#i binged this in less than 12 hours

[windshieldwiper]

so uh..I just finished bsd…

[derangedgirl53]

Your Ana guide of 2025

“We’re all winter girls this year!”

Effective tips

- drink 500 ml of water before you eat (can be ice cold or warm)

- cut all your food into small pieces (half,then cut the half ibi quarters,etc)

- don’t binge or purge, it’s worse than restricting

- don’t do high intensity exercises because they make you hungrier

- avoid doing a keto diet,yes I know.

- eat your dinner late so you won’t binge

- skip breakfast

- avoid chewing and spitting ,focus on restriction instead

- have a long time before your next meal for proper digestion like 7-9 hours

- try to eat homemade food 80 percent of the time

- go on the 5 bite diet

- go on the treadmill 2-3 times a week and burn 500 cals or go every other day and burn 200

- always find excuses to not eat like “I’m not hungry”,” I just recently ate lunch by thank you!” “Sorry, I have a stomach we”, “I feel sick, I think I’m going to lie down”

- always say no when people offer you food

- if you can’t estimate the calories of it or don’t know the exact ones,don’t eat it

- drink about 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily

- don’t eat fast food,pizza,cookies,biscuits,chips,cinnamon rolls,cereal,Nutella,pb and j,candy,chocolate,fries and burgers (unless it’s homemade or air fried),cakes,cupcakes,

- eat\drink oatmeal,soups,rice cakes,rice,pasta,salmon,tuna,chicken,beef,bread,diet sodas,yogurt,tea,coffee,fruits,vegetables

- eat sometimes or rarely pancakes,waffles and pizza (1 a month only)

- eat in front of family so they don’t get suspicious

- keep busy to avoid eating ; watch movies and tv shows,read books,exercise,stretch,draw,paint,listen to music,go on TikTok or tumblr,watch YouTube,crochet,talk to friends,etc

- do multiple diets so you always know what’s your calorie limit or plan ; this avoids binges

- stop doing metabolism days,they are a myth and just an excuse to shove food in your mouth, just keep restricting even more once you reach a plateau

- do cardio first to get rid of fat,then Pilates to tone yourself

- skip as much meals as you can and replace them with drinks (tea,coffee,water,monster,smoothies,etc)

- if your stomach is really and I mean REALLY flat at ANY point of the day, not just when you wake up, that means you’ve been starving yourself effectively so continue doing it UNLESS someone asks “did you eat?” Then that’s your signal to eat or drink something so they don’t get suspicious

How to survive eating out or at restaurants

- share your food with a family member or a friend,let them eat most of it like all the fries and you can just eat your burger or cut the burger and fries into half

- NEVER say yes to dessert or if you don’t,don’t be eating a meal as well! Trust me,desserts are usually high calorie

- always order Diet Coke or water or any other diet beverage

- eat slowly and cut your food into small pieces

- sit up straight while you eat so your digestion is good and you can tell when your hungry

- use less or no sauces

[alternative* don’t go out to eat and just air-fry a burger and fries (preferably 10-12 fries) at home,pick your lowest calorie bread and cut off all the crust,add some tomatoes,drink a Diet Coke or water with it and use less sauces! This will usually come around to 250-400 calories for everything which isn’t too bad than an 1200 meal at a restaurant)

- drink lots of water before and after your meal

- ask your family and friends if they want to walk after eating (usually they would as it’s good to walk after eating) this will burns cals and help your digestion!

Getting into the honey moon phase

My method for getting yourself into restrictions of all types or a “honeymoon phase”.

- drink tea right when you wake up

- 5 after after that, eat a small lunch. Preferably, home cooked food that either you or your parents made (like rice and salmon or some pasta and beef) Make sure it’s a SMALL meal

- don’t eat or drink ANYTHING for the next 9 hours

- you should notice your stomach is super flat right now like REALLy flat as you only drank tea and has a very small meal for kind

- it’s probably late now, around 10-12 at night so grab a Diet Coke and whatever you want to eat

( hint: it CAN be something like fast food or not, if it’s pizza then grab the thinnest,smallest slice. If it’s a burger,cut it into half/a quarter and eat it,its fries only eat 5 of them)

- drink more tea then go to bed

- weigh yourself the next morning (you’ll lose a lot don’t worry)

- because you lost a lot,now you’ll be motivated to continue starving and BOOm honeymoon phase is back and better than ever.

[leog4u]

Adult Gaming Survey Results!

Hey, hey! Here's the results of that survey on adult games I set up a while back. I was blown away by the amount of responses, totaling at 1,159! After reading every write-in, I've made a little write up with some analyses that adult game devs could chew on. I think it's also interesting from an audience stand point, so give it a read! The link above goes to the survey results, so you can see the percentages and write-ins for yourself. Oh also here's a link to the top 12 favorite adult games of the responses, so you don't have to count the 591 answers yourself.

As a reminder, this is a survey for adult games. Search any game in the response list at your own risk. Minors go do something else.

And with that out of the way...!

How often do you play adult games?

Something I noticed was quite a few replies mention very large gaps between adult game sessions. I'd like to drill down on this, because paired with respondents mentioning not know how to acquire adult games, this lack of awareness might lead to less opportunities for playing adult games.

The flip side to many responses in “Other” mention binge bursts, followed by long periods of no adult game activity, it might just be a case of adult life lacking free time. 

How long do you expect an adult game to be?

A relief to game devs, there’s no major expectation for an adult game to be pulling JRPG playtime numbers. A majority would rather play a game that does what it sets out to do at its own pace, rather than hitting a target goal of X hours and be subject to poor flow and padding. 

How long is an adult gaming session?

A majority spend over an hour, with time set aside to do said adult gaming. While “till i finish” could be less than an hour, it’s still a designated time set aside to play an adult game.

What’s interesting is the responses in the “Other” category that go into detail, if the goal is to just get off, it’ll be quick. But if a game has plot and gameplay, like some kind of video game, then it’s likely they’ll take more time as they’re now being entertained in the way a video game does.

When it comes to art, what level of quality do you expect?

Again, something that should come as a relief to adult game devs. There’s not a big expectation of painted, master quality art that would be hung in a museum. People want something that gets the idea across and something fresh. 

The style should match the actual content of the game. Too many times I've played a game with the most facebook friendly mobile game style, and it just feels like it's distracting from what the game is trying to actually do.

It also would help if when a potential customer scrolls down the itch.io adult game page, their eyes don't glaze over at art that looks like every other game on the market.

Do you buy your adult games?

A problem that is highlighted here is the lack of ability or knowledge on how to buy adult games. Storefronts hide the settings needed to see adult game options, which actively lead to a lack of knowledge on how to purchase. 

A majority of the “Other” category mentions it being a combination of spending money and playing free games.

Another point to note is that some mentioned that they will pirate with the intention of spending money later. A free demo, like some mention seeking out first, can help devs avoid piracy, since some people use pirated games as a demo when none is available to see if the game’s worth it.

Another note, which unfortunately won’t help the devs affected, but when non-english games aren’t available in english or on english storefronts, some respondents feel that the only way to play is by pirating. It’s difficult to get the numbers, but I’d be interested in seeing how well japanese adult games on steam that have been localized for english speaking audiences are doing, since that previously wasn’t an option for japanese adult devs until very recently.

How important is writing in adult games for you?

This was actually a surprising result to me. Adult games primarily advertise their art. How much of it there is, how well drawn it is, if it’s animated or not. So seeing 77% of respondents cite good writing as one of the most important parts to an adult gaming experience really changes what the priorities should be for an adult game dev. 

While some would skip writing, either to get to “the good stuff” or just to skip over bad prose, some have an actively worse experience with being shown bad writing.

How important is animation in the porn scenes?

A recurring sentiment in the “Other” category is that if the animation is bad, don’t bother. 

Combined with the majority of 67.1% saying that animation is optional, I think adult game devs are safe to not prioritize it unless their game is the kind that needs it to function, like a side-scroller. It drains a lot of money and resources, especially for a first time project.

Even the live2D tweening has little payoff with these numbers considered.

How important is voice acting in the porn scenes?

Similar to animation, voice acting is a nice feature to have, if it’s done well. Otherwise it can feel tacked on, or worse, detrimental to enjoying the game.

With 50% not caring or actively muting, I think it’s safe to say that it’s a “nice to have” and resources should be focused on other things like writing and gameplay.

How important is sex sound effects in the porn scenes? (moaning, wet slapping, squelching, etc)

What’s really fascinating is that the sound effects and audio design are more appreciated than the voice acting. If I had to pinpoint a difference, it’s that bad delivery can ruin a scene, but a sound effect is far less intrusive.

What genres of porn games do you like the most?

The genres chosen were a combination of which were the most populated as well as recent trends. A large amount of write-ins were expressing that simulation games were a favorite. 

Now comes the question, is the number one favorite genre RPGs because that’s the best genre for an adult game, because it’s a genre people enjoy playing for gaming’s sake, or because a massive amount of adult games are made in RPG Maker? I think it’s a little bit of columns A, B, and C.

When it comes to adult games, what matters more?

People are here for porn, but that doesn't mean they're here for just porn. They want a good delivery vehicle for the porn. Both parts of this sentiment mean that there's one thing you should avoid more than anything and it's annoying padding and grinds. They bought your game, there's no need hide a nipple behind five hours of gameplay. Likewise, it's not very good game design to give the player everything at once, as I've mentioned before.

There are several draws to adult games. It's intimacy in a safe, virtual environment. It's making bonds with characters the player falls in love with that end with a climax, or two. It's exploring kinks. And it's blowing off some steam by getting your rocks off. These should be considered when designing a porn game.

Does a kink you enjoy influence if you buy an adult game?

In the future, I would rephrase this question as asking how much your kink factors into buying a game, rather than what was presented. As it stands, “I buy things if they’re good” isn’t that interesting or valuable of an insight.

Respect to the small slice that don't buy shit unless it has their kink in it.

Does a kink you dislike influence if you buy an adult game?

Making more extreme or polarizing kinks optional enables the developer to explore said kinks while allowing the player to avoid uncomfortable situations. As long as it’s clear what’s optional and what isn’t on the product description, this seems to be the preferred method. 

What’s your stance on AI art?

A landslide stance. This can be attributed to politics: there is a hardcore stance against any and all AI. That aside however, when it comes to selling a product to a consumer, why would they want a product they know was made with no care or effort? Where else were corners cut? AI in porn games are usually used to generate the art and writing, the most important parts (according to the survey) to the porn game. It's where you want the most care and attention, not the opposite.

What aspect of an adult game do you care about the most?

Players care about the porn in their porn games. This isn’t a surprise. Audio being ranked so low also isn’t a surprise considering the previous results. But, what is interesting is how gameplay is ranked highest in the “important” category, past art and writing. I interpret it as “come for the art and writing, stay for the gameplay.” 

Talking Points From the Free Form Responses

Replayability and customization are gameplay features people value, which can be reflected in the amount of responses citing games such as Corruption of Champions and Degrees of Lewdity as their favorites.

Porn games are really unique because you need to list out its content. We're used to spoilers being a bad thing in marketing materials, but for porn its mandatory. A customer needs to know: what's the degree of sexual content, is it cheese cake, is it gay, is there dub-con, is there inflation, the list goes on. Nobody will be mad to know that something they don't like is in something. Well, some people will be, but it's a lot worse when it's a surprise. Also consider, it stops comments asking if there's content like pregnancy in your game or not.

I can not understate how important customization is to a number of people, wanting the body and pronouns they have to be reflected in the player character. This gives text based games a bit of an edge, since it's significantly less resource intensive to accommodate for all these different identities in text vs having to make art assets for every configuration and body type.

There’s a general lack of knowledge on where to actually get adult games. This is due to social media sites making it difficult for adult content to be shared, as well as limited market places for adult content. Epic Game Store has a ban on it, despite allowing for full on con-artist projects like NFT and Crypto games, while Steam requires some settings to be changed that aren't advertised. However, Steam's new feature to hide games definitely helps gamers feel more comfortable acquiring adult games since their friends won't have to know when they're jerking off.

Woman focused content that doesn’t involve non-con is lacking. Meanwhile, a lot of adult games that feature a woman protagonist that does consent either have her be bimbofied or a literal succubus, rather than an actual character that wants sex like their male counterparts. These male counterparts could be extracted from their porn game and placed in any other fantasy story and get along fine, so why not women?

Don’t forget to add a gallery to your game.

[scrumptioustrawberry]

My next calorie deficit plan that includes intermittent fasting days and maintains a range between 400–800 calories of deficit per day. The aim is to ensure sustainable fat loss while considering healthy eating patterns. This plan will involve both intermittent fasting and calorie-controlled days to promote weight loss. Overall im trying to continue weight loss and avoid binging. I will still have long fasting periods of 48-72hrs periodically.

General Guidelines:

1. Calculate Maintenance Calories: First, calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This is the number of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight.

You can use an online TDEE calculator or use the following formula:

For men: TDEE = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5

For women: TDEE = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161

2. Create a Deficit: Subtract 400–800 calories from your TDEE to create a daily calorie deficit.

3. Intermittent Fasting Days: You can incorporate intermittent fasting (IF) on specific days (e.g., alternate days) with restricted eating windows like 16/8 or 18/6 (16 or 18 hours of fasting, 8 or 6 hours of eating).

---

Sample Weekly Schedule

Day 1 (Fast):

Fasting: 16/8 (eat within an 8-hour window)

Calories: Aim for 400–500 calories less than your TDEE.

Day 2:

Calories: Aim for 600–800 calories less than your TDEE (calorie-controlled day).Meals: Focus on high-protein, low-carb meals (e.g., chicken breast, broccoli, and avocado).

Day 3 (Fast):

Fasting: 18/6 (fast for 18 hours, eat within a 6-hour window).Calories: 500–600 calorie deficit.

Day 4:

Calories: Aim for a 400–500 calorie deficit.Meals: Focus on high fiber, whole foods (e.g., quinoa, lentils, leafy greens, and fish).

Day 5:

Fasting: 16/8 (eat within an 8-hour window).

Calories: Aim for 400–500 calorie deficit.

Day 6:

Calories: Aim for a 600–800 calorie deficit.

Meals: Lean protein, healthy fats (e.g., turkey, eggs, olive oil, and veggies).

Day 7 (Fast):

Fasting: 18/6

Calories: 500–600 calorie deficit.

---

Example of a Day on the Plan

Meal 1 (12 PM):

3 boiled egg whites, spinach, and avocado salad

1 cup of black coffee or tea

Meal 2 (4 PM):

Grilled chicken breast & vegetable

Optional: A small portion of berries or Greek yogurt

Meal 3 (Optional, if within your calorie count):

A handful of nuts or seeds

---

Adjustments:

On Non-Fasting Days (Eating Days): You can have a slightly higher intake of calories, but try to stay within your goal of a 400–800 calorie deficit.

For Fast Days: Drink plenty of water, herbal teas, and coffee (without added sugar) to stay hydrated.

Track Calories: Use an app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to track your daily calorie intake.

---

Tips for Success:

1. Listen to Your Body: If you feel overly hungry or fatigued, adjust the calorie deficit slightly.

2. Exercise: Include moderate exercise (strength training, walking, or yoga) to help enhance the calorie deficit and promote muscle preservation.

3. Sleep: Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep each night for better metabolic function and recovery.

[idlingintheimpalapodcast]

New Episode Alert: “The guys are weird about each other.” IV with Jackie, “The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean” creator

@jinkieswouldyoulookatthis It's Jackie!!

A long time friend of Sandra & Kasey and the podcast, we finally sat down to talk all things everything with Jackie. I mean where do we start? Her fandom journey? Hanging out at DCCon 2024 with Sandra? *That* moment she had with Jensen? (hint, it involves thighs 😉) What about saturation diving and the mechanics of torture - does it reach a critical mass at some point?

To misquote Bilbo Baggins: We know Jackie's fandom journey less than half as well as we should like, but we like her more than we can say!

Needless to say Jackie will be back, there's so much we didn't get to. And you're gonna need snacks, a drink & a comfy seat for this 3 hour epic!

Listen on Spotify Watch on Youtube:

Chapter Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:08 - How long has Jackie been listening to IITI? 00:03:09 - Jackie’s journey getting through the Supernatural Pilot 00:16:06 - Season sanity break between binges 00:17:57 - Is it Sam or Dean for Jackie? 00:21:13 - Kasey has some show questions 00:21:55 - FanFic research 00:23:21 - Jackie is terminally online and is a great resource 00:23:40 - Verdict on Mystery Spot 00:25:22 - The spaces the show gave for fans to explore 00:26:17 - Sam’s six-month sabbatical? 00:29:21 - Top tier level trauma responses and torture thresholds 00:39:31 - The Chuck interference 00:41:43 - Torture saturation? 00:49:58 - Demon Dean preparation 00:51:52 - Acknowledging happy accidents for the show writers and fanfic authors 00:53:30 - ScoobyNatural 00:59:16 - SPN’s meta game is unmatched 01:00:20 - Dean and Daphne 01:05:45 - Sam and Velma 01:08:21 - Favoring meta episodes 01:12:00 - Jackie’s other faves on Supernatural 01:14:08 - Becky 01:16:30 - Jackie’s fandom and fanfic journey 01:20:32 - Kasey’s Demonic Junkies and finding Idling 01:22:31 - Canon, Headcanon, and Fanon 01:25:41 - The BiDean example 01:27:42 - Blurring the line between opinions and facts 01:28:57 - Jackie’s personal headcanon 01:29:49 - The creator's auxiliary canon debate 01:41:00 - Convention interactions 01:44:14 - Jackie’s exciting new fandom project 01:45:46 - Wincest is weird 01:49:50 - Prepping for the Wincest rewatch podcast 01:50:35 - Flowers in the Attic and Gothic Literature 01:52:08 - Current societal climate and faux purity 01:53:49 - What’s the name of Jackie’s podcast? 01:55:30 - Filling the vacuum of Wincest-themed podcasts 01:58:16 - Jackie’s first SPN Con experience 02:37:36 - Experiencing a con with a spouse versus a fandom friend 02:43:43 - Kasey’s question 02:46:01 - Jackie’s thoughts on her fandom ride… so far 02:51:19 - Supernatural reboot? 03:00:36 - Closing thoughts and outro

[eggroll-sama]

Heyyyoooo

Just a thought, how long do you think mc was asleep/unconscious in kuras' clinic?

They couldn't have been out in the fogfall for too long since they didn't die of blood loss (or maybe they just can't 👀)

I just found your acc and I can't wait to binge read your masterlist :)

-egg anon

Hi egg anon! AHHH, thanks for your ask, it’s my first ask I’ve ever gotten for Touchstarved ToT. I hope more people would slide into my DMs, I really don’t mind since I’m in a massive TS brainrot at the current moment. Now then, let's get right into it. Btw I don't have any credentials to show for the research, all from Google baby.

Warning: Mentions of blood, graphic violence

I’m going to say that MC was roughly out of commission for 10-12 hours.

When MC gets their first look at the city of Eridia, it's dusk, stars in the sky, the moon rising from the east, and the horizon a reddish glow. It can't be sunrise because scientifically colder temperatures make the sky less red and orangey during sunrises. There isn't any verbal indication what time it is, but we can predict it was 6-8PM when the caravan was attacked by the Soulless. Eridia seems to have a maritime climates: cloudy weather, frequent rainfall/precipitation, and mild temperatures, like IRL Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the 6-8 PM time frame is usually when the sunsets for those regions. Let’s choose 8 PM.

Now as for how long MC was in this position is interesting. When Kuras found us, we were barely clinging to life, face-down in "murky, shallow water." MC is really lucky that they survived because an infection in the wilderness greatly increases your mortality rates. We can at least thank the Soulless' sharp claws for slicing the arm clean off since if it was an angled, ragged cut would increase blood loss. I have heard of survival stories of people angling their arms towards the sky to decrease blood loss, but no, MC's body was half-submerged in water. If MC is really a half-Monster like some theories suggest, than there's a possibility they are more resilient, lasting one to two more hours, compared to the avg humans that can die in less than five minutes. That could be why Kuras is so fascinated with you too, not just for the cursed arms, but there was almost no way you could've survived with all the odds against you. I also don't think we stayed out there longer than one to two hours because an amputated arm is only good for four to six hours before you can reattach them. And considering Kuras' eldritch instincts, I can't see being out there for longer than two hours max.

So let's say Kuras finds MC around 9-10 PM at the wastes. He takes them to the clinic and reattaches the arm using his magic. We are then asleep overnight, approximately 10 hours, naked with only a cold linen sheet on a cot, before we wake up. Tbh I don't know which is worse: if Kuras left us there while we were asleep or just did paperwork while we were lying practically naked right next to him till we woke up the next morning. Good thing Kuras isn't a pervert (?)

(A/N: also not even a blanket??? Unless he was keeping the room toasty with his powers, thanks I guess, Mr Sunny D)

Why I think we were down for around 10 hours is for a few reasons.

Most obvious one: When we went inside the Wet Wick, MC mentions they were surprised at the amount of people when it wasn't even mid-day (12 PM). So maybe it's around 10 AM, maybe even earlier than that.

The impatient knock from the front door is an indicator that Kuras was taking longer than he usually did, but not too long for people to start yelling. Maybe his clinic has an official starting time, and so citizens wake up early to wait in line outside till it officially starts. But with MC taking up the only cot in the clinic and sleeping there for the entire night, he had to start a little later, hence people getting annoyed cuz they woke up super early to wait in line, but Kuras hasn't let people in yet.

MC got super hungry at the vendors, which makes sense since they haven't eaten for so long.

So yeah, this is all I've got for MC's timeline from when the Soulless attacked and when they woke up. I have read other theories saying it was Ais' who found us and brought us to Kuras' clinic which is an interesting take, but for the sake with what we are given for now Kuras was the one that saved you.

[jinxshq]

INCOMING  TEXT:    omg  hv  u  met  WILLOW  CUROTTE  of  the  NARIZA BOIS  yet  ?  they’re  one  of  the  crew’s  mechanic n  actually  go  by  JINX.  the  thirty  y/o  is  typically  seen  hanging  arnd  birds eye.  allegedly  they’re  frm  sydney, australia  n  hv  been  w/  the  crew  for  ONE YEAR.  wtvr.  just  watch  out  for  them,  k  ?  ttyl  !  

BASICS

full name: willow curotte

nickname(s): will

alias: jinx

age: twenty eight (28)

gender: genderqueer

pronouns: they / them & she / her

birthday: april 13th

ethnicity: kanyen'kehà:ka (mohawk)

religion: agnostic

sexual & romantic orientation: queer - has no preference or care of gender or sex in a partner

status: single

residencies: born in montreal, canada; raised in sydney, australia; moved to orlando, florida and then miami, florida

languages: english, auslan

highest education level: high school dropout - completed grade 11, dropped out during grade 12

occupation(s): full time mechanic at nariza auto, mechanic for nariza bois, part-time parts puller at a junkyard

PHYSICAL  EXAM

faceclaim: kawennáhere devery jacobs

eyes: brown

hair: black — shoulder length

distinguishable marks: bumblebee tattoo the back of their neck, dimples, scattered freckles on cheeks and nose, red star on left pinky (matching with their brother)

height: 5' 2"

MENTAL  EVALUATION

mental: adhd (diagnosed at seven)

positive traits: loyal, secret keeper, creative, private, extroverted, ambitious, imaginative, thrifty

negative traits: unobservant, impulsive, judgmental, disorganized, obsessive, self-destructive, cowardly, impatient

alignment type: chaotic neutral

phobias: spiders, thunder storms

mannerisms: fidgets with whatever is in their hands, chews on pens, shortness of breath from talking too fast, whistles while working, head bobbing while listening to music, tends to avoid eye contact

hobbies & interests: running, reading, dance, cooking, cheesy rom-com movies, binge watching old tv reruns

HABITS  &  LIFESTYLE

daily routine: the type to fly by the seat of their pants; often changes their day to day depending on what is going on around her

diet & nutrition: somewhat unhealthy; snacks constantly

exercise habits: runs daily, at least 30 minutes every night

substance use: social drinker, non-smoker, casual daily use of marijuana

sleep patterns: chronically exhausted - tends to sleep less than 5 hours at a time

AFFILIATIONS  &  RELATIONSHIPS

family: victor curotte (father) & anna curotte (mother) & asher curotte (elder brother)

allies & associates: nariza bois

rivalries: rodani prowlers

enemies: edgar "eddie" dunn, xile rosario

romantic history: sinthorn rattanasiri (exes)

notable friends: darius chulanont, arinya yontararak, jaeha woo, jisung seol

INTERVIEW

when did your first realize you had a passion for cars / racing? "it's that old cliche. 'my dad started it so now im obsessed' or whatever." a casual shrug. "i don't know. he liked playing with machines cause he liked knowing how it worked. passed that on to me and now i have to know how it works, why it works, and how to make it better."

tell the story behind your alias. "honestly?" a laugh, shoulders dropping and arms crossing. leaned back in the chair, comfortable. "it's so dumb? people thought i was using witchcraft to win, it was this weird rumor and i have no idea who started it. but the name's cool so it's whatever."

what car do you drive? how have your made your car your own? "a fifth gen nissan skyline gt-r." there is pride in that voice. "she's a few years old now. got her as a gift in 2002, the last year they made them. she's had a new paint a few times. recently swapped out the gearbox and upgraded the suspension. next i'm planning a whole interior remodel, starting with pink bucket seats."

do you ever have the urge to swap positions? "yeah, sometimes. i don't envy any of the drivers or anything, don't get me wrong. they look like they have a lot of fun, they get all the glory. maybe i'd like some recognition once in a while? but nothing too serious. i'm a good driver but i ain't one of the best and i don't think i could win the races they do. plus it's more fixing them most of the time."

SPECIAL  NOTES  &  CHARACTER  LORE

obsessed with all things neon pink, bright cyan, and white for the car. but only the car. nothing else in their life is color coded like the car is. if its safe to paint, there are even engine parts that are covered in the colors. specifically: e51687 (pink) & 7bcabf (cyan)

guilty pleasures include reality tv and sappy romance movies.

once waited outside a coffee shop to catch a glance at their favorite musician, only to find out it was a look-a-like.

never been with a crew before the bois, always did car mods on the down low or for private things. mostly for themself as most in the scene in australia weren't open to custom mods. this would be the first time they've had unfettered access to someone else's ride and the opportunity makes them giddy.

think mad scientist level obsession with cars. think like jinx from arcane (yes thats why i made the name). very crazy with mods and messy building.

constantly covered in some kind of car fluid, be it grease, oil, coolant, transmission fluid

a snob who thinks automatic transmissions are for casuals

hard of hearing! wears hearing aids on the daily & lip reads when needed - started learning australian sign language (auslan) in high school

pinterest board

A STORY FOR THE STREETS

classic story of girl raised by a single dad and older brother who takes on their hobbies because what else are they supposed to bond over.

[trigger warning: parental death] born in canada but after their mom's passing when she was 5, dad moved the two kids and himself back to his home in sydney, australia.

dad works as a mechanic, passed on the love of cars to both his kids. asher become obsessed with racing, willow not so much. she just wanted to take them apart and put it all back together. evolved into making things better.

thankfully nothing tragic happens to big brother, after winning for years and becoming one of the best in the scene in sydney, he retired and started a family! go asher, we love to see it.

willow raced once and after an embarrassing display and coming dead last and losing their car, vowed never to race again. but promised never to let anyone lose either.

used their brother's connections to make some friends in the scene after they got older. never joined any crew, instead worked as a "neutral" mechanic & refused to be bought by one or another.

let for florida when they turned twenty four. was meant to be following a job and becoming a legit mechanic in the imsa but things didn't work out - for reasons she tends not to speak about.

those reasons though, were because the person they were meant to apprentice under and learn things from actually worked for the cartels.

worked for the cartel for a couple years as a mechanic before making their escape to orlando. didnt really get involved in too much but did know some things.

moved to orlando and attempted to make a shop from the ground up. when that failed, learned about the dominating crews in miami and moved that way to attempt to make friends. didn't want to go home to sydney after too many embarrassing moments.

joined nariza bois after lots and lots of groveling and proving themself. maybe flexed their brother's name too.

[atalanta133]

the context behind this post as requested by @omnisvirlupussicfiatdraco, and the story of how I binged 54* episodes of Doctor Who in 48 hours.

this all started around three weeks ago. My English class started a new unit about critical reviews, with the end goal of writing our own review of some experience we would have in the upcoming weeks. Having just started watching Classic Who, I decided that I wanted to write my review on “The Tenth Planet”, as I figured it would be fun to write about such an important part of my favorite show. Just three minor problems:

I was only on the last serial of season one

“the Tenth Planet” is the second serial of season 4

I wanted to skip as few episodes as possible

this meant I had to watch both seasons 2 and 3 in less than three weeks while also dealing with school, general life, and American Thanksgiving, when I wouldn’t have a chance to watch much for about 4 days because I was in Michigan. Skip to last week, where burnout from school combined with not getting a good chance to recharge from Thanksgiving means I don’t feel like doing much of anything at all other than laying in bed hoping I’m absorbed into my mattress. Come Thursday night, I’m halfway through the final serial of season two and haven’t even started season three.

At this point I’m too far in and too stubborn to give up. Come Tuesday I WOULD be writing about that Regeneration scene one way or another. I did the math, and I had four days to watch 54 episodes (not counting “The Tenth Planet” itself). I had to Lock. In. At English class on Friday I went up to my teacher and told her of my plan. “You know you don’t have to do that” she said. “Yes, I do.” I responded.

Friday night. Night of the first day. 84 hours Remain. I got home at three thirty. I spent the next five hours finishing the last two episodes of season two and beginning the first serial of season three. By the end of the day I had managed to watch three total episodes. Not good enough.

Saturday. Dawn of the Second Day. 72 Hours Remain. Wake up at 9am, start episode 3 of “Galaxy 4” and don’t stop for anything other than the Wild Life Finale, then it’s straight back into the TARDIS. I knock out “Galaxy 4” and the “Myth Makers” by 1pm. I decided to skip “Mission into the Unknown” because it’s only one episode and doesn’t even have the main cast at all. I say goodbye to Vicki (take a moment to cry cuz I miss Vicki), and turn my attention to the 12 part monster of a serial, and my biggest challenge of my endeavor; “The Daleks Master Plan.”

I watched 11 episodes. In. Six. Hours. I skipped episode 7 because it’s literally doesn’t progress the plot and I can feel myself dying inside. I decided right there that I needed to rein it in on Sunday. I had something else I had to do for a couple hours anyways. I was not going to watch another 22 episodes even if I tried.

Sunday. Dawn of the Third Day. 48 hours remain. For my own sanity, I skipped “The Massacre” and “The Celestial Toymaker” because I didn’t want to come out of this never wanting to watch another episode of this show again when the Fifteenth Doctor (my favorite) was coming back for Christmas in just a few weeks. I’m also sorta skimming through “The Savages” but still watching because that’s when Steven leaves. I manage to crawl halfway through the final serial of season three when I decide that I had to call it there and skip the last two episodes as well as all of “The Smugglers” because if I had to read any more scrolling text on top of telesnaps I would jump into my computer screen like a Super Mario 64 painting an ask a Dalek to exterminate me.

and now, it’s Monday evening. 8 Hours Remain. I’m starting “The Tenth Planet” right now. This has been quite the experience, but thankfully it hasn’t diminished my love for this show. I can’t say I’ll repeat this, or that I enjoyed all of it, but I will say that I’m excited to watch arguably one of the most important serials in the 61 years of this franchise. And though I’m sad to see William Hartnell and One go, I look forward to watching Patrick Troughton and Two take up the mantle. Now if you excuse me, I’ll be in Antarctica saying hello to my favorite Doctor Who monster.

bonus hand reveal

[ninja-muse]

Last month I clearly posted my wrap-up a day too early because I ended up DNFing a book that same day and therefore starting another. I don't think that'll happen again, but I'm making sure to schedule this for the first just to be sure.

Anyway, this was an all right month of reading—some greats, some simple okays—and a very good month for not acquiring books. Only one ARC came home with me, I offloaded three, and I'm almost certainly not going to buy any books in the last day of the month, but I still have 12 hours. That might change, in which case this post will also and you'll never know what I originally typed. Yeah, that worked well. Darn used bookstores!

You already know how much I liked The Briar Club. My other top reads were A Desolation Called Peace (anyone surprised?), Wandering Stars (outside my wheelhouse but good), and Nicked, which is also out in the summer and was my solo ARC haul of the month. If anyone thinks "gay medieval heist novel" sounds like a good time, they should pick that up. Also, anyone who likes cats and picture books needs to pick up Floof.

And my lows might as well start with my DNF from last month, I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons. I was really hoping it would pick up and I could push through, but it was just the wrong sort of silly for me. (I ended up going home without a book, then binging Most Ardently over the next couple days after my Libby hold came early.)

I also found The Deerfield Massacre to be odd—less rigorous than I'd have liked, a little wobbly on its thesis, doing a poor job of balancing "this must have sucked for the survivors" with Indigenous perspectives and an awareness that the Europeans were, in fact, colonizers. And A Letter to the Luminous Deep sounded so good, but I found it slow and couldn't quite connect to the characters or world.

I don't know how May is going to go, in terms of reading, so this book might end up being my review of the month, but I'm enjoying it so am going to rec it now: Evelina! Frances Burney was one of Austen's favourite authors and I can absolutely see why, and how she influenced her. If you like Austen's novels, you should 110% pick this up, because it's got romantic troubles, a highly embarrassing family, a number of awkward balls and parties, and all manner of drama. Why hasn't this been adapted? It should have been years ago.

Lastly in bookish and/or life news, my store's latest Indie Bookstore Day party was a rousing success and I don't think my legs have recovered yet from all the walking. My ability to socialize almost certainly hasn't. (It's been three days.) Thank goodness for book lovers and my fellow booksellers. Couldn't have done it without all of them.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine

The war with the aliens is not going well and Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass are called on to help. Which won’t be easy, but it’s harder because politics.

8.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 main characters (bisexual, sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 author

library book

Wandering Stars - Tommy Orange

150 years in the life of a Cheyenne family, before and after the events of There, There.

8/10

largely Cheyenne cast, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (multisexual, nonbinary), Cheyenne-Arapaho author

warning: genocide, alcoholism, addiction, drug use, self-harm

library book

The Briar Club - Kate Quinn

A new boarder moves into Briarwood house in Washington, D.C. in 1950, upending the dull day-to-day. Four years later, someone dies. Out in July.

8.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 POV character (bisexual), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic), Black secondary and minor characters

warning: domestic abuse, murder, race riot

reading copy

Nicked - M.T. Anderson Brother Nicephorus accompanies the saint hunter Tyun and his piratical crew on a mission to, erm, liberate the bones of St. Nicholas. Out in July.

8.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (Achillean), major 🏳️‍🌈 character (Achillean), major Central Asian character, Muslim secondary characters

reading copy

Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook - Terry Pratchett with Stephen Briggs and Paul Kidby (illustrator)

A collection of Nanny Ogg’s recipes and thoughts.

7.5/10

gifted/off my TBR shelves

Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa

Oliver Bennett yearns to live on his own terms, under his real name, and kiss boys. Unfortunately, the first boy in question, one Fitzwilliam Darcy, might like him as Oliver but hates his “other self”.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 main character (trans man), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, bisexual women), 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: deadnaming, misgendering

library ebook

Slippery Creatures - KJ Charles

When various threatening men appear in Will Darling’s bookshop seeking information he doesn’t have, Will turns to the first helpful person he meets—an aristocrat named Kim.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (bisexual man, achillean), Black Welsh secondary character

library ebook

A Letter to the Luminous Deep - Sylvie Cathrall

In 1002, E. and Henerey begin a correspondence. In 1003, her sister and his brother begin to piece together what might have happened to them.

6.5/10

POV character with anxiety disorder, 🏳️‍🌈 POV characters (lesbian, bi man), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, achillean), brown-skinned secondary character

reading copy

Hansel and Gretel - Neil Gaiman with Lorenzo Mattotti (illustrator)

An illustrated retelling.

7/10

off my TBR shelves

The Deerfield Massacre - James L. Swanson

The story of an infamous raid in 1704 New England, and the way it’s been mythologized since.

5/10

warning: racism, violence, murder, murder of children

library book

Picture Books

The Pie Reports - Hayley Lowe

Noor and Granddad love pie, but there’s an ocean between them, so they meet every week to eat pie on video chat. Then one day, Granddad doesn’t log on—he’s having a blue day.

🇨🇦

Floof - Heidi McKinnon

A day in the life of Floof the cat.

DNF

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons - Peter S. Beagle

Robert doesn’t want to be the country’s dragon exterminator on the best of days, but then Princess Cerise meets Prince Reginald. Out in May.

Currently reading

Evelina - Frances Burney

Evelina travels to London and learns that the only thing more distressing than suitors is her newly discovered family. Inspired Austen.

off my TBR shelves

The Demon of Unrest - Erik Larson

The story of the six months leading up to the American Civil War.

warning: racism, slavery

reading copy

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 10 + 2 Yearly total: 42 Queer books: 5 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 4 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 0 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 2 Books hauled: 4 ARCs acquired: 1 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 1

January February March

[serinesaccade]

"im not the moon (im not even a star)". HOLY FUCKING SHIT DUDE. wow wow wow wow wow like no words. really astoundingly phenomenal. i just binged it over less than 24h while also working 12 hours today and i feel so insane bc i already want to reread it. ANYWAY. it's really really fucking good. like so good.

AHH thank you!! Writing that was such a delightful and serotonin fueled trip for me. It was a binge to write, as well.

I really appreciate that people are still reading and commenting on it even now!! I'm amazed since it's a few years old. I truly appreciate your message and here's hoping you always find as much fic as you need that you love.

[rainyfestivalsweets]

8/13/23 just kidding, I think my old anniversary was today.

Some notes on getting this done. Because it took literally 100 pounds for most people to notice my weight loss and suddenly people are asking me what I am doing.

The answer is: I am doing the same things I have been doing all along but continuing to tweak things every week.

This is about progression, and about learning sustainable habits that don't make you feel crazy. I have been exercising my entire life. The last 2 years I have been trying to focus on consistency, daily cardio (even if it is short), AND I added a class at work almost every day. Does that mean sometimes I do 2 or 3 workouts in a day? Yes. Is this disordered? No.

Here's why: I work a desk job and have for 20 years.

Simply put- sedentary lifestyle habits are hard to overcome. If you are sitting on your ass for 8-12 hours a day, you need more activity or you need to eat less. A lot less. Sometimes a combination.

I don't think we were meant to sit so much, but desk jobs are highly sought after. Normally they offer good hours and benefits.

But everyone I know who has one has suffered in the getting overweight and out of shape department. By middle age, we are chronically ill and mostly miserable.

I was in such ill health that I was swelling in my feet and legs daily and was so exhausted I couldn't move much.

I had to take lots of steps to change that. Small, incremental changes that built over time to build a sustainable life. I definitely have more capacity now than I ever have. Those first years were hard, working to change habits that I had built over a sedentary lifestyle. It took a long time. It might for you, just don't quit. Start from whereever you are today. Maybe by adding walks and go from there.

If you are young and haven't gotten to the chronic disease part yet, good. Start now and maybe by the time you get my age you won't be plagued by the chronic illness that many suffer from.

Obesity is just the beginning, really. You gain weight and then struggle to be active. Because getting up hurts. Moving hurts. Walking HURTS. So you sit on the couch and binge netflix instead of playing with your kids or dogs.

And the less you move, the worse it gets. But it is physics, really. Objects in motion stay in motion. Objects at rest stay at rest.

This has gotten really long, and I have so much more to say.

What did I have to change? Everything.

EVERYTHING.

I thought I was doing all the things that should make me successful before. But the fact is: I was not being consistent. I would go hard, then get injured, need to recoup and start over at square one.

I had to relearn an entire life's worth of DAILY habits. Food, exercise, shopping, sleep, going out-- all of those needs needed to be adjusted. Smoking and drinking- needed to be adjusted.

The things you do every day matter.

Every day. Every day. Every day.

[tunastime]

hiiii tuna how about 66, or 71? or 92 yesyes

hi pebbl! first of all, I'm really sorry. because I ended up choosing 71 because it was half alive and I couldn't not do that one. anyway this should've been higher because I binged listened to them before I went to their concert (super good) but it's only 71 (which is fine) but it's ALSO on the SEN ranchers playlist (yay!) so enjoy. them. sobs.

(537 words)

Tango watches E-1 spin as it grows small through the back port window. He's long become a pinprick on their radar, a smudge so easily covered up with a thumb. He climbs up into the depression of the window, just large enough to wedge himself next the multiple thick layers of glass. He had set down a blanket a long time ago, making the space more comfortable to lean against. The sky around the small shape of E-1 is black-grey, reflected with the barest hint of light. In terms of space, this cluster is busier than what HASA controls—stations less than an day's flight away, planets within 12 hours hyperspeed, ships coming in and out. Tango sees a ship pass around E-1, slowing and docking. 

There isn't much to feel, but there's a whirring in his chest, almost on the edge of being painful. He presses the heel of his hand to his sternum, as if it would click anything into place. He wonders if this lingering is an indicator of something else. He wonders if it's a remnant of electricity, of something he should be able to, wants to be able to feel. The feeling of Jimmy's hand on his arm, the squeeze, had trickled through his wrist and pooled in the tips of his fingers like he'd be shocked if he touched cold metal. In the background of his processes, he starts a diagnostic. 

The ship hums and beeps around him as he pulls his legs up, resting his chin on his knees. He frowns without meaning to, eyebrows furrowing together. He wonders if Jimmy is watching him, too, from that docking station where he'd said goodbye. He'd seen the shine in Jimmy's eyes and how he blinked too fast to be normal, and he's not sure what he would've done if Jimmy had cried. He's not sure if he'd been able to stop himself from pulling him into his arms and not letting go, which was so unlike him it hurt. It was terrifying. He didn't know what was happening to him, but Jimmy sat in his memory like a brand, like he were an essential program that kept him running, and he couldn't let it go, or let the feeling of Jimmy's hand on his arm go. 

The console chimes. Tango finally peels himself from the window and through the hall, into the small cockpit. He leans over the controls, finds the autopilot, confirms his coordinates. The ship's log updates as he does. He'd already sent a message to the Prometheus when he's left, sunk into his chair and spoke aloud to the ship, hoping it would be sent. He pulls away from the console after a beat, listening to the ship rumble comfortingly and warmly around him, the white grey walls keeping him safe from the outside. Tango seals his jumpsuit up to under his chin, pressing his hand to the column of his throat as he wanders into his room. The plant sits on his desk, wavering in the slight movement.

For the first time in the Rift, Tango lies down in bed. There's no give to the hard surface. There in the dark, he shuts his eyes, and tries to think of home.

(spotify wrapped ask meme)

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

A reminder/vent/plea for advice:

Eat meals frequently!! This is something I need to get tattooed on me. Because my ED consisted of a lot of long fasts broken by binges I think my mind and body learned that it is normal to eat nothing for 13 hours and then eat 70% of my daily calories in less than an hour. I think the appetite suppressant quality of my Vyvanse and my vaping addiction are exacerbating this problem. Not to mention I get so wrapped up in certain things that I completely forget I need to eat. But the body is not meant to go 12 waking hours without fuel. I think because I end up eating enough (maybe too much) when I do eventually eat, I convince myself that my feelings of faintness, brain fog, irritability, nausea [ALL OF THIS IS HUNGER] can’t be due to lack of food all day. “How can I be so hungry that I can’t move??? I ate a whole bag of Doritos and 5 low-fat cheese sticks 16 hours ago!!”. That isn’t how the body works!

I desperately wish I was able to just force myself to cook and eat meals throughout the day but I have yet to find a way to make it stick!

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thank you so much <3

I absolutely feel this, because I very much forgot to eat when I started Strattera. Those ADHD meds just take away all hunger cues. You could be starving and your body just…doesn’t feel anything. I also had a moment where I went all day without eating wondering why I felt so crappy. After I had a late-night snack that brought me near- instant relief, I was like “ohhh.”

Some things you can try: cook big meals in bulk and portion them out in your fridge and freezer so that they’re easy to access and prepare when you’re rushing! This especially works with soups, stews, curries, rice/quinoa bowls, pizza. Do the same with snacks - make it easy. Keep portions of fresh fruit/snackable veggies, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, snack packs of nuts or chips - whatever you can buy or prep in bulk and store easily. ADHD does not go away magically just because you have meds - work WITH your brain, not against it!

On a related note, set timed reminders on your phone so that you remember to EAT the meals and snacks! “Check in with my body” alarms might be good too. If Vyvanse makes it hard to eat intuitively by checking in with your stomach, practicing tuning in to your other body cues might help.

(Buying frozen meals can help if you are too busy/struggling to find the executive function to cook.)

You can’t punish yourself out of having ADHD. Might as well work with your brain instead!

[iaml1mitless]

the most random of somewhat relevant life updates because life is random and also weird

started a new job. currently involves setting up a retail store before it opens so plenty of physical labor and it's fatiguing and painful. at least our team morale is high and it does make it a little easier. but still... oh my feet and knees after 8 hours. those 10,000+ steps are satisfying. but man, i'm tired.

speaking of tired. sleep schedule is the most messed up it probably has ever been. twice this week i got less than 2 hours of sleep, and before a work shift no less. i am able to make it up with naps and 12+ hour nights in between but i dunno, probably not the healthiest. i've always been a night owl but it's just getting nuts.

feeling weird about some ED stuff. been having awful, awful urges to binge and purge or just purge in general. trying to figure out what is driving that. because my body image isn't fantastic but definitely has been worse. therapy taught me ED is one of my top mechanisms for staying in control. dunno. gotta flesh that out, maybe.

been trying to get a prescription for phentermine since Qsymia ultimately didn't work for me, and i blame the topiramate giving me this terrible brain fog. but the appetite control was good for me. however, my doctor is not being very responsive so i don't know when i might be able to get it. i am hopeful though. i am hoping it will curb my b/p urges maybe and generally push me in a healthier direction.

in conclusion,

we're all doing our best out here, and remember your best can look different every day and that's okay.

[picnokinesis]

hello!! :D I asked for a spoilerless preview of 13s seasons a while back on anon, and your answer really got me excited to finish my rewatch!! took me a while because uni doesn't allow for binging the way high school used to, but I just finished season 12 the other day! I've enjoyed chibnall's era more and more the further I got (season 11 still definitely isn't anywhere near my favorite, but liked it a LOT more than I did on my first watch, knowing the foundations it was laying), and I LOVED the first episode of season 13! SO much! I haven't gotten further but I really wanted you to know haha, it's fun, it's exciting, it's got awesome new characters -- I so wish chibnall had gotten into the groove a little sooner, because this is exactly what I hoped his era to be! imagine if we could have gotten 3 full seasons on the same level... ahhhh I'm super excited to watch the rest! especially since several of the episodes you mentioned were your favorites are from season 13 -- and the first episode isn't even one of them!

Ahhhh oh my days hi hi hi!! I am SO so happy that you've enjoyed s12 so much! I think s12 honestly might be one of my favourite seasons of doctor who (although there are a lot of excellent contenders), simply because it just inspired me so much. There's so much to dig into. And yesss I think s11 works a lot better in context of the rest of it, which is super interesting. Actually, honestly, it all works SO nicely as a whole unit, which is super satisfying - to me, at least - but I suppose that hampered it when everything first aired, because we didn't have the whole picture (but also, that is how tv works sometimes ksksk - there were and are a LOT of bad faith viewings of this era, and it makes me so sad because I know that the moment you dig into it you start to realise just how rich this era has been). But yknow, what you say about s11 is interesting, because I do know a lot of people who really love it exactly as it is and always have - there are quite a number of people who got into Doctor Who because of s11, so I think, whilst there are things I don't like about it, I reckon Chibnall did approach it in a particular way with a particular intent - and it worked for some people, but less for others. And like, in a similar vein, I've actually found myself defending Moffatt of all people lately, despite the fact that I really don't enjoy like, two of his seasons, as well as a lot of things that he tends to do. But it's because I think like....hm, I guess I've lately found it really helpful to remember that all the writers are just humans who are putting stories and art out into the world that they want to create, and are sharing it with us - it's never going to be perfect, despite how much we want it to be. And there's always something of value in each era, right? Each of the main showrunners we've had since 2005 have had strengths and weaknesses, and there's something about each era that I absolutely adore. That said, there's definitely value in expecting better in certain degrees - but then you get people making hour long videos about how the show sucks now and I get so tired skskks

BUT YEAH sorry for rambling, your ask just got me thinking thoughts - much more importantly, you've got THE REST OF FLUX TO WATCH ahhhHHH have FUN!! War of the Sontarans is next and oh my daaaaays i love that episode SO much (I literally said as much earlier today and my coworker was like 'yes taka i know you love that episode' SKKSKSKSKSK SO. YKNOW) but honestly I just adore Flux. It's got such classic who vibes - I've started watching some classic lately and it's so funny seeing what inspired a lot of the structure/style of Flux (like the STUPID CLIFFHANGERS oh my days we need MORE of those). So I really hope you enjoy the rest - and the specials too!! Eve of the Daleks and The Power of the Doctor are soooooo much fun :D Please feel free to let me know what you think when you've watched it all, if you'd like to! I'd love to hear your thoughts/what your favourite episodes of thirteen's era as a whole have been! <3

[inkribbon796]

Egotober 2023 Day 5: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

Summary: . . . Florida Teen Arrested for Putting Humans in Jars at Florida Zoo

Prompt: Jar

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Bing liked humans, they were fun. Some were less fun than others, but on average he liked them.

And in Gainesville he saw all kinds of interesting and fun people. He liked going to school fairs and the schools definitely liked having an actual sentient AI talking to their budding STEM students. He had the names of hundreds and even thousands of budding scientists.

His names.

Bing wanted to see what they would become, what they would do.

One of his names however was causing problems in the city. And Bing only knew that cause this human child, a teenager really, was using something he had given to every name he kept tabs on. A little pin with a minute amount of dead nanites. Unusable, but noticeable.

A little budding eco-terrorist, and a dangerous one. Most of the time, his names resorted to firecrackers or at the most dangerous a pipe bomb.

This one was more dangerous, this one was causing civic engineering damage. They were smart, not just in what they were doing, but in being smart enough not to get caught.

And Google was starting to get interested. He refused to tell Bing why he was so intent on finding this person.

Fourteen hours after he’d called the Egoton branch for help, he got a call.

“Bing, what’s up?” Silver called.

“Finally,” Bing said. “Finished putting out fires?”

There was silence for a bit. “No. We’re fighting Irish and American immigration to get Marvin over here. Fuck Dark, and fuck no one here being able to read aura. What’s the problem? An eco-terrorist?”

“Yeah, one of Gainesville’s brightest is turning to crime to push back against a couple things in the city. And they’re smart enough not to get caught. We’ve been trying to catch this kid for four months.”

“How old is this person supposed to be?” Silver asked.

“Seventeen,” Bing said. “We think. They’re at least in high school.”

“Too young,” Silver said. “Between them and the guy that keeps trying to solve crime over here we might be dealing with a miniature league.”

“Don’t have to, dude,” Bing said.

“What does that mean?” Silver's tone sounded dangerous.

“Google’s interested in them, not Dark, Googs is hella interested.” Bing’s mind was already made up.

“We can’t have children fighting super villains, they’ll die. I’d rather fight against them than have them up against Dark. I lost Iblis, I will not lose anyone else.”

“Iblis wasn’t killed by a villain,” Bing said.

“I’m not arguing this with you. Dark travels down there to talk with some snake kingpin almost monthly. And he can be down there in minutes. I take either nine or three hours depending on where the fuck Egoton is because I sure don’t know where I am right now.”

“I can’t let Google have this kid, I can’t,” Bing said and hung up. Silver tried to call him back but Bing didn’t pick up.

Bing kept ignoring him as he broke apart into nanites and jumped from electrical outlet to outlet until he got to the nearby zoo where the latest situation was.

The eco-terrorist was in the zoo, terrorizing some of the patrons in, what felt like to Bing, the funniest way possible. Three patrons trapped under what looked like giant glass jars, ranting at them.

It was as adorable as it was dangerous. A seventeen-year-old in blue and black biker gear. It was almost enough to make Bing forget about how much damage they’d done.

“How do you like it when something throws things at you?” The teenage future-supervillain told a woman whose jar he was standing on top of. They sounded male-leaning but Bing had been corrected enough times.

“Well,” Bing said as he leaned against one of the jars where a young man was inside of it. Smiling. “Should I make the joke, dude? Or are you going to traumatize these people in a whole new way?”

The teenager almost startled and climbed off it before they could fall off of it. “Bing. You’re early.”

And they landed directly into Bing’s nanites. Nanites surged around them to bind the teen where they stood. Making it look like the top half of a jar.

“Nah, I was going to get you eventually, kid.” Bing said as he took the time to free the civilians and send them off.

Only one of the trapped people tried to beat up the tied and bound teenager.

Bing easily snagged him by the arm and threw him back. “Nah, big guy. You don’t need to pretend to be a man by beating up a tied up teenager.”

And for good measure, Bing audibly and visibly took a picture of his face. That got the guy to run off.

Leaving Bing with the “junior supervillain” on the mostly empty path. “Hey there.”

“I have a right to remain silent and I have a right to a lawyer.” The young villain said.

Bing used his nanites to unclip the kid’s motorcycle helmet. “You sure do.”

“Hey!” The teen said, trying to twist away. But the helmet came off and there was a perfectly normal teenage face.

Bing didn’t even need to start scanning his face. The android knew exactly who this was.

Logan E. Naraj. Honors high school student, and valedictorian at Buchholz High School. He/Him. The most promising of Bing’s names. Perhaps the single smartest student in the entire area, let alone in Gainesville. Maybe in the entire state, even. Not just in grades, Logan was devastatingly intelligent, and his eco-terrorist actions were proving it.

“I knew it had to be you,” Bing said. “You’re one of the only people smart enough to be doing half the stuff you’ve been doing.”

That seemed to disarm Logan a little bit, clearly not expecting a compliment. But he didn’t say anything in kind.

Bing stuck the helmet to Logan’s chest with nanites. Then Bing started taking Logan out of the zoo.

Police met with Bing about halfway towards the entrance. He was placed under arrest, and placed in the back of a cop car. Where Bing followed them closely to the station.

They got Logan into a little holding room, Bing not letting the kid out of his sight. It was only a matter of time before Google tried to sweep in. Bing couldn’t even guess what Google wanted with an actual human, but Logan had yet to actually kill anybody. If Google got involved he would quickly start.

They were waiting for a state lawyer and CPS to come in for Logan. So all they could do, since Logan refused to cooperate, was wait.

One of the investigators came over to Bing.

“Your friend come for him yet?” The officer said.

“No, but that’s probably because the dude knows I’m here,” Bing shrugged.

“Do you know what he wants yet?” The officer was shifting around but Bing didn’t pull up a camera to see it. He just shook his head and they were quiet for a good minute.

Then the officer clearly felt like silence was a bad idea.

“Logan Naraj, glad to finally have a name for what might be a two-year stint in juvie,” the officer said as Logan sat on the couch, Bing refusing to take his eye off him. So the second camera had to come up.

“And not the first Naraj we’ve had in the system, probably won’t be the last time either.” The office was giving Logan a scoffing, dismissive look.

“Why?” Bing asked.

“His older brother is currently serving a five year sentence at Florida Corrections, assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced last year. No parents, no surprise really.”

“Hmm, don’t think you should be making comments like that about a kid smart enough to make death rays.” Bing’s synthetic heart gave out a little bit.

The officer didn’t seem convinced but Bing didn’t care, he only had to convince Silver. And Bing was trying to cover every argument Silver had. He needed to keep this kid out of trouble, eternally bench him, and keep him in school.

He was already sending out a couple of emails as he’d been taking Logan to the station. And as he was looking at Logan and hearing this human bad talk him, he got a response from the only person besides Silver that he needed permission from.

“He’s going to be my apprentice,” Bing said.

“Why?” The investigator said.

“Look, either I take him for the Coalition, and he does community service for us, or Google takes him and he builds weapons for Dark and the League. Choose.”

“You said that just Google was interested in him,” the officer said.

“Yeah, and Google works for Dark, if Googs has anything, Dark has it,” Bing said. “And I don’t know if you know what happens in Egoton but Wilford doesn’t stay in jail, now does he?”

Bing waited to go in when the CPS rep and the lawyer had finally gotten in. He let them go in and talk to Logan before Bing walked in without the cops.

He grabbed a chair and turned it so he could lean his arms on the top of the backrest.

“Hey,” Bing smiled. Before the lawyer could make a noise, Bing kept talking. “You don’t have to say a word. You’re probably going back home after this. I just wanted to cut to the point where we make a deal, not waste your time.”

“He doesn’t have to take any kind of deal,” the lawyer said.

“Oh, I know,” Bing said, still smiling. “In fact, I hope he sleeps on it. Decisions need time to make them wisely, and I know Logan here is a smart kid.”

The lawyer glanced at Logan, and Bing let them remind Logan not to say a thing.

Bing pulled out a little card with the Coalition insignia on it and Bing’s contact information. “I want you to personally become my apprentice with the Coalition.”

“You can’t be serious,” The CPS rep said.

“Oh, buddy, I’m very serious,” Bing said. He looked at Logan. “I know Googs has been contacting you, and I know because he was gloating about it. And I don’t want Google anywhere near you, dude. I don’t want Dark near you because anything Google has, belongs to Dark. Dark doesn’t care about anything but himself, that’s just a fact.”

Logan didn’t say anything, but his standoffishness didn’t seem as cold. Which was good.

“So we’re gonna take you home, you’re gonna think on this, and then if you want you call me. And we can start some balls rolling. Get you some more equipment. Have you not go to jail for almost destroying the bridge? Think of it as cutting around juvie and skipping right to community service?”

Logan stayed quiet but Bing could see the gears turning.

Bing smiled and walked out, leaving Logan with the humans, and a smile on Bing’s face.

The police were pissed, no surprise. They’d caught Logan but were unable to arrest him on the spot.

Bing watched CPS take Logan home, where he basically was by himself, and was given instructions not to contact Bing or Google.

The kid didn’t last the night.

Bing stood on his apartment step, to be polite, and waited as Logan answered the door.

“I’m not saying yes,” Logan said as Bing walked in.

“Well, this sure ain’t a no, dude,” Bing smiled as he looked around and basically placed a tracking marker in the place so he could quickly come and go from the place.

“Hey, you like Wendy’s, kid?” Bing said.

The kid just glared at him. “I’m vegetarian.”

“Neat, cool,” Bing smiled at him. “I’ll order something else.”

“You don’t eat human food,” Logan said.

“I mean, I can, but we’ll be talking about this for a while and you’ve been out all night,” Bing said as he sat backwards on a rickety kitchen chair. Leaving the slightly comfier armchair for Logan.

“I’m just allowed to join the Coalition?” Logan asked.

Bing gave Logan a huge smile. “I’m in charge of the South Branch of the Coalition, only Silver and Jackie have any extra say on stuff. I got Jackie’s approval a couple hours ago, and I can convince Silver. Don’t worry. The only thing you’ve got to worry about, little man, is staying in school, and staying out of trouble.”

“You’ve promised change,” Logan said.

“There are a lot of things wrong in this city, and with the country, Lo, you’re taking on the small fry. Normal people. I want bigger, dude. I want to take on people like Dark, people who are stagnating the city.” Bing said as he tried not to lean forward in the chair and break it.

“If I joined, what would I be doing day-to-day?” Logan asked.

“Investigative work, maybe researching various magical and no-magical artifacts, you’ll be in school a lot of the time, there’s no getting around that.” Bing said.

“Okay, if it’s between you and Dark, I guess I don’t have a choice,” Logan said.

Bing stood up and clapped his hands. “Alrighty, then, dude.”

Out of his arm he pulled out something that looked more like a watch then the rest of the Coalition communicators. “To our newest hero. Welcome to the party, my man.”

“Logic,” Logan said.

“That your name?” Bing asked.

“Yes, if I could pick one it would be: Logic,” Logan said.

“Perfect, my dude,” Bing said.

“Where do you stay, or are you allowed to tell me?” Logan asked.

“Hey, I live anywhere with good bandwidth,” Bing said, shrugging. “You need me anywhere, anytime, and I got you.”

“Noted,” Logan said, trying to act normal but Bing wasn’t fooled. Those facial expressions, that heart rate. He cared a lot, that made Bing very happy.

Bing held out his hand. “I can order that food, and then you can get some sleep. You’ve got school tomorrow, after all and we’ll keep talking about Coalition stuff after school.”

“Alright,” Logan said.

So Bing ordered some late night vegetarian Chinese food. Logan ate and then he went to bed, and Bing went to go and officially tell Google to back off from Logan. That he had it under control and Logan got to be theirs without also being Dark’s.