#honestly could be because of the bad wifi but. STILL.

[dokries]

gonna cry WHY IS FORMATTING SO WEIRD.

[ahalliance]

some notable moments from the qsmp meta talk antoine, étoiles, baghera and co had yesterday, including the stuff i mentioned in this post <3 subtitles in eng, transcript in eng below the cut as well (I apologize for the bad video quality my wifi hates me)

[Video Transcript:

[First clip begins]

Etoiles: I’m— I’m gonna go on QSMP, I think

ZeratoR: (laughs) This really made him want to play Minecraft

Baghera: Ohh, lucky, I miss it

Etoiles: But— you still can’t come back?

Antoine: Well, technically, she could come back, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that

Baghera: (pained) Not as simple as that….

ZeratoR: What are you waiting for?

Etoiles: It’s Lost, it’s Lost

Antoine: Well, her character is dead in game

ZeratoR: Ahhh… but isn’t there a way to— to— a gimmick?

Antoine: No but don’t worry, there’ll probably be a gimmick (laughs) there’ll probably be a gimmick, don’t worry

Baghera: Don’t worry, don’t worry—

Antoine: No, she’s banned from the server! She’s banned from the server, it’s over

ZeratoR: Sucks! How did you die?

Antoine: Nuclear explosion

Baghera: Nuclear— yeah, nuclear explosion

ZeratoR: Ah yeah indeed you’re dead

Etoiles: That should have technically killed everyone—

Antoine: I hadn’t been there for a long time!

Etoiles: Well, I wasn’t there either— oh, well, you (laughs) you—

Antoine: I was elsewhere, I was elsewhere, dude

Etoiles: What a fraud you are (laughs)

ZeratoR: Where were you?

Antoine: I was elsewhere— somewhere else, I can’t say, it’s my lore, dude (laughs)

Etoiles: It’s his lore!

Antoine: I can’t say, dude, it’s my lore, dude

Étoiles: Antoine’s lore—

Baghera: Oh wow, you played around with that? Damn, I didn’t even see

ZeratoR: Basically he was glued to the bomb but well played to him

Etoiles: The lore in question (laughs)

Antoine: The lore in question, dude, it’s mad

Baghera: Take of yourselves guys! This was so cool

[Everyone says goodbye]

[Baghera leaves the call]

ZeratoR: Basically he was glued to the bomb but he found a gimmick

Antoine: Yeahhhh

Etoiles: The lore in question, just being the goat

Antoine: Yeah but the problem is that it’s my lore in every game, dude

Etoiles: (laughs) Oh but it’s really that. Antoine’s lore is being the goat

[Second clip begins]

Etoiles: Something that makes me laugh a bit is the fact that because there’s so many open plotlines it leads to fan theories that are sometimes really fun. There was a moment when my character’s skin, well, it was made for me with white eyes. And well I used it because I found it cool. And, actually, when I put it on, I read 65 tweets from people going, ‘hey, did you know that Etoiles’ character is blind because he actually lost his eyesight because he was—‘

Antoine: But you know on this server, the moment you say any sentence it gets overinterpreted in every way

Etoiles: It’s so funny—

Antoine: What’s wild is that there’s a billion theories on things, and for my part there are people that have understood some stuff about the theory and everything, which I find rather fun

Etoiles: Well it’s— you can’t reproach them because—

Antoine: Oh no precisely, I don’t want to reproach them, on the contrary I find it so cool!

Etoiles: Yeah but it’s funny the extent to which they get in their heads about it— like, you say one sentence on the server and you read a whole text of 65–

Antoine: Yeah, yeah it’s that

Etoiles: It’s really so funny

Angle Droit/Florence: Hmm, he said he was hungry at this given time, it’s surely a coded message

Etoiles: It’s really that!

Antoine: No but really, it’s really that, you know

Etoiles: But you know it’s honestly that, Florence

Antoine: You say a little sentence that’s supposed to be a joke and it’ll be interpreted seriously because ‘there’s this, and this, and that’, you see. But the thing is, it’s often completely wrong, but sometimes it’s correct. So they have every reason to continue theorising, honestly, I find. I think they have every reason to continue theorising, it’s very interesting

Etoiles: You’re just correct the goat, dude

[Third clip begins]

Etoiles: Basically I can say it because it’s out of roleplay and I think Antoine already knows it, because sometimes people are like, ‘yeah you can’t spoil the other streamers!’ but the streamers see everything—

Antoine: I know everything that happens on QSMP

Etoiles: —it’s just that the streamers don’t use the info rp wise. Basically I’m apart of an organisation on the server—

Antoine: What, you’re kidding, dude?!

[The others laugh]

ZeratoR: What the fuck?!

Antoine: I’m not supposed to know that, dude!

Etoiles: Basically I’m apart of an organisation that’s called the Resistance—

Antoine: (scoffs)

Etoiles: —and it’s completely hidden within the server, no one knows about it in the roleplay

ZeratoR: Even I knew about it, so

Etoiles: Yeah, well there you go. And therefore I have a hidden team that allows me to go into buildings, kill Federation agents that take care of the Island, and—

Antoine: But why would you want to kill Federation agents, dude?

Etoiles: Well because they’re not very nice, dude

ZeratoR: (laughs) Oh the lore is incredible. Well, it’s not nice to be mean, but…

Etoiles: The thing that’s funny—

Antoine: They’re not mean…

Etoiles: —is that I see messages from people on Twitter reacting like, ‘well I think it’s insane that Etoiles is killing Federation agents,’ when I don’t want to kill them. I never want to kill them. When I kill them, it’s because I’m forced to. And the last time, I didn’t want to kill them—

Antoine: That’s a really war criminal-esque phrase, that

ZeratoR: Clearly

Etoiles: No but bro, bro, it’s the admins themselves that told me, ‘return to the base, let’s fight,’ that’s what they said, bro, so I was like, ‘well, okay’ (laughs)

Antoine: Well that…

Etoiles: It was fun, honestly. And so when I saw all the messages on Twitter like, ‘Etoiles’ character has totally lost his mind,’ I was like, well—

Antoine: What, you don’t like white teddy bears, dude? Honestly, they’re so cool

Etoiles: Then again, white teddy bears aren’t really nice, dude

Antoine: Dude they are simply what I’d call the goat, honestly. They’re what I call the goat, personally, white teddy bears are called the goat

end Video Transcript.]

[butch-with-a-deep-voice]

Long-Distance date/bonding ideas I've learned while making it work with my femme

Streamed Movie Night: Discord has a function that let's you stream video and gaming alike! I'd recommend Nitro because otherwise stream quality is gonna SUCK (and you need to do some weird fiddling to get services like Netflix to work) but you can enjoy movie night with your boo

Tabletop Simulator: If you both have about $20, and a computer with even a low budget graphics processor, this program is invaluable. The base games are neat but the real trove is in the Steam Workshop. Mod makers upload hundreds of boardgames from Catan to Azul to outright heavy ones like D&D and Warhammer. My femme and I now have a weekly boardgame night (she actively challenges me at strategy games and it makes me so happy to have a partner that does 🥰)

Coffee shop dates: Go to a place where the shop has wifi (or you have a really good data plan with your phone), pop your headphones in, and just video call. I promise you, there will be more people there who find it sweet than those who find it weird.

Spotify Jam Sessions: I don't know about other music apps, but we both have spotify and it now has a function that let's you invite others to a shared listening session. Music is really important to both my femme and myself, and the ability for us to literally listen at the same time and talk about the music is truly quite lovely.

Parallel crafting time: Admittedly, I'm Neurodivergent as hell, and parallel play baseline is big for me. But pop on a videocall and make some crafts together. Bonus points if you get similar materials and share what you've made together

Call every night: no seriously, even if you both are busy the entire day and can't talk, call for at least a half hour or so to round your day off. That lack of certain forms of intimacy means you need to be really on top of other forms. On top of affirming love for one another. If you're trying to make long distance work long term, calling to just. Be with eachother is so important.

Schedule Time: As an extension of the above, just because you're calling every day, doesn't mean ensuring you have dedicated time for eachother isn't important. I'm talking like. An afternoon/evening once a week type thing. Be together for a long period of time while you can't be physically together.

Technology has honestly made what I always thought impossible for myself feel possible. The advent of videocalling my femme every day helps so much of the potential pitfalls that could have happened, and the best part is its more or less free (I pay for discord nitro but I digress). Don't get me wrong I'm having my hard days still. The inability to hold her when I want to take care of her is particularly bad. I show care and love through things like physical touch and food so much. But getting creative, and being consistent have really made this feel possible and sustainable until we get to the "next stages" bridge.

If you have ideas you found fun/helpful please toss em in the replies, tags, etc. Always open to more date ideas with my girl 💕

[vacayisland]

Could you do a John Dory x Retired Singer/Musician Reader? Pls and thank you

(I loved meet the wifie I fucking cackled at "imma beat his ass!")

@!; Oldies are always better. John Dory / Retired! Reader

"Tag List"! @writergal02 @chamille-trash @valvalentine69 @starzwithapen @ykvlanq @apieceofcathair3 @kitthefanfickat

ꨄ︎. You were a big alt-indie musician, making music that tended to have a little bit of everything; the funk and beat of the funk tribe and the techno tribe, the guitar riffs and drum solos from the rock tribe, some classical instruments as undertones, and pop-like lyrics and beats. All the while you also put your own spin on it. Music had always been an outlet for you, always allowed you to take what was in your head and thread it into sound for everyone to hear. Sometimes it was chaotic, sometimes it was mellow, and it always depended on your mood when writing, composing, and singing. It's usually was drew people to your music. It was down to Earth, yet also complex and simple at the same time. Those who wanted to dive into the meaning of your music and dissect it would find multiple layers, many undertones that all harmonized. Those who just wanted to vibe out to your music could do that as well.

ꨄ︎. When you had left your career behind, it wasn't because of anything bad. You left with one final song in which explained that you were stepping down to let the new generation to find their own flow, to let other people take the stage, to be able to sit back and enjoy everything that will come in the future. You were only around 24 when you put down your guitar for the final time for the public; But you never gave up music for good on your own. While you never published anything anymore, you kept writing and composing for yourself as it was truly your passion.

ꨄ︎. This is when JD found you, playing in a friend's cafe. You had caught his attention right away, so much so he didn't hear the waiter when he had asked for JD's order. He was honestly so captivated by you for a moment he wondered if you were some sort of siren. He soon realized, yeah no you weren't, you just were really, really good. And he needed your number, badly. And that sounded a little creepy, but when you see someone who's not only good looking but knows how to sing and play an instrument all in one? You don't miss that chance to talk them up, and JD was defiantly not missing his chance!

ꨄ︎. JD didn't see a ring on your finger, it was fair game for him. Luckily you hadn't been seeing anyone at the time, but you still gave him a reality check after he approached you as though he was the coolest guy on the planet; Introducing himself before using some sort of cheesy pick up line to get your number. "Hey, babe, my name is John Dory and you seem rather lonely. You know, I can fill that 'me' shaped hole in your heart if you give me your number!" And then he winked!? Your friend was flabbergasted. You thought he was really brave.

ꨄ︎. And you hate to admit that his stupid pick-up line (which didn't even seem like a pick-up line!) actually worked and he got your number. (And he would be so smug and proud about this fact for the rest of his life.)

ꨄ︎. You two talked for a few months before making anything official, and then you waited about a year or two before you two even thought about moving in together. Even so, by 6 months of dating you basically lived in Rhonda; Your stuff littered his home, you had your own set of clothes there, your own toothbrush, and even your own house slippers. Then when you moved in, it felt natural. It felt like this was where you were always meant to end up and somehow the planets aligned. And for some reason JD never noticed the fact you brought in an electric guitar, which also sat in your shared closet. Sometimes you wonder if he's just stupid or a little blind, because he's also seen your play.

ꨄ︎. Either way, one day when he was hoisting his brothers over (after the whole Floyd situation got resolved, and god you were kind of glad you were staying with friends during all of that; not because you didn't like his brothers but because you didn't think you could handle meeting his family during that whole situation.) when they heard you playing your guitar in the bedroom. You weren't doing anything fancy, mostly tuning the guitar and making sure the strings didn't need to be replaced. But, of course, that always had to include one of your most iconic guitar riffs from a song about fighting your crushing mentality during the lowest part of your career. "Holy shit dude, I didn't know your lover listened to (Y/N)!" Branch would be the first to comment, being the most diverse music listener in the family. Floyd, who had been distracted by the riff, perked up at the conversation and nodded in agreement. JD only gave them a confused look, leaning against his kitchen counter, "Dude, my lover is (Y/N)?" And JD wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't all four of his brothers stopping and staring at him completely baffled. Mostly Floyd and Branch, who soon yelled a rather loud, "WHAT?!" "What?!" Which only confused JD more.

ꨄ︎. You hadn't met JD's family before this point, but you've heard all about them; Not only from JD, when he told you about his band days, and when you heard them around the trailer when they would come over. Usually you stayed in the bedroom, not to be rude yet to just let JD have his time with his brothers. Yet, you couldn't understand what all the yelling was about, "Yo, Que te pasa? Why the hell are you guys yelling?" You would ask, poking your head out of the door to the bedroom. Your expression tired, your hair messier, yet you could care less at this moment; You were sure JD's brothers wouldn't mind, they would see you worse later on since you were planning to stay with that big doofus. "Oh my god-" You flinched when Floyd dropped the cup he was holding, his jaw dropping upon seeing you; And honestly, for a second, you forgot you used to be a big artist. "John Dory," You started, startled by the reactions his brothers were giving, "Vas a decirme lo que esta pasando ahora mismo."

ꨄ︎. JD is always a little intimidated when you speak Spanish, mostly because his Grandma used to scold him and his brothers in Spanish. So he only explained (rather quickly) how his brothers had heard you tuning your guitar in the bedroom and how they just got weird. And that's when Branch defended himself, along with Floyd, how JD never told them that you were his lover! "And what's it to you that I love your brother?" You shot back quick and snappy, crossing your arms as you shot a glare their way. You weren't above throwing hands with JD's brothers. Floyd noticed the way JD glanced away, sipping his coffee. He was quick to stand up, placing a hand on Branch's shoulder to calm him, before explaining the whole situation to you better; Saying how Branch and Floyd were just big fans of your music and they didn't realize that you were with JD, because no matter how much JD spoke about you he never told them that you were his lover.

ꨄ︎. "Oh, Mierda lo siento." God, this made things a little awkward, "I thought you were about to be one of those horrible step-siblings that didn't like his brother's lover for some dumb reason like my hair." "What? No!-" "No, yeah, I see that now. My bad, really sorry." You mumbled, rubbing the back of your neck, "JD can be really, really dense sometimes, shut it John Dory!," You pointed a finger at JD before he could make a peep in protest about your slight insult, but it was made out of full love. "Let's start over, hi I'm (Y/n) and it's really nice to meet you."

ꨄ︎. Safe to say, JD forgot to tell his brothers that he was dating an old sensational artist...and kind of forgot you were one and was very shocked to realize this! Furthermore, you were a little flabbergasted when he revealed that some of BroZone's songs were influenced by your music. You would stare at JD after he confessed such a large secret, "Wow... that's a big insult." You mumbled sarcastically under your breath. "EXCUSE ME?!" But you guessed JD missed the sarcasm. "I'm being sarcastic, love. That's kind of sweet." Playfully rolling your eyes, you pressed a kiss into JD's cheek before turning back to his brothers. You crossed your legs, rested your elbow against your knee, and held your face in your hands. "Now about you four, how about we get to actually know each other. I'm planning to remain in this family after all..."

ꨄ︎. Safe to say that JD is wifing/husbanding/etc. you up really quick.

ꨄ︎. He still brags about how he first got your number and how he managed to 'snatch you up' before anyone else could. You told him he's too old to use new lingo and to stop, lovingly of course as you didn't want your 'husband' to embarrass himself. He melted hearing you call him husband before getting a bigger ego boost; And you had fun watching him terrorize his siblings while his ego was so inflated. You even jokingly did the whole 'I'm watching you' eyes to one of his brothers (Clay) as a silent threat that this is how you were always going to hand JD off to them like. He gave you the biggest (playful) stink eye ever. Yeah, you're going to fit right into this family.

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[lumi-nescentt]

And When I Break It's In A Million Pieces

Pairing: Oscar Piastri x Reader

Warnings: kinda angsty, reader overworking herself, arguing and someone fainting

Words: 3.8k

Summary: Oscar can understand how important exams are to his girlfriend but he can't stand to see her overworking herself and this close to breaking down without trying to comfort her.

A/N: it was supposed to be a cute oscar one shot but I guess midterms kicked my ass so I had to make Oscar do what I would have loved someone to do for me.

Now that I'm done writing this I'll start on the requests :)

Oscar had been away on the last triple header of the season and as much as he loved racing and how good the car felt lately, he missed his girlfriend and couldn't wait to see her again.

She usually came with him as often as she could, but she had been drowning in homework lately so she had chosen to stay home and work a little extra to make sure she stayed up to date. Oscar didn’t mind, or at least he tried not to show it because he knew how bad she already felt for missing some of his best results in F1. 

The Australian knew how hard the girl was on herself and how she tended to forget to take care of herself when she got engrossed in her studies so he thought coming back as early as possible from the British Grand Prix was the best thing he could do. 

Flying from London to Melbourne felt like one of the longest trips Oscar ever had to endure and it was only worse because he was all alone. Usually he either had Lando, Logan or his girlfriend to entertain him during layovers and on the flight itself, but now as he sat on the first plane taking him from London to Qatar, Oscar felt bored to death.

He had chosen the earliest flight possible on Monday and that had been one that took off at 3pm so he wasn’t even tired enough to sleep. He had already watched a movie while waiting in front of the gate so he was honestly starting to run out of ideas on how to entertain himself. 

He considered paying for wifi access to try and chat with his girlfriend for a second but then realised that he had decided to plan his comeback in secret so she had no idea he was coming back. In the end, Oscar still paid for it just so he could play 8 ball with Logan and joke around with Lando. 

His two friends entertained him for a few hours, but when he landed in Qatar, they both had stuff to do so he was left all alone again. He had nothing to do during the layover in Dubai, so walking around the entire terminal at the slowest pace possible seemed like a good enough idea for the 2 hours he had to wait before boarding again. 

To say the 13 hours flight to Melbourne had been long was an understatement. It had only been made worse since he couldn’t sleep, so Oscar had watched the entirety of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and still had found time to be bored once he was done. By the time he finally arrived in front of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, it was almost 1am and he hadn’t slept in 30 hours now. 

All he wanted to do was crash on his bed and cuddle against her but when he opened the door as quietly as he could, the first thing he saw was his girlfriend sitting on a barstool, hunched over her laptop on the counter. She had her headphones on and the volume was so loud Oscar could hear the song playing very clearly from where he was standing in the doorway.

After taking off his shoes and dropping his suitcase in a corner, he slowly made his way over, trying his best not to startle the girl. She was so engrossed in whatever she was reading that even with Oscar standing right next to her, her focus was still on her computer. She only flinched and snapped back to reality when Oscar delicately removed her headphones and put them next to her now empty coffee cup.

-“ Oscar ? What– How ? You were supposed to stay in Europe until the break.” she stuttered, too tired to understand how her boyfriend was standing in front of her

-“ Surprise !” Oscar smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “ I missed you too much to wait an entire month so I decided to come spend the week here.” 

-“ I don't know what to say, wow.” 

-“ Oh God, was it a bad idea ? I don’t want to intrude if you had plans, baby. I can ask my parents if I can stay at theirs instead if you want me out of your hair while you study.” 

-“ No no, it’s a good surprise, I just didn’t expect it, that’s all. It’s our flat so of course I want you to stay with me.” she quickly clarified, burying her head in the crook of his neck and tightening her arms around him

-“ Ok good, I got scared I was bothering you for a second.” he answered, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head

-“ Don’t say that Osc, you could never bother me. I’m always happy to see your pretty face in real life.” 

-“ So you think I’m pretty ?” the Australian asked with a proud grin

-“ Of course I do, pretty boy. Now as much as I’d love to keep this lovely flirting going, you must be exhausted so why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll join you in a bit ?” 

-“ That sounds great, I’ll go shower and then we can cuddle because I can definitely feel the drop of temperature between here and the UK.” 

-“ It’s not even that cold but I won’t say no to that.” she smiled before turning back to her homework.

Oscar didn’t really know how long he stayed under the warm spray of the shower but judging by the amount of steam that was now filling the bathroom, he assumed he stayed for a little while. Since he took his time, he fully expected to find his girlfriend dozing off under the covers but when he reached the bedroom, the bed was still untouched. 

Gathering the remaining energy he had, Oscar dragged himself to the kitchen where she was still in the position he left her in. Her headphones were back on at a lower volume and she was now frowning and holding her head between her hands, seemingly trying to make sense of what she was reading. 

-“ Are you coming to bed soon ?” Oscar asked seeing the time on her laptop 

-“ Yeah, of course. Just give me a minute, I’ll meet you there.” she answered without looking at him

-“ Baby, it’s almost 3am. You need to sleep as much as I do.” 

-“ I know, I’m coming. Don’t wait up, you must be knackered.” she tried, squeezing the hand he had put on her shoulder to reassure him

-“ I want to sleep next to you. I’ll wait for you to finish what you’re doing. How long is this going to take you ?” 

-“ I don’t know, you shouldn’t stay awake for me. I promise I’ll cuddle you as soon as I’m in bed, you won’t even realise I’m not here at first.” 

-“ That’s not true, I always notice so will you come ? Please ?” 

-“ You’re lucky you’re cute and that I love you because I really need to finish this paper.” she finally caved in with a sigh, closing her laptop to face her boyfriend who was sleepily smiling at her

-“ I love you too, now come. I can tell you’re exhausted too.” 

Oscar linked their hands together and walked towards their bedroom, handing her one of his shirts as he stripped down to his boxer before hurriedly getting under the covers. At the sight of her cold boyfriend all cosy under the blankets, the girl couldn’t help but chuckle before she joined him and let him wrap his arms around her, resting her head against his chest and falling asleep to the comforting sound of his steady heartbeat. 

When Oscar woke up at 7am a few hours later, he brought his arm closer to the rest of his body, hoping to steal some of his girlfriend’s body warmth but his arm closed on nothing. With his eyes still closed, he patted her side of the bed, simply thinking she had rolled away from him but all he touched were the empty bed sheets. He would have assumed she had just gone to the bathroom if it wasn’t from how cold her side was. 

As hard as he wanted to tell her to come back to bed, Oscar wasn’t fully awake and he didn’t really think there was something he could do so he let himself fall back asleep for a few hours. When he opened his eyes again, finally feeling rested enough to figure out where she had gone, he was still alone in their empty bed. 

He made his way to the living room, secretly hoping she’d be all curled up on the sofa and had only moved there because he was snoring too loud but it was just as empty as their bed. Not liking where he thought this was going, Oscar went to the kitchen where his girlfriend was exactly in the same position he had found her hours earlier. 

Without saying a word, Oscar wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled his face in her neck like he knew she liked. When the only acknowledgement he got was a low hum without even a smile or a look towards him, he decided to try something else. He slowly turned his head and started kissing her neck tenderly, which always got her attention usually because she was never one to pass on getting some physical affection from him. He was so sure it was going to work that when she finally breathed in before talking, Oscar couldn’t stop the smile creeping on his face.

-“ Not now baby, please.” she brushed him off softly, without even looking at him

-“ Oh, okay. Sorry.” Oscar muttered, feeling his face flush from a wave of embarrassment he couldn’t stop

He quickly escaped to the opposite corner of the kitchen, getting busy with making breakfast to forget about the uneasy feeling coursing through his veins. It took him 15 minutes of meddling around before everything was ready and before he was ready to try to get her attention again.

This time, Oscar planted himself next to his girlfriend and put a coffee cup and a full plate with eggs and toast right next to her laptop before poking her shoulder with his finger to get her full attention.

-“ Hello there, I made you breakfast.” he half smiled

-“ Hi baby, that’s really sweet of you. Thank you.” she returned the smile, cupping his face with her hands before planting a soft kiss on his lips and turning back towards her homework

-“ I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast together in the living room, maybe ?”

-“ I’m sorry Osc. I really need to study but don’t let me stop you, I know you love to eat there.” 

-“ Yeah, sure.” he started out loud before mumbling to himself as he exited the room “I don’t know what I was expecting.”

After his very lonely breakfast in front of a TV show he didn’t even want to watch, Oscar popped his head into the kitchen to see if she was done working. When he saw that she was still very focused on what she was doing, he decided to do something to occupy himself until she was finally free. He got dressed and yelled that he was going for a run before finally going outside. 

When he came back a little less than an hour later, Oscar was determined to spend some time with her so he hurriedly went to the bathroom to shower before eventually stealing her away from her homework. 

Once he was finally done, it was time for lunch and he was feeling like ordering so, while still looking at his phone, he went towards the kitchen and called her.

-“ I’m gonna order food, what do you feel like eating ?”

He waited a little bit for an answer but nothing came back so he walked a little closer and tried again.

-“ Baby ? Are you not hungry ?” 

Getting worried from the clear silence he was met with, Oscar walked in the kitchen but, to his surprise, he couldn’t see her.

-“ y/n ? If this is a joke, it’s not that funny. Where are you ?” he asked, feeling his heart beat a little faster

He knew she hadn’t gone out because both her keys and her car were still there so he went around the counter to go look into the laundry room when his eyes fell on something on the floor. Seeing his girlfriend laying down on the floor made his blood rush fast in his veins and he immediately kneeled down next to her and wrapped her hand in his.

-“ y/n, baby can you hear me ?” he tried again “ I’m going to put your feet on my lap, okay ? I’m not letting go of your hand, if you hear me just squeeze it.” Oscar explained, praying that he’d feel her grip tighten around his fingers

He felt the faintest squeeze but he wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not so he tried again.

-“ Can you squeeze my hand again, please ?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper from how scared he was until he felt a clear squeeze “ Atta girl, you’re doing great.” 

Oscar felt his breathing slowly go back to normal as his girlfriend slowly gained back consciousness. He was still a bit shaken up but seeing her eyes fluttering open and feeling the constant squeezes of her hand on his was reassuring him. He waited a little more before asking her questions, not wanting to overwhelm her.

-“ Do you remember what happened ?” 

-“ I don’t know, I was just standing up to get another coffee and then I started feeling dizzy so I tried to call you but I don’t know if anything came out.” 

-“ Ok well at least you remember, you scared me to death there sweetheart.” 

-“ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” she apologised, mortified that he had seen her like this

-“ Hey, none of that. Don’t apologise, I’m glad I came back in time to find you. I would’ve hated for you to be all alone here when you fainted.” he reassured her, bringing her closer to him

-“ What do you mean came back ? When did you go out ?” 

-“ I told you I was going for a run but I guess you were so focused on what you were doing you didn’t hear me. Next time I’ll make sure that you hear me.” 

-“ It’s fine, you don’t have to.” 

-“ I know but I want to. Now let’s get you something to eat, you didn’t even eat breakfast so you must be starving.” he stated, pointing at the plate he had made her a few hours earlier, still untouched on the counter

-“ I’m not really hungry actually.” she whispered, looking at her feet

- “ You have to eat something baby. I’ll just order something from your favourite restaurant and you can just eat however much you can, does that sound good ?”

-“ Yeah sure, thank you Osc.”

Oscar didn’t answer and instead just placed a kiss on the side of her head before standing up and picking his phone that he had left on the counter to get the food. While they waited for it to arrive, Oscar sent her to shower so she could relax a little before eating. Before leaving her be, he convinced her to let the door slightly open so she could yell if she felt dizzy again so he could also relax.

He always stayed within earshots of the bathroom as he got busy around the flat until the delivery guy arrived. Oscar wanted it to be quick but the guy recognised him and wanted to take a picture with him. Oscar wouldn’t have minded the picture if the guy also didn’t seem to want to become his friend and didn’t talk for what felt like ages. Oscar didn’t know how to make him stop without sounding rude so he just waited until he was finally done before hurrying back to his girlfriend. 

He expected her to either still be in the shower or to be waiting for him in the living room, resting like they had talked about after she fainted but she was the most stubborn person Oscar knew. That’s why he wasn’t exactly surprised when he found her back to her studying spot with her headphones only wearing one of his mclaren hoodies. 

-“ I thought we said no more studying for today ?” Oscar scolded her gently

-“ I know but I can’t just stop like that. I need to finish this part and then I can rest for a few hours.”

-“ Baby you fainted, that means your body is exhausted and you shouldn’t put yourself through this.” 

-“ I don’t have a choice, Oscar. The exam is coming up and I need to finish this paper too. I can’t just decide to take the day off because my stupid body decided to betray me.” she spat in one breath, feeling her heartbeat quicken just thinking of the ton of stuff she still had to do 

-“ Alright, just breathe please. You can definitely afford to rest for today. I know you and I know you’re capable of doing what you have left before the due date. Just come lie down with me for a bit while we eat.” 

-“ You don’t know that for sure. I can’t afford to take such a risk.” 

-“ Baby, please.” he pleaded, feeling how she was getting more worked up by the second

-“ I said no, Oscar !” she said through gritted teeth, trying not to raise her voice 

-“ Why can’t you just slow down for a second ? What’s the worst that can happen if you let go a little.”

-“ Slow down ? That’s rich coming from you mister always running around the entire globe to drive at 300kph.” she cringed at how high pitched her voice was getting

-“ You know that’s not what I meant, y/n.” 

-“ Then what did you mean because I clearly don’t get why you’re getting in my way here.” 

-“ I only meant that you’re going to tire yourself out over some homework and that it can’t be healthy.”

-“  I’m sorry ? Some homework ?!” she scoffed loudly “ This is the last class I need to have my diploma, if I fail it, I can say goodbye to my dream job. Don’t belittle what I do because you don’t understand it.” 

-“ That’s not how I meant it, y/n. I’m just worried about you.”

-“ I didn’t ask you to be, in fact I didn’t even ask you to be here. You were supposed to be away doing your stupid job while I was here studying on my own but no you just had to come back and tempt me with ideas of relaxing and hanging out with you when you know I can’t. I can’t just decide to go away and take a break because I miss my partner. Some of us have real jobs and they can’t run away whenever they want to, Oscar.”  she finally lost it, her eyes filling with tears as she realised what she had said

-“ Wow, hum alright. I think I’m just going to go outside for a bit.” Oscar muttered, grabbing his car keys and turning around as quickly as he could

As soon as she heard the door close, y/n broke down crying in the middle of the room. She hadn’t meant to snap at him, she knew he just cared about her and most of all, she didn’t think anything she said was true.

She knew how hard Oscar had worked to get to where he was now and she was so proud of how far he had come. She loved that he was able to do something he loved as his job and how he always made time in his busy schedule to either fly her to where he was staying or fly back home to see her. 

In all honesty, she had been missing him so much lately and all she wanted to was take a break and seek comfort in his arms but she couldn’t help the anxiety and the guilt that kicked in whenever she stopped studying even for a second. She had been staying up late and waking up at the crack of dawn for a week now, studying as much as she could before she had to attend classes. She barely had time to eat and she couldn’t remember the last time she had a decent meal. 

The mere thought of having hurt Oscar was filling her with guilt and she wished there was something she could do to take it back. She was so tired of feeling like this and right now it felt like she had pushed away the only person she wanted to comfort her. 

When Oscar opened the door half an hour later, he didn’t expect his girlfriend to come running to the door and then stop in her tracks the moment her eyes met his. She tried to open her mouth but tears started falling again and she was struggling to take a full breath. The sight tore Oscar’s hurt and he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her head against his chest. 

-“ It’s okay, baby. Just let go, I’m here.” he whispered, tracing circles on her back

-“ I’m sorry, Oscar. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean what I said. I–”

-“ I know, it’s okay. It’s already forgotten.”  

-“ It’s not okay. You didn’t deserve to hear that.” she sniffled, looking at him in the eyes “ I love what you do and I’m really happy you’re here. I’m sorry if I made you feel like it wasn’t the case. It’s no excuse but I’m frankly exhausted and you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

-“ Thank you for apologising. It’s forgiven and I promise you I’m not mad or anything.”

-“ You’re sure ?” 

-“ Yes, I wasn’t mad earlier. I was a bit hurt and I knew you needed time to calm down before we could have a discussion so I just went to the store to buy brownies and ice cream.” 

-“ That’s so sweet, Oscar, stop.” she said, feeling her voice shake slightly

-“ I was thinking we could take a proper break and eat in front of a movie. Then if you still want to work, I could help you study and after that we could take a bath ? How does that sound ?” 

-“ I love you so much.”

-“ Is that a yes ?” Oscar teased, smiling as he heard her laugh

-“ Yes it is.” she said, as he grabbed her hand and guided her towards the living room where the food was still waiting for them

-“ y/n ?” 

-“ yes ?” 

-“ I love you too.” 

-“ I know, now come here.” she smiled again, wrapping her arms behind his neck before pulling him down to kiss him properly 

Oscar hadn’t been sure of it at first but coming back home was the best choice he ever made for the both of them. They missed each other too much to wait a whole month to be together when they needed the other’s presence that badly.

[lxlqzy]

Took some time to let this whole Marco thing sink in. And honestly it is time, I'm not ready myself but he deserves this and more. He played for Dortmund for 12 years.. 12 years, more than a decade. Not even talking about the fact that he was a Dortmund fan like all his life. He went through really everything with BVB. Really good times, but also fucking heartbreaking bad ones. And yet he stayed. Because he could've left, hell he could've gone to any club in the world. But he stayed. For one year.. two.. three.. six.. ten.. 11.. and then the final one, the twelfth. And his career wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, hell nah, his immense talent and skill is undoubtedly he's one of the best of this generation in his position. Even though all these damn injuries fucked everything up for him. But not enough for him to stop fighting and coming back everytime.

Then last year. The 27th May 2023. God I still remember this day all too well. I couldn't watch because my WiFi was broken or something, so I listened to the net radio of BVB. I was so excited for this day the whole week. The last game before and when Leipzig won against Bayern the first I thought was: "Damn Marco's finally getting it". Turns out it would end the complete opposite. I won't revise the game because y'all know what happened. Not lying when I say that I lost a few (a lot) tears this day. It was supposed to be Marco's perfect ending, to be honest I half expected him to retire if they'd really won it. But they didn't, they didn't win it and this fucks with my head 'til this day, even though it's almost been a year now.

But there's still hope that it all still could end perfectly. If they won the Champions League. It's very unlikely, but is it really? Cause, yeah they all maybe have better players like Mbappe, Vini Jr and Kane and we have Fülle (I love this man) and they have more money. But fuck it do they really want it? Real? Dunno wouldn't really change something if they won one more. PSG? Oh fuck these money seeking bastards. Bayern? Don't get the feeling like all of them really want to win this. But Dortmund? Hell if not for themselves they would do it for Marco. Because EVERYONE at this club would die for Marco. So I think they'll give their blood, sweat and tears for this. Cause everybody knows damn well, that everybody left and he stayed but now he will leave. So please, please end it in the best way possible for him and him only.

[larsnicklas]

watching game 7 properly a day late bc my plane wifi was NOT good. "live" blog under the cut tehe!!

sasha absolutely obliterating a man in the corner was NOT on my bingo card but i liked it

ah gorgeous tip by mr v.erhaeghe. i knew he was going to show up that man ONLY scores big time goals

i love that pomo put okie back in the lineup. and not just bc i hate nick c.ousins lol it's just like. it's the right thing to do, to give okie a wack at this. i know when you're making lineup decisions it can't be about sentimentality but sometimes the Right thing to do is also the morally correct one lol

i do wonder a little if something is limiting bob physically a bit. obviously nothing that really has impeded him but. just something that's hindering his natural athleticism JUST a touch

good fun first period. it's very nice that both teams decided to play well in the same game. this has not happened during all games of this final LOL

espn wanted the o.ilers to win so bad they looked silly. especially m.essier AKSLJDFLAKSJD

okay lmfao you know what. that tripping call on matthew was NOT a trip. should've just been incidental contact, just a nothing collision. however. there COULD have been a call on erod for goalie interference so i think all in all it's ok. THAT BEING SAID puck don't lie and that's why the cats got the kill <3

stenny spent a minute and a half without a stick on the kill he is so cool so brave i would die for him i am so serious. also gus using stenny's stick wronghanded and also like probably five inches too big for him...... that was so harrowing. but bob was so up to the task. kith. i love him.

the cats really finally looked like themselves again this game eh. it was so good to see them LOL they are really such a joy when they play their game

fourth line looked very good

hockey is so funny in the way that a chance at one end can result in a goal at the other

that was an UNREAL play by kuli by the way. i'm so glad he had the second touch on the puck because he deserved an assist, batting the puck away from the crease while falling down. great shot by reino, and WHAT a pop in that building. my god. i knew it was coming and my heart is still pounding. holyyy what a moment

boys were laying the body. very good. wear them down.

e.kblad-f.orsling pairing you are SO very extremely important to me.

i don't mean to be too predictable but. samuel b.ennett is really such a warrior he's just got the heart of a lion he's mean he's intense he gets an icy cold calm feral look in his eye sometimes it's terrifying. i LOVE him. playing this whole series with a bum knee and honestly skating well, all things considered. fuck darnell n.urse lol

fascinating strategy from the cats in the third (treat it like a 20 min penalty kill) but i guess if it works it works!!!

bob was so locked in. the way the crowd popped with every save he made as the third period progressed..... man i LOVE sports

the scramble with 7 min left on the clock; dude florida owes gus f.orsling WHATEVER he asks for.

bob actually made a miraculous glove save on that play as well i feel so genuinely glad he had a bounce back game like this to win the cup

cats did a very nice job in the final stretch making it difficult for the oil to pull s.kinner

that being said. if EYE was a coach and my team was desperately trying to get the equalizer to extend the season and my opponent iced the puck with 3:29 left i would definitely pull my goalie and get my sixth man on the ice in the offensive zone but. idk what do i know

oh my heart really does swell with joy and pride lol they were truly selling out in the final minutes. bob was so fantastic. the five guys on the ice were throwing themselves in front of the puck, in front of sticks, in front of bodies. this is such a panthers way to play

btw sasha really embodies just. THEEE ideal. he plays hockey in a way that makes you nod sagely and go ah, that's how that's supposed to work. he's really wonderful i know he doesn't care to be a household name but i'm glad he will be (by hockey standards anyway) after this cup run

oh they are such a great team man. seriously when gus and mikksy and benny went into the corner to keep the puck along the boards for the final seconds ooooh the confidence i felt. no way THOSE guys were about to lose a board battle in THIS scenario. no fucking way. dudes rock.

also i did cry on the plane yesterday but that did NOT innoculate me from crying again today :( like what. i'm supposed to look at the tears in aaron's eyes and NOT well up in response??

me 🤝 keith t.kachuk wiping tears from my eyes

ok this concludes my "live" blog sorry if any of you actually read this. it wasn't very coherent

[kaygee-doodles]

Just feeding my local author here!

I have reread your Gloom and Doom fic no less than 7 times

I have a sudden urge to see if nightmares goop is flammable now because of you after what he did to dust lol

I have literally fallen asleep reading your fics and got woken up by my heavy ass phone smacking me in the face

I have downloaded a pdf file of your whole story just so I can read it offline when I don't have wifi on my phone

I desperately wanna nap with dust on top of axe/horror while watching shitty TV shows (or true crime documentaries that's always fun!)

I also now wish to know what the readers favorite sushi equivalent would be irl

I need a Snickers...

Oh right! And while Dust has always been my favorite bad sans you have only deepened my obsession with him lol

10/10 would probably make him my go to skeleton out of all the boys in the castle for some company

I now have the inexplicable urge to make pillow forts of my own every time I dare read an Undertale au fanfic and I entirely blame you

I now have issues sleeping without making my 'Ilxina Nest' of snacks and bad TV while intermittently checking to see if you updated (not rushing you I am just paranoid that I'm going to miss a chapter and be the last to know about it lol)

I have officially adopted the name 'naptime' as the 'nickname' for reader because honestly... Dude fucking same man 😩

I used to raise chickens and mine were the sweetest things (all incubated and hand raised) and I literally could walk into their nesting boxes and take eggs right out of them without them having a care in the world and your little bit of having reader help gather eggs sparked this memory (I gathered eggs in the evening since they laid throughout the day... And it was always hot in the summer lol)

I feel like killer is plotting to do something something to reader and I refuse to be told otherwise... Shenanigans and dusts murderous rage is bound to make an appearance at some point lol

Lol hope you have a good day/night, stay hydrated, and get plenty of sleep (we all know that last one is a hope in vain since you're an author but still lol) 🫀

I am nourished and fed and writing the next chapter.

[mamabearwonders]

I very rarely visit my parents. We don't get along. I'm here taking care of stuff for a few days, but my birthday is tomorrow.🎂

My parents are REALLY weird about me leaving the house. Especially to go back to my apartment. They start fights over it because they want to drive me so they just can argue with me about stuff in the car. I like the bus ride. They won't drive me home at night anyway.

They insist it's for my safety, but I have gotten into a car with a random stranger to get home over my own parents. I don't feel comfy with them in a car. And they really don't care.

So like- I thought about spending the day with my family then going home. Like a little birthday lunch. But they'd be all weird about me going home and I don't want to deal with that. We do have a family member I don't get along with that comes every day and I could use that as a buffer and leave when they're here. My parents wouldn't make that big of a deal I don't think when she's here, but still start a fight.

So now I'm thinking about just taking an early bus before they're awake and just leave so I don't have to deal with ANY stress. Plus their Wifi shuts off at night and I'm not paying $20 for the shitty WiFi that only somewhat works (it's a pass for the month) when the WiFi is off.

Which means- I basically have to pull an all-night. Since I came up here to get stuff done that's probably a week's worth of stuff. I don't wanna be here for my birthday.

I wanna spend it on call with friends. And probably going to the thrift store. It's crazy how my parents try to make me feel this bad for going up to my apartment and celebrating my birthday the way I want it as an adult.

Update: This is honestly so ridiculous. I'm just gonna leave tomorrow when the family member is here. It won't ruin my birthday to get some free food here.

[sagescented]

Honestly, though, that scam kind of has similar vibes to the one where someone tried calling me pretending to be my local County Jail, and claiming to have an unspecified family member of mine in custody ... When none of my family members were ever given my new phone number because I've been definitively No Contact with them since 2021 (after flip-flopping between NC / LC since 2016) 🤣

And even if that weren't true, I famously laughed in a Car Dealership's face when my Sister put me down as a reference for a new car, and they called asking if I thought she could be trusted; my response was a barking laugh and an "absolutely the fuck not, ma'am. Good luck and godspeed with that one" before hanging up ... Like ... That's how much I wouldn't care even if you did have one of my family members and we were still speaking. Because my family is trash; there's a reason we're not speaking anymore.

But also, I just ... Didn't even have a phone between 2016 and 2023? I mean, I had a phone. But I didn't have any kind of a phone plan for it. I exclusively used WiFi and a VOIP caller the whole time, because I was so sick that I never left the house. And when you never leave the house, and you always have WiFi connectivity ... Why spend $35 to $45 a month for a phone plan? There's no point, so I didn't bother with it for years. And to this day I still kind of forget I have a phone with a phone plan now because of it (in case you want to know why I'm so bad at returning your calls or texts) 🤣🙏

I'm always just going to be a bad mark for Scams like these. I'm too boring and socially unhinged for them; I don't follow the script in any way they expect. And honestly, that's not a bad thing, ha!

[variousqueerthings]

I’m from space, I’ve got two hearts and… 27 brains

it's "Bells Of Saint John" time. this is the first proper Clara-As-Companion and she's doing shit!

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 6/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 7/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 7/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 9/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 7/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 7/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 72/100 (if I can count….)

Could it be? A pretty highly rated M*ffat episode??? You crazy son of a bitch you did it!

OBJECTIFICATION: Wait for it.... THERE IS NO OBJECTIFICATION! (takes a medal for Steven M*ffat and wacks him in the face with it)

PLOT-POINT: so the Thing with Clara is that she's "not possible." (she is... Impossible... sort of like an Impossible Gi- *strangles M*ffat with the medal chain), and so while she does do stuff in this episode that gives her more than in the previous episode, we still don't have thaaat much sense of her

we know she's taking care of some kids, because their mum died and she's a friend of the family, and we know there's something about a leaf, and that she's bad at tech (in a very funny kind of way where it's 2012 and she can't access wifi without help, which I honestly cannot remember if would still be plausible in 2012 for a 24yr old, but fuckit) AND that she's got this book 101 places to see, that she's saved for her travels

so there's definitely Clues, but most of it is the Doctor's POV for now

COMPLEXITY: the beginning with the Doctor as a monk painting Clara and waiting for "the bells to ring" because it's a sign or whatever is dumb, but get past that and...

we bring back The Great Intelligence and it's quite a neat follow-up to the last one, in which it's now gone into the Internet and is snatching up peoples minds to feed off of them -- never mind if its depiction of The Internet is good or not, I'm no good at gauging that + I love the movie Hackers, so my judgement is skewed anyway

it makes sense! and then at the end The Great Intelligence isn't defeated, but just goes back into hiding a biiit stronger than before, and has a genuinely quite creepy moment of returning the mind back to someone it infected as a kid, who is now in her 50s or smthin, and becomes a child again in that body... lowkey creepy stuff

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: SO the Doctor and Clara have now met properly -- as in this Clara, who is actually going to get to travel with the Doctor, and maybe won't die (but maybe she will)

The Great Intelligence is shaping up to be a recurring problem

Clara and the Doctor like each other and I also don't hate Clara (that's a strong word anyway, but I'm not UNvibing with her character, apart from a few moments, and a choice to make every conversation between them go so flipping fast as a way of showing Wit and Smarts, and is a trend in that era which I was never a fan of)

COMPANIONS MATTER: Clara does things! she correctly surmises that because she briefly became a part of the Internet (it is a bit silly, but it's 2012 or thereabouts, and silly in a DW way, not a "let's be convoluted for the sake of it" kind of way) she can hack into bad guy base but! she accesses their webcams, takes pictures of them, and uses them to find their social medias where they've put down their job location! which is where they are!

which is actually proper hacking! it's pretty great

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor is pretty capable in this episode, and uses his savvy to get shit done, but isn't the total winner. his goal is for Clara not to die (again), so it works out pretty well on the whole

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: it's got this line I don't like, which is just a tad too flipping smugly meta, where a kid is reading a book and Clara asks which chapter the kid is on (Ten) and then says, "Eleven’s the best, you’ll cry your eyes out." it's... come on, stop making promises you can't keep mate! and don't make this a competition

otherwise it's more The Great Intelligence, and a scene where the Doctor is rooting around looking for a non-monk outfit, and discards Ten's jacket, which is fun

“SEXINESS”: it's not egregious, but I am fucking watching you M*ffat, about not making Clara into another innuendo machine

she calls the Tardis the Snog Box twice, and talks about how the Doctor talks people into it, and that's the main thing. W A T C H I N G you with that heavy metal at the ready!

INTERNAL WORLD: Clara is sooomewhere in London and there's a thing about that family where she's helping to take care of the kids, because the mother died. there's stuff about the internet, but not as community as such, it's more sort of a... somewhat ungrounded mildly Luddite attitude to it. it's not bad or over-the-top, but it's certainly got a very firm Internet = Bad stance

POLITICS: speaking of the Internet = Bad stance, that's kind of at the heart of the episode, with not much else to focus in on I think.

it's not the most or the least well-rounded argument, it's sort of middly

FULL RATING: 71/100 (if I can count….)

So this episode is a not-bad introduction of Clara on the whole, except for the fact that it's more the Doctor being introduced to her, than her being introduced to the Doctor

the Doctor is our lens more than Clara, which I think is also why she's not quiiite so well-rounded (yet, next episode gives a bit more Stuff)

in terms of pacing, it's sort of middly, but on the whole it's not a bad episode I would say, and not a bad companion intro episode

[breadraptor]

what i ate in toronto last week

felt like food blogging hehe

Day One

The first thing I got was a tea and donut bites from a new donut stand in the Portland airport. Yum! Then I remembered I had a long day of traveling ahead of me and went back to the Tillamook store for some real sustenance. Honestly I thought a chive biscuit egg sausage cheese sandwich would be a slam dunk but it wasn't that good.

Donuts: 8/10 (had them over the course of 3 days)

Sandwich: 5/10

Even on long flights, Air Canada only offers paid options. I got this BBQ chicken wrap for $11 CAD or something. Tortilla to filling ratio was bad but it did the job. 4.5/10

I got into the hotel late at night and just decided it wasn't worth the effort to get more food, so thats all for day one lol

Day 2

Met with Suyasha and had Cafe Landwer! Was starving and it took forever for the food to come out. This is the Mediterranean shakshuka. Bread was so fluffy. The presentation is gorg but i wasn't obsessed with the tomato-y sauce I guess. 7/10

In the afternoon I got a matcha at the library cafe where we worked (it was average, so I guess 7/10 because me love matcha). Later, I went to Fuwa Fuwa Pancakes for pre-dinner dessert. I'm glad I went when I did, because they cook everything fresh, and the wait was long even when I was the only customer. So fresh, fluffy, and refreshing - not too sweet. Yum! 9/10

After that, some folks told me they were getting dinner, so I said I'd join assuming I'd get an appetizer. Well, they decided on all you can eat hotpot, so that was unfortunate lol. We had a good time, food was good but not really noteworthy. I tried a mussel, gross! Also ate a pepper wrapped in beef that had been soaking in the spicy side for too long. That shit HURTED. 5/10

Day 3

I needed something fast to keep me going before the wedding - sadly the only thing I could walk to in time was McDonalds. The tzatziki seasoning was bad and basically ruined my fries. Chicken wrap was just whatever. 3/10

Unpictured: Shirley's wedding food! I forgot to take a pic sadly. I had chicken, kimchi mac and cheese, and other things I don't exactly remember, but it was all yummy! Plus the signature cocktails were really great. 8/10

Day 4

Niagara falls tour with Alyssa, Hwee, Jen, and Alex(?)! we shared between 4 people. It was steaming hot and yummy. I love cheese curdsss. 7.5/10

While the group went to go on the boat, I got a prosciutto goat cheese salad and a cocktail at the Queen Alexandra. Cocktail was a bit watery and salad was 90% arugula with not enough dressing - but the point was I could see the falls from my seat and they had ceiling fans (IT WAS SO HOT) 6.5/10

When we got back from the tour finally (took 3 hours to get back in traffic), we got Mr. Tonkatsu! The katsu was really flaky and good. 8/10

We also went and got asian shaved ice after this - one with red bean paste and one with almond and soybean. i wasnt really into these so i only had a few bites.. i miss hawaiian shaved ice fr. oh yeah i got some baked walnut balls here too, they were ok, would be better if they were warm. 3.5/10

Day 5

gochujang mushroom tofu banh mi at rustle & still cafe.. OH MY GOD. spicy, creamy, a lil crunch from the pickled carrots and peanuts. i might try to replicate it, it was everything. 10/10

chicken biryani from rikki tikki, with Alyssa, Shendy, and Matt. another HUGE W meal... spicy, scrumptious, perfect. the rice had pomegranate seeds in it which was such a nice little sweet crunch. it came with yogurt sauce which i adored with the spicy meal. im drooling thinking about it. 10/10 my only complaint is that i like more pillow-y naan

Day 6

Lunch was leftover Rikki Tikki!

Forgot to take a pic before it was gone, but I had a chai latte at the cafe we worked at today. It was meh, 4/10. at least the cafe had ok wifi and good a/c lol

After work, I started wandering around and went to a matcha cafe called Tsujiri. All the stuff on the menu looked amazing but I got a peach yogurt matcha frappe. It was so freaking good and those big slices of peach on top were yummy too. 9/10

While walkin' I had to stop at this Vietnamese cafe because the cake looked so yum. And it was! Fresh mango with layers of shortcake, mango pudding, and cream. i just wish it was a little smaller so I hadn't felt so bloated from eating it lol (it had to stay cold and it was a hot day so... I had to just eat it) 8.5/10

For dinner we went to a Jamaican/Chinese fusion place called Patois with Shirley, Jeremiah, Alyssa, guy who I forgot name, and his old WoW guild leader or something haha. We got a "feast for two" to share with the table, plus pork belly yakitori, becuase some of us weren't hungry. I didn't eat much but my fave was the yakitori. The rest was just ok. 5.5/10

Day 7

For my last day Suyasha and I went to Tibetan Cafe and went shopping afterwards. The reviews for this place were so high, but we were both underwhelmed by these "momos" (chicken dumplings). The dipping sauce was tomato-y but overall it was a bit bland. Suyasha is Nepalese and she said this was low-end by her standard lol. I'll try Tibetan food another time. 6/10

This was the first canned diet coke I had all week and man, how sweet it tastes - new jeans

At the airport I shared a snack of poutine and a maple moscow mule with Shirley :3 This poutine wasn't as good as the one I had before. Moscow mule was nice, the maple flavor was mild. 5.5/10

And yes, to give me the energy to travel until 3am EST, I got another BBQ chicken wrap on the plane. So nice I had it twice. Jk, it was not that nice, but actually this time it had a better filling to tortilla ratio lol. 5/10

[davidmariottecomics]

Keep it Forever? Me and Physical Media

Hello friends! 

I swear that this blog isn't just me advertising that I've got some stuff up for sale on ebay (but also, I totally do). 

As I think I've made pretty abundantly clear, I'm a big proponent of physical media. At a guesstimate, I probably own something around 2-3 dozen VHS tapes, 50-ish records, 100+ video games, 100-150 CDs, probably 200-300 DVDs & Blu-Rays, and more books and comics than I could reasonably count. And that's not even getting into toys and plushies and other physical collectables that Becca and I have strewn across the house or in storage. I am a person who likes to own things. And I'm starting to hit the point where I also need to be a person who doesn't own all things I have. 

Why Physical Media Matters

While I'm pretty sure I've written about this before, doesn't hurt to reiterate why I am such a big proponent of physical media and owning the things you like. 

1. You own the thing. This is probably the single biggest point of physical media to me. You own it. Definitively. You can go and pick up this object that you have and use it. You aren't subject to the terms, conditions, and service changes of companies. If I want to watch Bratz: The Movie or play Super Smash Bros Melee or read The Lady from the Black Lagoon, I can. I don't have to see if it's currently on a service that I'm paying for or even available digitally. I don't have to worry about limited time availability. I don't have to worry about increasingly clueless executives who in trying to maintain the wealth of stockholders basically erase projects from existence, nor do I have to worry about changes of ownership or site design or functionality or licensing agreements that can take your purchases and just blip them away. 

2. Preservation. Piggybacking right off of that, some things *only* exist as physical media. Or, at least, only officially do. I mentioned Smash Bros Melee because it's a Gamecube era game that only exists on/was released for Gamecube. The game only exists as long as there are people who have working copies. There are books that I own, that, similarly, are no longer in print and have never been made available digitally. While most physical media can eventually deteriorate, there are things I have had for the majority of my life (and some things that pre-date me, honestly) that're still in really good shape because they've been cared for and it's important to me that these things exist and it's cool that I can do a little bit to help that. 

2.5 - As an aside, I do just want to say that I am in favor of digital archiving as a tool of preservation. Between the things that only exist digitally and the things that can have a longer preserved life by being converted to digital, I do think it's an important part of the preservation conversation too. With sort of an asterisk of just because I think most works shouldn't be lost, I don't know that it means they should be digitally accessible if it comes at the expense of the creator(s). Preservation = good. Piracy = still bad. 

3. Tactility and greater use. This one goes especially for books and comics, but I like being able to hold things. I like having my reading material in print so that I can, y'know, consume it on the beach without wifi or power or whatever. While a lot of my physical media is dependent on technology still, there are certain things that are more usable in more ways/places because they're physical. 

Why I'm Clearing Some Out Tho

On the other side of all of this, there are some very compelling reasons not to keep all my physical media. And these are some reflective conversations I'm having with myself. Some stuff's easy, right? Things that are redundant--whether they're exact duplicates of something I already own and somehow acquired twice or, like with some of my Transformers, I don't actually need 6 mildly different variations of Bumblebee--are easily put as something that can go. But once you get past that, for me at least, a lot of it comes down kinda to the Marie Kondo "does it spark joy" method. 

Potentially unfortunately for me, a lot of stuff either does spark joy, or sparks almost a sort of FOMO. Tied to preservation, there are some things that while I haven't really engaged with them in heck, maybe a decade of owning it, I worry that if I got rid of it, I wouldn't have it when I *do* want it. But there are also some things where I know it is no longer meaningful to me to own this thing, but I think it might be meaningful to someone else. 

I know I've written about this before, but I'm not really a Funko Pop guy. I have owned a few that I've thought were neat. But even the one I'd say was my favorite, I found tucked away because it had been on a low bookshelf behind our living room furniture before our last big cleaning/reorganizing session for that room, and I don't think I had realized that I hadn't seen it in such a long time. It wasn't just that it had been tucked away, it was that I hadn't thought to see if I knew where it was in months and months. And so, we're parting ways. 

It is tough--at least for me--to be at the intersection of genuinely believing in the good of physical possessions (and, yes, I recognize the faults in them too), wanting to be a person who does preserve things, and honestly, believing in some part of me that the reason I have all this stuff is I might want or need it in the future. That there could be a reason I held on to the Steve Oedekirk Thumb movie collection that'll somehow be relevant to my job or to finding a treasure chest or something. But also knowing that I need to make some space. And that I could use some extra scratch. And that there are things that I bought with enjoying them in the future in mind, but that I now don't think I'll ever return to. 

Loss and Regret

Nothing that I'm trying to get rid of do I feel like I'm going to regret parting ways with. But I've heard and--to some extent--have experienced that feeling of great loss in the past. I think all of us have had or know someone in our lives who has had some variation on the experience of "my [parent] threw my [toys/comics/books/important childhood memories] away and I used my adult money to try to get them back." Or, closely related the "I [lent out/went on vacation with/otherwise left the house with] my [toys/comics/books/important childhood memories] and they're now lost forever." 

I've had a couple of those experiences. The summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college, I lent a friendly acquaintance who was going to the same college as me a bunch of my Gameboy games because they had just found their Gameboy and wanted to get back into it, and I was mostly playing my DS and only my Pokemon Gameboy games at that time. I'm fuzzy on the details, because it has been a decade now (whoof), but as I recall, said acquaintance didn't remember to bring my games when they came to college and somewhere between when they moved into the dorms and their first extended trip home, their family moved and the games were "lost in the move" and if they were ever found, I was never told. And there were some really good games that I miss even today. 

Another time, we were living out at the ranch and a lot of our stuff was in storage in the barn (yes, I lived on a non-working ranch and, yes, we had a barn). Now, sometimes that meant things got a little gross. There was dust and the occasional bugs or mice that found their way into things. But overall, it was actually pretty secure. That is, until the barn flooded once. And I lost a ton of meaningful stuff: books and comics and toys. In particular, I remember that the flood lead to the death of my Marvel Legends build-a-figure Galactus, which was quite the loss. 

And my third big loss/purge is when the ranch was being sold, I had to go back to the ranch, and to the barn, and go through and try to parse at least some of my stuff down. At that point, I was in college and knew I only had a storage unit to work with to hold this stuff, and I was distraught with changes to my life around the ranch being sold, so I know there are things that basically got thrown away that I probably could've kept or saved or gotten to someone who would appreciate them, but in a wave of angst and just deep tiredness, some stuff just got tossed and because it's been a while and I was a little hazy at the time, I still don't entirely know what all was lost in that either. 

I bring all of this up because, like I said earlier, I know that I and many of us have that experience of losing the things that mattered. And I know when I posted about selling some Transformers not too long ago, I had a couple people reach out to say "hey, I don't want to see you lose something that matters to you if you just need money." I wanna reassure folks that, no, it isn't just that influencing my decisions here. I'm really trying to be thoughtful in my decisions. So, don't worry. ;D

Next week: Inspired by a conversation on Becca's Twitch stream yesterday (viewer discretion advised on this last stream: there's some language and a spooky drawing and a slip of some NSFW art for a sec), I'm going to talk about manuscript wishlists and like ways to maybe find agents and editors that'd be a good match for you! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Honkai Star Rail (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge (TV show, my friend Sina's in the finale!!!!), The Broken Room by Peter Clines (Book), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), Dumbing of Age (Webcomic), It's Walky/Joyce & Walky/Shortpacked (Webcomics), Solve This Murder (Podcast), Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Webcomic), Praise Petey (Cartoon), Queen of the Damned (Movie), this very cute Superman drawn by Fernando Luis Cruz during a Superman conversation on Becca's last Twitch stream, this hunky boy Superman drawn by Gigi Dutreix on said stream (and the hunky lady She-Hulk too), The Prank Panel (TV show), Chainsaw Man (Manga) 

New Releases this week (8/9/2023): Nothing from me! Sorry! But...

New Releases next week (8/14/2023): Brynmore #2 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #1 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog #63 (Editor) Toldja I had a bunch in the pipeline! 

Announcements: Becca will be tabling at Cartoon-a Palooza in Temecula on 9/15 & 9/16. It's a cool free all-ages little con, so come on out and see them! I'll be around too, I'm sure! 

Wanna support me? Consider joining my Patreon! Not only do you get the blog, but you get neat extra stuff like Patreon exclusive blogs, sneak peeks on other stuff I'm working on (and sometimes full original comics posted there), and coming up this week, the first of my sharable scripts and pitches! And even more at higher levels! Or, you can buy something from my webstore! Some of the stock on that stuff is running low and not going to be reprinted anytime soon, so prolly a good time to check it out! 

Also, at time of posting, I still have not pulled Kafka in Honkai Star Rail, but when I do (boy I hope I do), I'll let you know.  Pic of the Week: This is just a very nice picture of Nadja. But those Supermans are also kinda the pic of the week!  

[broodpeas]

random thoughts on RHOBH

I'm watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills again, in between watching other tv shows I didn't wanna watch until I knew I had the time to do so (watched Moon Knight, the best of two worlds: indiana jones and the mummy!). It has been, as usual, an experience to watch a pseudo-reality tv show about wealthy yt women who seem to enjoy tackling each other in the harshest way.

Because I jumped late on this ship, I'm sure later seasons the show tries to mend some of the things they have done so far that they consider to be bad (for example, highlighting in the worst possible way, how an addiction affects not only a personbut that person's family and make everyone a judge of the situation). With each season I wonder...well, basically, I wonder why. And, are people really like this in real life? Because, even if this is a heavily scripted tv show, we still are talking about people and I can't help but wonder if people are really doing things like doubting someone's disease (season 6), domestic abuse (season 1 and season 2), divorce (season 2 and season 3), and the privacy of minor and their right to exist without having a camera shoved in their faces. I wonder why presenting this on television? why making of this entertainment? and how this specific entertainment differentiates from the other ways we consume in pop culture? Ultimately, tv and movies -but especially tv- exploits this and we take it all, even when we think and believe it's done carefully, gracefully, or whatever (always good to ask ourselves what this implies). I think in the past I had writenn about this, but it's still nice to know that I enjoy watching it. I really do. I don't know what witchery this tv show has but it is good, it's so good. And with every season, aware of the "degradation", I still think they can't go far -and then, they do! So far, season 6 started with a man peeping a woman's underskirt and his wife saying it's her fault because she wasn't wearing any underwear! Ah, makes perfect sense!

At the same time, I think too this show is very telling of the upper class of entitled gringas that sometimes do come to this part of the continent and are amazed we have wifi. Which by the way, reminds me to tell to whomever reads this, please let's not find this shocking anymore. It's the year 2023 of our lord Beyoncé who's on tour currently -and giving you so many fashion references I don't think an academic paper will ever be enough-, and we know the condescending ways the gringos exist in the world. RHOBH simply let's you go a little deeper into this, to wonder how in hell did we let things go this far and how great it is because we find amusement. I have always wondered, when the cameras are gone, and they're just them, people living on earth, do they look at themselves and think "this is just a job"? Instead of a version of squid game that violently murders people, maybe this is the real squid game. A very nice one, because I will not stop watching it- must be said, it really doesn't make you a better person to put yourself in the position of judge here.

In any case, it will always be interesting to disssect the Real Housewives franchise from the ethics point of view, and especially from a feminist point of view. Because one could say that yes, tv shows like this makes us abandon all feminist flagpoles and shit, I honestly think this is a too hurried on position. There's a reason why this specific part of television and pop culture is viewed and appreciated by us. For so long gossip and cattiness has been understood as negative and even here, I understand them as negative values. RH has given permission to turn around this, to pose the question why are they bad? if you think carefully, ethics wasn't really built by so-called marginal groups, it was built by men. I mean, what's the first book of ethics I read on my philosophy BA? Aristotle! and Socrates was well, he was difficult, I don't think he'll ever admit how catty and dramatic he was (girl, you died drinking poison instead of escaping, do you think LVP would've done that hell no, she would've made dorit drink the poison!!!). And we all know this, and this isn't the exact place to discuss the implications or consequences this has, but it really does let you think with more attention and detail why these tv shows are considered "trash tv" instead of....culture. I don't think RH is bad tv, I think it's an specific form of entertainment that is so specific to our contemporary times we really have no way to compare it with anything else. This also lets us come close to what it means when a scripted television show starts to meddle with serious stuff, such as addiction, domestic abuse, harassment, and so on and on, and does so with not much care or tact. They just do it, they give it you raw.

But anyway, this was very random, like almost everything I write. Time to get back to work.

[tenderlyrenjun]

It's been awhile..Honestly proud of myself for surviving the finals😭 I hope you did great too!!^^

congrats on surviving finals!! the hard part is done and you can relax now, which is cool cause holidays and everything.

I didn’t do so great, to be honest; I got a 0 on my final project because I submitted it late (literally 11 minutes late because my wifi was too slow to upload it and also, I uploaded my paper to the wrong spot, so yeah; got a 0), and then I barely passed the final exam ha …………. but I got 100% on my final presentation in another class and a 98% on the midterm (I missed one fucking question); and then my labs were fine; I spent two weeks on perfecting my specimens and I got all of the “pop quiz”-kind of things mostly correct, but my presentations were 10/10; I get stage fright but, like, in a “if I vomit beforehand, I’ll be fine” way, and then my math class was just a bunch of experimental calculus, which was easy, in my opinion; calculus really isn’t difficult like movies say it is; I used to be intimidated by it in high school/middle school, but once I actually got past trig, it was pretty easy and just a bunch of memorization, really. But yeah, I’m probably getting a C in biochem this term, which sucks so bad but at least I passed; and I’m probably getting a regular A in anat and phys and disease; and I’m probably going to get a high A in experimental calculus — manifesting a B in biochem though because the lab grade is merged with the lecture grade and I have an A in lab; although, lab is only 30% of the total grade, so, like, I could still have a B if my A before the final was low (like a 93 or something).

oh, update: I just checked my grades and it went down in anat and phys and disease because I forgot to do an assignment that wasn’t posted in the module but the coursework tab, so I’m getting an 89.88 this term 🫠🫠

[nardonotes]

14 nov '24

1:52pm

HELLOOOO!!!!!! i haven't written in a while because i've been so busy.... sorry not sorry (๑-﹏-๑) let's recap!!

right now i'm in the new library about 5 mins away from my campus so literally like 15 mins away from my house hehe.... (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝) it's really nice cause the wifi is faster than my house and because there's so many ppl in here doing work,, it motivates me to do my work! and so far i have been here for about an hour now? and i got a lot of shit done!!!! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ good for me!!!!!!

what happened in the last few days... hmm,,,

so on monday, i didn't do much,, i went to see my friend and we checked this place out! i think i've said this already,,, we then went for coffee and it was nice cause we ended up bumping into a good ol friend that i hadn't seen in over a year!!! i was so happy when i saw her like i was beaming with joy fr ( ;´ - `;) after coffee we went thrifting and i got two volumes of one punch man for 4 quid!!! WHAT A STEAL!!!!! had dinner with my sister's friends because they're leaving the country! (they already left like yesterday) we went to a nice pizza place,, :33 knocked OUT when i got home though.... whew......

tuesday,, i went to the library (here) and did some work before i went home and did as much work as i can! im really behind on work tbh (can u tell,.) (╥‸╥) it's ok tho,, cause-

on wednesday,, (YESTERDAY),, i went to all my classes and did as much as i could like actually tried my best to do everything without feeling tired!! i could tell i was tired though cause my classmates were actually pissing me off so bad i wanted to set the place on fire.. oo- hehe... ( ╹ -╹)?

AND NEOW.,... i woke up at 9am :)) sleep fixed YIPPIEEEE!!!! it's gna be unfixed soon, i feel it. but anyways,, i got so much work done rn, i'm going to finish up here at around 3pm i think,, just one more hour! and then i'm going to go into town and get some small things like CRAYONS.... im a child.... idgaf. i need it for my project :P

when i get home i'm going to bleach my hair and dye it, so i can get that shit over with. i also got a haircut on monday and it's the best time to bleach my roots cause it's so short,, i be rubbing this shit in like it's shampoo LOL!!1 XDD....

OH! and update on my piercing- it's healing really well! im so happy with it and i'm honestly already used to it :)) im so glad i got it yk,, a little rant before i go; i feel so free being able to do what i want with my appearance now that i'm not only single but stopped giving a fuck about what my friends think like,, i'll still ask for their opinion on things but it's more just to tell them im going to do something i wanted to do! idk it's weird,, anyways.. im trying my best not to let seasonal depression catch my ass !!

ok!! i have myself 20 mins of break before another 25-30 mins of work and it's almost up! byebye :33

song of the day: Dreaming by An Yujin ⋆˙⟡