#i am very proud of the speed at which i finished this thing

[turquoisevioiet]

jump into the heat

buck/eddie | rated: T | 22k | complete

summary: post-705 spec fic. following yet another doomed day intended to be full of joy for the 118, buck and eddie try to figure out their lives, themselves, and each other. a bachelor party, a decision, a move, an awakening, a realization, an acceptance, and a happy ending

Short excerpt from my favorite chapter, but minor spoiler alert:

“Can I ask you something personal? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Well, now Buck is scared, but he nods.

“You said I was the first man you’ve dated.” Buck is pretty sure he worded it in a more stupid way, but he lets Tommy continue. “Does that mean nothing ever happened between you and Eddie?”

“Why do people keep thinking that?” Buck laments, without meaning to. 

“I mean, I could list some of my reasons but if people think it enough that it’s a thing then maybe you already know. But… is that a no? I hope you know I don’t mind, I just prefer having all the context.”

Buck catches and holds Tommy’s gaze meaningfully, and shakes his head gently. “No. Seriously, I didn’t even consciously realize I liked guys until you.”

“Really?”

Buck furrows his brow, “Do you think I’m lying?”

Tommy shifts closer again and places his hand on his knee. “No, of course not.” He pulls his hand back before saying, “You just talk about him a lot more than purely platonic friends would. And more importantly, the way you talk about him, like he’s easily half of your life, and all of your future. Like a partner. Hell, you’re practically a second dad to his kid. I just was wondering if you’re still thinking of him through the eyes of the Buck you were before realizing you liked guys. The Buck whose mind the possibility wouldn’t have consciously crossed?”

“I– I don’t think so? I mean, I thought we just had a rough start and after working together really well, we became friends.”

“Can I ask what you mean by ‘rough start’?”

“I mean, I was kinda a different person back when he joined the team, just so you know. So, I was submitting myself for the LAFD calendar—don’t laugh—and then he showed up and first I thought I was angry because clearly he’d get it and I wouldn’t, I mean, look at the guy. He’s ridiculously hot and cool, it practically made me nauseous. But eventually I realized I was just jealous because he was, kinda, everything I wanted, to be.”

“Back then, if you had known you were bi, do you think you might have interpreted those feelings differently? Like a crush, maybe?”

That question hits Buck like a slap in the face. He honestly doesn’t know what to say, and just sits there frozen. And he realizes… what Tommy said about how Buck talks about Eddie… he realizes that he himself said basically the same thing to Eddie when describing how he views true love Bobby and Athena, and Maddie and Chim have.

“If so, you know that’s okay, right?”

Then it’s like a wave crashes down on top of Buck. A wave of anger at himself, and guilt. His ears are ringing. He’s suddenly rethinking a million interactions with Eddie all at once. “Tommy, I– I don’t know what to say. I’m– maybe–” 

“Seriously, it’s okay. You can’t control unresolved feelings. You should take time to let yourself think on it.”

Well, Buck can take a hint, at least. He feels like he needs to be alone, and Tommy probably does too. So he stands up, almost on auto-pilot. 

But he hovers there at the couch; no matter how much he needs to sit in a dark room and rethink the last few years, he also doesn’t want to leave this so unfinished.

“I’m really sorry,�� he chokes out. 

Tommy stands up too and places his hands firmly on Buck’s shoulders, looking at him deeply. “It’s gonna be okay, Evan.”

Buck’s ears are still ringing when he gets outside, he just hears half of your life, and all of your future, and like a partner, and you’re practically a second dad, and Evan, but none of it is in his own nor Tommy’s voice.

read here!

[lemonsrosesandlavender]

2024 Writing Year in Review!

Thanks @commander-krios ! I tag… @darkurgetrash @redroomroaving and @purpleasters-inseptember (nvm RED YOU GOT ME FIRST. How dare you! ;) @forget-me-maybe I’m throwing you a tag instead.)

Here we go!

Words posted: 157,651

Words unposted: 5,054 (...approximately, it's hard to count bits that I think might get ripped up and rearranged!)

Total word count: 162,605

Fandoms: Barring a teeny bit of work on an Ambition: A Minuet in Power WIP, BG3 has occupied my days.

Highest Kudos: Planar Tears, at 247 kudos.

Highest One-Shot Hits: Laced Close, my Rolan x Steel Weave Tav corsetry one-shot, at 1,328 hits. You little freaks. He would look amazing tight-laced and moaning about it <3

New things I tried: Scrivener! (Excellent, never going back. Especially good for multi-chapters). Trying different voices and styles. Writing prompts (and some of them have inspired utterly delicious filth, sweetness, or both, so thank you!). Writing sprints (banging). Proper outlining (couldn’t have done this much of Planar Tears without it).

Looking back, it seems like this year was pretty successful in terms of new writing habits I tried!

Fic I took the most time on: Planar Tears. I started at the end of January, and (hilariously) thought I’d be done by October. We’re at the 70% mark now! At a conservative estimate, I’ll say I’ve spent at least 250 hours on it… but the truth is definitely far higher.

Fic I took the least time on:

Short Shorts (And Cold Beer) came to me in a vision and took approximately 3.5-4 hours to write and edit. Same for Nailed! I’m also very proud of both of those fics, which is cool. Sometimes lightning strikes and you just have to sit down and dash* out those words (and credit to Barb for providing the lightning for Nailed!)

* “dashed out” for me is a top speed of 500–600 words written in an hour. I’m a tortoise compared to some on here!

Favourite thing I wrote?

It has to be Planar Tears <3

Favourite Fics I read this year?

I’ve read and rec’d some great fics this year, but I’ll keep it to a top three!

The Northern Bastards series by @graysparrowao3 is just fantastic filth. (Aradin x Rugan, you will love them and you will hate them. As it should be!)

I loved all of the other entries in Volo’s Erotic Library, but my special shout-outs have to go to @darkurgetrash for ruining my life (negative, severe internal pain) with “Discord Daddy Rolan”, @sav-not-tav and her orb-linered Lorroakan x Tav version of My Immortal, and @littlemisscactus 's absolutely heinous Strange Ox x Tav yaoi (kyaaaaaa?!).

And finally, the omelurg trilogy (starting with research methodologies) by weathered_law is just god-tier. Beautifully smutty and absolutely thrumming with affection for these mushroom nerds. It’s wonderful.

writing goals for 2025:

Finish Planar Tears by mid-June! I am feeling the pressure of wrapping up all these plot threads nicely, but I also know it's going to be the most rewarding part of an already very rewarding project, so I'm determined to make it sing.

Publish Fingering the Fist by the end of January, and Minthara x Gale by the end of February.

Return to my original novel now my skills are stronger and the ideas have fermented a bit.

Write freakier, filthier, and hopefully better. I’m always on a quest to improve my skills; if you recommend any great craft books/blogs/videos I'll gladly read them!

new works for 2025:

The omega!Rolan/f!alpha!Tav idea from Barb has been brewing for ages and I had some great thoughts whilst chatting to @ra-scheln about it, so that’s definitely coming at some point. (Once I’ve cleared my other oneshots from the above goals!)

I’m pretty committed to writing a Catrin-POV one- or two-shot I think! I want to write more smut than we have time for in Planar Tears, and I have a pushy-sub-Rolan/top-drop Catrin idea I’d like to explore where he oversteps her boundaries and inveigles her into doing something that he thinks is hot but she thinks is dangerous. I love exploring kink communication and conflict, what’s new ;)

Lennie! Poor Lennie! I have tragically neglected her, but the ideas have been stewing and I really want to get them down. So expect awkward car sex and another steamy spanking soon. <3 (I also need to make an OC reference so I can get some art of her picking Rolan up like the weightlifting hottie she is).

(This whole section is really an ode to the way a good idea will age until it’s ripe enough to write. I love those, because I often find when you DO sit down to write them, they come out quickly, and I can't wait to bash them out once my current queue is done!)

[lestappenforever]

Since I’m on a roll with the race, here’s my post race analysis if the insane British Grand Prix (which gave us the strategic race we hopes Monaco would be tbh)

Williams, see what happens when you give both your drivers competent cars with 2024 components and such. One goes to score and the other is literally this close to scoring points. Also, something that broke my heart is the way Logan was kinda panicking over Alex’s car having a piece of bodywork off, and not for comedic reasons, he’s been with this team and they’ve let him down enough times that he thought they’d sacrifice his race for Alex, which thank God they didn’t.

Haas, I am beyond impressed and Nico is a midfielder goat (judge me, but he’s pulling his haas places it should never be tbh). Qualified and finished p6, two consecutive p6 finishes. This man is just way too underrated for his own good. And something I was talking with my friend about is this: Nico is a mechanical engineer, so he understands and knows the jist of things around the garage. And for the first time (I think) he doesn’t have a bozo as his to, rather a technical one, and this is why he’s able to extract everything and more from this car. Also in this house, we love Haas and Nico.

VCARB are still improving and impressing me. Let’s be real, Yuki had no business in scoring today, but he did, and that is just something I love to see, Daniel was meh, okay, nothing to crazy. What will happen this Thursday and beyond, is what’s gling to be bery interesting.

Ferrari ate back to the Ferrari ways of using Charles as a lab rat, and not giving him dat. I want to understand, why was Charles given different information to Carlos? I mean he was starting p11 for goodness sake, very good chance at points, but Ferrari just ruined his race with the information he was given. Carlos was given proper information and you could see that, he even made a place up from his starting position so it is beyond me why Charles was misinformed (and why he signed in the first place, but that is a discussion for another ask)

Now for the last 3 teams, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. I’ll start by Checo who had a race to forget, especially because apparently both driver were givn the option to pit, and Checo chose the wrong window for it. But he needs to wale up or that seat could go as soon as next year. As for George, his race and strategy was spot on, and I can’t fault him or the team for anything, it was just unlucky that the water system broke, a mechanical failure, not a fault of his own.

Now, for the next 4 drivers, this is what will sum it up: engineers-driver communications.

Lewis and Bono has clear communication throughout the whole race, and the strategy was pretty spot on (though the softs were not it as we saw towards the end) but he was able to pull through, and went ahead for an emotional 9th British GP win. This is because of the decision and the information that was passed between driver, race engineer, strategy team and the other engineers who are all involved in the race real time.

Max-GP-Hannah, Will and Red Bull strategy team. I love you, that’s all I could say. Set up wasn’t working at the beginning, but the communication between Max and GP, as well as the others behind the scene, with Hannah on the pit wall, asking Max WHEN je’d like to pit in a pit stop window, how much rain/water/spar, how confident is he, and how he wants it to go, then the decision of fuck it slicks now when Lewis pitted was an example of how much they discussed and how much Max has learned from these guys, when to feel confident with the data and the car, the grip and how to cut that pit stop, undercutting Lando and then going ahead to snatch P2, so close to P1. The strategy team should be beyond proud of themselves for the hard compound choice, it was actually the best, with the tyres not dying early and giving that RB20 speed and grip it lacked during the medium stint. I am sure if anyone would have asked Max or Red Bull if he’d get P2, 1.4 seconds off P1 at the beginning if the race, they would have called this person not just insane, a nut case.

McLaren however are a different case, the communications between the engineers and the drivers was just not there. Pitting Oscar late and leaving him out, only to be slotted behind Max after pitting for inters and Max has speed and confidence on those inters. Then the all over the place for the slicks, asking oscar what tyres he wants and he says mediums, which was a better choice than Lando’s choice of softs that cost him p2. I mean, the strategy was all over the place and the data was not properly provided to both Lando and Oscar, that’s why both were disappointed, from a potential 1-2 to a disappointing and discouraging 3-4 and a lack of proper communication with their engineers.

To sum up, this race relied on strategy and communication not just speed. And as seen, Ferrari never learn, Red Bull are beyond amazing (touches wood because I’m superstitious and don’t want to jinx them), McLaren are with the fuck it we’re quick isn’t going to give them wins, and Mercedes with the slow but sure consistency go places. Now let’s hope Red Bull have upgrades that Pierre said about because I can’t handle this anymore, and BRING IN HUNGARY

Yet another beautiful analysis that deserves to shine in all its glory.

[larkingame]

hello folks! I hope that January has treated you all well and that the beginning of 2024 has been kind to you so far. welcome to the second public update for larkin's monthly development of 2024! 

Personally, January seemed to fly by for me, and while it did provide a lot of time for work, it also posed some challenges and taught me a few things. The first of which, is the fact that the new Larkin is a //big// undertaking, bigger than I think even I realized when I first set out on this journey. While turning Larkin into an RPG, with dice rolls, stat checks and the like is a decision that I'm still very happy with and proud of my progress on--it's going slower than I'd necessarily like. To illustrate this to you, the prologue of Larkin currently sits at about 55k words, while the original twine prologue was at just about 21k words in it's complete scope. The big difference there being, in those original 21k words I managed to get the plot moving and the Preacher and Wyatt on their way to Nevada, but in the time that I've been working on the RPG version of Larkin, I've only just about gotten finished with the first major encounter. It's slow going, and I'm working really hard to ramp up the production speed--adjusting my schedule to wake up at 5:00 am to work for a few hours before work and school, and then coming home and working on larkin until about 1:30 am (as much I hate this fact, I //do// in fact need //some// sleep.) Even with all of my free time dedicated to work on Larkin or catching those few precious hours of sleep, I'm still not entirely happy with the speed at which I'm working on it--and I'm still experimenting to try and figure out what works best that helps me produce quality work with a quick turn-around. 

That being said, one of my new systems I've implemented to try and alleviate my production stress is that I've started dropping two updates to the game every week. The first update comes on Thursdays and is called what I've dubbed a 'Bulk' Update, it essentially builds on the choices/routes that have already been presented to the player, giving you room to explore your environment/develop your character compared to the Sunday 'Streamline' Update, that furthers along the plot of the story. Later tonight I'll be posting an update roadmap for the month of February on Patreon. 

Other brief updates about the progress of the game. For one, I've been working with two artists—one who is producing some art that'll be used as future patreon physical rewards and another who's putting together portraits of all the game's main characters that I am. Sickeningly excited about, considering that this artist is my current favorite working artist of all time. In total there's going to be sixteen character portraits that you'll be able to unlock throughout the course of the game, with slight variations depending on our relationship with that character. Other than that, me and my assistant Phillip are in the process of really trying to build a bigger social media presence for Larkin, so we'll be launching twitter/threads/bluesky/instagram and editing the tiktok pages for Larkin, that I'll drop in a card later tonight as well. I’ve also introduced another patreon tier of $1 for those of you who are wanting more consistent updates on the game development on Patreon!

STATS: 

PROLOGUE WORDCOUNT: 55, 750 words

ROUTE TRACKER: 1.5/11

PROLOGUE WORDCOUNT GOAL: 150k

[the-milk-monarch]

☣︎ Context - I am a dum dum and accidentally wrote a different story for Tyler bc I didn't understand the assignment well, or perhaps that's what you wanted? idk gee I love being autistic /s (from future/in making @yeetusdeefetus ask (Alejandro finished so far 💯))

【 TYLER GETS A CRUSH ON A GUY 】 Summary: After his (ex) girlfriend forgot who he is, Tyler focuses on his boy friend and protects him in a challenge. ☢︎ | masculine reader ☢︎ | Total Drama ☢︎ | Tyler

Tyler was drawn to you after he gave up on Lindsay, who forgot who he was.

He didn't know why, but he wanted to spent each minute with you.

He assumed it's because you were such a cool bro to hang out with.

And you knew his name!!

You were friends before, but most of the time he wanted to hang out with his (now ex) girlfriend, because she used to bring him so much joy.

But now that she forgot him, his attention focused on you.

One day however he started to think more about his dating life situation.

He wasn't quite sure what he felt, but after initial sadness of Lindsay not recognizing him he felt quite- fine??

He was still very unhappy, don't get him wrong, but he wasn't like- depressed.

That made him think about the possible reason, which made him think about you.

That realization hit him like a train.

He "likes girls!" after all.

As if on cue, you appeared on his radar.

You noticed he was looking kind of upset, but you weren't sure if you should approach.

After some thinking though you decided to finally walk up to him.

Once he noticed you nearing his way, he started acting more fidgety and anxious.

You asked if he's okay, to which he responded with a nervous and obviously trying to be cool "Of- Of course Y/N! Why do you ask??"

You carefully asked if it's because of Lindsay, trying to remain lighthearted and supportive towards him.

He stopped for a moment before responding, trying to find appropriate words.

"…Yeah! I just want my girlfriend to recognize me, you know??" He told you, although his expression changed to a more hesitant one.

You spotted his slightly pink cheeks and him side-eyeing you when you weren't looking.

"B-But I mean- They say there's lots of fish in the sea, eh??" He said, trying to lighten up the mood, in his own goofy way. "I will just search for the fish on land!"

You chuckled at his words that didn't make sense.

"Wait- There must be some odd fish that walk on land, right??" Tyler trailed off a little with his side thoughts about what he just said.

You laughed softly again.

"Well, we all were once fish that walked on land, so- I guess?" You say playfully, amused by your own conclusion.

He seems to be glad that you're not calling him stupid, and even a bit proud of himself.

"Well- In any case- If you don't have anyone to hang out with, feel free to come to me sometime." You put your hand on his shoulder in a friendly and supportive manner, which made Tyler's cheeks hotter.

"Eheh-" He mixed a bashful chuckle with "uhuh".

After that conversation Tyler was all over you in a few days.

It was like impressing Lindsay again, but this time it was you.

He tried to be smooth and low-key while catching your attention, but the whole team (even including you, being slightly suspicious about him) knew that he had a massive crush on you.

"Hey Y/N!" He waved at you once Chris announced that you'd need a partner on your next challenge coming up. "Y/N!! Here! Tyler! Do you wanna pair up?"

You sighed, keeping a defeated smile on your face. This man was killing you, but you enjoyed his silly behavior.

"Sure, Tyler, we can pair up," You approached him, making him let out a victorious and a bit goofy "yeah!".

Chris had made up yet another stupid and possibly dangerous challenge, where Chef would be firing items thru his cannon while you go do an obstacle course.

The cannon was a surprise, as Chris didn't disclose that to you all.

Chef had pointed the thing at you, letting it fire with a loud "boom".

A flying pillow flying at full speed almost hit you, but you managed to swiftly avoid it, letting out a quiet gasp.

Chris and Chef snickered at that.

Tyler noticed that you were in danger, so he quickly ran up to you, jumping in front of second object that was supposed to hit you.

The flying chicken toy and Tyler squeaked at the same time as it hit him.

You were worried something happened to him but he optimistically (albeit a bit in pain) raised his hand in a thumbs up.

Fortunately you both were able to complete the challenge without too many bruises.

Tyler was roughed up a bit, but he didn't wanna complain in front of you.

After you both were somewhere alone, you approached him to thank him for being your "hero".

He blinked at you once, processing the words that came out of your mouth, but after he did, he grinned proudly and a bit flustered.

"Yeah, it was nothing." He said while red on his cheeks matched his outfit.

"How shall I ever repay you?" You asked playfully.

"Oh, um…" He stopped for a moment, deep in thought. You chuckled softly, seeing how preoccupied he was with figuring that out.

You were feeling brave after today, being like 95% sure he was into you, so you decided to be a bit bold.

You kissed him on the cheeks while he was still in the process of figuring out what to respond, making his eyes go wider and his cheeks getting redder.

"Wow-" He muttered with his jaw widened a bit. "Is- Is that enough?" You asked, looking at his face in a bashful amusement.

"Hell yeah!" He grinned widely.

"… Wait- Does that mean I have to repay you for that kiss as well??"

[z-and-the-space-child]

my head is all currently midnight burger podcast so here's everything i like about this wonderful piece of media:

it's pretty fun and very funny!! i smile like an idiot on public transport and on my way to class at least once a day listening to this.

the characters are so. idk how to describe them but theyre so full of life and you can tell that they are loved greatly by the creator(s)

the WRITING. i could seriously pluck a quote from damn near every episode to carry me through the day. i don't need affirmations i need gloria to talk me through my problems.

i was doing a lil analysis of the themes in this show and i came up with "the best thing you can ever do is the best thing you can do right now" and it is FUEL, babey.

The el triste monologue. also just gloria being a POC and being proud of herself and her culture. there's a lot of cultural mish-mash in podcasts, so this is very refreshing.

It's very, very sweet and heartfelt. kind of like wolf 359 if they communicated more instead of dodging their issues until they came to a peak (love them for it.)

the PHYSICS of it all. i'm a physics/astrophysics major because i think space and looking at the stars is my lifeblood so i won't shut up about it. i don't want ava and leif (certainly ava) to shut up about it ever. HOW much reasearch did they have to do to get this kinda grasp on it. im in awe, i'm LEARNING actual things from them. i could go on. the gravity waves, the stellar nuclear fusion, the time dilation of it all. and all without using over-flowery language!!! i can actually follow a good chunk of the time. are we sure ava didn't take one of those science communication seminars. maybe 5 phds does it. when she and leif talk i vibrate like an electron in a lazer. wonderful.

star sequencing??? stellar nucleosequencing??? right up my alley. thats my kinda stuff. the romanticization of space, i've seen. the romanticization of physics, however, is not something i haven't seen in such a beautiful modern fashion. (Ie, not oppenheimer or even richard feyman)

and it's not too science-y to the point that they think they can't have fun. yes they discuss the implications of gravity waves and wax poetic about space and pulsars. (it beats for you, berts) but they have FUN! they meet their parents because they can. they get a plant drunk. there's an atmosphere(?????) around the diner that allows them to fly around and mind-numbing speeds and look at the curvature of spacetime and also sit on the roof. (I imagine the entire place is the temperature of a summer night.) they have a whole wild west planet. leif builds things inexplicably. how? where does he get the materials??? shhhhh don't question it just let him have the gravity wave detector. nobody actually knows what engineers do, not even engineers. let him be. also time crystals??????

ALSO ava being a woman in stem and being so blunt yet covert about it. she's been dealing with it for so long. why are all (recognized) physicists a)white b) men c) both. it's such a sucky thing to work into because of the outward appearance. ava is a proud mad scientist which i aspire to so much. i am keeping her in my little arsenal of people to think about when i don't want to study. (picture the do it for her meme but it's pics of ava) I don't think i aptly put how much i love her. i'm not all the way finished yet but i've heard she was forced to marry someone? i think it would be a thing for sure if she cheated on him. so many physicists cheated on their spouses (wives ): ) and i think ava should also do it. as a treat. if that's what she'd like.

when people have done bad, bad things but show/are capable of redemption upon reflecting on their past/current shortcomings is just something that gets me so much directly in the heart. the hiddenness of people. the tragedy. we contain MULTITUDES and this show demonstrates that so well. how they support each other! they are everchanging and that's good for them. Leif the engineer the ex criminal the diner cook.

leif exploding a man in cold blood. if i could draw i'd draw that. maybe i will anyways.

food as a form of affection/way to bond. grief. doing your best. making amends. using the time you have. death is inevitable but that's okay.

And if time and tide roil you too harshly, or diurnal courses leave you with no safe havens, just remember we’re out there, somewhere, lookin’ for ya’

they open at six

[dimalink]

Free Blocker – blocks and center of the screen

With programming language Free Basic I am going to finish with game FreeBlocker. I write it with programming language Free Basic. That’s why, it has this name. And game is about little squares. And I call them here - blocks. As in Tetris, there it were, also, a blocks. But, here it is everything simple.

You are standing in a line. It is such a strip in a middle of the screen. And, you have only three steps. To the left and to the right. Three states. Central, left, and right. And with space you are catching little squares (blocks), which are, someway, moving to your side. If you want, you can count, that they are falling into the glass, something like from the top. Or you are flying in space about a straight line or by a road (highway) you are moving. It is a thing about your imagination.

With space you are catching blocks.

Space activates two blocks, which up draw before you. If block is in one of these blocks, then you gain scores! And if block crash into you – then you lost some energy! Blocks are appearing at the up part of the screen, random way.

This is the idea of the little game.

Game is simple – I try new Basic for myself. To programming with it later. And things go just excellent! But, this is a first game with Free Basic. And, that’s why, it will be simple.

Interesting point, that game is, something like, – some pseudo model for shooter game. Shmups, also, these games are called. Shoot them all. Subgenre. So, this is narrow strip. And, you are flying with a mad speed. Everything is flying with a fast speed around you. So, something a little that idea – prototype of a shooter game.

Also, game is made with resolution 320 x 200 and 16 colors. That reminds a lot retro. And, some, thing like MS DOS. Some simple little game for MS DOS. To have some free time.

Also, I have a such idea. That you are in some space tunnel, in sub space, in a wormhole and you fly there. And everything happens with you there.

So, here it is everything simple – catch with space blocks and gain scores. Move through game levels. Menus all are simple.

So, personally about me, I can, sometimes, to see screenshots for old games, MS DOS games. Also, including, games with minimal graphics, 16 colors or text graphics. And, very long time, I was interesting into that imitation of that kind of games for MS DOS.

Game is something like very minimal, everything you need is there – to be it a game. It is first probe of programming language Free Basic.

A little, I want to take a time about technical part. I have something to say. But, I will write it short way. Because of, here, it is mainly, about a videogame theme! And, I have some achievements in this tech side! Before these days, I have never to do things like now, I never had a skills before, never has experience about that!

Now, I am trying new dialect of programming language Basic – this time it is Free Basic. I am learning programming with Basic! It sounds strong! So, I am a big fan of Basic! And, I am proud of it! I read manual, users guide. Write code.

And add to this, at last, I write all the code using program GVim. It is text editor for programmers. Bit it is, something, very global, that I, personally I, can say it is some operating system, simply. It can do lots of things! Or, something like, a shell type Norton Commander, Total Commander. But, take into account, it is made about a programmers need. Unbelievable thing.

And, I compile program by myself using commands, makefile, first time ever, I write most simple by myself. Structure of program is modules. So, it consists of several files.

So, it is cool to programming with Basic! Have your excellent BASIC day!

This game will be released in terms of new version Basic Pascal Pack games. This game and some more games will be in a new version Basic Pascal Pack. As soon as I will have several complete games. All of them will to be in a new version Basic Pascal Pack. And a new version Basic Pascal Pack will be published for download.

Basic Pascal pack - whole pack of games and programes, written with basic and pascal. It is retro. With each game and program there is a page at author`s website. There are aditional information, descriptions, pictures, arts.

Basic Pascal: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/packs/basicpascal/index_eng.html

Itchio: https://dimalink.itch.io/basic-pascal GameJolt: https://gamejolt.com/games/BasicPascal/773385 Website: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html

[i-mybrunettelady]

20 questions for 20 writers

i was tagged by @accidentallyadorable, ty for the tag friend <3

tagging: @archesa, @thevikingwoman, @scionshtola, @antariies, @anneapocalypse, @ghostwise and whoever sees this and wants to participate <3

q1. how many works do you have on ao3?

i don't post all my work on ao3, but on ao3 alone, 28!

q2. what fandoms do you write for?

guild wars 2, wayfarer, ffxiv, blood moon, infamous, the exile <3

q3. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

tales of the red wayfarer - a cassander character study

overflowing - intellis pining

somewhere after midnight - cassmel post-sex cuddling and pillow talk

ties that sever, ties that bind - an inteus family study, currently being finished

songweaver - more intellis pining (all wayfarer works lmao)

q4. do you respond to comments?

always! they're few and far between so i make sure i do <3

q5. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hard to say... i write angst, but i write hurt/comfort, so like. by that alone it's ties that sever because cass cries by the end of each one and is very much alone so like. ties that sever??? bonus points go for scenes of an arson site also.

extra bonus points go to on theokleia, my mother which is a part of the ties that sever series, but a piece that haunts me to this day.

q6. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hm.. ones that gives me budging hopes are a flickering light, or a tale of two survivors (ffxiv) and my future will listen to me! i'm really fond of the endings of these two even if they're not typically... happy. i have happier endings but these two seem a different kind of happy to me. a wistful, hopeful happy as opposed to a typical happy.

q7. do you get hate on fics?

so far no and i hope it stays that way. i only recently hot my first hate ask lmaoooo

q8. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yes! i write for.. pairings, moreso than one type. so far i mostly have mlm smut, and that's because they're cassander pairings and he is a bisexual/achillean dude, but i do want to write wlw smut if the inspo strikes, and i do wanna write some het scenes i have in my head (namely a crossover that's nyra/estinien atm tbh. i also wanna write nyra/mirka for that wlw stuff.)

i also have a nyra solo i'm very proud of :>

q9. do you write crossovers?

i wrote a wayfarer/ffxiv crossover (a flickering light), and i wanna write a gw2/ffxiv crossover (nyra and estinien!) i also wrote a wayfarer/gw2 crossover with mordrem!cassander (a story of how (not) to be a big head)

other than that i rarely write crossovers tbh

q10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

girl no god forbid :xxxx

q11. have you ever co-written a fic before?

a long time ago, yes, with @guildwarsgirl! it was a braham shippy one, and i wrote for braham <3

q12. what's your all-time favorite ship?

honest to god? i got a few ships i cherish and keep near and dear to my heart: cassmel (cassander and melchior, wayfarer), trammander (nyra and trahearne, gw2), elion (el and liv, gw2) and angelina and farro from blood moon! i may not write about all of them equally but i do cherish them deeply

q13. what's one WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i do have certain series i wanna finish, such as my nikartoirel apology trilogy, called trials and tribulations - parts 1 and two are out - and ties that sever <3 when ffxiv brainrot comes back, i'll probably finish the nikartoirel apology series.

one other thing i wanna finish but it's not high on my to-do list is nikartoirel bridgerton au <3 gotta love regency husbands

q14. what are your writing strengths?

character voice! on god i love character voice so much and it shows.

q15. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i technically am since english is my second language! so yeah, full speed ahead

q16.first fandom you wrote for?

gw2 baybee <3 back in 2021. my first fic was actually trammander <3

q17. favorite fic you've written?

please don't ask me that ;; but between us... my future will listen to me, ties that sever, ties that bind, say hi to yourself, scenes of an arson site, a gravitational pull !

q18. what are your writing weaknesses?

fighting scenes hands down

q19. have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet but if anyone wants to.. i owe you my LIFE,, i could also tecnically do it but translating your own work is hard as fuck

[jiecomic]

Chapter 3- Monkey Brain

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"What is that?" MK muttered to himself

He stopped his delivery car and looked at the black alleys, where he saw something strange...

It looked like a ball set up in a pink flame AND IT WAS FLOATING!

After a minute of brushing his eyes MK had realised that the flame was real. Though he still had his doubts.

With hesitation MK took his staff and came closer to the strange thing.

When the boy was about to touch it with his weapon (cause he wanted to touch it) flame flew away.

"WAIT!!!" without much of thinking MK started chasing after pink fire.

When the strange escaper was just about to be reached by MK it started flying up. Because of that poor Monkey Kid had landed on the floor, which wasn't the cleanest.

OUCH!

" Oh sorry~" an unknown voice reached MK's ears "Are you alright, Monkey Boy?"

MK looked up and saw the owner of this voice- It was a young woman with short brown hair, though judging by a pair of ears popping out of her head and multiple tails, which reminded him of the sunset sky, she was a demoness.

"Who are you?!" MK shouted while pointing his stuff at her

"It doesn't matter sweetheart, most importantly..." She jumped off the building and came close to MK in incredible speed "... who are you?" She whispered to his ear

MK stepped back almost immediately. A shivers run though his spine as he met the red gaze of demoness.

" I am...-THAT'S RIGHT!" he realised " BEWARE, CAUSE I AM THE MONKIE KID!" He shouted all proud and confident to the point when he was almost shining

A small chuckle escaped from demoness lips "I know about that dummy, I want to know who do you think you are to wield such a power?"

Huh?

" You've got the power of Monkey King, the power able to cut the mountains and the seas, the power all the demons and gods beware of, the power that could destroy the world" She summoned a fire in her hand "Let me show you what can such a strong power cause"

She then threw a fire at MK.

He blocked it's way with the staff but then, as if it was alive, fire started spreading around him.

MK used his stuff to create whirlwind, thanks to that the fire disappeared but MK didn't have time to be proud of himself.

Just in time, he turned around to block the demoness kick.

He looked up only to see the demoness red, shiny eyes which were following his every move.

These two were fighting hand to hand for a moment, good for MK- his opponent wasn't very strong in combat, when MK was about to lay a finishing blow, the demoness jumped back to the roof of a building.

"Ha! Running away!" MK shouted " Right?" He added not so confidently

Demoness only smirked at him as answer.

MK felt like something was touching his legs, before he realised he was pinned to the wall by the chains around his legs and arms.

" It's not the end" he heard the demoness voice.

All her tails were now uncovered like a peacock tail. Above every eight of them there were balls of light that got bigger and bigger.

Somehow, MK knew it didn't mean anything good...

" Oh! come on!" He tried to do anything with his staff but for some reason it didn't listen to his commands at all!

" What are you going to do now, Monkey Boy?" the demoness chuckled

"You'll see- AH!"- he realised

'This golden vision!'

He closed his eyes and activated his ability, when he opened them everything was in gold but... something was off.

The image he saw was completely different but he saw one thing very clearly- his opponent! (Which to his surprise was much closer than before)

'Alright, let's try this!'

Which all his strength MK held his staff tighter, an amusing golden aura surrounded his body "I AM...THE MONKIE KID!" he shouted as he threw his staff on the place when golden sight showed him his opponent.

Bam!

MK looked with confusion as his staff landed on some trash can far from his enemy.

'I'm done!'

But something changed. Everything around him started to glitch like in a faulty video game. Few seconds later everything came back to normal but there wasn't any chains around MK, there wasn't any fox demoness on the roof, there wasn't any fireballs, even the thing that MK threw wasn't his staff but some metallic tube and it was laying in front of some lady, who looked hurt.

" I'm sorry ma'am!" MK ran towards the lady " I thought you were... demon" he hesitated as he met the furious red eyes of this ‘women’

The demoness growled at the boy and pushed him away still checking her head condition leaving MK speechless.

" Looks like you two had already met!"

"Monkey King!"MK shouted in surprise " Wait, why are you here?"

Monkey King jumped off of his cloud and stood between MK and demoness.

" MK, meet Jie- my first ever demon servant!" Wukong announced while leaning on demoness side

" WHAAAAAT?!" MK totally didn't expect that " You've got a servant?!"

His face showed a lot of admiration and Wukong liked it.

MK completely forgot that the demoness was going to kill him.

" Kid, I'm a KING of course I have a servant" At that moment Jie looked at him with despise and quickly stepped away, which made Monkey King fall on the ground

"So...." He stood up really quickly and looked at Jie with satisfaction " What do you think now about my successor?Huh?"

He took confused MK under his shoulder and waited for demoness's reaction. Which was the most scary expression MK have ever seen, though Mei also was looking like that sometimes. It was a scary mix of smile and burning anger that makes everyone freeze, just like now him and his mentor.

" How should I start~" Jie came closer to them and pointed a finger in front of MK's face "HOW OLD ARE YOU TO WALK INTO BLACK ALLEYS AFTER SOME FLOATING FIRE, FOUR?!- she shouted

"N-no I'm actually-"

" AND YOUR FIGHT! I NEVER SAW SOMEONE SO DISTRACTED AND WHY YOU USED THE GOLDEN SIGHT SO LATE! YOU WOULD EASILY SEE THROUGH THE ILLUSION!!"

" it was an illusion?"

" YES IT WAS YOU MONKEY BRAIN!"

"HEY!" This time Wukong felt touched "You know that I trained my ability for a long time right?! Give a kid some time!"

"Master, he doesn't has immortality to spend on training! I'm telling you his body won't be able to make it!"

"Wait, I will explode?!" MK broke in their conservation

"BE QUIET!!!" The two immortals screamed at him at the same time

"I am his mentor, I am the one who says if he is worthy or not, It's my words that matter, not yours!

At the last words of her master Jie felt a burn on her wrist, Wukong's words were repeating in her head, together with the other voice that she thought she already forgotten about.

In her mind she was already scolding herself for being too bold in her master presence. It were ages since she was serving someone so she forgot the most important rule- always remember your place

"And what's the deal with this illusion, what did you-

" I'm sorry"

"Will you let me fini-

"...What?" Wukong looked bewildered at the sight before him

Jie, the demoness who till now was speaking boldly to him, questioning his decisions and even arguing with him was now apologising while bowing her head so low that he didn't even saw her face.

Wukong didn't know what happened and hesitated for a moment but before he could say anything Jie spoke to him:

"I promise not to question your ways anymore"her voice was emotionless and stiff "Please, forgive my rudeness"

"Just... go home"

" Alright" She straightened up and cleaned her dress from dust, after making a few steps she turned back and looked at MK, who seemed to be really anxious "I know the power that you're wielding boy, use it well... and don't cause me any problems"

'Wait- Why does it sound like a warning?!'

Jie disappeared leaving MK with Monkey King alone

Monkey King shook his head and turned to MK, when the boy suddenly announced something;

"I like her!"

"...Huh?"

"She seems nice!" There was no insincerity in his words

"HUH?!" But there was a lot of shock in Sun Wukong's reaction

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[letsplaydcttrpg]

Strangers in Paradise pt 2 - Diplomacy Time

Start this module here!

Previous part here!

Links to all posts for this module in the pinned post!

Block Shots: With a rebellious shout, you streak forward, your cape billowing behind you. You fly into the air above the arena, maneuvering between the gunman and his ambassador target. Above the murmuring of the crowd, your ears make out the distinctive crack of rifle fire. A veritable rain of bullets hurtles toward you and you brace yourself for the impact of intercepting them.

Time for a check! It's STR and DEX, which are 20 and 26 respectively, because we're Wonder Woman. So we only need a 4 to succeed.

Deflect Bullets: You whip your bracelets through the air with dazzling speed. A hail of bullets crashes into them, sending a jarring shock through your arms and into your body. Mortals may find your "Flashing Thunder" demonstrations riveting but you still find them drastically unnerving. With a speed born of indignation, you intercept each bullet, sending them all hurling off into the open air above the arena. During the barrage, you still manage to glimpse the would-be assassin: a heavyset man with dark skin and black hair who wears workman's coveralls. The gunman looks surprised, startled by your unexpected appearance in the path of his bullets. Realizing his predicament, he drops his rifle and bolts toward the arena's exit ramp. You sail towards him and pick him up as he reaches a nearby stairwell. You swing him forcibly into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. You then deposit the gunman in the arms of the arena's security force, which is finally responding to the alarm.

Okay here's the thing. I think this is a mistake in the book. The section it directs us to is an exact copy of the another section, which refers to someone being murdered. Except all three pathways that lead to this duplicate section section (including this one) specifically reference the assassination attempt being thwarted. So: we definitely did thwart the attempt and no one died, but the module is slightly messed up.

Dead Attache II [[only not?]] You return to the stage, where the emcee is valiantly trying to keep the audience members in their seats. "Please...please, everyone," the emcee please, "remain calm. Everything is under control. Everything's fine." Taking the microphone from the emcee's hands, you plead a different case. "No. Nothing is fine." you say. "A man just [[almost]] murdered another man! I do not know which set of tensions resulted in this horror but such hostilities are exactly why I am here. Millennia ago, when men fought with mere bronze swords, the Amazons came to men with the doctrine of peace. Today, when those swords have given way to guns and bombs, our message is especially vital." The audience rises to its feet in a sudden outburst of cheering and applause. You are slightly taken aback by the enthusiasm of their reaction. You wonder silently, [Why is it so hard to bring peace to the world when so many people are so hungry for it?] Selection Process: You finish the lecture on a triumphant note and return to the cool darkness backstage where you are welcomed by your closest friends on Man's World: Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, Julia Kapatelis, and her daughter, Vanessa. "You were great!" Vanessa gushes, giving you an impulsive hug. "Good ad lib," Steve says with a smile, leading you along the backstage corridors. "You really got them where they live, Diana." "I'm very proud of you, dear," Julia says. "But now comes the hard part: a task I've been wondering if even one possessed of the powers of the Greek gods can handle." As Julia opens the nearby door, you hear the cacophonous babble of a hundred squabbling ambassadors. In the course of the ensuing day, you meet with dozens of people, each eager to represent his nation on a journey to Themyscira. With the consultation of Julia, Steve, and Etta, you quickly narrow down the list of applicants. During the meeting, the arena security force informs you that the gunman has been identified as a hired killer, paid by an anonymous backer to assassinate the entire delegation from the Emirate of Kabul. The assassin has not yet been linked to any political faction, which does not keep the Kabulian ambassador from making his own conclusions regarding the employer's identity. "Obviously a terrorist from Fujara!" the Kabulian ambassador shouts. "We are extremely familiar with the backstabbing ways of our notorious mid-east 'neighbor'!" "You are just trying to gain sympathy for your own traitorous country!" the Fujaran ambassador shouts stridently. "This is nothing but a cheap ploy to generate publicity out of a tragic event!" You stride over to the pair and level a calm but steely gaze at them. They turn and look at you. "And what is this to you?" the Kabulian ambassador hisses. "A woman...and an outsider at that!"

We gotta do a Charisma check with a penalty because they're hostile, but luckily we are very charismatic so we only need a 7.

Mediation: "Gentlemen," you begin. "If you have a disagreement, there are ways to solve it other than clashing like this." "Hah!" the Fujaran representative shouts emphatically. "WIth this mountain ape there is no option!" "The Fujarans never listen to reason," the Kabulian responds. "They have heads of brick!" "Quiet, both of you!" you say, cutting the argument short. "If you cannot respect on another, simply avoid further contact." "We are certain the gunman was from Fujara!" protests the Kabulian. "We demand a formal apology!" "That is an important matter, I agree," you reply firmly. "However, it is one which should be resolved at a more appropriate time. My purpose here is to select ambassadors to Themyscira, not to mediate international affairs." The two men grumble briefly but soon separate to distant corners of the room. You return to Julia, Steve, and Etta, who smile at you and compliment your success at resolving the immediate situation. Information: "Tell me about the ambassadors," you say. "They're from two small mid-east nations," Steve Trevor replies, "Fujara and the Emirate of Kabul." "The feud you saw today has its origins as far back as the middle ages," Julia adds. "And they still dispute their bordering territories." "Fujara is nominally allied with the United States while the Emirate has ties with the Soviet Union," Etta says thoughtfully. "The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. used to exert some influence over them and could normally keep the two nations from fighting. Unfortunately, Fujara and the Emirate won't listen to either side anymore." Steve frowns, continuing. "Ever since the two superpowers nearly destroyed the world during the Ares Affair, they lost a lot of credibility with their allies." "But that was all due to Ares' manipulations," you protest. "I know that and you know that, Princess," Steve replies. "But most of the world remains skeptical about the actual existence of your gods. Nevertheless, since the Ares Affair, these two nations have been at each other's throat, just looking for an excuse to declare war. And it seems there's nothing anyone can do about it." "Don't be so sure about that," Julia interrupts. "Diana, if you invited those two ambassadors to Themyscira, they just might learn some important lessons, don't you agree?" "What?!" Steve asks, incredulous. "Diana, you can only bring five ambassadors," Etta interjects. "Are they really the sort you'd want to invite?" "Etta's point is well taken, dear," Julia adds. "These two could benefit greatly from the visit...or they could ruin it all. And think of your Amazon sisters. If the visit goes poorly, they may not accept any more visitors. That would be a high price to pay. "It's your decision, Diana," Julia continues, solemnly. "Consider wisely, as I know you will."

(Bet y'all weren't expecting so much international diplomacy right out the gate, huh?)

[khajiit-journal]

Fredas, Morning Star 03, 2025

(Friday, January 01, 2025)

Dream interpretation first, as always.

I was friends with this family who ran this restaurant. For the first half that I remember, I was sulky and upset for having been scared and tormented by someone else entirely. But the rest, I was trying desperately to save the matriarch from a god-given illness, by performing a ritual and pleading with the gods. I woke up before I succeeded.

I... don't know what this means per se. I can make a few solid guesses, that the former part is due to the haunting I'm enduring. But the part about the god-given illness? I... really don't know.

— ☆ —

My new tools arrived today! Safaa (Rumi oracle), Aileas (Imbolc oracle), Bao (Mahjong), and Lilian (Sibilla oracle). I've done some test readings with them today, and also did some with Nadia (G-Witch).

I made sure to thank Hermaeus Mora for all of this. As always, I deeply appreciate the work It puts in for me and this part of my practice that I am utterly Feral about.

I opened some free reading slots for Nadia/G-Witch. Quite a few people took up slots which I'm really happy about, but I feel a bit bad I can't do it all same-day delivery, but then again, I need to be kinder to myself and not be a little butt to myself. I think as of writing this I'm done for the night, I'm physically tired and maybe a bit spiritually tired? I dunno, I'm not very good at listening to myself, but Hermaeus Mora and Lucifer both are asking me to at least take a break before returning to it. So I will. I'll heed them, maybe eat some dessert or something. Watch some stuff.

I am proud of myself for saying "Thank you for your patience!" instead of "Sorry for the wait!" on my reading posts end blurb. I know it's small, but it's kind language like that that I deserve.

I did some personal Mahjong readings and plan on roping some friends into receiving some. If I wasn't so shy I'd reach out and ask a mutual or two if they want some, at least the mutuals I properly interact with.

I also made a taglist for this blog, visible from here. I'll update it daily as I need to. I like having taglists. It's something that used to be more popular on Tumblr back in the early 2010s of its life, when I used it the first time, and I haven't quite let go of that aspect.

I wanna write some TES related posts or queue more stuff up for that blog, but I dunno what to do. Maybe "worship" posts. How to worship them, with a section on subtle worship. I got the idea from someone else, but I don't know how many ideas I'll have for actually worship, despite doing it every day of my life.

I just feel very strongly about TES. I have a post in queue about Azurah's triple aspect/triple form as Human, Mer, and Khajiit and how it looks like the depiction of the Triple Goddess and what that can mean for Her worship; and another about Clavicus Vile likely being based somewhat off of the Christian idea of Lucifer.

TES means a lot to me. The Gods in it mean a lot to me. I would give up so much for them, but they would never ask me to do anything like that. Well. to an extreme, I mean. They do ask me to give stuff up to them, just nothing... "so much".

I should work on finishing Clavicus Vile's quick start so I can post it. I don't have to worry about Akatosh's, but Meridia's day is the 13th, and Haki's day is coming up on the 24th. I know I can churn these out at the speed of light if I just focus, but with ADHD, it doesn't always happen, lol. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself...

Speaking of the 13th, I need to... focus more on the actual cleansing rituals and everything. I know everyone (my spirit guides) is telling me to chill, to not speedrun it, but... I. y'know. I like to get things done. I don't like having a to-do list.

And also, as an aside, I added something to my parents list for myself for groceries (that I can use otherwise) and turns out it's not at the store so it has to be ordered online. Which is really good I did that, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find it when I needed it for my spells, which I really wanna do The Big Shadow Realm One on the new moon this month. To start the year with January's new year energy and the energy of the new moon. I also don't want to wait to perform it even longer.

There's really not much else for me to say today. No spellwork done or anything, just messing with decks, as ya do. So... well, it's not goodnight, I won't be in bed for another hot minute, but g'night.

[griffin-girl-r]

Think about your old mama (Part 1)

Created: 10.01.2023

Finished: 16.02.2023

Edited: 25.09.2023

Age: 20

Word count: 3,988

Warnings: Car accident

Request: No

Note: Based on true events that were altered to fit the plot.

Summary: You and your cousin, Peter, get involved in a car accident.

Part 2

—

"Oh, come on, Y/N. It's gonna be fun!" Peter pleaded for the one hundred time this morning

"Peter, I said that I don't want to. Okay?! I'm in no mood to go out today." You answered boarded while rolling your eyes

"Please..." He begged "Look! If this is all just because you don't want to ask your mom to let us out, then I'm going to be the one to ask Miss Romanoff for permission to let us go to the movie."

And, with the speed of light, Peter took off towards the living room where your mother was working on some files.

"Peter, no!" You shouted but it was already too late

—

"Please, Miss Romanoff..." Peter dragged out in a baby voice "Can you please let us go to the cinema today? We won't do anything stupid. I promise."

Although she won't admit it Natasha is very impressed and proud of how well-behaved you and Peter are. Despite being officially adults you both still asked for permission to go out or to buy expensive things.

"Fine, Peter." Natasha sighed as she tried to focus on the reports she was filling "But my daughter will be the one to drive till there. Understood?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff. Thank you so much!" Peter eagerly nodded

"But you'll have to tell Tony. He has to agree first as well." Natasha explained

Peter nodded again.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. can you please tell Mr. Stark about our plans?" He asked the A.I.

"Mr. Stark has been informed already and he is giving you his permission to go, Mr. Parker." The voice answered back almost instantly much to Peter's joy

"Thanks, F.R.I.D.A.Y." Peter smiled in victory "So, Miss Romanoff?"

"Alright, Peter. You win." Your mother sighed deeply

"Yes!" The boy cheered

Just then, you entered the room and gave your mother the most disappointed look you could ever muster.

"Why can't I have a say in this?!" You asked in an annoyed tone as you started making your way toward the couch

Your mother slightly moved over to make you some space to sit down next to her and when you did, the woman didn't hesitate a second in tightly wrapping her arms around your shoulders, bringing you even closer to her.

"Y/N, baby, can't you for once do what your cousin wants to? He literally just wants to go out to the cinema with you. Nothing more." Natasha said in a soft but serious tone and you knew she meant business "He just wants to spend some quality time with you."

 You can't get out of this one now.

Peter won and he knew it.

"No, Mama. And on top of all, why do I have to be the one to drive?" You complained, about to throw a tantrum at your mom for the fact that she decided for you "Peter is literally 2 months older than me."

 

"Actually, 2 and a half months." Peter corrected which only made you more upset at him

"Shut up, Peter!" You gave him a death glare that made Peter instantly regret that he opened his mouth "Mama, please... I have a weird feeling about this." 

Natasha rolled her eyes "Oh, come on, Y/N. I think you're just being overdramatic about all this. Nothing is going to happen. I promise."

The woman gave you a reassuring smile.

And maybe she was right.

She is always right after all. 

'I mean, what could possibly go wrong?!' You thought 'Maybe I am just overreacting.'

You sighed then nodded "Okay, Mama." 

"That's my girl." Natasha smiled and kissed your head "A Romanoff never complains about something as simple as having to be the one that drives to the cinema."

"What are you waiting for, Peter?" You looked in the direction of your cousin "Go and get ready. We're going to go to the cinema." 

You blinked and Peter was gone already running down the hall toward his room to get changed.

His silly actions only make you burst out laughing.

"I swear sometimes he still acts like a 5-year-old." You laughed as you got up from the couch to go get changed too "How is he even older than me anyways?"

"Did he ever grow up at all?" Natasha joked as well

"I think you might be right, Mama." You laughed again at her small joke about your cousin

Turning around you started walking towards the door only to be stopped by your mother who pulled you back by your arm. 

You made no effort to hide your confusion. Openly displaying it on your face for her to see.

Natasha quickly pulled you in a tight hug "Just be careful, okay?!" She quietly said in your ear "Pay attention to the road and don't speed. Did you get it? Especially with Peter in the car."

You slightly smiled although you started to grow quite fed up with her speech.

She always hugged you and told you to be careful before leaving home.

It didn't matter if you went out by your car or your motorbike or even if someone else was driving. She just always needed to tell you to take care of yourself despite the fact that you are now an adult and more than capable of taking care of yourself.

But Natasha couldn't lose you and she always made sure you knew that one way or another.

It didn't matter if she told you directly or by constantly reminding you to take care of yourself, Natasha just always made sure you knew. 

You were Natasha's entire world and she couldn't risk losing you. She couldn't live without you. 

"Don't worry, Mama." You reassured the older redhead "I'm going to be extra careful, especially with Peter in the car. Although I never got it how Peter can swing between New York's highest buildings but he's afraid of a small drive to the cinema." 

Natasha chuckled at your comment "I told you, baby. He never actually grew up. He's reckless when it comes to dangerous situations but scared of normal events that happen every day." 

Natasha smiled but it didn't quite reach her ears.

She also had this strange feeling in her chest that something bad was about to happen but she brushed it off.

She was sure it was nothing and she was again just being her overprotective self.

"Go and have fun, baby." Natasha smiled and lightly patted your back

You gave her one last smile and left the room.

—

"Isn't it fun, Y/N?" Peter shouted as he was currently vibing to the loud music on the radio

"You are having the time of your life, aren't you, Pete?" You laughed back at him but your eyes never left the road ahead as you were mindful of your mother's words

The fun and singing didn't stop the entire way to the cinema but when you were 2 minutes away from it, Peter suddenly turned down the music and kept silent.

"Pete?" You asked concerned "What's wrong?"

Peter focused on the road ahead for a few good seconds only making your worry get bigger at his lack of words.

"Y/N?" Peter whispered still focusing on the road ahead "Danger..."

His words made you even more worried than you already were.  

"What do you mea-" But before you got the chance to finish your sentence a loud scream from Peter cut your words

"Y/N, watch out!" Peter screamed

And right at that moment, you noticed a red car, that was in the other traffic lane coming towards you at full speed, and without any hesitation, you pulled the steering wheel to the right in an attempt to get out of the other car's way and protect Peter at the same time.

You didn't get time to feel anything. You just heard a few loud crashing sounds then nothing.

Your vision went black.

—

Natasha was still in the living room filling mission reports for Fury when the ringtone of her phone pulled her out of the work she was doing and she looked at the caller's ID. 

Natasha scrunched her face in confusion when she saw that the person calling her was none other than Peter.

She knew that, by now, you and him were supposed to be watching the movie you went to see. So why is he calling her so soon?

"Hi, Peter!" Natasha answered her phone, worry evident in her voice "Has something happened?"

On the other side could be heard some people talking and siren noises that made Natasha's heart instantly sink in her chest. 

"Miss Romanoff?" Peter's shakey voice came out through the speaker 

"Peter, what happened, boy?" Natasha jumped on her feet, her work long forgotten as she demanded an answer from the young boy on the phone "Where's Y/N? Is she okay? Are you okay?" 

"Please come and help us." Peter cried "There... There..." He sobbed out and took a moment to catch his breath before continuing "There was a driver that crashed into our car. Y/N..."

The dead silence of Peter at the other end made Natasha feel dizzy as she feared the worst.

The woman allowed her legs to give up on her as she fell back down on the couch. Her breath came out in weird patterns.

"What happened to my daughter, Peter?!" Natasha almost yelled feeling like Peter was taking an eternity to answer her

"Y/N isn't waking up!" Peter cried "I don't know what else to do. Please come and help us!"

Tears were already streaming down Natasha's cheeks but she managed to bring herself together enough to give Peter a quick answer and order F.R.I.D.A.Y. to give her the location of your car and announce the others about the accident.

—

Saying Natasha was a mess was an understatement.

She was completely lost. Steve and Clint had to hold her back from taking down the door and running out to her car.

She wasn't in any state to drive and the team knew it.

Tony wasn't any better than Natasha either but after he got to talk with Peter on the phone his nerves slightly eased and was able to think just a little bit more rationally than Natasha.

"I managed to convince the authorities to bring the kids here to our medbay and also give us custody over the driver that crashed into them." Tony announced as Natasha was making her 5th attempt to get out of the door and run to the place where her daughter was

She felt like she was going crazy with each second that passed where she had no news about her only child's state.

"Damn it!" Natasha yelled in frustration as she let her tears fall freely "Please... Please, at least tell me if she's alive. I need to know that my baby is alive."

"We don't know yet, Romanoff. We need to wait for them to arrive at the compound." Tony said trying to look strong even though he was as worried for Peter as Natasha was for her daughter

"This is all your boy's fault, Stark!" Natasha yelled at Tony "I should have never listened to him and forced my daughter to go with him. My daughter was right!" 

But as soon as these words left her mouth, the spy immediately regretted them.

It wasn't Peter's fault and she knew it.

It wasn't your fault either. You did what she told you to do. To take care of your cousin.

She was just worried.

She couldn't understand how a person manages to keep being sane or human after losing their own children.

Only the thought that there might be a possibility of losing you made the woman lose her mind.

"I think this is actually all your daughter's fault, Romanoff!" Tony spat back at Natasha after her previous words about Peter that hurt him "If only she would have been more careful none of this would have happened. If she's dead it's all her fault and she deserves it!" The man yelled

Natasha stopped breathing momentarily at Tony's words and she shook her head.

"No..." She whispered shout at everyone and anyone that was in the room but then she proceeded to scream "No! No! No! My daughter is alive! My baby is alive! I can feel it! She has to! It's not her fault. She's innocent!"

The team stared at Natasha in shock as they saw her breaking down for the first time in front of them.

Natasha had always been a calculated person and displaying her feelings openly for anyone to see was something rare and strange.

The only feeling she ever allowed herself to show in public was the infinite and unconditional love she had for you.

But nothing more.

"She can't die." Natasha sobbed as she fell to her knees making Tony feel bad for reacting with fire to fire "I need her."

"Romanoff..." Tony thought about how to apologize for the hurtful words he said to her

But just as Tony was about to come up with a good apology the robotic voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulled everyone out of their own thoughts.

"Miss Romanoff and Mr. Parker have arrived at the medbay and Doctor Banner's presence is immediately requested there." The robotic voice announces sending everyone running toward the medbay

—

Natasha was the first one to run inside the medbay. Even faster than Bruce or even Steve.

She desperately looked around trying to catch a glimpse of her baby girl but she only spotted Peter being checked over by a doctor in one of the rooms.

"Peter!" The ex-assassin shouted and took off towards the young boy "Peter, where's Y/N? What happened to you both? Is she- is she alive? Please tell me she's alive!"

"Peter, my boy." Tony rushed to Peter's side and started checking him over "How are you feeling? Are you okay? What hurts?"

Peter tearfully looked at Tony and as soon as their eyes met, the spider boy burst out sobbing again.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark!" He cried "I'm so sorry!"

Tony quickly pulled Peter in for an unexpected but much-needed hug.

"It's okay." Tony reassured the boy he considered his own son "Everything will be okay. Can you tell us what happened?"

It was ironic. Really. To see two of the most strongest Avengers being so soft and emotional given the situation where the life of their children was involved.

"We..." Peter sniffed and took a deep breath to steady himself "We left to go to the cinema. You know because we asked you and Miss Romanoff for permission to go..."

Tony nodded and signaled for Peter to go on.

"Y/N was driving and we were having so much fun. We were almost there when I suddenly felt danger near us. But before we got the chance to react in any way a car crashed into us." Peter cried

"What's important is that you are okay." Steve softly smiled at Peter

Natasha never felt more hurt and betrayed in her entire life.

Sure.

She is happy that Peter was okay and he just had a few cuts and bruises. Nothing major. He was more in shock than hurt. But what about her daughter?

No one was caring about Y/N. They all hovered above Peter.

No one was giving her a hint about her Y/N and Natasha was going more and more insane.

"Peter, please!" Natasha begged "Please, tell me something about my daughter. Anything."

Poor Peter who barely calmed down started crying all over again at Natasha's concerned questions about your state.

"Anything, Peter!" Natasha cried again "Any information."

 

"I'm going to answer for him." Bruce's voice boomed from behind Natasha as he entered the room

All heads snapped in the doctor's direction and they anxiously waited for a much-needed answer about you.

"First of all." Bruce said loud and clear for everybody to hear "Y/N is alive."

Natasha felt instant relief wash over her and the hammering feeling in her chest slightly disappeared.

Her baby is alive.

That's all Natasha needed to hear to know everything will be okay.

"How is she?" The redhead eagerly questioned wanting to know as many details as possible about her daughter's health state

"She's still unconscious but, by a miracle, she only got away with 2 broken ribs, a concussion, her right shoulder dislocated, and most probably a lifetime scare besides the obvious cuts and bruises all over her body. She was extremely lucky this time. But also brave because Peter wouldn't have got away so easily if she didn't get the passenger side out of the other car's way."

It was as if Natasha's soul had returned to her at the news that her only baby was going to be okay.

The woman raised her hand and rested it over her chest as the ache in her heart went away.

"Can I see her?" Natasha hopefully asked Bruce

Bruce nodded "She's in the second room on the left. She's still asleep but she might wake up any moment from the next few minutes to the next few days."

"But she is going to wake up right?" Your mother became worried again

Bruce was quick to calm her down.

"She will wake up without a doubt." Bruce smiled "She is just resting now."

Natasha gave Bruce a grateful smile and ran out towards the room her daughter was in, wasting no second in rushing to Y/N's side.

Bruce looked at Tony and Peter and smiled at them "You're going to be just fine too, Peter. Don't worry."

—

Natasha let out a sob when she saw her little girl lying unconscious on the bed.

You were covered in wires, bandages, and cuts, and according to your mother, you looked so small and fragile.

She couldn't bear seeing you like this.

But Natasha reminded herself that you could have looked even worse than this but soon she erased that awful image out of her mind of a very pale you laying dead on a cold table.

That thought was too much for Natasha.

Your death would mean her death.

She just couldn't live without the joy and light of her life and would follow you without hesitation.

What point has to keep living if her reason to live isn't alive anymore?

Brushing all these thoughts out of her head, your mother slowly walked to your side and gingerly grasped your uninjured hand in hers.

"Hey, baby..." Natasha whispered as she gently stroked the back of your hand with her thumb "Mama is here now. I promise I won't let anything happen to you, my love. I'm so sorry I haven't listened to you from the beginning. You were right. I had the same weird feeling that something would happen too but I convinced myself that I was just overreacting."

Natasha took a deep breath and then chuckled.

"I just didn't want to be a burden to you by being again the protective mama bear you know. But I'll admit I made a mistake by not being overprotective again. I shouldn't have let Peter convince me so easily." A tear rolled down her cheek and Natasha was quick in wiping it "I could have lost you. I know you only did what I told you to but still... I can't make this fear that I have inside my chest leave me alone no matter how hard I try. I was never so scared. You are the most important thing in the entire world to me and the only person I truly care about. You taught me what true and unconditional love means and without you I am empty. So please open your beautiful eyes and look at Mama. Wake up and tell me you are okay..."

Natasha wanted to be here for you when you woke up but she also wanted to go and teach the person who did this to you a lesson and to make them pay for what they did.

No one hurts Natasha Romanoff's daughter and gets away with it.

No one.

 

—

The Avengers had come and gone during the 5 hours your mother spent by your side waiting for you to wake up, each of them telling Natasha that they wished you would get well soon and that they would also keep updating her on what actually happened at the accident scene.

Apparently, the red car's driver was coming home from a party he spent all night drinking at and he was trying to drive home. The driver wasn't too badly injured either but he also wasn't remembering much from what happened when the crash took place.

Your mother was filled with anger and hate towards the driver who did this to you and Peter and she planned to make him pay at any cost.

Even though the team reassured her that they would take the matter into their own hands she still wanted to teach that driver a lesson too.

It was in the 6th hour after your mama was allowed to see you that you slowly opened your eyes trying to adjust to the light inside the room.

You were confused and you felt like a train had hit you full force.

Natasha was quick to lean over you so you could fully see her face without having to move around.

She gently cupped your cheeks and softly smiled at you.

"Hi there, baby." She quietly greeted you as she gave you time to adjust to your surroundings

"What happened?" You whispered in your confused state "Where am I? Where's Peter?"

"You are in the medbay, sweetheart. You had a car accident. Peter is okay. You made sure of that." Natasha clarified for you "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit by a car." You slightly chuckled but the smile on your face was quickly replaced with a full of pain whimper "Maybe that's because I was." You continued your joke after the wave of pain had washed off

Natasha giggled at your silliness. Even in this state, you were still making bad jokes.

"I was so worried, baby girl." She tearfully admitted "Think about your old mama next time when you plan on doing something heroic. You can't leave her alone now. Not now, not ever. But especially not now that she's getting more older. Mama can't live without her only joy."

You felt bad for making your mother worry. It wasn't your intention. You just wanted to protect Peter as she told you to do.

"I'm really sorry. That wasn't my plan." You flashed her a sad smile "I just wanted to save Peter."

"I know, baby." She sniffled "I'm just glad that you are alive, okay, and back in my arms once again. I promise I'm going to take very good care of you. You'll see that you will recover in no time at all."

You laughed.

"I know you will, Mama. I wasn't doubting that." You smiled

"How about you rest? Huh? You need it, my love. I'm going to be here when you wake up again." Natasha stroked the hair out of your face with her finger

"Promise?" You yawned

"I promise." She smiled and kissed your forehead as your eyes shut closed

—

After she announced to Bruce that you had woken up, Natasha went straight to find the stupid driver who put her baby girl in a hospital bed.

And oh boy, she wasn't happy at all.

The driver learned his lesson to never drink and drive ever again.

Your mother gave him such a beating that even if he wanted to drive he wouldn't be able to for a long, long time from now on.

Natasha wasn't going to let anything happen to her daughter again.

But most importantly she will never let you be the one to drive again.

[violets-and-books]

I also never received my goods. Please I want to read this so bad 😭 I'll take a nap for it 🙌

Here's the answer, Lore (literally, the full synopsis of my work, start to finish). Now go to sleep

I'm adding a keep reading because there is going to be a lot

Okay, so first of all, it's set in the show universe and this is for a very good reason, I promise you. In Shadow and Bone s2, Wylan is introduced. This is important because they speed up wesper's arc (which a lot of people are mad about but I don't honestly mind, I feel like it was still in character and I love the way they did it and, hey, they were the only happy couple in s2 so-). Anyway, the important thing is that at the end of s2, the Crows don't know Wylan's a Van Eck. Apart from Kaz, he does hint at it

So, basically, my fic idea (Bow Before Your King is the title, I'm quite proud of it) is set in the show universe. At the start of the fic, we have like one chapter of everything being alright for wesper. Kaz says they've got a new job. (Matthias is still in jail, btw, this is pre-Ice Court) They've got all the Crows apart from Matthias. Kaz's job is pretty big money and also surprisingly easy. There's a new exhibition coming to the Ketterdam Museum of Culture about an ancient Zemeni king - from long before the monarchy in Novyi Zem was abolished. Supposedly, a lot of the exhibit is solid gold. All they need to do is rob it.

Inej doesn't like it. Neither does Jesper. They've still got to go but Inej doesn't believe in stealing sacred artifacts, she thinks no good will come of it. And Jesper grew up in Novyi Zem, he learnt all about the legend and urban myths of curses and ghosts these kings protected their treasure with. Either way, they've got to do the job tonight.

Jesper nips round to Wylan's workshop for some distraction, where Wylan is packing for the job. Jesper notices some post on his table. Wanting to be helpful, he scoops it up and flicks through it. Most of its bills but one letter catches his attention. It's thick and good-quality and written on expensive paper. It's sealed with a wax crest with a laurel crown on it. A Mercher's writing to his boyfriend, but why?

Jesper asks Wylan about it. Wylan gets terrified and begs him not to open it, tells him it's just junk. Jesper calls absolute bullshit and opens it anyone. Out loud, he reads

Wylan, My son, if you can read this, know that I miss you and am begging you to come home. Please, if you can read this, come back to where you belong. Your father, Jan Van Eck

Jesper explodes at Wylan (which is honestly, quite understandable). He feels betrayed and lied to and they have this massive fight, Wylan defending himself and Jesper saying he thought he could trust Wylan to listen to his truth and tell the truth. (at this point in the series, we know Jesper's a Durast and about his mum and everything). I've got a brilliant little piece of dialogue which is just *chef's kiss*

Wylan: I learnt very quickly you had to lie to survive in the Barrel

Jesper: This isn't survival, Wy. This is us

^^^ This is how they go to the job. Keep that in mind while you read the rest of this

They go to the job, pissed off and not talking to each other. Inej notices and sidles up to Jesper, checking he's okay. In whispers (cos they're in a museum at night), Jesper explains the whole thing to her. He asks if anyone knew Wylan was a merchling. Inej says that she knew

J: What?!

I: Kaz knew too. And where do you think he gets his information from?

J: So does everyone know about my boyfriend's past but me?

It doesn't exactly make Jesper feel better (especially considering he was going to tell Wylan he loved him-). In this state of mind, he's feeling pretty reckless

They split off into groups when they reach the exhibition to find what they're looking for, which is a solid gold altar. Inej and Nina go off on their own while Kaz, Jesper and Wylan explore another side of the room.

Jesper finds the altar. Wylan tells him to be careful. Jesper scoffs and, true to book form, snarks at him and calls him 'merchling'. He leans his hand on the altar and tells Wylan that "nothing's going to happen."

Jesper gets possessed. By the soul of an ancient, young Zemeni king called Rhamani III, who was killed on the very altar Jesper leaned against. Once they all get over the language barrier (which involves a very annoyed Nina and Wylan slapping Rhamani, at Nina's insistence), they realise what a massive problem this is.

Not only does Rhamani have a Zemeni accent, he acts nothing like Jesper. He doesn't stand like him, he doesn't talk like him, he doesn't have the same opinions. He doesn't even know how to fire a gun. The only thing Jesper and Rhamani have in common is flirting with poor Wylan (who is, at this point in time, still in a relationship with Jesper that he's very committed to, despite them having fought)

Kaz insists Rhamani needs to stay out of the Barrel while they sort this out and instructs Wylan that he'll have to share his workshop (which is on Rozenstraat, a little way away from the Barrel) with Rhamani. Rhamani is delighted, Wylan is not.

While Kaz, Nina and Inej try and find a way to un-possess Jesper, Rhamani spends all of his time flirting with Wylan and distracting him from his work. Oh, and trying to convince him to break up with Jesper because, apparently, "Jesper lacks security as a lover. Security I can provide." He also thinks Jesper's powers are a curse, which he states. Multiple times. Yay... Jesper can still hear everything that's going on, by the way.

(so he also hears when Wylan turns Rhamani down and admits to him that he loves Jesper, for everything and despite everything)

Kaz brings a load of old Zemeni books to Wylan's workshop for Rhamani to work on. Rhamani, after Wylan asked him, said he wanted to help find how to 'free Jesper'. He starts reading one of the books and finds something. Wylan notices it in his face (he's very bad at hiding his emotions) and asks him about it. Rhamani accuses him and says he could just read it for himself. Rhamani is a king, not a commoner who reads to people. Wylan admits that, no, he couldn't just read it himself and if Rhamani has access to all of Jesper's memories (which he does) why didn't he know that already?

Rhamani makes up some excuse and Wylan accuses him of lying. They have a row and Wylan leaves. He heads to the Crow Club, where he finds Kaz, bleeding

In Kaz's words, he "walked into a fight I couldn't walk out of". Wylan gets him to admit that he needs Jesper just as much as the rest of them.

Wylan goes back to his workshop. Rhamani doesn't apologise but he doesn't mention the reading thing again. He tries to make a physical come-on to Wylan and Wylan very possibly breaks his nose. He runs again.

When he gets back to his workshop with Inej as backup, he finds the place is trashed. Chemicals and glass are strewn about the floor and the vapour makes him gag. Rhamani's passed out inside and Wylan saves him, much to Rhamani's surprise. They go to the Crow Club and lock Rhamani in Jesper's room. Wylan cleans up his workshop and tries not to cry about it.

Back at the Crow Club, the crows are trying a variety of techniques to get Rhamani to tell them how to lift the curse and free Jesper. He won't talk. When Wylan gets there, he appeals to the side of himself that Rhamani's always shown. He kneels beside Rhamani's chair and implores him, as a subject would, to return their friend to them. Rhamani concedes and tells them. The other crows are incredibly surprised at Wylan being able to do that. He just admits that A) he's grown up around men like that and B) you just need to know what side to appeal to to seem helpless

They go back to the exhibit and Jesper gets un-possessed (idk how yet but shhhhhh). Jesper and Inej have a little reunion but Wylan hangs back with Kaz. He wants to run to Jesper and hug him and cry that he's alright but he doesn't. He's scared to.

(also, in a deleted scene for the show, Jesper asks Wylan to move in with him so, that's what this next scene is about)

That night, when Jesper's in his room, there's a knock at the door. It's Wylan, bringing him some tea and coming to collect his stuff. When Jesper asks why, Wylan admits he didn't think Jesper would want him after what happened. They talk about the fight and it's all very cute and very soft and they make up. The end!

Now, you've got what you wanted. Please go to sleep

[lestappenforever]

After properly waking up (and finally not having any more wake up for the race till Vegas, WE DID IT), here’s a bit if my analysis of the race, which is my favourite so far, a bit even more than Japan, because of its chaos and emotions

First, hometown hero. Zhou was not driving the car based on anything, other than pure emotion. He was living his dream in a way that I wish everyone could one day, honestly I’ve been emotional since that sprint shootout when he reached SQ3 and so proud that he is making history and realising his dream. On a more technical aspect, Sauber meed to get their shit together, the car is not good, and the fact that we celebrate them having a pit stop less than 5 seconds is so disappointing. They need to get it together to get points and be in that fight.

Nico Hulkenberg is a Goat, there I said it. The way he is taking that Haas places is just phenomenal, and honestly I think he deserves a proper team, and he so deserves to be on a podium, more than just one time. Kevin had an okay race, except of course, for ruining Yuki’s. But if K-Mag did not get his shit together, Ollie very easily could replace him next year, especially since Komatsu is no Guenther, and he will not have the mentality of fucking the youngster over.

RB’s weekend was going very well, in terms of race not sprint, that sprint was not great, but the circuit is not for them, and it’s Yuki’s first time there, so an off weekend (a normal one) was not going to be the worst thing in the world. But the way the race played out, with Kevin knocking Yuki out if the race with a stupid crash, destroying his race, and then Fernando locking up and hence lance knocks Daniel out with a crash that was so easy to prevent if he was focused on the car in front of him instead of the apex during the time of a safety car returning to the pit, the pack all close together and still getting up to speed. Yeah, that sucked for them, Daniel especially who was in contention of points. But other than that, the strategy was kind if fucked up, but it could have been saved at the end if it were not for both Astons.

As I said last race week, the Alpines are slowly but surely getting better. They started having pace today, and even if it were anyone else other than Nico, Esteban could have gotten points, but Nico Masterclass. This season is showing who is the leader of the French team, and it’s Estie. He’s extracting every single once if pace in that car, even if there isn’t any, and is showing that he’s the one. Pierre, tbh is getting better as well, but not to the Esteban level of almost Q3 and potentially points. Actually I feel like Pierre has not given much (expect for the Dutch GP last year) where he’s showing that the move to Alpine was a right choice for him.

George is impressive, and I hate to say it, more that Lewis is. He’s getting out everything out of the car, and I feel is working harder to keep Mercedes alive this season, with both the sprint and the race, with snagging that last point in the sprint from a shit quali, to an impressive performance in a track that doesn’t suit the new Mercedes cars, and trying his damn best all weekends, I’m genuinely impressed and proud of him, especially with the way he’s working to show the team that he could be a leader. Meanwhile I feel like Lewis is just trying to finish the year to go to Maranello, granted he’s trying, but I feel George is working harder.

McLaren, I have mixed emotions, Oscar was okay, again his first time on that track, but when compared to Lando, he did okay, not great. Lando was actually phenomenal, pulling that one stop, and doing so well in that, holding Checo back almost half of the race, he should be extremely proud of himself. And on that note, I love seeing Adam Norris down when Lando and Max are on the podium, I feel he’s proud of his son, but also Max, and I am just so happy and giddy

Ferrari, Idk what to feel. On one hand, Charles was phenomenal, but on the other, all these plans just give me anxiety, again, pulling that one stopper, but Checo got him, in a track that doesn’t feel of seem suited for the car, actually impressed. Carlos however, seemed to have gotten in his head, from saying yesterday that if he got Max he would have won the sprint, to the unnecessary fight with Charles on the sprint, he’s getting cocky, and that won’t help his situation of getting into a good team next year.

Red Bull, I AM SO FUCKING IMPRESSED AND I CANNOT BEGIN TO SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS TEAM AND AM SO PROUD OF THEM. Max was just phenomenal, despite the sprint quali that was apparently not so great because the car was not set up for rain. Simply because the forecast didn’t show much rain. As for the race, damn I can’t believe the team did that, 2 perfect double stacks with a total pit stop time of 8 for changing 16 tyres. The pit crew are the actual heroes today. Checo you could see that he’s disappointed, and that shows how much he’s comfortable in the car, and how at one he is with the team, in addition to knowing the stakes at hand. But nonetheless, he was phenomenal in a weekend that according to him, wasn’t great. But yeah, this race was just amazing and chaotic and tbh, I love this chaos. And up next Miami, what will each one do, especially since Max never got pole there (just like Jeddah). We shall see

(Also, hoping the girls next race have a good weekend, especially the Red Bull girls, not because they’re Re Bull, I’ve been impressed by Hamda since COTA last year, and I called she’ll be the RBR girl)

I have nothing to add to any of this, so I'll just leave it in all its glory as it is. ❤️

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 390: Shoto Todoroki: Rising Spoiler Thoughts

It’s the dead of midnight where I am while typing this and the leaks for Chapter 390 just finished and holy shit what a ride.  Phenomenal chapter, 10/10, beautiful, stunning, heartwarming, heartbreaking, I need a full 2 weeks to recover.  Which we’re actually going to get because Horikoshi is taking yet another break thank god.  Give that man a vacation already, Shonen Jump.  OK, onto my very long immediate thoughts:

So real quick, things are going to be kind of scattered due to it being late and my mind being all over the place so please be patient ☺️

So, Shoto Todoroki: Rising.  A lot of people including myself saw this one coming once we were focusing primarily on the Todoroki family and we were hitting chapter 390.  Horikoshi seems to have a thing for the 90s chapters since Endeavor Vs. High-End was on Chapter 190 and Dabi’s Dance was 290.  Interesting choice, but it works thematically and it makes it easy to go back and read the important chapters once they come out in physical volume. 

That said, I’m so, so glad Shoto got a Rising chapter of his own.  It’s been a very long time coming and this was his chapter.  Shoto became the hero he is meant to be and used his own personal growth, his friend’s help (especially Iida here, someone please check on him later), and his family to stop Touya and probably save him.  I’m so proud of him.  He’s come such a long way and I love him so much.  Shoto is my favorite character in the series for a good reason. 

I love the part in Shoto’s narration while he’s running at full speed (thanks to Iida launching him and propelling himself via Phosphor) where he basically says the conflicts he’s faced and the way his friends feel towards others are things that helped him start to understand other’s feelings.  This is basic human empathy at it’s core, but remember that Shoto was incredibly cold (no pun intended) and stoic at the beginning of the series.  Even after Deku saved him in the Sports Festival, it didn’t automatically fix that stoicism and social ineptness.  He was still struggling to understand people even, but he’s trying to get better at it to the point where he’s practicing talking to people better.  It’s fantastic growth on Shoto’s part, really.

Shoto thinks to himself that if Dabi’s origin was so simple, it could’ve been stopped long ago.  While I agree with Shoto to an extent, it’s more complicated than that as we’ve learned.  Endeavor could’ve trained Touya more to the point where his Quirk would’ve developed to gain Rei’s ice.  This would’ve made Endeavor’s dream child come true and Natsuo and Shoto would never have been born.  But, Endeavor didn’t want to take the risk of having Touya constantly hurting himself with his own flames and his obsession with making an ice/fire child to beat All Might ultimately pushed everyone to the brink.  Of course, everyone but Shoto played a part in Touya’s decline, and the whole situation is complicated enough as it is.  So, it’s hard to say how “easy” this could’ve been solved in the first place.  Maybe if Endeavor wasn’t such an obsessive bastard in the past, I don’t know.  It’s hard to say, things were rough even before the kids were born.

There’s one panel when Shoto winds up his attack where it depicts him as a crying child and I DID NOT NEED TO SEE THIS TODAY, HORIKOSHI HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CRY OVER BABY SHOTO’S SUFFERING AGAIN!!! 😭

Guys, the way I sat there for 5 straight minutes with my mind running circles around “IS SHOTO ALIVE???” when I saw the panel of the kids smiling.  Holy shit I was paralyzed.

So, Shoto launches a massive Great Glacial Aegir attack on Touya and actually manages to stop the explosion.  He managed to save his entire family holy fucking shit.  The sigh of relief when I saw the panel of Shoto still standing was palpable, my dudes. 

Really good of Shoto to mention that Rei’s, Natsuo’s, and Fuyumi’s Frost Quirks helped Shoto stop Dabi since his ice alone wasn’t enough to put out Dabi’s flames.  So, Shoto and his family really did stop Dabi all together like they promised.  Way to bring things full circle.

And Shoto also mentions that because he can’t do everything on his own that he’s not the “masterpiece” Endeavor once thought he was.  Again, great way to bring things around.  Shoto’s not perfect Quirk-wise and that’s ok.  It just means he’s still got ways to go and that he’s become his own man.

And holy shit everyone took a hit with this battle.  I won’t be surprised if we see new scars on all the Todoroki’s.  Shoto’s costume is pratically torn in half, though I’m surprised the cooler/heater on his back is still working.  He’s bleeding from his nose too probably from being put through the ringer (he was real intense in that last attack; I’m positive his eyes were whited out in one panel where he attacked).  Endeavor looks like he’s going to collapse and Dabi looks crispy as hell.  No seriously, that man is cooked and his eyes have been burned completely off.  I’m surprised he’s still alive now.

And Dabi still thinks everyone including himself should die.  And then, Endeavor comes in and apologizes for everything to everyone in his family.  To Touya for not going to Sekoto Peak, to Rei for all the abuse he put her through, to Fuyumi for putting all the responsibilities on her shoulders, to Natsuo for abandoning him, and finally to Shoto who says “I’m sorry...” to before he passes out.  Some people will call out Endeavor for this, but it’s part of his arc to do something like this.  Even if it won’t mend all fences, even he continues to apologize for his sins for the rest of his life, it’s still genuine progress for his character and I can’t help but appreciate that.  Horikoshi continues to remind us of what Endeavor did in the past without asking us to forgive him entirely despite his atonement arc and this is another example of that.

Honestly, I really thought someone was going to die this chapter.  The last few pages made it out to be like Dabi and Endeavor especially were going to bite the dust.  For now, they’re unconscious, so we’ll see where Horikoshi takes us with them sometime later.  I hope they’re both alive tbh.  I was REAL worried Horikoshi was going to have the titanium steel balls to kill off Shoto for a hot minute, though.  But, I don’t think that would’ve been a satisfying conclusion to his and his family’s arc, and I think having Bakugo dead is more than enough shock for any of us.  Also, happy 300 days of being “dead”, Bakugo.  Please come back soon 🥲.

EDIT: Ok, so it was clarified that Shoto is the one who passed out at the very end. You can see his small figure spread out on the ground in the last panel. I’m sure Endeavor is out too, but Shoto passing out makes sense. He put so much energy into these last two fights. He must be so exhausted poor thing 😭

Finally, the chapter ends with a POV change to Ochako Vs. Toga now that everyone’s safe from the explosion.  We’re also getting another break next week, so nothing until at least the middle of June.  It’s rough, but I’m ok with it since this chapter was incredible and probably hard on Horikoshi to write and draw.  I truly hope he gets a vacation and doesn’t rush into things though.

So, the Todoroki Family arc is pretty much done for now, huh.  Not gonna lie, it feels weird since it’s been the one of the main side-storyline since the Sports Festival all those years ago.  Though I’m glad to see things wrapped up in a very satisfying way for me at least.  Everything came full circle, I cried, I cheered, I got my emotions thrown out the window and sent on multiple roller coasters.  It’s been an absolute joy watching Shoto grow into a badass with a heart of gold who is loved by his family and friends and learned to do the same for them.  He’s my favorite character and will always hold a special place in my heart 🤍❤️🩵.

[captaincaptainfisher]

Growth records, entry 4

The specimen has been alive for several weeks now. It's excessive weight gain has slowed, and it is now four and a half stone in weight and one and a half feet in length. It has gone from crawling on it's belly to trotting on all fours and even occasionally running on it's hind legs... this has caused extra trouble for me. It seems obsessed with the zero-gravity function of my chamber. Whenever the gravity is off and I am not focusing on the specimen, he c-...Ugh... It catapults itself across the room from one wall to another repeatedly. It's not uncommon for it to barrel into me. This is inconvenient... I have considered creating it it's own chamber away from me.

Today, we do two simple tests. One of movement speed, and one of danger recognition.

I have created a pole spanning from the floor of my chamber to about halfway up it, which the specimen has already been exploring curiously. Atop the pole, I have a hard-shelled fruit known as a gooieduck, a high calorie treat that I have been using as a reward for compliance. I have reached out to my larger siblings and obtained a mean average speed for Slugcats when climbing poles. I am thankful to the ones who still respond to me... many see communication with me as a waste of time since I am not working on our great problem anymore.

....Anyway... The specimen has begun climbing. It's inexperience shows... Perhaps I should have introduced it to poles earlier... but nonetheless, as it learns, it becomes faster. The specimen is very close to the average of a fully grown member of it's species already... quite impressive. I'm very proud of this project.

For the next experiment, I have two poles. One is the same as before, while the other is a pole mimic plant of slightly taller height. The gooieduck is closer to the mimic, so from the specimen's point of view, it would be easier to go that way. My hope is that it will identify the predator. I have learned from my fire powder experiments and am staying closer by in case I need to intervene.

...The experiment has made a beeline for the mimic, but it has hesitated. It appears to be smelling the thing... I am beginning to doubt myself... it may not have had enough exposure to regular poles to know the difference...

....It has grabbed the pole mimic. The sticky tendrils have encased it's arm. If it cannot break free of it's own accord, I will neutralise the predator.

....

It's hanging on...

...It is now crying... Natural for one so young, I suppose.

....

...Why is this so hard for me to listen to..? It is part of the experiment. I need to pull myself together...

...

...It... It is crying out in fear... It is crying for a mother it does not know it doesn't have, and he is *looking at me...*

I... I must remain neutral. I must finish the exp-...Oh, to hell with it.

(Editor's note: the sound you hear in the background here is the electricity I am using to fry the mimic at it's roots. It releases the specimen and goes back into it's underground den, where it will be destroyed.)

...Upon being released, it immediately ran to me, forgetting all about the gooieduck. It is attempting to climb my puppet's arm to reach me... Yes, yes, fine, I'm coming down. Yes, okay, you're okay...

I apologise for the increased noise. The specimen is still crying, and is now on my lap.

...Why it is still crying, I do not know. The threat is gone... It is shivering as if cold, and grabbing onto my cloak.

...

...Perhaps... No more experiments that put you so close to harm's way, hmm?

Yes, yes, I'm right here. You're safe. This experiment has derailed a bit...

*Recording ends*