#i endorse the rest of it though lol

[vanilla-voyeur]

Pesto is usually made with basil and pine nuts. As a alternative, you could make pesto with mint and almonds. It doesn't taste the same and that's the point. It fulfills the same niche though.

We don't do this enough with vegetarian/vegan food. I don't want something that isn't a sausage link to try to taste like sausage. I want something that fills the same niche and tastes good.

I prefer black bean burgers to beyond burgers. Black bean burgers aren't trying to taste like hamburgers. They're just trying to taste good on a bun. That makes them a much better hamburger substitute than beyond burgers.

As an omnivore who likes vegan and vegetarian cooking I think the mistake a lot of people make when trying to convince meat eaters to go plant based is trying to convince them that something you’ve got will replace meat for them.

I like vegan nuggets and real chicken nuggets for different reasons. They taste different. They only taste identical to you because you haven’t eaten meat for five years.

When cooking for myself I only eat meat maybe like three times a week because vegetarian cooking is often cheaper and it tastes good.

Like just give people the actual recipes you use that aren’t pasta. Every time you ask what to eat on a meatless day people are like. Pasta. I don’t want pasta every day.

Point out the foods people already eat that are vegetarian. Like sweet potato fries, veggie chow mein, grilled mushrooms, mashed potatoes, black bean enchiladas, peanut butter sandwiches. Tell people what you microwave when you’re drunk at 3am. Show people that vegetables are so good they’ll want them in their diet.

Also some people are just never gonna go vegan. They’re just not. I’m certainly not, and I love vegan food. But since I’ve fallen in love with vegetarian cooking I eat meat much less and I’m much more careful about picking the meat I do eat. Doesn’t that align with a lot of your goals?

Impossible burger doesn’t taste like meat. But you know what tastes really good? A mushroom fajita taco. Falafel. Potato pancakes with applesauce. Smoky vegan collared greens. Hot potato salad with herbs. Palak paneer with rice. Tofu Pad Thai with extra peanuts. Some of my favorite foods of all time, and I’m a dirty rotten meat eater. Use THAT to get your foot in the door. And be more accepting of some half-assed victories. I’m on your side for the most part, believe it or not. But stop trying to claim certain things are just like meat. You and I both know you don’t plan most of your weeknight dinners around meat substitutes.

[jirachibaby]

Hi! I understand how hard it is to have wrist pain/issues and the stresses and terrors that that brings and I'm proud of you for keeping going!

Something I've found helps from my physio is gyroscopic exercises, I dont want to push products on you, as I understand how irritating that can be, but I'd reccomend looking into it! If you search "gyro ball" on google it should pop up.

Keep fighting, You're doing amazing!

-Goose

oh yeah i have one of those! it's cool! i think i forgot it at my mom's though... haha

thanks for the advice and encouragement, it means a lot <3

i'm really lucky to have amazing friends and support keeping me going through this. and, not to make anyone too excited, but i am working on my inverted comic. just... slowly. very, very slowly.

[soobszzn]

distant affection

synopsis: doing everyday tasks wasn’t a hassle when jungkook was with you - even if that meant you were miles apart.

pairing: ldr!jungkook x reader

genre: fluff, established + long distance relationship

content/warnings: long distance relationship and all things associated, mentions of food, jungkook is still an idol, brief (lol) mention of jungkook and his sexy calvin klein endorsement, use of “my love” in a teasing (& affectionate) context

wc: 1.8k

a/n: sorry this is so late!!! love u, S🌸

-

you knew navigating a long distance relationship with the jeon jungkook would have its ups and downs. obviously, the time difference messed with you both. one person would be asleep when the other was awake, and even if you were awake at the same time, one of you would usually have to attend to other things.

the both of you made it work, though. you’d send each other pictures throughout the day and squeeze in video calls wherever you could. you’d mail each other gifts when you couldn’t be together for special occasions. when jungkook had a couple days off, you’d use it to have long movie dates online in which he would usually fall asleep first. but you didn’t mind.

during his longer breaks, he’d always make it a point to come visit you. the two of you would go sight-seeing in your own city or take a short trip to the next town over. you loved doing anything and everything with him, but the most enjoyable moments were in the mundane. you loved moments where you’d scroll on your phones together on the couch or tease each other while you brushed your teeth before bed.

saying goodbye was always the hardest. there wasn’t anything that could really make missing him hurt less. but while helping him pack during his last visit, you took advantage of when he snuck off to the bathroom and stole a hoodie out of his suitcase. you’d hoped he hadn’t noticed.

munching on your midday meal, you scrolled on your phone before getting a video call from your boyfriend. it was a welcome surprise, so you answered right away.

“hey! what are you doing awake right now? isn’t it like five in the morning?” his phone was looking at the ceiling and you heard music playing in the background. colorful lights speckled his ceiling, and you knew he was again enjoying the galaxy light projector you gifted him last christmas.

“i have a free day tomorrow! and i really wanted to talk to you!” he yelled, indicating he was far from his phone.

you smiled to yourself, appreciating your boyfriend and his sweet gesture. you guessed that with how busy he was recently, he’d be dead tired by the time he came home. but, the fact that you were the first thing on his mind made your heart leap. you then heard the faint music in the background cease, and watched as jungkook propped his phone up, front camera now facing him.

he was leaning on his kitchen counter, sleeve tattoo fully on display. his hair was long and fluffy, his bangs reaching his eyes. you could tell he was tired, but nothing could hide how handsome he was.

you noticed him stare intently into the phone screen. “what are you staring at?” you questioned with a laugh.

“you’re eating lunch right now, right? i’m hungry! let’s eat together!” he said excitedly. jungkook then adjusted his phone so that you had the perfect view of him busy at his stove. you watched as he began tossing things into his pan. you chuckled softly.

“what are you cooking?” you asked curiously, your head now resting in your hand.

“i’m just throwing stuff together, see?” he answered, now panning his phone to what looked like fried rice.

you giggled, now panning your phone to the makeshift fried rice you made for yourself just earlier. the two of you erupted into laughter.

“pretend i made that for you, okay?” you teased, setting your phone back down and taking another bite.

as jungkook finished preparing his meal, you asked him about his schedule for the day. he complained that he had a lot to do in the upcoming days because he had an international schedule set for next week.

“are you sure that’s not just code for coming to visit me?” you half-joked. you knew he was currently busy with solo activities, and it hadn’t been too long since he last visited. but there was always a small part of you that hoped any time he left korea, it was because he was on his way to you.

eventually, he ended up at his kitchen table, phone propped up as if you were sitting across from each other. after taking his first bite, he exclaimed with amazement at his own kitchen creation.

“wahh! wow!” he cried, intentionally being overdramatic. you laughed at his silly theatrics, but you found it all endearing nonetheless.

“want a bite?” he teased, holding a spoonful up to his phone. you proceeded to imitate receiving a bite, and the two of you laughed.

while enjoying your respective meals, you continued to chat about small and pointless things. despite the uneventful topics of conversation, eating together like this made you crave real dates with him. ones where he’d take you to a fancy restaurant for dinner or a small cafe for some coffee. you made a mental note to take him to a new brunch place that opened up the next time he visited.

“what else are you planning to do today?” he asked, making his way to his sink. you followed suit, thinking it would be cute to wash dishes “together.”

“whatever you’re planning to do today.” you replied warmly.

the two of you then washed your dishes simultaneously. your video call now filled with the sounds of water running and dishes clanking, with jungkook occasionally breaking into song or humming a familiar tune.

“i have some laundry i need to fold actually,” he mused afterwards, taking a quick scan of his home.

“i do too!” you replied excitedly at the convenient coincidence.

now, with both phones propped up in your respective living rooms, the two of you dove into your piles of laundry. you chatted about new music you were listening to, books you wanted to read, and the new spider-man movie that jungkook was excited to see.

when jungkook began tackling his pile of underwear, he started showcasing the new pieces he received from calvin klein.

“oh my god! what are those!” you laughed. the two of you giggled at the brightly coloured pairs that he was holding up to his phone. although not his typical style, you were glad one of his solo activities included being the endorser for such a popular - and sexy - brand.

you finished folding first, so you adjusted yourself comfortably on your sofa and watched jungkook continue. jungkook took a glance at you and smiled to himself.

“what?” you questioned with a pout.

“you look cute,” he answered with a soft chuckle. you were cuddled up on your couch, encompassed snugly within a throw blanket jungkook had previously gifted you. you hid your face in your hands bashfully.

as he finished folding his clothes, jungkook opted to play some of his music recommendations through his television. he’d softly sing along as you listened intently, chiming in with short remarks here and there.

“i like this one,” you commented after one of the songs ended.

“ah! why don’t i just sing for you, my love?” he suggested suddenly with a teasing tone.

“ew, no, don’t call me that!” you replied with fake disgust. you and jungkook would typically just call one another by your names, so the sudden use of a nickname both surprised and flustered you.

“but go ahead then, mr. jeon.” you continued, previous shyness now replaced with an intrigued arrogance.

after quickly setting up his karaoke machine, jungkook then turned to you smugly with his microphone in hand. he started out his late night - or perhaps early morning - performance with a couple songs related to inside jokes the two of you shared. you watched fondly as jungkook happily sang along to the upbeat pop music.

“don’t go overboard and strain your voice,” you gently reminded him.

“of course, my love.” he teased you again, with a wink this time. you playfully shot him a repulsed look in response.

following his high-spirited warm-up session, he then transitioned to singing his own music. in an attempt to impress your world-class entertainer of a boyfriend, you would sing along using bts fanchants and passionately wave around an imaginary army bomb. jungkook - while still seated on his sofa - would mimic the choreography as he ventured through his groups’ discography.

after running through a couple bts tracks, jungkook then transitioned to serenading you with songs he knew were your favourites. you gazed at him warmly, now completely immersed in him and his voice. although you’d hear him speak practically every day, you never tired of his soft and angelic singing.

through your now heavy eyelids, you noticed your boyfriends’ energy start to deplete as well. he had stopped dancing and moving around as dynamically as earlier, now only swaying back and forth on his couch. you were still comfortably curled up on your couch, now fighting the urge to slip into an afternoon nap.

“are you getting sleepy?” he asked softly after finishing another song.

“no, not at all,” you mumbled, shaking your head at him with a pout.

“alright, you liar.” he taunted playfully. you noticed him place his microphone down beside him, perhaps signalling that he was finished with his karaoke performance.

“wait! one more song!” you cried out in a sudden panic. you didn’t want this moment of bliss to end so soon. the two of you hadn’t had such a long call together in a while, so you wanted to indulge in this moment as much as you could.

“please. just one more song.” you implored, trying to persuade him with forced “puppy dog eyes.”

jungkook conceded with a sly smile, picking up his microphone again. then, ever so swiftly, you heard a slow and soft tune start to play. you allowed yourself to close your eyes, completely immersing yourself in jungkook’s melodic and affectionate final serenade to you.

before the song even concluded, you had fully fallen asleep on your couch. jungkook noticed this, finishing up the song quietly so as to not wake you suddenly. his lips curled into a soft grin as he watched you fall deeper into your slumber.

after tidying up his living room, he made his way to his bedroom with the hopes of getting some rest of his own. he propped you up beside him on his bed, as if the two of you were sleeping next to one another.

then, before succumbing to his own heavy eyelids, he jokingly whispered into his phone: “by the way, i know you have my hoodie.”

but he hoped you hadn’t heard.

[dogiperson]

Hello! Big fan of your art pieces. Read your latest comic about the origin of cannibal Lady Lamb and I must say, though I do not endorse literal cannibalism, much less of one's kin, that brother of hers fully deserved it, 100%. Though I do have questions as well, if you don't mind me asking.

In that comic, Lamb seemed to have been a sacrifice of a cult of some kind, which is why she got that scarring mark on her neck. When did that happen when she was a kid, and how come she didn't die at their hands? How did she escape? Was it kept hush hush?

What is Lamb's public front of business, and why the surprise when she started wearing black instead of white?

Did the police ever managed to trace the brother's death to her? What got her hunting down the rest of her siblings? Did she get her parents too, or did they die before it happened? Why did her brother got so ... interested in her like that?

May your month be kinder to you than it was before, drink plenty of water, and rest plenty.

Oh, hi! That's a lot of questions!

This is good, because I'm crazy about my AUs!

I condemn cannibalism, what is in my Au is not a call to action or some kind of fetish, it is an allegory and an interesting concept for me.

"Eat the rich" but literally. It's all just fiction, don't take it too seriously

Okay, let's move on to the questions!

How did she not die after the sacrifice? Oh, um, she kinda did... But the ritual was successful.

And because of this she was bought by the man who became her adoptive father

He collected such children out of interest, that's why there are 13 of them

Everyone was surprised that she came in black dress because that's the color you wear to funerals lol

Her brother disappeared without any reason why he could leave on his own, she was the last one to see him and she who used to wear only white now comes dressed in black. And of course with fur on her shoulders. It looks very strange you know...

Since then she hasn't worn anything other than black btw

What got her hunting down the rest of her siblings?

After her father died (old rich bitch) his will stated that his property would only transfer if there was only one child left in the family... So let the fun begin, since they are not exactly siblings, and even didnt growing up together they had no familial relationship, just a bunch of lambs who want each other dead. They all tried to kill each other.

Did the police ever managed to trace the brother's death to her?

Of course! it's obvious I mean

Lamb is the main and only suspect in the murder... The problem is that until death is proven, her brother is considered missing and not dead, so... Because there is no body, there is no murder.

Why did her brother got so ... interested in her like that?

Want some nasty details? He was married and Lamb wasn't even 18 and she's a lesbian.

That's all! Thank you very much for being interested in my Au, I hope I was able to answer all your questions thoroughly!

[yelena-bellova]

Heartfirst: A Ted Lasso Story - Chapter Six

Chapter Six: The Devil You Don’t

Plot: Y/n considers making a change and Richmond squares off against West Ham United.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: f!reader, language, (16+)

A/N: Missed therapy today, finished this. Silver linings, everybody…lol

—————

Y/n sat at her dining room table, staring at a single piece of mail. It was from her rental company. They were informing her that it was that magical time of year. She could either choose to sign for another year or vacate. It was a decision she’d been putting off making.

Living in downtown London didn’t make much sense now that she worked at Richmond. The commute was longer and God help it if there was traffic. Y/n lacked the social life she’d had in college and she had no partner to stay near.

There was no longer anything tying her there.

Moving to Richmond meant she was fully committing to the club. She’d kept one foot out the door since arriving, knowing that things could go downhill at any moment. But it had been nearly three months and, though challenging, she had no reason to leave or believe she’d be fired. Was it time to stop holding her breath?

She couldn’t make a decision from her apartment. She had to get out.

Grabbing her keys and purse, Y/n left her building and hopped in her car. She made the drive to the last place she’d expected to be on her day off, but the only place she felt like being.

In the heart of Richmond, Y/n parked on the curb, just near the Crown and Anchor. There was a coffee shop around the corner from it that Keeley had recommended to her. It seemed as good a time as ever to try it and take a stroll around the neighborhood.

Something about Richmond that differed from London was the atmosphere. It felt very small-townish, while still being a decent sized borough. The people were kind, greeting each other as they walked past. Men tipped their caps. Children ran free in the park. Couples strolled hand in hand. Y/n had never been a Hallmark movie kind of girl, but it felt like the only comparison to be made. The city seemed to wrap its arms around its people, giving them a safe place to end each day.

Sipping what turned out to be one of the best coffees she’d ever had, Y/n contemplated it all. All practicality aside, and she could barely admit it herself, but she almost, kind of, sort of, possibly, maybe…wanted to live in Richmond.

She made her way towards the park, watching kids burn off their weekend energy and families taking their infants on morning walks. What she hadn’t expected to see was anyone she knew. A few feet away, Jamie was doing sets of burpees while Roy sat and watched. Out of politeness, Y/n had nearly approached when Jamie bent over, letting the contents of his stomach empty.

Roy sensed someone was near and twisted to find Y/n standing behind him. As awful sounds escaped Jamie, his coach smiled, as much as Roy Kent did smile, and nodded, “Morning.”

Y/n watched the scene with reserved concern and wild confusion. “Should I be worried about any of this?”

“No,” Roy answered, taking a bite of his breakfast sandwich in the most unbothered fashion, “He’s fine.”

Jamie’s body finally let him breathe and he glanced up, spotting Y/n. He gave her a quick nod before resuming his workout.

Y/n’s brows stayed creased as she raised her coffee cup to them, toasting the strange moment. “Okay,” she said, leaving them to the rest of their day.

There was a part of her brain that told Y/n it was crazy to move even a mile closer to the insanity that was AFC Richmond. Living further away gave her a barrier, an extra layer of protection. If she came to live there, she’d lose it.

And the other part of her mind decided that, much like with the job, it might be worth putting up with.

—————————

The next day, Y/n stopped by the KJPR office to grab some papers from Keeley. Something about an endorsement deal for one of the boys.

“Oh, I wanted to tell you,” Keeley said before Y/n headed back out, “Our backer’s coming to town and wants to come to the West Ham match.”

“Okay,” Y/n said, “Great.”

“And they want to meet us,” Keeley continued.

“Okay,” Y/n repeated with a shrug.

Keeley paused, waiting for some reaction that Y/n wasn’t giving her. “And I’m sort of freaking the fuck out,” she finished.

“What’s there to be nervous about?” Y/n asked, holding the folder of papers to her chest, “Corporate bigwigs are all the same. They’re barely even interested in meeting the people that make them rich.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never met any,” Keeley gestured to herself, “This is all new and I don’t know what I’m supposed to wear or say or do.”

As much as Y/n knew Keeley and her came from different backgrounds, they’d developed such a solid work relationship that Y/n sometimes forgot she’d never functioned in the corporate world.

“Look,” Y/n said softly, taking a seat across from Keeley, “It’s polite chitchat, making sure they’re having a good time and maybe dodging a few bad attempts at flirting if it’s an older guy.”

Keeley’s pouted lips finally cracked and she chuckled.

“It’s not a big deal,” Y/n reassured, “Really. Just be you and you’ll charm the metaphorical pants off of them.”

Keeley smiled as she reached over the desk and threw her arms around Y/n’s neck. Y/n nearly stumbled in her heels and grabbed onto Keeley for balance.

“Thank you,” Keeley said over Y/n’s shoulder.

A hug certainly crossed all professional boundaries Y/n had set up. But Keeley needed comfort more than Y/n needed to feel protected, so she patted her boss’s back and let it happen.

—————————

The big day had arrived.

Richmond vs. West Ham.

Y/n was up early, even though the match wasn’t till the afternoon. She went for a morning run, got a tea and returned home where there was nothing to do but anxiously fidget till it was time to get ready.

This wasn’t just Greyhounds against Hammers. This was Rebecca against Rupert. Ted, Beard and Roy against Nathan. All of AFC Richmond was being watched. And while Y/n was practically invisible, she was feeling the same pit in her stomach as if the tabloids were speculating about her.

Pulling up to the stadium, Y/n was in awe of its size. It was at least three Nelson Road Stadiums. She headed through the side entrance where VIPs and press came through and spotted Rebecca and Keeley waiting for her.

“Alright,” Y/n announced her presence as she passed through the metal detector, “Here we go.”

Keeley turned to Y/n, “You think I look alright, yeah? Good enough to impress Jack?”

Y/n scanned Keeley’s outfit, it was one of the first times she’d seen her out of her signature shade of pink. “You look great,” she replied.

“Shit, I’m nervous,” Keeley confided in the two women, “I think I need to go and reapply my lip liner.”

Something about the way Rebecca nodded and told Keeley they’d see her in the suite told Y/n there was more to her words.

“Men can have codes for the loo,” Rebecca shrugged, sensing Y/n had picked up on it, “Why can’t we?”

“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Y/n’s head whipped around to follow Keeley.

The two women shared a laugh before turning towards the escalator. Rebecca froze after her first step step and Y/n bumped into her, grabbing onto her boss to barely keep her balance.

“Hey, Rebecca,” Rupert greeted, a gorgeous, young blonde on his arm.

“Rupert,” Rebecca was quick to reply.

Y/n caught herself before she gave her shock away. This was Rupert?

“Wonderful to see you,” the man replied warmly, undertones of ice seeping through.

“Bex,” Rebecca nodded to her replacement, “Love the new hair.”

“I haven’t changed my hair,” Bex replied in confusion.

“Nor should you,” Rebecca saved herself, “It’s perfection. Uh, may I introduce our newest member of AFC Richmond,” she gestured to Y/n, “This is Ms. Y/n Y/l/n.”

Y/n hesitatingly stepped forward, trying to mask her disdain under a smile. “Lovely to meet you,” she shook Bex’s hand first before Rupert’s.

“Lovely to meet you,” Rupert replied, his eyes sliding down Y/n’s figure before coming back up to meet her eyes, “How are you liking Richmond?”

Any negative thoughts Y/n had about the job or her co-workers left her head. No ammunition could be given, nor was she going to let the man who was checking her out while holding his wife’s hand feel validated in anything.

“It’s exceeding all my expectations,” Y/n lied with a grin that could have fooled anyone.

“Ah,” Rupert smiled back, watching his ex-wife’s new hire like a bird did its prey.

Rebecca could sense the additional discomfort and changed the subject. “So, how’s the little one?”

“Oh yeah, Diane,” Rupert replied proudly, nearly coaxing a liquid-less spit take from Y/n, “She’s already walking. Can you believe that? Yeah, drooling and pooing around the house.”

“Takes after her father,” Bex spoke up.

Rebecca managed to maintain her composure better than Y/n, who made sure to share the laugh with Bex.

Rupert looked less than thrilled with the joke and moved on quickly. “Well. Hey,” he looked back to his ex-wife, “Take it easy on us today.”

“No promises,” Rebecca said as the couple walked off.

Standing a bit awestruck at the barely concealed audacity of Rupert, Y/n stood beside her boss, trying to process the interaction.

“Thoughts?” Rebecca asked.

Y/n paused to think over her reply, “I feel like I need to strip out of my skin.”

“Yeah,” Rebecca breathed, “That’s about right. Let’s go.”

With that, they headed for the elevator up to the suites. While riding up, Y/n said a prayer to the higher power of football that the Greyhounds would be particularly ruthless on the pitch. A man like Rupert could not be allowed a win.

Up in the suites, Rebecca and Y/n spotted Higgins standing with Barbara, Shandy and a short haired brunette woman.

“Ah, Y/n, Rebecca,” Higgins flagged them down, “May I introduce, Ms. Jack Danvers.”

Once again, just barely concealing her surprise, Y/n immediately went into business mode, firmly shaking Jack’s hand.

“It’s great to meet you, Jack,” she smiled.

“You as well,” Jack replied, her lips forming an ‘o’ after, “You wouldn’t happen to be the same Y/n that headed up the managerial team at Microdom, would you?”

Y/n’s eyes widened, “I would be.”

Jack chuckled, “Gary Lawson’s a family friend. He sang your praises over a dinner once.”

“Well, nothing pairs better with red wine and chicken than talking about your employees,” Y/n quipped, dropping Jack’s hand.

“On the contrary,” Jack smiled, “I feel much better knowing the money’s going toward hard-working hands.”

“Hard-working,” Barbara spoke up, grinning uncharacteristically big, “Absolutely. She’s a wonder.”

Out of all the odd moments so far in the day, a cheery Barbara was the strangest, Y/n decided.

“Oh, yes,” Rebecca placed a hand on Y/n’s shoulder, “Y/n is extraordinary. One of our hardest workers.”

Y/n smiled up at Rebecca, she wasn’t used to her bosses being so willing to help facilitate her success.

“Well, Keeley’s really the one you need to meet,” Y/n passed the kindness on, “The brain behind the whole operation.”

“She’s absolutely fantastic,” Rebecca added.

“Oh, here she is now,” Barbara grinned.

Y/n and Rebecca split to make room for Keeley.

“Keeley?” Barbara gestured to her boss, “This is Jack Danvers.”

“Hello,” Jack stepped forward, “I believe you have something of mine.”

“Oh, fuck,” Keeley exclaimed, “You’re Jack? This is a bit embarrassing.”

Y/n could only imagine what that meant.

“Yeah, we all thought you were a man,” Shandy interjected.

“Yeah, that too,” Keeley agreed.

“It’s like that old riddle,” Higgins added.

“What riddle?” Rebecca asked.

“You know, always a tricky one, this one,” Higgins continued, “A father and son are in a car wreck. Dad dies instantly, the son is rushed to an emergency room. A surgeon walks in and says, ‘I can’t operate on this boy. He’s my son.’ How is it possible?”

The women all gave various answers, none of which Higgins had been waiting for.

“Right, yeah, I guess that’s a bit dated now,” Higgins recovered, “So, I assume ‘Jack’ is short for Jacqueline right?”

“No, it’s short for my father wanted a boy,” Jack answered.

0 for 2, Higgins turned to the group, “I’m gonna go and sit down now, outside. Now.”

Y/n stifled a laugh while Rebecca invited Jack to get a drink, Barbara trailing very close behind them. Y/n hung back with Keeley and Shandy.

“Barbara’s obsessed with Rebecca,” Shandy leaned in to tell them, “I hope she doesn’t try and kill her and wear her skin as a suit.”

Shandy raised a knowing eyebrow before heading off to join the women at the bar, leaving Keeley and Y/n dumbstruck.

“What the fuck?” Keeley whispered.

“Hey,” Y/n nudged Keeley with her elbow, “Breathe.”

Keeley squeezed Y/n’s arm in silent thanks as they went off together.

—————————

It wasn’t until the Greyhounds came onto the pitch that Y/n truly felt the sympathy nerves. Finally enjoying attending the matches mixed with finally having experienced Rupert’s arrogance and assholery had sparked a flame within her. It was a fraction, she suspected, of what Rebecca felt.

Throughout the game, Richmond held their own, but couldn’t seem to get past the Hammer’s defense. Zoreaux, who was going by Van Damme for unknown reasons, managed to block a goal. At one point, Jamie attempted to make a goal himself when it was clear an extra pass should have been made to Zava.

“Zava was wide open,” Rebecca exclaimed as the ball bounced off the net.

Y/n sighed, remembering her and Jamie’s conversation earlier in the week. That one was entirely on him.

Nearing the end of the first half, the Hammers managed to sneak one more goal past the Greyhounds, securing a 2-0 score. Y/n watched Ted, Coach Beard and Roy panic from their side of the field while Nate Shelley screamed in victory.

“Shit,” Y/n muttered, sinking back in her seat. She glanced out the corner of her eye to where Rebecca’s eyes were trained to see Rupert, arrogantly giving a shrug.

Rebecca grabbed her purse and stood to her feet, purpose in her movement. “Excuse me,” she growled.

Y/n tucked herself in as her boss stalked down the aisle, she knew better than to stand in Rebecca’s way when she was on the hunt.

Halftime passed with polite conversation between the KJPR team. A perky Barbara was something neither Keeley or Y/n were used to, but they adjusted. Most of the time, Y/n was spent in anxious hope that Shandy wouldn’t say too much and plant any seeds of doubt in Jack’s head about the company’s abilities.

When Rebecca returned, she looked to be in much better spirits. Y/n waited expectantly for an answer, Rebecca simply smiled and settled back into her seat.

The coaches returned to the pitch.

West Ham next.

Then Richmond.

Even with a great distance between them, the anger was visible in each of the Greyhound’s posture. They stalked past Nate, their former kitman, as if they were just barely holding themselves back from jumping the man. The moment was ripe with every kind of bad energy.

Then it got worse.

The Greyhounds became feral on the pitch. They were straight up attacking the Hammers, earning themselves red card after red card.

“What the fuck?” Y/n mumbled. This wasn’t the type of ruthless she’d wanted them to be.

Dani, the human embodiment of sunshine, was practically spitting on the other players. Sam, an actual angel, got uncharacteristically aggressive. Richard downright hurled the ball at one of the Hammers. Isaac had to rip him away. Richmond had lost three players due to the display of pure rage.

Y/n glanced down at the coaches as Isaac proceeded to shove one of the Hammers to the ground. Ted had his head in his hands. Nate Shelley was looking on smugly. What the hell had happened during halftime to inspire this behavior?

Finally, the match came to an end, 4-1. Zava had managed to score one goal and West Ham had snuck in two more amidst the chaos.

“Shit,” Rebecca muttered, spotting Rupert victoriously hugging his wife while locking eyes with his ex, “Shit. Shit.”

Keeley tried to stop Rebecca from leaving, but she needed to be alone to lick her wounds. Y/n glanced over to Higgins who puffed out his cheeks with a heavy breath.

“Right,” Y/n turned to Keeley, who was trying to make cheery conversation with Jack and Barbara, “Want me to handle interviews?”

“You sure?” Keeley asked.

“You stay here,” she nodded towards Jack, who was talking to Barbara, “Make us look good. I’ll deal with the rest.”

“Yeah, probably best,” Keeley agreed, “Thank you.”

Higgins and Y/n set off downstairs to the locker room to collect the players they needed.

“Probably best not to pick any of the boys that got red carded,” Higgins suggested as they headed down the hall.

“Oh, I’m not picking any of them,” Y/n retorted with barely concealed frustration. She knocked on the door and opened it a crack, “Everybody dressed?”

When there was no reply, she opened the door and took a step in, coming face to face with the team. They were all wallowing in various degrees of shame and rage.

“Hey, Y/n,” Ted said, lacking his usual enthusiasm, “Who do you need?”

Y/n scanned the faces that cheerfully greeted her each day. Some, like Colin and Sam, avoided her watchful gaze. Jamie watched her expectantly. Quite frankly, she didn’t feel like dealing with any of them.

“Zava,” Y/n turned to the star player, “Do you mind?”

“I do not,” he replied, rising and joining Y/n in the doorway. He didn’t leave until he looked back on the team once more, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. Y/n didn’t bother to hide her dismay either as she shut the door.

—————————

With Zava having done his interviews and Ted having addressed the press himself, Y/n could retire for the day, though relaxing was a ways off.

She came back to join Keeley and Jack, who were sipping champagne and chatting. Hopefully Keeley had made them look a lot better than what they’d presented.

“All good?” Keeley asked.

“As good as we can be,” Y/n answered, coming to stand beside Jack, “Whatever Keeley’s told you about how the team usually carries themselves, I’d like to second it.”

“Loud and clear,” Jack smiled.

Shandy came through the press room door, “Well, that was a shit show. Anyway, good news. Bantr’s trending.”

“It is?” Keeley asked.

“Yeah,” Shandy answered, “Pretty sure the change to the bio line helped.”

“Wait,” Y/n interrupted, exhausted by the day, “We changed the bio line?”

Keeley looked just as surprised as Shandy held up her phone. Her eyes widened as she took the mobile, before passing it to Y/n.

It read: Wanna Bang a Celebrity?

“Wha…” Y/n failed to form words.

“Who did this?” Keeley asked.

“I did,” Shandy answered proudly, “This afternoon after I uploaded the vids. You’re welcome.”

Y/n was too tired to mask her horror, she didn’t even have the strength to try. As Keeley tugged Shandy a few feet away, Y/n stayed beside Jack and lifted the corners of her mouth.

“We’re, uh, all a little off today,” she explained.

“Well, you’re hiding it very well,” Jack whispered, lightening the mood.

As soon as she saw Shandy’s face change from pride to offense, Y/n knew she couldn’t stay any longer. She was frustrated, tired and had plans for the night that needed her more.

“It was lovely to meet you,” she bade Jack farewell, “Give Gary my best.”

“You as well,” Jack smiled. The one takeaway from the day was at least KJPR’s backer wasn’t an asshole.

Y/n nodded to Keeley and avoided eye contact with Shandy as she left the press room, hastening her steps as soon as she was out of the room.

—————————

There was an unspoken understanding at the Crown and Anchor. It filled each weekend Richmond played. If they won, it would stay busy all night. If they lost, it emptied as soon as the tabs had been settled.

Suffice it to say, Y/n was sitting in near solitude.

She sat at the bar, picking at an order of chips and going through one-sheets. There were a surprising amount of apartments available in Richmond and she was overwhelmed by the options.

“All good, love?”

Y/n looked up to Mae, who was bringing her a fresh glass of water. “If you’re referring to the food, it’s great. If you’re referring to the-“

“We’re not speaking of that,” Mae interrupted, shutting the topic of the match down. Y/n had come to learn the bar owner took her Greyhound games as serious as life itself.

“I won’t fight you,” Y/n replied, going back to flipping through her papers.

“See you’re looking for a place,” Mae pointed towards the sheets, “I take it the job’s working out okay.”

Y/n snorted, “All evidence contrary to today, yes, it’s working out.”

“I told you,” Mae said with the pride of someone who knew how wise she was, “Just had to give it time.”

Y/n laughed a little, “I’ll learn to trust you eventually.”

Mae matter-of-factly nodded before leaving her patron be.

Y/n flipped through a few more papers, each property bleeding into the other till they all looked the same. She was ready to let her head drop to the counter when the papers in her hands suddenly became illuminated. She traced the light behind her, coming face to face with a blinding bulb.

“Fucking hell,” Y/n cursed, covering her eyes. She rubbed them until she could see again, Jamie’s silhouette coming into view, “What are you wearing?”

“Can’t run if I can’t see,” Jamie answered without feeling like like any further explanation was necessary.

“Why are you running at 8 o’clock?” Y/n asked in confusion.

“Three workouts a day,” Jamie replied, “Roy’s got us starting at 4AM.”

“Well, there’s light in here, so…” Y/n gestured around them.

Jamie switched off the headband’s lamp and took it off, smoothing his hair down after. He pointed to the stool beside Y/n, “You waitin’ on anyone?”

“Please,” Y/n gestured to the spot, she was too tired to fight against company.

The pub was quiet enough that the chances of Jamie being spotted didn’t require him to hide in a booth.

“I’m assuming this unholy schedule doesn’t pertain to the whole team?” Y/n asked, already suspecting Jamie’s motivation.

“Eh, no,” he answered, crossing his arms across the bar, “Just me.”

“Uh-huh,” Y/n replied just as Jamie flagged Mae down and asked for a water.

“Roy’s got me on a diet,” he explained when he caught the confusion on Y/n’s face, “Only one drink and only if we win a match.”

The five letter word had them finally meeting one another’s eyes, waiting for the other to address the benched elephant in the room.

“Right,” Y/n let the sheets in her hand fall on the counter, “What the fuck happened today?”

Jamie exhaled, rubbing a hand across his face. There was so much history behind the events of the match, he wasn’t sure where to start.

“You know that sign in the locker room?” Jamie gestured to the space above them, “Above the coach’s office?”

“The ‘Believe’ one?” Y/n replied.

“Yeah,” Jamie folded his arms again, “So…it’s a whole thing but, it means a lot. And when Nate left,” he inhaled to go over that bit of the past, but Y/n stopped him.

“I know who Nate is,” she said. His smug smile was still burned into her brain from earlier in the day.

“Right, so,” Jamie sighed, his tongue poking at his cheek in frustration, “We won last season, Nate stormed out and quit. But Roy and Beard put on this video for us during halftime of him…tearin’ up the sign.”

Y/n rested her head on her hand, listening intently.

“And…” Jamie grasped at the air, “It’s a big deal. To us. To the team. And I think we all just feel…” he paused, “Fuckin’ betrayed or somethin’. That he turned on us. But that sign…” Jamie shook his head, “Fuckin’….”

During her various trips to the locker room, Y/n had noticed the yellow and blue paper. She hadn’t thought anything of it, just another motivational decoration. She hadn’t realized that it held such a deep meaning to the team.

“So the solution was to get…” Y/n shrugged, “What was it, four red cards?”

“Hey,” Jamie pressed three fingers to his chest, “None of ‘em were me.”

Y/n chuckled, Jamie had managed to stay on the field the entire time. She suspected that might not have been the case a few years prior.

“I get it,” Y/n nodded, “Team loyalty. I mean, I think we’d all have preferred you channeled your anger a little more productively, but…”

Jamie bobbed his head, shame over how they’d dealt with their feelings had begun to set in over the last few hours. But he still couldn’t say he regretted it. Not fully.

“Well, Sky Sports is going to have a field day with you all,” Y/n sighed as she fished through her chips.

“All they’ll be talkin’ about is Zava,” Jamie made his voice more nasally when he uttered the name, “Since he’s the only one of us you wanted today.

Y/n quirked an eyebrow at him, “Well, I was slightly worried that Isaac might dropkick the camera man or Dani might bite a journalist or something.”

Jamie twisted his lips, half-smiling. He couldn’t fault her that.

“Let’s just categorize this day in the ‘suck’ column and move on,” Y/n said, slipping a one-sheet to the back of her pile.

“I’ll second that,” Jamie agreed, stretching his neck to look at the papers, “What’re you looking for a place?”

“Yeah, figured since I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Y/n tried to organize the pile somewhat, “Might as well cut down on the commute.”

Jamie held out his hand for the paper in Y/n’s. He examined the square footage, but mostly the street name.

“Oh, this is a shit area,” he commented, reaching for the Sharpie Y/n had laying nearby.

“I don’t think there are shit areas of Richmond,” Y/n shot back, watching as Jamie made a large ‘x’ across the picture of the apartment, “Wait, what-“

“I’m saving you from overpaying for a crap flat,” Jamie capped the marker and gestured for the other sheets, “Lemme see the others.”

Y/n looked between him and the pile, confused as to what was happening.

“C’mon,” Jamie wiggled his fingers.

She slid half the stack across the bar to him, keeping the other half for herself.

Jamie began to read the details of the first listing over. “This one’s on the other side of town,” he stated.

“I don’t care about that,” Y/n replied, “So long as it’s in town. Plus, it’s got a balcony.”

Jamie held up the next paper and compared the two. “This one’s shit too,” he reached for the marker again, predicting Y/n’s reaction, “Just trust me.”

The two of them sat at the bar, scooting their stools together until the pile had been thinned out and the day had ended more pleasantly than it began.

————

Heartfirst Taglist: @lalla-04p @optimisticsandwichgladiator @makingmunson94 @taytaylala12 @storysimp @sokkigarden @lightninginab0ttle @poohkie90 @alipap3 @verra-nerevarine @shineforever19 @spaceagechimera @burnafter-reading @qardasngan @cyberpvnk-enthusiast @sogoodtoheritsvicious @buckybarnex @angelsunflxwer @blueanfield @thewildestwonderland @sabelcities

[cartoonistcoop]

ShortBox Comics Member Interview: Val Wise

Throughout the month of October, the Cartoonist Cooperative will be sharing interviews with members of the Co-op who have a new comic available at the ShortBox Comics Fair 2024! 

NOTE: The Cartoonist Cooperative is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way formally connected with ShortBox.  

Today’s spotlight is Val Wise and their new comic for ShortBox, In Fair Verona.

We’d love it if you could introduce yourself and tell us about your background in comics.

Val Wise: I’m Val, I graduated from SCAD in 2018. I’ve illustrated a couple of YA graphic novels, and in the past few years I’ve started to become more confident with my own writing. This is my third year participating in the ShortBox Comics Fair.

Tell us more about your new comic?

VW: Here’s the blurb: Two girls enter the service of the Princess of All Blood. One is there to be loved, the other tormented, but strange circumstances have blurred the lines between the two.

In Fair Verona started with a script I wrote in August of 2023, but decided it might be too much to pitch anywhere. I came back to it a couple of months later and decided the fair would probably be the best place for it.

I didn’t have much intentional thought about themes or anything else while I was writing it, but I realized later on that it kind of perfectly encapsulates my struggles communicating with other people. But that’s all I’ll say there, lol.

Tell us about your creative process; how did you develop this comic and what are the steps you took to bring it to the final stage?

VW: The idea of wanting to do a possession story came first. I wanted to make a story about an “ugly” girl who possesses a “pretty” girl and then makes sure they can never switch back. But when I actually sat down to write it out, that idea very quickly changed.

After that, this comic appeared in my brain more fully formed than…anything I’ve ever made. I’ve never written anything that progressed so naturally with so few changes needed from my outline to the final product. A finger has curled on the monkey’s paw, because nothing I’ve tried to write since has come so easily!

Does a sense of audience, even if it’s just an audience of one, enter into your creative process? If yes, how so?

VW: I don’t really think about the audience while I’m writing. But, every step after, I think about it a lot! I have to spend so much time with all of the wild choices I made so quickly in a word document!

I get so in my head about my own decisions, and I have to force myself to not get bogged down in the worst ways my ideas can be interpreted. So, I do try my best not to think about the audience very much, though I do appreciate that people are often more generous than I give them credit for.

Read the rest of the interview HERE! And dont forget to check out the Shortbox Comics Fair to support these lovely creators!!

[blighted-lights]

I want to know your thoughts on an opinion I have. I really hated part of that scene where Megatron and Ravage are talking and Megatron is like, you've seen the worst of the Decepticons. Want to join me? And I really hate this because shouldn't Ravage, as this ultra-loyal Megatron follower and skilled operative, BE and EMBODY the worst of the Decepticons, along with Megatron himself? Was she not there, totally endorsing Megatron back when Megatron was personally training the DJD to be the way they are, something he literally mentioned having done like, one issue before extending this offer?

hiii nonnie!!! thank you so much for the ask!

and i agree, the dialogue in that scene does kind of fit strangely, especially with the assumption that ravage has been close to high command and would theoretically already have seen much of the "worst" parts of the decepticon cause- whether that be the djd themselves, the camps like grindcore, the k-class, the six phasers, the abuse megatron dolls out to the other decepticons, or the genocides of billions of organics. the implication that this is suddenly ravage's first time witnessing the "dark parts" of the decepticon cause IS jarring, especially considering that ravage seems to be completely oblivious to the djd before this arc. to the point where ravage can't even identity the djd's scent on the split lost light, or even recognize the djd's handiwork.

when faced with the bodies left behind on the split lost light, THIS is ravage's reaction:

she's got no idea who did this! none!

as for ravage's opinions on the formation of the djd, i'm kind of split on this. we have zero information on who was involved in the djd's training, who supported it, ect. we have zero proof that ravage was supportive of the djd or even how much she actually knows about them or what they do, and given her reaction above and willingness to distance herself from the rest of the decepticons after witnessing it, i'd argue that she wasn't endorsing him. ravage isn't unaware of the fact that megatron has fucked up- we see her admit this in their first scene together.

ravage calls him a tyrant outright, references what she generously refers to as his "wobbles". she has a very idolized view of him, but it doesn't prevent her from being able to see that he has fucked up. she's just willing to look past his fuck-ups in favor of the idolized version of him she has in her head.

and it is somewhat difficult to pinpoint when this undying loyalty to megatron even started meta-wise, as ravage in prior comics shows no special interest or loyalty to megatron whatsoever. before mtmte, it's always been soundwave she looked to- not megatron. and the megatron ravage endorsed would be a pre-war/early megatron, anyways- long before the formation of the djd. given her reaction to the djd, i VERY much doubt she was in any way supportive of its formation or its practices. but what could she do about it? ravage doesn't have as much agency in comparison to those like soundwave and starscream. none of the cassettes do. though that is a whole different post worth of meta.

BUT! you're fully right. ravage isn't exempt from taking part in what the decepticons have done. i think her role is far more limited than the other big names we know, but it's not like she was kicking her feet off to the sidelines, lol. just because the people around her did much worse doesn't negate the fact that she was just as guilty in the things she was a part of.

this kind of got away from me, but yeah! i agree that the wording in that scene was somewhat odd and this shouldn't of been the first time ravage was faced with the dark parts of the decepticons. UNLESS. these "darker parts" were, for some reason, intentionally kept hidden from ravage in fear that she would leave the decepticons if she knew, which is what we see her do in mtmte. but that feels really unlikely. i really don't think ravage was some big supporter of the djd either, nor would she endorse it or megatron while creating it, but there IS a fair bit of hand-waving ravage does when it comes to what megatron and the decepticons have done in the past. though... that's kinda on-par for mtmte lmao

[thesirenwithnovoice]

Thoughts about how different mediums of a same story may give you different views (and rambling about the Tower of Heaven)//TW: violence

Lately I've been wondering about how manga readers might have very different visions than anime watchers of a same story, because althought the plot remains the same, some little details can change our whole perception of a story.

This reminded me of the first time I read Fairy Tail and how terrified I was at how cruel and dark the Tower of Heaven's arc is.

Jellal's face (that by that time, were only an 11-years-old kid) drippling blood while being tortured shocked me so much as a kid and I still find it one of the most disturbing scenes in the manga, lol.

In the anime, the content itself is the same. We know the kids are slaves that go throught different kinds of abuse, however, I find the manga way gloomier and more graphic. And althought part of it might be just a personal opinion, it's not entirely without basis: Mashima uses different techniques in his art to represent facts whitin the story than the animators, and it leads to a topic I really love: semiotics - how we interpret images, and how detais can be used to convey a certain felling throught art.

Colors and composition helps A LOT creating an atmosphere and causing a feeling on the reader. Proportionally speaking, a manga doesn't have colors, but it has it's own alternatives - the Tower of Heaven arc, in comparison to the rest of the manga, uses a lot more black and hatching.

One can argue some scenes are still "visually darker" in the anime, since it has the advantage of being able to play with shadows and colors in a broader aspect; however, since Fairy Tail is not an anime that changes it's saturation or colour pallete, the loud colors in most scenes end up not helping building the same dreadful atmosphere.

(It doesn't mean you can't make a scary story using bright and colorful tones, tho. A great example is the movie Midsommar. But it's not an easy task!)

Erza's childhood memories in the manga also carry a "dirtier" feeling; the kids are always covered by bruises, and the background is rougher. Also, the anime chooses to represent slavery in a more fanciful way: the kids wear stylized handcuffs and are assaulted with magic attacks, what inevitably softens the scenes by distancing them from real life slavery.

In a story, an act of violence will always be more shocking if your brain is able to automatically make a connection with real life. Seeing blood conveys a feeling of disconfort easier than a character being hit by a wave of magic, even if the author tells you "this is painful"; that's why some people say they started to find difficult to watch horror movies involving kids after becoming parents, because after experenciating something in real life, they connect with fiction harder.

The above scene causes me very different feelings in each media. In the manga, the despair in Jellal's face when seeing they removed Erza's eye is much clearer, and his skinny body, his eyes filling up with tears (he doesn't cry in the anime) shows not only a feeling of worry, but of utter dread and helplessness. All that helps endorsing the fact that, doesn't matter how brave he is, they are still just fragile kids, unable to protect themselves from the cruelty of the world around them.

I want to make it clear, though, that this is not in any way meant to be a critique to the animation team, or an affirmation that one type of media is better than another. We all have our personal preferences, but each media has it's target audience and objective. Fairy Tail's animators certainly do know how to convey the same feelings on the public, they just choose not to, for a variety of reasons. Probably because the anime is aimed for a broader and younger audience, many scenes have been softened or censored somehow. Also, animation consumes more labour than a manga page, so unless you have a lot of time and investment, the art tend to be simpler.

So do you think it affects the plot, Siren?

In my opinion, yes, even if just in a subtle way. In the manga, I think this raw brutality helps Jellal's character to gain a more interesting complexity. To me, he feels less like a hero and more like what he actually is: just a really kind and brave kid trying his best to protect his friends.

Another major change they made in the anime was removing the ambiguity (something that happened more than once in Fairy Tail's adaptation, such as in the famous kiss scene), leaving clear since the beginning that Jellal was a victim of a mind controlling spell; while in the manga, until Urtear's confirmation at the end of the arc, we do not know for sure if he have been brainwashed or just convinced to adore Zeref.

And as much as I can see why some fans might hate it because it leaves room for people to see Jellal as a bad man, I (as someone who is not afraid of loving evil characters, heh), find it interesting and somehow enriching to the plot, because it gives the whole arc a reflection: is extreme suffering, specially at such an young age, capable of changing someone so much?

We are left questioning what did "Zeref" say, or do, that made him change so much. And having so many real life examples where despair has made people easy victims of manipulation throught faith or falling into extremist ideologies, after we seeing Jellal's pain and fragility in a tangible way, it's not that hard at all to understand how he went insane and managed to drag all the other slaves along with him.

Also, I think it makes it easier to understand Erza's empathy towards him. Jellal and Erza are characters connected not only by the affection they nourish for one another, but also for sharing the same pain. She is the only person that fully understands the horrors he lived in the tower, since they were the only kids that have been in the torture chamber. And althought she never tries to justify Jellal's actions, Erza does not only show him compreension, but she feels guilty for not being able to retribute his protection and prevented him from losing his mind.

That doesn't mean, tho, that there weren't many other clues he was not acting on free will: be it his grotesque change of personality, his hysterical laughter out of nowhere or his motivations that doesn't hold (because they were never his to begin with). To me, all that at first glance makes him closer to Batman's Joker, someone that grew insane after so much suffering, than a villain that's genuinely just plain selfish and thirsty for power. And that only makes me find him a creepier villain, since personally, I find sadism and insanity way scarier than ghosts.

So this is just a looong collection of thoughts about how small choices can change a lot the "feeling" we get from a scene or a character. I hope someone can find it interesting too. There are many other examples of adaptations where it happened, and if you remember one you'd like to share, I would love to hear!

Last but not less important, all the love for Mashima's art, the Tower of Heaven arc (that is a personal favorite) and Jellal, a character I deeply love and one that holds for sure the strongest spirit in the manga for being able to become such a kind and mature man despite everything he has been thought. ♡

[yellobb]

Had book club discussion about Carry On today! Here’s some of the highlights:

People were mostly a big fan of the Magic system. Main criticism about it was that it would sometimes take them out of it, like the snickers spell while ebb is actively dying

There was much discussion over Penny and Baz kidnapping the dog, which was very entertaining to me

One of my managers asked if Agatha was in the rest of the series. I told her “she is, but I don’t think she wants to be”

People loved Baz lol. There was a bit less love for Simon (that’s okay, that’s what I’m there for)

I explained the lore behind Fangirl and why the titles are the way they are. Thoroughly confused some people

Someone had to leave the zoom call halfway through because his neighbors called the cops on his van???? Idk that was just wild

One dude who showed up also didn’t even finish the book yet, which I didn’t find out until partway through, so that was fun

They noted some Harry Potter similarities, but agreed it was a very different book

Number one complaint was that “nothing happened”. They were really interested in the politics of the world, how relationships were formed and were pretty disappointed that a lot of that was exposition

One coworker was confused as to why Nico couldn’t do magic anymore, since they mentioned he used to be able to use Ebb’s staff and honestly I don’t remember the answer, so help here would be great if anyone knows. He should be able to even though they snapped his wand, right?

One coworker was frustrated that Simon lost his magic because he thought that was the most interesting part. I told him that he was not alone in that, since I remember so many people being upset back in the day

Everyone saw the plot twist that the Mage was the bad guy coming. Tbh, I read it so long ago that I can’t remember if I was surprised

Everyone also saw snowbaz coming lol. One guy said “I knew by chapter three that those two would be fucking” (oh just you wait my friend. Soon the issue will be that they’re not fucking)

They found it very entertaining that the endorsement was from Lev Grossman because “The Magicians is the polar opposite of this book”

I brought in Skee’s ABC’s of Carry On, Venessa’s art book, the whole series, Fangirl, Scattered Showers, MRB, and various pins from Selkie and others. Also wore my dragon wing earrings and Kris’ shirt :P I let myself be unhinged about it because this is my time to shine. I also have the Wayward Son poster pack at my desk that I pointed out

Overall reviews are positive. Most people didn’t love it quite like I do, but they enjoyed it well enough. I am lovingly forcing two coworkers to finish out the series because they made the mistake of being my friend lol

One guy’s review was “I liked it and I don’t know why. I hate Harry Potter and stuff like it usually.”

Very happy that this is done though, since I can finally hang back up Kris’ Carry On poster. It has too many spoilers, so I’ve had it on the ground hiding for two months for when people came over 😭 it’s going back in its place of honor next to my TV

[solarwynd]

Me anytime army discourse appears on my tl: Armys are so cooked 🫢

Jimin is actually popular. It's not an illusion, it's not bots. He genuinely has organic impact. He's more popular than rapline, more popular than most of kpopies fave groups, more popular than Jin, post-face I'd say he's arguably as popular as JK or Tae.

So let me know if I'm being delusional but I've started to feel recently that the fact that big army accounts and his company keep shading him or othering him has stopped affecting him and has instead just increased negativity towards the label and said big army accounts. Because many armys are cultish but like I said Jimin is popular. Atleast a few of them are slooooowly seeing the light and seeing all of it for what it is.

In spite of his many antis, Jimin's numbers are still pretty great and they're great because of fans not payola. Meanwhile the rest of them are either out of the picture completely or literally being kept afloat by their big playlists, remixes and constant restocks. Armys too are in terrible shape - I know there was infighting before but things are really bad nowadays. Them constantly platforming these low-key Jimin antis is backfiring on them because those guys suck. There was a surge of community after the four of them had enlisted but that's gone now too and I'm not surprised more and more people are going ia.

Is this karma? Too early to say but I hope so.

If Jimin didn’t seem “arguably” as popular as th and jk before, it’s because the online hate probably made it seem like he wasn’t. Tangibly, he’s always had the best results out the 3 prior to chapter 2 and he’s always been the most impactful without a doubt. He’s also objectively more popular than any other idol outside of bts that’s a hard ass fact lol.) But tbh, jimin being othered hasn’t really ever affected him success wise though, it’s mainly how people misconstrue him that impacts him negatively.

I agree that some armys (even though most of them are jimin biased) are seeing the fandom and label for what they are, but they’re minuscule compared to the rest of the fandom who don’t see anything wrong with how jimin’s being treated. Outside of that, any increased persecution of these accounts is definitely from pjms not letting them get away with the disrespect and being loud about it. That’s why I’d say the only way armys endorsing these anti jimin big shooter accounts is backfiring on them is that it’s making them lose genuine armys to solo stanning but negative for them plus for us.

[indelicateink]

Wait I can't believe you didn't like rockstat reveal 😞😞😞

lol I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the rockstat reveal. or rather: the reveal of the rockstat look

it’s admittedly a high bar to clear when my unchecked assumption was that it would hit me like the second coming of jesus christ himself

the more time that goes by the more my discontent crystallizes on the hair and makeup choices, that for me personally veer too naive to be even accidentally sexy or fun? which is always gonna break your heart when your own vision turns out to be off-target from show reality. i could not have anticipated pink eyeshadow under the palest contacts they could find, a headache-green jacket, and absence of the load-bearing wall that is eyeliner

this is a beautiful man. i get the sense they’re looking to muss him up: endorsed! personally? i feel there is a way to style him that serves the noble goal of debauched decadent heartsick grungy fuckoff gothglam, looking like he smells like narcotics and two day old groupie juices, that is hotter than the choices made? bc when the first pics came across twitter i immediately thought they were unwise ai fanart, which in 1 million billion years was not a reaction i expected after my love of s1&2 choices

i’m learning this is not only wildly subjective, it is an abnormal reaction. i understand i have woefully failed here and i have been packing for my trip to opinion hell. i’m baffled as fuck because everything they’ve got cooking for this is everything i love.

to be clear, i’m absolutely not negative about any of it even though the visuals don’t hit for me rn! god i want to be as excited as everyone. (visuals aside, im thrilled about the rest.) i’ll evolve. ✊ i will meditate on how to come around.

[sburbian-sage]

Hi skepticArbiter!

I don't know how long it's been on your end since you posted that GristTorrent ask, but your offhanded proposal of a Universal Grist Bank has driven my ADHD to heights of hyperfixation that have never been seen before. It has been months. Being a native Smith of Coins that's about what you'd expect, lol. Anyway! I bring it up because the session I'm currently in is serendipitously about the absolute best group I could ask for in making the idea a reality. It really feels like the Shine itself legitimately just manifested itself and forced whatever the infinitesimally small chance of something like this actually happening I swear to dog.

Thirteen of us, all have made it through at least ten sessions (with CERTAIN PEOPLE at significantly more than that-- 32 if she's to be believed and I've seen no evidence to the contrary and lots of proof that it's true) and managed to naturally reroll our native classpects. All of us. Not a lick of vagabouncy. It's insane. Both of our cardinal aspects’ first playthroughs were duet sessions. There's public proof several places on the replayernet going back timestamps that our Bane of Stage, Page of Mist, and Rouge of Sand have been sessionmates before. The Bane of Stage hunts Azurites for Fun and Him Time, 12 confirmed PK kills that I am aware of. Our Waste of Law(aforementioned 32 session legend) is awesometier. Several of us are pre-replayernet loose veterans. Our tactician classes, Flux player, and Mind player have been freaking out like ants when their trail gets stepped on. No major glitches or bugs so far, knock on wood. It feels too good to be true but in discussing it all of us dealt with capital-b-Bullshit scenarios with Light players in our last runs so I'm just trying to enjoy it without ruining it worrying.

I'm sending this message primarily to let you know that this is actually happening, and to thank you for coming up with the UGB in the first place. But also, I have come with some questions. I have never had to deal with the Others before (miraculous in it's own right tbh) and thus have absolutely no idea what to expect. I'm not part of the side that's doing the bartering, but I've known a good chunk of this group over the replayernet for a pretty long time and consider many dear friends(another insane thing to actually happen- us ending up together) and I am. Concerned. Everyone says “oh they do impossible bargins” and “will take parts of your soul” but I've never seen anyone actually SPECIFY what the terms for their deals are. It's not that I don't believe it's really that bad, it's just I'd much rather know than not know, you know? Is it a faux pas I'm not aware of to talk about it? Since you had to do it yourself for your ring journey I figured you'd be as good a place as any to ask and since it's over text it might not be as impactful for you as asking my friends face to face potentially could be for them, I apologize if that's incredibly insensitive of me.

For further context, the group is split so some of us are working on bartering with the others (Rouge of Sand, Guide of Void, Maid of Rage), some of us are actually making the physical server and programming the necessary software (myself, Witch of Time, Sage of Dreams, Heir of Sound), some are doing both (Waste of Law, Ward of Mind, Sylph of Flux), and our Seer of Space, Bane of Stage, and Page of Mist are covering taking care of session stuff where they can for now so the rest of us can focus on getting everything together for the bank.

Thank you again, and in advance for any insight you are willing to share,

snugglySocialist

Holy shit! I'm glad that an offhanded statement I meant mostly as a joke finally led to good things happening, instead of just getting me in trouble. Though that could still happen if I endorse this and it turns into an All Or Nothing situation, so pull through if you can. I said it before and I'll say it again, if you pull this off then not only will you have the eternal of gamebreakers, people who accidentally break their game, and anyone in a Ring Journey, but your handles will be put in the history books right next to the guy who figured out the Alimentator hack.

As for your question, I'm afraid I'm not a good firsthand source of information on this topic. I did not make the bargain for the Ring Journey I'm on, someone else did it. You are right that information is hard to come by, but "it's difficult to talk about" is only one reason out of three. Some people hide the nature of their bargains for protection. Especially if it's a larger operation like a Ring Server, if the presence of the server hinges upon X condition being fulfilled, and some malefactor wants to take down the site, best not to let them know which conditions to break. The third reason is that "not disclosing details of the bargain to other people" may itself be a condition of the bargain. It is, in fact, as annoying as it sounds, and all of these combined (not to mention the fact that writing down anything about the Others is a passive source of corruption) makes this topic a bitch to gain any information about.

For your purposes, the institution of a Ring Server isn't that big of an ask, so I don't think the price will be literally impossible or metaphorically impossible (like "consume the hearts of all of your friends and set yourself on fire", that's basically their catty way of saying "we're not giving you a deal"). However, something like a Universal Grist Bank has significantly more "oomph" behind it than an online archive, social media page, or weirdass elitist bookclub. Standard bargaining practice is to respond to any price they give you with "that is too much", in which case they'll either lower the price, or solidify that the price is set.

As for the actual prices, it varies. The Transamphibian founders can't use their real names anymore. CorpseParty got shut down because someone used the server to try and scry cross-session, which apparently violated the deal. In general though, the prices set seem almost spiteful. "They take bits of your soul" is more metaphorical than literal, like really fond memories, your reputation, relationship with someone important, and in the worst cases your ability to engage in a hobby that you consider fundamental to your sense of being. I think there's at least one case where someone's condition was that they can't use any Replayer Network, which effectively unpersons them (this information was shared secondhand for obvious reasons and thus couldn't be verified). It's impossible to tell what the deal is until you have it, and all of your efforts to establish the UGB are basically bottlenecked into dealing with those guys, who can make or break the entire project. And they know this. And you have no power over them, only than knowing that they will not do anything to you unless you ask them to do it. There's really no further advice I can give you other than...

Lawyer up. Read the fine print, argue for fairness as much as possible, and don't let yourself get worked over any more than is necessary.

Once you accept a deal, stick with it. There are no "grace periods", take-backs, or hiding an infraction. If the terms of the deal are broken, the UGB goes up in flames basically forever (unless you make another deal to "recover it").

Genuinely, genuinely, don't chew off more than you can swallow. If the terms of the contract are unlivable to any of the people undertaking it, don't do it.

There is one other aspect I should mention, which is that if the conditions of the deal only concern one person, the deal will still be upheld once that person dies. So if the condition is "nobody can upload Build Grist" and someone uploads Build Grist, then the website is kill. But if the condition is "none of the founders can alchemize anything anymore, and all of the founders end up dying, then the site will stay up. Though it'll obviously need new administrators. Sorry for the macabre example, but this is a little-known facet of Other bargains that not a lot of people know about, and it's why a lot of the older servers and networks are still up.

[jadedrrose]

A Calm Day

On a rare off day within the scouts, you try to give Levi the quiet peacefulness he deserves.

I finally did it guys….. I said I would write a Levi fic…. Eventually 👀. But here it is!

Warnings: None. Sfw unless taking a bath together (in a fluffy way) isn’t considered sfw? Gender neutral reader unless I accidentally added anything feminine in, lol.

In a time when it was harder to have completely peaceful, uneventful days, you somehow found yourself in one of those rare days.

But that was life when you lived with the Scouts, and you’d had to accept that as your reality- even if you weren’t really “one of them”. You just lived on base with your husband, helping out with simpler tasks; cooking food, sewing patches on uniforms, taking care of the horses (and any stray cats that often wandered into the base). Even if you weren’t part of the action, it all still caught up to you whenever they’d leave for expeditions, many returning injured and needing help. But again, that was just part of life here.

However today, for once, was quiet. Everybody was back at base if they weren’t out in the city having a “free day”. You were the former. You had plenty of time to get out and shop or do whatever it was you needed, so you stayed back today. Mostly because you wanted to spend time with your lover.

That was the plan, originally. But you should’ve known better than anyone that Levi would take this chance to clean up. Even if you cleaned every day while he was busy, he’d still clean more. Others would find this humorous on the surface, but only you and a few others knew why he was like that. This was another thing you’d accepted about your life here, with him.

You were sitting in the empty dining hall (oddly empty for a “day off”, but you weren’t complaining), reading a book you’d picked up the other day. A tray of two cups sat on the table beside you, filled with tea that was hot. If it still was.

You’d nearly forgotten about this tea agreement with Levi, as you were completely endorsed in your book. That was until he finally entered the room, sitting across from you.

“Done yet?” You asked, in regards to his cleaning.

“Nearly,” he answered simply, reaching to take one of the tea cups and bringing it to his lips.

“It’s cold, y/n,” he told you, almost in a scolding manner. But he wasn’t upset.

You snapped your book shut, “Sorry. I’ve been waiting for who knows how long, though. Noon was our agreement,” you huffed.

“So it was,” he said, “sorry. I was too caught up in cleaning.”

“It’s alright,” you told him, reaching for his hand that rested on the table, softly rubbing your thumb along his pale skin. “I could make you a new one?”

He simply nodded, and you gave his hand a gentle squeeze before rising from your seat, taking the cold tea back into the kitchen.

You leaned back against one of the wooden counters as you waited for the water to boil again. A few minutes had passed when Levi entered the kitchen, and without saying a word, leaned his head into your chest and lazily put his arms around you.

Instinctively, your arms wrapped around him and you brought a hand up to run through his hair. “Everything alright, love?”

“Just tired,” was all he said. But you could tell it was much more. He simply didn’t prefer to speak about those things often.

You opted to continue holding him, leaning your head down to place a soft kiss to his forehead. You stayed like this for a couple moments, up until the creaking of the kitchen doors could be heard…

It was a random rookie, probably looking to steal snacks. But really, no matter who it was, Levi would instantly pull away from you and act as if you hadn’t been acting so intimate seconds earlier.

Upon seeing you and Levi in the kitchen, the kid froze, saluted, mumbled something that sounded like “sorry, Captain”, and walked out of the kitchen all within five seconds.

You giggled, always finding it quite funny that the younger scouts were always so intimidated by Levi. Your same Levi who enjoyed being held close, to be your little spoon, the one who acted like the more traditionally “feminine” role within the relationship. It was cute, to you. Others had no clue he was so different from the scary, cold man they thought him to be.

But you were distracted from those thoughts as the water nearly reached a boiling point, signaling the tea was just about done. You pulled it off the flame and stirred the liquid, ensuring the flavor was entirely mixed in.

After pouring the tea into two new cups, you and Levi returned to the table out in the dining hall.

—

When the both of you were finished with the tea, Levi took the dishes and immediately washed them, before he started heading off to finish cleaning. But you followed him, book in hand.

“I’m gonna help,” you said, “it’s my room too, I should have to help.”

“Fine,” he nodded, leading the way upstairs to where the bigger quarters were.

That was how the rest of the day went; you following Levi’s orders on whatever he wanted cleaned or how he wanted things cleaned. He must’ve lied about being nearly done at lunch, because it was now starting to get dark out and you still were wiping off every surface in the room.

You were tired now, and hungry. As you wiped the last of the cleaner off the dresser, you let out a grunt and walked backwards to fall onto the bed. However, you were stopped.

“Don’t get your filthy clothes on the bed,” you heard Levi quietly yell from the bathroom.

“How’d you even know?! You can’t see me!” You protested.

“I can see you in the mirror, idiot. If you’re gonna lay down, change your clothes and shower first.”

With a huff, you stalked over to the bathroom and crossed your arms. “I’m too tired for a shower.”

“Then take a bath.”

That gave you an idea. Unfolding your arms, you stepped over to him and took the cleaning rag out of his hand.

“Y/n,” he warned.

“You’ve cleaned this spot twice already. Levi, I want you to relax… it’s supposed to be your day off,” you said, frowning but still sounding as caring as possible.

“I know, but-“

“Just take a bath with me, will you? If I must, I’ll clean everything all over again for you tomorrow. But tonight, just relax.”

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment before giving a slight nod. “Alright.”

Smiling, you turned on your heel to fill up the bathtub. Once it was on, you went to grab matches from the other room to light some candles you’d attempted at making a few weeks ago.

A few moments later, the bathtub was filled with comfortably hot water and you now lay within it, Levi leaning against you, in your arms.

It had been quiet for a while, however, this was the comfortable type of silence you often shared with him. Until he broke it.

“Thanks,” he quietly spoke.

“For what?” You asked, looking down at him.

“For making me relax…”

You smiled just a little, and kissed him. “Of course. Maybe I should do it more often, hm?”

“Maybe,” he agreed. “…I love you,” he quietly added.

A warm feeling rose to your chest and your small smile turned into a genuine grin. “I love you, too,” you replied with a kiss.

[iamanerd1]

hey now that they've announced the incredible 3 i wanted to write this out because I've had this idea for an Incredibles sequel forever

so the main gimmick of this one is that there is a significant time jump. Dash and Violet are both adults or close to being, and Bob and Helen are finally retiring from superheroing for good.

Dash and Violet are new and successful young superheros and have to deal with the increasing commercialization (endorsing products, attending interviews, kissing babies ex) that is getting in the way of their actual job. This is leading them to feel burnt out as they want to do good, but so many other things are getting in the way of it. Also one of them develops a rivalry or a gets a nemesis with one of the new characters, and this is heavily coded to be analogous to their first serious relationship.

Helen and Bob have to deal with what their plans will be after they retire (go on cruises? travel the world? get a boat?) but they both don't actually want to retire and are just convinced the other does. This comes to a head in the mid-movie action scene where one of them does get seriously hurt, which makes them both realize that they do actually have to retire.

The villain of the film is Jack-Jack, though this is only revealed halfway through in dramatic fashion. Everyone else in the family has been mostly ignoring him the whole film, (which is used for some tasteless jokes) as they are dealing with their own problems, and just assumed that he was going to school as normal.

He turns on his family because they were all too busy being amazing superheroes while he was a kid, and ignored him while he was struggling to control all of his powers. Unlike Violet and Dash who only ever showed signs of having one power and never problem controlling them, Jack-Jack retains all of his abilities as he grows up.

What was once a cute quirk as a baby and toddler, becomes impossible to manage as a kid and teenager and he drowns under the weight of his uncontrollable abilities, until he eventually becomes resentful of his family. This is further influenced by a Villain that he meets (might be older Syndrome somehow?? who knows) that encourages this behavior and helps him learn to control his powers. (Though the villain has further plans that Jack-Jack doesn't know about, like exploiting him or something.)

Because the rest of the Parr family is fighting against Jack-Jack there is a emotional weight to every fight scene. They are trying to talk to him to get him to stand down, but the time for talking past years ago. Additionally because Jack-Jack has so many powers he is a really difficult person to fight and has a perfect counter for everyone's powers. (For example, he can match his dad's strength by turning into the devil baby rage monster, can trick Dash and his speed by making multiple copies of himself, and can get around Violet and his Mom by teleporting to the other dimension and disappearing.)

The conclusion is pretty cliche. The family realizes that they've been neglecting Jack-Jack and need to be there to support him. The villain does something incredibly evil and pushes too far and the whole family has to come together and stop him and also apologizes.

Helen and Bob resolve to put their retirement plans on hold to help him recover, while Violet and Dash more time with him. Bada bing bada boom, billion dollar movie easy. Villain dies in a volcano.

Anyway, I wanted to put this down on paper because I'm interested in what Disney is going to do for the third movie, and i am going to be judging that based on if I think that the movie they make is better than my ideas lol

[alarrytale]

Hope it´s not just me but Louis´ shorter haircut looks so good on him and he should keep it like this imo. Also idk what gifts dedicated to F he got lately on the airport and I even don´t care because it gives me creeps in general (I never saw any fans being so obsessed with their idols kids and idk it just proves how fake dad he is that he endorses it but whatever....anyway, he looks so great since his performance in Finland and especially after Berlin with his shorter hair and now even freshly shaved and hopefully well rested and I´m so in love with him and hope it´s all because H takes care of him in between his festival shows because maybe there are rumours about where he is, with no actual proof so.... Don´t know if anyone noticed these funny coincidences lately so let me point to them

in Finland Louis wore that black sweater vest by the same brand H wore his blue vest when went to football in March (ig it was march)

them both using their opportunity on stage to tell everyone "It´s coming home" like a signal they will get together in couple of days, ofc it´s plausible because every english football fan is yelling this

H and his bluegreen songbird

HL in Berlin and their synced outfits

Louis bluegreening since Berlin

Maybe it´s all only a coincidences or maybe it´s just them telling us that they are very happy together right now. Oh and Louis also wore kind of a rainbow vest recently so I take it as a coded clothing.

Hi, anon!

I like the shorter hair too! It looks much better on him. And i love the clean shaven look also, though i don't mind the beard. I should also appreciate the boyband shirt he's wearing, but i very famously hate the Bea*les lol.

I see the coding and the "coincidences" too. Louis has worn that green and blue PAL hoodie three times now. He can't love it that badly haha. I hope it continues!

[sybaritick]

sending this one right back at you (sort of)—any show/movie/book/etc you enjoyed recently? or just feel like talking about haha

aw thank you!! i did recently finish Venomous Lumpsucker which i know i mentioned to you already. so i will instead discuss um.

okay the first one i thought of that feels on-brand and relevant, i want to preface this with "it ISN'T a good book. it is poorly written at times imo and also politically a mess. probably DON'T read it." but i read Beggars in Spain last year, a sci-fi novel from the early 90s about people genetically modified to not need sleep who become significantly more capable and intelligent than the rest of the world. it's written like... some hybrid of Randian genuine endorsement of "some people are just genetically better!" and "but we should offer some minimum standard of living to the normies for ethical reasons. even though they resent us for being better and will discriminate against us for our inherent superiority." at parts it absolutely comes off as an autism metaphor which is interesting but i don't even know if that's intentional on the author's part. critical support for autism supremacy regardless.

tl;dr is it a good book? no. i just like genetic engineering and bad science fiction

i love how i interpreted this prompt as "tell me about a weird book" instead of just mentioning one i enjoyed recently, like the traitor baru cormorant. thank you for the question tho lol!