less barfy, moments for you to do it!”

Gina laughed despite herself.

“I’m still pretty rank actually,” Max sniffed himself.

“You don’t get to touch me again until you shower.”

“Don’t try to change me, baby!”

Gina rolled her eyes and laughed with Max until they were left with the silence of the parking lot and the night sky.

“So.” She posed.

“So…” He agreed.

“Now what?”

“I dunno,” Max held himself and bit his lip, “So like, for now, let’s just chill.”

“Okay.” Gina smiled, and agreed with a maturity she had never experienced before.

“Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay!” Max smiled and took her hand in his. “Maybe we can hang out sometime, take it slow. Just the two of us?”

“Like a date?” Gina softened. “Or whatever.”

“Or whatever!” Max couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

Gina laughed, Max’s warmth could be infectious, it was hard to stay even annoyed with him for long periods of time.

“Hell yeah, dude!” He lifted her up and spun her around, she giggled and kissed him as he set her down once again.

“Oh, what the fuck is this happy horseshit?”

The familiar mocking tone of Farley suddenly cut short Max and Gina’s moment. With the steady clop-clop of chunky heels on pavement, Farley emerged from the frosty October night. Greg slithered behind her, kicking a trash can over as he followed in his counterparts steps. Her joyless laughter assaulted Max’s ears like nails on a chalkboard, he winced and clenched his fists.

“Am I seeing this right, Greggy?”

“I think it’s Jonesy’s mutt and her little sister swappin’ spit in a parking lot,” He lifted his aviators for a better look, “But that can not be right.”

“How about the two of you fuck all the way off before I fuck you off.” Max snarled.

“What does that even mean?” Farley snorted and cackled with Greg.

“Come a little closer and I’ll show you.”

Gina looked on, a puzzled expression on her face, before transforming into realization, “Holy shit, you’re Adriana Farley! From Italian Wedding!”

“Oh shit, the kid’s got taste! Are you sure you’re related to Jonesy?” Farley crossed her arms and cocked an amused eyebrow.

“I'm going to your show tomorrow!” Gina was, admittedly, a little starstruck.

“Don’t encourage them.” Max growled through his teeth.

“Now, I see Mutty Max, but where’s Jonesy?” Farley looked around, “Did she finally take my advice and kick your loser ass to the curb?”

“What the fuck are you even doing here, I thought Chain-Slaughter was for idiots, or whatever.”

“Oh, it definitely is. We just got out of The Chamber and noticed this display going on.” Farley lied, “I couldn’t help myself, I had to get a closer look.”

In reality the gruesome twosome had very much intended to see the new Chain-Slaughter, but arrived too late to score tickets. With no other plans, they had been sitting in Farley’s car for the past hour, drinking Zimas and smoking Newports. Greg had recognized the sound of Max’s voice and suggested they go fuck with him. 

Farley and Greg circled the couple like hungry hyenas. They smiled with bared teeth and watched them with hungry eyes.

“It’s just as horrible as we thought.”

“It’s actually worse up close.”

“Smells worse, too.”

“Did you shit yourself?”

“You smell like shit.”

“Are you into that, little girl? Homeless losers who smell like rank-ass shit?” Farley turned her attention towards Gina, “The very thought of putting your mouth on that…” Farley shuddered and pantomimed puking, “Willingly!”

“Willingly!” Greg echoed.

Farley and Greg stopped circling, standing in front of them, blocking their path to Max’s van, they laughed in braying hysterics.

Gina looked from Farley to Max and back to Farley, taken aback at what was going on, “Okay…I think that’s enough.” Gina had actually been excited to meet the lead singer of Italian Wedding, and was willing to look past the intrusion into her moment with Max, but now she was crossing some lines.

“Shut the fuck up, skank.” Farley scoffed, annoyed at her presence.

Gina’s eyes went wide, “Skank??” Lines had most definitely been crossed.

Gina may have been small, but the Jones temper was always alive and burning on the inside. She tried very hard not to engage in fights, she never wanted to be seen as a freak or a punk, like her sister. She hadn’t wanted to fight the Jennifers, it would have made things even worse for her in the long run at school. Would she have loved nothing more than to punch Jennifer C. in the throat? Break Jennifer K.’s new nose? Of course! And here was this bitch, practically begging for her to let it all out.

Max recognized the fire in Gina’s eyes, “Oh, that was a mistake.” He chuckled.

“I don’t make mistakes, I’m not your mom and dad.” Farley and Greg laughed at Max, proud of her cruel joke.

“You actually made two,” Max cracked his knuckles, “Number one: Jonesy ain’t here to hold me back, and numero dos: you just fucked with the wrong Jones sister, pal.”

In a beautiful display of synchronicity, Max and Gina swung both of their right legs back, and with all the force of a defensive midfielder for the JV women’s soccer team, planted their feet squarely between the legs of Farley and Greg. Max’s foot greeted Greg’s unsuspecting balls with all the anger and frustration that had been building inside of him all damn day. Gina’s steel-toed Doc Martens took a one way trip, at top speed, to its destination, finding Farley’s groin unprotected and unprepared for a clit-shattering, dead-on, cunt punt from hell.

The look of surprise and horror on both of their faces was, to Max, a work of art, but the real joy was what came next. Greg, naturally turning towards his master for a reassurance that would never come, released a torrent of gurgling puke that splattered all over Farley’s face. Worst of all, the blow between her legs came as such a surprise, she had gasped, unfortunately for her, at the same time Greg’s lunch had found its way back from his guts. 

Farley screamed, her knees on the pavement, clutching her groin with one hand, while the other desperately wiped the barf from her eyes. She spit Greg’s vomit from her mouth as she began to gag and retch. Greg, meanwhile, could only cry and cradle his shattered balls, rolling in the puddle of his own puke. Max gave Greg a swift kick in the gut for good measure.

“Hey!” Max realized, “I won a fight!”

“Thanks to me.” Gina flipped her hair in Max’s face, “Hey, Farley,” Gina grabbed a handful of Farley’s hair, forcing her to look her in the eyes, “This is for my sister!” A textbook right cross knocked Farley on her ass, leaving her to gaze blankly into the night’s sky.

Max picked up Greg’s aviators off the pavement, snapped them in two and handed them to Gina. She tossed them over her shoulder, grabbed Max by the lapels and pulled him in for a kiss.

[thesweetestsupervillains]

Gina has given up on this woman understanding her own oppression under the yoke of an unfair paradigm. But maybe she can enlighten her all the same. Ignorance is only a sin if you wallow in it, after all.

"Reality, such as it is, is defined by collective belief on a societal and cultural level. What is true, what rules apply, what is possible; all of that is defined by collective belief. When one does magic or advanced science, they essentially push against reality, and like a rubber band, reality is going to snap back into place. How much force it snaps back with is directly proportional to how outside of the paradigm you're acting."

"Granted, there are loopholes, but for now let's ignore them. If someone uses magic to, say, throw a fireball, they usually use some sort of method to justify the cost. Ergo, their spells have some sort of material or other component. This acts as a foci; and in friendly paradigms this makes the pressure against reality less forceful."

"In other words, you throw a fireball having done the proper hand motions and said the right things, reality doesn't push back much, or maybe not at all. You throw a fireball with nothing, reality pushing back. In an unfriendly paradigm, maybe none of that matters and reality punches you in the face for doing it. Maybe things just don't work at all, or they work less well. Maybe you get tired more easily or you develop adverse effects."

"Of course, there are ways around that. If you know what the paradigm is, you can work within it. Maybe instead of just doing something you pick up a lighter and make a fireball with that, and the fire is slightly bigger than normal, but it's still plausible, and reality doesn't punch you in the face."

Noelle sighs, trying to let the insults wash over her.

"Probably no more than you know about the Path of Suns. So perhaps you would kindly enlighten me?" Maybe then she can figure out just what this woman is talking about most of the time.

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

People: Women must be fiercely outspoken, strong-willed and independent

Woman: *encompasses all of those characteristics but has an unconventional opinion or an opinion that doesn’t follow the popular narrative*

People: Hey! She can’t do that. Shoot her or something!